Rey y on the couch, her right hand resting on the freshly bandaged side. Fortunately, it had only been a flesh wound, no more than an inch deep. Andun had been able to clean and close it without much difficulty, but he told her that the scar would likely st the rest of her life.

  She and Zan were alone together while Andun kept watch with Chisay in the front of the bookstore. Zan felt slightly guilty for basically taking over her home, which was in the back of the same building as the bookstore, but they had nowhere else to go.

  They could do nothing until Zan received the signal, which could come at any time until evening, still almost fourteen hours away.

  Zan had initially kept a close eye on Chisay, but it didn’t appear that she had any intention of turning them in. She tried to help Andun treat Rey, and provided them with whatever they asked for if she had it. She’d closed the store and locked all the doors as soon as they came in.

  Her complicity made Zan suspicious, but as she hadn’t attempted to betray them yet, he’d let Andun watch her instead while he rested in the back.

  Now he was alone with Rey though, and he didn’t know what to say.

  “Rey, I never properly asked you, but we’re not safe yet, so I may need to use more of your energy in the future…”

  “I wouldn’t mind. If you need to, you can use my energy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “There’s something I’ve been thinking about though,” Rey said after a few moments.

  “Hmm?”

  “Why do you want to save your aunt so much? Did you know her well?”

  “No, I’ve never met her,” Zan replied.

  “You’ve never met her?!”

  “She and my dad were born on Neveus 7, but she was captured when the Seynian’s invaded. My dad escaped, but to my knowledge the rest of his family was killed. He only saw his sister being taken alive. She was only six at the time, and I only have one picture of her that my dad brought with him when he ran.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “My dad just abandoned her. He didn’t even try to go back and get her; he just ran for his own life. And then he managed to escape to the Alliance and start a family! I just couldn’t go and be happy when I knew that my dad’s sister was out there somewhere, suffering at the hands of the empire. I mean, if it was your mom, wouldn’t you try to rescue her?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never met her,” Rey replied.

  “You’ve never…what exactly was life like in the empire?”

  “I was kept separate from my parents and siblings, and hardly saw anyone other than my attendants. They raised me and gave me a basic education. At least, ever since I was six. I Can’t remember anything before then.”

  “That sounds like..”

  “Mmh. Ever since I left I’ve been learning more about the universe and all the other stuff I wasn’t taught. I think I’m really royalty in name only.”

  Zan didn’t know what to say.

  The door opened and Andun walked in, followed by Chisay.

  “We might have a problem,” Andun said.

  “What?” Zan asked, looking up.

  “Come see fer yerself.”

  ***

  Commander Raska briefly skimmed the list he’d been given, then handed it to an assistant standing by his side. He ran a hand through his short, dark red hair while looking at the small convoy of military vehicles lined up in front of him.

  “Commander, all the data tables have been accounted for,” said a soldier.

  “What about the armory?” the commander asked.

  “All weapons have been cleared out.”

  “And the vault?”

  “That too.”

  “Good. Get everyone in the vehicles immediately. And make sure everything is locked on the way out,” Commander Raska snapped. The soldier turned and hurriedly left to rey the orders.

  “Damn Central; giving me such unreasonable orders on such short notice. I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight will I? At least it’s not a demotion. In fact, if I perform well in this situation, I might even get recognized.”

  He stroked his hair once more, as he often did when stressed, before walking over to a nearby table where he’d left his cap. After returning it to his head, he let out a deep breath and looked back at the vehicles humming in front of him.

  The rge room was filled with the sound of soldiers hurriedly trying to load the vehicles with as much of the supplies and equipment as they could. They were trying to organize the confusion so they could leave as soon as possible. The st few hours had been chaotic, but the situation had finally cleared up.

  “It’s almost time,” said Vice Commander Erra, approaching him.

  “Yeah. Can’t wait for this to be over.”

  The soldier returned to inform him that everything was in position.

  “We’re ready to evacuate, Commander.”

  “We’re not evacuating, we’re relocating!” Raska snapped.

  “Right, we’re ready to begin relocating, Commander,” the soldier said.

  “Is my personal vehicle ready?” Raska asked.

  “Yes, Commander,” the soldier said, before leaving to rejoin the others. Raska began making his way to his own vehicle, the Vice Commander by his side.

  “Why the Avont region though?” Erra asked. “We’re closer to the border of the Svaki region.”

  “I know that. The Avont region has a lot of new military outposts because of the recent uprisings, so they’ll be better suited to house us.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  They reached his vehicle, and Raska got in the back, which was spacious enough to fit at least three more people.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Raska asked, seeing Erra move to get in as well.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I put you in charge of the force I left at the spaceport, so you’ll stay there until it’s time to evacuate.”

  “I have to be at the spaceport?”

  “Of course. We’ll reconvene in the Avont regional spaceport.”

