“None. We have small gatherings to talk face-to-face, but on open airwaves, we’re careful. Even if we’re still a little naive about Vassili Porkoff, most of us have been wary of him and his inner circle for months now.”
“Smart,” I say, convinced there’s shady business going on around here. If Bully’s involved, nothing’s off-limits.
“This Bully… the reptile guy—is he the one who shot you?” she asks.
“Yeah, the bastard dropped his cloaking just to let me see who was trying to kill me.”
“You seem to know him pretty well. How come?”
Shit. That’s the kind of question I really didn’t want to answer. How do I tell this innocent young woman I used to work with the Coalition? That Bully was my associate? But cowardice isn’t in my nature, so I take the plunge.
“We were partners for a while. We split ways when he dragged me to a slave auction. I objected—but too late. We were already at a Coalition outpost. I tried to buy the young Human myself to set her free.”
“Ileana,” she whispers.
“How do you know that name?” I snap, a little too sharply.
“You said it… several times when you were sick. She must’ve meant a lot to you.”
My mind drifts back to her soft gray eyes. The girl who changed everything. I see her again in that almost-transparent tunic, standing on the auction block, lit up by the spotlights. I remember our conversations. I can’t deny she had a strange effect on me. After years of surviving through side hustles—trading metals and tech—she made me realize nothing is ever just business. Even though I was already against trafficking inlives, I still lived by stripping the weak. Like any good Sadjim raised in a smuggler’s family.
“What happened?” Neela asks gently.
“I couldn’t afford to buy her. Lost the auction. But just trying was enough to end things with Bully. I offered him my ship in exchange for her freedom. If I’d won, we both would’ve been stuck on that base, shipless. He never forgave me. Called it betrayal. He’s been chasing me for two Polarian years to get back at me. And now, well, he finally shot down my ship.”
“And Ileana? Do you know what became of her?” she asks softly.
“Her lover—Pherebos, I think—managed to buy her. From what I’ve heard, they’re happy. Both of them joined the Intergalactic Confederation.”
I watch Neela’s face throughout this whole conversation. Disgust at my past with Bully. A tinge of jealousy and pity when I talk about Ileana. Then worry. And finally, relief when she learns Ileana’s safe and happy. That last part intrigues me.
“So you were in the Coalition…” she says, half-question, half-accusation.
I let out a long sigh. How do I explain this to someone so untouched by the filth that permeates most civilizations?
“Before you judge, let me give you some context. I was born on Sadjim, in system SS-0666. Dark sand plains, barely any vegetation, almost no prey. But the soil’s rich with minerals other species want. From as far back as I can remember, we traded with neighbors. On Sadjim, strength rules. That’s how I was raised. Taking a mineral from someone weaker and trading it for food wasn’t shameful. Joining a Coalition ship to oversee trades in person? That seemed normal. When Bully and I stripped other planets of resources, I didn’t think about consequences. We left them some. That made it fine, right?
“Then we found Ileana.”
Neela stares, horrified and fascinated. But she says nothing. Just waits.
“Bully said he’d sell her on Vagantu’s slave market. I opposed him… weakly, I admit. We were already in too deep. So I figured—if I bought her, I could save her and the Coalition would still profit.”
“But you pissed off Bully.”
“Exactly. But I don’t regret it. That moment showed me our paths had diverged. And my talks with Ileana made me realize: no kind of trafficking is okay. Taking from others, no matter the scale, isn’t honorable.”
She nods thoughtfully. Her gaze has softened. Can she forgive my past?
“And then?” she presses.
“She left with Pherebos. And I got an offer to join the Confederation. It felt like a chance to start over. To align my life with my values. Maybe even redeem myself. Now, I investigate and report intergalactic trafficking. My job is to shut these networks down.”
Her face lights up, and a smile spreads across her lips.
“Well, looks like the universe knows what it’s doing. Seems like you just stumbled on one.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I reply, flashing her a hungry grin.
