Chapter 30 #3
I look at Sophia's image again. "It doesn't change everything."
"It changes the future of the Brood."
"And Sophia's future changes in ten hours,” I remind him. “Do you know what that means? You said yourself what the Gzet do to their slaves. They change them, turn them into nightmares."
For the first time irritation flashes across his face. "I remember what I said, Nora. This solar system contains many captives. When we Harvest it, we’ll free them all. Not just one.”
The words hang between us. Neither of us likes them.
I stare at the space station. For months I thought Sophia might be dead. Now she's right there. We know where she is, and somehow we're arguing about Harvests and strategy.
"If it were me," I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, "would you wait?"
The entire command chamber becomes still.
Krix'vorr doesn't answer immediately. His gaze remains fixed on mine.
"If it were me being sold," I repeat, trying to keep my voice from trembling, "would you spend any time counting warships, or would you act?"
Nobody moves. Nobody speaks.
Finally Krix'vorr looks away.
That tells me everything, because we both know the answer. He wouldn't wait. He would tear the solar system to pieces.
“I can’t abandon the greatest duty ever given to a Harrower," he growls.
His words are chilling because he's being completely honest. He's standing between two impossible obligations, and he can’t fulfill both. He isn't pretending the choice is easy.
That's when another voice enters the conversation.
"I believe the Chief Harrower is attempting to explain scale." Inquisitor Brax'tok steps forward from the rear of the chamber. I'd almost forgotten he was there. The fact that he has been listening the entire time immediately makes me dislike him more.
Krix'vorr doesn't look pleased, either, but neither of us tells him to leave.
The Inquisitor clasps his hands behind his back and studies the display. "A single captive female is important under certain circumstances. But now that we know where the Gzet homeworld is, she’s not needed."
I don't like where this is going.
He turns toward me and gestures at the wall.
"Your friend is a tragedy. Those things happen. Indeed, they’re quite common.
Anyone who falls into the hands of the Gzet can safely be considered lost." The Inquisitor points toward the four planets.
"Those worlds contain billions of beings.
Countless resources. Countless! The profits of millennia of slave trading.
History rarely presents opportunities of this magnitude. "
"She's my friend," I protest, knowing it’s hopeless.
"And this is his duty." The answer comes too smoothly, as though he's rehearsed it.
I look at Krix'vorr.
The Inquisitor notices immediately. "Chief Harrower," he says, "you have spent your entire life preparing for this sort of discovery. The Queen entrusted this mission to you because she believed you capable of placing the Brood above yourself, the way we all must."
I see what he's doing now. Instead of attacking me directly, he's reminding Krix'vorr who he's supposed to be. Which is probably more effective.
For several seconds nobody speaks. Then Krix'vorr slowly turns toward the display again. The planets shine above us: rich, vast, important, everything a Chief Harrower could ever dream of.
And somewhere inside that system Sophia isn't waiting for a rescue. She must feel completely hopeless. I suddenly understand that neither of us is going to win this argument today. The knowledge leaves me exhausted.
"I need some air." The statement doesn't make much sense aboard a living spaceship, but nobody comments on it.
I turn and walk out. Nobody stops me.
I don't go back to the cabin immediately. Instead I wander through the Beast's corridors while anger and fear compete for space inside my head. The living walls pulse around me, carrying messages through the ship's body, and every reminder of where we are only makes it harder to think.
Eventually I hear footsteps behind me. Familiar footsteps.
I don't stop or even slow down, but Krix'vorr catches up anyway. For a while he walks beside me without speaking. The silence lasts long enough that I begin wondering whether he'll say anything at all.
"I haven't abandoned Sophia," Krix’vorr finally rumbles.
I keep walking. "It sounds as if you have."
“It may still be possible to rescue her when we Harvest this solar system.”
“She won’t be here then,” I snap. “She’ll be delivered to her new owner.”
He reaches out and gently touches my shoulder. The contact that normally feels comforting suddenly feels complicated. "I don't know how to choose between those duties."
The honesty takes some of the anger out of me. Just enough. I look up at him. For the first time since finding Sophia's location, he looks tired. Emotionally tired. Like the weight of the decision is already pressing down on him.
"I don't know either," I admit.
The corridor falls silent again. Something has changed. A crack exists now where there wasn't one before. And neither of us knows how to close it.