Page 60 of Solar Bound
The others looked at her in surprise.
"You left her behind,” she said. “You left Poppy behind because the field needed your energy. I don't count that as a successful anything."
"The mission required?—"
"Fuck the mission," Dani interrupted. "You love her."
Lunar went absolutely still. For a moment, Dani thought she'd overstepped, pushed too hard. Then his form shifted, becoming more solid. His eyes turned away, and he didn’t answer.
Solar stepped forward. "Eclipse and the others? What is their status?"
"Eclipse wants to remain, not that he had a choice. The extraction would have killed him," Lunar reported, his voice keeping its usual controlled tone. "His twilight energy was too depleted for the journey, and someone needed to protect Rowan and Poppy from Milano."
"He can do that? He can stay?" Dani asked, hopeful that Solar might want to do the same.
"The council will consider him in dereliction of duty," Lunar said, “unless we can convince them it was for the best he stayed behind.”
Solar wouldn’t meet her gaze, and she could only stare at him.
"He could not return, so you came back to report about Milano," Solar concluded.
"The threat assessment is critical," Lunar said. "The weapons they've developed, their knowledge of our physiology, their intention to expand beyond Earth… The council must be warned."
"And then what?" Dani asked. "After you make your report?"
Lunar's form shifted again, something almost like hope flickering through the shadows. "Then I will request authorization to return. To establish formal diplomatic relations. To assess the continuing threat."
"To see Poppy again," Dani said softly.
"Yes," Lunar admitted. "To see Poppy again, but I will not tell the council that."
Bob bustled into the airlock area. "Beautiful reunion, very touching, but we have a problem. Milano detected our orbital position during the extraction. They're mobilizing resources."
"They can't reach us here," Solar stated.
"No, but they can make planet-side operations very difficult," Bob replied. "Every potential landing site, they'll be watching."
"Then we avoid Earth for now," Gary said, appearing behind Bob. "Continue to Zorveya as planned. Make an official report to the corporation. Request a formal mission with proper resources and authority. I hear there is a nice planet in the X quadrant with men who turn into strange creatures. We can try that location."
“We can’t tell the corporation what happened,” Bob denied before chattering away in his alien language.
“Dani belongs on Earth. You can’t force her to leave her planet,” Solar said.
Dani felt something settle in her chest. It was the decision she'd been unconsciously making since they'd left Earth's surface. "No."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"No?" Solar asked, his golden light pulsing with curiosity.
"We're not running away to Zorveya never to return while our friends are being hunted," Dani said firmly. "Eclipse, Rowan, and Poppy cannot be sacrificed because it’s easier than going back and dealing with the mess.”
"What do you propose?" Lunar asked, his shadow form leaning forward with interest.
Dani looked at Solar, seeing her own determination reflected in his golden eyes. "We go to Zorveya. All of us. The two of you make your report to the council. Tell them everything about Milano, about Earth's potential as an ally, about the connections we've formed. Then we come back with a real ship, real resources, and we finish what we started."
"The council may not approve," Solar warned. "They sent us here to fail, remember?"
"Then we make them approve," Dani said. "You're a warrior. Lunar's an intelligence specialist. I'm..." she paused, then smiled. "I'm a fire dancer who's apparently compatible with alien energy signatures. Between us, we can make them listen."
