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CAIMBRIE

Destinylanded softly in the open port at Kychek amid the morose atmosphere. It was a sad day in this port. One of the most revered smugglers in the universe had made his final departure, leaving a vacuum of power in his place. Despite the infighting among us, we all flew in to pay our respects to the man who had first fought back against the Patrol, and who later founded the thriving metropolis that became Kychek’s central city.

“I won’t be long,” Herod said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek and a sad smile.

“Take your time. I have some work to do.”

Several months had passed since I had fully moved aboard theDestinyto be with Herod. We had settled into an odd life together. My plan to harvest and move fuel was in full swing, and so far, the Patrol had not caught wind of the ploy. I had worked with Tayla’s team to develop a more efficient method for retrieving and processing the fuel so that we could keep our ships going almost for free. All the excess fuel was sold off to allies who fought against the Patrol in their own sectors. But this wasn’t the end of the line for us.

Whenever we could, Herod and I helped out with Tayla’s raids, determined to free as many women as we could from the clutches of the Patrol’s reign. At some point, the Patrol started being more secretive with their research vessels, and we had a harder time tracking them down, but then we began getting tips from anonymous sources. The Patrol had women in other locations. We heard nightmarish tales of breeding camps where the women were forced to submit to the disgusting alien creatures. The stories were horrifying and often left me speechless, but I knew we had to act. If there were no more ships to take down, then we would just have to start taking them out from the roots.

I sat at the desk in my office and began scanning my latest readings. Herod had built this room for me, creating a haven for me to work without being disturbed as he piloted the ship. We remained in constant contact throughout the day, and sometimes I would even take a stroll up to the bridge to embarrass him with a kiss. But mostly, I stayed back here, digging up samples and testing concepts. I was a researcher at heart, and while I had found a way to keep the money flowing in the right direction, I still wanted my major breakthrough.

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