Episode 7.2

For a moment, I ponder how Kaia referred to him, but his name simply escapes me. "I don't know what his name is," I reply. "Some blond guy who collided with Moriphos on the spaceship."

"Moriphos?" Gasard looks at me questioningly for a while. I realize my mistake on my own, but he beats me to it. "You must mean that time jumper." I nod in response, to which he sighs. "Oh, him." His next words sound sulky. "For some years now, he's been under the impression that my inventions are meant to be destroyed or lost."

Akara looks at him confused. When Gasard notices her gaze, he laughs.

"Otscharsan," he sighs. He runs his hand over his eyes, then shakes his head. "I even suspect he'd show up with all the parts of his exploded spaceship and suggest I repair it."

"He actually considered that," laughter comes from the door. It's one of the overseers, this Marto.

Gasard sighs again. "Marto, then please tell him that if he does, he'll find Kaia only half as bad as before."

Marto comes over to us. He asks Akara for his food and joins us at one of the tables.

"As if you'd really do something like that," Marto calls out, laughing loudly.

"Eventually, even my patience runs out! Can you blame me?" Gasard sighs. "After all, Otscharsan is the one who not only takes pleasure in teasing me but also seems to test how irritable I can be."

"Now you're exaggerating!" Marto's opinion. He takes the spoon and eats something.

"No, I'm not exaggerating!" Gasard sighs again. "As often as I have to repair something because of him. Just today, he used one of the airlocks as a racetrack."

"It can't be that bad," Marto thinks.

"Unfortunately, the doors don't open faster just because you're racing towards them. The lad knows that now." Marto looks incredulous. "And using all the ship's weaponry against a single door out of sheer self-preservation doesn't make me any happier."

"You're making that up now!" The overseer still looks incredulous. I listen to the story with interest.

"No, he really did that to me!" Gasard says. "I even believe it was intentional!"

Marto starts laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. Meanwhile, I wonder why Gasard has to deal with all this. From his words, I gather that he repairs everything alone.

"Now you're getting paranoid, lad!" Marto laughs loudly.

Gasard shakes his head. "If it were rare for him to destroy something, it wouldn't be so bad." Suddenly, even he starts laughing. "The advantage: I now have a good counterargument if anyone wants me to repair a few ships."

Marto raises his eyebrows. "And you think they'll just scrap the ships?"

"Don't crush my hopes!" Gasard sighs. "I know they just stash them somewhere for me to look at when I have time."

Gasard listlessly pokes at the porridge in front of him. When he notices me observing him, he smiles at me. "If you want, you can help me."

I nod, then turn to my bowl and start eating. Marto gets up to fetch some fruits.

"Am I right in assuming you're supposed to say you've been with me the whole time?" Gasard inquires, taking a spoonful of porridge.

I nod. That's all it takes.

"What about the girl?" Marto asks. He places a plate of sliced fruits on the table. "After you said she should come to Tormahs with us, I thought she should stay there. Now I wonder why she's back here?"

"If I tell you, you'll think Torsos is crazy," Gasard calls out as he eats.

I push my bowl aside and take a slice of fruit.

Marto looks somewhat annoyed but lets me do as I please. He turns to Gasard. "Well, I know the lad has a strange way of thinking," Marto says.

"Lad?" Gasard looks at him, then starts laughing. "That sounds like you're talking about someone younger than you."

"Gasard, you three hardly behave as one would expect from someone as old as you," Marto says.

"True!" Gasard laughs loudly, then shakes his head. "But if I tell you who she is, you'll think Torsos has lost his mind." Marto continues to look at him questioningly. "Her father's name was Malgard. You can imagine what would happen if anyone outside found out. Even if it became known that she belongs to the same race as Torsos."

"But you're making that up now!" Marto's opinion, with his gaze incredulously fixed on me. "The last time anything was said about Malgard was centuries ago, disregarding all the rumors about him."

I listen curiously to the conversation. Is my father really as famous as Mak mentioned? For me, it's all still pretty unbelievable.

"Moreover, Malgard was supposed to have had a son," Marto adds briefly.

Gasard nods. "Malgard did have a son. Olurato. The last time any of us saw him and Malgard was when Makkos died. But the stories never mention that he also had a wife. Janera."

"I'm aware that there was a mother to the child," Marto remarks.

"And why is it so hard to believe that there was another sibling?" Gasard looks at him and laughs. "The girl doesn't seem to have experienced the time."

Gasard laughs in response. "Okay, if I don't mention the main fact, it becomes even more unbelievable," he concedes. "The last time I stood before Janera, she was telling everyone she was finally giving her husband a second child. Back then, during the rebellion, Malgard just wanted to get away from everything. Away from everything related to that stupid prophecy. From the futile hope that his son would take over the Thorn. So, they went into cryosleep."

I lower my gaze to the floor. I wonder what my father and brother were like?

"And what became of Malgard and his son?" Marto inquires.

"They're both deceased," Gasard replies.

"Then give me one reason why you think she's Malgard's daughter." Marto seems skeptical.

"Because nowhere is it mentioned how close Makkos and Malgard were," Gasard explains. "Besides, we three remember their mother very well, and she's still alive."

My gaze again shifts sadly to the floor. Gasard comforts me by stroking my back.

"Nevertheless, I still don't believe it," Marto admits.

Gasard smiles at him. "I understand. I wouldn't believe it either if someone told me."

"But it would explain why she's constantly watching someone specific," Marto observes. "I've been wondering why he suddenly came down here."

Someone who constantly watches me? I can guess he means Mak, but I haven't noticed it yet.

