The freezer door opens. Sebastian can hear rapid, heavy, footsteps approaching him from behind. But Sebastian can’t move. He accepts whatever is coming next. He is just too tired.

There is a loud stomp. Then Dusty’s voice—raised and aggressive: "Don’t!"

Sebastian looks in the rear-view mirror. He can only see a small portion of what is happening behind him. Dusty stands with her arms extended wide. She stares down at June. She looks straight through Dusty and towards her intended target in the driver’s seat. She steps forward.

"Stop!" Dusty yells.

June’s tunnel vision fades.

"What is it?" Her voice has become low and monotone. She speaks quietly enough that Sebastian can't hear.

"Put it away. Now." Dusty commands in a hushed voice.

In June’s left hand is a long, dark, kukri machete.

"There’s your anger. I was wondering if it would come out today." June speaks with no inflection.

Her eyes are wrong and the smile on her face is unnerving. This is what Dusty has been trying to avoid for the past six hours: June’s other side. June has always scared her, and because of this natural inclination to intimidate, she usually acts as the Captain’s watchdog. That’s exactly why June was sent with her.

Dusty feels the floor beneath her begin to tremble. The walls of the cabin rattle. She begins to feel a sudden turbulence around her. She stops herself, then takes a deep breath.

"Calm down. Now." Dusty directs the command towards both June and herself simultaneously.

"Finally giving out orders? I was worried you were gonna play soft the whole time." June grins.

"Put the blade away. Someone’s gonna see it."

"Who? That fucking traitor lune?"

Sebastian kind of hears that sentence. It makes him nervous about whatever is happening behind him.

"You’re one to talk. It wasn’t so long ago that you lived in a place like this. Now calm yourself." Dusty regains her footing.

June’s eyes finally point away from Sebastian and make contact with Dusty’s. The look in her eyes is sharper than her knife.

"Oh. You’re really trying to get on my bad side." June’s voice is low and steady.

"Clearly, I already am. And I need you to stand down. Don’t fuck this up."

"He locked us in there."

"He had to lock the door! That alert on the dash would have given us away."

June peeks around Dusty and spots the bright flashing ‘DOOR OPEN’ message on the dashboard terminal. Her eyes then return to Dusty. She begins to breathe in deep.

Long deep breaths.

Her eyes settle down after a moment.

June takes the kukri and softly runs the blade down Sebastian’s jacket. The jacket splits open and falls off June’s shoulders and gently into her hands. She stands quietly for a moment as she lets the jacket fall onto the floor. Then she walks away and goes to close the freezer.

Dusty cautiously watches June, holding her breath in anticipation for whatever may come next. She exhales only after June enters the cargo closet. Dusty turns around and looks at Sebastian.

"...Thank you." She says.

Sebastian doesn’t respond.

"Hey. Lune." Dusty is careful to only slightly raise her voice.

Sebastian snaps out of it. "Huh? What?"

"You could have left us in there. Turned us in," Dusty steps closer to Sebastian. "You could have left us to freeze."

Sebastian is used to being on the receiving end of cruelty. His time at the Lunar Culinary Academy, and his time in several professional kitchens has prepared him for foul treatment. Being kidnapped by pirates actually hasn’t been the worst he’s experienced.

His tactic has always been the same. He would keep his head down and take the brunt of it—no matter how unjustified it was. But this time, everything feels different. It’s like something inside him has released itself. Like he’s finally let himself go. It’s a feeling adjacent to apathy, yet oddly optimistic. Sebastian can feel something deep inside him rising. A hopeful energy within him that he hasn’t felt since his early days in the Academy. And not since those early days with Anisa.

"I couldn’t leave you in there. Not like that." He responds.

There is a moment of gently tense silence. Nothing intimidating. It’s like the calm after the storm. Dusty stares at Sebastian with a look that is a mix of both surprise and guilt.

She had haphazardly poured all of her trust—the little she had left— into a stranger’s hands.

And it mostly worked out. Somehow.

She smiles.

"Well, a deal’s a deal. I promised you your life, lune. And you’ll have it. Let’s get our fuel. We’re running behind."