Page 107 of Veiled Vixen

“Wrong again,” Serpint says. “I know how. ALCOR showed me the way when I was coming home from Cetus Station with Corla.”

“And you’re here.”

“But Asshole’s not here. We don’t know where he is. And he has to know about the back door. There’s just no way he doesn’t. So Valor is right. We’re not really safe here. They are coming. And we can’t be in the middle of a civil war when they arrive.” Serpint eyes Veila with suspicion. “I don’t trust her.” Then he eyes me. “And I’m not sure I trust you either, all things considered. For all I know, we’re surrendering so Veila can get access to the spin node, get Luck and Nyleena to take her to Earth, and leave us all behind to clean up her mess. Again.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Veila sneers.

“Why not?” Serpint grunts.

Veila sucks in a long, tired breath and when she lets it out, she says, “Because I no longer need to go to Earth.”

Everyone in the room, except for me and Veila, narrows their eyes in confusion.

“I’m no longer pregnant. There is nothing for me on Earth. In fact, I wish I had never even heard of that place.”

Crux looks at me. I nod. “It’s true. She… she lost the babies yesterday. That’s why I didn’t come back right away. She almost died. And there are no humans on her ship. It’s nothing but borgs and bots. She’s all alone, you guys. Just doing the best she can.” Then I look at Lyra, hoping that she, at least, will understand. “That’s how they turned her silver. They got her pregnant.”

“What?” Lyra says, looking at Veila.

“It’s true,” Veila admits. “They’ve been keeping me pregnant all this time. Ever since Corla went into that spin node twenty-one years ago.”

“But…”

“No,” Veila tells Lyra. “No. I don’t bring them to term. They all… end up the same way. And then I go back to pink, and the Akeelians start the process all over again to make me silver.”

“Shit,” Lyra says. “Fuck. I didn’t know, Veila. I’m… sorry. That sucks.”

Veila nods, but takes a deep breath and says, “I hate them as much as you do. I never asked for this life. Just like you guys. I was just a pawn. Just a means to an end. And I’m done. I don’t even care if I die here, or there, or wherever. It would be a relief to die. At least then it would be over. But if they come through that gate, if they find me here… they’ll just keep going. And trust me, if they figure out that Nyleena is here and Luck is her soulmate and that he has access to the flowers… well. Let’s just say what they did to me will pale in comparison to what they will do to her. They will get her pregnant and—”

“She’s already pregnant,” I whisper.

“Oh,” Veila says. Pauses. “Well, then if they come and find her she will never see the light of the sun again. She will be locked up and turned into… me. And those children will just be the next generation in their sick scheme.”

“Set up the platform,” Crux tells Baby. “We’re going to surrender. It’s the only thing we can do.”

“It’s done,” Baby says in a somber voice. “But we must hurry now. Flicka and Succubus are very close to succeeding.”

“We need to get Luck and Nyleena through that spin node,” I say. “At least they can be safe.”

“I agree,” Crux says.

“Me too,” Serpint adds. “If they’re the only ones who live through this then even if we lose… we win.”