“Whatever trials and tribulations the future holds, I know we’ll face them with courage if we face them together.”

—Angstreus Revelir, leader of the Merry Marauders

“Yeah, yeah—oh!” Zaina said as she turned toward Leda, who was somberly walking over. “You all right?”

Leda’s lips twitched, and she released an exhausted-sounding sigh. “I’m alive, which means I have time to heal. I’ll be all right.” She turned back toward the fallen Warden of Freewater. “He always said he wanted to die here—be buried here. But this? He didn’t deserve this.”

Xyrthe nodded. “He seemed a good man.”

“He was—I didn’t really have anyone growing up. It was Fell who took me in, showed me the ropes. Well, more like I pestered him ‘til he realized I wasn’t going to go away, and then he showed me the ropes. But he was kind—some days I wondered what he saw in this place that made him stay.”

In a soft voice, Zaina said, “Well—you’re Warden of Freewater now, aren’t you?”

Leda turned back with a sorrowful smile. “We can’t stay here. I think we all know that.”

“Yeah,” Zaina said with a nod, “but like Fell said—you’ll still be picking Freewater’s sand out of your hair and clothes a year from now.”

Leda shook her head and said, “I’m going to try to collect myself before the townsfolk come out. I’ve got to break the news to them. They probably won’t be happy with it, but it’s the way it is. If it’s not Almada, it’ll be someone else.” She glanced over at the warsuit, standing still in the desert. “I think we should leave this place behind. Find a new world to call home, one we choose.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Zaina said.

“Of course,” Leda said as she turned back toward the lancers, “we’ll be leaving on Almada’s cruiser after we hold a burial for Reister. We’d be happy to drop you off—does the Order of Riiva have a problem with stolen ships, or should we find somewhere else?”

In a warm voice, Xyrthe said, “If you can get us to a world with an actual spaceport, we can make it the rest of the way. Thanks for thinking of us.”

“You’ve done a lot for us,” Leda said. “I was wrong about you two—I thought you two were with Ondor for sure when I first met you. But now—now our people are free. Once again, thank you.”

Zaina raised her hands. “Hey, now—we only helped you do your thing. I don’t think we can take all the credit.”

Leda walked off, her hands clenching into fists as she went back to Fell’s body. A twinge of sadness struck Zaina’s heart; Reister Fell was a good man who only wanted what was best for his people. He didn’t deserve this—but his legacy lived on. The people of Freewater still had a protector.

-

Leda stood in front of the water supply tower. An assembly of Freewater’s townsfolk was gathered before her, all whispering amongst themselves.

“Quiet! Quiet, now!” Leda said in a booming voice—silence fell over the crowd. “Now, I’ve gathered you all here today for a couple reasons—things we all need to talk about, and that you deserve to be in the know about.”

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One of the citizens shouted, “Is it true Reister’s dead?”

“Where’s Reister?”

A small commotion broke out as Leda raised her hands, a taut frown crossing her lips. She shouted, “Quiet, now—come on, quiet down!” Once the townspeople were paying attention, she said in a grim voice, “It’s true—Reister Fell, our Warden for the past twelve years, is dead. He died today defending us—all of us—from that man right there.” She pointed out Ondor Almada, still sprawled out in the sand, babbling to himself. A round of jeers erupted from the people of Freewater, but Leda hushed them and continued, “He will pay for his crimes—now is not the time for us to dwell on the past. No, right now we need to look to the future. The future Reister Fell gave his life to secure for us—what he wanted for us.”

Xyrthe leaned over to Zaina as the two watched on from the side and whispered, “Here comes the part they won’t like.”

“Trust me,” Zaina said, “no one likes having to up and leave their home. It’s a huge pain in the ass.”

“Yeah, that’s not the only thing,” Xyrthe said. “Hey, for your first real mission, though, that wasn’t so bad, right?”

Zaina frowned. “I don’t know yet. I guess I’ll find out when I have more missions to compare it to.”

“There you go,” Xyrthe said. “They’re not all winners, kid—in fact, I’d say most of ‘em aren’t. But we do what we can. That’s why I say, ‘turn off the tap.’”

“You’ve gotta tell me about your childhood one day,” Zaina said, knowing it would end the conversation. Her mentor focused back on Leda’s speech, and Zaina followed suit.

Leda was calming the crowd down once more. “I know—I know. This has been our home, yes.”

One of the elderly women stepped forward from the crowd and said, “Warden Fell died to preserve our way of life! We can’t abandon that now!”

Shouts of agreement rose up from the crowd behind her.

Leda shook her head and said, “No—he didn’t die to preserve our way of life, he died to save our lives. So we could put the past behind us and move on into a better future. It’s not abandoning anything to move forward. We’ll always carry a piece of Freewater with us, and we’ll always carry a piece of him, too. No, he died for us—which means the only way he ever truly dies, is if we stop living—stop moving forward. We have to move forward.”

Sullen murmurs worked their way through the crowd. Before anyone else could step forward, Leda continued, “I know you’re probably scared—it’s a big galaxy out there, and I for one, have never seen it—and I’m terrified. But I know I can be strong and make this journey if you’re all by my side. It’s not always been the prettiest, yet overall it’s been a beautiful ride here; but all things, even beautiful things, have to come to an end. Let’s put Freewater behind us and open up a new chapter in our lives. I’ll have your back every step of the way if you’ll have mine.”

A round of reluctant cheers broke out. It wasn’t what they wanted, but Leda was right—they couldn’t stay here forever. She calmed the crowd once more to finish her speech.

“All right, come on, now. Last two things to talk about, people. Okay, we’ll be having a service for Warden Reister Fell as soon as we get a casket made and the hole dug; probably a few hours at most, so use that time to get everything packed for the trip. After the service, if we’re all ready and good to go, we’ll head over to the cruiser and head out. I’ll ring the alarm when we’re about to start the ceremony, so keep an ear open.”

With that, the people of Freewater dispersed back to their homes. A new aura was in the air, one of a fresh start. Despite all the hardships they had to overcome, they were here—and they’d find a way to deal with whatever that hardship left in them as they moved forward into a new life. Zaina took a deep breath, knowing a galaxy full of adventures awaited her.

She turned to her mentor and said, “You know, I think I’m ready for a more relaxing mission. Maybe another cargo escort detail.”

Xyrthe sneaked a chuckle before asking, “So, now you’re in the life, kid. You’re a real lancer. How’s it feel?”

A distant grin crossed Zaina’s lips as she took stock of everything she’d been through to make it here—everything she’d survived. It all still weighed on her, but there was something else, too—a feeling that, for better or worse, she had truly arrived.

Zaina’s gaze drifted toward the sky as the sun set over what remained of Freewater. The warsuit was still standing in front of the city. The ruin of time would take Freewater’s iron guardian eventually, but for today it was proud and tall. In a low voice, she said, “For the first time in a long time, it feels—it feels like it’s going to be okay.”