But then he thought about something, as he looked at them and said, "No skulls."
Rhoswen looked like she had just been personally attacked. "Commander."
"No skulls."
Lysara let out a quiet breath that almost turned into a smile. "That still leaves many terrible options."
Astercourt sighed, the kind of sigh that came from knowing this was about to get out of hand if no one kept it grounded, but she also knew that even if things were kept under control, it would not be much better.
For a short while, the meeting drifted into something less formal. They talked about markings, false transponder names, how ships should look from a distance, and how much disorder made something believable instead of obviously fake.
It wasn't useless talk. Aurelian let it run longer than he normally would, because it actually mattered more than it sounded.
