“I guess we know what we’re doing tomorrow,” Hunter says dryly.
“How many men are here?” I ask.
“As it stands, there are more of you than them. Three stragglers haven’t been arrested from the protests and three men from Earth. You all have a twenty-man security detail,” Raven says.
“Sure, we have more of us, but how will we transport them all back?” Hunter asks pointedly.
“We’ll send transport,” Raven chimes in. “Once you have them in custody, let us know, and one of our high-speed hovercraft can be there within a few hours.”
I meet Hunter’s eyes, and we nod in unison. “Okay, we have a plan,” I say. “We’ll update you tomorrow.”
Later, as I try to fall asleep and get the rest I know my body needs, my mind spins to Romi. Hunter and my other friends have told me once you experience the infinity pulse, you can feel the connection when you’re away, even from a distance. I had honestly doubted this until I met Romi. Even then, I wondered how I would feel all the way on the other side of our planet.
My doubts are kicked away now. There is no doubt I feel that connection. The pull is not as powerful as it is when I’m close to her, but its ever-present force pulses. I miss Romi. So very much.
Although I’m restless, I manage to fall asleep. I convince myself it’s because Romi somehow knows I need the rest and soothes me through our connection.
The following day, the first part of our morning goes smoothly. We make our way to the rebel’s outpost before they’re awake. We surround them with our horses and arrest them. The men from Earth are none too pleased.
“We are guests of your planet!” a man named Allen declares.
“You are,” I agree. “But as a guest of our planet and an emissary from Earth, you must respect our laws. These men are rebels, all of them under investigation for trying to interfere with our democratic processes and overthrow our royal family.”
One of the men from Earth sneers. “You look down on us, yet all of the goodness you have here came from what was first on Earth.”
“Our planet has a wealth of resources, none of which Earth gave us. Earthwasonce a leader in technology, and we have adopted some of those methods. Your people destroyed your own environment and much of what you had because you didn’t appreciate it. We have learned from your mistakes and improved upon anything we learned from your people. We love our planet. All of the beings who reside here honor our planet and our people. On Earth, you hate half of your population, and you treat your women like indentured servants.”
Another man from Earth rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you worship women here. We can take our women back,” he says.
“You cannot,” Hunter says.
“What little supplies you humans have on Earth are gifted to you from our planet and others,” I add. “You can travel freely amongst the galaxy. If you choose to interfere with the free choice of anyone in our galaxy, not just your planet, you will lose all support from us and our allies.”
The man who appears to be the leader of this little ragtag group from Earth blanches. For they know that without the supplies from other planets, they will not survive. As it is, they’re barely surviving, from what we can tell. They don’t distribute their supplies evenly, which worsens the unrest among the people there.
One of the rebels finally speaks, “There may be more of them than us, but they can’t transport us.”
Our hovercraft appears on the horizon as if on cue, landing a short distance away on a flat grassy area. There’s grumbling and muttering before we begin to load everyone up.
Just as it’s about all over, one of the men from Earth makes a run for it, and I take chase. Unfortunately for him, he stumbles off the edge of a cliff.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I mutter to myself.
Chapter Fourteen
THORNE
As much as I want to leave him to the slow death he assuredly deserves, we treat everyone with decency here. When I hear the sound of his cry, I know he is alive, so I must get him help.
I return to the group, reporting to Hunter, “I will go rescue him, but I don’t want to delay the departure.”
“I can stay back with you,” Hunter offers.
Hunter waits with me, along with Raven, who arrived with the hovercraft. In addition to his duties for the royal security team, he is a healer.
“Perfect. If this guy has any injuries, you can help,” I say.
The others leave, the hovercraft departing with the prisoners first, followed by the rest of our security group leaving on their mounts. Hunter, Raven, and I make our way back to the ledge where the man fell.
