Page 58 of Bonds of Starfall

Destination: Sibeth.

She stood there, alone, not even realizing that Director Ilsa had left. The Alpha Team floor was cold and silent, save for the sound of Rin’s ragged breathing. She felt like she was going to pass out.

Kit’s words from… that day… floated back to her, echoing and taunting.

Sibeth… A Rogue got in from an illegal ship, and they need someone from the Fleet to pilot a ship there with Hunters.

To flee from the ghost of him, perhaps she would need to chase it, instead.

Her hand braced against the wall as she forced herself upright, lips parted, releasing jagged breaths, torn from the pit of her Soul.

Was she really going to do this?

Rin stared and stared at the words on the assignment board.

As if of their own accord, her fingers clicked on the flickering words at the bottom.

Sign-Up Form.

Current spots filled: zero.

Spots needed: one.

Rin drew in a breath, and then… she clicked,Accept.

The dawn lightwashed over Rin as she stood, rigid, in the warehouse of the Fleet base.

The cement stairs thudded hollowly as the last few personnel prepared the ship for the impending takeoff. The ship was streamlined, black, and glistening in the sunlight that cut through the open hangar. Similar in appearance to a plane, yet undeniably different, the Fleet vessel was crafted for expeditions within their solar system, not extended travels.

It was a different model than the one that…

Rin’s throat tightened, her folded hands shaking.

They had to make the mission to Sibeth volunteer-based after the explosion of the last ship. No one wanted to go after... The ship was different than the prior model. And the number of people taken was smaller, as well. One Fleet pilot, and only one Hunter:

Rin, who was standing before the sleek ship with her thundering heart in her throat and a different set of Hunter-issued uniform—a tight, black bodysuit, with sleeves that stopped at her wrists and cuffs around her ankles that she had tucked neatly into her heavy, anti-gravity boots. Flexible black gloves were fitted over her arms, the edge ending right at her elbow. Underneath, she wore her corset-style harness, and it cut into the bones of her ribs with every stuttering breath. Themany pockets in the pants were empty. She had no effects she wished to keep close, save the dog tag tucked under her bodysuit. Her phone wouldn’t work off-planet. She would be alone. In the Stars. Left to chase after the ghost of the man who would forever haunt her.

"Prepare to take off in fifteen!" The Fleet pilot—an older, well-medaled man by the name of Plin—called to her as he finished packing up the last of their supplies. A mere fail-safe. The trip would take less than a few hours with the advanced travel system. By nightfall, Rin would be in the sinful capital of Sibeth.

She nodded curtly, feeling her damned heart kick up again. Lucien had cleared her for the mission, so long as she had her medication.

Didn’t mean he was happy about it.

Dull footsteps thudded up the stairs, and she turned, finding the man in question walking to her, a pale hand gripping the thin railing as he came to a stop before her, green eyes dark behind his glasses and black hair in the slightest of disarray. She noted shadows under his eyes, as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep since a week ago, when she had told him where she was going…

"Hi," she whispered.

He didn’t speak, merely held up his arms and grabbed her, folding her into his strong chest. She breathed in his sandalwood scent, wishing she could bottle it and take it with her. His face pressed into the crown of her hair. "Vesperin." He said no more, as if he couldn’t think of the words.

Rin pulled away, chin brushing the soft cotton of his pressed button-up. "I want you to know, Lucien, I’m not running from you."From us,she wanted to say. "I need to do this. To find… closure."

Lucien’s arms fell away from her as Plin passed by, lines in the pilot’s forehead crinkling as he stared at them both, shookhis head, then continued to pack up. "Ten minutes!" he warned, voice echoing from within the ship.

Each second hammered against her ribs. "Thank you—for everything. I could not have done this without you, and I think that if I had been forced to be alone after…"Kit died, she finished in her mind, unable to voice the words. "I wouldn’t have made it, wouldn’t have been able to." The walls between her and Lucien had been worn away by grief. She no longer felt abashed to be vulnerable in front of the man.

His cool hand slipped over her cheek, bringing her face up to his. "You would have," he said simply. He let her go, then, and before Rin could blink, his hands cupped before him, soft tendrils of green sparks around his fingers as a dainty, small bundle of flowers grew from nothing in his palms. Soft blue petals with a delicate yellow center, green stems vibrant.

She often forgot that Lucien was an Earthborn, but most in the medical field were. She rarely saw him use his Stella.