Aloy ran towards Fleet’s End, bow in hand, crossing the bridge to the north of it. There was a fire to her left so she had to go around the long way, coming across the bodies of Quen lookouts at the edge of the settlement. She knelt and scanned them with her FOCUS.

“Headshots every single one of them.” She whispered. “Body is cold…someone did this in the hazy light of dawn…that’s impossible…unless…”

She heard the sound of grunting ahead and kept running, seeing a Quen wrestle with another, one in a soldier’s uniform and the other not. Their fight was fearsome, the militant Quen battering the civilian down.

“Insurrectionist! Compliance will hang you on the beach!”

“Aloy,” the civilian cried, “help me!”

Aloy darted in and knocked the soldier down into the sand. “Stay down!” She ordered but before he could react, the civilian fell on him with a blade, stabbing him through the heart. Aloy pulled him back but it was too late.

“There was no need for that!”

“There’s no time!” The Quen sprinted away. “Admiral Gerrit is this way!”

Aloy ran after him, confused by the sounds of fighting and yelling around her as Quen attacked Quen. There were bodies scattered all over Fleet’s End and as she leapt over one she spied Rheng, the Compliance officer. His throat had been gashed and blood soaked into the sand.

“Seyka!” Aloy cried. “Where are you?” But there was no response.

She ran up the ramps and around the platform which served as Admiral Gerrit’s personal balcony and cabin. She skidded to a halt, the aged admiral on his knees with his hands behind his head. Theoa stood behind him with a blade at his neck.

“Order the soldiers to stand down!”

“You can threaten me all you want, but I am not a coward!” Gerrit snapped at her then groaned as Theoa smacked him over the back of his head with the hilt of the blade.

“Do you not hear the sounds of your officers dying? Order them to stand down or we’ll kill every last one!”

“Theoa!” She looked up at Aloy, a FOCUS glinting on her temple. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Purging the oppression of the Imperial Family from Fleet’s End and beginning the revolution of change!” Her tone was strong and calm, the voice of a leader.

Aloy gaped at her. “You’re killing innocent men and women!”

“All who stand against the work of the freedom fighters must fall.” Theoa said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We will not be subjugated to their will any longer!”

“This is not what I thought you meant when you said you wanted to be free of Quen oppression!”

“What on earth did you think I meant?” Theoa’s tone was stunned and scathing. “Did you really believe we could possibly smuggle our FOCUSES back home without them being confiscated and those who dared to wear something above their station beaten publicly?”

Aloy was aghast. “I…”

Abruptly Seyka landed on the boards behind Theoa, having rappelled down from the ruins that towered above. Theoa spun around to face her, deflecting her blow and throwing her back.

“Nice try midshipman Seyka,” Theoa taunted, “but you’re not the only one benefiting from wearing a FOCUS now.” She tilted her head and listened. “And now you’re the only ones left,” she leaned down to Gerrit, “there’s no one left to stand down.”

“You treacherous…”

“Except for Seyka…your little lap dog.” The other freedom fighters ran up onto the platform, each one wearing a FOCUS and stood around the three that stood against them. “Did you tell her that your intention when you returned home was to lay all the blame you could at her feet in order to save your own neck?”

Seyka paled, her eyes widening.

“That’s not true.” She whispered. “Admiral?”

Theoa laughed as Gerrit faltered. “You really think he’s going to tell you the truth now?”

As Theoa taunted each other, Aloy had already done the math. There was no way out. They were severely outnumbered. She tapped her FOCUS and quickly swiped through the air.

“What are you doing? Stop her!” Theoa cried just before a screeching jamming signal screamed through the FOCUSES. Aloy ripped hers off before she could be incapacitated and used her spear as fast as she could to knock out Theoa’s freedom fighters. Theoa yanked her FOCUS off but was too late to stop Admiral Gerrit, who wasn’t wearing one, to stand and strike her hard, her head cracking against the wall of his cabin and her body falling down, lifeless and still.

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The signal only lasted a few seconds but by the time it stopped, only Seyka, Aloy and Gerrit were standing.

Admiral Gerrit staggered sideways, Seyka grasping his arm.

“Thank you, Seyka.”

“Is it true?” She asked brokenly.

Gerrit sighed and shook his head. “You already knew the penalty for wearing a FOCUS and for fraternising with a barbarian, no offence,” he said looking at Aloy, “and you’ve got too much bite to ever be called a lapdog. Theoa misjudged you…but I never have.” He looked around sadly. “Fleet’s End…the soldiers and sailors…there’s only us left.”

“We found the missing Quen, including my sister.” Seyka announced and Gerrit shuddered.

“That’s excellent news.” He breathed out shakily. “However, even with their return, there isn’t enough of any one ship left to sail back home.”

Seyka looked at Aloy and nodded.

“The other half of the fleet that you thought perished,” Aloy paused, “they made landfall at San Francisco.”

“They live?”

“With enough ships to carry the remainder of the Quen home.”

Gerrit’s laugh was almost a sob. “I should be furious that you did not divulge that sooner as I’m sure you knew…but I don’t care. They survived!” He looked at Aloy. “Will you get word to them of our position?”

