Page 29 of First

She stood in a cell, amodest-sized box of bars with no windows, just a single harsh light that cast long, distorted shadows across the faces of the women huddled together in one corner. There were maybe a dozen of them, all human, all terrified. Their eyes, wide with fear, met hers, asilent exchange of shared dread.

Winn recognized the stark terror that glazed their eyes, the bone-deep despair that chilled their souls. She recognized it. Had felt it, tasted it, the bitter tang of adrenaline and misery, the crushing weight of helplessness. But something within her, aspark of defiance, afierce protectiveness toward the life growing inside her, refused to let fear paralyzeher.

She had faced death before, felt its icy breath on her skin. And she had survived. She would survive this too. For Jo’Nay. For their child. For the future they had dreamed of, afuture that now seemed impossibly distant.

Winn took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus and assess the situation. The cell door appeared to be heavy bars with no visible lock or mechanism. The back wall was bare, cold and unforgiving. There was a single metal bench bolted to the floor, occupied by a young woman who seemed barely conscious.

Her head lolled against the wall, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow and erratic. Long, dark hair hung to her waist, the length snarled and knotted. Apair of glasses clung to the tip of her straight nose and her winged brows drew together in a tight frown.

Winn’s gaze swept over the other women, searching for a familiar face, aglimmer of hope, aconnection in this sea of loss. They were all strangers, their faces etched with misery, their bodies trembling with the aftershocks of trauma. Their clothes were torn, their hair disheveled, their expressions mirroring the chaos that had ripped their lives apart.

But amidst the fear, Winn sensed something else. Aflicker of defiance. Adesperate longing for freedom. Ajoint humanity that transcended the barriers of language and culture. Maybe they shared a silent understanding that they were all in this together.

Winn approached the young woman on the bench, her movements slow and deliberate. She had to choose her words carefully and avoid triggering panic. These women were already on edge, their nerves frayed, no doubt their resilience stretched to the breaking point.

“Hey,” she said softly, her voice barely a whisper. “Are you alright?”

The woman flinched, her eyes widening in alarm. They were a dark, bottomless brown, bordering on black. She shook her head, her lips trembling, unable to speak. Her gaze darted nervously around the cell, as if searching for an escape route, away out of this nightmare.

Winn knelt beside her, offering a reassuring smile. She knew what it was like to be lost and alone, to face the unknown with nothing but fear as a guide.

“It’s okay,” she said gently, her voice soft and soothing, abalm to the raw terror that pulsed through the air. “We’re all scared. But we’re going to be alright. What’s your name?”

“E-Elara,” the woman stammered, her voice barely audible. Her words were hesitant, halting, as if she had to force them past the fear that choked her throat.

“Elara,” Winn repeated, committing the name to memory. It was a beautiful name, exotic and unfamiliar. Aname that hinted at a different world, adifferent life, alife that now seemed impossibly distant. “That’s a beautiful name. I’m Winn.”

Elara’s gaze, wide and uncertain, met hers. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, two strangers united by fear and the desperate need for connection in an alien world.

“Where are we?” Elara whispered, her voice trembling. “What are they going to do to us?”

Winn didn’t have the answers, not yet. Well, other than what Skarrp had threatened—to sell them off as slaves. But she would find a way out. She had to. For herself, for Elara, for all the women imprisoned in this metal cage. Not to mention for Jo’Nay and their child.

“We’re on a Marauder ship,” she said, keeping her voice calm, even though her own heart was racing. She had seen enough of their brutality during the attack to know that these were not men to be trifled with. “They attacked our ship and took us prisoner.”

“Your ship?” Elara echoed, her brows furrowing in confusion. “You have a ship?”

Winn hesitated. How much should she reveal? These women were strangers, their loyalties unknown. But she needed their help. She couldn’t do this alone. Not against these ruthless pirates who preyed on the weak, who stole lives and futures without a second thought.

“It’s a long story,” she said evasively. “But the important thing is that we’re together now. And we’re going to get out of this.”

“Get out?” Elara scoffed, ahint of hysteria creeping into her voice. Her laughter, sharp and brittle, was the sound of someone stretched to the breaking point. “How? They’re armed and brutal andaliens.”

“They’re not invincible,” Winn interrupted, her voice firm, her gaze unwavering. She had seen Jo’Nay fight, witnessed his Vettian strength and skill, the lethal grace that had made him one of the most feared warriors in nine galaxies. And she knew, with a certainty that burned like a cold fire in her heart, that these Marauders, for all their bravado and firepower, were mere pretenders to the throne of violence. “Yes, they’re aliens. But they must have weaknesses. We just have to figure out what they are.”

Elara stared at her, aflicker of curiosity replacing the terror in her eyes. Winn recognized that flicker. It was the spark ofhope.

“What weaknesses?” Elara whispered, leaning closer.

Winn’s mind raced, analyzing everything she had observed during the attack, every detail of their captivity. The Marauders were disorganized, driven by greed and brutality. Their leader, ahulking brute with more muscle than brains, was easily provoked, quick to anger. They misjudged their captives, seeing them as helpless victims and easyprey.

And that, Winn realized, was their biggest mistake.

“They underestimate us,” she said, her voice low and steady. “They think we’re weak, helpless. But they’re wrong. We’re stronger than they think. And we’re smarter.”

She saw a glimmer of understanding in Elara’s eyes. The young woman, despite her fear, appeared intelligent and observant. She might be an asset. Winn decided to take a gamble.

“Are you able to understand them? Have they implanted you all with translators?”

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