FREESUN'S PAST

CRYSTAL TOWERS

Colonel Zinci's Apartment

Pelting rain welcomed Hana and her son as they disembarked from their cosy, air-conditioned craft. The air was saturated with the fragrance of blossoming flowers while raindrops cascaded down the branches of towering elder trees, some of which rivalled the height of nearby apartment blocks. A military officer approached, extending his umbrella over them and escorting them to the entrance. Upon their arrival, a security officer at her desk rose to attention.

In the meantime, Arron left his bag by the elevator and sprinted back to the craft to retrieve his command school crate. Hana watched him go, her gaze drawn to the skyline as a bolt of lightning illuminated Crystal Towers for a fleeting moment. The rain pelted persistently on the blue slab pavement, resembling a hailstorm. Hana experienced a familiar tingling sensation running down her spine – an emotion that always accompanied her visits to the command base for official business.

She admired the glass-and-steel facades of surrounding buildings, clad in mineral slabs that exuded warmth and comfort. "I'm moving in," she whispered, inserting her card key into their new home's lock. For Hana, any visit to Gorren was treasured; however, there was an underlying tension this time around – this move was permanent. She and Arron were now residing in Crystal Towers on Gorren, a planet from which their species had been exiled long ago. She heard a commotion in the hallway and peered out from the living room.

Arron was dragging a heavy crate along the polished floorboards. Panting, he looked up at his mum. "Which room is mine?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Second on your right." She quickly strode over to him, taking one end of the crate as they hauled it into his bedroom together. Arron seemed to handle the news about moving in with Raden much better than Hana had anticipated—she suspected being only two planets away from Sunterria made it more accessible.

An hour later, they completed the unpacking process. Exhausted, Hana collapsed onto the leather sofa and picked up the robot manual on the coffee table. As she scanned its pages, Hana made a mental list of tasks for their new helper. Surveying her surroundings, she couldn't shake an initial sense of intrusion—she was in Raden's home now. Her eyes scanned the garish furniture and tacky wall decor with dismay; she hoped Raden wouldn't mind her making changes.

Meanwhile, Arron was occupied with pinning his map of Sunterria above his bed. His collection of gem crystals—a tenth birthday gift from his parents—gleamed atop his bedside table. His dad claimed the crystals were from Sunterria, but Arron knew better: the Covenant had strict rules around what could be taken from the planet. Stretching out on his bed, Arron's thoughts drifted towards future adventures in Sunterria. Being so close now, his mum couldn't object. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone cursing. He jumped up and raced to the living room. Arron saw his mum frantically scrolling through messages on her communicator, her face full of dread. "Damn it, damn it!" she cursed again and again.

Arron sat beside her, trying to see what was upsetting her. She turned to face him. "I missed an urgent video call from General Olensi," her voice sounded like that of someone who had the living daylights scared out of them. She shook her head in realisation. No wonder Raden was late, she thought; he was supposed to be here when we arrived.

Arron was enjoying his mother's reaction. He raised his fists and laughed. "Someone I know is going to get their ass burned."

She stared at him with big blue eyes and pulled him closer, squeezing his shoulders. "I'd rather you didn't use that kind of language in my presence," she paused to acknowledge his understanding of the situation. He had lost his best friend, Luke – the force that encouraged him to study harder to match Luke's grades. Arron hadn't been interested in science until Luke showed enthusiasm for it. Hana wondered who would take on the role as a driving force to get Arron interested in science and engineering. Raden could guide him, but he needed someone his age. She kissed his shiny black hair and spoke softly, "Olensi will not miss an opportunity to roast my ass, as you said – especially after me just giving him one." They both laughed together.