The hovercar glided through the night as the hours passed by. The thrusters buzzed steadily, and the tall, thick grass of the countryside blurred past the window.  Ash was slumped in her seat, her mouth dry, her stomach rumbling.

“I’m starving,” Ash said, her head resting on her fist. “I might just ask you to stop and eat the grass.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kira’s eyebrows shot up as she reached into her jacket. “Here,” she said, handing over a meal bar. The words NutriPlex Protein Boost stood out in bold letters on the purple wrapping.

“Thanks,” said Ash with a small smile. She unwrapped the bar and took a bite. Her face twisted. “It’s like eating wood!”

“Uh-huh,” Kira nodded, pulling two more bars from her jacket. “I also got cardboard and styrofoam. Wanna trade?” she quipped, keeping her face flat.

“Don’t you have chocolate crunch in there?” Ash tried, hopeful.

Kira shook her head, “Space life is harsh, and sometimes meal bars are all you’re gonna eat. You gotta get the healthy stuff.” She unwrapped her own bar and took a bite, pointing to Ash with it. “Eat your wood.”

Ash grimaced as she took another bite, trying to imagine the taste of a synth-chicken burger with mayo. It didn’t help. She kept eating, but the look on Kira’s face as she glanced over made it clear she wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Takes some getting used to,” Kira said with a smile. She pulled two small cans of water from her pocket and handed one to Ash. “Try this. It’ll help wash it down.”

As Kira sipped her water, Ash examined hers. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the words Horizon Café printed on the surface. “You stole this?”

Kira burst out laughing, spitting water onto the windshield.

“Why are you laughing?” Ash asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Girl,” Kira said, grinning as she patted the dashboard of the hovercar, “we stole a damn car and you’re bugging me about a water can?”

Ash felt her cheeks heat up. “Right,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Look, following the rules is good,” Kira admitted, taking another sip. “But when your life is at stake, the rules change. Either you bend them a bit, or you’re dead meat.”

A red light started flashing on the dashboard.

“Perfect,” Kira muttered, stepping on the brakes. The hovercar slowed and lowered onto the grass, its thrusters whining softly as the engine cut off.

“What happened?” Ash asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“This piece of junk is about to catch fire,” Kira answered, already climbing out of the car.

Ash scrambled out after her, watching as Kira opened the hood. A wave of heat and smoke poured out, making Kira scrunch her nose and turn her face away.

“Turns out this rust bucket doesn’t like being treated like a race car,” Kira said, shining her multi-tool flashlight onto the engine. She studied it for a moment as the smoke cleared. Ash looked as well, clueless about what to look for.

“She looks ok, but we’ll have to wait it out.” Kira said, turning off her light.

“How long?” Ash asked, crossing her arms.

Kira pouted her lips eyeing the engine. “At least half an hour. Long enough for me to regret picking this floating repair bill.”

Ash groaned, putting her hands on her head. “No, no, no! We need to keep going!”

“Relax,” Kira said, dropping to the ground and leaning back against the car’s door. “We’ll be out of here soon. Too bad I don’t have my deck on me.”

Ash sat beside her, staring at the swaying grass. Her thoughts drifted to her father again—was his car overheating somewhere too? Or worse, had the Terrans already caught him? Her heart clenched at the thought of finding the cabin empty, their search ending with no sign of him.

“I’m scared, Kira,” Ash said softly, eyes fixed on her own feet. “What if he’s not there? What if I never see him again?”

Kira turned to her, her gaze softening. “It’s no use thinking about it now. We have a plan, we should stick to it. If he’s not there, we’ll figure out our next move, but hey...” She reached over, lifting Ash’s chin gently so their eyes met. “Don’t lose hope. It’s one of the things you’re best at.”

Ash exhaled, looking up to the stars. “You’re right. Thank you, Kira.”

Kira only nodded, giving her a small smile. She pulled a gum pack from her pocket, handing a stick to Ash. “Dessert?”

Ash took it, the sugary strawberry taste washing over the bland memory of the meal bar. She watched Kira as she chewed her gum, eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Sorry about earlier, when I asked about your dad,” Ash said, fidgeting with the buttons on her sleeve. “I didn't mean to cross a line.”

