Untold Stories of a Galaxy - Kysaek: The Beginning

It had already been almost three days, three days of uncertainty, in which Kysaek had been imprisoned at the consulate with her people. She had been treated well and her accommodation, cell wing 0B, was extremely decent by prison standards, but the unresolved situation was clearly straining her nerves and she was glad that the long overdue yard walk was coming up. “Is this going to take much longer?” she shouted from her single cell. Each of her people sat in a cramped room like this, with a bed, washbasin, toilet and even a holoscreen. The cell was secured by an energy barrier and the fact that it was a good ten metres above the floor in the wall and there were no stairs or other way for Kysaek to get down without injury. Only her keepers could do that. “The clock in the programme says we should have been out ten minutes ago.”

“Not until shift change,” replied an impatient female voice over the intercom. “Which should have been the case by now.”

“And what’s the problem?”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“Don’t be so over-sensitive. After all, we’re locked up here and not you,” joked Kysaek, sinking onto her bed to sit,

“I’m beginning to think they don’t want to be your friends,” Thais said. Her voice echoed from another cell in the small area.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up trying. Some people have to be forced to be happy, even if they continue to be so rude and don’t even tell you what to do next ... But I assume you’re holding on to your patience?”

“No, it’s exhausted. I also want to know what’s going on. We’re being treated well, but that’s not enough. Besides, my holoscreen is broken.”

“You never stop what?” Wolfgang intervened. “But since I’m tired of that, here’s the solution to the riddle of the week: You’re a bunch of wanted idiots and that’s why we’re here.”

“And you’re with us now,” countered Kysaek. “Welcome to the club.”

“I have to disappoint you, that’s not the case.”

“You’re not part of it, are you? Then why are you still here?” asked Kysaek. When she had put the few survivors on Inkanthatana Four, Wolfgang wanted to stay on board, explaining that her crew was going to fight PGI and he wanted to join them. “Was the help against PGI all talk and no action?”

“Help, you said it. My role is more like Sancho Panza, except I’m better looking and even smarter than him.”

Whatever the scientist was talking about, Kysaek had absolutely no idea and understood even less. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I would have been very surprised.”

“If you’re so clever, then think about how we’re going to get out of here.”

“All in good time.”

“Of course,” Kysaek replied exaggeratedly, rubbing her left wrist. Instead of her vortex cuff, an uncomfortable anti-P bracelet was emblazoned on it, and it was not without its problems. If Kysaek had concentrated even a tiny trace of prismatics or put up any other resistance, she would have been instantly incapacitated by the hoop with a shock charge.

“Prisoners beware!” demanded the impatient female voice, chiming a solitary reminder. “Recreation will begin shortly, but first - Elaine Kysaek, step outside your cell. You will be escorted out of the wing for questioning.”

“Congratulations,” said Tavis. “Your inexhaustibility has paid off.”

“And on your own time, of all times,” Kysaek said, disinclined. “I’m sure that’s intentional.” A mobile hover platform, just big enough for two people, ascended to their cell and the energy shield disappeared. The platform took them down to where two Palanian soldiers were already waiting.

“They’re going ahead of us,” one of the Palanian men murmured.

“I know the drill,” Kysaek replied. She followed the order obediently, but didn’t let her teasing get in the way. “A good excuse to admire me from behind, eh?”

“Keep quiet and keep pace,” the same soldier instructed. “You’ll have enough to talk about in a minute.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

It was supposed to be an iquestioning, not an interrogation. The fact had not escaped Kysaek and as a former soldier, she knew the difference between the two. An questioning was for an initial assessment and an interrogation was for investigating the facts of a case against suspects of a criminal offence. This was actually a good sign for her and she no longer wanted to be so averse to the conversation, but her continued wordless detention spoke against it. She was curious to see what was about to happen.

The soldiers led her into a windowless room, which fitted the general cliché of such situations. There was only a door, a large mirror through which Kysaek was certainly being watched and a table with a pair of chairs placed opposite it in the centre of the room. “Have a seat,” said one of the soldiers as he and his partner took up position by the door.

“You don’t look like you’ll be doing the questioning,” Kysaek said as she sat down.

