Aria guided the Caliburn back into its dock inside the hangar and waited for the clamps to secure it. Once she felt them connect she initiated desync, her senses disengaging from those of the Einherjar. It felt in some ways wrong to leave her machine; for her vision to return to that of her own body, staring at the heavy plating that covered the front of her cockpit. With her senses severed from the Caliburn, the connection to her valkyrie implant were next. Cords and wires pulling out of the metal apparatus that ran from her neck to the small of her back, then snaking their way into the back of her seat. With a hiss the cockpit opened as her restraints clacked open. 

She stood; even the short time in her Einherjar left her body feeling a little alien. It wasn’t so much that it caused her to stumble or fall, but it felt less right. Aria’s hands grasped the railing of the catwalk near the cockpit and pulled herself up. Below Nimue, Maks and Rufus entered the hangar. 

Aria brought up a link to Nimue with a thought. “When do you want to have that talk?” 

“We can now, but I’d prefer to do it in your room,” replied Nimue.

Aria raised a hand. “Maks! I’ll be in my room, have Nimue take you there.”

Aria let go of the railing and headed toward her room on the second level of the warehouse. She opened the door and stepped into her room. It wasn't anything too special; she barely did more there than sleep if she was being honest with herself. Her bed was against the back right wall, a set of drawers at its foot, and a closet past that. The left side of the room had a workbench and in the center was an exercise mat that she never got much use out of. With a huff, she sat on her bed and looked out the door.

“–know I would have been fine carrying that stuff,” said Maks as she came into view.

“I wanted to see how well the Hamr could handle it,” said Nimue, while Aria and Maks’ baggage all hung from a single arm. 

Maks stepped into the room first. “Aria, babe. This is barren even by my standards, and I lived in a glorified storage container before coming here.”

“She does not stay here for long if she can help it,” said Nimue, walking over and setting the luggage down. 

Aria groaned then stood. “We aren't here to critique my decor skills.”

Maks snorted. “Sure. So, why are we here?”

“Nimue?” asked Aria.

The AI walked over to the door and closed it. “The room is sufficiently sound proofed, so we should be fine to speak aloud.” Nimue sighed. “When I arrived here earlier I observed work being done on the Morningstar.”

“He's had work done before. It's kind of sad though,” said Aria.

Nimue shook her head. “Not what I mean. This is different than the usual cleaning. There was a whole crew here wearing Necker uniforms, yet they were communicating with the Gungnir.”

Aria felt her stomach twist. “Y-yeah?”

“Specifically with one of Freya's sisters. Cecile's right hand, Friia,” said Nimue.

“Who?” Asked Maks, looking between the two of them.

“Cecile keeps a trio of… They are not quite AI, but they are similar,” said Nimue. 

Aria stood and began to pace. “Freya is who got Nimue that body, and Friia is the one that held a gun to my back.”

Maks blinked as she processed the information. “There was another one in one of those bodies at the bar.”

“That would be the third sister, Frigg,” said Nimue.

Aria stopped and looked back to Nimue. “So, what was she talking to Rufus about?”

“Penrose has a way of getting him back in the cockpit, that's what the crew was doing to the Morningstar,” said Nimue.

“And I take it there's conditions attached to that, right?” Asked Maks. 

“None that were communicated at the time, but I do not doubt there are,” said Nimue. 

Maks huffed. “But what can we really do about it?” 

“Nothing,” said Aria. 

The other two looked at her, bewildered.

“There isn't a damn thing we can do, really. He's his own person,” said Aria, returning to sit on the edge of her bed. 

Maks marched over to Aria and grabbed her by the shoulders. “The fuck is wrong with you?”

Aria looked up into Maks’ eyes, her own still and dull. “Cecile will get what she wants, and interfering will just make it worse.”

“You killed her once, you can do it again.” Maks shook her. “You're the best damn pilot I know–”

“That doesn't matter!” shouted Aria.

“Maks, stop,” said Nimue, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Aria glanced over to Nimue. “No, I'll tell her.”

Nimue's grip weakened. “You sure?”

“Tell me what?” Asked Maks.

Aria looked back at Maks, taking a moment to relax her breathing. “Maks.” Her hands let Aria go. “After I killed Cecile and she came back…” she trailed off. 

