“Yes. From the neck down he was paralyzed, but I did not kill him. That would not have been useful. As long as he stayed alive, he remained a viable target for the Colossus. It bought us time. I only disabled him so he could not move.”
“You’re telling me he was lying paralyzed on the floor while the Colossus tore the ship apart around him? Completely helpless?”
For the first time since their arrival, Aros looked almost remorseful. It lasted two heartbeats before he lifted his chin and met her eyes.
“I’m sorry if that frightens you, but…”
Lily cut him off.
Her laugh was so eerie that Khar felt every hair on his body rise. It was terrifying, edged with the faintest shimmer of madness.
Khar adored it.
“Frightens me? Aros, I don’t think anyone has ever given me a more beautiful gift. He got exactly what he deserved.”
She didn’t need to explain. All three Divani understood enough about what Horos had done to understand why she sounded like that.
Lily shrugged and continued as if the topic were hardly worth the oxygen.
“Yes, then I suppose they’ll need my statement. What should I expect?”
“Well, Horos switched off the Vitro’s internal cameras after he…” Ikar cleared his throat, discomfort visible even in his rigid posture, “…after he attacked you. So you won’t need to recount that part, since there is verified footage. They will ask about the time after, and they will especially want to know what happened with the smugglers.”
“We already submitted our statements,” Aros added. “So for you, this is really just a formality. Since both of us hold senior rank within the Divani Constabulary, no one questioned anything. You are the victim, so it is entirely up to you how much you share.”
Lily snapped her head up and stared at Aros.
“Wait. What did you say about Helios? Where is he now?”
The three brothers exchanged a look heavy with meaning. They radiated masculine satisfaction, but Ikar looked the most pleased with himself.
“He’s here on the ship. Completely drained, so he’s recharging. We had to hide him. Under IMPERIUM law, any surviving Colossus must be destroyed immediately, but Helios can no longer be separated from it. So it’s possible we destroyed the protective shell it was found in, along with the defective parts it removed from itself, and launched the fragments into space. The authorities only needed to see that to stop asking questions.”
The Divani straightened, unmistakable pride in his posture. He had clearly been the architect of the deception.
“I thought Horos being arrested would be the best news of this chrono-cycle” Lily said, “but I was wrong. You are my new favorite relative, Ikar.”
She hesitated only a heartbeat before giving him a warm hug. Ikar stiffened, startled, then returned it awkwardly but gratefully.
“Hey!” Aros barked.
“Hey!” Khar echoed.
“I helped too!” Aros protested, trying to wedge himself between them.
The moment Khar saw what he was attempting, he hooked a clawed hand into Aros’s collar and yanked him back, only releasing him once Lily let go of Ikar.
“Thank you,” Lily said, her voice softer now. “Truly. Helios saved me, and he was my only companion when I traveled alone through space without knowing anything about the universe.”
Her words sobered the room instantly. Then she asked the question that mattered.
“What will happen to Horos?”
Ikar and Aros looked at Khar, silently electing him to answer.
“If it had been up to me, he never would have made it into official custody. But these two paragons decided this was the perfect moment to grow a spine. So he is with the IMPERIUM Constabulary. They will treat his injuries. The evidence is overwhelming. He is charged with the theft and attempted sale of a high-value vessel and, far worse, with the abduction of a sapiens under protected status.”
Lily frowned.