In contrast to the last few days, her question was answered promptly. “No, none of them do,” replied a female Palanian soldier as she entered. The soldiers tightened their bodies and respectfully raised their weapons so that the barrels were to the right of their faces, pointing towards the ceiling, before the Palanian woman allowed them to return to their previous, more comfortable position. “At ease” Like the guards, she wore shaded green military armour and her lower-ranking officer’s insignia clung to the left side of her chest. On the right, a small white symbol adorned the outfit, and it was the same mark Kysaek had seen on the prison’s cloth flags of the same colour when she was brought in.

It was a circle with a white border, divided into 13 equal pieces, and the lines separating the pieces joined in the centre of the circle to form another gold-coloured round dot.

“Elaine Kysaek,” the interviewer said sternly and formally. She sat down and assumed a perfectly straight posture as she pulled out a data log and read from it. “Twenty-seven years old and born in free space. No special achievements or merits worth mentioning, even during your time with the Alliance. The main general charges are murder, trafficking in prohibited technology, terrorist activities, grand theft of military property, and conspiracy against Central and the Spectrum.”

“Have a nice day, too,” Kysaek replied, leaning back with his arms crossed. “And conspiracy against Central? That’s news to me.”

“And the rest?”

“I’ve heard of it. Your name must have slipped my mind in that list, though.”

“My name is Galaen, Galaen Akaro,” the Palanian introduced herself, looking stiff in every way. “I am a troop supervisor within the consulate’s armed forces and have volunteered for questioning.”

Kysaek shifted the corners of her mouth to the side. “And that took almost three days? Sounds more like you got the short end of the stick.”

“That’s up to you what you believe, just like me, and so the conspiracy point is news to you?”

“Yes, I’m not one for watching or listening to the news all the time. But if I were guilty of all those things, I’d be pretty proud that I don’t even have to lift a finger for my reputation to grow.”

“You should take this more seriously.”

“Was that a threat?”

“No, a hint. I value a reasonable conversation and I think you owe me that, or have we treated you and your crew badly?”

“None of that, no,” Kysaek replied. Perhaps that wasn’t a threat, but her counterpart seemed even more disciplinary and creepy because of the not fully lit room. Galaen’s scaly skin had an anthracite hue that made the Palanian partially blend in with the room’s shadows, and her yellow eyes, rimmed with red markings, didn’t make her any more likeable to Kysaek. “But when you’ve been on the run and then get locked up for three days without another word ... I’m sorry if I’m not showing you a grin

“I understand your frustration and tension, but try to co-operate, because now you’re exchanging words - with me.”

“Point taken,” Kysaek conceded. “So is that what you said we’re prisoners for?”

“That would be expected, wouldn’t it? However, it was only the general charges for which you are wanted by various authorities and not by us. But that doesn’t mean that we’re granting you freedom of action, and there is evidence to back up the accusations. Apart from that, you have entered our territory without authorisation, breached our security perimeter and exposed Anuket and her damaged ship to acute danger.”

“And I assume your next question is - how do you confess?”

Galaen shook her head and placed the data log on the table, over which she folded her claws. “This is a questioning, not an interrogation,” she said. “We’re not charging you with anything, not yet. But what happens next depends entirely on how you explain yourself.”

“Explain myself, eh? To all things?”

“The more detailed your answers, the fewer questions I ask and the fewer questions I ask, the better your position here will be.”

“I really should record the story,” Kysaek sighed as she assumed a similar sitting posture to the Palanian. She just wasn’t quite as stiff. “It’s getting kind of annoying to tell it all over and over again, even if it’s new, but we came here for a reason and so it’s the least I can do.” And so Kysaek told the story of how it all began in the PGI labs and how it continued. Her listener did not change her attitude for a second and showed her no sign of belief or doubt. Kysaek left nothing out, absolutely nothing, and always tried to justify the necessity of her actions, including her murder of Dodol for the Disciples or her illegal dealings to obtain resources and the theft of the Jupiter. She also talked about Vincent Luan and the events in Sector Seven and spoke bitterly about the battle of Trayden before Kysaek finished. “And just as Dios finds a frequency, we are attacked out of nowhere. That’s why we landed so unannounced and that’s why I’m sitting here now.”

Now Galaen spread her hands out on the table. “An interesting story,” she murmured curtly. “And we didn’t know about Trayden yet.”

“It’s a planet ruled by corporations and it was a brutal battle for the truth. If the corporations don’t want it, I don’t think it’s going to get through the galaxy.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure we can get some information now that we know.”

