The Starfire drifted through the empty space between systems, its engines quiet, its crew asleep.
All except Ren.
He sat in the cockpit, staring at the stars. Three fragments now pulsed inside his chest. Blue for courage. Purple for endurance. Gold for wisdom. They had settled into a rhythm, beating together like three hearts sharing one body.
It should have felt natural by now.
It didn't.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw things that weren't his memories. Felt things that weren't his feelings. Knew things he had no right to know. Like how his father preferred his food slightly burned. Like the name of his father's first love, the one who died in the purges. Like the exact sound of his father's voice when he said Sara's name for the first time.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Ren didn't turn. He recognized the footsteps. Light. Careful. Always aware of her surroundings.
Aiko slid into the seat beside him. In the dim light of the cockpit, her dark skin seemed to absorb the starlight. She'd been on the ship for almost two weeks now, and Ren still didn't know much about her.
"Can't sleep either?" he asked.
"Sleep is boring." She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Also, your mom snores."
"She does not."
"She totally does. It's like a Gorvak with a cold." Aiko grinned. "I'm going to record it someday and use it as a weapon."
Despite himself, Ren laughed. It felt strange. Good, but strange. He hadn't laughed much since leaving Elarion.
"So." Aiko looked at him sideways. "You want to talk about it?"
"About what?"
"About whatever's keeping you awake at three in the morning while the rest of us are trying to pretend we don't hear your mom snoring."
Ren was quiet for a moment. Then: "I'm seeing things. Memories that aren't mine."
"That's new?"
"It's getting worse. Every fragment adds more. Sometimes I can't tell which thoughts are mine and which are his."
Aiko nodded slowly. "Sounds like a storage drive that's being overwritten. Except instead of data, it's a person."
"Something like that."
"You think you'll lose yourself completely? Become just a copy of your dad?"
The question hit harder than Ren expected. He'd been avoiding it. Pushing it away. But here it was, out in the open.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe."
Aiko was quiet for a long moment. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device. She pressed a button, and a hologram flickered to life above it. A woman. Dark skin like Aiko's. Same sharp eyes. Same knowing smile.
"My mom," Aiko said quietly.
"She's beautiful."
"She was." Aiko's voice was steady, but Ren caught the slight tremor. "She died when I was twelve. Some kind of accident at the research station where she worked. At least, that's what they told me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You didn't kill her." She stared at the hologram. "I kept this recording because I was afraid, I'd forget her face. Forget her voice. Forget everything. And you know what? I was right to be afraid. I have forgotten. Most of it, anyway. I remember she liked spicy food. I remember she hummed when she worked. I remember she hugged me every night before bed. But the details? The little things? Gone."
Ren looked at the hologram. At the woman who smiled like she knew secrets.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're afraid of losing yourself to your dad's memories. But me? I'd give anything to have more memories of my mom. Even if they weren't mine. Even if they were just recordings." She shut off the hologram and tucked the device away. "Maybe it's not a curse, Ren. Maybe it's a gift. Your dad gets to live on. Through you."
Ren thought about that. About all the memories flooding his mind. About the feeling of his father's presence, always there, always watching.
"He said something to me. In the wisdom fragment. He said everything ends. Even mothers. Even love."
Aiko nodded slowly. "Sounds like someone who'd lost a lot."
"Yeah." Ren looked at the stars. "I think that's why he scattered his soul. Not just to give me power. But to make sure part of him survived. To make sure he wasn't completely gone."
"Smart man, your dad."
"He was."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars drift past. Somewhere ahead, the fourth fragment waited. Ren could feel it now, a faint pulls in his chest. Different from the others. Sharper. More urgent.
"We should get some sleep," Aiko finally said. "Your mom's going to want to review the navigation data in a few hours. And she gets cranky when she's tired."
"Does she?"
"Terrifyingly so. I saw her throw a wrench at the engine yesterday because it wasn't working fast enough."
Ren smiled. "She's always been like that."
"Good. Keeps things interesting." Aiko stood and stretched. "Hey, Ren?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for not asking. About my past. About why I'm here. Most people would have pushed by now."
"You'll tell me when you're ready."
Aiko looked at him for a long moment. Then she nodded. "Yeah. I will."
She walked out of the cockpit, leaving Ren alone with the stars.
Morning came too fast.
Sara was already in the galley when Ren stumbled in, nursing a cup of something hot and bitter-smelling. She looked up as he entered, and her eyes did that thing they always did. Checking him. Assessing. Making sure he was okay.
