“Things certainly didn’t go the way you planned, did they brother?” Kayne says to me. He walks over with some more of my brothers from the Force. I’m standing just outside the arena with a terrified looking Gensi cowering behind me. She has light pink skin with huge eyes the color of obsidian. She looked terrified standing on the platform and she still seems just as scared.

“Obviously,” I say. Spectators begin to trickle out while I’m left standing here wondering what to do next.

“My name is Kayne,” he says, speaking to the Gensi that I chose as my prize. “You don’t need to fear us. We will gladly take you where you’d like to go. What is your name?”

“My name is Bantoo,” she says. She continues to look at her feet and I am ashamed that I didn’t do anything to put her at ease. I’ve been too wrapped up in my thoughts on how I’m going to rescue the human. I look from her to Kayne and he’s giving me a very stern look.

“When are you going to learn that sometimes in order to do the right thing, you have to break the rules?” He stands before me with his arms crossed over his chest. I know he’s right but it annoys me that he feels the need to mention it right now. “Now, lovely Bantoo,” he says, motioning for her to step up and join our conversation. “Can you tell us about the human in Yhm’s house?”

“Yes, master,” she says without hesitation.

“Ah, just Kayne. No masters for us. Just Kayne and Raydn,” he says, pointing to each of us in turn.

“Yes,” she says, hesitantly.

“Why won’t Yhm hand her over?” Kayne continues.

“She is an excellent worker, very obedient. She is one of his favorites.”

“I see. And would you be able to show us where she might be?”

We can both see the apprehension in her face. Kayne is quick to rectify it. “You won’t have to go back there, of course. We just need you to tell us where the human is. My friend and I are members of the Force. You will be safe with us, no longer a slave.”

“What are you thinking, Kayne?” I ask.

“Simple. We go get a drink and once they’re all asleep, we’ll break in and take her. Mission accomplished and we’ll be on our way out of this place.”

My initial reaction is to shake my head and completely shut down that idea. But like Kayne said, I’ve already tried playing by the rules and that didn’t work. We can’t leave without the human. We need to know if she was implanted with one of the capsules that the Atronox were using to smuggle their weapon material. Without that information we are back to where we started.

Completely uncharacteristic of me, I nod my head and agree. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Kayne laughs, a deep, genuine laugh.

“This will be fun,” Kayne says. “But first, let’s get a drink.”

Nightfall on Terran brings with it frigid temperatures. The sweltering heat of my armor during the fight is a distant memory as we set off into the cold night, our breath white in front of our faces. We leave the noise and chaos of the town’s most popular drinking spot behind us, bringing an apprehensive Bantoo along with us.

The dirt roads are more and more deserted the further we get from town. The arena, alive and full of life only hours before, is quiet and dark, closed until the next round of fights. It isn’t until we’re alone that we finally speak.

“Anything else worth knowing before we get there?” I ask Bantoo. She is leading us along the winding roads from the arena to Yhm’s house. His property is marked by a thick wall surrounding his land and house. But it isn’t tall and considering we scale walls twice this size when training to join the Force, I’m not worried about this small obstacle.

“In addition to the guards, the master uses Baslors to guard the house and slaves,” Bantoo says.

“Baslors? How many?” I ask.

“How the hell did he domesticate Baslors?” Kayne asks before she can answer.

“I wouldn’t say they’re domesticated, he keeps them chained. Doesn’t treat them well. They’re kept by all of the doors of the house. I don’t know if any more are kept outside, we’ve never been allowed to go out once night falls.”

“Well let’s make sure they don’t hear us,” Kayne says. “You go in, I’ll stay out here with Bantoo.”

I give him a look but it isn’t worth arguing about.

“I’ll meet you back here once I have the girl,” I say.

Kayne nods and I look at Bantoo. She says, “Willow will be on that side of the house.” She points to the left side of the house, luckily completely dark for the night. “Behind the kitchen, follow the hallway to the back of the house. She will most likely be sleeping. There is only one guard that patrols the border. The rest will be in the house.”

“Guards as well? What the hell does he have in there that requires Baslors and guards?”

“Females,” Kayne says.

“It seems excessive to me.”

“Yes, me as well.”

“There is only one human?” I ask Bantoo, almost as an afterthought.

“Willow is the only one that’s left. The others have already been given away in the arena,” she replies.

I file that information away for another time. That’s something we’ll need to talk more about.

“Okay, I’ll be back quickly.”

On my own this time I make my way through the last part of the road until it’s a straight shot through the open field to the wall that surrounds the mansion on the hill. I linger at the edge, watching and waiting to make sure I’m alone. I still think the amount of guards is excessive but I guess he can afford to staff as many guards as he wants.

After I’ve waited long enough to be sure I’m alone, I make my move, running toward the wall. Before I heft myself over, I listen for any sign of breathing from the beasts. It’s impossible to tell either way, so I reach up, grabbing onto the edge of the wall and pull myself up. I nearly shout my surprise out loud when I reach the top of the wall only to find myself looking into the surprised face of the human woman.