Release me. Now. Or I ightly shoot." He raised his shotgun and aimed it at her head. She held her pistol to his chest. "I don't think you're serious." "I am. I'm going to tell the rest of the crew and have them tie you up. If you don't start walking back to the ship, I'll execute you." Mika shook her head. "You can't be serious." "I'm dead serious. All you have to do is get out of here with your ship." "And if I do?" "I'll let you go. Then I'll tell the rest of the crew about you. If I think you're setting me up, then I'll shoot you." She considered. She'd never shot anyone in her life. Though she'd come close many times. "What's that?" His voice was calm, but Mika knew how fast he could move. "Nothing." She had her answer. The crew of _Athena_ , who were all watching through the ship's sensors, would not be able to help her. Her only chance was to try and bluff it out. "Turn around and go back. If you don't, I'll shoot your ship." "I think you're bluffing," she said. He smiled. "Do you?" He lowered his gun. She turned around, slowly, walking with her gun up and ready for anything. They were almost at the crew's meeting room when she heard a noise behind her. Mika spun around. Zuri stood behind her. He held an armful of rope, which he dropped on the ground. "Kill him," said Mika. She had no idea how he'd gotten there, or why he was wearing a gun, but she trusted him. The three of them went back to the crew's meeting room, where all of the crew were there. They were still playing cards, but a few looked up at them. "How did you know he was in my quarters?" she asked Zuri. "I saw him through the sensor and went in, but it was a trap. He surprised me. I thought he was one of the crew and got mad at him. He said he wanted to have a talk with you, then took me hostage. So I waited until he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then took him out." Mika laughed. "That's great. When we get back to the ship, we're calling that one of your finest." Mika sat down and explained everything that had happened, though she left out any information about Zuri. She ended the story by saying, "That man was dangerous. I didn't want to shoot him, but we're not in a position to take chances. We can't count on him doing something this stupid again. Who knows what else he'll be capable of doing?" "I do," said Zuri. "I've seen him in action." "No doubt he's seen you," said Anat. "I'd say we keep you tied up until we get home." "You can't do that." Mika struggled against her bonds, and she could see that the crew was watching through their ship's sensors. "Don't make us do it," said Anat. "Yes, let them do it," said Zuri. "She won't stop fighting until she's dead, and then what do we do? We don't have time for this. We can't take her with us, and even if we were willing to take her along, she's the most likely person for her crew to kill. We'd be in a lot of trouble." "This is crazy," said Mika. "The captain needs to be on board to take the ship back to Earth." "No," said Anat. "She needs to be here, because she can calm the crew, and because she's a leader. We need her." "That's not right," said Mika. "Who do you think we are?" asked Zuri. "We're the crew of a spaceship, and you're a visitor. You're a guest here. You aren't an adult. We will do what we want to do." "No," said Mika. "She's bluffing." Zuri smiled. "Bluffing about your weapons? Oh no. You bluff about everything. You can't shoot me if I'm tied to a chair. Look, the captain has no reason to trust you. What are you going to do? Lie to her? Your ship's out here, and she thinks you're a criminal. If she has you tied up, you're no threat to her." Anat put her hand on Zuri's shoulder. "I think he's right. We can't trust her. We'll take her with us and make her stay locked up until we reach Earth. It's for the best, believe me. She's a danger to us. And a danger to us, you know that." "I'm not going to put myself through that again. They had a chance to take us hostage. They could've stolen this ship from us." "Maybe," said Zuri. "But you could've been an informant. You could've said anything you wanted. All you had to do was turn on us." "I've had enough of this," said Mika. "I'm going to contact the captain and talk to her." "No," said Anat. "We talked about that already. The captain said she doesn't care if you're on board. You're just a guest here. You're not a member of the crew. You don't have a vote." Mika thought for a moment. She felt as if she was in a nightmare. It would've been her crew that did this to her. Wouldn't it be so much worse to be stranded on this ship, tied to the same damn chair that Anat had been tied to? Her crew wasn't any better than hers had been. "You're right," she said. "I can't just walk out. They'll take my weapons." Anat smiled. "You will." "But I didn't agree to that. It's not fair that they can do that to me. You're all going to have a hard time of it once the captain sees me again." Zuri laughed. "They're just words. You're going to be fine." The rest of the crew seemed to agree. One by one they said the same thing. "We know you're going to be fine. Just relax." "We can be honest with each other, if you need us to be." "We're all here for you." "Trust us." "We have your back." Mika sat quietly, still tied up, her hands in her lap. It was the last thing she wanted, but this time she knew she'd have no choice but to go along with them. If she wanted to get off this ship, she would. But it would be worse for the crew. They'd find a way to make her leave and be stranded here. They didn't have any reason to stay on board, and now they'd get their wish, her dead body, if she gave them half a chance. And she didn't want to die, not this way. It would be too easy to make her regret it. She sighed. "Okay, you're right. I don't have a choice. You're all right." Zuri raised his hand. "You're all right, too." "Yes," said Mika, as she watched Anat's hand come up to rub against Zuri's cheek. * * * She'd been here, tied to this chair, for hours. As she listened to her crew members leave the room, she couldn't help but feel alone. But they didn't know who they were dealing with. She sat down, the chair creaking in protest. She could get out of here. She just had to find a way. "Captain," said Anat. "It's about time you came out of your room. You got any food?" "I've eaten already. I have a full belly." "Don't worry, we'll feed you." Mika walked out into the hallway and looked through the windows of the crew's meeting room. Her crew stood there, looking at her, and the crew of _Athena_ looked at her as well. "We have a situation here, Captain," said Anat. "The crew has decided to allow Mika to return to her own ship. We've been talking to her about it." Mika laughed. "Oh, that's great news. Tell her thank you, but I think I've found a way to get back to my ship." "What?" "Don't give me that look. I'd never leave my crew stranded here." "We're doing this as a favor to you. Don't push your luck." "I don't need any favors from you. But I promise you, this is no trick. I can get my