"Why's he let her on the Saint Nazaire?" Mahad whispered to Cheng.

Cheng shrugged. "I guess he's figured she's safe..."

"In three days?"

Cheng shrugged again, but this time he seemed less sure. Cortes letting Diwan out so early he'd been able to accept it. But taking her aboard the Saint Nazaire so soon was just starting to confuse him. "Cortes wouldn't put anyone in danger if he thought there was any chance she'd hurt anyone... so she must be okay."

"Are you sure?" Mahad prodded. "He didn't trust her in the least when we found her... now look at them." He pointed across the bridge to where Cortes had Diwan at the centre console, showing her something on a map he had up on the screen.

"I suppose..." said Cheng, watching them. But Cortes seemed... happy. Wasn't that a good thing? "Are you saying that Diwan's tricked him or something?"

"I don't know..." Mahad muttered. "Maybe he's just starting to like her or something..."

"What?" said Cheng, squinting at Mahad. "Of course he doesn't, he doesn't like the Sphere... or Guardians."

"Well, she's not really a Guardian anymore..." Mahad shrugged. "But I see what you mean. Just three days ago he hated her just because that was what she'd been."

"Yeah... Mahad, what if she did something to him?"

"Huh?"

"To make him let her out, and come on the Saint Nazaire, and... be nice to her!"

"Woah, hang on," Mahad replied. He hadn't meant for Cheng to take him so seriously. He'd just been venting a bit. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Diwan; what might she do to Lena if given the chance? Still, he hadn't exactly bothered to visit her so that he could form a proper opinion of his own. "I don't think so... I just meant..."

"He wouldn't normally let a Guardian out of the brig so quickly, he just doesn't trust that much if there's that much risk..." Cheng dropped his voice even lower, even though the two had already been talking quietly. He didn't really want Cortes to hear him saying that sort of stuff about him.

"Look, I'm just worried 'cause of Lena," said Mahad. He hadn't meant to scare Cheng so much. "You think she's done something to Cortes to make him do what she wants?"

Cheng glanced across at Cortes again, paused and then nodded.

"Well then... it'd be really easy to make him do what anyone wanted, yeah?"

Cheng nodded.

"Okay..." With that, Mahad turned and strode up to Cortes. "Hey, Cortes?"

The Captain turned around. "What, Mahad?" It didn't sound like he was enjoying being distracted from whatever it had been he was showing Diwan.

Even better, Mahad thought. I'm going to get my backside kicked for this, but at least Cheng won't be freaking out. "Do you mind if I borrow a Mosquito?"

"For what?" Cortes growled.

"Just to take a whiz around... take down a few S22s if I see them. I mean, I know I haven't really flown them much, but since losing the Hyperion..."

"Mahad," Cortes started. Then he just trailed off, looking frustrated. His immediate, natural reaction would have been to tell Mahad to stop dreaming. But suddenly he didn't really feel like he could say that. What harm could it really cause? "Just... take it, do whatever you want..." He waved Mahad off, turning back to the screen. Saying no just seemed to cause him too much of headache.

Mahad balked. That had not been what he expected to happen. He quickly recomposed himself, and walked back to Cheng, plastering a grin across his face just before he turned around. "Whoops... bad time I guess... I don't think that proves anything..."

"What do you mean... he did what you wanted?!" exclaimed Cheng. "That was what we were trying to prove!"

I would have rather proved the opposite, Mahad thought. "Nah... think I just frustrated him, laid it on a bit too thick..." He put a hand on Cheng's shoulder. "Don't worry, Cheng. Cortes is fine. Guess Diwan is just alright."

Cheng chewed his lip, and nodded.

Mahad wasn't sure if he'd alleviated the boy's fears, or had just confused him further. But he decided that he'd have to keep an eye on Diwan and Cortes. Cortes' reaction had just been... odd. Something may or may not have been going on, but for the sake of his sister and everyone else on the ship... he'd just keep an eye on things.

----

"It shouldn't be long until we catch up on the water carrier that's transporting the children," said Cortes, staring out into the night. He stood outside the bridge with Diwan. He'd let her stay on the bridge while they'd tracked the larger, slower ship. Firstly because he had wanted to keep an eye on her. Secondly because he wanted her to see everything that went on, and, when they caught up on the Sphere ship, how hard the Sphere would fight to keep something that didn't belong to them. Even so, Cortes hoped they could pull this off without a hitch, and none of his crew or the children would get hurt.

