Sarhea stood in the small secluded corner cubby of the observatory as she watched iridescent hues of blue, red-violet, green dance across the night sky.  Not a sound was heard in the corridors beyond, and it would be several hours before the first signs of life began to stir.  That was fine by her.  The early hours of morning were the only times she felt safe and didn’t feel as if she were being watched.  She did not find these small moments of peace very often these days.

Sarhea drew her cloak tight around her.  The battle scarred garment had become her only friend.  It had been two weeks since her revealing encounter with Raith.  She had worried in the beginning that he would no keep his word and would come looking for her.  But so far, it had not happened.  That did not mean he was not watching.  She didn’t know how he did it, but every time she let the growing loneliness win out, every time she couldn’t take the seclusion any longer and left her shadows, Raith would turn up, his critical gaze searching for her presence.  

In a way, it had been for the best.  He’d helped her overcome the nagging pain of being alone again.  Now she watched the world around her go by as if she didn’t exist.  It was all for the best…

Sarhea’s cloak had become more than a friend.  It had become her only access to the world below her vent tunnel world.  She’d learned the routes of the city’s oldster groups, and it was only among them that she felt safe enough to traverse the general corridors during waking hours.  With the aid of her cloak, she could fall in amongst them, blending in, on the outskirts of their numbers.  It was the only way she could gain access to food or even enjoy the sound of other’s voices.

She missed Finny the most.  The boy’s laughter had brought peace to her soul, had healed her heart and memories.  Now that he was gone from her life, the old pain was returning.  She had kept an eye on him in the beginning but it had been hard.  He’d been confused, had tried looking for her.  After several days, she couldn’t bear to see his sorrowful expression and so had stopped watching.

Then there was Aleena.  The Kalatian was used to her disappearances, but after the first week of no contact, Aleena had grown worried.  The sat-com had gone off multiple times.  Sarhea had finally turned it off, but seeing it sitting there on her table had tempted her too much.  Five days ago, she’d taken the device, dropped down into Aleena’s quarters when she was gone, and left the device on a shelf in the main room.  She’d remained completely isolated since then.

Sarhea cast one last glance at the early morning night sky before sighing and turning to leave.  It would not be long before activity would start up again.  She had a little more than an hour to roam the city before she would have to return to her vents.  She turned down the dark corridor that ran along the circumference of the observatory’s perimeter.  The only available light came from the moonlight that filtered in through the cubby ceilings.

“Sarhea?”

Sarhea instantly fell back into the shadows and froze, her keen eyes scanning the openings to the cubbies.  She saw slight movement several rooms away.

“Sarhea, is that you?” came the quiet whisper again.

“Aleena?”

She saw Aleena’s head emerge from the doorway.  Her friend quickly gestured for her to come.  Sarhea hesitated.  She’d only recently resigned herself to her secluded life.  This would be a major setback.

“Sarhea, please,” Aleena pleaded.

She sighed, and against her better judgment, went over to where Aleena waited.  She was pulled into a fierce embrace before she even fully entered the doorway.

“Sarhea, I was so worried about you!  Where have you been?  Why have you not contacted me, or anyone for that matter?”

Sarhea pulled gently out of the embrace and sighed quietly.  “I’m sorry, Aleena, truly I am, but I’ve come to the realization that my presence has put everyone, especially my friends, in great danger.  I’ve…I’ve been staying out of sight.  It’s the only way I can protect you.”

Aleena sighed and shook her head before walking over to the cubby bench to sit.  

“At first, when you didn’t get back with me later that day, I didn’t think anything of it.  It’s not so unusual for you to disappear.  But then after a few days and after that scouting party came back pretty beat up, I began to worry.  They don’t come back injured without you sustaining much worse.  When you still didn’t show up to at least let me know you were alright, I knew something was wrong.  Then two days ago, I find your sat-com in my apartment and so many things that had puzzled me over the past few weeks made sense.  I understood why Finny was so sad, could see why Raith was being such an ass…You didn’t help that scouting party…that’s why so many got injured…”

Sarhea sighed heavily.  She’d seen a few bandaged up soldiers, but had not investigated.  “No, I’ve not been out of the city,” she replied quietly.

Aleena shook her head once more.  “Raith found out about you, didn’t he?”

Sarhea’s ears wilted as she scowled at the floor.  “I screwed up.  I let my guard down, became too confident in my ability to stay in control.  Now I must correct my mistakes and stay away from those I endanger with my presence.”

“Sarhea, that makes no sense.  How can you possibly be a danger to us?  Your gifts have helped save us, especially those scouting parties.”

She shook her head.  “I can’t control it, Aleena.  I got a taste of a new energy not long ago, and its power scared me.  It made me dangerous.  It was decided that the best way for me to keep everyone safe was for me to…disappear.”

Aleena’s gaze darkened.  “You mean Raith decided.”

Sarhea sighed again as she sat at the opposite end of the bench.  “It ended up being a mutual agreement.  He would leave me in peace as long as I stay in the shadows.”

