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With renewed purpose, Thraxar completed the final preparations for the pod’s launch. As he worked, he found himself humming one of Rory’s melodies, the sound filling the empty spaces of his ship.

Not empty for long, he reminded himself. Soon he would return to them.

His family was waiting.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Kara folded the last of Talia’s tunics and placed it in the drawer. The drawer that actually belonged to the child now—not borrowed, not temporary. A permanence that still felt miraculous.

She glanced out the window at the garden where Rory and Talia were playing. Rory had arranged colorful stones in intricate patterns across the ground while Talia carefully walked between them, following some rule of their shared game that she couldn’t quite decipher. The morning sunlight caught in Talia’s dark curls, highlighting the healthy glow that had replaced her pallor from just a week ago.

Seven days since Thraxar had left. Seven days that stretched like years.

“He’ll be back today,” she whispered to herself, the same words she’d repeated each morning. But today they felt different—more like a promise than a hope.

Her hand drifted to the communication device he’d given her before leaving. It remained silent, as it had since his brief message three days ago:Mission complete. Coming home.

Home.The word still caught in her throat sometimes.

The clock on the wall chimed, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Time for work,” she called through the open window.

Talia looked up immediately. Rory continued his arrangement for several more seconds—finishing the pattern was important—before standing.

“Can we walk through the market today?” Talia asked as they came inside. “Elrin says the fruit sellers have something called treeberries.”

“We might have time,” she said, helping Rory with his shoes. “If we leave now.”

The walk to the medical center took them through the heart of the settlement. Unlike the harsh, utilitarian mining asteroid or the sterile corridors of Earth’s overcrowded cities, this place had been built with living in mind. Gardens and trees lined the pathways. Buildings nestled into the landscape rather than dominating it.

People nodded greetings as they passed. Not the suspicious glances or predatory stares she’d grown accustomed to, but genuine acknowledgment. After just a week, faces were becoming familiar. The baker who saved a special roll for Rory because he liked the spiral pattern. The elderly Syvian who sat in the same spot each morning, whose translucent tendrils waved gently in greeting as they passed.

At the market junction, she spotted the fruit seller Talia had mentioned.

“Ten minutes,” she told the children, knowing that Rory would take her literally. “Then straight to the medical center.”

The fruit seller—a stocky, four-armed being with iridescent scales—beamed as they approached. “Ah! The young ones! I saved the ripest batch for you.”

Talia’s eyes widened at the violet clusters. “They look like tiny stars.”

“That’s what my grandmother called them,” the seller agreed, handing them each a small sample. “Fallen stars in your hand.”

She watched as Rory examined his portion with careful attention before placing one berry on his tongue. His fingers fluttered—his sign of approval—and she smiled.

“We’ll take a basket,” she said, passing over the credit chip Thraxar had insisted she take.

“Kara!” A voice called from across the market. Lesha Dorn, one of the nurses from the medical center, hurried toward them. “There you are! Doctor Sarn asked if you could come early. The Ferasian workers just arrived for their physicals.”

She nodded, tucking the fruit basket into her bag. “We’re on our way.”

As they walked the remaining distance to the medical center, she marveled again at how quickly her life had transformed. From prisoner to refugee to… this. A respected trauma specialist whose experience with mining injuries had proven invaluable to the small settlement’s medical team.

“Kara!” Doctor Sarn greeted her cheerfully as they entered the facility, her eyes warm. “Thank you for coming early. The children can use the recreation room until your shift ends.”

“I’ll take them,” Lesha offered. “I heard Elrin brought new learning modules yesterday.”

She knelt to eye level with both children. “I’ll see you at midday break. Rory, stay with Talia. Talia?—”