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And then he’s gone, stalking back up the tunnel and taking the light with hioing toso to work the post free, but I know I’ anywhere until they decide I a to kill ht think the e for my safe return But Base Commander Towers follows procedure to the letter, and that includes captured soldiers We don’t work like that We don’tfor ed to doze a little, chin dropped to ainst my eyelids rouses s, the sudden stab of relief that he hasn’t left ry

Romeo, can’t you see I need my beauty sleep?

I open one eye, and my heart sinks

It’s not Romeo It’s someone I’ve never seen before, a tall, burly man twice Romeo’s size Most of his face is covered by a kerchief, which is the only good sign I’ve had since I woke Concealing his face means he isn’t here to kill me--or he hasn’tatintensity that lifts the hairs on the back ofHe steps into the cavern from the tunnel slowly, deliberately "Captain Jubilee Chase"

His voice is quiet, alenial--yet on his lips my name sounds like a curse

I drawI kno this plays out, and there’s nothing I can say that will change what’s about to happen

Romeo, where are you?

"Hard to believe our resident pacifist thought he could capture an enemy officer and keep her hidden in our base" The man paces to one side and sets his lantern down on a shelf of rock He pauses there, eyes scanningon the bruised, welted flesh beneath the ropes binding ood to be true"

Despite his calm voice, his eyes carry a fevered hatred in them that freezes my blood Whoever this man is, he’s not entirely sane I’ve seen that look on other planets, in other rebellions This is the kind of person alks into a school and blows it up to ht--what keepsevery new security htens with dread, and I look away, fixinglike a litany Don’t engage Don’t give hiu over towardto a crouch not far away "My wife used to say the military doesn’t open its hospitals to civilians because it’ll remove the motivation to develop our own I always told her it’s because you’re a bunch of sadistic bastards ant to watch us die"

We don’t let civilians into our hospitals because these "civilians" are as likely to walk in eapons as ounds--but it’ll do no good to explain that to hiood to talk to rab ht I clench htens "You people," he whispers, his voice shaking a little "If you had the tiniest shred of human decency, you never would’ve turned away a six-year-old boy from the treat his before I can stop the impulse

"Ah," he says quietly "There it is You think my son would’ve compromised base security? Still think you’re better than us, conde children to die?"

Shit He’s lost family That explains the look in his eyes I don’t answer, staring through the glooirl there looking back at me, like the space between us is a mirror, like the last ten years of my life never happened

"I asked you a question" Theto the ground, rope jerking atI let out an involuntary cry of pain, the rebel’s face swily in my vision "Do you think you’re better than us?"

I try not to choke, try to cal openly in thein response to o away But I’htfor every scrap of food, every dose of medicine" He leans forward, and I can feel his breath on , trodaire"

His hand shoots out and sla me in the eye He lurches to his feet, and then his boot connects with roaning out of isters the pain

"That’s the difference between you and "

This tie is inarticulate, wordless, as he surrenders to what he carief Even through the pain, through the sound of hts Because there’s no difference between this irl I used to be He’ll keep beatingat me, until he can’t see his son’s face anymore