"Again, nothing that cannot be handled." The guard walked to a display. "The replays are visible now."
Khalzin walked to a table in the center of the main room and brought up the holographic images of the platform. He watched everything that played out when he selected Janae.
She came over next to him and stood there, watching as well. It was mesmerizing, watching the process of how she was chosen. The other female walked off, the escorting of Janae to the far side, where the others stood waiting.
The first explosion damaged the repulsors under the platform.
He stared at the holograms and watched the destruction over and over. It kept replaying for him to see.
"To think, that was just the beginning," Janae said.
He glanced at her. "But there will be an ending. I vow this."
"There will be, but it may not be the ending you're looking for," she replied.
He and the guards stared at her.
"What do you know?" one of the guards asked.
"Nothing."
"Janae, are you aware of something?" Khalzin asked. He carefully turned so he could look at her face. She continued to stare at the holographic images, seemingly unaffected by his watching her. Her expression had become stone, and she stared with such a strange look of detachment.
"Just an observation,” she finally said.
Where was she going with this? "Which is?"
"Surely you see it too." This time, she did glance at him, her dark eyes and her brow furrowed. She looked at him in that way he had seen his mother look at his father--like his father was an utter idiot.
His mother would be impressed.
"See what?" Khalzin asked.
She sighed. "The easiest way to solve this is to figure out who wants to get the Galactic Alliance people away. We’re not wanted here. So, to solve it, we leave."
"And sacrifice the strides we made in this program?" He asked. "You have no idea what we have gone through to get to this point of having you here."
"Exactly," she said, crossing her arms. "We're the first ones. I am the first one. And I doubt you'll have any more, because who would want to participate now? Our ship got destroyed. We should get out of here before something worse happens. And if it saves lives, I'm fine with leaving."
He shook his head. The passionate feelings he so quickly developed kicked into an angry tirade. It took everything he had not to yell at her like an angry beast.
"You cannot. You are not allowed to leave."
This made her posture change, and she looked at him like he was crazy. "Excuse me?"
"We are in Courtship. It is a binding contract. You cannot leave."
"You'd be surprised what I can do when I have to," she said. She started to walk around the room like she would get out of there, whether he wanted her to leave or not.
And, of course, he didn't. "Janae."
"Will you stop it?" She said, glaring back at him.
"Stop what?"
"Saying my name like that."
"Like what."
