At the Crossroads

**Shaira’s POV**

I returned to the fortress, my body still trembling from everything that had happened. My thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning, a tangle of fears and possibilities that seemed to choke me. I barely said goodbye to Xandria and the others, pretending to be tired and wanting to rest. Every part of me wanted to disappear for a moment, to lose myself in the darkness of my thoughts.

I walked to my dormitory slowly, as if stopping in front of the door would make the weight of everything that was happening more evident. Once inside, I closed the door with a click that echoed louder than I expected. I collapsed onto the bed, but my mind wouldn’t let me rest. I had to find a way out. I had managed to maintain the lie so far, but I knew I didn’t have much time left. Xandria and Roger knew too much.

I sat on the edge of the bed, scanning the small room, searching for any clues about my life before the accident, something that would help me remember who I was. The room was full of objects that I couldn’t recognize as mine, as if they belonged to someone else. I ran my hand over the table, brushing against the few personal items there. Suddenly, my fingers touched something cold and small. It was a holographic projector.

I activated it, and in front of me appeared an image. It was me, with a wide smile and my arm around Xandria’s shoulders, both of us in formal military attire. We looked happy, as if there was no danger in our lives. I saw myself reflected in that version of me that I no longer recognized. As I ran my hand over the hologram, it began to play a video.

It showed Xandria and me, standing in front of a mothership. We were about to embark on a mission to Veltrion 11, the planet where I was now. In the video, we were talking excitedly about our mission. The Shaira I saw was full of pride. I spoke about the opranchi as if they were simple savages, primitive creatures that needed civilization and progress. “We’re going to help them have a better future,” my past self said, with a smile that now tasted bitter.

A knot formed in my throat as I watched the enthusiasm with which we talked about bringing them advanced technology, transforming their lands, giving them access to modern medicine. But something inside me twisted. That wasn’t me. It couldn’t be. I stopped the video before I could watch any more. I couldn’t bear it.

I rested my hands on my knees and closed my eyes. If it hadn’t been for the accident, I would still be believing those lies. I would have shot people like Angro, Assu, Zania... the people I now considered my allies, my friends. How could I have been so blind?

Despair began to creep in. I couldn’t stay in this fortress any longer, surrounded by people who still believed in that same mission that now disgusted me. But the damned translator in my head kept me tied. Every move I made, every step I took, was being tracked.

I stood up and began pacing the small room, desperate to find something that would connect me to my past but also to a solution for my present. My eyes landed on a small chest at the foot of the bed. It was a metal box, probably containing personal items. I knelt in front of it, trying to open it, but it was locked with a code.

I couldn’t remember the code. No matter how hard I tried, I had no idea what combination to use. The number seemed to be within reach, as if I had known it once, but I couldn’t recall it. I sighed in frustration, gently tapping the lid of the chest. The past I so desperately wanted to discover kept slipping away from my grasp.

Then, a soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Shaira, can I come in?” It was Xandria.

Fear shot down my spine. Was she bringing bad news? Had they discovered something else? I stood up, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Xandria walked in, her face serious, but there was a spark of annoyance in her eyes.

“Shaira,” she said firmly, crossing her arms. “You know that, even though we’re friends, you can’t ignore military protocol. I’m your superior officer.”

I relaxed a little, though the tension still lingered. I feared Xandria was confronting me about something more serious. I straightened my back and saluted her properly, raising my hand in a gesture of respect. “My apologies, First Lieutenant.”

Once I’d saluted, Xandria let out a faint smile and sat on my bed. Despite everything, she was still my friend, but I knew whatever she was about to say wouldn’t be easy to hear. I sat across from her, waiting as the room seemed to grow smaller.

“Shaira, I need you to tell me what really happened after the accident.” Her eyes were scrutinizing me, looking for any crack in my facade. “You and I both know that what you’ve been saying isn’t true.”

I tried to maintain my composure, recalling the story I’d already told. “I’ve already told you, Xandria. I was imprisoned the whole time. That night, when you arrived, they were transferring me from one cell to another. Your timing was lucky.”

Xandria stared at me in silence for a long moment, as if analyzing every word that had come out of my mouth. I could feel the pressure building. I knew she wasn’t convinced. I knew my lies were starting to crumble.

“That’s not possible,” she finally said, her voice softer but filled with a seriousness that chilled my blood. “Shaira, Captain Roger and I know you’ve been wandering through the jungle. We know you were in the opranchi villages, in the colonists’ territory... and in the doctor’s house, right when the three soldiers disappeared.”

My heart pounded, and a wave of terror surged through my chest. I couldn’t hide the truth much longer. The tracker was still working. They knew everything. Everything I’d tried to hide was now laid out in front of them.

