PLANET AGAFRA - TOLLINDO CITY

Hyejin felt exposed in her hospital gown in a room full of men wearing fluffy white robes. She honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. Stupid! Why didn’t I find real clothes first? It was not a particularly flattering garment, and she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. Please no one notice.

Dion and the snack-hoarding driver were both leaning over the dining table, working on something electronic. Small tools, screws and other pieces of junk were spread out over the table in disorganised piles. They didn’t even look up to greet her, they were so focused on whatever it was they were building — or taking apart, she wasn’t sure which direction they were going. It took a moment to register that it was Dion’s ancient DataCuff.

Atticus grimaced. “Your arm looks really bad! I’m so sorry we didn’t get to you sooner.”

That remark made Dion look up from his project. His eyes immediately widened. “What happened? Are you okay?” He rushed to pull a chair out for her to sit on.

“No! Don’t stop!” Snack-Hoarder objected desperately. It was too late. Whatever Dion was holding down sprang out of place and flew across the room so fast that Hyejin couldn’t see what it was. “Ugh, so close! Why didn’t you let me finish first?” Snack-Hoarder put his tools down hard on the table and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms — until he took a look at Hyejin. He was on his feet faster than the little piece had disappeared, his mouth open in amazement.

Hyejin hesitated to sit down, wary of the tall stranger. She couldn't tell what was going through his head.

“You’re from a core planet, right?” Snack-Hoarder asked, excitedly. Hyejin instinctively squeezed Atticus’ hand, trying to lean away from the overly enthusiastic man.

“Ember, you’re scaring her. She’s a delicate lady. You’ll probably make her cry,” Echo scolded, sliding off the bunk to slink over to them as well.

It didn’t sound malicious, but Hyejin still shot a glare at the masked man. She was far from delicate. There was a dead trigby with a chair embedded in its head to prove it. Hyejin angrily crossed her… arm… Well, that’s embarrassing. I bet you look so intimidating right now, Hyejin.

Ember bit his lip and hesitated, his eyes downcast almost as if he was shy. He scratched the back of his neck and asked quietly, “Can I see? Please? Pretty please?”

“What?”

A grown man begging her was a novelty in itself, but what exactly was he so excited about? As far as Hyejin knew, all she had done so far was exist.

The more he spoke, the more excited Ember seemed to get. “Your prosthetics. I’ve never seen anything like them before. Do all the prosthetics on the core planets look like this? How do they work? Can you really feel it when someone touches them? What does—” 

“Enough,” Dion interjected, putting both hands on each of the tall man’s shoulders and pushing him back down into the chair. “It’s good to see you’re safe. They wouldn’t tell us anything... We weren’t sure you were even alive.”

Hyejin let go of Atticus and nodded, taking a seat. “It was the same with me. All they would tell me is that you survived and had three chil…dren.” It dawned on her that the three other men in the room were the children.

“It’s a long story.” Dion sighed. “Turns out Tollindo’s Mayor is pretty relaxed about bending the rules to get as many Digits out of government funding as he can.”

“Okay, but why are we sharing a room with them?” The nod to Echo and Ember was intentionally exaggerated with disapproval. She had no idea who these people were or if she could trust them. If they were like everyone else on this Earth-forsaken planet, she wanted even less to do with them.

Echo glared at her. Hyejin glared back. Just as Echo leaned forward with an arm raised like he was about to speak when Atticus beat him to it. “Just let them stay. Echo and Ember saved your life, remember. I promise they won’t take up too much space.”

“Actually,” Ember said, “I think I take up a lot of space. I won’t fit on those bunks.” He stretched his legs out straight from his chair. He was right. The long-haired loon was too tall to cram into the tiny space. He was so tall, the robe he was wearing very nearly showed off— Hyejin blushed and looked somewhere else before she could finish the thought. That footprint on the white cabinet looked very interesting. What is wrong with me today? Did I hit my head?

“We have things to discuss,” Hyejin stated, her eyes still locked on the boot print. “I don’t need people listening to private conversations. Get rid of them.”

“You could ask, Princess,” Echo snapped, stepping forward aggressively. This time Atticus stepped between them.

Dion was quiet for a moment before he looked at the twins, “Do you mind leaving the room for a bit?”

“Why?” Ember asked, apparently not getting the hint.

“Mum and Dad want to make out alone,” Echo sneered, marching away. Apparently that was all the reason Ember needed. He mimed a silent ‘oh’ and followed Echo to the door. 

When Hyejin, Atticus and Dion were the only ones in the room, Hyejin relaxed and slumped over the dining table. She felt a little better knowing that her chest was hidden. “We need to get off this planet.”

“Of course we do, but how do we do that when the starport is locked down?” Dion’s eyes were focused on her arm again. Feeling self-conscious, Hyejin tried to hide it with her other hand. It didn’t work very well.

“Do you know how to steal a shuttle?”

“I’m sorry?” Dion was so taken aback that his chair scooted backward with him.

“Do you know how to steal a shuttle?”

“I heard you, but why?”

Hyejin pursed her lips and took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “We might have been discovered.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Dion said, frowning.

“Neither do I,” Atticus added.

“Someone is onto our plan already. They’re on their way as we speak. If we don’t leave before they get here, there will be no job.”