Aleena huffed in frustration.  “That doesn’t seem very fair, thought I guess after how obsessed he was to find…you, you’re lucky he hasn’t come after you anyway.”

“I laid out a warning.  If he comes after me, I’ll have no choice but to defend myself.  That would be bad for every citizen living within this mountain.”

Aleena’s eyes widened, causing Sarhea to glance away.

“I mentioned long ago that there were aspects of my gift-my curse-which I had tried to forget.  I thought coming to a new place would help me leave them behind.  But they caught up with me anyway and it is because of them that I have agreed to Raith’s terms.  I want to keep my friends safe just as much as he does.”

Silence fell between them for several minutes before Aleena’s ears fell back and she looked at her hands.  

“So that’s it then?  You’re really going to try and disappear?  I feel I know you better than that.  Sarhea, as much as you try and hide it, you enjoy the company of others.  How will you survive the seclusion?”

“I have to.  I’ll find a way.”

Aleena sighed heavily and looked to the heavens.  “Long ago, I mentioned that you should have let Raith know your secret.  He feels deceived, betrayed.  This all could have been avoided.”

“Perhaps, but it is much too late for that now.  These past few weeks, I’ve gone over every scenario in my head, but each time, the result was the same.  I end up alone after hurting those closest to me, those who trusted me.  As much as it hurts, this has played out for the best.”

The silence fell once more.  The heaviness of the conversation was weighing on her mind-she needed a change of subject.  She’d been wondering about the rest of her friends.

“Aleena, how is everyone taking my disappearance?”

Aleena arched a brow before sighing.  “Hmm.  Well, the boys, especially Askar, have been asking about you every time they see me, wondering when you will continue your lessons.  Nakyla has been rather quiet, though I don’t think she knows.  She asked about you once recently; I think she was bored.”

“So Raith has not told the rest of his team?”

“I don’t know for sure, but no, I don’t think he has.”

Sarhea was surprised.  She thought for sure he’d enlist their assistance in keeping watch for her.  

“What about Finny?”

She noticed Aleena’s hesitant gaze.  “He’s…taking it pretty hard.  He asks about you constantly, and he’s been wandering much more frequently, looking for you.  Raith tried to put an end to it, and that was not pretty.”

Sarhea’s eyes widened.  “Oh?”

“Yeah, I heard from Braunt that Raith brought Finny back against his will one day.  Finny began screaming at him, hitting him, and it ended with Finny screaming that he hated him.  Somehow, I think he knew it was Raith’s fault.  Finny hasn’t associated with him since.”

The news broke her heart.  All of this mess was her fault.  She knew Raith loved those kids, especially Finny.  To hear that the boy had done that to him was almost more than she could stand to hear.

“Don’t worry.  He’ll come around.  Every kid rebels against their parental figures at some point or another.  It’s part of growing up.  I sure did it-several times, but I never really meant it.  Finny’s just upset; he’s tougher than he seems-he’ll figure this out.”

Sarhea’s ears fell flat.  She’d not been with her parents long enough to experience this phenomenon and she hoped Aleena was right.

“How about you?  You still been practicing in the energy vaults, working on your ideas?” she asked, changing the subject.

Aleena’s sudden hesitance was unsettling.  “I…I don’t go to the training facility anymore.”

“What?  Why not?”

Aleena scowled as she looked at the floor.  “Raith revoked the access.”

Sarhea’s gaze hardened.  “Why?  Did he give a reason?”

Aleena’s silence was answer enough.  “He’s punishing you because of me, isn’t he?”

“Surely not.  At least I hope not.”  She didn’t sound so sure.  “Probably so.  I’ve also been placed on administrative leave from the hospital pending some sort of investigation.”

“What!?”

“Don’t go getting all worked up over it.  You knew that I didn’t really care for working in the hospital anyway.  If something arises, they know where to find me.  Besides, the break has given me the opportunity to work on my true interests.  Remember that holographic projector?”

Sarhea was too stunned and angry to respond.

“Well, I think I’ve finally tweaked it enough to get it working properly.  I just need something big to test it on.”

Aleena was trying hard to glaze over the bigger issue, but it was all Sarhea could see.

“How could he do that to you?  The hospital was already shorthanded!”

She could feel the heat of anger rapidly building within.  Aleena’s hand quickly fell to her shoulder.  “Sarhea, please don’t worry about it.  Everything will work out.  They may call me back tomorrow or the next day, and if not, if I really begin missing all the nonstop drama, I can volunteer at one of the clinics.  No one can prevent that.”

Sarhea sighed and without warning, scooted across to Aleena and wrapped her arms around her.

“I’m so sorry about all of this.  If I had listened to you, if I hadn’t been so…so stupid, none of this would be happening.”

Hot, angry tears burned her eyes as Aleena returned the gesture.  “What’s done is done.  I still wouldn’t take any of it back.  There have been some challenging days, but in the end, my life is better having known you.  I don’t care what Raith ever tries to pull, I’ll always be your friend and I’ll always have your back.”

