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She approached Cat, as spreading some of the blankets from Parsona’s crew bunks out across the forest floor She touched her shoulder and Cat turned The tolazed over with tears They hugged, the power in Cat’s ar out some of the painful stress in Molly’s back The touch of another, even as the eet over the things she’d seen, could summit the awfulness and perhaps rappel safely down the other side
"You did good, kiddo," Cat whispered
They separated and Molly looked away, rubbing at the botto okay? Urg--I’ for--"
"Stop that" Cat turned her around and held Molly’s shoulders "Don’t do that He was doing what he had to There’s bad luck involved, you’ve gotta re Cat said She bent over and grab-bed two of the blanket’s corners and helped spread it out over the dried leaves and broken twigs Several crew a cup, bottle, or aof water One of the crewmen--an older woed on Molly’s elbow and pointed over to a cluster of seated figures
"The Admiral wants to see you," the lady said
Molly turned to Cat "Be loose with the water I’ll ht and top up the tank and load up with food Don’t let anyone set up caave her arm a squeeze
Molly took a deep breath and marched over to the sroup of higher-ups They fell silent as she approached, their wrinkled eyes swiveling around to watch her She felt ridiculous standing there, on display, so she sank down to the blanket, and everyone adjusted to ave hiiven how she felt
Saunders glanced around at the others, alentleman--the one from the hallway of the StarCarrier--looked at her war up
After an uncoave it a long look, then grasped it with her own
"This isn’t a pardon, not by any stretch It’s just a thanks We’ll deal with the rest after--"
"There won’t be an after," she interrupted
The s tensed up at the breach of protocol, several of the to the pathetic enca "This is the after," she said
"Nonsense," one of the staff members interjected "We’ve knocked the Drenards back before, we’ll do it again!"
"These aren’t the Drenards" Molly turned to take them all in
"Not the Drenards?" Someone asked "Do you have any idea what--?"
Saunders held up his hands He looked past the group and toward the rest of the survivors "Let’s stay calaze She saw dozens of faces pointing their direction from the blankets scattered across the forest floor They were shocked faces, scared faces, watching and waiting Her sense of being on display heightened even further
"The Drenards began pushing out of their spiral aro," Saunders said
Molly turned back and saas addressing her
"They’ve only hit frontier planets so far Regan, Osis, a few others As I told you before, and as you can now see, your parents chose unwisely to side with theray h She turned to take them all in "Admiral Every-one These are not Drenards I know for a fact I--"
"How could you know?" one of the younger officers asked "And why should we believe her anyway," he asked the others "You do knoe caht? None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for you!"
Molly gaped at the young officer; his eyes flared with rage
"Carlton, you’re dis man turned to Saunders "Sir, I’m sorry, it’s just that--"
"I said you’re dismissed, son Go tend to the others"
"Yes, sir"
As soon as he’d gone, Molly turned to the Admiral "Is that true? You came here because--it’s my fault that you--?"
Saunders waved her off "Of course not I mean--that this is your fault The fleet’s defeat was mine And don’t flatter yourself too much One of the fleets had to check in on Lok We hadn’t heard from them for over teeks I volunteered Zebra so we could pull double-duty, just in case you’d co Drenard hostilities e ju like"
He fell silent, and Molly shook her head
"If they aren’t Drenards, what are they?" one of the officers asked "Don’t tellare back from wherever they--"
"They’re called the Bern," she whispered "They’re cowash!"
"Silence," Saunders told the group "Go on," he said to Molly
She cleared her throat and glanced at the cup of water the gray ers "Do you mind?"
"Not at all" He handed her the cup "Captain Robinson, by the way"
"Thank you," Molly said, taking a gulp She handed the cup back to him "They call thealaxy There’s a rift here on Lok It’s what my parents uncovered I think Anyway, I know they orking to prevent this The Drenards--"
Molly glanced over at Robinson, whose brow seemed knitted orry
"And the Drenards?" Saunders asked
"The uhthe Drenards"
"More water?" Robinson asked, extending the cup to her
"Uh" Molly looked to Saunders She glanced once more at all the faces turned her way "Sir? Can I have a ith you in private?"
ѻѻѻѻ
Saunders leaned against Parsona’s workbench He had his ar atop his belly while Molly fuht out a bundle wrapped in a towel
"What’s going on?" Saunders asked her "Anything you want to tell ," Molly said She stood up and placed the bundle on the workbench "I don’t think I can Hear me out, and I mean really hear me out, just let it sink in before you react I think these people that attacked you--I think they’ve been trying to get here for a long tih, and another one somewhere in the Drenard ar that rift, preventing anything fro out of it"
"A rift?"
"Yeah I mean, I don’t knohat to call it, I’m not a scientist, but I do knohat they look like I saw the first ships co in the woods nearby,sure the escape pod was secure, when--"