“Hopefully information that will benefit us all,” Kysaek grumbled, figuring it was her turn to get an answer or two. “And until then, I’d like to know what the hell that phantom ship was or whatever. Dios and Kuren said they’d never seen anything like it, and those two know a thing or two about flying and space travel.”

“They were very detailed and co-operative. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any explicit details, but at least I can tell you who the attacker was - it was Neo Solaris.”

“Seriously?!” asked Kysaek in surprise. She had no idea who was behind this, but Neo Solaris? “What are these racist anti-alien pigs doing here?”

“I think your question contains the answer.”

“They’re killing?”

“Chaos and death, yes,” Galaen nodded, but even on that subject, she remained in the role of stern officer. “That’s what they’re spreading and have been doing so for a long time, unfortunately.”

“And where did they get this ship? No one has this kind of technology. And if it’s been going on for so long, why isn’t the consulate doing anything?”

“I won’t give you any information about that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not allowed to. I have no authorisation and you are also an outsider who is not privy to our affairs,” Galaen replied according to protocol. She stood up and picked up the data log again. “And what’s more, because you’re a prisoner, it’s none of your business anyway. Besides, we’re done for now.”

“That was a great exchange of words,” Kysaek said disappointedly. “What’s next?”

“Evaluations and you’ll return to your cell soon, but before that, there’s another conversation here.”

“More sitting here? I’m missing my free time in the courtyard.”

Galaen was strict, but she repeatedly expressed her understanding. “You’ll probably miss it, yes, and it wasn’t intentional, but even the best-laid schedules can come to a halt. Would you like to have a meal while you wait?”

“If I have a free choice?”

“That depends on what you want.”

Somehow the thought of a last meal occurred to Kysaek and she wanted something good. “I want steak, a delicious steak with crunchy agua vegetables and mild herb sauce,” she wished. However, cows were not common or viable everywhere. “But if there’s no steak here, then another piece of meat.”

“I don’t know what a steak is, but I’ll see what I can arrange,” Galaen replied and left the room while the guards remained.

Kysaek put her feet up and twenty minutes later got what she had asked for. The fact that the guards had stayed bothered her a little, but she didn’t even try to start a new conversation with them. Instead, she savoured the tasty food and tried to make sense of the little Galaen had said, but she couldn’t do that. Kysaek simply had too little information and Galaen hadn’t let on that she could guess what would happen next. The Neo Solaris thing was clear to her, but it wasn’t relevant, even though she hated those xenophobic bastards and hoped the Consulate would expel them soon.

“I hope it tasted good,” Galaen said, re-entering the room.

“Yes, thank you,” Kysaek replied, satisfied and full. “Definitely worlds better than synthetic paste or pre-packaged food. When you have to run away all the time and you’re on a ship, there’s not much in the way of fresh food.”

“An experience I share.”

Two more soldiers came into the room behind the Palanian woman and positioned themselves in the corners near Kysaek. “That doesn’t bode well for me, does it?” she asked, glancing back fleetingly.

Galaen shook her head. “On the contrary, it’s for your protection.”

“Protection? From what or whom?”

“Our guest,” Galaen replied. She stood behind her captive and placed her hands behind her own back in military fashion. “Come in.”

Suddenly, an unarmed, helmeted soldier of the PGI Elite appeared and Kysaek immediately tensed. “Are you trying to kill me?” she immediately murmured in a defensive stance. She was ready to storm off, but the guards were already fixated on Kysaek and she stayed put.

“That’s why the extra protection,” Galaen said upright. “We don’t want an incident here.”

However, it wasn’t the soldier who completely upset the prisoner, but the one behind her. “Finally, I’ve got you!” an older voice snarled. It was none other than an unarmed Douglas Phonor in PGIE fatigues.

“Well, well,” Kysaek replied, surprised and rude. “I didn’t think I’d see you old sod again in your lifetime.” She clapped her hands on the table belligerently and stood up, but Galaen’s hand went straight to her shoulder and pressed her back into her seat.

“Keep calm!” the Palanian demanded. “Everything is under control.”

“Yes, listen to the troop supervisor,” Douglas added, nodding to the hostess. “I told you before that she’s an undisciplined hothead.”

