47. CHAPTER 47

As our ship approached the escape pod carrying the rescued hybrids and Zai, I felt relieved. The airlock hissed open, and Zai was the first to emerge, he was haggard as hell but his face broke into a wide grin when he saw me standing there.

"Caspian!" he exclaimed, as he clasped my shoulder. "You"ve made it! When I saw them drag you away, I feared the worst."

Lorvian stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "Zai, how did you end up on Regis"s ship? What happened?"

Zai"s expression darkened as he sighed and ran his long fingers through his strands. "Someone approached me, and it was clear they weren"t taking no for an answer. I was entertaining the offer until they mentioned taking Caspian. I knew I had to do something."

"I understand. I want to offer you a position working for Dr. Pheasus on my capital ship. I don"t know how long I"ll have it, given the current situation, but the offer stands. I should have offered it before letting you leave, but I had no idea you would become a target."

Zai considered for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. "I"ll accept, on one condition. I need to be able to continue working on the cure to wake our people from the long sleep. It"s too important to abandon now."

"Agreed."

As the hybrids began to file out of the pod, their faces a mix of fear, exhaustion, and tentative hope, Lorvian turned to me. "Can they understand me?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head. "No, they can"t. Not yet, at least."

Lorvian addressed the group, his voice calm but authoritative. "Please inform them that they"ll be coming with us to our ship. We"ll take them to the human colony, where they can start new lives. However, some of them must submit to blood work and tissue samples at the med bay first."

I translated his words, watching as the hybrids" expressions shifted from relief to terror. Some began to cry, their shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Mei stepped forward, her chin lifted defiantly even as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"We"ve been poked, prodded, and experimented on enough," she said, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. "I"m sure the lab on that big ship we escaped from has plenty of samples already. We won"t be subjected to more tests, more violations of our bodies and our rights."

I relayed her message to Lorvian, adding softly, "She"s right, you know. They"ve been through so much already."

Lorvian"s jaw clenched as he considered Mei"s words. I met his gaze, my eyes pleading silently. With a heavy sigh, he relented. "Alright. Tell them to get on board. We"ll forgo the testing, for now."

Mei"s shoulders sagged with relief as I translated, and she mouthed a silent "thank you" in my direction. I helped the hybrids settle into the ship. As we left Ashan behind, the stars blurring into streaks of light, I couldn"t help feeling responsible for them in a way. I didn"t consider myself their leader or anything, I believed that responsibility was falling to Mei. But I still knew more of what was going on and I feared that the human colony wouldn"t accept them.

In the cockpit, Zantos lounged in the co-pilot"s seat, his long legs propped up on the console as Connor piloted the ship. Lorvian fixed him with a hard stare, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I thought you would have gotten off on Ashan," he said, his tone sharp. "Unless, of course, you"re keeping tabs on me for Xil now."

Zantos threw his head back and laughed, the sound rich and mocking. "You"re reading too much into it, brother. This is just the most exciting place to be right now. A ship full of lab-made hybrids? If they can all carry and birth kids like you little human mate, it"ll be a boon. You"ll get the credit for saving our species, for ensuring our future."

Lorvian shook his head, his expression grim. "We can"t rely on the humans, Zantos. Not all of them would agree to gene therapy, and forcing them isn"t right. It"s not the answer. Besides, we may not need to. I have a doctor onboard who might be able to awaken those in the long sleep. If he succeeds, it could change everything."

Zantos"s eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. "Well, well. This ship truly is the most interesting place to be, isn"t it?"

Exhausted, I retreated to our quarters with Lorvian behind me, the ship"s soft hum lulling me and making me sleepy. Lorvian"s arms encircled me as he pulled me close.

"We"ll settle down soon," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "I promise, Caspian. No one will ever separate us again. We"ll build a life together, a family. You, me, and our children."

"I know."

We arrived at the planet housing the human colony. As we descended through the atmosphere, I marveled at the lush landscapes below, the vibrant greens and blues a welcome sight. The morning sun cast a golden glow over the settlement, the progress the humans and androids had made in rebuilding was taking shape.