Though they had yet to catch up, Diwan had shown a lot of interest in the chase. At first, Cortes had just taken it to the same curiosity she had shown before; simply wanting to learn. But he'd started to realise there was more to it.

"Good…" said Diwan. She stared ahead, as if she could somehow make the water carrier appear if she stared hard enough. "What makes them think they can just take kids like that?"

Cortes wasn't entirely sure if the question was meant to be answered. "I wish I knew," he growled.

Diwan glanced at the Captain for a brief moment. "Cortes… I know you've already done a lot by letting me out and letting me come on the Saint Nazaire with you… but... would you let me help getting the children back? Anything I can do… I don't just want to watch, I want to help."

"Diwan," Cortes sighed. "You don't have to make up for the things you did before. You're not… the same person…"

"But it's wrong!" Diwan cut him off, turning from her inspection ahead to face him.

Cortes blinked, looking back into her eyes. For that one moment, he knew her belief in that statement was entirely true. As if it was just as simply as that. How could Diwan have changed so much? She wanted to help stop the Sphere; simply because she thought what they were doing was wrong. And what they did was wrong. Suddenly, Cortes found he had reached out a hand, lightly brushing it against Diwan's shoulder.

Diwan glanced down at his hand. She didn't pull away, but looked back up at Cortes. Then she lifted her other arm, bringing her hand up to brush a loose strand of hair back into Cortes' ponytail.

At the touch, Cortes snapped back to reality, and pulled back.

"Cortes…"

"I'll think about it…" muttered Cortes, looking anywhere but at Diwan. With that, he turned and stomped down the stairs to the lower deck.

Diwan watched him leave. He'd left her unattended – something she was sure he didn't' really want to do just yet. She must have upset him. She let out a sigh, before turning to head back onto the bridge. She might as well go where the rest of the crew could keep an eye on her, she was sure that would be what Cortes would want.

----

The lower deck rattled as Cortes stepped down onto it and kept walking away from Diwan. He needed to get his head together. What had just happened? You know exactly what happened.

He barely had time to think beyond that, when he nearly barged into Mahad.

The boy looked suspiciously like he'd just been hiding in the shadows, and had only just now been attempting to sneak away. Cortes' hurried approach, plus the fact the deck was quite dark, had foiled the escape attempt.

"Mahad!"

"Ah… hi Cortes! Perfect time for a… a…" Mahad trailed off, knowing he'd been caught. Besides, he didn't know how to finish that sentence.

Cortes sighed. "What are you doing, Mahad?"

"I… I was just worried about how you've been reacting to Diwan," Mahad fumbled. "Well, actually I think Cheng was…"

"It's none of your business," Cortes snapped.

"It is!" Mahad blurted out. "What if she tries to do something to Lena!?"

"She won't!"

"I'm… starting to think that myself…" Mahad confessed, giving up on that argument. "Look, Cheng thought you were warming to her a bit too fast… he thought she might have done something to you to make you do what she wants." He shrugged. "I just wanted to check for myself."

Cortes paused, scowling at Mahad.

Mahad shifted uncomfortably.

"So, what's your verdict?" Cortes asked, coldly.

Mahad looked even more uncomfortable. "I… well, she definitely didn't do anything to you… well, nothing that you didn't, you know… initiate…"

"Alright, listen, Mahad," said Cortes, sharply cutting him short. "You keep whatever you saw to yourself, you hear?"

"Um… okay…"

"I don't need you or my crew second guessing my decisions. I'm serious, Mahad." Cortes stepped past him, almost pushing him out of the way.

"Well…" Mahad muttered, at a level just loud enough for Cortes to hear, "at least you know she likes you…"

Cortes pretended he didn't hear.

---

"One would think holding such a powerful serum; the ability to make a man do as you wish, you would have utilised it more by now."

Diwan sat up in her bed on the Saint Nazaire with a jerk. But she recognised the voice. When her tired eyes managed to focus in the near darkness, she again saw the nearly transparent man standing in the middle of her room in the moonlight.

"I gave some to him already…" she muttered, a little sleepily.

