Captain Aquila’s face broke into a smile.

“Good. Andy informed me that you would want that so I have already begun the necessary preparations to ensure you can continue your education and training.”

My eyes cut to Andy who was carefully inspecting the brushed silver ring on his finger.

Sly bastard. I thought to the crew, my eyes narrowing.

He’d known the whole time that we’d want to train to be fighters. He’d engineered this whole fight so that we’d agree to keep studying and training. I wanted to be annoyed at him for manipulating me but I knew he’d just done it for our own good. Looking back, I know it was the right option and there was no other way I would have agreed to stay there if I didn’t know I could fight too.

The door swung open and put an end to our conversations as people in light blue jumpsuits reappeared at the door holding steaming cups.

“Sorry to interrupt, press conference starts in three,” One of them said with an apologetic smile.

“Not a problem, Menzel. Come on in,”

My chest started to pound again as my eyes fell on the screen on the wall opposite. I had to turn awkwardly to be able to see it without moving my chair but I didn’t want to draw more attention to myself. That and I wasn’t sure I had the strength to move the wheelchair right now.

The screen showed a podium on a stage still but now, Guardians lined the edges.

Aquila turned the volume on with a twitch of her hand and the buzzing of voices filled the room. The camera cut to a wider, sweeping angle and I could see that the podium was in front of the Council headquarters. The very headquarters that we had been imprisoned in. Anger bristled within me again and I felt Cas’ hand twitch within mine.

You all okay? I asked as anxiety and anger bounced around within me and made me restless.

Cas smiled at me briefly.

We’re okay. Don’t worry too much about the briefing. They have one every couple of days so you get used to them fast. They never say anything important. You’ll see.

I took a deep breath, trying to take his words on board and not to let my anxiety blossom into full panic but I could feel it pulling at me. It buzzed in my mind, making my thoughts race and my hands prickle with sweat as I stared at the screen.

The jaunty Council anthem blared from the speakers making me jolt in my chair, my heart pounded in response and I had the irrational urge to run from the room. Maybe it wasn’t irrational. I knew what the Council were capable of.

Maybe I should have ran and not looked back.

A familiar face strode out onto the stage, his face stretched in a grotesquely fake grin. Hatred burnt in my chest and Cas’ hand gripped mine unconsciously.

“Thank you all for coming out today!” Councillor Harvey started and a ripple could be heard going through the crowd.

A wild flare of happiness shot through me as I took him in. He looked older than he had the last time I’d seen him. The hint of lines were etched into his forehead and his hair was unnaturally dark as if he’d just dyed it. I hoped the stress of everything that had happened was taking its toll on him and ruining him.

The camera remained carefully fixed on his unnervingly smiling face, refusing to show the crowd who could be heard whispering.

“As you all are aware, the situation on Kalyyk and Tenthus has been tense recently but after meetings with their overseers, we have been able to come to an agreement.”

A cheer blared from the speaker but it felt strange. I saw Aquila type briefly on the screen in front of her before the screen split in half. One half showed the official stream whilst the other appeared to be streaming from a Guardian’s helmet camera. A rectangle of worn land outside the building had been roped off and was lined with Guardians. Tall barriers blocked the rest of the street from view but camBots hovered just above them, trying to peek in. Official camBots with the Council logo flew over the sparse crowd. Some were clapping halfheartedly but most people just watched Harvey with sceptical expressions on their faces.

They’re cutting in cheers so people watching the official feed don’t know how bad things have gotten on Nova. This is ridiculous, Gem scoffed.

“Settle down, settle down!” He called, indulgently shushing the already silent crowd for the benefit of the cameras that couldn’t see the truth.

“Yes, we are all happy that the situation has been able to be resolved without any more unnecessary loss of life!”

The cheering over the speakers intensified but, in reality, the crowd were unmoved. Harvey allowed the fake celebrations to continue before holding up a hand and waiting for the noise to end.

“The other reason I have called this conference today was to update everyone on the status of Crew 761.”

The room took a collective inhale of air. I couldn’t breath as I waited for him to talk once more.

“I know a lot of people are very worried about them, especially since they left their training base but the Council decided to step in due to overwhelming threats and move them to a place of safety. I am not currently at liberty to reveal their location.”

This time, the crowd did react. There was a burst of noise before the sound cut out. On the silent stream from the Guardian’s helmet, we could see members of the crowd clearly shouting furiously. Guardians descended on them, their batons crashing down on the men before they dragged them from the space. Blood shined on the grass where they had been standing but the rest of the crowd just stared in shock.

The sound returned to the stream and Harvey’s smile jumped back to life.

“Once we can ascertain their safety, the crew will be joining us for another press conference. Thank you all for joining me today.”

He smiled for the camBots which flashed as they took pictures before stalking off the stage and disappearing into the building behind. The stream flicked to black and I realised I’d been holding my breath. I let it out shakily, trying to breathe normally and struggling.

“As Harvey stated, Kalyyk and Tenthus have been subdued by the Council. All planet leaders and those in charge of the revolt were executed and new ‘Overseers’ have been placed there by the Council. They are high-level Council supporters, most of whom have spent time in the military. The Council have authorised them to perform public punishments and executions if they find evidence of support against the Council. We have lost most of our eyes on both planets but we are organising a large scale evacuation of remaining supporters next week.” Aquila’s tone was calm but anger danced behind her eyes.

My stomach rolled at her words. People were being murdered because of what we had started. Disgust at the Council roiled within me. How could they be acting like that? How could they have hidden how horrible they were for so long?

“Also, the mention of Crew 761 is a concern. They either plan to capture members of the crew or they have just confirmed that Pegasus is still alive.”

Whispers whipped around the room and echoed in my ears but my crew were silent.

She had to be alive. We needed her to be.

“To ensure your safety, please avoid going anywhere alone wherever possible,” She said to us before looking back at the rest of the group. “Additionally, once Orion and Leo arrive, they’ll be helping Fornax to search every ship before it leaves Freo and once they return.”

It took me a minute to process her words before my head snapped up again and I stared at Andy. Hope rose within me but it was quickly squashed down by anxiety.

He caught my eye and smiled before looking back at Aquila who was finishing her briefing.

“Extra security will be patrolling the medBay and the residential corridors outside the crew’s room. These four mean a lot to many people. We must keep them safe. If you see anything suspicious, report it to myself, Andy, Elliot or Fornax. Alright, thank you for attending.”

Quiet chatter broke out in the room again as people pushed back from their chairs and milled towards the door but, thankfully, Andy remained seated.

“Andy, are Orion and Leo…?” I asked hesitantly, not sure if Aquila had been referring to our old tutors.

He grinned.

“Yes, luckily most of the tutors from the base had been there a while so I knew to trust them. Once we became suspicious of the Council’s plan, I told them to scatter and taught the ones who didn’t already know how to find Freo.”

My lips rose into a tentative smile. Having some of our old Commanders on the base would make it feel more like home. Safer. But still, I couldn’t believe they were still alive until I’d seen them myself. I couldn’t let myself get my hopes up only to find out they were dead too.