It’s… different.
Less about conflict.
More about understanding.
“So what now?” she asks.
“We get this somewhere it can’t be erased,” I reply.
“And then?” she presses.
I glance back at the data.
“And then we deal with whatever comes next,” I say.
“That’s not a plan,” she says.
“It’s the only one we’ve got,” I reply.
She considers that, her gaze steady.
“Alright,” she says finally.
“Alright?” I repeat.
“Yeah,” she nods. “We finish it.”
I watch her for a second, something settling into place that wasn’t there before.
“Together,” I say.
“Together,” she agrees.
The word lands solid.
Not reactive.
Not temporary.
Something chosen.
I nod once, turning back to the console.
“Then we prep this for transfer,” I say. “Make sure it’s clean, make sure it’s impossible to twist.”
“And make sure it hits hard,” she adds.
“Yeah,” I agree. “That too.”
The ship hums steadily around us, carrying us farther from Myrza with every second, and for the first time since this started?—
We’re not reacting anymore.
We’re deciding what happens next.
CHAPTER 39
JOLIE