“Better than being a lying snake,” Kysaek nagged back more calmly.

“Do you really think you should make such claims?” Douglas asked snidely as he filled the empty chair opposite the prisoner. “I always knew they were sloppy and careless, but I never thought it was just a front.”

“Are we playing theatre now? Because I’ve always hated your bossy behaviour, but I never thought you were one of the scum. Keeping slaves and carrying out cruel experiments on people ... Scum was far too mild.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, although I’ve been informed of your stories and propaganda several times. But that doesn’t save you from justice.”

“Justice? Is that a bad joke? You knew what was under Complex One! And I’m the bad guy?! Go to hell! What’s this all about anyway?”

“This is a purely informal meeting,” Galaen said neutrally. “PGI insisted on your immediate extradition, but the group was refused. However, the consulate wanted to avoid your imprisonment becoming public knowledge and therefore agreed a meeting with PGI. The corporation wanted to personally ascertain your whereabouts through Commander Phonor and agreed not to make any records of it.”

“He has now,” Kysaek replied, her ears ringing and she grinned maliciously. “And commander? Was that the price for your services and looking the other way?”

“Watch your tongue, Kysaek!” Douglas said angrily. “And speak to me with the proper respect! That means sir!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I resigned a long time ago. For me, it’s now whatever I want,” grinned Kysaek. That did her the world of good, even though the situation was serious, and she thoroughly enjoyed no longer having to obey her boss. “So Douglas, you’ve seen me. Be so good as to let your new lapdog show you out. Because I have precious yard time that you’re wasting.”

“What an impertinence, sir,” commented the previously silent PGI soldier.

“So she is,” said Douglas. “And no, I’m not leaving just like that again, since the consulate has given me another assurance. Plead guilty and agree to let us take you with us. Then I have permission to transfer you.”

Had Kysaek just misheard him? Was that really an option? In any case, she was taken aback by the statement. “You want me to...” she half recapitulated, when suddenly she laughed out loud and heartily. “Agree?! Come with you!? Ha ha ha, ha ha ha!” It took her a while to catch herself, because it had simply come out of nowhere and amused her royally.

Galaen and the guards took it in their stride, but Douglas had to keep himself in check “You don’t realise the seriousness of the situation, do you?” he grated, clenching his hands into fists that were now causing the sturdy metal table to suffer. “May I remind you of your most recent and worst crime to date on Trayden?”

Kysaek was almost finished laughing before she stopped abruptly and all fun was forgotten. “What did I do on Trayden?” she asked, emphasising each word heavily and exaggeratedly.

“Lieutenant Commander! Report the events of Trayden!”

“Yes sir!” replied the PGI soldier next to Douglas tautly. “Recently there was an uprising in a research colony on Trayden by the local, imprisoned inmates! Using her influence and contacts with the known criminal Roskor Reed, the wanted Elaine Kysaek incited the colony’s convicted prisoners, who were supposed to serve their sentences through labour, to rebel by bribing one of the top scientific leaders - Doctor Wolfgang Alexander Schaefer! Many innocent people and a lot of security personnel died as a result! The estimates so far are over 10,000 dead, which was unfortunately crowned by the illegal use of a neutron bomb that destroyed the entire facility and even more lives!”

“I’m so sick of these accusations. This has long since lost its tension,” said Kysaek, exasperated and belligerent, letting her head fall back into her neck. “Will you please release me Galaen so I can finish off PGI and give Skarg Peeks the beating of his slippery life before I send that pompous octopus to hell?”

“If you attack PGI, that wouldn’t exactly speak in your favour,” Galaen said appraisingly. “Request denied.”

“Can I at least have your pistol for a moment so I can shoot Douglas?”

“I definitely refuse.”

“Nice bollocks.”

“You see?” Douglas told Galaen indignantly. “I don’t know why it’s like this, but this woman is leading some kind of crusade against PGI and just wants to kill and destroy. This has to stop.”

“And I don’t know how anyone can be like that,” Kysaek countered. “I told you before - I always thought you were one of the good guys, a cramp and a crippled bastard, but a good guy.”

“So am I,” Douglas asserted righteously. “Unlike you. I would never do such things or advocate them, and if I found evidence that PGI wasn’t actually much better, I’d be gone in a heartbeat.”

The lieutenant commander clears his throat strangely. “Sir, you don’t have to explain yourself to this scum.”

