Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1)(50)

“So which cabal are they?” I ask, nodding toward the group in black.

“None,” he replies. “They are Unbroken.”

“I thought you just said—”

“My people and yours fought for many years,” he interrupts, erasing all his points and just annoying me again. “The war between us was bitter. I am one of only a few Syldrathi to have joined the Aurora Legion after the peace treaty. Most still mistrust me. That is why I was left to join the squad of Tyler Jones. But even after the hostilities ended, some Warbreed still refused to acknowledge the treaty between humans and Syldrathi. They called themselves the Unbroken, and they now war against those Syldrathi who supported peace with Terra.”

“They sound … friendly,” I venture.

“You are being sarcastic, I hope.”

“Well, duh.”

Tyler slides in beside me in time to catch the end of what Kal is saying. He has three glasses that look so cold they’re sporting a thin coating of ice. Each one has an insulation band so you can hold it without your fingers getting stuck to the surface. A second band of rubber circles the rim, to save your tongue the same fate.

“So, what are we talking about?” he asks, handing out the drinks.

“Jackasses,” Kal replies.

“Whose side are the humans on?” I ask Tyler, just wanting to know more. “In the Syldrathi war, I mean?”

Ty looks between Kal and me, obviously deciding how much to tell me.

“Nobody’s,” he finally says. “The Starslayer made sure of that.”

He pauses, and Kal closes his eyes at the strange word.

“… What’s a Starslayer?” I ask, looking between them.

“Not what,” Kal murmurs. “Who.”

A small beep comes from my breast pocket. “Caersan, aka, The Starslayer, is a renegade Syldrathi Archon, and leader of the Unbroken. His faction splintered from the Syldrathi government back in 2370, when it seemed peace talks with Earth were about to succeed. The Unbroken attacked Terran forces during a negotiated ceasefire, hitting the shipyards at Sigma Orionis.” Another beep sounds. “Would you like to know more?”

“Magellan, hush,” I whisper.

I touch the screen, putting him in silent mode. It’s one thing to have a talking encyclopedia in my pocket, but it’s another thing entirely to have an actual conversation with people who’ve lived this stuff. And I can see both Tyler and Kal have more to say here. That this all means something to them both.

I look at Tyler, waiting for him to speak.

He touches the chain around his neck, a faraway look in his eyes. I remember him doing the same thing in the med center, the ring hanging at the end of it. “My dad … he was a senator. But he was former TDF military, too. When the Unbroken attacked Sigma Orionis, Terra called up its reserve pilots. …”

I can see the sadness in Tyler’s eyes as he speaks, and I realize …

His father must have died there.

“Remember Orion,” Kal says softly.

Tyler looks up sharply at that, but the taller boy has his eyes fixed again on the other Syldrathi again. His voice is so soft I almost can’t hear him.

“The attack at Orion prolonged the war another eight years,” Kal says. “Eventually, our two peoples found peace. But the Unbroken have been in rebellion ever since. One year ago …” He purses his lips, shaking his head. “They attacked Evaa. The star our homeworld of Syldra orbited.”

“Nobody knows how they managed it.” Tyler’s voice is hushed. “But they made the Syldrathi sun collapse upon itself. Turned the star into a black hole that destroyed everything in the system.”

“Ten billion Syldrathi died.” Kal looks at me, and the sadness in his eyes pierces my heart. “Ten billion souls gone to the Void.”

I think on that number. Try to wrap my head around the size of it.

“Starslayer,” I murmur.

Tyler nods. “With a weapon like that at his disposal, the whole galaxy is terrified of him. And he’s made it clear that as long as Earth stays neutral in what’s now a Syldrathi civil war, he won’t turn his attention to us.”

We sit in silence for a moment, the air in the room feeling heavier, the light a little dimmer. Kal’s the one who changes the subject, his voice cool, his emotions hidden behind that wall of ice once more.

“Did you hear anything at the bar?”

Tyler sighs and shakes his head. “The bartender definitely saw my uniform, but she didn’t seem to think there was any news worth sharing. At least there doesn’t seem to be any word about our attack on the TDF out there yet.”

I sip my drink slowly, thinking about what I’ve learned. The liquid seems to almost sparkle, or vibrate on my tongue, sweet and tingling, and cold from the glass. It’s refreshing and energizing all at once. I look between Kal and Ty and wonder which of our many problems or mysteries they’re focusing on at this particular moment. The fact that they’re renegades among their own people? That we’re the only witnesses to the Terran massacre at Sagan station? That we’re out here without a plan or a prayer?

Or the fact that I’m the only reason for all of it?

I don’t have any answers. About the colony, my dad, what’s happening to me. But I’m learning more about this galaxy I’ve found myself inside, day by day. And I’m going to find the truth about what’s happening to me if it’s the last thing I do.