Page 89 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
“Logan… yeah. I remember him. I crossed paths with him. Briefly.”
“He’s alive?!” I ask, hope bursting out before I can stop it.
He opens his eyes. And I see the answer in them before he says the words.
“I’m sorry, Sam. He’s dead. The man who captured you suspected something about your brother. When Logan threatened to expose Vagantu’s coordinates to the Confederation, they executed him. In front of me.”
I stagger. The floor slips from under me. My heart shatters.
“You knew…” I whisper, my voice shaking. “All this time… you knew he was dead. And you said nothing.”
“I was trying to protect you, Sam. What you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you.”
“Protect me?! You let me hope! You listened to me talk about him, wait for news! You stole my grief from me!”
He lowers his head, unable to meet my gaze.
“I’m sorry…”
“No. You’re not. You’re just tired. Tired of lying. Tired of pretending to be a good man… when you’re anything but.”
He lifts his head. His eyes dark. His voice sharper.
“I never claimed to be a good man, Sam. Never. You’re the one clinging to meaning. To goodness. In a world where there’s only one truth: survival. You want monsters or heroes? Forget it. Everyone’s got shadows in them. Your brother included. Some are just better at hiding it. But Sam, in this world, only two things matter: strength… or weakness.”
“Strength?" I snap. "You mean the strength to kill? Or the strength to stand up to injustice, even if it costs your life? My brother was that kind of strong. He never hurt you, Nov! He was just taking me back to his base after my family died—”
“He was a threat to our organization. And in situations like that, there’s no room for feelings. There are those who act… and those who lose.”
“Logan was innocent!” I shout, my voice trembling but steady. “You know he was!”
“Innocence protects no one, Sam. Not in a galaxy where trafficking calls the shots. You think you can stay out of it, but sooner or later, everyone gets dragged in… And I didn’t kill him!”
“Oh, but that suits you just fine, doesn’t it? Go on—say it! Say that if that man hadn’t shot him in front of you, you would’ve done it yourself!”
He says nothing.
Not a word.
Not even a breath.
His silence cuts deeper than any blade.
I stare at him, heart in pieces, fists shaking. Then I look away. I can’t look at him anymore. I won’t.
My legs start to give, but I refuse to fall.
I grit my teeth. The tears fall anyway—hot, burning, unstoppable.
“My brother is dead… and you knew.”
My voice cracks.
A sob escapes. And with it, everything I’ve been holding in. The rage. The grief. The hope.
I let go.
I collapse to my knees, alone in this cold cell, while he just stands there—motionless, unable to fix what he’s broken.