"Sleep well?"
"No."
"Join the club." She pushed a cup toward him. "Drink this. It's terrible but it works."
Ren took a sip. It was terrible. He drank more anyway.
"We're approaching the Trion system," Sara said, pulling up a holographic display. "Fourth fragment is somewhere in there. But there's a problem."
"There's always a problem."
"This one's bigger than usual." She highlighted a region of space. "The Trion system is controlled by the Kryll Empire. They're not one of the Twelve, but they're allied with them. Close allies. Which means military presence. Patrols. Scans."
"How close?"
"Close enough that we can't just fly in and hope for the best. We'll need to be careful. Stealthy." She looked at him. "And we'll need to leave someone with the ship while we're on the ground. In case things go wrong."
"Aiko."
"Aiko." Sara nodded. "She's good with the ship. Fast. Smart. If we need a quick escape, she's our best chance."
Ren thought about that. About leaving Aiko behind while he went into danger. About the possibility of not coming back.
"She's only been with us two weeks."
"I know. But she's proven herself. More than proven." Sara's expression softened slightly. "I didn't trust her at first. Still don't, completely. But she's got skills we need. And she's loyal. That counts for something."
Ren nodded slowly. "I'll talk to her."
"Do that. We're about six hours out. Use the time to prepare."
Aiko took the news better than Ren expected.
"Makes sense," she said, not looking up from the engine component she was repairing. "Someone needs to keep the ship ready. Someone needs to be able to run if things go bad. I'm the logical choice."
"You're not upset?"
"About not running into possible death? Ren, I'm thrilled." She set down her tools and looked at him. "Look, I signed on because I was bored and curious. Not because I want to be a hero. If you need me to fly, I'll fly. If you need me to run, I'll run. That's the deal."
"What if I need you to fight?"
Aiko was quiet for a moment. Then she reached under her workbench and pulled out a case. She opened it, revealing an array of weapons Ren had never seen before. Energy pistols. Shock knives. Something that looked like it could disable an entire ship with a single shot.
"I can fight," she said quietly. "I just prefer not to."
Ren stared at the weapons. At the girl who carried them hidden. At the past she never talked about.
"Okay," he said. "I won't ask."
"Good." She closed the case and pushed it back under the bench. "But if things go really bad, I'll be there. Ship or no ship."
Ren nodded. "I know."
Six hours later, the Trion system appeared on the viewscreen.
It was beautiful in a terrifying way. A red giant star dominated the center, its light painting everything in shades of blood and fire. Orbiting it, seven planets. The fourth fragment was on the third one. A world called Kryllos, the empire's capital.
"We're not going anywhere near the planet," Sara said, studying the tactical display. "Too many ships. Too many sensors. But there's a moon. Small. Uninhabited. We can land there and take a shuttle the rest of the way."
"What kind of shuttle?"
"The kind that doesn't show up on sensors." She smiled slightly. "Your father was very good at hiding things."
The approach took hours. Sara guided the Starfire through a complex series of maneuvers, using the gas giant's gravity well to mask their signature. By the time they reached the moon, Ren's hands were sweating and his heart was pounding.
The moon was small. Rocky. Airless. They landed in a crater that provided natural cover, the Starfire settling onto the gray dust like a tired bird.
"Shuttles in the cargo bay," Sara said. "Fully charged. Ready to go."
Ren stood. His mother stood with him.
"Be careful," she said quietly.
"I will."
"Don't take unnecessary risks."
"I won't."
"Come back to me."
Ren looked at her. At the woman who'd given everything for him. At the mother who'd hidden him, protected him, loved him for seventeen years.
"I will," he said. "I promise."
The shuttle was small. Just big enough for two people, with minimal life support and no weapons. It was designed for stealth, not combat.
Ren and Sara climbed in and sealed the hatch. The shuttle lifted off, rising from the moon's surface, heading toward the blood-red planet ahead.
Kryllos grew larger with every minute. A world of dark cities and industrial zones, its atmosphere thick with pollution. Millions of beings lived down there. Workers. Soldiers. Slaves. All serving an empire that served the Twelve.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, hidden and waiting, the fourth fragment.
"What does it feel like?" Sara asked as they descended through the atmosphere.
"Sharp." Ren touched his chest. "Different from the others. Like it's urgent. Like it's trying to tell me something."
"Any idea what?"
"No. But I'll find out soon enough."
