Page 49 of New World

“And the others? What about them?”

Silence stretched between them. She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, her next words barely audible.

“What about… Sergi?”

12

“Holy Mother of Mayhem! Mei! I can’t believe it! I can’t wait to tell the others.”

Mei threw herself in Ash’s arms when he opened them. She didn’t care that this was completely out of the ordinary for her, that it was undignified. Ash was alive, a familiar face, and she’d missed the hell out of him.

A half-laugh, half-shaky breath escaped her as she buried her face into his shoulder, gripping the fabric of his jacket as if to make sure he was real. He crushed her against his chest, burying his face against her hair like he would never let her go. Unfamiliar tears burned her eyes at his huge bear hug.

“I thought you were dead,” he murmured, pulling back slightly to cup the sides of her face. He searched her eyes, scanning her like he wasn’t sure if she was real.

She gave a wry, unsteady smile. “That makes two of us. I’m so glad I was wrong.”

“Come in. I want you to meet Kella. Don’t let her intimidate you. She’s really a sweetheart under all the knives and blasters,” he said without a trace of irony, stepping aside to allow her to enter the apartment.

Mei breathed out a shaky laugh. She wasn’t sure if Ash knew her background. Julia had, but her gut told her that Julia had kept the information to herself as a ‘need to know’ if things went south on their return to Earth.

Mei stepped into the foyer and glanced around. She could appreciate the safeguards Dorane had incorporated into the structure. His headquarters wasn’t just a fortress; it was a testament to his empire—a kingdom carved from the bones of a spaceport, refined into a palace of wealth and calculated luxury. The living quarters she entered was no exception.

The main apartment stretched across an entire level, seamlessly blending sleek industrial architecture with opulent comfort. Glass-paneled walls overlooked the jagged skyline of Cryon II, neon reflections dancing across the surface in the distance. The floor was obsidian stone, polished until it gleamed like dark water, broken by strategically placed rugs—thick, woven creations from artisans on a multitude of planets within the star system. Their deep crimson and gold patterns whispered of old royalty, of power reclaimed and repurposed.

The central sitting area was a contrast to the cold efficiency of the rest of the headquarters. A massive, low-slung sectional sprawled in a loose semicircle, its dark leather cushions looked impossibly soft and were meant to swallow anyone who dared to sit too long. A holographic fire burned in a sleek, suspended hearth—the holo-ambiance looked and felt real. The scent of it, mixed with the lingering spice of imported liquor from the stocked bar, gave the room a warmth Mei hadn’t expected.

Mei paused at the top step leading down to the sunken living room. A woman with dark green skin stood poised near the couch. Mei knew immediately the woman was assessing whether she was a threat. Lean and athletic with piercing, almond-shaped, dark brown eyes not unlike her own. Her eyes—and her movements—were the only similarities between them. Mei was facing a warrior. She gave Kella a slight bow of respect. A flash of uncertainty swept across Kella’s face before she bowed her head in return, her short, choppy brown hair falling forward to brush against her cheeks.

“I see you’ve settled in,” Dorane dryly commented, looking at the security feed for the building on the large holoscreen.

“Kella was bored,” Ash said with a wink.

“I’m sure she was. I’ll have to have a talk with Asta,” Dorane dryly replied.

Kella smiled. “She is the one who helped me. She said, ‘if Dorane is inviting assassins to stay, why does he need security?’”

Dorane groaned and shook his head. “It’s going to be a long talk with Asta.”

Mei laughed. Dorane and Asta reminded her a lot of her and Sergi. She descended the steps and sat down on the couch next to Ash. Kella sat down on the other side of him, and Mei’s lips twitched when Ash absently reached for both of their hands as he turned to face Mei.

Dorane reclined in a leather chair, one leg crossed lazily over the other, but Mei wasn’t fooled. He was studying them. Thinking. Calculating.

“Tell me where you woke and how you ended up here,” Ash quietly requested.

Mei tilted her head as a chill ran down her spine, and she casually pulled her hand free and rose, walking toward the windows. Dorane murmured a command and the windows changed, allowing her to see out while no one could see in, or so Dorane informed her.

“Safety,” he gruffly murmured, their eyes locking for a brief moment before he looked away.

“Thank you,” she replied, turning to stare out the window. Her gut instinct warned her that Zoak was out there. Watching. Waiting in the shadows.

I can almost feel him.

She turned and wound her arms under the cloak she was still wearing.

“I woke over a month ago, ten days after the Gliese broke apart,” she began.

When she finished with the first part of her story, Ash furrowed his brow and asked, “That’s how your pod end up with a dead alien on Turbinta? Sergi damn near had a heart attack when he found your escape pod!”

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