The male soldier turned to the guard."Are you finished?"
"The Emperor is dead," another voice entered.
Zapier.
Behind him, he could hear Solkan growling.
The Terran was small.He'd always seemed small, even for a Terran, but he looked even more petite than he had before.
Like he'd lost something.
Zapier had always been the one in charge of everything, the one who gave the orders and made sure that the experiments were carried out appropriately.
Right now, the scientist didn't seem in charge of anything.
He looked defeated.
Marcin knew that face.
He'd seen it in his fellow Rhimodians' faces for the last few years.
Marcin whispered to a different guard nearby."What's going on, buddy?"
"You're all being taken off the ship.Returned to the Rhimodians," the guard said, his voice low.
"We are under a time restriction.Let us move, then."Zapier waved his hand."Take possession and return them to the required coordinates.This is the last ship."
Marcin blinked.
They were going back to the Rhimodians?Back home?
It seemed impossible to believe.He glanced back at Zapier.
Was this a new, twisted test he'd devised?One to squash any emotional response that may be left in the Rhimodians?
One of the soldiers stepped to Marcin, another to Kolvin.
The third, the female, stepped to Solkan.
Marcin's gaze went to the air lock, and to the ship.Was it real?Was that really a ship over there?
He didn’t want to think it was another trick, but he had held onto hope for a long time.He did believe his people wanted them back, but as time went by, and they remained, he had a hard time believing that it could ever happen.
No matter how much he made himself hope.
Commotion made him turn.
Solkan had thrown a prison guard to the ground.Marcin realized there had been a commotion regarding the female soldier.
The situation was handled as quickly as it started.
Rhimodians did not tolerate mistreatment of females--they had none, so it was understood that they required special care and protection.
The lead soldier with Marcin ordered them to start moving into the air lock.
Marcin ducked down, the air lock ceiling low.Though many ceilings for Terran and other humanoids were low for Rhimodians, but it was only for the passage through the air lock.Once he entered the other side, Marcin was able to stand.
He paused just inside the new ship and looked for deception.A sign this was another trick by Zapier, some new way for them to--
