Rebeka blinked at the spot where the jump gate had rippled out of existence a second ago, blue fading into black.
"Well," Rebeka said when no other words came to her brain. Stars flickered into being where the gate had been, leaving no hint that space had just been distorted. The Sisters had called it out of nothingness — it wasn't there, then it was, and now just as quickly it was gone. The Dominion's jump gates were monstrous constructions, and it took the materials of a planet and the energy of a sun to construct and maintain the bridges to other gates.
"Those Sisters have some mad skills," Ish said, his mouth agape as he gazed at the viewscreen.
"Mad tech," Tink added, absentmindedly stroking Grim who kneaded her lap, as she squinted at the screen. Rebeka didn't disagree with either of them.
"They do at that," Alek said, shifting in his seat. He didn't sound impressed, and Rebeka didn't disagree with that sentiment either. She watched his jaw clench as he turned to his display.
"Are you sure the Sisters will take care of Ben?" Tink asked, tipping her head to Kandi.
Kandi nodded, keeping her eyes focused on her console. "You saw their station. It's not like the Sisters need the money from selling him, even if they could. But they swear unbreakable vows, and whatever else they do, they take those vows very seriously." She stopped fiddling with the buttons and sliders in front of her, and Rebeka heard her swallowing.
"What about this new Sister Prime?" Rebeka asked, her eyes narrowing.
Kandi's ponytail swished as she shook her head. "No one told me the previous Prime had died since I last visited. But it doesn't matter. The vow is the vow."
"Did the old woman's death have something to do with whatever the new Prime gave you?" Tink asked, and Kandi's head spun around, her eyes wide.
She shook her head after a few seconds and reached into her pocket. When she pulled out her hand and opened the palm, it held a small cylinder. Wrapping her fingers around it, she flicked her wrist. In a blur, the cylinder morphed into a staff as long as Kandi was tall. "A piece of my battle armour. Hard earned." She looked down at the staff with an expression akin to reverence, and Rebeka could understand why. It was beautifully crafted and exquisitely balanced. And an Antaran would never let her armour out of her possession. Not until death, and even then, it was often buried with them if there were no daughters to claim it.
"Why —" Ish started.
Kandi's sharp look stopped him. "I needed their help, and they needed payment."
Swallowing the tightness in her throat, Rebeka vowed to learn more about the business of the Sisters of Elazir beyond medicine. She was glad that Alek had stopped her from offering a favour in return for them taking care of the boy.
"Any idea where we are?" she asked the room instead, forestalling any more questions.
Alek flicked his fingers over his console and a holographic projection appeared in front of the viewscreen, showing a map of the surrounding space.
"The Green Zone," he said, his tone flat.
Rebeka gave him a caustic look, even though she could see for herself that he wasn't lying. She sighed. She'd already spent more of her life than she cared to in the lawless sector of space nestled between rigid Dominion security and the rules of the cartels.