Later that night, Crimp was asleep and Jenna was fumbling with the earpiece Ryatt had given her. The earpiece that spoke to Ixy was currently in stand-by mode in her left ear, though she didn’t remove it. The earpiece Ryatt had put in her pocket was made for her right ear. Jenna slipped it in and turned it on, she heard the crackle of electricity click through it. If it worked, it was working now.

“Sardius?” she whispered.

There was nothing on the other end, but Jenna couldn’t give up. 

“Sardius?” 

“Yeah?” his husky voice came through.

Jenna clutched her hand to her chest and tried not to do anything that might wake up Crimp. “Are you okay?’ she whispered.

“Sure. Fine,” he said.

“You were okay after the prison riot?” she hissed desperately.

He chuckled. “Yeah. I told you I was going to kill a lot of people and I did. It was good. I… um… I wanted to see you.”

“Did you? Were you at the match tonight?”

“Sort of. I… I saw you and I didn’t.”

Suddenly, she colored and blustered, “Oh! Did you see Ryatt kiss me? Did it bother you?”

“Um… Jenna… I’m not worried about that stuff. I’m fine. He’s that kind of guy, and I knew that when I asked him to help me. Sorry about the butt grab. He’s a good guy, even if he is a little handsy. Tonight, the goal was simple. I wanted to tell you that I’m still doing my job.”

“Really?” Jenna asked, incredulously. “After all you’ve been through... after you disappeared in a clank of metal and sudden screaming… I have lived in fear, not knowing if you were alive or dead… and you’re still doing your job?”

“Yeah. I didn’t offer Ryatt a job with you formally, but if you’re still taking my recommendations, then I recommend hiring him as your chief bodyguard. Smoothie can still help a lot if things go badly, but I know it would put a lot of minds at rest if there was someone in your palace who was responsible for your safety.”

“That’s awfully considerate of you,” she mumbled. “But… What about you? You’re going to answer my question about how you are with a single word? Fine? Talk to me. Tell me what happened.”

He hedged, his voice sounding clipped in the night air. “I can’t really talk about any of that. The situation isn’t what it was before when I was being recorded, but it’s… uh… not a lot different now. I can’t speak freely. The earpiece I sent you isn’t encrypted the way I’d like. I can say a few things, but not everything, Not tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to improve security on my end and we’ll be able to have a proper heart-to-heart later. Suffice it to say, ‘I’m fine’. Rest easy, Jenna.”

“Wait. Are you saying goodbye?” she flustered.

“Yeah. You can try me again before you go to bed when you’re back on Octavia Prime. Right now isn’t great for me. I’ll be ready to take your call next time.”

“Okay,” Jenna agreed, feeling better that she’d be able to talk to Sardius again even if their conversation was cut short. 

“Good night, Jenna. You look cute with that pink stripe in your hair,” he said, his voice exactly what it used to be. “I’m glad I got to see it before it grew out.”

“Are you here, on Spikay Two?” Jenna whispered urgently.

“I have to go,” he said huskily and the line went dead.

Jenna pulled the earpiece out and killed the power. She should have felt reassured that Sardius was safe, and she did, but she also didn’t. Their conversation hadn’t felt like the danger had passed. Instead, it felt like she was now in another kind of danger that she didn’t understand. Knowing he had survived was one thing. Knowing he was somewhere out of sight, but not knowing if he was safe was a new kind of stress. He didn’t sound safe, but she had to trust that he’d find a way to remove the threat and come to join her.

She hoped, but she didn’t sleep after she took the new earpiece out. She tossed and wished there was a way for her to find him.