Page 138 of Shadows of Stardust

“Annis. Just twelve when a recruiter picked them out of a juvenile detention facility. They still serve today at age twenty-five.”

One after another, I offer evidence of how long this has been going on, how many children have been manipulated with promises of glory, pretty tales about leaving their lives of misery behind.

Until there’s just one more picture left.

“Zandrel. Recruited in a foundling home at thirteen. Demoted from his rank in the Aux when he dared speak out to his commanding officer about the abhorrent practice of recruiting children into mercenary service.”

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but the impact of my own face filling the screen seems to jolt some of the Council back to life. Murmurs ripple along the crescent and in the gallery behind me.

I touch my wrist and the image fades. It leaves me alone before the Council, the focus of those thirteen stares once more.

Silence falls, and I hope it’s enough.

I hope all those stories meant something.

Finding them has taken the last two months, though I can’t take all the credit for myself.

Marva became the ally I desperately needed. She’s worked right alongside me behind the scenes, moving pieces around the board with the same deftness she used to manage her Mate Match crew, and rallying the support I’ll need to make this final play.

At least four Council members are already in her pocket. They’ve been briefed and convinced, and having at least a handful of friendly votes for what’s coming next might not be the certainty I’d like, but it’s something.

“I stand before the Council and ask for these abuses to end. Abuses which would certainly tarnish the Aux’s reputation were they to come to light in the wider sector.”

If I didn’t have the full attention of the Council before, I certainly have it now. Postures straighten, nervous glances pass between members of this mostesteemedbody, and the gallery behind me falls utterly silent.

“Brought to light by who?” Veren spits. “One disgraced Aux member spreading lies in the sector is hardly a concern for this Council.”

Our eyes meet, and for a moment, the years disappear.

I’m thirteen again, leaving the foundling home for a promise of glory.

I’m twenty, heaped with accolades and praise, rising through the ranks like all of it meant something.

I’m thirty-three, looking into the face of the male who I’d seen as a second father, realizing his complicity in ruining countless lives.

I’m here, now, on the precipice of doing something about it, ready to change the course I’ve been on since I was too young to understand what it all meant, taking that very first step.

I look away from Veren, turning to face Riddik directly. “In case you haven’t heard, I’m about to be the most famous face of the Aux.”

Another ripple of murmurs, and Riddik lets out a snort.

“We’ve heard. A reality vidcomm star, Zandrel? Really?”

I force myself to shrug, letting the insult slide off me.

If there’s one thing in my entire fatesforsaken life that I’ll never regret, it’s my time on the Mate Match beach.

“Really,” I say, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lip. “And think what you want about that, but there won’t be any denying the influence I’ll be able to wield. The stories I’ll be able to tell in the media.”

“Your contract prohibits slandering the Aux in the public sphere,” Veren says, incensed. “You’ll face the full might of our legal—”

“Slander implies a lie.” I can’t stop the warning growl that builds from the depths of my chest. “Tell me where the lie is, Veren.”

He opens his mouth to continue arguing, but Riddik raises a hand.

“Silence.”

Veren complies, though he grits his teeth into a snarl.

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