Ariock searched for something wise to say. He wasn’t losing just a friend. Thomas was the only hope for lasting freedom in the galaxy.

But there were no more persuasive arguments. Thomas had clearly thought about his decision and he wasn’t impressed by Ariock’s offer to protect him, or even by Ariock’s friendship. He had chosen to quit.

Because he didn’t believe that the Torth were evil.

Because he refused to conquer them.

No, that wasn’t exactly what Thomas had implied. He still disdained the Torth Empire—but not its people.

Instead, he spoke for them. He was giving a voice to all of the penitents.

Not just the penitents. He was also speaking for the unconverted masses. The low ranks. The children on baby farms. The silent Majority who obeyed the Death Architect because they were afraid to risk their lives and take a chance on something new. Thomas had spoken on behalf of trillions of mind readers, as if he was their ambassador.

Or their sovereign.

Thomas had presented his argument to the one person in the galaxy who could make a major change to laws, and reevaluate what the Torth were and how they should be treated.

Ariock stood. “We never should have been making zombies.”

His voice carried over the campfire and the plains.

Thomas stopped.

“We can’t destroy the Empire without Torth allies,” Ariock acknowledged. “And I’ve been mishandling them. They need to become equals in our society. There needs to be a way for that to happen. You’re right.”

It was a strange truth to admit. Ariock had been so focused on regaining Thomas’s help, he had overlooked his own recent positive experiences with renegade Torth allies. Zai and the Twins were incredibly helpful. They were so much more than slave labor.

If penitents were doomed to castigation forever, without a path to redemption, then there would be no more warriors like Zai, no more military scientists like the Twins. Torth renegades would never join Ariock and his forces on a galactic scale.

That needed to change.

Thomas studied Ariock from afar, searching. Maybe he wasn’t sure whether he could trust the friend who had ignored his advice. Ariock, like everyone else, had relegated the penitents to the status of inferiors.

Distrust was fair, here. Ariock did not pressure him.

“Your invitations in the Megacosm paid off,” Vy said. “You were right when you said the Twins would join us. They did.”

Thomas looked surprised and interested.

Ariock’s heartbeat quickened with hope. Vy had said the perfect thing. “That’s right,” Ariock said. “They invented a temporary inhibitor.” He indicated the patch stuck to the nape of his neck. “So I can go undetected. It works like a miracle.”

“Really?” Thomas looked intrigued. “Hm. Well, that is unexpected. And kind of cool.”

Judging by his caution, he might think the Twins were being mistreated or coerced.

That wasn’t too far off from the truth, Ariock realized with shame. Evenjos had nearly murdered the Twins. Many citizens of Freedomland wished the rekveh scientists were dead. They had to be protected in a secret bunker with guards at the door. If there was even a rumor that their remorse was an act, they likely wouldn’t survive past a day or two.

Ariock winced in shame. Violence against children was something that Torth did. It shouldn’t be such a strong possibility on his side.

The realization made him think more seriously about what Thomas had said. Hatred against penitents would not magically die down. And it was a major obstacle. It could not be swept under a rug, or dismissed and ignored. People such as the Twins, and Thomas, needed a path to prove their value. Otherwise … well, why should they value Ariock’s brand of freedom?

“They really want to meet you,” Vy told Thomas. “They think of you as a hero.”

Ariock nodded supportively. “They’re residing in your lab complex,” he said, just to make it clear that the Twins were not shackled in a dungeon. “They’ve been a huge help. They implied that they can help us win if they ever get a chance to hash over their ideas with you.”

Thomas looked cautious, like he wasn’t sure he believed this reversal.

After a moment, he came back to the campfire. He sat.

“I’m concerned,” Thomas said, “not only about renegades who decide to help you destroy the Torth Empire, but about Torth people in general.” He gazed at the flames. “I’m not cut out to mete out death and destruction to them on a huge scale. I’m not like you, Ariock.”

Ouch.

But it was a valid point. Ariock stared into the flames, reflecting on how a less violent future might play out.

“I’m done slaughtering my own people,” Thomas said. “And I can’t keep defending the people who hate penitents like me.”

He was right, Ariock realized. Their side of the war—the good guys—really needed to start respecting Torth as people.

People like Zai.

And the Twins.

Because they were not the enemy. And they were not lesser allies. They were outstandingly helpful.

They were, in fact, refugees.

Ariock felt chagrin at his own stupidity. Refugees like Zai and the Twins deserved protection in exactly the same way as the liberated slaves. To deny them full rights was wrong. And cruel.

Why had it taken him this long to consciously realize it?

“We’re going to make changes.” Ariock stood, wind whipping him. He walked around the campfire, towards Thomas. “I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me. But please read my mind?”

