Fragments of Truth

**Shaira's POV**

I climbed into the ship with Xandria, the corporal, and the three soldiers. My heart was racing. This wasn’t the first time I had flown in one of these "birds," but now, with my memory gone, the idea of taking off and leaving the solid ground behind made me uneasy. My breathing quickened, but I forced myself to keep a neutral expression. The metal walls, the glowing controls, and the engine’s roar brought back a sense of strangeness. All of this should have felt familiar, but it didn’t.

The takeoff was smooth, but the sensation of losing contact with the ground made me dizzy. My fingers gripped the edge of the seat as I felt us rise. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t show weakness, not in front of them. So, I counted the seconds in my head, trying to calm the vertigo.

“Look at that!” one of the soldiers shouted with a mocking grin, positioning himself beside the ion cannon mounted on the ship. “I’m gonna make those savages run for their lives!” He aimed at the ground where the jungle spread out like a green blanket and mimicked gunfire. “Bang! Bang! One less!”

A shiver ran down my spine, but I forced myself not to react. The soldier laughed as if his joke was the funniest thing in the world. I felt sick.

“Careful, don’t take out all the targets!” Xandria joked, encouraging the soldier’s game. “Don’t leave me without a few—I’d love to send them all to the hell they belong in.”

My mouth tightened, but I said nothing. Had I been like this before? Had I felt the same disdain for the opranchi that Xandria and the soldiers were now flaunting with such pride? Fear of what I might have been before gripped me for a moment. Maybe, before the accident, I had reveled in hate and violence, too.

Finally, the ship descended. The relief of feeling solid ground beneath my feet almost made me sigh with gratitude. The team disembarked, and I quickly recognized the place. I had been here before, walking at dawn toward the doctor’s house for my cleaning and cooking shifts. It felt like an eternity had passed, yet it had only been a few days. The difference now was that I no longer saw myself as that vulnerable, frightened girl. Now, I wore a military uniform.

Xandria led the way, striding forward with purpose. We were approaching the doctor’s house. The knot in my stomach tightened. What would I do if he recognized me? If he mentioned that I had worked for him, everything I’d said about being a prisoner would unravel, and my fate would be sealed before a military tribunal.

Xandria knocked on the door. My breath caught for a moment. The sound of footsteps inside the house made me clench my fists.

The door opened, and the doctor appeared, his gaze cold and calculating. He scanned each of us, but when his eyes landed on me, I saw a flash of recognition. My skin prickled. It was only a matter of time before he spoke up.

“Good morning,” Xandria greeted with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We’re here to ask you some questions about the disappearance of three soldiers who passed through this area. We know they visited your home.”

The doctor stepped aside and invited us in. Memories surged, flooding back to the day the soldiers had entered through that very door, days before Angro had killed them.

“Yes, that’s right,” the doctor replied calmly. “They were here asking about a pilot who had disappeared after an air accident.”

Xandria smiled as if sharing a private joke. “That pilot has been found. In fact, she’s here with us. My second-in-command, Second Lieutenant Shaira.”

The doctor and I exchanged glances. We smiled at each other as if it were the first time we’d met. Both of us knew the truth. We were trapped in a game of silence, fully aware that either of us could destroy the other with a single word. But neither of us intended to speak.

“What a coincidence,” the doctor murmured, his smile barely masking his nervousness.

“Yes, quite the coincidence,” Xandria continued, crossing her arms. “But what intrigues me now is that the three soldiers who came looking for my comrade are now missing.”

The doctor remained composed. “After asking, they left. I haven’t seen them since.”

Xandria stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Thank you for your cooperation. If you hear anything about them, please contact the fortress.”

We turned to leave, but just as we were about to step through the door, Xandria turned to me. “Shaira, don’t you have any questions for the doctor?”

My heart skipped a beat. I knew what Xandria was doing, but I couldn’t let it break me. I slowly shook my head, feeling the doctor’s eyes on me. “No, First Lieutenant. No questions.”

The silence in the room was so thick it felt like it was pressing against my chest. We left the house, and only when the fresh air hit my face did I feel like I could breathe again. We had managed to maintain the lie, but I didn’t know for how much longer.

We walked away from the house, and Xandria broke the silence. “I didn’t believe a word that doctor said,” she muttered. “He knows something, I’m sure. Don’t you feel the same?”

I swallowed hard, fear running through my body. I knew all too well what had happened there, but if I denied my suspicions, Xandria might start doubting me, too. I had to play it carefully.

“Yes, I don’t believe him either,” I replied cautiously. “But without proof, it’s just a gut feeling.”

Xandria nodded slowly, deep in thought. “Exactly. We need more.”

The lieutenant paused for a moment, as if considering the next steps. Then, from her pocket, she pulled out a device I didn’t recognize at first. It was a small tracking robot, a gadget that floated just a few feet off the ground. My legs began to tremble slightly, though I tried to keep steady. I knew what that little contraption would find. I knew where Xandria was directing it.

“Let’s do a quick scan,” she said, adjusting the device. The little robot began to hum as it rose, its red light flashing as it activated.

My breath became heavy. I watched the device float, scanning the ground. It moved with a disconcerting calmness, but each passing second felt like the ground beneath my feet was crumbling further.

The robot moved with precision, searching for any trace that might reveal the presence of the three missing soldiers. My mind filled with images of that night, of the doctor dragging the bodies, of how he had hidden them... and how I had witnessed everything.

The robot paused, as if it had detected something. Its red light shone brighter. It moved a few more meters, heading straight for the spot where I had seen the doctor dispose of the bodies. My pulse quickened, fear rising in my throat.

“What have we here?” Xandria murmured, crouching down as the robot stopped. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I watched as the lieutenant examined the ground.

The little tracker projected a light over the area, and there, among the bushes, the robot began to scan. For a few seconds, there was nothing but dirt and leaves, but then the device emitted a high-pitched beep.

“This doesn’t look like part of the natural environment…” Xandria muttered. She started digging through the soil with her hand, and what she pulled out froze me completely.

In her fingers, the light revealed a fragment of bone. Human bone.

Sweat began to bead on my forehead. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. My thoughts swirled, desperately searching for a way out. If Xandria kept investigating, the doctor would be exposed, and if he was, it wouldn’t take long for him to drag me down with him.

“Let’s investigate further,” Xandria said, not looking up. “Something’s definitely off here.”

The robot moved forward, its lights pointing toward an area where a large fire had recently burned. Among the ashes and burnt remains, there were more fragments of bones.

“This… this confirms our suspicions,” Xandria said, her tone graver than it had been throughout the entire mission.

I knew time was running out. The doctor would be caught, and if he talked, my fate would be sealed.