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the exterior airlock door. The prisoners all wore ankle and wrist restraints, while Frostshadow, Kodama, and Lafuega each wore a disruption collar. Edison examined Kodama’s injuries.

Wind whipped across an adjacent tarmac as Eridani’s Starwind touched down. Steam shot out from the cargo ramp as it lowered into place. Moments later, Eridani descended clad in her day clothes, only to be swept into Orin’s tight embrace as soon as she stepped off. “Easy now,” she said, and she laughed.

Grinning, he set her down. “Nice duds! Where did you get such a colorful long coat?”

“Oh, some dork gave it to me as a graduation present,” said Eridani. “Oh wait—it was you!”

Orin chuckled. “Guilty as charged!”

“What happened to the uniform you were wearing on screen?” asked Mike.

“That was mainly for Schurke’s sake,” said Eridani. “I’m not really a captain, so much as the proud owner of a Colima-class battlecruiser, and now that Schurke’s in cuffs, it’s time I stopped pretending to be something I’m not.”

Mike nodded. “I can understand that.”

Eridani regarded the spry young woman who hurried over to stand before her. “Well, hello Nimbus.”

“Eridani Webb, it is me!” They shared a friendly hug. “What do you think?”

“You look lovely,” said Eridani. “How do you feel about the transition?”

“It took me several hours to master human locomotion, which is far longer than I expected,” said Nimbus. “I’m learning the extents of my physical limits and limitations, and I have experienced dreams! Oh, Eridani, it pains me that I must wait to share them with you.”

“Sure,” said Eridani. “That sounds like something we could talk about one day.”

“I understand the depth of friendship I feel toward you isn’t presently reciprocated,” said Nimbus. “But you must understand that I see not only how you have touched my life, but also the lives of everyone we both care about. You are a light in the darkness, Eridani Webb, and I hope you will one day consider me a friend.”

Eridani smiled and blushed slightly. “Wow, thanks Nimbus! That’s so nice of you to say. I look forward to getting to know you.”

“Mike! Orin!” Torsha stooped into view from inside the cargo hold. “Oh my gosh, Nimbus!” She scampered down the ramp, and all four shared a joyful embrace. “What’s next for you guys?”

Mike explained what happened on Arsenal Bay. “We’re helping Casey with the investigation. As soon as that’s over, I might apply for a remote learning exception and finish my degree out here.”

“I will remain a starfarer as well,” said Nimbus. “I intend to support Captain Cartwright for as long as I believe in the work she’s doing.”

“I’ll be submitting my application to MABAS Academy and taking my Spacer’s Exam as soon as we get back to Watchtower,” said Orin. “There’s a woman that’s stuck here. She saved me, and I’d like to find a way to save her if I can.”

“What happened?” asked Torsha. “And what do you mean ‘stuck?’”

As they swapped stories, Casey approached Eridani. “Captain Webb, I can’t thank you enough for saving my ship and the lives of my crew.”

“Oh, it’s just Eridani from now on.” She bowed slightly. “Captain.”

“Why’s that?” asked Casey.

“I only took the job to try and keep Orin safe.” Eridani looked mournful. “Then to avenge our families, and apparently to commit an act of war against my own nation of birth. It feels like a pretty storied career already, so I thought I’d stop while I was ahead.”

“There’s more than enough proof to make sure all the dust settles in our favor,” said Casey. “Flacon diplomats are already en route to Earth, and I think the United Planets diplomatic corps might actually be grateful for a much-needed shot in the arm.”

“That’s good to know,” said Eridani. “Still, even if I wanted to stay out here, there was almost nothing left of Bloodtusk’s holdings. After I return what I borrowed from the Santos estate, I’ll still have to sell Imperium to cover the rest of the loan, and I’m not even sure that’s legal since she’s a warship with a military-grade armament.”

“Even if you ditched the C-beam, she still may end up getting scuttled if you surrender ownership,” said Casey. “You wouldn’t see a red credit.”

Eridani sighed. “Well, that’s just great.”

“But I highly doubt Mike is going to force the issue,” said Casey.

“He’s got three uncles and seven cousins higher up on the chain than he is,” said Eridani. “Someone’s going to try to collect, I guarantee it.”

Casey quietly cleared her throat. “How deep in the hole are you?”

“Almost a quarter million.”

“You could sell her to me,” said Casey. “I can’t afford to pay you fair market value, but I can cover your debt fifty times over. Sixty times over, if I can short-sell Watchtower.”

Eridani smiled. “Let’s say five times over, I keep the Starwind, and I get to stay on as a consultant.”

“You’d let her go for that cheap?” asked Casey.

“The more I take, the less you’ll have to pay us,” said Eridani.

“Are you sure?”

Eridani nodded. “Completely.”

“Deal!” said Casey, and she grinned. “I’ll draw up the paperwork and ask my pilot to start moving everything over!”

Chapter 36

Basic Training

Shulana carried a large crate into Casey’s shuttle and stacked it atop an even larger crate. Within Watchtower’s empty cargo hold, Casey and Ikunku stood side by side. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this clean,” said Casey.

“We were only aboard for a few months, but she sure felt like home,” said Ikunku. “I’m a little nervous about transferring to Imperium, to be honest.”

“Home is anywhere you can hang your hat,” said Casey. “Imperium’s big, but she’s not too big.”

Shulana exited the shuttle. “I don’t think that’s what he’s getting at. Here on Watchtower, half of us were buccaneers.”

“Yeah, and Imperium’s full of decent folk,” said Ikunku. “They have families they can spend time with and friends they can visit without stepping through a weapon detector.”

“You’ll fit in just fine,” said Casey. “It may take a little while, but you’ll get there.”

“According to