The shuttle broke through the clouds, revealing the city below. It was massive. Sprawling. Towers of metal and glass stretched toward the sky, connected by bridges and tubes. Ground traffic moved in organized chaos. Air vehicles zipped between buildings like insects.
Sara guided the shuttle toward a less crowded district. Industrial. Warehouses and factories, mostly abandoned. According to the fragment's signal, that's where they needed to be.
They landed on the roof of an old warehouse, the shuttle settling onto weathered permacrises. The air outside was thick with smog, but breathable. Just barely.
"Stay close," Sara said, checking her weapon. "Move fast. Don't engage unless you have to."
Ren nodded. They opened the hatch and stepped out into the alien city.
The warehouse district was eerily quiet.
Most of the buildings were empty, their windows dark, their doors sealed. The only sounds were the distant hum of traffic and the occasional clang of metal somewhere far away. The smog hung in the air like a physical presence, coating everything in a fine layer of grime.
Ren led the way, following the pull of the fragment. It was close now. Very close. Just ahead, in one of the larger warehouses.
"There," he whispered, pointing.
The building was massive. Five stories tall, with loading bays big enough for cargo haulers. Most of the bays were sealed, but one hung open, its door partially raised.
They approached carefully, checking for guards, for cameras, for anything that might indicate a trap. Nothing. Just empty space and silence.
Inside, the warehouse was dark. Rows of storage containers stretched into the shadows; each one tagged with symbols Ren couldn't read. The fragment's pull came from the far end, from something hidden behind the containers.
They moved through the maze, staying low, staying quiet. The air smelled of rust and oil and something else. Something organic.
And then they found it.
A container. Different from the others. Older. Covered in symbols that Ren recognized. His father's symbols.
"This is it," he breathed.
Sara moved to the container's control panel. "Locked. But the locking mechanism is old. I can bypass it."
"How long?"
"Give me five minutes."
Ren nodded, turning to watch the darkness while his mother worked. The seconds stretched. Each one felt like an hour.
"Got it," Sara whispered.
The container's door hissed open. Inside, on a pedestal of light, floated the fourth fragment.
But it wasn't gold or blue or purple.
It was red. Deep, dark red. Like blood. Like fire. Like rage.
Ren stepped forward, reaching for it—
And the world exploded.
The explosion came from everywhere at once.
The warehouse walls shattered. The storage containers flew like toys. Ren was thrown backward, slamming into something hard, pain exploding through his shoulder.
When his vision cleared, he saw them.
Soldiers. Dozens of them. Kryll Empire troops in dark armor, weapons raised. And at their center, a figure in black. Tall. Commanding. His eyes burned with the same red as the fragment.
"Well, well." The figure's voice was cold as space. "The prophecy child. We've been waiting a long time for you."
Ren struggled to his feet. His mother lay nearby, unconscious, blood trickling from a wound on her head.
"Don't bother," the figure said. "She's alive. For now. But that depends entirely on you."
Ren's power surged. Blue. Purple. Gold. All three fragments blazing inside him. The soldiers took a step back.
"Impressive," the figure admitted. "But not impressive enough." He gestured, and more soldiers poured in from every direction. Dozens. Hundreds. "You see, we knew you'd come. The fragment's energy signature has been calling to you for months. We simply had to wait."
"You work for the Twelve."
"I work for myself. But the Twelve pay very well for information about certain... prophecies." The figure smiled. "Now. You're going to come with us quietly. Or your mother dies. Your choice."
Ren looked at the fragment. So close. Just meters away. If he could reach it—
"Don't even think about it." The figure raised a hand, and energy crackled around his fingers. "The fragment's been modified. One touch from you, and it explodes. Takes out this whole district. Including mommy dearest."
Ren froze.
"That's right. We're not stupid. We planned for this. For you." The figure stepped closer. "Now. Last chance. Come quietly, or watch her die."
Ren looked at his mother. Unconscious. Bleeding. Helpless.
He looked at the fragment. Red. Pulsing. Calling.
He looked at the soldiers. Hundreds of them. All waiting for his move.
And then, from somewhere behind them, a voice.
"Hey, ugly. Looking for me?"
Aiko.
She stood in the shattered wall, holding a device in each hand. Her eyes were wild. Her smile was sharp.
"Got a message for your boss. From the girl whose mom died in your 'accidental' research station fire."
The figure's eyes widened.
Aiko pressed a button.
And the world exploded again.
END OF CHAPTER 9