Sarhea released her embrace and allowed a light chuckle as she wiped the tears from her eyes.  “You are the best friend I’ve ever had.  Not many in my past have had the strength to put up with me.  Thank you.”

“No problem, girl.  Now,” she started and reached into her pocket.  “I made this for you and I will not take it back.”  Aleena placed the sat-com into her hand.

Sarhea shot her a wiry grin, which Aleena quickly returned.

“Raith can try to restrict our interactions, but he doesn’t know I’m smarter than he is…by far.”

Sarhea couldn’t hold back a true laugh and it felt good.  “Yes.  Yes you are.”

---

Aleena couldn’t sleep.  She’d been up for more than an hour now recalling the past two days since reconnecting with Sarhea.  She’d tried to go back to sleep, but finally, in her frustration, she’d gotten up and now sat at her makeshift work bench tinkering with her latest invention.  She carefully flipped the switch on the triangular device, bringing it to life.  Neon blue light erupted from the central glass prism, revealing a hovering blue screen.  She reached out a microchipped claw and touched the general location of the screen’s image.  A menu popped up, causing her to smile.  Placing the sensory chips on her claws and painting them on with nail polish had been a last ditch option that actually seemed to be working.

She pulled up a file and selected it with her newly chipped index finger.  The blue screen disappeared and left hovering in its place was the holographic image of a book.  She carefully reached out her other hand, and in steady finger motions, flipped through holographic pages.  Aleena’s eyes instantly lit up in excitement.  She’d done it!  The invention worked!  

The pages only flipped so far before the digital image no longer reacted; she’d only scanned the first ten pages of the book.  She quickly scooted over to where her notebook lay open and jotted down some important figures.  Now that this project was complete, her mind instant was turning to her next, which would be far more challenging than the holoprojector.  She retrieved a familiar blue notebook out from under a pile of other papers and began jotting down ideas.

A light, urgent knock sounded on her door, causing her to look up from her work with a scowl.  Who would be bothering her at this awful hour?  She wrapped her robe tightly around herself as she stood and cautiously walked to the door.  Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar cloaked figure through the peephole.  She quickly unlocked and opened the door.

A rush of heavily charged air barreled into the room as Sarhea quickly stepped in and motioned her to reclose the door.

“Sarhea?  What are you doing here?  You do realize what time it is…”

Aleena noticed the hint of blue fire fading from Sarhea’s eyes before her friend’s gaze returned to normal.

“I knew you were awake,” came the quick reply.

Aleena scowled as she watched Sarhea glance around the room.  Her friend paused when her gaze fell to the work bench and the image of the book still being projected from the device.  Sarhea pushed the cloak off her head as she slowly made her way to the table.  

“Sarhea, is everything alright?”

Sarhea’s determined blue eyes turned to her.  “This is the device you mentioned earlier?”  

Without waiting for a reply, she reached out to touch the digital image.  The book moved freely under her finger, the pages flipping with ease.

“How…how did you do that?  I have to have sensors glued to my nails to make it work!”

Sarhea gave her a curious glance.  “I guess it likes my energy?”

Aleena huffed as she moved in beside her, and tapping with a combination of fingers, brought the command screen back up.  “Now can you tell me what this visit is all about?”

“We are going to get our lives back.”

Aleena was stunned as she stared wide-eyed back at Sarhea.  “What?” she started then shook her head.  “Ok, you know, I’m not sure I want to know.  And why are you so interested in my holoprojector?”

“This device will assist me with my plan.  How large of an object can it duplicate?”

Aleena was quickly growing uneasy.  “I…I don’t know.  I’ve been trying it on different things.  It scans metallic objects best, but I’m rather limited in large metal things in here.”

She noticed a pleased smirk playing at Sarhea’s lips.

“Perfect.  I know just the subject.  Can you show me how the scanner works?  The thing I have in mind may be…a little difficult for you to gain access to.  But I need its image for my plan to work.”

Aleena was now fully worried.  Sarhea was acting strange and now was talking about possibly gaining access to restricted areas.  She knew well enough by now not to question her friend’s plans when she was in this mode.

“Sarhea, you are kinda freaking me out right now.”

“Do you or do you not want your freedom back?”

“Yes, but…”

“Please show me how the scanner works.  And if my idea goes as planned, you could get your dream of becoming Refuge City’s newest inventor.”

All Aleena could do was scowl.  She was intrigued, but Sarhea’s plans were always trouble.

“Please Aleena.  I can’t live like this.  I have to get some semblance of a life back or I’m going to go insane.”

Aleena sighed heavily and turned the device off before carefully picking it up.  “Alright!  But if you break it, I’ll never forgive you!”

---

Aleena nervously made her way back to her apartment.  It had been several hours since she’d shown Sarhea how to use the projector’s scanner.  Her friend had said to be ready, but for what, she didn’t know.  Whatever it was, it was most likely dangerous.  Why else would Sarhea not tell her?  She could only hope her friend was not caught in the act of whatever she was doing.  She finally made it home and stepped inside.

“There you are.”

Aleena screeched in surprise as she spun to face the startling voice.  “Sarhea!  What the hell!  You scared the crap out of me!  How’d you get in here?”