He towered over Thomas. Looming was rude, but he wasn’t going to sit, uninvited. Not after the way he had mistreated his friend.

Thomas studied him. The eagle cocked her head and assessed Ariock with golden eyes.

“I don’t know what full citizenship looks like, for Torth,” Ariock admitted. “But we need to stop the whole prison and slave labor system.”

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“Or adjust it, anyway,” Vy said. “There are still enemy Torth.”

Ariock was glad that she had articulated that worry.

“The Torth Empire is a toxic system,” Thomas agreed. “It needs to be dismantled. It ruins good people, twisting them into killers and monsters.” He sounded like he was speaking from personal experience.

“But as individuals,” Vy said, “the Torth are like any other people. Some are terrible. Some are great.”

Ariock had watched enough human media to understand that no group was a monolith. Vy was an angel, but that was because of the mother who had raised her, and the company she kept, and the experiences that shaped her. It was not because she was born human.

“It’s the people around us who unlock our potential,” Thomas said. “One way or the other. It’s the society we’re in.”

Thomas looked up at Ariock, for the first time in a long time, with respect. He looked like he was seeing a hero.

“It’s the friends we have,” Thomas said.

Ariock welcomed his friend’s scrutiny. Maybe Thomas was probing his mind, but that was okay. The Wisdom of prophecy needed to be respected, and even honored—not as a cretinous ally with a blighted heritage, but as a sovereign in his own right.

Because that was who he was.

“I’m not a sovereign,” Thomas said. “Maybe the Upward Governess could have been that, but not me. I’m not cut out for it.”

Ariock snorted. “Neither am I.” Was Thomas oblivious to the fact that he had literally led people to freedom multiple times? “If I can lead armies,” Ariock said, “then you can guide the Torth to a better future.” He laughed. “Who else could we trust for that? Not Garrett.”

Thomas looked grateful.

“You’re already their leader,” Vy pointed out. “You’re the reason any Torth would join us.”

Ariock gazed down at Thomas, willing him to see the possibilities. The future didn’t have to be grim and deadly. It didn’t have to be full of hate. A bridge between former slaves and former Torth was still possible.

Maybe it was a lot to ask, for Thomas to give them all yet another chance?

But couldn’t he at least agree to meet the Twins for a few minutes?

“Agh.” Thomas looked away. “Go back to your side of the fire, Ariock. I’m getting a crick in my neck.”

Ariock stepped back.

Then he stopped. Had he expressed how much he wanted to change things? Should he praise Zai for how vital she was to their victories?

Or maybe he should mention his recurring nightmare, and his visit to the Great Mwagru. The seer had probed his self-sabotaging fears and helped him to realize that the zombies were a terrible moral conflict. That was why Ariock dreamt of death.

Redemption for Torth should have been his top priority all along. Not city-by-city conquests. Not space battles. In the savagery of war, he had fallen off his original trajectory and failed to course-correct. Garrett and many other people on the war council had completely lost sight of the goal.

“I’ll return,” Thomas said.

Ariock bounced on his toes in delight.

“But only,” Thomas said in warning tone, “if you hold to what you said. Individual Torth should atone for their misdeeds, but there’s got to be an end to it. They’re not guilty of being born and raised the way they were.”

“Of course.” Ariock beamed. His smile was huge.

“That goes for me, as well.” Thomas’s tone was still a warning. “I need the same liberty as you.”

Ariock nodded.

Thomas gave him a stern look. “So you’ll prevent Garrett from chaining me up, or imprisoning me, or humiliating me in public.”

“Garrett will be reasonable,” Ariock said. The old man was devoted to the prophecies. He knew how much they needed the Wisdom.

“Have I ever been wrong about Garrett before?” Thomas asked.

Ariock wanted to defend his great-grandfather, but he closed his mouth. Thomas was hardly ever wrong about anything.

“To Garrett,” Thomas said, “every Torth is his murderous father. How well do you think he’ll tolerate armies of Torth who aren’t mentally enslaved? And me, actively leading and promoting them?”

That was a valid point.

Wisdom implied at least some trust. Without the same rights as free people, Thomas was just a stooge. He was the fool of someone else. That was a problem. How could he act as the Wisdom of prophecy while he was enslaved to Garrett?

Ariock went back to his side of the fire, lowered himself next to Vy, and folded his legs. He wasn’t going to have an important discussion with his friends while looming over them.

“I didn’t think I’d need to deal with Garrett for this long,” Thomas admitted in a wry tone. “No offense, Ariock, but I figured he was destined to die. He takes stupid risks every day.”

Ariock smiled at the banter. But he acknowledged Thomas’s concerns with a nod. “I’ll act as a buffer between you and Garrett.”

