Getting away from Galaux Station was a pain in the ass. We were just lucky that the engines had been repaired, or else we wouldn’t have made it. As it was we had to limp along slower than I would have liked. Right into the enemies den too. If I live through this I’m never drinking again.

  -From the Journals of Theseus Goodfellow.

  “You better be sure about this Doc.” Theseus said grimly, contemplating the beer in the cooler at his feet. If he was going to die or get arrested, he at least wanted to be drunk for it. But there was that chance that they wouldn’t get arrested, wouldn’t die. A chance that he would need a clear head to deal with whatever the hell came next.

  “I am.” Doc Tomas said, watching the island grow beneath them. It had been a long time since he had been to Silva Prime, since he had grown up in one of those little houses at the edge of the island’s massive gardens, and studied with Nora, Flame and Theo. The ship shuddered as it angled more sharply down, and Theodrakis gave the mess of a control panel a good solid hit. The ship stopped shuddering long enough to land in an open courtyard next to another small ship, this one more rusted looking even than The Bard of Avon, but still familiar.

  “It looks like we’re not the only ones visiting either. I had wondered.” Doc Tomas chuckled and stood up. “Besides, I don’t know why you’re so worried. They allowed us to land, didn’t they?”

  “It’s harder to escape once we’ve landed.” Theseus growled, starting to power down systems. He would have liked to keep everything running hot, but there was no way the old ship could take that, especially without someone babysitting it. The engines would burn out and then where the hell would they be? Stuck like sitting ducks, that’s where.

  “I’ll grant you that point.” Tomas said and picked up his single bag. There hadn’t been much time for packing when he left Galaux, but he had the important things. Anything else could be replaced.

  “Damn right.” Theseus said. He took one last look at the computers before they went dark, and stood up himself. “Why did you have to send her to the Silvarians?”

  “I sent her to her father. Not the Silvarians.” Tomas said patiently. This wasn’t the first time they had had this discussion during the trip.

  “Everyone knows Theodrakis is a Silvarian lap dog. They say jump, and he jumps.” Theseus hauled on the wheel that sealed the ships door, the whole thing groaning in protest. His ears popped as the door opened and the air pressure changed. With a grimace, he stepped out into the fresh ocean air. Birds were singing, waves washed against the shore, and being under the wide open sky felt strange after living most of his life in space stations and on the little ship. There was just too much room.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Watch your tongue.” Tomas said, following Theseus off the ship. Theodrakis stepped out from beneath an awning, raising a hand in greeting. “Theo is my friend, and cares as much about freedom as any in the Coalition. He just goes about the work in a different way.”

  Tomas embraced Theodrakis in a hug as soon as he was close enough, but his smile faded at the look on his face. “Tomas, you have good timing. Please come with me.”

  “What’s happened?” Tomas fell into step beside Theodrakis, moving quickly across the open space between the courtyard and the main house, ignoring the neatly manicured paths in favor of a more direct route. Theseus followed close behind, wishing he had grabbed his beer after all as he picked his way through tall plants that wanted to curl around his ankles and trip him up. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to chase any bugs out of his ship after landing on this planet! But he had the tools to decontaminate it if need be.

  “Maggie is- she’s hysterical, she’s claiming to have killed someone, and that we have to go. I think something may have gone wrong with the training Reshka’i was supposed to be doing with her.” Theodrakis said.

  “Reshka’i? The butcher? You actually let that nutjob touch your daughter?” Theseus blurted out, his eyes widening.

  Theodrakis looked at Theseus, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly. “And you are Theseus Goodfellow. The one that kidnapped my daughter and put her in this mess.”

  Theseus flinched, but fell silent for a few moments. It wouldn’t do any good to get into that argument, no matter how bad giving her to the butcher had been. But hey, the sadistic little Silvarian was dead, that was good news. “I apologized to her multiple times. And my brother has been watching over her.” He said softly.

  “Yes.” Theodrakis hissed. He turned away without another word, leading them into the main house and down the hall. “I notice that he hasn’t been much help in preventing her from getting shot or traumatized.”

  Shit, was this guy going to bust his balls too? Theseus rubbed his head. “He does what he can, alright? We could have just left her to fend for herself.” Hopefully she hadn’t told him about when Theseus had left her in the residential pod.

  Theodrakis clenched his fists, but didn’t say anything. Instead he headed into a room that smelled of green growing things, and had a small crowd in it. Theseus spotted his brother first, and felt a tension he hadn’t realized he was carrying fade away. His brother was alright, although worried and in a weird doll-like form with a giant head. There were also two other women, a dark skinned woman who was glaring at him, and a woman in a wheelchair with greying red hair that flanked Maggie. She looked a bit worse for wear, with welts across her skin, staring into space at nothing.

  “Nora, Electra, it’s good to see you both.” Tomas smiled and moved over to kneel in front of Maggie, looking up into her pale face. “And Maggie, it’s good to see you again too.”