"But not enough!" the man snapped, causing Diwan to jerk completely into wakefulness. "It takes you two full days to decide, and you've only given it to him once! You expect him to trust you if you do not put more effort into this?"

"But he is trusting me," Diwan argued. "Yes, I've only used this once," she waved her prosthetic arm in the air, "but he is starting to trust me. And only with using it once."

"But not quickly enough," the man growled. "Trust me, you want him to trust you as soon as possible, and preferably, you want him to do whatever you ask."

"I suppose…" said Diwan. Strangely, she still felt that she should trust this mysterious man. She could think of no reason why. But the feeling was almost inbuilt. She had to at least put some value in what he was telling her. "Okay," she said, "I'll give him some more. But Cortes is beginning to trust me without it. I think if I didn't give him anymore, he would eventually come to trust me anyway. But if you think I need to get him to trust me faster… then I'll do it. Provided I'm not hurting him."

The man lifted an eyebrow. "Of course not. Very interesting though… that he trusts you anyway…"

With that, the man again disappeared, leaving Diwan alone.

He must be some subconscious part of my mind, Diwan thought. Perhaps I know I need to give him this so that he'll let me help get the children back.

As she lay back on her pillow, Diwan had thoroughly convinced herself, far faster than the previous two day wait, that this was the right thing to do, and wouldn't hurt Cortes. For some reason, she didn't even question why the syringe had been inbuilt into her prosthetic arm, and why she had never been told about it before.

----

"The water carrier is seven clicks away," said Wayan. "Looks like they've spotted us. They've increased their speed, and released two patrollers."

"Just two?"

"Looks like it. That must be all they had on board."

"Okay. But I bet if we continue approaching they'll call for help…" Cortes paused, thinking.

Mahad was standing next to Cheng at the centre console, practically bouncing on his heels. "I wish I had the Hyperion... Can I take a Mosquito?"

Lena groaned, and rolled her eyes at her brother's over-enthusiasm.

"Not yet, Mahad," said Cortes. "We have to be even more careful. They've got children on board… depending on how important it is to them that they're delivered alive…" he trailed off. "We'll continue approaching, but slowly. Power down our weapons, but keep the shields up. Maybe they'll be willing to just give them up."

"I doubt that…" Mila muttered.

Diwan, standing right next to the other women, glanced across at her. She didn't seem to believe the Sphere would just give up the kids. Diwan didn't either. Perhaps Cortes was just trying to do it the easy way first, so people wouldn't get hurt.

The ship continued towards the water carrier, though as of yet it was only really visible on the computer screens. Up ahead, Diwan wasn't quite sure if she could make out a small grey speck.

The crew was quiet as they drew closer. Steadily, the distance between the two ships decreased, even as the water carrier powered ahead full throttle.

Then the radio activated. "Unknown vessel, be warned you are approaching to within an unauthorised distance of a Sphere vessel without permission. Please change your course immediately, or state your intentions. If you come any closer our patrollers will open fire."

"I'm not sure they realise we're a pirate ship…" said Dahlia.

"Perhaps," said Cortes, unwilling to commit.

"Do we respond?" Wayan asked.

"Continue approaching," Cortes growled, entirely focused on the growing spec of grey in front of the Saint Nazaire.

"The patrollers are attacking!" said Wayan.

Faster than the ship they were escorting, the two Sphere patrollers appeared and seemed to grow in size ahead of them as they quickly approached, heading directly for them. They gave no warning; technically, they had given one already. And the violation of that meant they were willing enough to blast the offending ship right out of the sky, whatever its reason for simply approaching the slower Sphere vessel.

"Wayan, get down to the Mosquitoes," Cortes ordered. "I want to take down those patrollers as quickly as possible."

"Aye, sir." Wayan jumped up, and headed off the bridge.

"Mahad…" said Cortes, watching the boy's reaction carefully. "Go with Wayan, and take a Mosquito. But I just want you to keep those patrollers, and any more that appear away from the Saint Nazaire. Destroy them if you have to."

"What are you serious?!" Mahad exclaimed, just standing there.

"Go on, Mahad!" said Lena, shushing her brother towards the door.

"Ah… right!" Mahad took off after Wayan.

"Dahlia, lets keep heading for the water carrier. Only take on the patrollers if you have to. We might just be able to dock and get aboard."