“And me,” Amina said.
“You can be included,” Helmen agreed. “But most of what I need to talk about will be regarding Myrum getting on and off the ship. The outpost won’t let us dock, so we’re going to have to shuttle. That involves bay-shuttle safety protocol.”
“I’m going with him, so I guess it’s a good thing I know all about that,” Amina said.
She wasn’t surprised when Helmen tensed. “No.”
Amina lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“No!” Myrum said, a note of fear in his voice. “This assignment isn’t supposed to be dangerous, but anything could happen. Remember our encounter on the pleasure ship? You need to stay here. If anything goes wrong, all of you can leave without me.”
“What encounter on the pleasure ship?” Helmen asked.
They both ignored the captain.
“I’m going with you. We can leave Ruby behind, but I’m not letting you face that outpost without me. The guy you’re meeting is one of the ones that saved you, right? That could trigger all kinds of feelings and impulses. If I’m there, I can help ground you. I can also act as backup.”
Myrum shook his head. “The only way they’d let you on the outpost was if you were another Talin or my pet.”
Amina hadn’t thought of that. She’d grown up loved and adored by her Ugarian family, so despite all the prejudice she faced on some stations, she forgot it mattered that she was human sometimes.
“Fine, then I’ll pretend I’m your pet,” she answered.
“You’d have to wear a collar,” he said.
She grinned up at him. “I think we both know I won’t have a problem with something around my throat.”
Helmen made a slight choking sound. “I don’t want to know what that comment means.” Then she pulled in a deep breath. “Amina, I don’t want you going with Myrum. It’s harder to rescue two individuals than one. If he’s by himself, we could do ashoot-and-grab or a run-by pickup; if there’re two of you, many of our options for an emergency grab are gone.”
“That’s true,” Amina agreed. “But if I’m with him our options expand to other escape methods because I know how to break into systems and operate a shuttle. You have to admit I have a lot of valuable skills.”
“Your skill set isn’t worth putting you in danger,” Helmen said. Amina could tell her captain was going to refuse her request, and without Myrum to back her up, she had to resort to playing dirty.
“I don’t care if you give me a direct order,” she warned Helmen. “I’m going. Even if that means I have to launch in an escape pod or even crawl out an airlock in a sealed suit. You could try to stop me, but we both know how that will go.”
In a show of temper, Helmen smacked a nearby wall with her palm. “Amina, just this once, I need you to do as I order.”
“I’ve served with you for almost six years," Amina shot back. “And I’ve always done as you asked when we’ve been on assignment, even when it pissed me off. If I’m standing up to you now, that means it’s important.”
Helmen glared at her. “I’m sorry, I think we might not have heard you correctly. Did you say you always followed orders? What about all the times you went off on your own on space stations?”
“I said I always followed orders on assignment,” Amina reminded her, keeping a tenuous hold on her temper. She reminded herself that Helmen was acting this way out of fear for her, not malice. “Shopping at stations or outposts doesn't count.”
“I don’t think you should come either,” Myrum said.
Amina let go of his hand and faced the two of them. “I. Am. Going.”
Helmen threw her hands up. “I wish you weren’t so stubborn.”
“I know.” Amina turned her attention to Myrum. “You know I’m more capable than I look. If I pretend to be your pet, then they’ll underestimate me even more.”
Myrum looked at Helmen. “Can you lock her in a room?”
“I wish that would work,” Helmen said.
“Maybe drug her and lock her in a room?” Myrum suggested.
Helmen snorted. “That wouldn’t work either, although it’s tempting.”
