“Ani,” Avery said. “We don’t talk like that.” He was on the cusp of asking Ani to apologize but realized how absurd that would be; Ani probably should shoot Sheridan again.

“Fine,” Ani said and stomped back toward her cabin.

“That went well,” Sheridan said, straightening. She spoke almost sadly, her eyes on the girl’s diminishing shape.

“You did rather deserve it,” Avery said. He could feel Janx tensing beside him, as if preparing to hurl Sheridan overboard. The idea amused Avery.

“Did I?” said Sheridan. “All I did was help the crew make a catch. It’s not a whale, but then I’m not a big strong whaler.” She said this as her gaze moved to Janx.

“Bitch,” Janx said, and went to shepherd Ani; a whaling ship was not a place for a little girl alone. The guard assigned to watch the group hesitated, then stayed with Avery. He traded a look with the guard assigned to watch Sheridan and shrugged.

“Alone at last,” Sheridan said to Avery as sailors bustled around them and Captain Greggory emerged, calling for the ship to haul ass for the squid before it was all et up by the creepy crawlies. Dutifully, the ship started in its direction, and indeed Avery could make out the water bubbling vigorously around the flailing, lifeless tentacles of the squid. He felt uncomfortable being alone—nearly—with Sheridan. He’d been the one to save her life, performing surgery on her in the ship’s crude medical bay at his own insistence, and he had also overseen her recovery, but always there had been people around—other doctors, nurses, patients. Now there were only the guards, but he was so used to them by now that they almost didn’t count.

“You two could get along,” Avery said. “There’s no reason we have to be enemies now. We'll reach Hissig in a few weeks. Home. Once we get there things will take their course.”

“I’ll go to prison, you mean. Stand trial. Be executed as a traitor.”

What was there to say? Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. Avery and his group would have to move swiftly to ensure that Sheridan was not given safe harbor by the Navy.

“I could testify in your defense,” he said. “As a character witness. Tell the judge why you did what you did, what your motivations were. Tell him that you were only doing what you thought right, acting in the best interests of humanity, misguided as you were. It might affect your sentencing.”

She eyed him with an unreadable look, and he glanced away.

“I was right,” she said softly. “You see that now. After Ethali.” When he said nothing, she added, “You beat Octung, not them. The puppets, not the puppeteers. And they will prevail. Many more will die than should have. Unless steps are taken.”

He started to say something, to tell her about the Starfish samples, but thought better of it. Better if she didn’t know.

“Why are you on deck?” he said. “We’re supposed to trade off shifts so that we won’t have situations like this.”

She did a strange thing. She reached out and squeezed his hand. He could feel the pressure of her strong fingers through his glove. He was so startled he didn’t pull away.

“Things won’t go the way you think they will, Doctor.” So. They were back to Doctor now. “I will not be able to protect you.”

“What do you—?”

“Just keep your head down.”

“You mean once we reach Ghenisa?”

The pressure eased. She gave him a look that might have been pitying, then vanished into the crowd. He frowned and turned to watch the sailors haul in the squid.

*   *   *

Layanna didn’t glance up as Avery knocked and entered the cabin. Ani had flung herself on one of the two narrow cots, belly down, and refused to face him. Hildra was nowhere to be seen. Avery plunked down by his daughter, across from Layanna, who sat with her eyes closed and legs crossed as if in meditation.

“I know you’re upset, Ani,” Avery said, “But that’s no excuse to say you should shoot someone.”

“Not someone. Her.”

“Even her.”

Sulkily, Ani faced him. She seemed much smaller out of her environment suit. More frail. He recognized the determined glint in her eyes.

“She’s bad,” Ani said

“You didn’t always think so. You used to call her Aunt Jess, and she looked after you.”

“She poisoned me.”

“No, now remember, that was all a trick. She never actually poisoned you.”

“I had seizures!”

There was some amusement in Layanna’s voice when she opened her eyes at last. “She’s got you there, Francis. Sheridan is a hard person to defend.”

“Well—”

“No!” Ani said, and turned her face to the wall again. Her voice somewhat muffled, she said, “You should have let her die.”

But if I had, little one, what would that make you? It was this thought that had guided his hands during surgery that night long weeks ago, and even now he could not think that it was the wrong decision.

He pulled the covers up over his daughter’s shoulder and tucked her in. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You’ve done enough for one day.”

She didn’t answer, but she looked tired, and Avery moved to Layanna’s bed.

“How are you?”

She appeared tired, too. Exhausted, even. She always did after her attempted spyings.

“Fine,” she said, but she sounded ragged.

“Learn anything?”

She shook her head and lay down. He curled up behind her, which she allowed, though not as yieldingly as she once had.

“They’re blocking their thoughts from me,” she said.

Ever since the firing of the Device, Layanna had been trying to see into the minds of the R’loth, to see what their reaction—or counterattack—might be. Now, after they’d had a glimpse of what that response entailed, it was vital to discover more, to find some weakness in the Starfish, perhaps, or where it would be deployed next, or how many of the things there were.

“”Do you sense anything when you reach out to them?” he asked. “Anything that might help us?”

“No. At least ... I think not.”

“So there’s something.”