I help him to the bedroom, then step into the shower. It’s too short, but I don’t feel like hacking into the system to remove the timer. I scrub my fur clean and lick the wounds I can reach.
Later, I crash on the couch and send Kiran an update—only to find a message waiting from him.
Hey, you two.
Still no word from Esteban. If he’s not with you, something’s wrong. Meg and I had a few “courtesy visits” but nothing serious. Just a nice little family doing chores with a loud kid. I doubt they’ll check on us again.
Furball, if I understand your tone, you and my twelve-year-old sister have gotten cozy. If she’s okay with it, fine. But hurt her, and I don’t care how tall, strong, or noble you are—I’ll come for you.
Neela, Meg sends kisses. Take care, both of you. Keep me posted.
—Kiran
I chuckle. His threats are adorable. Whatever our usual bickering, I like this proud, honest Human who fiercely protects his own.
I reply:
Hey Human,
Bad news. Whatever’s happening in Cydonia has spread. Two Human traitors ambushed us. They left me for dead and took your sister. My advice? Keep pretending to be harmless. Neela would want you to protect your family. Don’t trust anyone.
I’ll find her. You have my word. A bonded Sadjim never abandons his mate. Never.
—Prax
P.S. Can you please stop calling her twelve? It makes me sound like a creepy old man. She’s twenty-five in Polarian years—twenty-four in Earth time. I insist.
I send the message and crash for a few hours before daybreak.
***
After a few measly hours of sleep, I get myself ready.
Poking around the kitchen, I stumble upon a disturbing discovery. Hidden in a drawer, I find a transmitter—Coalition tech. Which means Bully made sure to equip his new allies with modern comms gear usually reserved for smugglers. Considering the CCC signals from Cydonia don’t even reach this far into the Arabia Terra plains, it’s obvious this little device allowed Vassili Porkoff to warn at least Constantin and Anatoli about our arrival.
Who else they’re working with in this zone of Mars is still a mystery. But my instincts tell me the conspiracy runs deep—very deep—likely all the way up to the top of their organization. In other words, this Do-yun guy is almost certainly involved. That’s where I’ll find Neela.
Before heading out, I make a detour to the bedroom to check on the old man. He stirs the moment I activate the door.
“Heading out already? Give me two minutes to get up and share some tea with you. There’s something I’d like to say before you go.”
“Of course, Hans,” I reply, though all I really want is to get moving and find my mate.
Three minutes later, we’re leaning against the kitchen counter, steaming mugs in hand. Hans, hair wild and beard unkempt, studies me with quiet intensity.
“I think I’ve recovered enough to make it back to my place. You think that’s safe?”
“Honestly? No idea what these guys are really up to. Sure, they didn’t kill you—but they still left you unconscious out in the cold for hours. If I hadn’t found you and warmed you up... Do you have a friend who could take you in quietly for a while? Someone you trust?”
He nods slowly, his hand running through his graying hair.
“You saw what they did. You saw them try to kill me. You saw them attack Neela. That makes you a witness. Same as Neela. Same as Esteban.”
He exhales sharply, looking more alert than he did last night. That bit of rest clearly did him some good.
“From where I’m sitting,” he says, “it’s like our leaders have been covering their tracks for months—and now they’re shifting into open action mode. Like they want to overthrow the system... but they’re still disorganized, not sure whether to hide their crimes or just start owning them.”
“You’re not wrong. They’re getting bolder—more willing to eliminate anyone who threatens them. My guess is, they’re trying to lock down their new power structure. Which means it’s not safe for you to go back home.”
