A flying machine came crashing into the dirt, the resulting explosion filling the monitor with lights and sound. A human with a blue scarf and vibrant red hair stood in an open grass field looking on with pride. Gabriella was squirming in her chair the entire time.

“The planet eats well when the trash of the cosmos gets pilfered,” Delilah Grace said.

She blew the end of her pistol before holstering it with a dramatic twirl. Gabriella squealed. Sasha watched the screen numbly from her spot beside her. It felt strange to be in the human’s room. The place wasn't much different from her own, though Sasha had a distinct lack of plush toys or the small hooved creatures Gabriella called ponies.

The girl had only just gotten in Sasha’s good graces when she pushed for them to hang out as best friends. Though Sasha grimaced at the title, she hadn’t had the heart to deny the younger girl. It wasn’t like she had much to lose anyhow.

Besides. She needed something to distract her from the new arrivals.

“Minions,” Delilah said. “The minds of logs truly are empty.”

She cocked her fists at the ready, the monsters around her growling and pouncing, though they met nothing but air. The pilot was as nimble unarmed as she had been with a plane, backflipping to kick at her approaching adversaries. Sasha’s gaze landed on the door. Sasha. No. The pang in her stomach magnified.

Delilah stopped mid-summerault, the entire video pausing as her boot struck a bipedal reptile.

“Sasha?” Gabriella asked. “You’re missing the best part.”

The panther groaned.

“Sorry. I think this might not have been a good time after all.”

The kid gave a pout. At least, at first. As she scanned Sasha’s face, her expression turned serious.

“You’re thinking about those prisoners, aren’t you?”

Sasha shrunk. Was it that obvious?

Ever since she’d gotten off the shuttle, she’d felt the pit in her stomach continue to grow like a Stem portal. Even after her declaration on Foryg, she ended up going to Madame Dyré to request leniency for everyone. The spider was kind, as always. She told them they’d be unharmed. So why did the pit still refuse to leave Sasha alone?

Gabriella continued to stare Sasha down, the panther finally giving a small nod. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about her liaisons getting led to Dyré in chains. Or the look of disappointment on Mr. Erin’s face.

“I wonder if they’ll ever forgive me,” she said.

“The AIC?”

“My liaisons. I know Dyré said their minds will get wiped, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop hating me. Just means they won’t know why.”

Gabriella jumped off the bed, standing in front of her.

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“Sasha don’t let the enemy get to you!” she warned. “The AIC just wants you as a pawn. Don’t forget that. But do forget them. That’s the only way you can truly be a free panther.”

Sasha stared down at the kid. Gabriella gave her a pleading look. One that made Sasha feel even the more guilty as the girl's words did little to make her feel any better.

She didn’t regret what she did. Sasha knew if she hadn’t called for Dyré, she’d have been shipped off to AIC command to be ‘reevaluated’. Worse yet, she would have been forced to sit back and watch while the very person who showed her the freedom of choice was dragged away by soldiers.

No. She didn’t regret turning her back on the AIC. She didn’t regret having Saturn and her men captured. But to do so with her two liaisons caught in the middle…

“Dangit,” Sasha said. “I don’t wanna be a pawn, but I don’t want them to hate me either. I like Mr. Erin. I like Mr. Xan. And…I don’t know. I don’t think I want them to forget-”

“Sasha, don’t.” Gabriella grabbed her hand, looking the panther straight in the eye. “You have to remember why you’re here. Why Dyré took you in. Why you chose to walk away. If you let your mind falter, you’ll end up a slave to anyone's whims.”

“A slave to- Is that another Delilah quote?”

“It’s what Papa taught me.” Gabriella tugged at Sasha’s cloak. “See this? That white silk. There’s a reason only you and the Madame have it on this ship. It’s because she saw your potential. Potential the AIC wasted having you run around chasing monsters and portals. She saw you could be more than that. So do I. Like Papa always told me, never let your precious gifts go to waste. You’re nothing to those men.”

She gave Sasha’s hand a firm squeeze, the pleading look appearing once again. Sasha averted her gaze. She knew Gabriella was telling the truth. She didn’t see any lies or contradictions in her words. But no matter how sound her reasoning, the pit wouldn’t go away. And as she listened to the little girl talk, Sasha began to understand why.

She swallowed.

“Gabriella,” she said. “This Papa person. Is he important to you?”

The girl blinked. “Papa? He’s my Papa. He’s my everything. He made me strong.”

Sasha nodded. She pulled away, her hands resting in her lap.

“Then you should understand,” she said. “If you found out Papa was lying to you. That he saw you as just a plaything. A toy-”

“Papa wouldn’t-!”

She immediately stopped herself, a hand over her mouth. Sasha let out a purr, a sense of relief washing over her at the response even if it was one Gabriella seemed to regret voicing. The panther sat back on the bed.

“I guess part of me wishes that were true. That I was wrong. That they don’t see me like that. Because when it comes down to it, they’re both like my Papa.” She laughed bitterly. “Mr. Erin tried to make me strong. He tried to teach to use GT. He tried to show me the universe. Heck, if it weren’t for him and Mr. Xan, I wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t…”

As her voice trailed off, she felt her chest tighten. How she wished it was all just a bad dream. That they were still on the ship going from planet to planet in search of her friends. That the AIC was a ghost, and it was just the three of them hunting monsters and seeing the cosmos. She wished it more than she wished for anything else in the universe.

She looked to the door.

“I…”

“Sasha. Don’t.”

She couldn’t ignore the feeling. She could see their smiling faces. Hear their voices. If she was a tool to them, then she needed to know the truth. She needed to know if it was all just part of the lie as well. If they never really cared and it was all a smokescreen. And she needed those answers before their minds were wiped clean.

“I need to go-”

A hand grabbed her wrist. Gabriella’s pleading gaze held as she squeezed Sasha.

“Please. Don’t. She'll get mad.”

As she said that, Sasha’s ears twitched at the sound of a slam. She jerked for the door, staring at the sight of shimmering metal bars locking over the exit.

Gabriella’s grip tightened. To the point that it felt like clamps had shut around Sasha’s wrists. She pulled away, a light tug becoming a full-on yank. Sasha stumbled back, managing to catch herself. Gabriella hadn’t moved in the slightest.

“Please, Sasha,” the little girl said. “Let's just go back to watching TV."

The green in her eyes had completely vanished, replaced instead by a dark blue sheen.

"Please," she said. "I don't want to force you."