He should have been better at that all along. He just hadn’t respected Thomas enough.

“I need your promise,” Thomas said.

Ariock thought about it. Thomas was asking to be a sovereign instead of the equivalent of a torturer. It would be a paradigm shift. Garrett and a lot of other people wouldn’t like it.

“I promise,” Ariock said. “No one on our side will undermine you again. Not while I’m watching.”

There was that look from Thomas again. Respect. Warmth.

Vy looked from one to the other. She looked proud of them.

Ariock felt like a hero.

Soon he would need to return to the war, along with Thomas, but the crackling campfire was relaxing. Vy and Thomas looked cozy. There was something appealing about the wide open landscape, and the fresh air that swept off the distant mountains.

Ariock was about to suggest that they camp out for the rest of the day when his wristwatch buzzed.

That was an emergency signal.

“Lovely timing,” Thomas said.

He had directed Ariock to construct superluminal relays, including one embedded on the dark side of Earth’s moon. The system was rudimentary. It was just enough for a signal to reach Earth. This particular beacon would only go off if a major metropolis was under attack.

“I was hoping we could enjoy the rest of the day.” Thomas squinted towards the horizon, as if imprinting the scene on his infallible memory.

The vast silence, and the crackle of flames, invited stillness. This was not a place for crises or hustle and bustle. This was a place of no expectation.

Yet Ariock felt millions or even billions of unheard screams.

He sensed the threat to his people almost as keenly as if he was a mind reader. He had to rescue people. So he climbed to his feet. “There’s a galactic war.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Thomas rocked forward, standing up. “Okay.” His eagle fluttered her wings to keep her balance. “I have some loose ends to tie up here on Earth, but they can wait.”

“Like a hidden streamship?” Vy guessed.

“Yep,” Thomas admitted. “And someone I made a promise to. I’ll have to come back later, just for a short time.”

“No problem.” Ariock was curious, but he would ask about Thomas’s adventures on Earth when there wasn’t a crisis. “Do you want to bring your eagle?” He prepared to encompass his friends and supplies within his awareness.

“No,” Thomas said. “I’d rather not rip her away from everything familiar.”

Ariock thought of his sky room, which used to be his entire world. The Torth had wrenched him away from everything familiar. It had been awful and traumatic.

Let the eagle soar through her stress-free future. That was fair. Animals probably wouldn’t even notice if Torth took over Earth.

“I hope you don’t mind if I give her a small parting gift?” Thomas gestured with his free hand, and a rabbit hopped out from a clump of grass.

The eagle hopped off Thomas’s arm and snatched the prey in her talons. She took off with the snack, winging towards the hills.

“Did you just…?” Vy trailed off. She looked sickened. “You just brainwashed that rabbit, didn’t you?”

“I feel bad about it.” Thomas peeled off his padded glove. “I praise my eagle friend every time she catches prey without my help. But I, uh, wanted a way to befriend an eagle.”

Ariock nodded to himself, inwardly relieved that Thomas had not brainwashed the pet that had perched on his arm. Knowing Thomas, he probably only targeted prey that was plentiful, and not endangered or nursing babies.

“He’s living off the land.” Ariock gently put a hand on Vy’s shoulder. “It’s no different from what the tribespeople out here do.”

“Right.” Vy sounded mollified. She must realize that Azhdarchidae hunted in much the same way.

Thomas focused on the campfire, and the flames died. Wisps of smoke rose from blackened clumps of grass.

He must enjoy his independence. It probably felt especially sweet, after a lifetime of being dependent on caretakers. He could probe an eagle’s mind, or peer through the eyes of a mouse, and gain a good sense about the lay of the land.

“Ready?” Ariock reached for the inhibitor patch on his neck. The longer he was absent from the war, the worse things could get.

“Fascinating. An inhibitor patch?” A curious, hungry look entered Thomas’s eyes. “I assume the Twins researched how it affects your glymphatic system? Never mind, don’t answer that. I’ll meet them and ask.”

Ariock exchanged a happy, excited look with Vy.

“Ready,” Vy said.

“I’m ready,” Thomas said resolutely. “Remember, this is contingent on how you treat penitents and other Torth.”

Ariock tore off the patch. Within seconds, the edges of his awareness grew. And so did his confidence that together with Thomas, he was capable of transforming the Torth people while also freeing the entire galaxy.

His determination manifested as wind. The clouds sailed faster. Butterflies rose high into the sky. The song of crickets fell into rhythm with his breathing.

Ariock closed his eyes and tuned out the expectant faces of Vy and Thomas. He reached through the stratosphere and into deep space. Soon he was speeding, disembodied, towards his home city on the planet Reject-20.