“Yes, I do!” Kysaek nodded. “That’s what I-”

“All of you!” Galaen interrupted. “I think we’re moving into a repetitive pattern and I, for one, have a few comments to make myself.”

“Well, that would only be fair,” said Douglas. “What do you think?”

Kysaek was not so insightful, “But i-”

“Enough!” Galaen demanded in a raised voice, glaring at her captive like an angry mother who had just become really disappointed in her child and banished him to the quiet corner - it worked. “Commander Phonor, I have also been given extensive information about the events of Trayden and it is very much at odds with your lieutenant’s terse lecture.”

“Information? From whom? Kysaek?” Douglas asked. He couldn’t see through the Palan woman. “Do you believe her fairy tales? And if you want more detailed information, we’ll be only too happy to provide it. Correct, Lieutenant?”

“Well, ehm,” the accompanying PGI soldier murmured hesitantly. “The consulate would have to wait a while for the final report, but then certainly!”

“The Consulate’s sources are not to be your concern,” Galaen said, circling the table, lurking and tolerant. “My job, however, involves sifting through and analysing all sources to ensure Anuket’s safety and that justice is done.”

For Douglas, the situation was crystal clear: “You have a galaxy full of evidence and the guilty party is sitting there. What’s stopping you from convicting her?”

“I was talking about justice, not conviction. Justice is a two-way street, towards judgement or freedom, and since we’re not here on Cipi or in some lawless space in outer space, Commander Phonor, we follow the principles of Anuket and the Consulate as far as possible - innocent until proven guilty.”

That was a real low blow for the harsh commander “You can’t mean that, can you?”

“I carry out my duties extremely conscientiously,” Galaen asserted dryly, but she wanted to move the conversation forward. “However, we are getting lost in trivialities and I realise that PGI cannot currently provide any concrete evidence about the events at Trayden.”

“And what do you call the accounts of the surviving witnesses? Do you think they are liars?”

“Many voices do not make a truth, which is not to say that I accuse the witnesses of lying. However, this case is so sensitive that I have to weigh things up very carefully, and that requires more than just accusations. Data, facts, evidence - that’s what I stick to.”

“Have you seen the recordings and data sets from Cipi when Kysaek blew up two laboratories? Is that not conclusive enough for you?”

As with the first interrogation, Galaen picked up her data log and paused in her movement. “They are quite detailed and irrefutably real.”

“There you go.”

“However, two points about the events on Cipi intrigue me so much that I have certain doubts about what happened.”

For the eager Douglas, who was so close to his prey, the Palan woman was a real damper and the equally correct officer swallowed his annoyance. “It’s not just Cipi! On Central, one of the most important places in the galaxy, she wanted to rebuild her terror cell and do who knows what! She even stole a Luna Alliance ship! A bloody warship!”

“If Kysaek’s story is true, the theft was unfortunately necessary, which of course does not absolve her from prosecution by the Alliance,” said Galaen.

Meanwhile, Kysaek was mentally rejoicing, which she didn’t quite let on. She found that much better than teasing her old boss with simple insults or sniping.

For the Palanian interviewer, on the other hand, it was simply her duty. “Stealing war equipment is, of course, a serious offence and I am strictly against such things, but as far as I know, you yourself were once a soldier of the Luna Alliance, Commander, and you should know that sometimes you can’t avoid certain actions.”

“And what about the rest on Central? Was that also necessary? Is the consulate a terror-friendly government?”

“Please don’t insult us,” Galaen reprimanded. But it was only a fleeting moment in which she fell out of her thorough officer role. “And you’re very different. However, I prefer a point-by-point approach and would like to explain my thoughts on Cipi further.”

" ...continue.”

“Thank you, and I’ll say this: Elaine Kysaek, a woman who until then had been completely unremarkable, without any performance or ability worth mentioning, turns out to be the head of a terror cell,” Galaen began. Meanwhile, her prisoner sank into the chair and made a wan face.

Kysaek also knew how stupid that sounded, but also because she didn’t want to keep hearing that she had never accomplished anything special.

Galaen didn’t dwell on it anyway. “People don’t just radicalise out of nowhere. Do you think that’s logical?”

