I nod, reluctantly. I don’t want to, but I know I have to.
“SILMAR, can you call Akifumi for me?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“Outgoing call in progress,” the AI responds.
A few seconds later, a voice answers.
“Akifumi.”
“Hey, I’m Ileana. I’m on board the SIL.”
“I see. Where’s the owner?” he asks, his tone cautious.
“Pherebos is wounded,” I say, my voice cracking. “I’ll take care of him, but first I need to tell you—the traitor the Confederation’s been hunting, the one who calls himselfThe Unshakeable, was on Vagantu yesterday.”
“How can I be sure you are who you say you are? And that Pherebos is alive?”
“Gnuffgnuff!”Wingo says, sending me a mental nudge.“Tell him his coffee is the best on the dial!”
I shoot him a skeptical look but repeat the strange coded message anyway.
“Uh… Wingo says you make good coffee. Is that, like, a thing between you? Some kind of magic phrase?”
“Let’s just say it’s a thing between you and the coffee. How badly is Pherebos hurt?”
I glance back. Pherebos is still lying motionless on the floor.
“We were attacked by scavenger organisms in the water. I think he needs a regeneration chamber as soon as possible. I’m afraid the bugs’ gastric juices are still doing damage.”
“If you think it can’t wait until you return to MyFaS, I’ll send you coordinates. We’ve got theRenaissance—a medical ship for patients—and another vessel for prisoner transport.”
“All right. I don’t think waiting to return to MyFaS is an option. I’ll head to the medical ship. But… Akifumi…”
“Yes, young lady?”
“I’ve had… issues with the governor of Jaga-18. Is it… safe?”
“Ileana, you’re not at risk. You can go to the medical ship, I promise.”
Anyway, even if it weren’t safe, I’d still go. Pherebos needs urgent care. And if I have to fall back into Henri’s clutches to save his life… so be it.
“Ileana, we’ve had a wide net in place since the morning of the auction. We’ve intercepted a large number of people trying to leave Vagantu. I imagine you didn’t see many of them, but could you help identify the victims and those working for the Coalition? As you can guess, everyone’s claiming innocence and blaming coincidence for their presence at the market.”
“I’ll do it. But don’t waste time looking for Noviosk, the head of Vagantu. He was swallowed whole by a creature—right in front of us! It devoured him, vehicle and all!”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. He should’ve answered for his crimes. Then again… not a huge loss,” my contact mutters. “I’m needed elsewhere—I’m ending this call. We’ll meet in two days on the medical ship.”
I take a moment to glance at the front panel, now fully transparent. Vagantu, a dark green sphere, is teeming with activity. Ships are coming and going. How are we supposed to know who’s who? It’s overwhelming. But right now, I have more urgent things to deal with.
“SILMAR, set course for the nearest regeneration chamber!” I say.
“I’ve entered the coordinates sent by Akifumi. We’ve also received clearance to exit the zone. For high-speed space travel, I’m opacifying the entire ship.”
I don’t even answer. I’m already at Pherebos’s side—his skin is gray.
I check his vitals. It’s… really bad.
“Is it serious?”Wingo asks.“He’s not waking up!”
