Not even in the system. She wasn’t even a candidate now. Just a problem to be solved… a file to be closed one way or another.
Kirr rose to his feet.
The movement drew every eye in the room. Seven feet of latharian War-Commander filled the space in a way that made the officials behind their elevated table seem suddenly less imposing.
"The panel's deliberation and the assigned period are noted." His voice carried the quiet authority she'd heard him use during the crisis. "However, I wish to make a formal declaration for the record."
Kaarigan's eyes narrowed. "War-Commander?"
"Harper Sawyer and Delilah Sawyer are under the protection of the M'Aab clan." The words fell like stones into still water. "I claim responsibility for both women as members of my house. Regardless of the Program's matching decisions, they are and will remain under my clan's care."
The room went silent.
She stared up at him, her heart thudding against her ribs. What was he doing?
One of the officials shifted in his seat. "A clan claim. Under imperial law..."
"Under imperial law, the M'Aab clan assumes responsibility for both females' welfare and conduct," Kirr finished. “My clan guarantees their behavior while on this station. Any action against them is an action against the M'Aab."
Kaarigan's jaw tightened. For a long moment, he and Kirr stared at each other across the room. Two powers sizing each other up. The tension crackled between them.
"The claim is acknowledged," Kaarigan said. "And logged. It does not, however, supersede the Program's jurisdiction over matching and eligibility determinations."
"I'm not superseding anything." Kirr's tone was pleasant. His eyes were not. "I'm making sure you understand what happens if you try to send her or her cousin back to Earth."
Another long silence.
"The panel will deliberate," Kaarigan repeated. "Ms. Sawyer. War-Commander M'Aab. You may go."
Dismissed. Like children sent away while the adults decided their fate.
Kirr's palm settled at her lower back again as she stood up on unsteady legs. He guided her toward the doors, his body a wall between her and the officials.
The doors slid shut behind them.
She made it three steps down the corridor before the shaking started.
"That's it?" Her voice came out thin and brittle. "They just—we're just supposed to wait while they decide whether to throw me out?"
"Harper…”
"I kept people alive.” The words scraped her throat raw. "And they're sitting up there weighing it against paperwork. Against a crashed flyer and a missed pickup." She pressed her palm against the corridor wall, needing something solid. "They called Delilah 'the other one.' Like she's not even a person. Like she's just a… a line item!”
Kirr turned her to face him, his hands settling on her shoulders, heavy and warm.
"You're still here," he said. "Still under my protection. Still with me."
"For now." Her throat tightened. "But they could still?—"
"They could try." His thumbs traced small circles against her collarbone through the fabric of her shirt. "They would fail."
"You can't just?—"
His lips quirked. "I claimed you before witnesses. You and Delilah both. The M'Aab clan does not abandon its own."
She stared up at him.
"Why?" The word slipped out before she could catch it. "Why would you do that?"