Sarhea arched a brow, causing her to quickly grumble under her breath.  “Never mind.  I do hope you got what you needed and brought my projector back in one piece.”

Sarhea smiled as she pulled the device out from under her cloak.  Aleena’s wary eyes caught a metallic gleam from under the folds of material.  Her eyes widened.

“Do you have your daggers on you!?” she hissed in shock.

Sarhea did not reply and started to step around her.  Aleena moved into her path.  “If you get caught with those, they’ll be taken and you’ll be locked up.  There is a zero tolerance policy!”

“I’d like to see anyone try.  Only I can handle these daggers.  Now, are you ready?”

Aleena was scared and she made no attempt to hide that fact.  “Ready for what?”

“We’re going to interrupt an Alpha Team meeting.”

Aleena’s jaw dropped open in shock as Sarhea moved toward the door with an air of determination.

---

“This is crazy!  We’re both going to get locked away.  I hear the city dungeons are a horrible place…Please reconsider this, Sarhea!” Aleena whispered nervously beside her.

Sarhea only shook her cloaked head.  “I can’t.  The only way this is going to work is if I make Raith an offer he can’t refuse.”

“But what if he refuses?  Raith is as stubborn as any Leonian I have ever known!  What you have planned better be over the top!”

Sarhea shot the Kalatian a determined glare.  “Oh, I think it will be.  Now help me find Madrick.  He needs to be involved in this.”

She felt Aleena hesitate.  “Madrick is always with Askar, you do realize that, right?”

Sarhea’s step never faltered.  Yes, she knew the Cassarian and the Rigon were nearly inseparable friends.  Askar deserved to hear what she had to say as well.  He’d turned out to be a very close friend.

“If we find them together, then we take them both along for the ride.”

They made their way toward the dining hall the pair of men usually ate at.  Sarhea paused in the shadows as they arrived.  It was nearing the end of breakfast and steady streams of creatures were leaving the large room.  She could only hope they were not too late.  Anticipation quickly rose in her when she spotted the soldiers at their usual table.  Askar appeared to be trying to get an unconcerned Madrick to hurry up and finish his meal.  She shot Aleena a quick glance.

“You are going to have to go get them while I wait here in the shadows.”

Aleena scowled nervously.  “Alright,” she grumbled hesitantly before slowly heading over to the entrance.

Sarhea moved further into the darkness as she waited for Aleena to return.  It was several minutes before the Kalatian emerged with the two soldiers in tow.  Sarhea cautiously removed her hood as they neared.  Askar was the first to recognize her.

“Sarhea?” he said as he hesitated.  A wide smile spread across his face.  “Where…where have you been?” he called and practically ran over to her.  She quickly found herself in his strong arms.

“I’ve missed you guys too,” she replied with a quiet chuckle.

“It’s been ages since we’ve seen you.  I was so worried!”

She allowed a soft smile as she lingered in his embrace.  Under normal circumstances, she would have quickly pulled away, but right now, she allowed herself to soak up the peace his strength offered.

“What happened after that duel with the commander?  You disappeared and he turned…um…his moods became quite unpredictable,” Madrick added with a hesitant scowl from beside them.

“It’s a long story, guys, one that I’ll tell you later.  Right now, I need your help fixing a terrible mess I’ve made.  I need you to take me to the commander.”

Askar released her and shot her a questioning glance.  “That’s going to be difficult.  He’s in an Alpha team meeting and…yeah, you guys are not authorized to enter the military areas anymore.”

“I know there is another entrance that does not require access to restricted areas,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Askar shot Madrick a worried glance.  “What is so important that you need to interrupt the meeting?”  Madrick finally asked.

“I have information the commander has been seeking for a while now.”  She paused when their questioning gazes locked onto her.  “I have information on how to kill the drones.”

Three sets of wide eyes locked onto her.

“Are you going to help me or are you all going to stand there and gawk?”

Askar was the first to come to his senses.  “This…this way,” he whispered and quickly began heading in the general direction of the military district.

The group moved along in silence.  Sarhea had replaced the cloak’s hood and moved along between the walls and the men’s bodies.  She could feel Askar’s growing unease.

“How…how did you come by your information?” he quietly asked en route.

Sarhea shook her head lightly and sighed.  “Another long story.  You’ll hear part of it shortly.”

“There’s no guarantee that Commander Raith will answer the call.  It is well known that no one is to interrupt the Alpha team’s meeting unless it is a dire emergency.”

“Don’t worry.  He’ll answer.”

Askar fell silent for the rest of the journey.  Sarhea could feel the energy building within her as they turned down a narrow, nearly unnoticeable hallway off the far end of the military district.  They passed through several pass locked doors before only one large door stood between them and their destination.  A small intercom box was mounted on the wall next to the door.  Madrick had already hesitated upon entering this last leg of the journey and Askar fidgeted nervously beside her.  

“Before I interrupt this meeting and risk getting into trouble, I’m going to need a little hint as to what you’ve got,” Askar finally said, his worried gaze locked on the door at the end of the hall.

