Vivian paced impatiently in the modest hotel room, waiting for Bartholomew to arrive. She was impatient. Evelyn’s Grace was up in orbit above, and no matter how confident she acted in front of Wade, she understood what it meant.

Maven Ophidian stood on the bridge of the newly renamed Crusader Class Warship Eisle, formerly Evelyn’s Grace. She’d picked the name that morning, hating the name ‘Evelyn.’

“This is merchant vessel KMV1 Cudgel requesting permission to land,” Vivian intoned into her headset, fingers flicking over the ship’s controls. A few moments passed, followed by a click, and then a young woman listed off docking coordinates.

Maven groaned as the beeping receiver woke her up. She rolled to her side and threw her pillow at the far wall of the officers’ quarters at the sound. It did no good. The beeping continued.

Darius rubbed his temple’s and let out an exhausted sigh. His head hurt, the same way it always did when he exerted himself.

Abigail searched the area surrounding the old mining town, and it didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for: a hidden entrance at the top of a waterfall leading underground. It was covered by a number of huge stones, and it took them a good thirty minutes to clear the area.

“What is the meaning of this?” Captain Queston asked, settling back into his chair and glaring at the monitor. On the other end was Captain Emilio Finch, traitor, and turncoat to the Republic. “You would dare stop my ships?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “I just…when I was walking toward the demon, something told me it wouldn’t hurt me.” “A guess?” “A feeling,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t explain it.”

When morning came, Quinton prepared them a meal of vitamin-enriched oatmeal and a loaf of stale bread. Vivian found the food distasteful, but once again Traq devoured his—and her—helping like a starving child.