Page 45 of Music of the Ocean

Did it even matter?

Finally, they approached a larger chamber that looked like a place to eat. A dining hall, maybe? Inside, Callie waited. She stood beside a long, low platform, arranging bundles of kelp and blue orbs on a stone ledge. The air shimmered with the spice of kelp sugars and a warmer, faintly metallic tang.

At the sight of Saxby, she straightened and waved. “Hey! That was wild, wasn’t it?”

“Are you okay?” Saxby asked.

“Oh, sure. The city doesn’t go on full alert often, but it has happened. Anyway, I figured you might be hungry.”

Saxby hesitated at the doorway. He eyed the food and the two seats on either side of the platform. Indigo gestured for him to enter.

Callie waited as they took their places, then slid one of the blue orbs across the table to Saxby. “Eat up. It helps with fatigue. You’ll need it.”

Saxby also noticed there was a display on the wall behind Callie’s head. It showed the starship holding in orbit. His gaze lingered on the display for a moment, then shifted to the orb. He bit into it, the membrane splitting cleanly.

“You ever see a standoff like this?” Callie asked.

Saxby shook his head. “Never. Not even close.”

“Your Federation escalated fast,” Callie said.

Saxby set the orb down. “Yeah, that’s not how things are usually done. It makes me think they had orders to move quickly.”

Callie snorted. “They’ll learn this isn’t a battle they can win.”

An uncomfortable silence settled over the chamber at her words. The only sound was the soft popping of bioluminescent bubbles along the wall. Saxby finished the first orb and reached for another.

His movements were slower, and he was already getting tired. Having your DNA overhauled really took it out of you, apparently.

Indigo accepted a green orb from Callie’s outstretched hand. He nodded once in thanks and bit into it as his tentacles moved restlessly beneath the table.

On the wall, the tactical display updated. A new cluster of what looked like drones detached from the starship, their course plotted in a bright arc toward the planet. Indigo watched the pattern for a moment, then leaned in closer to the surface of the table, his hand pressed flat against the kelp fiber.

The wall responded as the display zoomed in on the new formation, highlighting the hull signatures and weapon arrays.

Callie’s eyes narrowed. “They’re persistent, I’ll give them that.”

Once again, the objects were eliminated.

“How many more do they have?” Indigo asked.

“I haven’t exactly been keeping count, but they should be getting low on everything. I mean, seriously. They’ve thrown everything down here but the kitchen sink,” Saxby said.

“That saying actually made sense. So, now what will they do?” Callie asked.

Saxby glanced at the projection, then at Indigo. “As I said, we need to convince them to leave orbit and log this as a hostile, do-not-return planet. If the Federation keeps pressing, it’ll get ugly for everyone.”

Indigo nodded once. “I agree. And that means showing them this planet has a defense system capable of targeting starships.”

“Shit. Again, I remind you I have friends on that ship,” Saxby said. “Can you make a statement without destroying them? Please?”

Callie grinned. “A gigantic explosion would make a statement, too.”

“And kill a lot of people—some who are friends,” Saxby glared at Callie. “You do get that, right?”

Callie shrugged. “I’m not trying to be an ass, but I’m more worried about the friends I have here and Indigo. I don’t know those people on that ship.”

“Look, your gigantic explosion would bring a battleship, which we do not want,” Saxby snapped. “I have an idea that’s not blowing my old ship out of orbit.”