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**Shaira’s POV**

I knew that officer who now believed she was ‘saving’ me, but I couldn’t remember who she was. Her face, the tone of her voice, the uniform she wore, her rank, and even her hairstyle felt familiar.

"Shaira, you need to come with me," said the young officer, speaking in my native language. "We’ve been looking for you for days, and finally, the locator guided us."

I didn’t know what locator she was referring to, but whatever the answer, the fact was that she was there, and she wouldn’t leave without me.

"Give me a moment," I said in what should be my language, then spoke to Assu in opranchi. "She knows who I am, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt or killed because of me. And as things stand, I know they won’t leave until I go with them."

"But, Shaira..."

"I have to, Assu. You know I have no choice."

The crowd had gathered around me, and they did not look kindly at the young eteri who was trying to take me away, so I said nothing more, avoiding the risk of the situation spiraling out of control.

"I’ll be back," I whispered to Assu before taking the step that led me back to my life as a ‘star traveler.’

The young officer gathered her men, and amidst the unfriendly glances, we left Sagoria. Outside the village limits, a ship was waiting for us. I boarded, feeling strange, as if it were my first time stepping onto one of those ‘birds,’ as the opranchi called them.

"I knew you were alive, Shaira, and with every passing minute without finding you, I feared the worst," the young officer said as the ship began to ascend. I clung to the nearest thing, terrified by the feeling of emptiness as we lifted off. "What’s wrong, Shaira? You’re acting like it’s your first time flying."

I didn’t want to admit to her that I had lost my memory. I didn’t know anything—or rather, I didn’t remember anything about the world I was about to enter—so every step and every word felt like a leap into the unknown, as if walking down a completely dark corridor.

"It must be the effect of the accident," I ventured, still trying to make sense of the assumption that I was indeed the missing officer, something that seemed more certain with every moment.

"I’m sorry, yes, I keep forgetting what you must have gone through. I never thought we’d find you among the savages."

I nodded, forcing myself to stay calm in this machine that was gaining height and speed with every second. I didn’t dare even look out the windows, fearing it would only worsen the panic trying to take hold of me.

"I... They treated me well. They... they healed my wounds and took me in."

"Captain Roger will be in charge of taking your statement, Shaira. If you spent time with these people, the information you have will be very useful to us."

"Very useful?" I asked, struggling to control my nerves.

"Of course. The tactical value is undeniable. Tell me, friend, did the implanted translator work correctly? Were you able to understand their language and communicate with them?"

So it was what I had suspected all along—a device that had allowed me to understand and speak the opranchi language. It had saved my life by enabling me to interact with them, and with Angro’s help, they believed that, despite my appearance, I was one of their people.

I didn’t even want to imagine their faces if they saw me now, much less what it would mean for Angro. Everyone would realize that I had deceived them and that Omawit had been right all along.

Now that the officer wanted to know if the translator had worked correctly, I had the chance to avoid betraying the people who had helped me—Angro, Zania, and Assu.

"The translator never worked properly," I said. "I’m afraid I couldn’t understand anything they were saying, so..." The ship jolted in turbulence, and I had to suppress a scream. "I don’t have any useful information for us."

The officer furrowed her brow.

"Really? That’s a shame. Captain Roger will be disappointed, as he was sure the translator was working."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it’s strange that the translator wouldn’t function when it was through it that we were able to track your signal," the officer explained. "We were certain that if it was transmitting your signal, everything else had to be working too."

That information was new to me—or maybe not. I probably already knew it, but I had no way of remembering.

"Well, in any case, the important thing is that you’re safe and back with us, Shaira," the officer said kindly. "I was really worried about you, my friend."

I smiled, swallowing the fear that continued to churn inside me about this flying machine that could crash at any moment. Fortunately, the flight lasted only a few minutes, and through the window on my left, I could see the dark silhouette of the fortress—ominous against the night sky—that the opranchi of Sagoria referred to with such dread, as if it were their worst nightmare.

"We’ve arrived, Shaira. A medical team will receive you, just routine, to check your vitals and ensure you haven’t contracted any diseases from your exposure to the savages. After that, you can get changed and meet with Captain Roger, who’s eager to speak with you."

I felt the ground give way beneath me as the ship landed, but relief washed over me when I realized I was back on solid ground.

As the young officer had anticipated, I was greeted by a pair of medics who immediately placed me on a stretcher and wheeled me into a massive metal building with sliding doors and countless laser lights—nothing like the humble, makeshift huts of the opranchi, not even like the doctor’s house. It was as if I had leaped thousands of years into the future upon arriving at this fortress.

I gazed in awe at everything around me. Upon entering the medical room, I was examined by three floating robots that used lights to scan my body, producing precise health diagnostics. Meanwhile, I struggled to hide my amazement at the advanced technology surrounding me. I couldn’t show any signs that I had lost my memory or that everything amazed me. I had to act naturally, as if this were all part of my routine life—as, indeed, it had been before the accident.

"You’re not infected with any diseases. Your immune system is a bit weak, but nothing serious that proper nutrition won’t fix," said the medic attending me. "Here, start by taking these." The medic handed me two pills. "I’ll keep you under observation tonight, but everything indicates that you’ll be fit for duty again by morning."

I swallowed the pills and spent the rest of the night lying in that strange bed, which for me was supposed to feel like a normal surface.

What would I do now that I was back in my place of origin? Would I have to start shooting at an opranchi village the next day? Or would I be ordered to capture Assu for the murder of the three soldiers in the doctor’s house, who had tried to make me his servant?

The uncertainty was just beginning to grip me.