"I wonder if he was Fifth Bureau," Sabatine pondered aloud. There were bruises beneath her suit from the collision with the deck, but nothing worse than a hard shift on the hull. It certainly trumped being shot all hollow. It was common knowledge that Guarantor Pora's secret police maintained a presence within the fleet, and the communications officer would be a logical choice. Feet were clattering down the companion way.

"Shit," Sabbatine muttered, slamming the door shut behind them. Trigger discipline among spacers was never the best and she didn't fancy getting wasted by her own side moments after an enemy round.

"Sir?!" Danzetti's voice called from the hallway.

"We are all good spacer," start getting the prisoners out of her," Kaiden ordered.

"Sir!" Danzetti responded and then began clamping back up the companionway. Sabatine knelt down beside the communications terminal. She took a wrench from the toolbelt on her suit and fitted it to the rachet that held the communications console in place, laying down so she could observe the wiring. There didn't appear to be any booby traps or fail safes.

"I have called you much worse," Sabatine agreed with a grin. She thought back to the night she learned he had cheated on her. The old fury wasn't as hot as it had been with the passage of time. It hadn't been as though there were any chance that a Calawarden would ever end up with a penniless minor noble on the verge of ruin. Still it had burned, burned deep. She cranked the first bolt around. It gave easily, doubtless the communications consoles were changed out often as Fleet codes were updated. She paused for a moment as the first bolt came free.

"You know, assuming we get back to Herculaneum safely, I'm due one tenth the cost of a destroyer in prize money." Kaiden himself, as captain, would get a fifth. That was a staggering amount of money to Sabatine, and even to Kaiden would probably nudge a balance sheet.

"Assuming they don't hang us for mutiny of course," Kaiden put in. Sabatine snorted as she freed the second bolt.

"Still the eternal optimist I see," she snickered.

"I can't see them hanging a highly placed noble with a victory like this one to back it up." The final bolt came free and she pulled the remaining connectors, freeing the console.

"Micha dosen't have the political pull to make it stick and the Admiral..." she thought back to his words to her before they set off on this cruise.

"Well I think he had his doubts too." She pulled herself to her feet and grabbed the console with both hands, lifting it with some effort.

"Can you get the door?"