They weren’t allowed to travel into Alliance territory without starting a war, but if one was already started, nothing would stop them. Still… if the others had anything to say, I did not hear them. The world went quiet as the possibility of a future I never expected unfurled in my mind.
“We could have… homes there?” I asked.
Somehow, through the ruckus, Kayleigh heard me. “You will, homes, healthcare, safety, all of it. There are seventeen planets in the Alliance, and any of them will be open to your relocation.”
A house. A real house. Not some metal box reeking of sweat and sewer, but a place that would be ours. Roys and I could have our own bedroom and fill up the space with whatever the fuck we wanted. More than clothes and essentials, we could have useless knickknacks. Oh, and a pet! I always wanted a cat or a dog or a bird; I didn’t care.
I never had a home. Just fucked up little boxes the universe shoved me in, each of them draining my life in one form or the other. But now, we could have a realhome. A place entirely our own.
“Your families are welcome too. They may not be able to immediately join you, but their relocation can be worked out. I understand this is alot to take in. We have time to consider our options, so let me know what you think.” Kayleigh bowed her head and departed.
“The Alliance,” Lilea whispered, awestruck. “Do you think we could really…?”
“Yes, absolutely yes,” Ryker replied from between Zavir and Maddy. He had the guts to lock arms with both of them and ignored Maddy’s glare. “I’ve been to Donova and, trust me, any shit we hear about The Alliance being a dump is wrong. They’re advanced. They give a shit, and Ambassador Layne will take care of you.”
“What about our families? She said we could work something out, but how do we know? And won’t the militia become suspicious if they all packed up and left for The Alliance?” Arana asked.
“Unlikely,” Zavir replied, while crossing a set of his arms. “Upon the death of a military member, our families will receive benefits, but a home isn’t one of them. They’re given compensation and kicked out of the military bases. After that, they’re only numbers on a spreadsheet. Besides, your girlfriends wouldn’t receive any of those benefits, Arana, so they would be better off joining you.”
Arana rubbed the back of her neck. “You’re not wrong.”
Maddy looked at me and saw what the others didn’t. “Why don’t we take this chat outside? Lucky needs to finish eating.”
The others realized I hadn’t touched my food. I wasn’t sure I could. The shock of it all left my stomach reeling. I could leave. For once, I could chart my own course without fear. There were opportunities, a chance to change my life forever, to have more of a life than survival…
“Ah, shit, sorry. We’ll be outside if you need us.” Arana squeezed my shoulder.
She and the others left, except Roys. He hadn’t moved, utterly frozen beside me, his hand having fallen limp at his side. Was he thinking as I was? Did he envision a future for us or…
“I can’t risk Malwin,” he said, panting. Sweat formed on his brow, and a shaking hand rested over his mouth to muffle his words. “There’s no guarantee our families will join us, and even if the Alliance agreed, they may not survive the journey. If Corporate gets even a whiff of this, we… it’s too risky.”
“But Ryker isn’t wrong about a war either.” I caught his hand, relieved that he interlocked our fingers. I didn’t always make the best decisions, but this time I knew—I just knew we had to do this. “We both know that military families are sought after. They go for the kids and hope they’ll take on the mantle after their parents. Malwin is young, but he won’t stay that way, and The Alliance, Roys, think about it.”
“I am.” He collapsed on the bedside. His shoulders rose and fell with his rapid breathing. “He would have a better life there, more than I could ever give him here. Dinah, too, would jump at the opportunity, but there’s no guarantee—”
“There never is,” I interjected. “Even with you working here, the militia can kick you whenever they like, especially after this shit, and use it as an excuse not to pay your family anything. They could send you off to the deadliest planets, waiting for one to clean up the mess for them, and then Malwin won’t have you to protect him.”
I hated saying that. Roys shook, and I used the little energy I had to press my shoulder against his back. His shivers echoed through me, and I kissed his neck. Nothing could calm him, but I wasn’t trying to scare him. This was merely our reality, but we could change that.
“Roys, this is the opportunity of a fucking lifetime. You said you wanted the coward back. Well, I’m here, so let’s run.Let’s get a house with a garden and a swing set and a cat that likes to nap in the windowsills. Can you imagine that? A home, a real one, where we can… I don’t know, learn to bake or some shit and Malwin can play in the backyard.”
Roys chuckled, and I could hear his concern, all his worries, the weight of this decision piercing him. I held firm to him and waited, listening to his labored breaths slowing until he said, “I want to get a house with you, Ethin, and a garden and build a swing set and have a cat or two and grow old together.”
“I don’t know. I may run off with a younger, hotter man by then,” I teased.
“Who's to say I wouldn’t run off first?”
“Try to and see what happens.”
“So you are the jealous type,” he teased with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Only if you give me a reason to be so,” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Will you run away with me, Roys?”
He turned to face me, settling a hand under my chin. “I would love to run away with you.”
He smiled, so did I, and we sealed our fate with a kiss.
MISSION COMPLETE
