Page 183 of Stars in Umbra
Sable HQ’s upper floors were quiet this early.
He moved like a shadow through the halls until he reached the conference room.
The expansive glass windows overlooked the sprawl of Eden II’s capital, still dusted in the soft hues of dawn. Mirage was already seated at the table and greeted him with a smile.
Kainan and Zane followed soon after, dressed in civilian clothes, their expressions sober but curious.
Mo didn’t sit. He stood at the head of the long polished surface, fingers resting on its carved edge like it might steady him.
‘I asked you here,’ he said, ‘because it’s time I stop running from what I was and what I’ve done. You both need to know all of it, then we must discuss how justice is served.’
He exhaled, then the flood began.
He recounted every Stygian mission Caidan Thrall sent him on, each black contract, all sanctioned kills, and any sabotage he’d been programmed to execute.
He shared names, places, and dates.
‘Some of the targets, I now know, were innocent. Others were political fodder, threats neutralized not for safety, but for convenience.’
Mirage cross-checked what he divulged and recorded the session.
‘I didn’t remember most of it, but not until the last few weeks,’ he went on. ‘With the node no longer suppressing my mind, the memories are back.’
Zane leaned back, eyes narrowed with concern.
Mirage’s gaze was unreadable.
Kainan, his arms folded, studied him with quiet, chimeric stillness.
‘What do you need, Mo? The Riders have forgiven you, brother, and we support you, but I sense it is not enough.’
‘I don’t require absolution from anyone else other than my Rider family, but I need justice,’ Mo said. ‘Whatever punishmentyou deem fit, I’ll take it. I can’t walk beside Rina with this poison in my soul. Not if I don’t own it.’
Kainan shook his head with an inhale. ‘You were under the control of a neural node, Mo. You got manipulated against your will.’
Mo’s jaw tightened. ‘It still happened. The blood of many is on my hands.’
Kainan studied him, exchanged glances with Mirage and Zane, and appeared to be conducting a private mental conversation with them.
After a beat, he sighed and capitulated. ‘Fine,kaka, but this is bigger than us. We need to seek the wisdom of others who can deliver an objective outcome.’
Later that day, a closed tribunal convened, consisting of the Sable Group’s leadership and Eden II’s Council members, with Elder J’Kuu Kabi presiding.
Years ago, the woman mentored Kainan and lived through the original uprising of Eden II’s sovereign peoples.
She was warm, fair, and no-nonsense, and Mo relaxed with her at the helm of the hearing.
Mo stood before the gathered elders and retold the truth.
His voice never wavered. He didn’t ask for leniency. He didn’t expect forgiveness.
When he was done, he stepped out of the room and waited with Kainan and Zane.
The pair stayed with him, never leaving his side, further cementing their devotion to him.
‘The deliberation will be lengthy and complex,’ Zane proffered. ‘They’ll debate ethics, consent, and responsibility. Plus, they’ll examine the evidence Mirage compiled on the neural implants and the years of mind-control manipulation.’
Much later, after endless cups ofkahawaand lunch in the waiting room, the tribunal called Mo and his fellow Riders back inside.