Sarhea glanced to Aleena, who hesitantly nodded.  She took a deep breath and slowly raised a hand.  A blue orb of energy formed in her open palm.  Madrick was the first to spot it, his round eyes widening.  He was speechless as he jabbed the distracted Askar in the ribs.  Askar’s eyes grew wide and he jumped back until his back hit the wall.

“I know how to kill the drones because I’ve been hunting them for months.”

“It…it was you?” Askar finally stammered.

Sarhea pushed the cloak’s hood off her head and from their reaction, she figured the energy was beginning to dance in her eyes.  She allowed the force of the swirling blue orb to intensify until it erupted into gentle blue flames.  The hand then closed to extinguish them.

“Yes,” she finally replied quietly.  “Now please, I need to speak to Raith.”

Madrick’s round eyes remained wide as he silently jabbed the stunned Askar forward.  At the threshold, Askar paused and glanced back at her again.

“This is not going to be pleasant, is it?  The commander never said anything concrete, but I got the strong feeling that the two of you were not on good terms after that duel.  He knows about this, knows about you, doesn’t he…”

Sarhea nodded as she carefully allowed her defensive energy to build.  “I give you my word-if this doesn’t go as planned, the two, three, of you will be safe.  I’ll make sure of that.”

Askar shot Madrick and Aleena a worried glance before slowly reaching up to hit the call button on the intercom.

“Commander Raith, sir.  I…I have something here that you are going to want to see,” he spoke nervously into the box.

Sarhea felt the energy flare, the heat build, as they all waited anxiously for a reply.  It was several minutes before a crackling pop sounded from the speaker.

“Askar.  I know you realize we are in the middle of a meeting.  You’d better have a valid reason for this interruption.”

Askar flinched, his worried blue eyes falling to her before widening once again.

“Push the button,” her distant, echoing voice called out as the defensive energy began to flicker from her fingers.

Askar was visibly shaken as he did as he was told.  He nodded to her when the intercom was ready.

“Commander Raith,” she began slowly in her strange, almost mechanical vibrating tone.  “I need to speak to you.”

Askar released the button.

“Now, everyone behind me,” she hissed, her voice returning to normal.

No time was wasted in complying with the command.  Sarhea quickly manipulated the flames on her hands into a festering blue orb in each palm and held them up harmlessly at either side of her.  Then all she could do was wait.

It was not long before the grinding of metal on metal began to echo through the narrow hall as locks somewhere on the other side were released.  Heavy steel hinges groaned as the door slowly cracked open.  Sarhea instantly heard the piercing whine of multiple weapons charging.  She took a deep breath as the door was pulled open and she was once again face to face with Raith and his gun.  

His narrowed green eyes burned with fury, his lips curled back in a soundless snarl.  His weapon was trained expertly at her heart and she could tell by its energy signature that it was not on the stun setting.  Several gasps sounded from inside the room and her sensitive ears caught the sound of a startled yelp as someone, most likely Kaden, fell from their chair and onto the floor.

“Oh shit…” came Nakyla’s dumbfounded voice from somewhere beyond the door.

A threatening growl finally began to rumble in Raith’s throat, and she could clearly tell it was taking every ounce of control he could muster for him to remain calm.

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here.  We had an agreement,” he finally growled, his voice low and strained.

“Yes, we did.  But some changes need to be made.”

Raith hesitated briefly before his rumbling growl increased in volume.  “What makes you think you have the right to even consider this?  You are nothing, nothing but a lie.  Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot you where you stand.”

“You are not a killer, not in this way.  I came to renegotiate our agreement.  In exchange, I’ll tell you how to kill the drones.”

He could not hide the flinch in his resolve at her words and she could also see the conflicted pulsing of his white energy.  It gave her reason to feel a hint of relief.  She knew coming here like this was a dangerous gamble and had half expected him to shoot her.  She took a careful deep breath as she allowed the blue orbs to dissipate and be reabsorbed.  

“Commander, the next move is yours.  I cannot know how you intend to respond, but before you decide, I wish to say that I come here not only to request changes in our agreement, but I also do not wish to see any more of this city’s citizens hurt by our enemy.  The information I offer will at least give you a fighting chance against them.”

“Perhaps you should have considered this earlier,” he seethed.

Movement from behind him caught her eye and soon, Bud’s large hand cautiously appeared on his shoulder.  Raith’s breath caught and he visibly flinched at the touch.

“Raith…I…I don’t know what to think about this situation, but before you make any impulsive decisions, I think we should hear what…she has to say.  After last night…”  Bud started hesitantly, but cut his statement short when Raith shot him a stern sideways glare.

“Raith, we need intel, any intel…no matter the source,” came Nakyla’s cold voice from the room beyond.

Sarhea did not need to see the Malkaian’s face to know she was pissed; her tone held the bite of betrayal.  A familiar pain stabbed at her heart.  She deserved every bit of anger they may feel towards her-she’d done this to herself.  Even if Raith agreed to any of the modifications she was to propose, she knew things could never be the same as they had been.  She set the thoughts aside and focused on the fuming Leonian before her.  She could sense his resolve faltering.