Xandria’s words hung in the air, laden with a truth I couldn’t deny. She knew I’d been at the doctor’s house the day the three soldiers disappeared. She knew the translator wasn’t broken, that my movements had been tracked the entire time. The evidence was overwhelming. My head was spinning, desperately searching for a way out of this situation.

“Shaira,” Xandria continued, with a mix of firmness and compassion in her voice. “You can still tell the truth. You can say you were a prisoner, that you were forced to do what you did. We know something happened during those days, but if you don’t speak, Roger will have no choice but to consider you a traitor.”

My mind kept searching for an escape, but everything was closing in around me. Xandria leaned forward, as if trying to reach out to me not just physically but emotionally. She wanted to help me; I could feel it. But I couldn’t let her discover the truth. I couldn’t betray Angro, Assu, or Zania. If I spoke, they would pay the price.

“Captain Roger has requested the arrival of a surgeon,” Xandria continued, lowering her voice. “He’s coming from the mothership. He’ll arrive tomorrow morning to remove the device from your head. If you don’t speak before the surgery, Roger will consider you in defiance, and, Shaira... there will be no turning back.”

The thought of surgery scared me as much as what might come afterward. I knew I was running out of options. Once they removed the device, they would see it had never been broken, that it had been functioning the entire time. The evidence would mark me as guilty. Treason. A charge that would not only take me to a military court but likely condemn me to death.

Xandria looked at me intently, waiting for a response, some sign that I was willing to cooperate. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t betray the ones who had helped me, the ones I now considered my true family.

“Xandria...” I began, my voice trembling with uncertainty. “I can’t say more than what I’ve already said. I wasn’t free during those days. I have nothing else to add.”

Xandria watched me in silence, her face slowly hardening. I knew she was disappointed, frustrated by my lack of cooperation, but I also knew she wanted to save me.

“Shaira,” she finally said, standing up. “Tomorrow is your last chance. Think carefully. If you decide to talk before the surgery, you can still avoid the worst.”

I watched her as she walked to the door, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t apologize for not speaking. I couldn’t explain that my silence wasn’t just about saving myself. It was for them, for the ones who had risked their lives for me.

Xandria opened the door and paused for a moment before leaving. “I hope you make the right decision, Shaira. You can still save yourself.”

And with those words, she left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The echo of the door closing was the loneliest sound I’d heard in days.

I collapsed onto the bed, my hands trembling in my lap. The options left to me were terrifying. If I spoke, I would condemn everyone who had trusted me. If I didn’t speak, I would condemn my own life.

I got up from the bed and started pacing, as if movement could clear my mind. I could lie, keep up the story that I was a prisoner, forced to do everything. But that lie had a price. Angro and Assu would be in danger. Zania too. They would pay for my actions. I couldn’t let that happen.

But what choice did I have? My mind kept debating between what was right and what was inevitable, between my loyalty to those who had saved me and my instinct for survival. It was an internal war that seemed to have no end.

Suddenly, a noise broke the silence. Something metallic, as if someone was forcing a part of the ventilation system. I stood still, listening intently. The sound was coming from the upper corner of the room, where the ventilation system hummed softly.

I cautiously approached, my heart pounding. Just as I stopped in front of the vent, a pair of large, strong hands began to pry the air conditioning panel loose.

“What the hell...?” I whispered, stepping back instinctively.

The panel slid aside, and a familiar figure poked his head through. It was Angro. My eyes widened in shock and relief. How had he gotten here? Before I could ask, Angro gave me a small smile.

“Shaira,” he whispered. “There’s no time. We have to get you out of here.”

I rushed over, my heart overflowing with emotions I didn’t know how to process. Before I could say anything, Angro helped pull me out of my shock, removing the panel completely to make room for Zania. She appeared behind him, with a determined look on her face.

“How did you...?” I began to ask, but Zania cut me off with a gesture.

“Explanations later,” she said quickly. “Right now, we need to get out before they discover us.”

I hugged them both, barely able to hold back tears of relief. But that relief quickly faded when I remembered what Xandria had told me. I pulled away, a sense of helplessness washing over me again.

“I can’t leave,” I explained. “The translator... it’s still tracking my every move. I can’t escape while I have it inside.”

Angro frowned, as if he had anticipated this. “Then we’ll have to wait,” he said, his voice firm. “Once the doctor removes it, we can escape. Only then.”

Zania nodded, placing her hand on my shoulder. “It’s risky, but it’s our only option. Tomorrow, after the surgery, we’ll get you out of here. But until then, you have to hold on.”

I knew they were right. It was a risky plan, but it was all I had. We stood in silence for a moment, the three of us sharing the same determination.

“Tomorrow,” I repeated quietly, clinging to that hope. “Tomorrow, we’ll escape.”