Douglas pulled his head back. “And that’s why you don’t believe the evidence? Please. I mean, I didn’t believe it myself at first, I admit that, but the more I saw, the more I believed. There’s a lot behind all this.”

“I partly agree with you, but point two is even more crucial for me: the leader of a terror cell, with certain resources and all sorts of places, is storing forbidden technology of the First in her more than modest flat ... ... really?”

“Where nobody would suspect it! That’s their scam! The inconspicuous!”

“With all due respect, Commander Phonor, that’s not a sly tactic - it sounds contrived.”

“And the Disciples of Dealith, where I tracked down Kysaek?”

“You mean the ones you nearly wiped out with a violent storm? You took not one prisoner and killed them all instead of consulting with the security authorities.”

“It was necessary,” Douglas defended. He was now trying the necessity angle as well. “We had tracked down Kysaek and had to take advantage of the element of surprise! Better to snuff out a few criminal lives than risk many more innocent ones and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”

“I hope I don’t have to remind you that you’re doing absolutely nothing here. The consulate is in charge here, not PGI,” Galaen clarified, which was beginning to sound almost surreal.

Kysaek listened in disbelief. Were there really places where something like law prevailed after all the contrary experiences of the past months? Or had they simply been the wrong planets and cities, so that the image of overpowering evil and corruption had simply emerged?

Galaen’s manner testified that there was more to it than that. “However, you or your corporate management probably think so, because you have entered our territory without authorisation.”

“Only in the outer area, which is not against any laws, as we had a legitimate reason to do so.”

“Justified in your opinion,” Galaen corrected. This woman was stiff and unbending, like a piece of steel. “And as on Cipi, you didn’t think it necessary to warn the relevant authorities, i.e. us, or to inform them in any way. Personally, I call that arrogance.“”

“Are you biased?” Douglas asked. It sounded like a subliminal accusation. “It seems to me you don’t like PGI.”

“I’m thorough and if it was a matter of judging my prisoners on hearsay and previous reports from others, I’d have to do the same with PGI ... Your corporation has faced charges of various crimes since Kysaek and I were children. So would it be fair for me to believe you less because of that?”

“Life isn’t always fair. Look at the facts you demanded!”

“As you wish: As you can see from Central, there are other reasonable doubts about the terror construct. Whole villages invoke Kysaek’s good character. What do you think that is? Bought propaganda? A cult?”

“The poorest of the poor,” Douglas sighed sincerely. “Their fate is unfortunate, but for them, even a small gesture is like giving them a new life.”

“Yes ... that’s exactly what the residents there say they’ve been given - a new life.”

“But you’re also turning everything around in favour of this woman! You’re against us!” Douglas claimed harshly and literally jumped to his feet. His patience was at an end. “I want Kysaek! It’s my job to capture her!”

The consulate soldiers immediately pointed their weapons at Douglas and his accompanying PGI lieutenant. “I think we should get to the end,” Galaen dismissed her guest in a relaxed manner. “I’ve gathered enough information from you for now and thank you for your co-operation.”

Douglas made no attempt to run amok now, but he was just as reluctant to leave and even became racist. “I’m not giving up so close to the finish line, you scaly reptile! Who made you such a pedantic and meticulous person?”

“A strict father.”

“To hell with you!” said Douglas. He slapped the table and glared at the prisoner. “Show at least a shred of conscience! Confess and say you want to come with me!”

Kysaek favoured a spiteful wave. “I confess I don’t want to come with you, sir.”

“This isn’t over yet!” Douglas affirmed as he and his companion were gently pushed out by the consular soldiers. “At least Doctor Schaefer had the decency to admit his guilt and help us find you!”

“What?” Kysaek asked, standing up with Galaen’s claw on her shoulder. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve had it up to here with this PGI lying.” Her subsequent attempt to break away caused the soldiers on the wall to intervene and they forced Kysaek back onto the chair.

Douglas was gone and Galaen gave new instructions. “Soldiers! Elaine Kysaek is to be transferred to solitary confinement with immediate effect!”

“Eh?” the prisoner blinked as she was tackled harder and taken out of the room. “But why?!”

“No detours! She is strictly forbidden to have contact with her crew or anyone else!”

“What are you doing now?” asked Kysaek, resisting, but to no avail. “I thought you weren’t like them!”

“Neither am I,” said Galaen, and that was the last thing her captive heard from the Palan for the time being.