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Ryziel took a deep breath and leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge of the console, where the map was projected before them.

"A couple mooncycles at most. Xilya will be down before then, and we will have everything ready to go, including supplies for the trip. Then we get to work."

Nar was silent longer than usual and Ryziel knew he must be thinking about something. He waited until the urk said, "So, I take it you figured things out above, right?"

"I don't know what you mean," Ryziel said, though he thought he knew.

"You know, with what set you off? Just making sure your head is clear now."

Ryziel closed his eyes and an image of the woman—Aly—lying on the ground, cowering before him, lit in his mind. His hands slowly formed into fists, and his jaw clenched, as if he were bracing himself for a hit.

"I'm clear. And ready to get this job done," he said, unwavering. And he felt it was the truth. He had made up his mind coming down that he wouldn't return above unless it was by ship. He would not go near the humans again, especially the one called Aly. Maybe when everything was said and done, when he had gotten home and took revenge on his uncle and reunited with his brother, maybe he would try to come back for her—

No. For them. And only to understand why.

Ryziel took another long breath then moved away from the console and the map. "Let's get to work."

Chapter Nine

Aly felt awful waking up and more awful as she got ready to meet the others at Braxin's work unit. With the Nuri from the night before mixing with the little sleep she had gotten, she had a recipe for the start of a very bad day. She took a quick, lukewarm shower and ate a small meal that was a near equivalent to sloppy oatmeal, then dressed in her usual slipsuit before inevitably slipping out the door.

Outside the hub, the rain made it down to the middle levels, pelting the ground in heavy splats. Aly drew on her hood and rushed for the elevator, quickly becoming soaked in the places her slipsuit could not protect. Great flashes of lightning lit the surface above, the light penetrating the dark even from where she stood, giving off a white, eerie glow against the backdrop of the cave. The elevator trembled as she took it down, and though the slipsuit was meant to keep her warm, she shivered regardless, hugging herself tight. Her heart leaped and her stomach rolled when she made it to the fifteenth level, where the rain still cascaded down in torrents. She feared what was coming, even if she told herself last night that she would be prepared for the reprimanding she was surely going to receive. She felt sick at the thought of being alone in those cold, metal-laid warehouses, working on the conveyor with bots to transport the minerals to a ship sent down to the mines.

Alone and no one to talk to. Nowhere to find a familiar face. It was an awful nightmare she couldn't escape.

She dragged her feet into the hub and forced her way over to the large entry of the storeroom, where Braxin's work unit was located. As she entered the space, she found her team already there, standing in a semi-circle around Braxin, whose snarling face looked annoyed, as usual.

Aly made her way over without meeting his gaze, knowing he was probably giving her the dagger treatment, and slipped beside Mark and Ethan.

"Now that you all are here," Braxin said as he sent a message onto his techband, "I have been contacted by several Xolis council members, discussing your placement on Lethe Maws. It is their decision that you remain here a while longer. Until a... better situation can be made."

No one moved or said a word. The news came as no surprise to any of them, and they knew arguing was pointless. At least where the lygin was concerned. Likely, there would be much to talk about (or argue over) at the next meeting.

"Is that all, then?" Ethan asked.

"No, that isn't all," Braxin nearly growled. "Marzin wishes to speak with you lot."

That got a few responses out of them.

"Why?" asked Davis

The lygin's eyes shifted over to him, his expression unreadable. "It is not my business to tell, only that it is the wish of the captain." With that, he disconnected one end of his techband, forming a slim silver ring, which he slid from his wrist then placed on the ground. He tapped on the remainder of his techband, and the silver ring lit up.

There was a brief shimmer of light. Then, as if appearing from nowhere, Marzin stood before them. He was not actually there, but the holographic ring certainly fooled the team into thinking he was. Every detail was exactly as Aly remembered, from his slick black hair down to the golden shine of his skin. His black, gold-flecked eyes stared at them with no hint of pleasure or amusement.

Aly noted that the horns (or antenna) on the sides of his head were smaller than Blue's and curved ever so slightly. He was more...stern and official; pride sitting plainly on his face. He looked over each of them with quiet regard before speaking.

"As you each know, it is the Xolis Council's will that you remain on Lethe Maws," he began. No curt greeting or 'how are you'—just down to business. No one dared protest or interrupt, as if to do so would end in a worse punishment than remaining in the mines. He studied each of their reactions and nodded, satisfied. "It is also the Council's will," he continued, "that you be further monitored upon request."

"Requested by who?" Aly blurted.

Marzin's eyes drifted over to her and lingered longer than she liked. She felt heat rise in her face and looked away.

"It is for your own safety, the Council finds, that you should be more closely looked after," he said after a pause. "As of today, you will be given new techbands to help keep you safer in the mines."

'Safer how?' Aly wondered. And she could see the others thought the same.

"Forgive me, Captain," Julian said, "But would it not be more beneficial and logical to house us in a more secure location?"