"Persico killed him. Beheaded him in front of us." The words came out flat, emotionless. "There's no coming back from that."
Another pause—longer this time.
"Persico," Nansar said slowly, carefully. "The Kerzak crime lord."
"Who's apparently an Asad intelligence operative." Ahrick said, his voice flat. "Did you know?"
"No." Nansar's tone was honest. Surprised. Maybe even impressed. "But that's what makes them so effective. Nobody ever knows. The best spies are the ones you never suspect."
"He gave us a warning," Ahrick said, his voice dropping in tone. "Told us to tell the Prime that Hewes wasn't her greatest enemy. That there are greater forces moving in the shadows."
"I'll pass that along immediately." Nansar's voice had gone serious. "An Alliance ship is already en route to your location. They'll be there within twelve hours to extract you both."
Relief flooded through me like ice water, shocking and immediate.
Twelve hours.
We just had to survive twelve more hours, and then we could leave this planet behind.
"Thank you," I said quietly, meaning it with every fiber of my being. "For everything. For believing me. For helping us."
"You did the work, Merrilee. You and Ahrick." A pause, weighted with meaning.
Nansar's tone shifted—became something warmer. More personal. His holographic eyes settled on Ahrick. "I hope you know it's time to leave Palaydium, my friend. You've paidenough for crimes that were never truly yours to bear. More than enough."
Ahrick's jaw tightened, muscles jumping beneath his skin.
"I know," he said quietly, the words seeming to cost him something.
"Do you?" Nansar pressed, his voice gentle but firm. "Because you've been punishing yourself for years. And I think it's time you stopped."
"I'm working on it." Ahrick's voice was strained, tight with emotion he was trying to control.
"Work faster." There was a smile in Nansar's voice now, warmth bleeding through the distance. "You've got a mate to take care of now."
Ahrick's eyes found mine, and something passed between us—understanding, maybe. Or recognition.
"Yes," he said, his voice soft but certain. "I do."
"Then get off that rock and start living again." Nansar's voice softened even further. "You deserve it, Ahrick. You deserve to be happy. You've earned it a thousand times over."
The connection cut out, leaving us in silence that felt heavy with possibility.
Ahrick set the comm unit aside carefully and turned to face me fully, his expression serious.
"Merrilee," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "I need to ask you something. Something important."
My heart kicked against my ribs, sudden and sharp.
"Okay."
"Are you sure?" He reached for my hand, his fingers threading through mine. "Are you sure you want to bind yourself to me? To an ex-prisoner? To someone who's spent the last ten years on a prison planet trying to atone for things he can neverfix? Someone with blood on his hands and nightmares that won't end?"
I squeezed his hand, feeling the calluses, the scars, the strength.
"More than anything," I said without hesitation.
"You don't understand what you're asking for." His voice was tight with something that might have been fear. "You don't understand what it means."