Dion and Atticus were both quiet as they studied Hyejin’s face. She wished she could be more honest, but these two men were still low-lives she collected through shady contacts. They were only one step above the mana addicts that left the room, and the only reason they were even there with her at all was because she was paying them. Would they still be loyal if there was a better counter-offer? Hyejin wouldn’t put it past her father to try to end her plan quietly.

“Not a shuttle. They’re too big. They need two pilots for takeoff and landings,” Dion finally said, shaking his head. Hyejin hadn’t expected so much detail in his rejection. How did he know that? Did that mean he had tried to?

“What can you steal?” 

Dion shrugged and fiddled with a shard of metal on the table. “I think our best bet is to find someone with a private shuttle.”

“I can hack into the hospital registry and—”

“No!” Dion shouted, making Hyejin flinch. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, it’s too risky. You already had an episode today. What if it happens again?”

Atticus rolled his eyes and went to the kitchenette. Apparently everyone was in a foul mood today.

The door opened with no warning, followed by intense yelling in Linguaborda; a common language on the border worlds with roots in Paleoportuguese. Hyejin only remembered a few words here and there from secondary school. 

A young man pushed Echo into the room, then dragged Ember in behind him with a fist full of hair.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow!”

“I told you not to make trouble. Especially not right now. We are neck-deep in the sewer right now, I can’t deal with you two as well.” The blonde man glanced at the table before he locked eyes with Hyejin. “And you!” he pointed his free hand at her, “You are supposed to be resting in Section J18. Who told you you could go wherever you wanted?”

Hyejin was at a loss for words. She’d never seen this man in her life and now he was screaming at her like she’d stepped on his garden.

“Why, of all border worlds, did you have to come to this planet? Tsoukalas is going to have my head if I can’t keep NexTech contained,” the man continued, face going red with rage. 

The man let go of Ember’s hair and stormed toward her. Dion tried to get in the way, but the blonde man pushed him aside easily. “I don’t care how. I want you gone. Whatever your business is here, it’s finished. Leave,” he growled, leaning into her face. “If you aren’t gone by the time the sun rises, I will give you to those NexTech freaks and their blasted robots.”

Hyejin nodded quietly.

The stranger turned back to Echo and Ember. “You leave, too. Tsoukalas is working on erasing traces of the trials. If you can’t lay low — I know you can’t — then you need to be off-world while NexTech investigates Yesterday’s Children.” Ember opened his mouth to say something, but the man held up his hand to stop him. “Just leave.” He stormed back out of the room shouting a colourful variety of profanities in both languages.

A moment of silence passed. 

“Who was that?” Hyejin finally asked. She felt like she was missing a very large piece of the puzzle.

“Trev,” Echo answered. It was clear he had no intention of elaborating.

“The Mayor of Tollindo,” Atticus added, trying to subdue a smirk. Hyejin didn’t think there was anything remotely funny about their situation. How much had she missed?

“You know Tsoukalas, personally?” Dion asked. His mood seemed to lift up at the mention of the name, but Hyejin didn’t recognise it at all.

“He sponsors all the trial racers. We all know him,” Echo explained while Ember nodded along, chewing off a piece of jerky.

“Can you introduce us to him?”

Atticus threw a spoon at Dion’s head from the cutlery drawer. “No, not again. If I can’t hack, you can’t make shady deals with shadow lords! You already have Yoshida on your case, it’s too risky!”

“This time it will be different!”

“How?”

Dion gestured to Hyejin with the most sinister grin she had ever seen. “This time, we have money.”

Hyejin scowled and stood up. It was too fast. Pain radiated from her bad leg and she was forced to sit down again. “You’re not even going to ask me? Who’s Tsoukalas? What’s a shadow lord?” She tried to sound angry, but it just sounded like she was in pain.

All four of the men gave her the same expression like they pitied her.

“Just trust me. If we want to get out of here fast, it’s the best method.”

“What’s in it for us?” Echo asked, studying Dion with a sceptical glare. “Why should we help you?”

“We’ll take you with us to Oryxs,” Atticus chimed in. He seemed on board with whatever plan Dion was cooking up now. Hyejin wished she could have so much blind faith, but every part of this conversation was giving her red flags.

At least the twins seemed to be interested in the offer. “You can get us to a core planet?” Ember asked, almost bouncing with excitement. It was kind of cute.

“Even though we’re unregistered?” Echo sounded less convinced, but even he had an excited undertone in his distorted voice.

Dion nodded his head. “As long as you get us a meeting.”

The twins spoke to each other in Linguaborda; something about ‘going nowhere’ or maybe ‘not going backward’. 

Hyejin wanted to object. The idea of spending the next few hours with these people was bad enough, but to travel home with them would be a nightmare. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any better ideas. Her whole investigation hinged on her getting off Tollindo before her father’s people arrived. Besides, this whole conversation had highlighted just how much she didn’t understand about the galaxy. She wasn’t going anywhere alone. 

“We’ll do it,” Echo announced, returning to the bunk bed. “But we can’t promise he’ll help you. He’s a little angry at us right now.”

Ember offered some jerky to Atticus, clarifying, “This race he only let us have rifles. It’s the same as telling us to die. He might just shoot us instead.”

“What did you do?” Atticus asked, taking some of the jerky.

“I laughed at his tie,” Echo chuckled, slipping under the covers.