Soldiers of the Stars

Chapter 27: Right Where I Need to Be

GALACTIC CITY - ALISANDRE HOTEL

BRYKA ACRUX

     Frustration boiled deep within me, years of training to control my emotions easily dismissed by my brother's intrusion. The blisters forming on my heels and the throbbing arches of my feet didn't help either. Why couldn't I have told Gunner the truth right then? Why did Ryland have to interrupt at the worst possible time? Why were these Force forsaken shoes invented?

     Gunner cooperated, as expected, to Ryland's wishes, despite his reluctance. Perhaps it was the sincerity in Ryland's voice that filled me with enough curiosity to hear him out, quelling any resistance I held against him. Or, perhaps, it was how the air grew still when he approached Gunner and me. My heart wanted to focus on Gunner and only him, but the Force pointed me elsewhere and I was no fool to ignore it. Unfortunately, that elsewhere happened to be where Ryland stood.

     Ryland took two quenchers off from a server's tray and handed me one. I slid a finger across the condensation, studying the bright green cocktail. No one could slip anything into a drink that quickly, but there wasn't anything wrong with taking precautions. Once I eyed the liquid, I shifted my gaze to Ryland. A baffled expression formed on my brother's face, hurt that I assumed he would have tampered with it. His intentions of offering me a drink could have been from sheer courtesy in the spirit of the party, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be caught off guard as I had on Agamar. He was a pirate after all. Who knew what he was scheming? I reached into my dress pocket for one of my spike-chip capsules. I had the foresight to pick some up on my way back to the hotel this afternoon. I learned this trick in my senior Padawan years, and I swore by it since. I dropped the capsule into the drink and watched it fizz until it had completely dissolved. The cocktail remained the same color, notifying me that it was safe to consume. "Not three hours ago you were ready to shoot me. Now you're offering me a drink?"

     "Do you prefer the other?"

     I raised my glass in answer, and knocked back the liquid, sending smooth chills down my throat. Something told me I'd need a few more of these to survive whatever conversation Ryland would strike up.

     "I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier." I raised my brows as Ryland began drumming a finger against his side, averting my gaze. Nice to see the nervous fidgeting wasn't a curse only I received from our father. Ryland took a deep breath. "When Ma told me she invited you, I didn't think you'd show. Part of me didn't want you to."

     Ryland had every right to claim Ru Ru as his mother but hearing him say it burned a hole in my heart. "And the other part?" I asked apathetically.

     I caught the way his throat bobbed. "I want to know my real family. To know my sister."

     This wasn't a trap? The guilt tugged at me so tightly that I could hardly spare him a thoughtful gaze. The ground below me grew unstable from the mere shock of his intense earnestness. The combination of the deep bass vibrating off the walls and floor right into my bones, the celebratory clinking of glasses, and a rowdy conversation nearby overwhelmed my senses. As if Ryland experienced this wave of chaos too, he tilted his head towards the balcony, suggesting we go somewhere quieter. With a silent nod, I kicked off my heels, scooped them up, and followed him outside.

     For the first time, the air in this city was refreshing. Fireworks fired off a block away. Whatever the occasion, I found comfort in the thousands of colors bursting into the night. I leaned against the thick railing, pushing myself further away from the party. Ryland leaned back against the marbled railing, stretching out his arms in a dramatic fashion, and tilted his head upwards.