Toren woke up feeling refreshed. He touched his scars, and felt only traces. Whatever medicine the woman used on him, would have saved Olsur a lot of pain after his surgery. He got up, and dressed in the new clothes, and donned his cleaned armor.

"Breakfast is ready", he heard the old woman's voice from the kitchen. He and Kilea helped her distribute the bowls of oatmeal, and the glasses of juice and plates of mango cake.

"Have there been any new updates from the Rebellion or the Empire?" Toren asked as they ate. "The Vigilante's brother and sister were captured, and brought to the Imperial lab in Ras Kilear for experimentation, around 2 weeks after the battle of Arealkara. But just a few days ago, they were brought back, following a dangerous operation spearheaded by Olsur Tauron, who had destroyed half of the Trellos base on his own", the woman said. "What experimentation?" Toren asked.

"They were testing a particular drug, that once administered, forces the subject to respond to auditory stimuli, affecting the brain directly. They will obey any order, and a particular signal will enhance the drug's effects, and the subject themselves, physically and mentally. On its own, the drug lasts just a few minutes. A larger dose will allow for more time, but that can get dangerous for the subject very quickly. Thus, they also made a carrier, that keeps the drug in the subject's system, allowing it to last for up to 4 days. Orders can be given up close, or from a distance, through earpieces, which are fed the information from a computer room. It is morbidly fascinating, what they can come up with", the woman said.

Toren shuddered at the thought. "And what of the lab?" he said. "Unfortunately, it is still standing, along with the labs in Roveskal, Imlanta, Skalea, Turmeria and Orogard. They were unable to destroy it. They had already lost over a half of their strength by the time they managed to recover Kira and Axeran. The only other thing we know, is that the Vigilante has split from the fleet, and is now somewhere in the Empire. She had already claimed a few more targets", Ralea replied.

"I need to return to the fleet. As soon as possible", Toren said. "You are going to have to wait. We are under complete lock down here. We do not even have our own ships. The group that you two destroyed yesterday was probably just one of many that patrol the streets every night. We have no way of fighting through all of them. Any Rebel agents or sympathizers were either rounded up, or left Arealkara after the battle", the old woman said. "If only I had killed Fellor. We would not have been in this situation", Toren said. "Even if you had, you would still have to retreat. Another Imperial fleet showed up just as the survivors retreated. I and our friends were fighting on the ground, far away from you, but we still saw the battle. When your fleet left, we did, too, as there was an influx of Imperials, and too many of us were killed or maimed. Over the next two weeks, only the two of us were left. We heard of your survival by chance, a few days before I found you", Kilea said.

"Not to mention, we were almost captured twice, when some jerks tipped them off. Barely got away in time before they got the drop on us. Largely thanks to her", the woman said. "You are being too kind, mother", Kilea said. "Nonsense. You taught her well. Thank you", the woman said. "Kilea was a great student. In fact, the best Sky Guard I ever trained, by far", Toren complimented. "Had it not been for you distracting that IG, I don't think I would have won. He was just a little too good with his sword", Kilea said. "You did all the heavy lifting. I would have been screwed without you coming when you did", Toren said. "Let's not ponder of what could have been. Now, there isn't anything significant to keep us here. We need to find a way to leave Arealkara. Fighting through the entire Imperial regiment here, even with your injuries fully healed, is not an option. I am no good in combat. So if anything goes wrong, our safety is up to you two", the woman chimed in.

"If you two are not opposed to cold air, flying in the dark, I could carry us far enough to where we can arrange for a pick up", Toren suggested. "Master, when was the last time you have flown successfully, let alone with the weight of two more people? Besides, you have only just recovered", Kilea questioned. "When me, Silurian, Celina and Master Eldaria were cut off from our fleet after the recapture of Lok Etreon, I flew all 4 of us to Korukal, while avoiding Imperial scouting missions. We were spotted not far from the city, where the anti air defenses provided us with some desperately needed help. Just days later, Lok Etreon had been retaken, and Korukal fell soon after. Needless to say, the flight out had been a much easier affair. And now, you can keep fueling me with your lightning, which will significantly speed up the process", Toren replied.

"That was a desperate moment. This technique is to be used only when absolutely necessary. I do not want to risk it", Kilea replied.

"We should attempt that only as a last resort. After all, those flights you took were years ago. The best way is aboard a refugee ship. We will have to disguise your armor, but otherwise we should be fine. There is little to no risk of them discovering us. Another refugee transport would not be important enough for them to investigate. And if it somehow gets there, it will be just unsuspecting soldiers, who will be easy enough to get rid off. Worst case scenario, you carry us. But only as an absolute last resort", the woman said.

"When do we start?" Kilea asked. "The next refugee ship is scheduled to depart in 18 hours. But there will be a long line to get onto it. We need to be there at least 10 hours early. Otherwise, we might have to wait even longer. And that will put us in even more danger of being discovered. Breaking out of that will be challenging to say the least", her mother replied. "So, we have 8 hours. Let us hope they are not too eager to come looking for us again", Toren said. "This is a much poorer part of Arealkara. We have little to worry about here. But there, is a large, more heavily invested area, which is more heavily patrolled. Only time can tell however. For now, let us rest. I will prepare us some rations", the old woman said.

And thus, they waited.