Page 3 of Aries

“I was an attorney back on Earth,” Aerie reminds us. “It was a while ago, and I’m sure our legal systems are different as night and day. Let me try to find a skilled lawyer to represent Aries.” She tucks her head over her pad and is scrolling faster than most people can read.

My fingers are already flying over my datapad. “Well, I’m no lawyer, but I’m good at research. It’s how I knew to steer clear of the Mattis system. Who knew there would be cannibals in a world that had ships that could travel at the speed of light? I’ll start researching everything I can find about Sanctorii’s justice system. Maybe there’s something on this planet we can use.”

“Three hours isn’t much time,” Petra notes, her usual confident demeanor subdued.

“Then we’d better work fast.” Captain Zar-Rynn’s tail curves in determination. “Callie, great idea to focus on Sanctorii’s legal codes. Shadow, contact that attorney who helped us with the ship’s registration issues lastannumto see if they have any connections on Garrox Prime. Beast, review everything you know about Aries’ fighting history, anything that might be relevant. The rest of you pool your resources and start reaching out to contacts. Someone somewhere must know something about Garrox Prime’s justice system that can help us.”

As the crew disperses to their tasks, I catch Captain Zar-Rynn watching me with an unreadable expression. For a moment, it seems like he might say something, but instead he simply nods and turns away.

Settling into my workspace in the communications hub, I pull up everything I can find about Sanctorii’s labyrinthine legal system. Their database is extensive, stretching back millennia. Somewhere in all this information, there has to be a way to save him.

There has to be.

Chapter Three

Callie

“Since learning of the arrest,” Captain Zar-Rynn interjects, “we’ve been mobilizing resources. Aerie is researching every legal angle, Shadow is liquidating non-essential cargo to fund legal fees, and Dr. Drayke has been studying rehabilitation programs across three sectors.”

His golden eyes hold fierce determination. “A fewhoarasaren’t much time to prepare, but we don’t abandon family.”

A hologram blinks on in the room—the attorney Aerie found, the one who agreed to take the case at the last minute. When his image stabilizes, his expression looks grim.

“I’ve filed papers to delay the extradition, but… they won’t hold up under scrutiny. I’ve done everything legally possible.” The attorney’s hologram flickers as he spreads his hands in defeat. His perfectly tailored suit and practiced sympathetic expression set my teeth on edge. “Garrox Prime’s justice system doesn’t recognize extenuating circumstances in homicide cases.”

Hope drains away as the crew absorbs his words. From my station in the communications hub, rows of legal text blur before my eyes. There has to be something we’ve missed.

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this tired. Every inch of my body aches, and my thoughts are spinning. I refuse to give in tothis mental fog. There has to be something that can help Aries.

“What aboutillegalpossibilities?” Captain Beast demands to the room full of my closest friends. His dozens of tiny braids tremble as he lifts his chin defiantly. “We’ve got two ships, skilled fighters—”

“And get the whole crew executed?” Shadow cuts in. “Their orbital defenses would cut us to pieces before we reached atmosphere.”

“So, we just give up?” Petra’s voice cracks. Her fingers twist in her pink and blue striped hair—a nervous habit I haven’t seen since her early days aboard our ship. “After everything we’ve been through? We’ve fought together, evaded the Feds together, killed that evil bastard Daneur Khour together. Now what? We just roll over and play dead?”

Captain Zar-Rynn remains silent, his tail curved in a way that means he’s thinking deeply. The attorney’s hologram drones on about precedents and procedures, each word hammering another nail in Aries’ coffin.

My research screen fills with yet another dead end when something catches my eye—a footnote in ancient text, barely legible.

“Wait,” I breathe, enlarging the text. “Wait, this is…” My fingers tremble as I have the computer double-check its translation of the archaic language.

“Callie?” Dr. Drayke moves closer, his blue skin reflecting the glow of my screen. “Did you find something?”

“Maybe.” The word comes out barely above a whisper as implications unfold. “It’s old. Really old. Sanctorii religious law from before their modern legal system. It’s called the Redemption Rites.”

The attorney’s hologram flickers as he elaborates. “We Sanctorans believe that true redemption requires a profound transformation of the soul—one that can only beachieved through genuine emotional connection. Our entire justice system is built on this principle.”

“Counselor,” Captain Zar-Rynn addresses the hologram, “could this work?”

The attorney blinks, his practiced expression slipping. “That’s… rarely invoked successfully. Perhaps a handful of attempts each century, with most ending in failure. It’s technically a valid law, but the requirements are so demanding that—”

“What requirements?” Captain Zar-Rynn demands, his tail straightening as he senses possibility.

“The Redemption Rites,” the attorney explains, consulting his files. “A religious ceremony where a death sentence can be commuted if the condemned enters a genuine marriage bond with a galactic citizen of good standing. They must prove the relationship is real through a series of trials—ninety days of supervised isolation with increasingly intimate challenges.”

I cut in, my voice stronger as I read from my own research. “Physical intimacy is strictly regulated during the trials. They use Fractali judges. Their species can detect genuine emotional connection. And if the couple fails…” My throat tightens. “The sentence is carried out immediately.”

Silence falls as understanding ripples through the room.

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