Kira said nothing at first, her gaze steady ahead. Then she spoke, her voice quieter. “That’s alright.”

“It’s just... my father always says it’s good to take things out of your chest,” Ash said, turning her head toward her.

Kira said nothing, only her jaw moved, chewing.

“What I’m trying to say is... if you ever need to talk about it... you can talk to me.”

Kira’s jaw tightened for a moment, but then she gave a small nod. “Thank you, Ash.”

Ash let out a slow breath. She looked up to the myriads of stars scattered across the sky. “You see that constellation there,” she pointed, her finger tracing its shape. “The one that looks like a cup tipped over?”

“Yeah,” Kira said with a nod, following her gaze.

“The brightest star, in the middle—that’s Evania. That’s where my mom went,” Ash’s throat tightened suddenly, her jaw clenching against the surge of emotion rising in her chest.

“Do you plan to go see her, if... when we get out of this mess?” Kira asked, her tone steady.

“No,” Ash replied, her lips tightening. “Father says I should visit, but I don’t want anything to do with her. She’s the one who left us. She’s the one who—” Her voice cracked, her breath hitching as tears pricked her eyes. She swallowed hard, fighting to hold them back.

Kira turned to her, studying her carefully for a long moment. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I don’t know,” Ash whispered, her throat aching as her words faltered. Her eyes blurred, and the effort to hold back the tears became overwhelming. “I just... I need...”

Kira’s jaw tightened, her eyes lingering on Ash’s face. Then her voice softened, almost a murmur.  “You needed her now.”

Ash nodded, and she couldn’t hold it any longer. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her hands in her palms, her sobs quiet but persistent.

Kira’s expression softened, her eyebrows rising. “Hey,” she said, leaning in.

For a moment, there was only the soft rustling of grass against the wind. Then Ash felt Kira’s arm wrap around her back—awkward at first, like she wasn’t sure she should, but then firm and steady.

Ash leaned into her shoulder, Kira’s presence cutting through the cold emptiness that had gripped her chest. She hadn’t realized how much she needed it until now. Kira said nothing, but her presence was enough—a quiet warmth in the coldness of the night.

As Ash’s sobs slowly faded, they sat in silence. She rested her head against Kira, feeling the slow rise and fall of her companion’s breathing, while the tightness in her own chest eased, just slightly. Kira’s eyes were far away, lost among the dark fields.

“It happened eight years ago,” Kira broke the quiet, her voice almost a whisper, “during the revolts against Earth. My father was a former pilot, and we had a ship, so he volunteered to join the fight against the Terrans.”

Ash turned to her, eyes wide as she listened.

“I was terrified,” Kira continued. “I didn’t want him to go, but he wouldn’t hear me out. He said he had to do it—for us.”

“And then what happened?” Ash asked, studying Kira’s face.

Kira didn’t meet her gaze. Her eyes seemed lost in a mist. “My mom was scared, but she understood, and Anna—my sister—was too young to fully get what was going on. But I kept having nightmares of the Skydancer getting blown out of the sky, my dad’s body floating in space, all alone. I knew I couldn’t let it happen. I had to… do something.”

“And did you?” Ash asked softly.

Kira turned to her. “When the day came for him to leave for battle, I sneaked into the Skydancer and hid in the cargo hold.”

Ash’s mouth fell open. “What happened when he found out?”

Kira’s lips pursed, a heavy veil settling in her stare. “I thought he was gonna get mad. But his eyes just went wide, like he'd seen a ghost. He was terrified—terrified of losing me.”

“What did he do?”

“The rebels won a major victory that day,” Kira continued, her gaze drifting upward to the stars. “So, when the battle was over, we left the Skydancer with the fleet and flew back in a shuttle.”

“So, it turned out okay?” Ash asked hopefully.

Kira shook her head, her expression darkening. “Turned out the shuttle pilot was a Terran Wraith. That’s what they call their agents. When we got back to Alboris, they used us to find out where the families were hiding. They came with drones, troops, tanks. We had no chance,” Kira exhaled, her shoulders slumping. “And it all happened because of me.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Ash protested, her voice rising. “You didn’t know! You were just trying to look out for your dad.”

Kira’s voice dropped to a whisper. “That’s not the worst thing I did.”

“What... what did you do?”

