“That’s exactly why I’m here,” I reply.
Her eyes narrow slightly, then she steps back without further comment.
We move deeper into the settlement.
“Your civilians look… functional,” I say after a moment.
Kael glances at me. “Define functional.”
“They aren’t caged. They aren’t… brutalized.”
His jaw tightens faintly. “League media prefers spectacle.”
“I’ve seen the footage.”
“Edited,” he says.
We pass a corridor marked with sharp angular symbols. Two armed guards stand at its entrance, posture rigid.
“What’s that sector?” I ask.
“Detainment.”
I stop walking again. “You have prisoners.”
“Yes.”
“Alliance?”
“Smugglers. Contract violators. Occasionally pirates.”
“You raid,” I say.
“Yes.”
“And capture.”
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
He studies me carefully.
“You are certain.”
“Yes.”
He signals to the guards, who step aside without question.
The detainment corridor is quieter. The lighting harsher. Cells line the walls—reinforced energy barriers humming faintly across the openings. Inside, several detainees sit on narrow benches. Not bound. Not beaten. Watched.
A human male looks up as we pass, eyes widening when he sees me.
“You’re League,” he says hoarsely.
“I was,” I reply.
He swallows. “They don’t torture.”
