“Then you will enjoy Tillich Two. The primary settlement is located on the coast, with easy access to both the water and the spaceport.” He adjusted their trajectory slightly. “We will need to establish false identities, however. The Council may search passenger manifests and settlement records looking for us.”
“How do we do that? I don’t exactly have experience with forging documents.”
“I do.” At her surprised look, he elaborated. “The Patrol occasionally operates in situations requiring covert identities. I am familiar with the process and have access to contacts who can provide the necessary documentation.”
“Of course you do.” She shook her head with fond exasperation. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Cook,” he admitted. “I am adequate with basic field rations, but actual cuisine eludes me.”
“Lucky for you, I’m a decent cook. Or at least I was before we were abducted. I might be a bit rusty now.”
“I’m terrible,” Anya volunteered cheerfully. “I once set water on fire.”
“How is that even possible?” Selik asked.
“I left the pot on the stove and forgot about it. All the water boiled away and the pot started smoking and then the smoke detector went off and Dad came running…” She trailed off, her expression turning melancholy. “I miss him. He wasn’t perfect, but he tried his best.”
Corinne reached over and squeezed her hand. “He loved you very much. And he’d be proud of how strong you’ve become.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. You’ve survived things that would have broken most adults, and you’ve done it with courage and compassion. That’s remarkable.”
Anya blinked rapidly, fighting tears. “He’d probably be mad that I didn’t fight harder when we were taken.”
“No.” Selik’s voice was firm. “He would be grateful that you survived. Fighting when you are outnumbered and outmatched is not bravery—it is suicide. You made the intelligent choice to live, to endure until help arrived. That takes a different kind of courage.”
“Really?”
“Really. As a warrior, I can tell you that knowing when not to fight is as important as knowing how to fight. You chose survival, and that choice allowed you to be here now, building a new life with people who care about you.”
Anya nodded slowly, processing his words. “I guess that makes sense. And I did keep Corinne and Mikoz safe as best I could.”
“You did,” she agreed. “You were amazing. You kept watch while I slept, you helped calm Mikoz when he was fussy, and you never gave up hope. I couldn’t have survived without you.”
“We’re a team.” Anya managed a wobbly smile. “A weird, cross-species, probably illegal team, but a team.”
“The best kind of team,” Selik said.
Mikoz chose that moment to wake fully, his chirping escalating to full-throated cries that demanded immediate attention. She shifted him in the sling, checking his diaper and finding it soaked.
“I need to change him.”
“Of course.” Selik engaged the autopilot. “We are well clear of the Patrol ship’s sensor range and there are no other vessels in this sector. Take all the time you need.”
She unstrapped from her seat and carried Mikoz into the sanitation unit, talking to him softly as she worked.
His skin had darkened slightly over the past weeks, shifting from pale green to a deeper emerald that matched Selik’s coloring. His eyes were fully black now, no longer showing the milky quality of a newborn. He watched her with bright intelligence, his tiny hands reaching for her face.
“You’re getting so big,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Soon you’ll be running around causing all sorts of trouble.”
He chirped in apparent agreement and grabbed a handful of her hair, tugging with surprising strength for someone so small.
“Gentle,” she chided, carefully extracting her hair from his grip. “We’ve talked about this. Hair pulling is not nice.”
Another chirp, this one sounding almost apologetic.
She finished changing him and pulled him into her arms, rocking him gently. He settled against her chest with a contented sigh as she returned to the main cabin, his tail wrapping around her forearm in a gesture that reminded her so much of Selik.