“They arrested anyone they thought was involved in the fighting. When the Wraith came for dad I... I didn’t think,” Kira spoke, pressing clenched fists against her mouth. Her jaw tightened, and her breathing grew quicker.

“What, Kira? Tell me...” Ash asked, placing a hand on Kira’s shoulder.

Kira shook her head. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, Ash,” she muttered. “You've got enough to deal with”

“Just tell me, Kira,” Ash insisted. “I’m the one who asked you to. I want to know.”

Kira closed her eyes and took a slow, shaky breath. “I had a screwdriver in my pocket, so I grabbed it,” she told, her knuckles whitening as she squeezed her fist, “I jumped on the Wraiths’s back, and jammed it in his eye.”

Ash’s face went pale.

Kira opened her eyes, but they were unfocused, trapped in a past she couldn’t escape. “Everyone turned at his scream. It took four soldiers to pull me off him,” she continued, as if watching it all unfold in front of her. “When they finished patching him up, he came to me. I can still remember that crooked nose, the stink of his breath on my face. He said he wouldn’t touch me. That my punishment would be to live.”

Ash’s felt a knot tighten in her stomach as the words sank in.

“He took his blaster,” Kira muttered, her voice now barely audible, “and he lined them up in front of me. Anna, Mom, Dad... and then...”

Her lips tightened into a thin line, her jaw quivering. Every muscle in her body stiffened, and her hazel eyes clouded in an endless, consuming darkness.

Ash’s throat tightened as tears burned at the corners of her own eyes. She reached out. “Kira, I—”

But Kira stood abruptly, walking a few steps away with her head down. Her hands pressed hard against her hips, as if trying to hold herself together. Only her shallow breaths filled the silence.

Ash rose slowly, her own breathing shaky. “I’m... so sorry, Kira. I... I don’t even know what to say.”

Kira sighed, her back still to Ash. “It’s just... been a long time since I told anyone about this.”

Ash remained silent, keeping her distance. Her mind reeled as she imagined a teenage Kira, bound and desperate, watching as a man—a monster—destroyed her family, one by one. Her stomach twisted as the weight of Kira’s guilt hit her like a punch.

“Thank you,” Ash finally managed to say. “For telling me.”

Kira exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. “Yeah,” she said softly, not turning around.

Ash’s eyes grew wide as a line of lights appeared in the night sky, too bright to be stars.

“Kira,” she whispered urgently, "look at the sky.”

Kira turned her head up sharply. “Aircraft,” she muttered. Her eyes darted to the car, then to Ash. “Quick. Move! Away from the car!”

Kira sprinted through the grass, crouching low as she ran. Ash followed, her breath catching as the blades brushed against her face. They stopped near a tree, ducking into the thick, earthy-scented grass.

The aircraft, dozens of them, whooshed overhead, engines rumbling like distant thunder, heading toward the distant glow of the city. Ash bit her nail, barely daring to breathe, as she watched the lights slowly fade against the sky.

The silence afterward was suffocating. She turned to Kira, whose eyes scanned the horizon, their sharpness returning.

“We should get going,” Kira whispered, jaw tight, her gaze locking on Ash through the swaying blades of grass.  “Let’s hope the overheating diva’s done throwing its fits already.”

They both froze as a low thrum cut through the quiet. Barely moving, their eyes searched the shadows, seeking the source of the sound.

In the gloom, a single hoverbike emerged, its lights off, barely visible against the blackened landscape. Ash bit her lip, her heart pounding as the engine quieted. The bike halted behind the car, and its rider stepped onto the grass.

It was a man—his  silhouette dark and indistinct, his features obscured in the faint light. He moved cautiously, circling the car slowly, peeking inside the windows, before stopping at the open hood. He studied the exposed engine, his head tilting slightly as if pondering.

Ash’s heart stopped as his head rose toward their hiding spot. Kira didn’t move, her rifle held tight, eyes fixed on the stranger.

The man’s gaze swept over the area, and after a beat, he turned back to his hoverbike. In a single motion, he mounted it and ignited the engine. It roared to life, and he hovered off, the dark shape of the vehicle vanishing into the night.

Ash exhaled slowly, still rooted in place. She didn’t know if he was friend or foe, but something told her she didn’t want to find out.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter!

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