“Commander, I give you my word that I will not harm anyone unless you leave me no other choice but to defend myself.”

“How can you make such guarantees when you yourself claim not to be in control of…whatever you are,” he quickly spat back.

Sarhea sighed quietly.  “The unpredictable nature of my affliction only increases under heightened emotional situations-Like having weapons aimed at me.”

“Raith!  Remember last time?” Nakyla hissed from behind him.

The tip of Raith’s gun abruptly lifted as his posture stiffened.  “I remember,” he growled threateningly as he glared at her with renewed hatred.  “Unless you have something that can truly help, I may just have to repay in kind for that.”

She simply nodded her understanding as he took a couple stiff steps back and gestured her in.  Sarhea cautiously entered the room and got her first real glimpse of the room and its occupants.  As she expected, Nakyla’s amber eyes were narrowed and the Malkaian was bristling in anger.  Bud seemed quite confused and torn.  They had not interacted as much, but he’d always seemed to respect and like her.  She already knew Kaden hated her.  He’d never gotten over their earlier encounter and had always made a point to avoid her.  His wide-eyed look of terror was almost amusing.  

Raith was quick to step into the other’s path when she moved into the room, blocking their entrance.  Sarhea carefully turned back to him.

“Commander, what I have to say involves the Rigons.  Madrick should be allowed to hear.  Askar’s role with the scouting force makes the information relevant to him as well.  Aleena has something that will help illustrate what I have to say,” she said with a hint of a tone that conveyed their presence was not optional.

Raith’s glare hardened as he hesitated, but then he stepped aside to allow the rest of her party to enter.  Without word, everyone took positions around the center table.  Raith took his position at the head of the group and leveled his dark glare on her.

“You have our attention.  You’d better make good use of it.”

He remained standing as he laid his weapon on the table before him, his hand never venturing far from it.  Sarhea sighed as she cast a solemn glance at everyone present.

“I suppose the first thing I must inform you of is a misconception you all have concerning the drones.  In my time here, I have heard them called machines, robots even, as if they are nothing but circuits and lifeless metal.  This is not entirely correct.”

She paused, knowing what she said next would almost certainly meet strong objections.

“In order to understand what makes the drones work, and thus to know how to kill them, you must understand that they are in fact, energy based.”

Blank stares and confused glares were her only responses.

“Not only are they energy based, but they are an energy life form,” she continued slowly.

That statement got a reaction.  An incredulous snort escaped from Nakyla as she shoved herself from her chair and leaned forward at the edge of the table.  

“You’ve got to be kidding me!  You honestly expect us to believe that those things are living…living energy?  This is fuc…”

“Nakyla!” Raith snapped harshly, his voice commanding an instant silence.  Nakyla’s glare darkened and turned dangerous as she flopped back to her seat.

Sarhea lowered her eyes to the table as she sighed.  “I cannot make you believe anything.  All I know is what I see, what I have seen on other worlds.  This city’s military has expended a lot of blood, sweat and tears waging a losing battle against these things.  This losing battle is the reason I ever got involved.  One major problem you face is that your weapons rarely kill them.”

“But you can, armed only with daggers?” Raith cut in with a sharp tone.

Sarhea’s gaze lifted to him as she slowly reached under the folds of her cloak and retrieved the pair of jeweled blades.  Everyone but Aleena instantly recoiled.  Raith’s hand was immediately back on his gun.

“These…these are no ordinary daggers.  They allow me to channel my defensive energy more effectively, amplify it if necessary,” she mused almost absently as she gazed at the blades.  “The point is that the only way to kill the drones is to kill the energy residing within, and the only way to do that is with energy.”

She saw Bud’s gaze become critical.

“I am confused.  Our weapons are energy based,” he muttered with a scowl.

“But they are not strong enough to penetrate to the drone’s core.  Aleena,” Sarhea called as she carefully set the daggers down on the table before her.

Aleena quickly stepped forward, pulled the projector out of a bag she carried over her shoulder, and carefully placed it at the center of the table.  The blue screen that materialized captured everyone’s attention when she switched it on.

“I sure hope whatever you put on this thing helps you out a little,” she whispered quietly as she began to scroll through the files.

“That one,” Sarhea responded when she spotted the correct document.

“Big file.  Well, here goes nothing,” she whispered as she selected the file.

The blue screen disappeared, and then nothing.

“I don’t know what the two of you are trying to accomplish, but this is wasting our time,” Raith snapped impatiently.

Sarhea shot him a hard glare before turning back to the baffled Aleena.  The Kalatian fiddled with the contraption for several moments before turning to her with a shrug.

“Sorry, Sarhea.  I don’t know what is wrong with it,” she said with a strong hint of disappointment.

“Just wait,” Sarhea whispered and reached out an energized finger to the device.  

As soon as her finger made contact and her energy flowed into it, neon blue light erupted from the center of the device.  Fragmented lines of it spread out almost the entire length of the table.  Piece by piece, the image was built until a full sized holographic image of a drone hovered before them.  Several gaps sounded and Kaden nearly fell from his chair as part of the image formed right in his face.

