Lucy stared at me, eyes narrowed, holding up one finger in warning—a look that managed to be both a challenge and a command, daring me to disagree while making clear that refusal wasn’t an option.
“Fine,” I said, giving in with a grudging smirk. My schedule had freed up after organizing the rescued humans’ resettlement, and I had already dismissed my crew for a well-earned forty-eight-hour leave.
A shrill, persistent beep startled Vraxxan. He paused, brow furrowing, eyes flicking to the blinking comm unit on his wrist. He pressed his lips tenderly to Lucy’s temple, let them linger, then guided her gently off his lap so he could stand.
“It’s Ambassador Khaion,” he explained, his voice taking on the formal tone he reserved for diplomatic matters. “I need to take this call.” His teal eyes met mine across the distance. “Come home soon, cousin. You are missed more than you know.”
“I will,” I promised.
Lucy’s grin lingered as she watched her mate disappear from view, her hazel eyes tracking his movement with deep affection. When she finally turned her attention back to me, the playful light in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by something more penetrating.
“How are you, Diarvet? Really?” Her voice carried a gentle insistence that told me I couldn’t placate her with surface answers.
I glanced around the corridor, the artificial light glinting off polished walls. Nearby, Altairian merchants chatted about trade routes, close enough to notice yet too far to hear.
“I’m fine,” I said, the lie tasting stale on my tongue.
“Don’t lie to me,” Lucy huffed, her voice gentle despite her rebuke. Concern softened her features, her eyes shining with worry that made my chest constrict. The way she looked at me—like I mattered, like my pain was worth her attention—remindedme why she had become not just my queen, but one of the few beings I trusted completely.
“Are you sleeping?” she pressed, her head tilting slightly in a distinctly human gesture.
“Define sleeping,” I hedged, my fingers unconsciously gripping the metal railing beside me until my knuckles showed pale beneath my scales.
“Diarvet,” she warned.
The sigh that escaped me felt like it came from somewhere deep in my chest, heavy with the weight of sleepless nights. “I still have nightmares.” The admission hung in the recycled air like a confession.
Lucy’s expression transformed, her features softening with the kind of understanding that could only come from someone who had walked through her own darkness. “Like before. Where Vraxxan and I both die?”
“Yes,” I whispered, the memory making my mouth go dry, my tongue feeling thick and uncooperative. “It’s always the same.”
Silence fell between us. Lucy understood my darkness, she’d faced her own. While Vraxxan suggested healing, Lucy supported my need to face my demons on my terms.
“You know I’m here if you need to talk,” she offered, her voice carrying a quiet promise. “Day or night.”
“I know.” The words came out rougher than I intended, thick with gratitude I couldn’t quite express. “But talking about it doesn’t help. I feel like a part of me is broken, and I don’t know if I will ever feel whole again.” The confession felt like tearing open a wound, but Lucy was the only being alive to whom I could admit such vulnerability.
“You will,” she assured me, conviction in her voice. “It hasn’t been that long. You just need time.”
I nodded, though I privately wondered how much time would be enough. Eons didn’t seem sufficient to heal the fractures that ran through my soul like cracks in damaged crystal.
“I spent my whole life on Earth basically dying,” Lucy reminded me. “But I got a second chance. I want that for you, too.”
“Me too,” I admitted, managing a smile that felt sad even to me.
From somewhere off-screen, the sound of raised voices erupted. Sharp, angry tones that carried the unmistakable cadence of negotiations gone wrong. Lucy rolled her eyes, but I could see the concern flickering beneath her humor.
“I’d better go,” she snorted. “Vraxxan tends to lose his patience when he’s pissed.”
I laughed despite everything. “Go save the kingdom, my queen.”
When the holo comm flickered and died, a strange sense of melancholy settled over me. Lucy and Vraxxan were my family. I had asked to captain theEden, thinking that time alone among the stars might help me overcome the trauma of torture. Now, after weeks drifting through the void with only my crew and memories for company, I was beginning to doubt that decision.
I headed down the corridor toward Space Pearl’s, my footsteps echoing softly against the polished metal flooring. The passageway thrummed with life as dinner hour approached. Beings from all across the galaxy called this massive station home. The air carried a mix of languages, the rustle of exotic fabrics, and the subtle perfumes and pheromones of a dozen different species. The corridor’s curved walls seemed to pulse with the rhythm of countless lives intersecting, separating, and flowing onward like tributaries of some vast cosmic river.
But it was the sight of the Wojonik warriors that made me pause mid-stride. Each towering male bore the unmistakable physique of their species, dark crimson skin, burning yellow eyes, and the distinctive curved horns that crowned broad skulls. Leathery wings, folded tight against muscular backs, twitched with barely contained energy. But what truly caught my attention was the uniform each wore. Pristine military dress emblazoned with the ornate golden crest of the Kwado royal family.
The Kwado were a curious contradiction. A species blessed with considerable wealth and political influence yet cursed with a physiology that made them poorly suited for physical confrontation. They relied heavily on hired muscle to handle the more dangerous aspects of their business dealings. And their business, while wrapped in layers of diplomatic immunity and royal privilege, had long been rumored to include partnerships with Trogvyk slavers, though they’d proven too clever and well-connected to be caught.