  Without another word, Raska shut the door on the irritated vice commander.

  “Pull up next to the vehicle in front,” Raska said to the driver through the connecting window.

  “Yes, Commander,” the driver replied. Raska felt the vehicle lift off the ground, then move forward smoothly. It came to a stop adjacent to the lead vehicle, which was twice the height of their own.

  The driver adjusted their height until they were level with the window of the other vehicle, which was rolled down.

  “You remember where I told you to go?!” Raska shouted, sticking his head out the window.

  “Araku Base,” the soldier in the other vehicle replied.

  “Alright, time to roll out!” Raska said. His vehicle sped up, reaching a speed of forty miles per hour in just three seconds.

  The line of vehicles behind them began to move too, exiting the shelter of the base one by one. This sudden exodus would not go unnoticed for long, however.

  ***

  “Not a single one,” Andun said, scanning the street. “Earlier the town was swarmin’ with ‘em, but now there’s not a soldier ta be seen.”

  “You’re right,” Zan said. He and the others were standing just outside the bookstore, but the only people in sight were occasional pedestrians. In the st few hours the sky had become hidden above a yer of gray cloud cover, but this didn’t expin the ck of soldiers.

  “Somethings off,” Zan said after a moment. “They should be searching for us everywhere. I’ll go see what’s going on. Watch the other two.”

  “Take this with ya,” Andun said, handing him an earpiece.

  “If I’m not back by the time I get the signal from Landen, I’ll tell you where to meet up,” Zan said, taking it.

  “Wait, Zan,” Rey said as he started walking away.

  ***

  “This could be a problem,” the bounty hunter said to himself. Perched on top of the tallest tower in town, he watched the convoy of military vehicles retreat into the distance before returning to his constant scan of the town below him.

  “They haven't left the spaceport though.”

  He continued scanning the streets below him, watching for any sign of his prey. His helmet was wired directly into his brain, so it received neural signals that allowed it to zoom in on scenes and show them in great detail, even when they were far away.

  Suddenly he saw a figure running in the direction of the military headquarters in the center of town. The light gray hair and missing arm were unmistakable.

  “Heh heh, well, I might get out of here today after all,” he said, standing up and sliding down the rooftop.

  ***

  Around the corner of a building, a young woman watched Zan run out of view. She cautiously started walking in the direction he had come from.

  “I just have to do it, or I won’t be able to think about anything else,” she said under her breath, unzipping her purse. She gnced inside for the dozenth time that hour, checking that her knife was still there.

  ***

  Elsewhere, another young woman dressed only in a gray cloak stood watching the intersection in front of her. She touched the metal colr around her neck out of habit. Her eyes stared bnkly forward, only searching for the targets she’d been given this time.

  Suddenly, she received a message through her neural communication device, telling her that one target had been spotted. She was to trace its route back and see if she could find the other one.

  She sighed, and began to walk towards the pce her master had specified.

  ***

  Vice Commander Erra sat at a desk in the spaceport’s main office, looking over the orders he’d been given once again in frustration. The situation wasn’t ideal, but he was doing all he could to still the confusion.

  All his small force had to do was guard the spaceport until the orders to evacuate were given, but he had no idea how long that would take. He didn’t even have a clear idea what was going on.

  All he hoped was that they hadn’t been abandoned as sacrificial pawns, though he knew the Empire wouldn’t hesitate to do something like that.

  “Somebody get me a coffee,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

  ***

  “Can you still get them out?” Landen asked from under the table. He was on all fours, but this was the best hiding spot where he could speak with the pilot.

  “I’ll have to see about that, but if I can I’ll try my best. But I can’t make any guarantees; the situation could get worse at any time now,” The pilot responded, pretending to look over a schedule on the table above. “They haven't discovered my involvement, but they’re on the lookout for you. Just you being here is risky enough.”

  “I know,” Landen said. “What about Yande and Deru?”

  “If we’re going, they’ll be the first ones on the ship,” the pilot reassured Landen.

  “Thanks.”

  “Landen, you’re a good man, but you should help yourself before others a little more.”

  “Those kids are more important to me than myself, so I’ll do all I can for them. These outsiders have given me a chance to get them out of here, and now that I can’t protect them anymore it’s all or nothing. If, at the end of that I can save myself, then I will.”

  “I’ll try to secure a spot for you as well, so take care of yourself ‘till it’s ready. Now get out of here before you’re found.”

  ***

  The boy named Deru stroked the cheek of the girl named Yande. Both wore the dark gray uniforms of spaceport maintenance.

  “We’ll be going to a new world soon,” Deru said, taking Yande’s hand. She intertwined her fingers with his, smiling.

  “As long as we have each other, it’ll be alright,” she replied.

  Deru nodded, and they waited, looking into each other’s eyes.

  ***

  And so all the key pyers have been introduced, though not a single one of them could foresee the exact direction that this tale would take.