“I am impressed by your results,” Captain Hansome announced over the Resistance’s secure holo-network later that day. The leader of the Resistance had explained to his new recruits that, because of the risk involved with in-person meetings, most of their interaction would be done via remote communication devices and holo-comms that would be provided by the Resistance. Luna was crushed to think that she couldn’t flirt (and admire the captain’s rippling shoulder muscles) in person more often. “But!” Captain Hansome went on. “I am also frustrated that you took such risks during your mission. You were specifically told to scout and report back—not to destroy the weapon yourselves. You could have been hurt or, worse, caught.”
“But we weren’t caught,” Juno said defiantly.
“But you could have been,” Hansome said, jutting out his chiseled chin.
“But we weren’t,” Juno repeated.
“But you could have been,” Hansome said.
“It was basically an accident anyway,” said Juno.
“Enough!” Athena said, cutting them both off. “There is no sense arguing about it now. The deed is done. We snuck in, we performed our mission, and we also ended up performing your mission. All in all, it should be considered a success for the Resistance.”
“… the Resistance!” Hansome echoed. Then he shook his head, as if to clear it, and went on. “I must admit that I underestimated the five of you.”
“And Chamberlin,” Hera said sweetly. “If it hadn’t been for Chamberlin and his sweater, the Fog-O-Nator would be churning out yucky-blucky fog all over the Pentangle Galaxy right at this very moment.”
Chamberlin smiled modestly. “I am proud to have served … the Resistance. It was my pleasure.”
“Indeed,” Hansome said. “Thank you to Chamberlin as well. Now, we need to figure out what your next mission should be.”
“Next mission?!” Chamberlin blurted out, choking on a sip of tea. “There will be no next mission!”
Hansome laughed. Luna quickly joined him. “Of course there will be another mission,” Hansome said, chuckling.
“Silly Chamberlin,” Luna added.
Hansome became serious again and said, “I will consider what your next task shall be and get in touch with you again shortly. In the meantime, you should prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. Hansome … out!” The holo-screen fizzled and went black.
“He’s gone!” Luna shrieked. She dove for the holo-screen, staring into the blank void where Hansome’s face had been just a moment before. “I miss him so much already.”
“I’m sure he misses you, too, Snookie-kins,” Rhea said in a sappy voice.
Luna glared at her. “He and I have a connection,” she said, pouting.
“What do you think Hansome meant when he said ‘prepare for the challenges that lie ahead’?” Athena asked.
“Fight training,” Juno said. “Survival skills. If any of you actually came face to face with Geela or her Android army, it wouldn’t be pretty. Sheer luck is the only thing that got us out of that warehouse last night. And me and Skitter.”
“Don’t give yourself all the credit,” Luna snapped, still pouting.
“Oh, come on,” Juno said, rolling her eyes. “If I hadn’t been there to take the lead, you would all still be standing around trying to figure out how to get to the Ice Desert. You’re all a bunch of princesses with absolutely no instincts for survival, reconnaissance, or spying.”
“Juno is not wrong,” Chamberlin said quietly. “None of you is equipped for this kind of work. If you are going to continue to perform rebel missions, I insist that you all learn to take better care of yourselves.”
“I take great care of myself!” Luna protested. “I keep my skin hydrated with custom-blended moisturizers, I have regular facials, I get exfoliating salt scrubs twice monthly, my weekly mani-pedis—”
Chamberlin cut her off. “That is not the kind of care I am talking about. I’m talking about self-sufficiency and independence. You don’t even know how to make your own bed!” he snapped. “I also know for a fact that none of you knows how to boil a kettle of water, you are incapable of cleaning up after yourselves, and one of you has been so spoiled by your servants that you have forgotten to flush the toilet countless times since our escape. Just imagine what would happen if you were in a situation where you had to take care of yourself in order to survive. It would be a disaster.”
“On Junoia, there is a custom that when royals turn ten, they are sent into the wilderness to survive on their own for a month,” Juno told the others. “I can’t make my own bed—and, frankly, don’t want to learn—but I do know how to protect myself in dangerous situations.”
