"So we have to choose who to save and who will pay the price."
The words sat heavily between us.
I thought about the people we wouldn't reach. The ones who would wake up tomorrow still trapped, still waiting for rescue that wouldn't come. They'd hear about the Western Continent camp being freed. They'd know someone had been close enough to help, just not close enough for them.
My throat tightened.
"Revolutions require hard choices." Torvyn's voice was steady, but I felt the weight he was handing me through the tether. Solidarity. He'd carried this burden before. Now he was sharing it. "Who do you want to save?"
I turned to Vaelix. "Which camp has the most detainees?"
"The camp on the western continent."
I took a breath. Held it. Let it out slowly.
"Then we go to Sigma-9 and save as many people as we can."
Love and support surged through the tether. I closed my eyes and sent a wave of thanks and love back to them, feeling the bond settle around me like armor I hadn't known I needed.
"Open a ship-wide communications channel, please," Torvyn said.
Kaedren pressed a button, then nodded to him.
"Crew of the Starbreaker." Torvyn's voice carried through every corridor, every bay, every quiet corner of the ship. "You have, by now, seen the corporate announcement. We are all wanted beings, and the corporations will stop at nothing to bring us in. Understand what this means. We are in danger. We are not safe. We are being hunted. If anyone aboard wishes to leave this crew, we'll provide passage to a secure port and three months' salary. There is no dishonor in that choice."
He paused, and I felt the weight of what he'd just offered. This was the Starbreaker’s new doctrine: no one would fight who hadn't chosen to. No one would risk their life without understanding exactly why they were risking it. It was the opposite of everything the corporations stood for.
"For those who choose to stay, please understand that I cannot guarantee your safety. But I can guarantee you'll make a difference. Our new mission, planned exclusively by Doctor Vale, will be freeing intimate service colonies."
He nodded to me. I smiled, though my heart was hammering.
He'd just made me visible to the entire crew. Not as a medic. Not as a consultant. Not as someone who offered suggestions from the sidelines.
As a leader. As the architect of our resistance.
"We will protect those who cannot protect themselves. We are the light to the corporations' darkness. We will free those who have shackles they do not wish to wear. We are the Starbreaker. We are emissaries of the Zorathi Reach. We are protectors of the innocent." His words rang with pride. "I am implementing a yellow alert across the ship. Proceed to general stations and prepare to receive wounded and those in need of treatment. All hands stand by for engagement. We'll be leaving slipspace in three hours. Check in with your supervisors for your assignments. Fortune Favors the Bold, and you are all bold."
He signaled for Kaedren to cut the transmission.
He turned to the Knights. "You know what to do. Let's get moving."
I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed. "Thank you," I whispered.
He squeezed back.
When I pulled away, the Knights were already moving; Vaelix to his console, Kaedren to weapons systems, Lyrin toward the medical prep stations. The Starbreaker was transitioning from planning to action, crew voices rising in controlled urgency as yellow alert stations came online throughout the ship. I could feel the shift in the air itself, the way a ship changed when it moved from rest to readiness.
I needed to do the same.
I touched Torvyn's arm once more, then turned toward the exit.
I exited the bridge and headed to Shuttle Bay One.
I was wielding the wrench again.
And Voss had no idea what was about to hit him.
Chapter 4
