“Why did we end up here?” She looked up at me and continued. “Did you know that everyone is a slave? They’re all owned by someone in some way. They save even King Demetrios is owned by someone. Only the Sitar are free. This is a slave colony, owned by the Sitar. I don’t know who they are, and they’ve never shown their faces, but everyone is afraid of them. Even the king.”
She pressed her cheek against my chest again. “Not everyone here is bad,” she continued. “but they’re all deluded. Most of them think they’re free. They think they’re actually in charge of something that matters. Even if it’s just their home, they think it matters. They believe that because they dragged the scrap it’s made of for a few miles and welded, bolted, or glued it together that any of it belongs to them. In the end, they don’t even belong to themselves.”
I took a deep breath before answering. “The difference between them and us is one of circumstance and perspective, not reality.” She gently pushed herself away from me so that she could look me in the eyes. “We see them as ignorant only because we came in from the outside and have never been part of their culture until we were forced into it.” I thought of Yaltu, who wanted to break free but still held so many ideas that were a result of her environment. “We have a fresh set of eyes on it. I’m thinking, based on what I’ve seen, that most of these aliens, these people, grew up living under the thumb of the Sitar.”
“Who the fuck are the Sitar?” Reaver asked.
“Evil,” I said. “Whatever they are, they’re evil.”
“And?” she asked. “And that’s it? We let them live like this?”
I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to unite the people and create a force strong enough to break their chains. I’d find these Sitar and make them pay for enslaving an entire planet. I wanted to bring—
Peace to your world...
The voice of the Lakunae invaded my mind like hard-stomping boots of a hungover corporal who got stuck on guard duty again.
“Peace to your world,” Reaver said, looking me straight in the eye.
I frowned at her. “You met them, too, didn’t you?”
“Who?”
“The Lakunae,” I said.
She sighed and pulled away from me a bit. “I did.”
She he closed her eyes, as if she were trying to return to that place, the Void, and remember every detail about it. I’d seen her do the same thing during debriefings after battles, so I remained silent and patient.
“They took me somewhere,” she whispered. “Somewhere dark. It felt like I was in space, sort of. But there weren’t any stars or galaxies. Just blackness. They told me I was not the one who would bring peace to our world but that I had a part to play. They told me I was supposed to assist their avatar or something. They went on and on about how good of a thing I’d be doing.”
I nodded and squeezed her gently. “Keep going.”
“At first, I resisted. I was stuck somewhere I didn’t care to be. I wasn’t interested in whatever kind of bullshit they were selling. When I told them to put me back with my team… they hurt me. Not like a cut or something… but in my mind.”
I only noticed that I’d tensed when Reaver winced a little. “Sorry,” I said. “I don’t like hearing that they hurt you.”
“I’m fine. But I’m suspicious of the Lakunae. They’re not what they say they are. They act as if they’re just here to do good in our universe. But they act like dictators. They’re spoiled, slimy, squiddy aliens who lash out when they don’t get their way.
“So, I played along with the game to see where it would go, and here I am… with you… finally.” Reaver swallowed and looked up at me with a playful glare. “Speaking of which, how the hell did you let yourself get caught? You’re slipping, Major. Or should I say Captain? Although that didn’t last too long.”
I grunted, and she smiled at me. Any offense I could have felt vanished when I saw her lips turn upward.
I returned her smile. “When I saw you being led to the building, I knew I had to get in. So, I beat up about a half dozen guards. They were more than happy to let me in after that.”
“You’re an idiot,” she said, pushing herself fully away from me. “Now, not only do I have to cover my own ass, I have to cover yours too. Wait… did you beat up the arena guards?”
I smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. I think I’ll be the one covering you.”
“You do?” she said, a sly, sexy smile pulling one corner of her mouth up. “Look around. What do you see?”
I did as she asked, wondering what she was getting at. “I see a holding pen and a couple of gates.”
“Nothing else, right?”
“Right.”
“That’s because the Lakunae didn’t leave me be,” she explained. “They did something to me. That’s why I’m here. This is the finals. I’m competing for my freedom. I’m pretty famous now.”
So Reaver was the superpowered human Yaltu had heard about.
“They did something to me too,” I said as I gently drew her closer. She didn’t resist. “I’m faster, stronger, and, so far, it looks like I’m almost immune to injury. That’s how I beat the dragon.”
“What about Madomar? I only heard about that yesterday. Seems you’re becoming quite famous, too.”
“Ebon helped me overthrow the ruler of Madomar,” I said.
“Who’s Ebon?”
“Not a who—a what. It’s my sword. I left it behind so that I wouldn't draw so much attention. So much for that, huh?”
Reaver shrugged. “Nah. If they caught you with