“Your parents sent their ten-year-old out into the wilderness for a month alone?” Hera asked, obviously horrified. “Who tucked you in at night? Who read you your bedtime story?”
“Who prepared your meals?” Luna asked.
“Where did you go to the bathroom?” Rhea wondered aloud.
“Things are different on Junoia,” Juno said with a shrug. “My family believes it is essential that a young woman learn how to take care of herself in challenging situations. I would be happy to teach you all to fight, if you’d like me to.”
“No thanks,” Luna said in a bored voice. “I don’t want to chip a nail. I have a feeling we might not get to a manicurist anytime soon…”
“A broken nail will be the least of your worries if you have to face-off against Geela,” Athena chided her. “Juno, teach us everything you know.”
* * *
“Ohhhhh,” Rhea moaned, curling into a ball on her bed. “This must be what it feels like to be chewed up and then spit out by a krag. I’m so sore!”
“I think I might be dying,” Luna whimpered. “Someone get me a juice!”
Hera, whose body was twisted into a complicated yoga pose on the floor, muttered, “Breathe happiness in, push the anger back out…”
Athena inspected her knuckles, which were bruised and cracking. “How long do bruises last?” she asked aloud. “Will my hands be scarred like this forever?”
“Oh my Grock!” Juno growled. “We haven’t even gotten to hand-to-hand combat! All you’ve done is throw a few punches at poor Rand, who is probably a whole lot sorer than any of you. This is the easy stuff.”
“Easy?” Luna yelped. “My muscles are so tired that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get out of bed again. How are we supposed to go out on stage tomorrow for the outdoor music festival we’re supposed to be performing at? I might need to be rolled out in a wheelchair.”
“Get up and quit complaining,” Juno ordered. “Do you want to be ready for our next mission, or not?”
“Aren’t there other ways we could prepare?” Rhea asked. Suddenly, she brightened. “Ooh, I know what I can do. I’m going to add a little flare to our rebel outfits. I think I’ll add a hint of color so we don’t look like a giant blob of black when we’re on our missions.”
“Yeah,” Juno muttered. “Looking good is just as important as learning to stay alive.”
“Great!” Luna said. “If looking good is important, then I’m going to take a nap. If we want me to look my best for tomorrow’s show, I am in serious need of beauty sleep.”
While Luna dozed and Rhea figured out a way to jazz up their rebel outfits, Athena embarked on a project of her own. “What are you doing?” Juno asked, plunking down on Athena’s bed. Athena had collected up all the small electronics, makeup, and fashion accessories they had on board the space bus, and was now expertly breaking them all open. Tiny screws, batteries, wires, and lipstick caps littered the top of her bed. Athena was hunched over everything, fiddling with a bunch of wires.
“I realized on our last mission that if we had gotten separated, there would have been no way for us to reconnect out there in the Ice Desert. Without communicators, we are putting ourselves in danger. So I’m trying to make us new devices that will help us during our missions.”
“You’re trying to make communicators?” Juno asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “Do you have any idea how to do that?”
“Yes,” Athena said simply. “You were given survival training as part of your royal education. I, on the other hand, was enrolled in engineering courses. One could argue that engineering is far more useful as a life skill. I am using what I learned to try to fashion some homemade spy tools.”
Juno nodded and settled in across from her. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Thank you,” Athena said, giving her a small smile. “We all have things that make us useful to the group.”
“Even Luna?” Juno joked.
“Yes,” Athena said seriously. “Even Luna.” Athena slipped a giant moonstone ring onto Juno’s finger. Then she opened up a tube of lipstick and held it up in front of her own mouth, preparing to speak into it. “These are both intended to be communication devices for us to use on our missions. Let’s see if they work, shall we?”
“I have no doubt they’ll work perfectly,” Juno said with a sly grin. She hopped off the bed and stepped outside the girls’ room. She lifted the ring to her mouth and spoke into it softly, “From what I can tell, you don’t fail often, Athena. That’s what makes us such a good team.”