But he was former TDF military, too. When the Unbroken attacked Sigma Orionis, Terra called up its reserve pilots. …”
I can see the sadness in Tyler’s eyes as he speaks, and I realize …
His father must have died there.
“Remember Orion,” Kal says softly.
Tyler looks up sharply at that, but the taller boy has his eyes fixed again on the other Syldrathi again. His voice is so soft I almost can’t hear him.
“The attack at Orion prolonged the war another eight years,” Kal says. “Eventually, our two peoples found peace. But the Unbroken have been in rebellion ever since. One year ago …” He purses his lips, shaking his head. “They attacked Evaa. The star our homeworld of Syldra orbited.”
“Nobody knows how they managed it.” Tyler’s voice is hushed. “But they made the Syldrathi sun collapse upon itself. Turned the star into a black hole that destroyed everything in the system.”
“Ten billion Syldrathi died.” Kal looks at me, and the sadness in his eyes pierces my heart. “Ten billion souls gone to the Void.”
I think on that number. Try to wrap my head around the size of it.
“Starslayer,” I murmur.
Tyler nods. “With a weapon like that at his disposal, the whole galaxy is terrified of him. And he’s made it clear that as long as Earth stays neutral in what’s now a Syldrathi civil war, he won’t turn his attention to us.”
We sit in silence for a moment, the air in the room feeling heavier, the light a little dimmer. Kal’s the one who changes the subject, his voice cool, his emotions hidden behind that wall of ice once more.
“Did you hear anything at the bar?”
Tyler sighs and shakes his head. “The bartender definitely saw my uniform, but she didn’t seem to think there was any news worth sharing. At least there doesn’t seem to be any word about our attack on the TDF out there yet.”
I sip my drink slowly, thinking about what I’ve learned. The liquid seems to almost sparkle, or vibrate on my tongue, sweet and tingling, and cold from the glass. It’s refreshing and energizing all at once. I look between Kal and Ty and wonder which of our many problems or mysteries they’re focusing on at this particular moment. The fact that they’re renegades among their own people? That we’re the only witnesses to the Terran massacre at Sagan station? That we’re out here without a plan or a prayer?
Or the fact that I’m the only reason for all of it?
I don’t have any answers. About the colony, my dad, what’s happening to me. But I’m learning more about this galaxy I’ve found myself inside, day by day. And I’m going to find the truth about what’s happening to me if it’s the last thing I do.
“Do not lift your head,” Kal says, his voice as cool as the drink in my hand. “But those Unbroken are headed our way.”
I do as Kal says, only looking up with my eyes. Half a dozen Syldrathi are making their way over to us, cutting through the crowd like knives. On the surface, they’re all similar to each other. Similar to Kal. Their long silver hair is bound in complex braids, their eyes are all different shades of violet. They wear an elegant kind of black armor, scratched and battle-scarred, daubed with lines of white paint that twist into beautiful letters in a language I don’t know. All of them are tall, slender, strong. Ethereal and graceful. And all of them have the same small glyf that marks Kal’s forehead.
The three blades.
But as they draw closer, I see each of them is subtly different—one has bones woven through his hair, another has what I realize are severed, pointed ears strapped across her chest in a diagonal line, like the world’s most morbid beauty queen sash. The tallest has a vicious scar cutting right across his handsome face. Each of them carries themselves the same—cold and menacing, radiating disdain, bringing with them the sense that they could descend into violence at any moment. I’d know even if nobody had told me—these Syldrathi are warbringers.
There’s a woman at the fore. Her pale silver hair is pulled back into a braid so tight it must be giving her one hell of a headache. Maybe that accounts for the extremely unfriendly expression.
“Human,” she says, addressing Ty. “I see you have a pet.”
“I have a squadmate,” Ty says, with a polite nod of greeting. “And he’s enjoying his drink right now, just like me.