Mik yelped as the wrench slipped, jamming his thumb into the small space between engine parts. He pulled his hand out of the access port, shaking it to alleviate the pain. He was up to his elbows in engine grease, sleeves pushed up to avoid the sticky substance. 

He couldn’t do much while the engine was operating, but he had to keep himself occupied and fiddling with the backup systems was the best way he could do that mid jump. Until the ship reached the next set of coordinates and he was needed to set it on the next course, there wasn’t much for him to do in the cockpit. And right now, he needed to keep his brain occupied. 

Muttering to himself, he yanked the wrench out of its awkward position and repositioned it. The central cooling system for the backup generators should be just behind here. If he could just remove this plating….

Soft footfalls rang on the walkway outside the door behind him moments before it slid open. Mik didn’t need to turn to see who it was. Only one passenger had the natural grace to make the catwalks sing like that. 

“How is he?” He kept focused on his work as he asked the question.

“Resting.” Honor settled herself on a stack of empty crates Mik kept as a ladder for when he needed to reach the upper sections of the engine. “I have done what I can.”

Mik nodded and wrenched the plating free. If I reroute the couplings through that sleeve it should increase the rate of flow by thirty percent…

“He says he has survived worse. In The War.”

“I know.” He’d seen the scars. He knew The War had been brutal and bloody. He’d just never seen that much blood before…He’d never seen Jaxon…

Honor placed a furred hand on his shoulder and Mik realized he’d been leaning against the engine for the last minute. “It is not easy the first time you see a friend fall, but it will be alright, Mik.” Honor’s voice was soothing. A quiet purr just audible above the engine noise, but somehow pitched just right so he didn’t have to strain to make it out. 

Mik picked up a scanner and made sure the couplings didn’t have any power flowing through them right now. Accidental electrocution would be the perfect end to this day, wouldn’t it? 

“Mik?” Honor’s tone grew more insistent. “Look at me.”

Mik bit his lip and tried to ignore her, focusing on his inner calculations. Green first and then….but if removing the red one will cause the engine to fire…..but not if I take the blue first…

Honor gave his shoulder a firm tug, turning him to face her. “What is wrong, little one?” 

“I screwed up,” Mik mumbled at a barely audible level.

Honor’s ears twitched, trying to make out what he was saying. “How so?”

“I went too quickly…I should have checked again for viruses.” Now that it was coming out of him it seemed as if he couldn’t stop. “It’s my fault. I set the Razers off. I caused the alarm. If I’d just taken another look…”

“Stop.” Honor locked eyes with him and something deep within her amber gaze mad Mik immediately close his mouth. “It wasn’t your fault. You did all you could, Mik. More than that, from what the Captain tells me.”

“But I couldn’t do enough…” 

“No one can change the stars, little one.” Honor fingered the silver pendant hanging around her neck. “Do not berate yourself for something that is impossible.” 

Darryn paced back and forth in his quarters. His shoulder was bandaged and the throbbing from the laser blast had subsided, but his mind was still racing as he tried to process what the information he had gotten from Eralis meant for his crew. 

Doctor Alistair. The evil genius behind the Enhanced Project, a program designed to provide the government with soldiers capable of taking on a vicious alien threat. A mishmash of genetic engineering and mental programming. 

Of course the public had rioted when the mutant killing machines had gone rogue after The War’s end fifteen years ago. And, of course, the Federation had denied any knowledge of the “inhumane” experimentation. Everyone knew it was a lie. But the data had been destroyed, the rogue Enhanced rounded up as best they could, and the man responsible for the affair had been sentenced to life in prison. Life had gone on. Yes, many of the test subjects had likely escaped, but now they were the stuff of urban legends and sensational news stories. 

Darryn kept pacing, idly fingering his guns. If what Eralis said was true, and Doctor Alistair was still out there…what did that mean? Had he devoted his time to more human experimentation? If so, what sort of weapons did the Federation now possess? And why did they need the earlier data? Unless…

The rogue Enhanced. They couldn’t be identified because no one knew who the test subjects were. Officially they were military volunteers and convicted criminals, but no one knew the truth. And with the data supposedly erased, there was no way of telling just how many there were. Did they need a way to round up the Enhanced for something?

Darryn’s eyes flicked to the door as he pondered the implications of the government rounding up their old weapons. Were they to be decommissioned, or repurposed? Neither option boded well. 

The intercom next to the door let out a chime, followed by Mik’s voice. “Captain? We’ve arrived at Arrida.”

Darryn pressed the reply button. “I’m on my way up.” He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, making his way towards the cockpit. 

He still didn’t know what the Federation was up to, but he had made a decision. That data was never going to make it back to the government, and he was never letting another Federation Agent near his crew. 

As for Eralis. He was definitely lying about something. And Darryn was determined to find out what.