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shall leave barbaric behavior to the unenlightened beyond our Order and the Helikeians. Judgment will be suspended until a physician declares the accused able of facing the accusations lodged against him.”
    The Marshal lifted his gavel and pounded it against the desk twice. The sound was piercing, ripping a hole in Sophia’s peace of mind. “But… what does that mean?”
    “It means we’ll have the privilege of keeping Grainger under lock and key while his comrades enjoy the fact that he is still among the living in spite of his crimes,” Bion muttered from across the hall.
    “This is not an airship, Captain Donkova,” the Marshal admonished. “Justice does not need to be so black and white here. Unlike the close confines of an airship, we have the facilities to care for the criminally insane.”
    Bion closed the distance between them, his stride determined. “So we will waste resources on curing the man before we condemn him?” Bion’s tone left no doubt that he wasn’t really asking a question. It was dry and condescending, earning him a dark look from the Marshal.
    “We shall conduct ourselves as civilized men, ones who do not seek vengeance, but instead focus on maintaining justice.”
    The Marshal struck the desk again, harder and sharper this time. All three stood and exited the hall. The level of intensity went with them, leaving Sophia feeling disappointed. She turned and left, her emotions swirling in a turbulent cyclone.
    Did she want Grainger dead? She honestly didn’t know. Part of her was relieved to not have to lend her testimony toward condemning a man. But that left her wondering if she was a coward, one of the many who demand justice but are unwilling to stand up and face those they wanted punished.
    One thing was certain and that was that she avoided making eye contact with Bion Donkova as she passed him. She could feel his dark gaze on her, but she kept her attention on the door, proving without a doubt that she was a coward.
    ***
    “You’re on dangerously thin ice, Captain.”
    Bion slowly grinned at Darius. “A place where, I assure you, I’m quite comfortable, Guardian Lawley.”
    Darius chuckled softly, taking a moment to notice that his wife was heading out of the sanctum in pursuit of her friend.
    “It is a facet of my personality you have already encountered.” Darius jerked his attention away from Janette’s exit and stared at Bion. “I was willing to let you and others believe me a traitor,” Bion continued. “I knew you and your team might kill me before any explanation could be rendered, so kindly spare me the lecture I see brewing in your eyes. I do not live my life on safe ground, not when there are Helikeians to expose. Our own laws allow them to infiltrate our ranks. Unmasking them will not be simple or done on safe ground.”
    “We are not talking about Helikeians, but of your personal involvement with your trainee,” Darius advised. “I have treaded on that thin ice; it’s a perilous journey between duty and distraction. Miss Stevenson might well be worth the risk, but you need to be careful how many rules you challenge along the way.”
    Bion shook his head. “You mistake the situation, Guardian. Miss Stevenson is my responsibility; the only distraction is her propensity to challenge my authority. I continue to hope she will mature past such behavior.”
    Guardian Lawley surprised him by grinning. Bion couldn’t claim to know the man well, but what experience he did have with Lawley had been facing a man with iron control. The amusement on his face was a stark contrast to the man he’d dealt with in the Hawaiian Islands.
    “Do enlighten me, Captain. Exactly when did it become standard practice to instruct Navigator Novices over the footrails of their beds with the sort of personal remarks I heard this morning?”
    “There is little privacy aboard airships. Miss Stevenson is best prepared if she learns that now,” Bion remarked calmly, but heat was rising