"Oh my god…” Aleena gasped before turning her astounded gaze back to her.  “You scanned a drone?  How did you even…” she paused when Sarhea shot her a warning.

Sarhea’s gaze turned back to the digital image of the mechanical beast.  Her anger and hatred of it began to rise with a vengeance.  It was because of it that she was in her current situation…Hints of red-violet energy began to wisp off her fingers as she raised a hand and slowly rotated the image until the drone’s nose was roughly pointed toward her.  

Nakyla, Madrick and Kaden ducked as the beast’s tail section began to pass through them.  The fury fled from Nakyla’s gaze and was replaced with awe when she realized what was happening.  The Malkaian raised a tentative hand and repeated passed it through the hovering projection.  Even Raith seemed momentarily shocked.  His wide green eyes stared blankly at the image.

Sarhea slowly formed a small violet sphere of energy and allowed it to rise into the digital projection.  The neon lines wavered as the energy rose roughly to the location where the real beast’s festering black energy would reside.

“Your weapons are ineffective because they cannot penetrate to where the energy resides here,” she said, picking up a dagger and pointing its gleaming tip at the energy orb.

“What-what is this?”  Raith finally managed to ask.  The hate and contempt were gone from his voice.

“This?  This is but the projected image of our foe, at least one of their many forms.  And like the real thing, it is nothing but a vessel for its energy host.  The problem with your forces’ repeated efforts to shoot these things down has been that the blasts only disable the vessel.  The energy survives, lives to escape and later enter a new vessel, escapes with new knowledge of your tactics.”

Raith’s gaze quickly fell back to her, the glare returning.  Sarhea allowed herself to gaze back at him, the determination burning in her eyes.  He would not like what she had to say next.

“Commander Raith.  I know you’ve had good intentions in your war against the drones, but you have not been able to see the harm your tactics have put you in.  I remember the first drone attack I witnessed after first arriving here.  To you, the battle ended in victory, but you did not see what I saw.  There were other drones watching from the shadows.  They know they cannot penetrate this city’s shields, so they have been testing you, using their attacks to learn your ways, learn your tactics.  Now that they have gathered the information they need, they have switched to the offensive.  Unless you develop new tactics, methods they cannot predict, your forces will be no match for them.”

Raith was speechless as his hard glare bore into her.  She could see his white energy pulsing with his quickening heartbeat.  He had to see the truth in what she said…

“Commander…” Madrick started.  The fear in his wide eyes struck her.  “If this is true, the drones…they are doing what they did on our world as they watched Leonia.  This…this is not good,” he muttered, his nervousness visible in his absent fidgeting.

“Aside from developing new tactics, you must also expand the use of the Rigon weapons.”  Sarhea turned her gaze to Madrick.  “Madrick, where did you get the cannon you used that first night you went out with the commander’s team?”

Madrick hesitated. “It was made for me by Rigon weapon specialists.  We…we stole the technology from the…the things that watched Leonia.”

“Interesting.  That must be why it takes out drones with one hit.”  She turned back to the hovering image and raised a dagger to it once more.  “The drones must be hit here,” she continued as she slowly pierced the image through its digital vent slats with the blade until the tip touched the energy orb she’d released into it.  The energy dissipated and was reabsorbed into the blade.

“This is their only weak spot.  Hit it anywhere else, even with the Rigon cannons, and it might not destroy the dark energy within.  If a blast does not destroy this entire section, hit it again, as many times as necessary, to finish the job, and waste no time.  The energy parasite lifts out of a destroyed host vessel within seconds of it hitting the ground.  And whatever you do, don’t let any of them escape knowing you have more powerful weapons.  All ground gained against them would be lost.”

The gazes locked onto her bore a variety of emotions ranging from fear to fury, and dead silence had fallen over them all.  She finally noticed a hint of worry begin to work its way into Bud’s expression.

“I hope it’s not too late,” the large Kalatian mumbled absently as he stared at the holographic image.  

Raith was quick to shoot him a cold warning.

“What has happened?” she asked quietly.

“It is none of your concern,” Raith spat bitterly.

“Raith, this affects us all,” Bud countered, his yellow-green eyes growing hard.  He turned back to the group.  “Last night, General Tsa took a team of his men out against Raith’s warning.  They were ambushed in a surprise attack before they even made it to the ravine.”

“What?  My father!  Is he…” Madrick called out in alarm as he broke out of his shocked stupor.

Raith snarled in frustration at Bud’s defiance, but the Kalatian stood firm.  He quickly had to turn back to the frantic Madrick.  “Your father is alive, but he was lucky.  Three of his men were not so fortunate.  I warned him that going out was not wise, but due to our agreement, I could not stop him,” Raith growled in frustration.

Askar silently moved in beside his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Madrick,” Sarhea whispered quietly as she allowed her energy to dissipate and fade.

“How are we to kill something we cannot see, if what you say is even true?” Nakyla suddenly demanded, her anger getting the better of her once more.  

