Rebeka peered at Tink over the rim of her mug as the other woman twiddled some widget in her fingers. Tink was thinking, which was not always a good thing. Rebeka was sure the engineer had come to her office to give her a piece of her mind, even though she'd only made subdued small talk so far.
"Kandi says Grim'll live." Tink didn't look up.
Rebeka arched an eyebrow — that wasn't what was on Tink's mind. "Really?"
A frown furrowed Tink's forehead. "I know you don't —"
"Spit it out," Rebeka said before taking a mouthful of coffee. Tink's eyes flicked up, then back at her widget; her shoulders slumped. "And get your feet off my desk."
Tink stopped her fidgeting to look at her, then plopped her feet on the floor. "I've been thinking—"
"I can see that."
Tink made a face at her, then shifted her gaze to stare at her widget. "I think we should take the boy to the Sisters."
"You trust the Sisters of Elazir as much as I do." Rebeka shifted forward, resting her elbows on the desk. She knew Tink had spent some time at one of the Sisters' orphanages before Emmon found her. "What's changed?"
Tink lifted a shoulder and grimaced. "They're the only power player that hasn't attacked us. Or threatened to. And they do have a mandate to care for the destitute, downtrodden and orphaned." She returned to examining the widget as she flipped it around in her hand.
"I don't think he's an orphan." Rebeka took another sip of coffee, the hot liquid lending a pleasant warmth to her throat and stomach. Tink glanced up from her widget but didn't speak. "And how do you propose we get him to the Sisters?"
Tink's eyebrows pulled together. "We fly the ship to one of their sanctuaries. The sanctuary — the Tower of Solitude — and ask them to take care of him."
"That's not what I meant." She carefully placed her mug on her desk before looking back at Tink. "How are we supposed to contact Emmon Bell — the owner of the Lyra — to get permission to renege on the contract when we're running silent? If we break silence, our hunters will find us and kill us."
"We don't have to break sil—" Tink's eyes narrowed and her lips twisted.
"No one else on this ship knows that —" Rebeka heard a sound outside the open door in the supposedly empty bridge. "Never mind." She picked up her mug again and tilted back in her chair as Severn's head appeared in the doorway.
Tink's gaze slid sideways before returning to Rebeka. "I think if we all agree to break the contract to save a little boy, to hell with what the owner says."
Rebeka arched an eyebrow at Tink before turning her attention to Severn.
Severn stepped into her office. "Hey, I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"Understandable. It is the middle of the night cycle." Rebeka peered at him over her mug. "What are you doing up and about?"
"Couldn't sleep." He nodded at her mug. "Too much of that stuff lately." He turned back towards the door, and Rebeka watched him. At the threshold, he paused, shifting to face them again as he clasped the door frame with both hands. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. Are you really considering taking him to the Sisters then?"
"Do you have a reason we shouldn't?"
He shook his head. "No, might be the best place for him. If we take him to their home base, as Tink suggested, it's beyond the Wall. Technically outside the Empire. And even the rebels aren't stupid enough to attack the Sisters." He stared at his palms. "Though there is the disease factor," he added, shrugging as he looked back at her. "I'll just be glad when this is all over."
"You and me both." She took another sip of coffee before continuing. "But before we do this, we need to get the others on board."