I shook my head bitterly. “Don’t try to reassure me. I don’t deserve it.”
Paz didn’t remove his hand. “Just keep talking,” he urged gently.
The way he spoke was disarming. One of his many unexplainable powers. After a few seconds, I relaxed under his touch—as much as Icouldrelax at the moment.
“Good. Now take a deep breath,” Paz coached.
I shut my eyes and my mouth, and I listened to him. Against all odds, I felt slightly better. When a couple beats passed, I found the strength to continue.
I croaked out, “A long time ago, I burned down my village.”
Paz reeled like he’d been buffeted by a gust of wind. “Slow down, Kur’tok. Let’s unpack this.”
“What is there to unpack?” I snapped. “I did it! That’s it!”
Paz was undeterred. The relentless little flesh-bag searched my gaze imploringly, his soft palm still pressed to my arm.
“Why did you do it?” he asked. I didn’t know how he managed it, but there wasn’t an ounce of judgment in his voice.
“Who cares?” I muttered.
“I do.” Paz’s eyes flashed with determination. “People don’t do things for no reason. Were you hurting, Kur’tok?”
Something twisted in my chest.
“No,” I said quietly. “There was... somebody.”
“A Maeleon?” Paz asked, surprised.
“No.” Old memories stirred like thick sludge in my mind. “He was from elsewhere. There were two of them—Unit 44 and Assistant 23—but Unit 44 had the bigger personality. He was like... my mentor.”
Paz listened intently, but he furrowed his brow. “Unit 44? That’s a strange name. What species was he? What planet was he from?”
“I don’t know,” I grumbled. Frustration welled inside me that I couldn’t answer Paz’s questions.
“What did they look like?” Paz pressed.
I gnashed my teeth as I recalled the two beings. Unit 44 stuck out in my mind like a brand—burnt into my brain, unwilling to be forgotten.
“He was large. Bipedal, like us. Not as tall as I am now, but bigger than you, wider and stronger. His flesh was a strangetexture—soft, but not like yours. A bit too smooth to the touch. It felt unnatural.”
Paz mulled this over. “What about his face?”
“It was a dark screen.”
“What?” Paz asked. “Was he... a machine?”
I sighed in frustration. “I told you, I don’t know. I would tell you everything if I did.”
Paz nodded sympathetically, but his face remained edged with confusion. “That’s okay. Sorry, Kur’tok. I know this must be rough.”
Recalling his image, I said, “They looked similar, but Unit 44 had a birthmark on his chest like this.”
I dragged my claw into a sandy patch of soil and drew the mark. Even after all these years, I never forgot it. It was permanently imprinted on my mind.
Paz stared at the symbol thoughtfully for a few seconds. “I recognize this symbol,” he said in a low voice.
I whipped towards him. “You know it?”
