KIERAN
Kieran couldn't look away from her.
Sage sat across the dying fire, watching him with an expression he'd never seen on her face before. Vulnerable. Open. Like all her armor had been stripped away.
His heart hammered in his chest.
The cave was quiet around them. Everyone else sleeping. Just the two of them awake in the darkness.
He should say something. Break the tension. Make it professional again.
But he couldn't find words.
Sage stood slowly. Moved around the fire toward him. Sat down close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
She held out a cup of water.
You need this, she said simply.
Kieran took it. Their fingers brushed. That same electricity from earlier. Neither of them pulled away quickly.
He drank. The water was cold and clean and helped clear his head.
Thank you.
They sat in silence. Not uncomfortable. Just heavy with things unsaid.
Kieran knew he should go back to sleep. Should maintain distance. Should remember she was the enemy commander who'd destroyed his fleets.
But that felt like a lifetime ago.
Tell me about Meridian Nine, he said quietly.
Sage went rigid beside him. Her hands clenched into fists on her knees.
Why?
Because I need to understand. I need to hear it from you.
She was silent for a long moment. Kieran thought she might refuse. Might walk away. Might shut down completely.
Then she started talking.
The orders came directly from General Hax. My father. He gave me coordinates for what he said was a major military installation. Manufacturing facility. Weapons depot. High-value target.
Her voice was flat. Emotionless. Military report.
I ran the mission exactly as planned. Seventeen ships. Coordinated strike. We hit every target on the list. Perfect execution.
She stopped. Swallowed hard.
Then the casualty reports started coming in. Not soldiers. Civilians. Families. Children.
Kieran felt his chest tighten. He remembered the reports. The images. The bodies.
Twenty thousand dead, Sage continued. Her voice cracked slightly. Twenty thousand people who weren't soldiers. Who weren't combatants. Who were just living their lives.
What did you do when you found out?
I went to my father. Demanded to know why the intelligence was wrong. Why we weren't told about the civilian population.
Sage's hands shook. She pressed them flat against her knees.
He said it didn't matter. Said casualties were acceptable as long as we achieved strategic objectives. Said I should be proud of such a successful operation.
Kieran heard the pain in her voice. The horror. The weight she'd been carrying.
I wanted to resign my commission, Sage whispered. Wanted to refuse all future orders. But he said that would dishonor the family. Dishonor the Voss name. Make me a traitor.
So you kept serving.
So I kept serving. But every day I carried those deaths. Every single day. Twenty thousand faces I'll never forget.
She looked at Kieran. Her eyes were wet. Not crying. But close.
I know you lost people there. I know you have every right to hate me. I hate myself for it.
Kieran's throat felt tight. For six months he'd blamed her. Hated her. Sworn to kill her for what happened.
But hearing her now, seeing her pain, he understood the truth.
I lost my best friend there, he said quietly. At least I thought I did. Turns out that was a lie too. Marcus is alive. The casualty reports were manipulated to make me hate you more.
Sage's eyes widened. What?
Admiral Reeves falsified reports. Made me think Marcus died so I'd be more committed to hunting you. More willing to follow orders without question.
They used us, Sage breathed. Used our grief. Our guilt. Our loyalty.
Yes.
Kieran looked at her. Really looked. Saw the woman beneath the uniform. The person beneath the weapon.
I don't think you gave those orders because you wanted to, he said. I think someone positioned you. Used you. Made you the executioner for their conspiracy.
Sage nodded. Just like they positioned you. Set you up to fail. Tried to kill you when you became inconvenient.
We're both casualties of the same war.
A war they manufactured.
They sat with that truth. Let it settle. Let it change everything they thought they knew.
Then Kieran spoke the thought that had been building in his mind for hours.
If we survive this planet, we need to expose them. All of them. Reeves. Hax. Everyone involved in the conspiracy.
That's treason, Sage said. Against both our governments.
I know.
They'll execute us if they catch us.
Probably.
Sage met his eyes. So why do it?
Because it's the only way to stop the killing. The only way to make sure what happened to us doesn't happen to others.
And if we die trying?
Kieran thought about the three thousand crew members who'd died in the crash. About the twenty thousand civilians on Meridian Nine. About all the soldiers on both sides who'd been sacrificed for someone else's power.
Then we die knowing we tried to do the right thing. That's more than most people get.
Sage was quiet for a moment. Then she held out her hand.
Partners?
Kieran took her hand. Felt her grip firm and strong against his.
Partners.
They shook once. Sealed the pact.
But neither of them let go immediately.
Kieran was very aware of her hand in his. Warm and calloused from years of combat. Strong fingers that could kill but right now just held his gently.
He was very aware of how close she was sitting. How he could smell her. Smoke and sweat and something underneath that was just her.
He was very aware that he was falling for his enemy and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Sage seemed to realize they were still holding hands. She pulled back slowly. Put distance between them.
We should both get some sleep, she said. Long day tomorrow.
Right. Sleep.
Neither of them moved.
Kieran, Sage said quietly. When this is over. When we've exposed the conspiracy and survived whatever comes next. What happens to us?
The question hung heavy between them.
Kieran didn't have an answer. Didn't know if there could be an us. Didn't know if they'd even survive long enough to find out.
But he wanted to. God, he wanted to.
I don't know, he said honestly. But I'd like to find out.
Sage smiled. Small and sad and real.
Me too.
She stood. Moved back toward her side of the cave. Stopped halfway and looked back at him.
For what it's worth, I'm glad it was you. Glad I crashed with someone who sees me as a person instead of a weapon.
Kieran's heart did something complicated in his chest.
I'm glad it was you too.
She disappeared into the shadows. Left him sitting by the dying fire with his thoughts spinning.
He'd made a pact to commit treason. To expose his own government. To work with the woman he'd been hunting for months.
And somewhere along the way, he'd started caring about her more than was safe.
More than was smart.
More than he could afford.
But he couldn't regret it.
Kieran lay back down. Stared at the cave ceiling. Tried to sleep.
Outside, the jungle was quiet. The creature had kept its word. Nothing hunted them.
They were safe for now.
But something made Kieran uneasy. A feeling he couldn't shake. Like they were being watched.
He sat up. Looked toward the cave entrance.
The darkness beyond the firelight was complete. Nothing moved. Nothing made sound.
But there. Just for a second. A flash of amber in the shadows.
Eyes.
Not the creature they'd made the pact with. Something else. Something smaller and more intelligent.
Watching them.
Kieran's hand went to his weapon.
The eyes blinked once. Then disappeared.
He waited. Listening. Watching.
Nothing.
But the feeling remained. The certainty that something had been out there. Observing. Recording.
Learning.
He looked back at Sage sleeping across the cave. Thought about the pact they'd made. The conspiracy they'd vowed to expose.
And wondered if whatever was watching them in the darkness knew their plans.
Knew their secrets.
Knew exactly where to find them when the people hunting them finally came.