The weight of that number hit me. How many lives had been trapped in those cages? How many were heading toward freedom right now?
"How many did we lose?" The words felt like broken glass in my throat.
Lyrin's jaw tightened. "Five of ours. A few of theirs didn't make it."
Eight lives. Maybe more. Eight people who'd woken up this morning with no idea it would be their last day. I closed my eyes, andtheir faces swam in the darkness; the green-skinned soldier bleeding out in my hands, his purple blood warm on my fingers. The women who'd died in those cages before I could reach them.
But hundreds of others were breathing. Hundreds of women who'd been property an hour ago were strapped into these seats, heading toward freedom.
Was it worth it?
Through the Tether, I felt Lyrin's certainty: warm, absolute.
Yes.
I wasn't sure I believed him yet.
I only knew I wanted him to be right.
The shuttle engines roared to life, and we lifted toward the stars.
Chapter 6
I opened my eyes as a vibration shuddered through my body. I looked out the front viewport and saw the walls of the Starbreaker's shuttle bay. My ears buzzed with the sound of chatter between the shuttle crew and the medical bay. Triage reports, status updates, and intelligence alerts circulated among the crew. Even though there had been casualties and unexpected challenges with the women who were rescued, the Starbreaker was operating like a well-oiled machine.
Torvyn patted my shoulder as he rushed by, shouting muffled orders. The shuttle lights flickered, then went dark. I tried to breathe, but it felt like a mountain had been placed on top of my neck. I clawed at my helmet release, but my gloved fingers couldn't get hold of the clasp. My body thrashed against my crash couch's harness as my mouth opened and shut, a scream trapped in my throat.
Suddenly, Lyrin's face materialized in front of me. He grabbed my arms and held them down, then his helmet's faceplate pressed gently against mine. A wave of calmness blanketed me, pushed across the Tether from Lyrin. Kaedren, Vaelix, and Torvyn added to it, and my heartbeat slowed. The mountain crumbled, and I took a deep, ragged breath.
Lyrin reached up, unlocked my helmet, and slowly pulled it from my suit. Tears streamed down my cheeks as sobs wracked my body. He pulled his gloves off and pressed his hands against my face, leaning forward until our foreheads touched. The warmth of his body washed over me, calming my sobs. I took another deep breath and looked up at him, my eyes filled with shame. I tried to hold it back from the Tether, but I couldn't.
He shook his head, then pulled my face to his and kissed me. I let out a soft moan as its deepness reached into me, bracketed by loving support from the other Knights. Lyrin pulled back, but kept one handon me. He cupped my chin, then dotted my nose with a kiss and gave me a knowing smile.
"Take as much time as you need."
His words echoed in my ear, the Tether amplifying the understanding the words were bathed in. I nodded and mouthed a thank you, but didn't move. He walked down the shuttle's short hallway and disembarked. He didn't have to tell me he was heading to the medical bay; I already knew. I also knew that's exactly where I needed to be.
I just needed one more minute to get my game face back on. I couldn't understand how the Knights did this without any emotional attachment. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to interrupt them. They were already so busy executing my plan that it wouldn't be fair to make them babysit me in the process. They had done enough. It was my turn to step up.
Get your shit together. NOW.
I unbuckled my harness and stood. We had a plan, and I needed to stick to it. Lyrin was waiting for me, and those women didn't have time for my inability to deal with stressful situations.
I hustled out of the shuttle. The Starbreaker was busier than I'd ever seen it. I dodged armed guards and repair crews as I sprinted to the medical bay.
The doors whooshed open, and I stopped dead in my tracks. The smell hit me first, an antiseptic undertone trying to cover the tangy iron of spilt blood. The heat of too many bodies packed into a space designed for half as many pressed against my skin. Women were screaming, babies were crying, and nurses were shouting orders at patients and orderlies. I ran to the center of the bay, to the incident command center, and found the head nurse.
"Where do you need me?" I asked.
She handed me an earpiece. "Find somebody and fix them up."
I slipped it on, and Torvyn's voice filled my ear. "Do we have any intelligence on the second camp?"
"The last update I have is that corporate forces surrounded it. We are now out of sensor range," Vaelix said.
"Have we confirmed the final casualty count?" Torvyn asked.
"Six members of Kaedren's team were lost on the ground. Three more succumbed to their injuries during surgery. Four women died during the rescue, not from us. We believe they died of pre-existing medical issues. Ten more succumbed to injuries on board. Again, we believe those injuries were pre-existing conditions that we could do nothing about."
