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“You can’t even tell they’re in.” I look closely in the mirror blinking rapidly to clear the tears.

“Hop back up on the bed. We’re going to cut the lights and see how well you can see.”

I do as I’m told while Cuna pulls out their own tablet with a schematic of the ship on it. They navigate through the screens quickly until they get to a list of rooms and then wait for Hyva to give them a nod.

One second the lights of med bay are bright and the next everything goes completely black. Even the medical machines that consistently hum and whirl have gone dark. But I can somehow see everything crystal clear.

“Wow.” I look around and slide off the table. “I can see just as clearly as I could in the light.” I turn back to both of them. “Is this really how well you see?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need any adjustments?” Cuna asks. “I can still calibrate some of the settings if need be.”

“No.” I turn and smile at them. “Thank you. This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“I’ll be sure to relay that message to the commander.” Hyva’s voice is laced with humor and mischief. “If you need any major adjustments, we’ll have to wait until after the mission, but I’ll be able to help if there’s anything physically you need done.”

The lights flicker back to life and my vision changes back to normal with no problem.

“Are we done?” Cuna asks.

“Yes.”

“Thank you,” I tell them. “I appreciate your help, Cuna.”

“No thanks necessary.” Cuna inclines their head and then turns and walks off.

“They’re a little strange, huh?” I say as the door closes behind them.

“All geniuses are in my experience.” Hyva lifts my left eyelid and then the right as he double checks the fit. “But they mean well.”

“Yeah, I’ve worked with others like them on Oculus Nine.”

“I’m really surprised the corrective surgery wasn’t successful. I know the Order has the ability to handle even complex issues. Why make you rely on glasses and imperfect vision if it wasn’t necessary Or at the very least explain why it wasn’t working?”

“I’ve been questioning a lot of things about the Order lately.”

“Like?”

“Their rules. The strict way I was raised. Them not sharing anything with me about my past. All they ever shared was that I’m human and my father left me with them. Any questions I asked as a child ended up with me being reprimanded, so I learned not to ask.”

Hyva frowns as I begin to open up.

“I’m surprised they allowed me access to human media at this point. Though doing so would be in direct opposition to their philosophy. Knowledge is power, you know?”

He nods, everyone in the galaxy knows that’s their core belief. It’s what makes the Order what it is. Why they absorb everything they touch.

“Zeahiri has always been untrusting of the Order,” Hyva says. “Because knowledge is power, but what does that say about a group that hoards all the knowledge it comes into contact with?”

“Right.” I nod slowly. “I get it.”

I sigh heavily. It’s uncomfortable to look back at the group of individuals who raised you and see their shortcomings when you always held them above reproach before. I never thought I’d be grateful for being kidnapped, but here I am, glad to have this experience. Knowing my worldview has expanded and I’m finding answers to questions I didn’t even know I had gives me a sense of peace I’ve never had.

* * *

“What is that?” My eyes must be comically wide as I take in the huge creatures before me. They stand taller than Raiz with a huge line of spikes leading from between their ears to the base of their long neck. Powerful muscles ripple along their flanks under the saddles they all have strapped around them. Their coats are made of sleek and shiny fur, in a myriad of black, grays, and soft white.

“These are what we’ll be riding to the temple. They’re called kyril, and despite their appearance, they’re kind and calm creatures.”