“I’ll get a message through to Diviner Bohai when I reach the mainland.” Aloy promised, distracted as Seyka walked to the edge of the balcony, out of earshot. “They’ll have your coordinates and can make a detour here before returning home.”

“Thank you.” He stood up. “You’ve given an old man hope, Aloy.”

She studied him with a flinty glare. “You called her your salvation.” Gerrit gazed at her. “I thought it strange at the time but Theoa was right…you were going to deflect as much blame as you could onto Seyka upon returning home.”

“And I meant what I said, Seyka had already done enough to warrant execution if I hadn’t protected her from Rheng.” He argued coldly.

“You only protected her to save your own skin.” She retorted. “But she has the chance to leave with me, far from the Imperial Family’s grasp and condemnation.”

“You won’t be leaving with her.”

“You can’t stop me.” Aloy said, her fingers curling around her spear.

Gerrit shook his head. “You think you know the Quen, Aloy…but you underestimate us and our loyalty. I answer to the Imperial Family…and you’ll find that so does she. We are the chosen people, after all.” Aloy huffed and spun on her heel, striding after Seyka. “If you’re going to talk to Seyka…perhaps you should start with where Theoa and her murderous rebels got their FOCUSES from.”

Aloy’s usually strong stride faltered and she felt a cold streak run down her spine. She forced herself to keep walking, her legs stiffening and her chest tightening. Seyka had descended from the platform to the sand, kneeling beside a dead marine.

“Her name was Calia,” Seyka said softly, knowing Aloy was standing behind her, “she worked the same shift as me. Never complained…never questioned authority. She was a better sailor than me. I don’t understand how this happened…”

“I’m so sorry…” Aloy froze as Seyka drew Calia’s hair back, revealing a FOCUS on her temple. She took it from her and stood, holding it up to her eye.

“Aloy…how did Theoa get hold of enough FOCUSES to equip those sympathetic to her cause?” Seyka turned in the sand and met Aloy’s gaze. They stared at each other, the sun rising and the colours of the world becoming richer and warmer with every second. Aloy couldn’t speak. She knew the moment she did, she would condemn herself no matter what she said. Seyka licked her lips and dropped her gaze. “You found them for her, didn’t you?”

“She needed help recovering a Diviner’s FOCUS.” Aloy said softly.

“And what…right…did she have to his FOCUS?” Seyka asked, her voice cold and dangerous.

“I…I didn’t ask.” Aloy admitted.

“So why did you give it to her?”

“She said…it would help free the common people from ignorance enforced by the Imperial Family.” Aloy flinched as Seyka leaned towards her.

“Just what is it you thought that meant?”

“I…I don’t know.” Aloy gasped. “I thought she would use it for good…”

“Good!” Seyka threw her arms wide. “Look around you! Look at all the good it did! My people…slaughtered!”

“I didn’t know she intended violence! I thought she wanted to educate her people!”

“Her people?!” Seyka’s rage was out of control. “She killed every single one who had ties to the Imperial Family! She would have killed Kina without a second thought!”

“These same people, like Rheng, would see you executed for your brilliance and stubbornness to save your people!”

“And who the hell are you to decide what is and isn’t right for my people? What’s right for me?!” Seyka stepped towards her and Aloy, who had faced down giant machines, angry warlords and violent rebels, stepped back. “You have no damn right! None! At all!”

Seyka turned her back, shaking as her hands tightened into hard fists.

Aloy stared at her, feeling their bond break like the air bridge between the rocket and tower. “I made a mistake…a misjudgement…” Seyka shuddered, breathing through her anger as Aloy walked around in front of her. “But not about asking you to come back with me. Please…don’t stay here to suffer their narrow minded judgement.”

Seyka lifted her hand to her temple and removed her FOCUS. “I am of the chosen people,” she said as she crushed it between her fingers, “and I will not abandon them.”

Aloy’s heart retreated in her chest. “Gerrit will blame you for all of it. You’ll have to face Compliance…they’ll kill you!”

“I don’t run from my mistakes…but unless you’re going to go back to the Quen homeland in chains…you do.” Seyka moved away from her, lifting her chin. “So run, Aloy…run.”

Aloy swallowed, turned and walked through the sand, her feet as heavy as lead. As she walked through Fleet’s End she came across the Quen who were returning from Tomas’ ‘Walter Londra’ deception, Kina leading them into the settlement.

“Aloy?” She called softly. “What happened?”

Aloy didn’t stop, her pace becoming faster and faster until she was sprinting across the sand, up the rise, past all the Quen survivors, around the back of the settlement, across the bridge to where her Sunwing waited for her. She swung herself onto its back and kicked it into flight as fast as it could go, heading back to the launch tower where Tomas lay, as lifeless as she felt. The potion she had given him had half knocked him out.

Without a word she draped his arm over her shoulders, subconsciously amazed at how light he was and half dragged him to the Sunwing. Once he was on its back she climbed up behind him and kicked into its flank, heading out into open water back towards the mainland…

…leaving the Broken Shores behind her.