Fran, Derek, and Swarti greeted us at the landing pad. I had spent the last few days preparing the hybrids for the possibility of rejection, knowing my earlier actions hadn"t exactly inspired loyalty among the colonists. But I hoped that, given all the hybrids had endured since the Ignis attack, the humans would find it in their hearts to accept them even if they dropped kicked me off the planet.

Lorvian pulled Swarti aside, speaking to him in low, urgent tones and yeah, I eavesdropped. "I want you to know that I"ve decided not to rebel," he said, his voice firm. "But I also won"t force you and the others to integrate with the hegemony. Instead, I plan to rule Eros as a neutral trading post. Anyone who wishes to join me there, to start a new life, is welcome. That includes your families."

Swarti"s expression was guarded, but he nodded slowly. "I understand, sir. I can"t say I"m not disappointed, but I respect your decision. I"ll inform the others."

Meanwhile, Fran and Derek approached me. I guess the little time apart did nothing to make Fran welcome my presence and Derek just looked pissed. "The US government has abandoned us, Caspian," Fran said, her voice bitter. "We"re at the mercy of these aliens now, with no support from Earth."

I shook my head, but I couldn"t say I was surprised. "No, Fran. You"re in control of your own fate now. And Eros will be a vast trading post, a hub for commerce and exchange. You"ll be able to get supplies there, rather than relying on Earth."

Fran"s lips twisted into a grimace. "The head of Outer Worlds made similar promises, but it"s hard to believe them now. We"ve been burned too many times."

Lorvian approached. "Do you have access to the leader of this program?" he asked. "I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

Derek and Fran exchanged a glance, then nodded. I wondered what they were thinking. "We do," Derek confirmed. "I…I"ll arrange a meeting."

As Mei led the other hybrids off the ship, I couldn"t help but notice the wary looks on the faces of the gathered colonists. Derek"s eyes widened as he recognized Mei, who met his gaze with a steely glare. Did they know each other?

"These are the rest of the Ignis survivors," I explained, my voice carrying across the crowd. "You don"t have to worry about the one who experimented on them anymore. He"s been dealt with."

Derek"s expression softened, though he still looked exhausted as hell. "I feel for them, Caspian. I really do. But right now, all we want is to move on, to put this whole nightmare behind us and start over."

Mei"s face contorted with rage, her fists clenched at her sides. "How dare you?" she screamed, her voice raw with pain. "We"ve been through hell, and you"re just going to turn your backs on us? Pretend we don"t exist? You recommended me for the council we were to set up once we landed. You were my friend…or so I thought."

"I am your friend, and I"m glad you"re alive, but…shit, we"ve all been through a lot already. We just need some normalcy, as much of it as we can get."

I stepped between them, my hands raised in a placating gesture. "Mei, there"s a place for you on Eros with me. You can start fresh, build a new life for yourselves... if you want."

Mei"s shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of her. "Fine," she spat, "Looks like I got no other choice anyway." She cursed under her breath. "But I want to contact my family back on Earth. We all do. They deserve to know what happened to us, that we"re still alive."

Fran and Derek exchanged another glance, then nodded. "We can arrange that," Fran said softly. "You can use the comms room to send messages, make calls. It"s the least we can do."

"I want to contact my mom and sister," I said to Lorvian, my voice barely above a whisper. "It"s been so long, and I need them to know I"m okay."

Lorvian nodded, his hand finding mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Of course, my love. Take all the time you need."

Fran sneered at me one last time before turning to guide us away to one of the smaller buildings on the grounds. The inside resembled a cafe with a coffee bar though no one was behind the counter and the display cases were empty. On the other side of the room were rows of private booths.

I entered one, my hands shaking as I input my mother"s contact information and prayed it remained the same. The operator"s voice crackled over the speaker, explaining the process and the one-hour time limit. I barely heard them, my heart racing as I waited for the call to connect to her cellphone. The operator explained that my name should pop up in the ID.

