She comes to a conclusion.

She kicks off the rear wall of the cokpit, floats to the front half of it and catches herself on one of Dheto's tethers. She gently tugs on the elastic cord, checking her velocity even as she rouses the secessionist pilot from her slumber.

Dheto opens her eyes and tilts her head back to watch Devika.

"Slave. I have information that will be of great interest to your masters."

"I'll send a priority transmission."

"Good."

DZ wakes Deskyl, and they watch, silently.

Dheto closes her eyes again and starts moving her fingers as though tapping at an invisible keyboard.

Saru's core habitat is too far away to hail via holo-conference, so she needs to compose a short text-only message to convey this new development.

Devika gives the tether another tug, propelling herself back towards the corner where DZ and Deskyl wait.

"I'm telling them everything," she says.

Deskyl nods.

    "Yes, Ma'am. Deskyl hadn't previously told them that she's able to heal; please mention that it isn't something she's generally willing to do, when you bring it up."

"Understood."

Dheto gets a response a few minutes later. Text only, just like the initial transmission.

The Thousand Fingers Knight helpfully relays this reply to those not currently plugged directly into her SLAYER's sensor array.

"There's a dragon on the way."

"I've been given rendezvous coordinates. Please hold on to something."

The SLAYER's engines ignite, imparting a near-steady acceleration.

It takes several minutes for the biomech to reach the desired cruising speed, about a quarter degree of coasting to reach its destination, then several minutes of acceleration in the opposite direction to match velocity with a large barren dysofrag near the debris disk's edge.

An enormous winged construct waits on the sunward face of the orbital detritus in question.

The dragon's face turns towards them, tracking Dheto's SLAYER as it makes its approach.

Deskyl and DZ decline to hang on to anything, but handle the maneuver just fine regardless.

    "We haven't met this one yet," DZ says of the dragon when she comes into view.

Dheto (still a safe distance from the landing zone) spares a moment's attention to reply.

"Not surprising. Artha almost never leaves her holdings."

    "The progress dragon."

    "This should be interesting."

Dheto touches her SLAYER down not far from the dragon. She initiates a holo-conference.

"Thank you, Dheto."

(Emotion Read: elated.)

"Of course, ma'am. Reporting as instructed."

    "I hope this degree finds you well, Ma'am. This is Deskyl, the Sith, and Devika, the now-ex colonial pilot she recently captured. Devika has some intel she'd like to share with you."

"I am listening."

Artha's voice is nearly monotone. It doesn't hold the same cold edge that Saru's voice did, but rather an utter lack of nonverbal signifiers one way or the other.

"The dragon has no reason to believe anything I say. Deskyl can you use your powers to confirm that I'm being honest?"