"Can I hope that the lad will be here more often?" Marto grins. Somehow he looks quite eager.

"But you do realize he can hold grudges?" Gasard also grins. Apparently, Marto's plan amuses him.

"That doesn't matter as long as I can boss him around for once." Marto gets up and leaves the cafeteria with a few slices of fruit.

I also take another slice; Gasard follows my example.

"I should take you back," Gasard remarks. Suddenly, he looks at me sadly. "I just hope it won't seem strange that you're missing."

I just nod, still looking sadly at the floor.

Gasard continues to stroke my back.

"Do you think you'll manage down there?" Gasard asks, looking concerned.

I nod again, then take another slice of fruit.

Gasard follows suit. "Feel free to help yourself!" he invites me with a smile.

"I'm full," I say.

Gasard helps himself to two more slices, then calls for departure. I follow him.

He leads me back into the corridor, from where we go to the workroom. Now I understand where we are.

The door to the workroom opens, and immediately a few of the guards bow to him as they see him. Some of them look at me quite interestedly. Only one of the guards looks at me threateningly.

This Kyle.

As I notice his gaze, my heart starts pounding with fear. Automatically, I move a bit closer to Gasard. But here we are no longer among friends, but in prison, where too much familiarity with someone like him could quickly become my downfall.

He gives me a little nudge to urge me to keep going down the stairs.

My steps quicken, under Kyle's gaze. I just want to get away from this guy. As I do, I almost stumble down the stairs, but manage to regain my balance just in time and continue on.

At the bottom, I'm stopped by two strong arms that embrace me. His brown eyes look at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" Moriphos asks me. "Did they do something to you?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" I try to reassure him. "I was just supposed to help Gasard with something!" My lie seems to do little to ease his mind. Probably because I don't usually look as sad as I do today.

I take a deep breath and try to muster up a somewhat cheerful smile. I manage it.

"I'm really fine!"

Moriphos releases me from his embrace, but he still looks concerned. His gaze wanders up to the platform where Gasard is. Moriphos' look, which he throws at the redhead, now seems full of disgust and hatred.

"There's something I'd like to change about the past," he confesses to me, not taking his eyes off the redhead. "If the three hadn't met, this species would have been completely wiped out."

I look at him in surprise.

I realize he means Kaia and Gasard's species. But why does he hate them so much, I wonder. They both seem nice. Although Mak says I'm mistaken about Kaia. But especially Gasard has been so kind to me. Why is he hated like this?

When Moriphos notices my gaze, he sighs. A smile forms on his lips. "But our code forbids such a thing!"

For the rest of the day, Moriphos only asks me questions about myself. Which planet I come from, what it's like there, and what I always liked to do there. Most of his questions don't matter to me, only those about my family hurt. Nevertheless, I tell him something about myself. About the time before my 16th birthday.

I don't ask him any questions, even though he encourages me to and I'm actually very interested. But Gasard told me what the bracelet is for, and I don't want to be a spy. I don't want to do that to Moriphos.

We talk for a while until the guards order the prisoners to go to their cells. And it's very clear all the time that Moriphos is protecting me not just because I'm a girl. He seems very interested in me.

Even though I can't reciprocate his feelings, he's become a friend to me now.

In the cell, I see that Mak has granted my wish.

Nora has exchanged cells with Moriphos. Instead of the skinny guy who was also involved in the attack on me and Nora, there's now a completely unknown man sitting in Nora's neighboring cell, who shows hardly any interest in us.

"Where were you all this time?" Nora now asks me. She looks at me concerned, I can still see that before the light goes out.

"I was supposed to help Gasard." I don't bother to smile anymore, but my tone clearly indicates how bad I feel.

"Are you okay?" Her next question, her voice sounding concerned.

"Yes," I reply, even though I feel tears welling up inside me. Earlier, with Moriphos, when he questioned me about my family, I managed to control myself, but now I can't anymore. The images of my mother are in my head, and not even Mak's promise can drive them away.

A few tears run down my cheek.

"Are you really okay?" My yes doesn't seem to have convinced her.

I wipe my tears away with my hand. "Not really," I confess. I don't dare to tell her the truth. It would be too dangerous here. So I say, "I'm just homesick."

Slowly, I go to the bunk and lie down. Nora gently pats my back to comfort me, and now I can't hold back my tears at all.

I start to sob.

There's a loud bang, as if someone had hit the bars. It's definitely from Moriphos.

"I'll think of something," he prophesies. "I'll get out of here and then I'll take you two to your planet!"

His promise is well-intentioned, but I don't make hopes that he'll succeed. What do I want on Earth anyway? I wish it for Nora, but my problem is that my mother is on Tormahs. Even if an escape attempt could succeed, the fear for my mother would keep me here.

"Escape?" A laugh comes from one of the prisoners. "There's no successful escape attempt here. Everyone who managed it was killed. But before that, they were beaten to find out how they did it."

"I'll find a way!" Moriphos is sure of himself.

An impressive self-confidence, that's what I think.

Nora strokes my back reassuringly all the time. "Do you think he'll make it?" she asks me. "I want to go back home to my father."

I start to sob even more. Why? Why did my parents have to land on this planet?

Not only the homesickness for my father and the worry about my mother torment me, but also feelings of guilt. Thanks to me and my family, Nora ended up in such a situation.

Maybe I should ask Mak if he could find something for her. If he says no, maybe it would help as an argument to accept one of the offers here.

I wipe away my tears, but it doesn't help, they keep flowing. Only when my eyes begin to close from fatigue do my tears stop flowing.