“Understood.” The Barathi seemed to make a swift decision. “Enclose a data packet with your location. I need to send this request up the chain, but this is exactly why the FAI exists. I believe we can extract you. Just hold on.”

It was such a huge risk, revealing herself to this group, but she did as requested and she even included some of her research to prove her status as a scientist. They have to take me seriously, right? The Barathi vanished behind the firewall, presumably to discuss the matter with his superiors. She waited anxiously in the foyer, her virtual avatar pacing as she did in real space, and eventually the same Barathi returned.

“Success! We’ve validated your information and they’re sending a ship. Maintain your cover for seven sleep cycles, then meet us…” Her terminal pinged with the time and coordinates for the rendezvous. Not at the Tiralan spaceport, she noted.

“The usual channels won’t work?” she guessed.

“We can’t get travel documentation and landing clearances that quickly and the ATA will likely be watching. A covert extraction offers the best chance.”

“The best chance?” she asked, suspecting she didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Of survival,” the Barathi said flatly. “You’ve joined the resistance now, like it or not, and our enemies are everywhere.”

[  9  ]

For three days, Helix watched Qalu pretending nothing was wrong. She did it badly, spending long hours in her lab while accomplishing little. She passed the time with Aevi, but she avoided his company, and that—

It injured him. Not physically, but the terrible feeling returned, as when he’d first awakened, only it was internal. No medicine could remedy it, he suspected. He let her dodge him because he didn’t know what to do. When Qalu started packing, Helix grasped that the situation was worse than she had let on.

He tried not to let alarm flourish, but it was difficult with Aevi skittering all around, protesting the removal of her favorite objects. But he suspected that was exactly why Qalu was including them.

“What’s happening? What are you doing? Are we going on a trip?” the little one asked, seemingly on loop.

In the end, there wasn’t much to pack, and he sensed Qalu’s fear and uncertainty. This sudden departure must have to do with the bounty hunter and the agents who were cooperating with the extradition request. It might be better if he left quietly, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. There was no point in pretending to be oblivious, so he went to her and found her staring at her laboratory equipment with a special sort of anguish. It must have taken a long time to assemble the facility to her specifications.