Page 58 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
“I’m sorry. You and your sister belong to the Penubians who captured you. Vagantu just takes a cut from the sale. I can’t override that. What I can do is demand they deal with the security threat you represent.”
His eyes, still blazing blue, soften in defeat. He regrets traveling with her. Regrets putting her in danger. But it’s too late.
In one smooth motion, he drops to his knees. Then falls forward, lifeless.
“We didn’t know he was with the Confederation, Lord Noviosk,” one of the Penubians says, wiping blood from his blade on his arm.
“Be more careful next time. Offload the remaining two to the sorting zone. And dump him in the sea.”
What a waste of time. What a waste of a life.
I return to my office and sink into the comfort of my chair. Through the window, I gaze out at the sea of Vagantu. It looks calm. Serene. But it kills. Just like I do.
I'm in pain. Everywhere.
My whole body feels like a single, giant wound, and my skull is pounding like it’s trying to implode.
— Easy now, says a calm, unfamiliar voice. You’ll reopen your wounds if you keep squirming like that.
— Where am I? Who the hell are you? What happened?
— Whoa, so many questions at once! I’m Samantha, a Human, as you can probably tell. But you can call me Sam. I found you on Vagantu. After the Confederation busted up the slave auction, they offered to drop the freed prisoners off wherever they wanted. Do you remember Vagantu?
Do I remember? Of course I do.
I remember being outplayed by that damn Asgarnian, pretending to buy a slave, then busting him out. I remember taking off in an aeropod the second I was alerted to their escape.
Then came the Krakelodon attack over the waves—its jaws crushing down on the pod until the pressure cracked everything open.
The feeling of being crushed... drowned...
Then—nothing. Blackness.
But after that? No idea. My memory goes blank.
Do I remember Vagantu, my shattered empire? I nod slowly, more out of reflex than anything else. Let her talk. I need answers.
— I just asked the Confederation to let me retrieve my ship. It was still docked at that filthy slave base. Once I got it back, I returned to Vagantu and started scanning the area, hoping to find my brother, Logan. No luck.
— Your brother?
— We were traveling together. I haven’t seen him since the day we were captured and brought to Vagantu. After the raid, the Confederation released all the prisoners. They patched me up and gave me back my ship, so I went looking for him. Found nothing. But I did find you, lying on a half-submerged rock. Covered in disgusting leech-like things. Sorry—I had to shave off all your fur to get rid of them. I cleaned your wounds as best I could and splinted your leg fractures. Also patched up that nasty blow to your head. I’m sorry the Confederation had already left. Otherwise, I would’ve taken you straight to one of their regeneration pods. You’ll just have to heal the old-fashioned way.
Truths. Every word of it.
— I’ll be fine. Thanks… Sam.
— And you? What’s your name?
This female… She was one of the slaves from my own damned cages. No way I’m telling her who I really am.
I’m the reason she suffered on Vagantu.
She saved my life.
The irony would be amusing—if I didn’t feel like I’d been steamrolled by a black hole.
— Nov. Call me Nov. Thanks for saving me. I won’t forget it.