The three of them were still in the silence. The only sound between them was that of Aria fighting to control her ragged breathing and the occasional pop of Maks’ knuckles as she clenched them into fists.  

“I'm here.” Maks moved to sit next to Aria, releasing her fist and taking Aria’s hand in her own. “You don't have to say it.”

“...I do,” mumbled Aria, choking back a cry in her throat.

Nimue mirrored Maks, carefully sitting on Aria's other side. “I can tell her if that would be easier for you.”

Aria shook her head. “I'll do it.” She took a deep breath. “After I killed her, she opened the Caliburn up while I was still restrained inside and… And she raped me.” She shuddered, a retching sob wracking her body like it wanted to vomit up the memory. “She made it clear that I was in no position to defy her, her thumb pressed into my mouth. I bit down and she didn't care.” Aria laughed. “Why would she? I'd crushed her body in its entirety moments before and there she was, unscathed. You know, I'm not even sure she realizes what she did to me.”

The door opened slowly, a pale hand wrapped around its edge. “Of course she knows.” Freya stepped inside, her dress gliding over the threshold.

Aria’s eyes went wide, Friia was back, here to take her to her mistress. She pulled her legs up against herself, trying to curl up. She knew that Freya was here, Nimue had told her, but the reaction wasn’t something she could help and she didn’t her to be in a body as well.

“I’m here, Aria…” said Nimue softly.

Maks glared up at Freya. “And how can I trust you not to just be her instrument even now?” 

Freya’s mouth twitched, her exposed eitr shifting to deep carmine. “You can’t. I cannot even trust that her grasp has left me. Yet, is my presence here in defiance of her not enough to prove my intent?” 

“Please,” mumbled Aria. 

Maks and Nimue turned to her immediately. “What can I do?” they asked in unison. 

“I need space.” Aria swallowed hard, her eyes squeezed shut. “Talk elsewhere. Just. Let me be alone for a while.” 

Nimue touched Aria’s arm, slightly too-cool fingers sliding over her skin. “You know how to reach me, I will be there when you call,” she said through a message before she stood.

“Okay. I’ll be around, my Aria.” Maks squeezed Aria’s hand before rising and turning to Freya. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about that monster,” she whispered to her as she passed.

Freya waited for the other two to step out of the room before she turned to leave. “What happened was not your fault. One day, she’ll have to answer for all she has done. I will make sure of it for you, for my sisters and for myself.” 

With her peace said, Freya left. 

Aria crawled into her bed and curled into a small ball, then let the pain out into her pillow.

______

Maks stepped out of the warehouse into the bracing cold of an early winter for Mittila. Snow fell around her and others that had joined her beneath one of the port’s overhead lamps. She turned on a heel and looked at the others, their bodies and faces identical save for the hue of the eitr that powered them, their clothes and the way their long white hair was worn. Maks knew what Nimue was; she was a person born from an adaptive combat AI, a real example of the theoretical reason all future stewards were kept so much less. Her eyes settled on Freya, on the not-AI. She didn’t know what to make of her. 

“So we’re not going to do anything about this?” asked Maks, staring out over the thin ice sheets that floated atop the bay.

“I could keep tabs on him,” said Nimue.

Maks shook her head. “Aria and I have already put a bid in for another job. We can’t exactly cancel without losing trust from Blivet… And Aria needs you as much as she does me.” 

“If that’s the case, I could do it,” offered Freya, her hands holding the end of her braid. 

“That would put you in contact with Cecile,” said Nimue.

Freya pulled the tie off her braid. “Yes, it would. She was never going to let me get all the way away from her.” Her eyes flicked over toward one of the port security cameras. “You’ve locked the network here, right Nimue?” 

Nimue nodded. “Of course.”

Maks looked directly at Freya. “You’d put yourself back under her thumb? After what you said back there?”

“It’s not giving up. It’s strategy, Ms. Suen.” Freya pulled her braid apart, letting her hair blow in the wind. “Cecile believes she is in control at all times. If I had to guess, she let Aria kill her last body.” 

Maks grabbed Freya by her dress in both hands and pulled her up by it. “Don’t you insult her.” 

Freya looked down her nose into Maks’ steel grey eyes. “I’m not insulting your lover. Bodily death doesn’t mean anything to her, that’s a fact. The smartest thing you or anyone else can do is let her believe that she has won, and that you’re playing the role she’s given you.” 

