Page 6 of Honor Bound

“I am Roanna,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “Come, Julia Marksdale. We will talk after you have refreshed yourself.”

Julia hesitated, her legs unsteady, her mind still racing with questions. But, as she glanced back at the vibrant, otherworldly faces surrounding her, she realized one truth: she had crossed a threshold into the unknown, and whatever awaited her, there was no turning back.

* * *

Julia’s legs wobbled beneath her as she walked through the parted crowd, her steps unsteady and tentative. Every movement felt amplified, her body hyperaware of the sea of curious eyes watching her. Heat crept up her cheeks, the flush of discomfort blooming like fire under her skin. She wasn’t used to this level of attention—an entire crowd studying her as if she were some rare artifact suddenly unearthed.

The air felt heavier, or maybe it was just the weight of their gazes pressing down on her. She resisted the urge to fold her arms across her chest, forcing herself to keep her chin high, though her pulse thundered in her ears.

“They will soon disperse,” Roanna said softly, her voice steady and calm. “They are… curious.”

“I guess they don’t see aliens in their world every day,” Julia replied, her attempt at humor coming out thin and strained.

Roanna chuckled, the sound low and melodic. “Not every day, but frequently. There are a number of traders who visit our planet.”

Julia stopped abruptly, her head snapping toward Roanna. The woman halted with her, a serene smile playing on her lips. Julia looked upward, her eyes tracking the swirling currents of air that carried the floating islands in their slow, hypnotic drift. The sky above was a luminous tapestry of pale blue interspersed with streaks of amber, the faint outlines of distant islands casting long shadows with delicate inky strokes.

“You have intergalactic travel,” Julia breathed, the words slipping out in a reverent whisper. Her chest tightened with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “There are other planets with life in your star system?”

Roanna tilted her head, her expression unchanging, though Julia could sense that her unspoken questions were being weighed. “Yes,” she replied simply.

The word struck Julia like a lightning bolt, her thoughts scattering in all directions. She began walking again, more to ground herself than to keep pace with Roanna. Her mind buzzed with implications, her scientist’s curiosity grappling with the enormity of the truth she’d just learned.

Planets. Plural. More than this one. Her thoughts raced. If there’s life here, how many others could there be? How advanced are they? Could this system hold the key to understanding what humans have only dreamed of for centuries?

Then another, more urgent question surfaced, cutting through her spiraling wonder. If the others from the Gliese aren’t here, could they have landed on another planet in this system? Could they still be alive?

She turned abruptly, her hand reaching out to touch Roanna’s arm. The other woman stopped without hesitation, her expressive face steady and patient as she waited for Julia to speak.

Julia swallowed hard, her throat constricting as she tried to find the words. The weight of what she wanted to ask—and what the answer might be—pressed down on her like a physical force. She was terrified of the answer, but she had to know.

“Did you find anyone else from my ship?” Julia’s voice was quiet, almost pleading.

Roanna’s expression softened, though her calm demeanor didn’t falter. She shook her head, and the simple motion made Julia’s stomach drop. “No, they are not here,” Roanna replied. “Except now… word has spread of the return of the ancient knights of the Gallant.”

“Ancient—” Julia began, but her voice broke. She shook her head, her hand rising to press against her chest as if to steady the storm of emotions threatening to consume her. “How many? Do you know how many are supposed to have returned?”

“You would be the fourth,” Roanna said, her tone unwavering.

Julia’s knees threatened to buckle beneath her. Four. The number settled over her, a flicker of warmth emerging in the cold uncertainty.I’m not alone. Somewhere on this planet, in this system—the others are out there. But… who?

“Which ones?” she managed to ask, her voice trembling.

Roanna shook her head again, her expression unreadable. “That I do not know. Come, Julia Marksdale. We will talk after you have refreshed yourself and eaten.”

Nodding numbly, Julia fell into step beside Roanna, her mind a whirlwind of questions and half-formed thoughts.Four. I’m not alone. But who else made it?The possibilities raced through her mind, each one bringing a fresh wave of dread and hope.Ash? Josh? Mei? …Sergi? And where are they? Are they safe?

She glanced at Roanna, noting the woman’s calm but deliberate movements.What isn’t she telling me?And then there was the word that wouldn’t leave her mind, the one Roanna had so casually used: ancients. Why did they insist on calling her that?

Julia slid her hand from her chest to her temple, pressing her fingers against the growing ache behind her eyes. The magnitude of everything—the alien world, the implications of intergalactic travel, the possibility of her crewmates surviving—threatened to overwhelm her.

She looked up as another floating island drifted into view, its base framed by cascading waterfalls that shimmered in the amber-tinged light. A flock of small, bird-like creatures darted through the mist, their wings catching the sunlight and scattering it in bursts of iridescent color. It was breathtaking, surreal, and utterly unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Yet her awe couldn’t fully eclipse the worry gnawing at her.If the others are alive, can we find each other? And if this world has intergalactic travel… could it hold the key to getting us home?

The thought filled her with a faint, fragile hope. It was slim, but it was something to hold on to.

* * *

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