When my mother"s voice finally came through, tentative and disbelieving, I felt tears spring to my eyes. "Mom?" I whispered, my throat so tight for a moment I thought I couldn"t breathe. "It"s me. It"s Caspian."

For a long moment, there was only silence. Then, a choked sob. "Caspian? Is it really you?"

I broke down then, the tears flowing freely as I poured out my heart to her. I apologized for running away, for not contacting her sooner. She apologized too, for the social media videos, for making me feel like I had to leave.

We talked for the full hour, catching up on everything that had happened and she told me where she was and what she was doing when the news broke of finding sentient alien life. I told her about my adventures, about Lorvian and the life we were building together. She was certainly weirded out that I had fallen for one of these aliens, though I didn"t mention the pregnancy or my transformation, not yet. That was a conversation for another time. The last thing I needed was her passing out on me, and I wasn"t sure how much info Earth had on us though I was sure the others could have told everything.

As the call ended, I promised to contact my sister next time, to send them both my love. I left the booth feeling good, like a weight had lifted from my shoulders.

I found Lorvian in the HQ office he used the last time he was here, his expression serious as he spoke with someone over the comms. When he saw me, he ended the call and pulled me into his lap.

"My brother will remain in charge of Outer Worlds," he said softly. "But there will be no more colonists sent, not until we better understand the situation. Some of my other siblings have fleets positioned near Earth, to protect Erevan as the humans adjust to their new role in the galaxy. So far, there have been no conflicts. Peace seems to be holding."

I let out a shaky breath. "That"s good," I murmured, tilting my face up to his. "I"m glad."

Lorvian kissed me then, his lips soft and tender against mine. "Are you ready to go to our new home?" he asked, his eyes shining with love and hope.

I smiled, my heart full to bursting. "I am," I said simply. "Let"s go."

Back on our ship, we found Cormac out of bed, hopping around on his one leg as he cursed up a storm.

"Were you just going to leave me here?" he demanded, his face red hot. "Not even bother to tell me we were back at the colony?"

I sighed. "We didn"t want to disturb you, Cormac. You needed to heal."

Cormac scoffed. "I need answers, is what I need. I want to talk to that bastard Erevan, find out why my mom had to die."

Lorvian"s expression turned somber. "Erevan claims that she leaked information to Regis that caused the Ignis attack, Cormac. That"s why she was killed. I don"t expect you to accept that, but it"s what he told me when I asked on your behalf."

Cormac"s face contorted with rage and grief, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I don"t believe it," he spat. "Not for a second."

"Come with us to Eros," Lorvian said as gently as a man like him could. "I have an inventor there who can fit you with a prosthetic leg, and help you regain your mobility. You can always come back here and curse my brother to the stars and back."

Cormac hesitated, then nodded curtly. "Fine," he muttered. "It"s not like I have anywhere else to go. Earth isn"t an option anymore, not for me."

Cormac had lost so much, and suffered so deeply. I hoped that, in time, he would find some measure of peace and happiness on Eros, but only time would tell.

Lorvian gave Connor the order to depart once Mei performed a head count of the others, and I watched as the human colony disappeared from view, the planet shrinking to a distant speck as we ascended into the stars once more.

I leaned against Lorvian, my head resting on his shoulder. "Do you think we"re doing the right thing?" I asked softly. "Leaving them behind, starting over somewhere new?"

Lorvian pressed a kiss to my temple, his arm tightening around me. "I do," he said firmly. "This is my brother"s project and his headache, not mine. Xil would most likely handle Daruuk and Tavi. And the humans want us all gone. Eros is the perfect place to get lost in. It"s a new beginning, our home, our place."

I nodded, whatever the future held, whatever challenges we might face, I knew we would face them together.

As the ship carried us across the vast expanse of space, towards the shining promise of Eros and the life we would build there, I allowed myself to hope, to dream, to believe that anything was possible. The universe was ours now, and we would make the most of it, one day at a time.