The only person he wanted to talk to, he’d wounded in a moment of pique. I should not have said that, even if it’s true. She wasn’t responsible for those hunting him and she’d abandoned everything she held dear to run away with him, including the mothers who loved her to distraction. I should apologize. I wonder if she can forgive me. Harsh words might emerge easily on a rush of emotion, but they couldn’t be called back. He wished he had learned that in abstract before hurting someone precious to him.

The bot finally whirred away, leaving Helix alone in the middle of the market. He didn’t recall coming here on purpose, but he had been roving with no attention to his course, simply pacing and brooding. Over his current predicament, over the harm he’d inflicted. He couldn’t do anything about the former, but he could resolve the latter.

Where would she go?

Qalu had just admitted being frightened of this place…and instead of comforting her, he’d snarled—in a fit of temper. How disgraceful. In his prior life, he had found such behavior both regrettable and inexplicable. And now he was a perpetrator.

He searched their accommodations first and found no sign of her. It occurred to him to test his capabilities here and with minimal difficulty, he negotiated Vault security and connected to their surveillance system. The uplink made his task much easier, as he skimmed through footage, multiple angles at once, and spotted Qalu…with Praxys.

He didn’t know how he felt about it. He’d assumed, incorrectly, that she would be disturbed by their conflict. Yet she showed no signs of distress, her posture calm and tranquil as she responded to the Barathi resistance leader. Their conversation seemed animated, too involved for someone she didn’t know well. To exacerbate matters, Aevi was nowhere to be found, and the Pherzul ought to be protecting Qalu with her usual vigor.

This surveillance unit had no audio receptors, only visual ones, so he switched feeds, linking to a maintenance droid nearby. He didn’t override, only ghosted through the bot’s senses. What are Praxys and Qalu discussing so intently? The two paused their discussion, however, settling at a food stall where Praxys ordered a few dishes.

“We should eat and talk,” the Barathi said. “Better to be efficient with our time.”

“Agreed.”

Is sharing sustenance a courtship ritual? He scanned his database, full of information on Barathi customs, and found that it could be, though he needed to confirm Praxys’s intentions through observation of his body language. If his neck ruff frilled again, then Helix would have confirmation of the Barathi’s interest.