“I’m worried about how you’ll do with jumps through space. I’m coordinating to meet your father somewhere in the middle, so hopefully we won’t need very many, and once we’re on his ship, a few hours in its better healing pod should set you straight, but you’ll need to take it easy until we get there. You should sleep some more if you can.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to sleep. Not until we’re gone.”

“You’re perfectly safe right now. Are you sure you can’t sleep more?”

“I’m sure.” I needed to be far away from SpaceTech. Maybe then I wouldn’t have any more nightmares.

There was an awkward silence, and I wasn’t sure what to say. Lorne’s intense stare made me nervous. I looked down at myself. My leggings were torn in a couple places. Every inch of me was covered in dirt and sweat, and more than a few places were bloody. Maybe that was why I was feeling defensive?

“So, what’s the plan?”

He sighed as if he were giving up on trying to convince me to go to sleep. “We’re staying put for now. I want to run another test on you before we start traveling and send the results to our doctors. It’s not the end of the world if we can’t jump. SpaceTech doesn’t know we’re here, so if we can’t we’ll go the slow route. I’d rather get home quickly though. It gives us less chance of getting into trouble. Before I run tests, do you want to clean up and have some food?”

My stomach tightened at the mention of eating. “I guess I’m hungry, but a shower sounds amazing. Or whatever it is you have here.”

He gave me a small nod and motioned me to follow him. “This way.”

I moved after him on unsteady legs. The hallways were curved, something that wasn’t normal in a SpaceTech ship. Everything the company did was boxy. Square. Cold, hard lines. All function and no form. But this was so different. Everything was so different. I wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel, but I was unsettled.

My skin had a faint glow, but Lorne’s skin had the same hint to it. I knew I didn’t have to worry about that—not anymore—but I still did. I couldn’t shut down the worries that had been ingrained in me over years and years.

And as I followed Lorne, I realized that I had a whole new world of worries to think about.

What was I going to do on Sel’Ani? Would the Aunare accept a halfer easier than Earthers? Was I going to be hated there? And what about Ahiga? Santiago? Audrey and Tyler?

What about the weapon SpaceTech was building on Abaddon?

What about the war?