This is where Becsul grew up,she thought.This is his home.
The thought was followed by another, colder one.This is the place that will execute him if we’re caught.
She tightened her grip on Robbie, who made a small sound of protest in his sleep.
“Hang on back there.” Sarven’s voice crackled through the cargo bay speakers. “We’re diverting from the original landing zone. Something’s wrong.”
The shuttle banked sharply to the left. Through the porthole, she watched the city center slide past, replaced by a stretch of older, grimmer buildings that showed signs of abandonment—cracked facades, dark windows, streets empty of traffic.
Becsul appeared at the entrance to the cargo bay, his expression tight with concern.
“What’s happening?” Sarah asked, pulling Katie closer. The girl hadn’t spoken since they’d left the facility, her eyes too old for her young face.
“I don’t know yet.” Becsul moved to stand beside her, his tail automatically finding her waist. “Sarven picked up something on the patrol frequencies. We’re landing at an alternate site while he investigates.”
“An alternate site.” Wei-Lin’s tone was skeptical. “You mean we’re improvising.”
“I mean we’re being cautious.”
Sarven was a skilled pilot, whatever else might be said about him, and the shuttle touched down with barely a bump. The engines began their shutdown sequence, and through the porthole, she could see a landing pad that looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Weeds grew through cracks in the stone. A nearby structure had partially collapsed, its roof caved in.
“Wait here,” Becsul said. “All of you. I’ll go speak with Sarven.”
He squeezed her hand once, then disappeared towards the cockpit.
An oppressive silence followed his departure. Sarah rocked Katie gently, murmuring words Melissa couldn’t hear. Wei-Lin paced near the loading ramp, her arms crossed and her jaw tight. Robbie stirred and blinked, his dark eyes focusing on her face with that intense infant concentration that always made her heart clench.
“Hey, little man,” she whispered. “You slept through all the excitement.”
He made a gurgling sound that might have been an agreement.
Minutes crawled past. She counted the cracks in the hull plating, the dust motes floating in the dim light, and the number of breaths she took between each thundering heartbeat. She was good at waiting—years of medical training had taught her patience—but this was different. This was waiting to find out if they’d escaped one prison only to walk into another.
Finally, footsteps echoed from the cockpit corridor. Becsul emerged, his face like stone, followed by Sarven.
“Tell them,” Becsul said.
Sarven’s skin had paled, his usual easy confidence replaced by something grimmer. “I intercepted a priority broadcast on the enforcement channel. Councilor Naran has issued an arrest warrant.”
“For who?” Sarah asked, though they all already knew the answer.
“Captain Becsul nak’Larentar.” Sarven’s voice was flat. “Charged with treason, kidnapping of Council property, destruction of a classified facility, and conspiracy against the Cire people.”
Council property.The words made her flinch. She’d known, intellectually, how Naran and his people viewed them but hearing it stated so baldly made bile rise in her throat.
“Property,” Wei-Lin spat. “We’re property now.”
“You were always property to them.” Sarven looked genuinely pained. “That’s what this whole project was about. Acquisition. Control. Breeding stock.”
“And the officers?” Becsul asked. “You said they were waiting?”
“At the primary landing zone. A full detention squad.” Sarven shook his head. “If we’d landed there…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Something hot and bright ignited in her chest. Rage, pure and clean, burning through the fear that had become her constant companion. She thought of the examinations she’d endured, the cold hands of strangers on her body, and the way they’d looked at her like she was a specimen rather than a person. She thought of Sarah’s daughter, used as leverage, her childhood stolen to ensure her mother’s compliance.
“That bastard,” she said. “That absolute bastard.”