This time, Raith did not step in.  Sarhea could only shake her head.

“I am not the only one who is capable of seeing the energy.  Anyone can attain the sight, but it takes an open mind and a little faith.  Until then, you will simply have to trust what I say.”

Nakyla snorted in contempt and looked away.

“Or you can continue with your current ways and risk everything.  I’ve come here today to give you what I know.  Now that I have, it is up to you to decide what to do with it.”

With that, Sarhea collected her daggers and stepped back from the table.  Silence continued for nearly a minute before everyone suddenly began speaking at once.  Askar and Kaden converged on Aleena as she collected her projector while everyone else corned Raith and began firing questions, some of them heated, at him all at once.  

Sarhea tried to tune out the flurry of voices as she retreated to the back corner of the room.  She could sense by the glares shot at her that some of the questions were about her.  It was several minutes before she felt Raith’s seething glare fall to her as he abruptly stepped around Bud, Madrick and Nakyla, leaving them with their barrage of questions.  A quick gesture pointed her toward the door.  She was quick to step through when he finally opened it and was glad when it closed behind them, shutting out the chaos in the room.  But when she turned to face Raith, his fury filled green eyes stopped her cold.  Deep worry stabbed at her heart.

“Commander, the terms…” she started hesitantly, wanting to get this behind her.

Defensive energy tried to flare when he suddenly lunged at her.

“Silence!” he snarled and stopped just short of taking her by the throat.  She never even had a chance to react.  “You are a real piece of work!” he snarled, his hot breath hitting her square in the face.

Energy finally flared and she quickly brought blazing hands up between them.  Raith quickly stepped back.

“How dare you attack me!  I gave you what you wanted!”

A threatening growl rumbled in his throat.  “Information you could have brought to me privately!  You have succeeded only in stirring up conflicts between me and my team by coming here like this!  Were you really so afraid for your life that you had to make sure you had plenty of witnesses?”

She was too shocked for anger to take root.  “W-what?  No!  That was not my intention at all!  I…”

“Then why!?  You are either a very good liar or you are not as smart as you pretend to be.  I was resigned to let you remain in peace, to leave you alone and forget you exist.  Now I have to explain to my team, who trusted me, how I could know who you really were and why I didn’t tell them!  Which brings up another issue!” he snarled, his voice rising in volume with every word.

The power of his fury was overwhelming.  His energy flared from him with a strength she didn’t realize was possible.  It caused her own guiding energy to shy back.

“The things you have said today…these things should have been told to us long ago!  Many lives could have been spared, needless deaths avoided!  You knew…this entire time you knew they were watching us, hunting us, yet you said nothing and kept letting us go out there and reveal ourselves to our enemy!  Had I not discovered your deception, would you have ever informed us of our folly or would you have sat in the shadows watching us fall one by one?”

Sarhea was speechless.  His biting accusations cut straight to her heart, stripping her of all will to fight.  Even her energy betrayed her.  So much of what he’d said had once crossed her mind, but she’d ignored the quiet voice within that prodded her to tell someone, anyone…She had foolishly thought she could handle the drone issue alone.  Her eyes fell as she took a hesitant step back.  A snarl of fury erupted from Raith and she found herself wishing he would just kill her and get it over with.

“You…you are not worth all this wasted effort.  It would be better directed at figuring out where to go from here and ironing out the mess you have made within my ranks.  I suggest you leave my sight before I act on this fury burning in me that demands action,” he seethed.

Sarhea’s hesitant gaze lifted to see his narrowed eyes filled with such bitter hate and fury.  She knew there would be no negotiating the terms of her isolation.  Deep despair settled over her as she turned from him without word.  A quick thought caused her to hesitate.

“Commander, there is still the item I wish to request in exchange for my information,” she muttered.

“You think you deserve anything after creating this mess?” he snapped.

“What I request does not benefit me.  All I ask is that you not hold Aleena accountable for any of my transgressions.  She does not deserve to share in my fate as she has too much to offer.  Yes, she helped me in my times of need, but that only attests to her caring nature, her desire to help those in need.  She has a brilliant mind full of ideas, ideas even more beneficial that the device you saw today.  Can you at least concede this one request?”

The question seemed to take him off guard.  He glared at her in silence as he considered her words.

“Fine.  I will ease her restrictions, but she will remain under observation.  If I feel for even a moment that you are in contact with her, I will end this agreement.”

Anguish crashed over her as she lowered her gaze.  “Thank you.  That is all that I ask.  Aleena has been a true friend and I only wish to see her free of the punishment I deserve for the things I talked her into doing for me.  I’ll involve her no further,” she whispered and turned from him.  

She took a few steps before briefly hesitating.  “Good luck, Commander.  I sincerely hope my information serves you well.  You will not be seeing me again.”

“I’d better not, for the next time, I will not hesitate to take you down,” came his bitter reply.

Sarhea nodded her understanding as she quickly continued toward the opposite door.  She wasted no time leaving the narrow corridor and returning to her hidden world.