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Leon half smiled to himself as he turned about to survey the room properly. He stood with his back to the wall of windows and faced a wall of screens and charts. On his right was the door he’d come in from and on his left was another door. They’d open to face each other and catch whoever was unlucky enough to be in the room in a perfect crossfire. Leon grimaced. It wasn’t a room he would have chosen to defend.
He sighed and sat in the seat at the console. “To be honest, I’ve sort of missed being in your head.”
“Really?”
“I mean, not the paralysis part.” Leon watched as Sebastian’s ship completely disappeared into the sky. “But—and I’m sure I’ll regret this soon—having you talk at me so much.”
“You like when I talk at you?” Sebastian asked slyly. “Even when I’m being a smart-ass?”
“You’re always being a smart-ass.” Leon rolled his eyes. “There’d be nothing about you left to like if I didn’t like that part of you.”
Sebastian paused. “I can’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult.”
“Why don’t you just focus on getting up to that moon?”
“Because it’s boring,” Sebastian groaned. “It’s literally just turn up and go forward until I get there.”
“You mentioned that once you take the ship, you want to take it far away.” Leon leaned forward and rested his elbows on the console as he did a visual sweep of the quiet, empty tarmac. “You have a place in mind?”
“I do, actually. I thought about it on the way to the factory.”
“Where?”
“That Qeshian outpost on Ulhra.”
Leon chuckled. “Ah, you are indeed a Ralsdi.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian asked with an edge of defensiveness.
“Always thinking three political steps ahead.”
“I don’t know if this counts as three steps ahead.” Sebastian sighed. “One and a half, maybe. But I really do think Emissary Serihk wants to end the war, and this little gift might be just the opportunity he needs.”
“You want to gift him a terrorist weapon?” Leon raised an eyebrow even though he knew Sebastian couldn’t see it.
“Okay fine, ‘gift’ was the wrong word. Show of goodwill.” Sebastian’s tone said he could see Leon’s eyebrow raise as well as Leon had seen his eye roll. “We took the bad, bad weapon from the Klah’Eel and didn’t use it ourselves. So we’re the good guys. That’s got to count for something.”
Leon stood from the console and crept quietly to one of the two doors that entered the control room. He was not so convinced they could make themselves out to be the good guys so easily. Leon had taken a seat of government with no small amount of violence, and Sebastian had nearly killed this Serihk and his lover. He didn’t think they were going to get out on the right side of history quite yet, but he wasn’t about to share his pessimism with Sebastian when he was already halfway through his suicide mission.
Sebastian tsked through the earpiece. “I can feel your doubt.”
“No, you can’t.” Leon stuck his head to the door and listened for a moment, then turned to the other door. “You’re not in my head.”
“I might as well be.” Sebastian was quiet for a moment, and Leon could hear the beeps and clicks of him messing with the ship’s controls. “Trust me.”
“You know I do.” Leon pressed his ear to the other door. He was moments away from declaring that side clear as well when he heard a very soft thud.
“Alright, I’m clearing the moon.” Sebastian’s voice settled into a smooth and professional cadence, the usual flippancy and wit toned down to nothing. “I can see the perimeter.”
“How many fighters?” Leon lowered his voice and crouched, retreating to behind a desk.
“A lot. Not that it would take much to stop me, I don’t have any guns. Why are you whispering?”
Leon fingered his garrote in his pocket. “Because someone’s coming.”
“Should I back off? Wait until you’ve—shit. They’re already hailing me.”
“Take the call. I’ll deal with this.”
