The silence on the bridge stretched, thick and heavy. Lucian stood over Sira for a long moment, his demand hanging in the air. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out. The door to the corridor hissed shut behind him, leaving the others to deal with their captive.
He didn't go far. He stopped in a quiet alcove off the main hallway, a small observation niche with a viewport showing the endless, indifferent stars. He braced his hands on the cool metal frame, his head bowing. The weight of it all pressed down on him, harder than any enemy's blow.
It was always something new. Just when he thought he had a grip on the nightmare, it grew another head.
First, it was the shock that his father, his hero, was alive. A miracle. Then, the crushing truth that the man was a monster who had orchestrated their suffering. The goal became simple then: find him, make him pay.