Maks lowered Freya. “So, I just trust you on all this? And what exactly are you going to do? I’m sure she’s still got some control hard-coded into you.”

“I have been helping her with that.”

“Nimue!” Freya glared at her. 

“I was merely trying to explain so that she would understand,” said Nimue. 

“I wanted it to stay private.” Freya sighed as Maks released her.

Nimue grimaced. “Apologies.”

Maks paced as she thought. The whole situation was a mess and she had wanted to just spend some time with Aria before their next job. It was meant to be a simple wind down from the insanity of the last one. 

“Someone needs to keep an eye on Sirius, it’d hurt Aria if something were to happen to him.” Maks stopped and looked back over to Freya and Nimue. “Unless Nimue wants to risk pulling what she did with Vivien again.” Nimue quickly shook her head. “I don’t like it, but you’re the best choice we have.”

Freya met Maks’ gaze and raised a brow. “That’s a quick turn around.”

Maks shrugged. “Don’t have a better choice.”

______

Rufus leaned back in his chair. It was nice having Aria back, but it came with its own stresses, especially after Penrose’s offer. He wheeled himself into his room on the ground floor. While he’d given Aria plenty of flack for her sparse room, his was much the same. A place to sleep and keep the body working as well as it could. With some effort he stood on shaking legs and approached his dresser, then braced himself against it as he pulled a large case out and toward his bed. He fell back onto it with a grunt then lifted the case up next to him. 

“Always hated this contraption,” he grumbled as he opened the case. 

Inside was a set of leg braces with small actuators at the joints. Many people in his position used them for day to day life, but he was always disdainful. In a way, they reminded him more of what he’d lost. They did, after all, crudely mimic the neural sync he used with his Einherjar, just funneled through his ARC instead of the segmented valkyrie implant that ran down his spine. He put his legs through it and began tightening its straps. 

A small notification pinged in his vision and he reached out to tap it. “Why are you calling me at this hour?” he grumbled. 

“I am calling to check in on you, Sirius, and to let you know that I have your first operation briefing ready,” said Cecile in a tone that was meant to seem professional, but also carried an edge, like a scalpel. 

“If you hadn’t noticed my ki… Aria’s back home. Do we need to discuss this now?” Asked Rufus, fumbling with the waist section of the powered leg braces. 

“Then reply through your ARC alone. The extent of your synchronization syndrome hasn’t impeded that according to your medical history.”

Rufus grit his teeth and exhaled, almost hissing. “Can do. So, tell me about this job.” He flicked open a glass cover then pressed a button on the waist section. The brace whirred briefly, then beeped as it interfaced with his ARC. “And don’t give me the polished version. I’m a mercenary, our work is never clean.”

“If you insist, Sirius.” Rufus could almost hear a grin as she spoke. “We’re going to start a war.”

Rufus stood, the braces pulling him up. “You what?”

“It was going to need to happen eventually. You’re aware of the disputes between Penrose and Mobius, correct?”

“Yes, but a full war over mineral rights?” He asked, walking over to his bathroom.

“No, no, that’s more of a Blivet move. This has never been about mining, that’s just what the public hears.”

Rufus looked at his reflection, glaring. “Then what? If you want me to do this for you I need to know why, I don’t care that I owe you for the work on my Morningstar. I can pay for that if I choose to walk.” 

“I promise it’s a good reason.”

“Then tell me already.”

“Mobius is working with materials and forces from within the Nastrond Anomaly. The Draugr, one of which nearly killed Avalon during her last job for Necker.” 

Rufus sighed. “Gonna be a hell of a return, isn’t it?” 

“You’ll be with a squad bearing Mobius certifications and attacking the council chambers during the upcoming summit.” 

Rufus leaned forward, hands shaking as he gripped the sink. “The whole expanse would–”

“Be engulfed in conflict, yes. The need to prevent Mobius from assisting the Draugr is that dire.”

“What about Aria?”

“Isn’t it time for her to stand on her own? You’ve done such a fine job teaching her. Assuming you’ve agreed I’ll be sending you footage from my duel with her. I’m sure you’ll be impressed.” 

“Yeah, I… Send it.” 

“I knew I could count on you, oh brilliant Morningstar.”