Nori sat at the window overlooking the planet as its star became visible over the horizon, its light peering through the atmosphere, scattering red light throughout the small viewing platform.

  “So what do we do next?” Nori asked to everyone in the room.

  The room was quiet, everyone still in shock from what they’d just seen. They weren’t sure if the monster was still alive, but the final moments of the video feed confirmed it. They’d all seen her. Sloan had survived Lifeboat 7 and still had the black shard.

  “You’re sure he’s dead?” the tall man in the back of the room asked. He’d only been the overseer of Lifeboat 8 for a half megarotation and he still sounded unsure of each decision he’d made, especially at what turned out to be the most consequential period since the disembarkment.

  “Sedim, you saw the same thing we all did. His light went out” Foid said from his desk. He’d been in charge of controlling the scouts along with the communication feed but he couldn’t do much when Sloan shot the beacon.

  “Could it have gone out because the beacon was shot?” Sedim asked, sounding desperate for better news.

  “No” Rosa spoke up from the back, commanding everyone’s attention. She hadn’t spoken since speaking through Byst. She was the only melodian in the group but being the only person who’d known Sloan before the great destruction everyone knew she’d have the best insight on what had happened.

  “We saw his light go out about two rotations after losing the beacon” she continued, “he’s gone Sedim. I told you she wasn’t someone to be bargained with.”

  Sedim cleared his throat, “Then we send another ship, this time with more melodians, we capture her and bring her back and make her answer for her crimes.”

  “You’re a fool if you think Sloan wouldn’t kill anyone you send down there” Rosa responded, standing in her chair to put herself at eye level with the overseer.

  “I think you’re forgetting your place Rosa” he said, trying to sound authoritative but barely hiding his fear of the woman he was trying to scold.

  Rosa laughed, sending a chill down Nori’s back.

  “If you think you can capture her you’re a fool. She has no remorse for killing, she has no fear of death. Anyone you send down there, she’ll overpower them, likely just for sport. She enjoys killing, she enjoys causing mayhem and leaving nothing but destruction in her wake. If you think you can take the black shard from her by force you’ll be giving her everything she wants. She wants you to fight, she wants you to respond with the violence she craves. We’ll get the black shard, but I’m sorry to tell you, it won’t be as easy as you’d hoped.”

  “Then how do we get it?” Sedim asked.

  Rosa shook her head “I don’t know yet. For now, we need to rebuild 7. We need to understand that we aren’t here for a short trip like we’d planned. We need to get to rebuilding and making contact with the people of this planet. Nori?” she asked as she turned to Nori.

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  “Hmm? What?” she responded, sitting up from the sudden acknowledgement.

  “You continue to learn their language, see if you can get in contact with them. Ask Artemis for help. As for the rest of you, none of this leaves this room. As far as anyone else is aware, that ship never went down there. And Foid.”

  “Yes?” Foid asked from his desk.

  “Use the emergency frequencies, take the ship back here. I doubt there’s much concern but be sure to scan for Sloan before bringing it in.”

  Sedim decided to speak up “Rosa you can’t give these people orders that’s my job.”

  Rosa rolled her eyes “I’m so sorry Sedim for overstepping my bounds” she said in a sarcastic tone before changing to her authoritative attitude “now order them to do what I said because you know you couldn’t think of anything better.”

  Sedim looked frustrated, but sank in his seat as he thought about what she’d said “Yeah… Do what she said, she’s right.”

  Rosa nodded and made her way to the exit, turning around just before leaving “I do want to say. I’m sorry I let you all down. I didn’t think there was much of a chance to convince her to do the right thing but I didn’t expect her to take his life. We will get the black shard, I just ask you to give me time to think of how to do it.”

  She turned and walked out of the room, the tension in the air immediately leaving as soon as the door slid shut, a collective sigh of relief could be heard through the observation deck.

  “She does know she’s not in charge, right?” Sedim asked the room in a newfound feeling of confidence.

  Everyone started talking about what they’d seen, what they thought should be done next, Nori decided to leave everyone to it and left the room.

  It didn’t take much time to catch up to the melodian since their short legs didn’t carry them very fast.

  “Rosa, wait up” Nori said as she caught up to her.

  Rosa kept walking but turned her head to look back at Nori as she caught up.

  “What do you want Nori?” she asked with a frustrated voice.

  “I uh, just wanted to make sure you were okay, with everything that happened in there.”

  “No. I’m not okay” Rosa said, her hands clenching into a fist as she walked “She was supposed to be dead Nori. When I saw her face through the projection it was like I was looking at a ghost. She took everything from me and now I learn she didn’t even have the courtesy to die with all the others she killed on seven. But she has the shard, we can’t let her keep that. If it wasn’t for that shard I’d just blow the whole damn place up and leave.”

  “We’ll figure something out, I’m sure of it” I said, reassuringly. Nori had never seen Rosa so shaken, the melodian reached up, rubbing her locket as she thought of a response.

  Rosa nodded “Yes… I’m sure we will. Until then keep learning, we’ll need your help soon I’m sure.”

  “I will. Oh hey I wanted to ask, does this mean we should call ourselves ‘the surviving four’ from now on?” I asked, mostly as a joke.

  Rosa stopped, her glare cutting into me, suddenly making me feel incredibly small.

  “Nori I’ll say this once and only once. That… monster, will never be one of us. We are the surviving three and we always will be. Do you understand?”

  Nori gulped, standing stone still as Rosa turned and continued down the hallway, leaving Nori standing alone.