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“No need to explain. I should circulate,” she said. “Thank you for your time, Pilot.”

He wanted to correct her about using his formal title, but she should use it, even here at a party. So he just nodded, grabbed two more of the rolls and said, “Have some fun. No more serving.”

“I love doing this and doing it here… well, it’s a dream I didn’t even know I had,” Adiratna answered and with a broad smile went off to ask others what they thought of the food.

Jace knew he should circulate, too, which he had done some of already, but he really wanted to find Khoth and curl up with some more of this food. But his Commander was off--looking imposing yet approachable--and speaking to a group of pilots that included his father who nodded along, and added a few words of experience. His mother, too, was circulating in one of her dress uniforms, laughing and engaging everyone. He wasn’t used to doing all of this socializing.

“You’re being a wall-flower,” Sami’s well-loved voice rose up behind him.

He turned around and grinned at her. “You noticed?”

Sami was wearing a long flowing skirt of indigo material and a white blouse along with several pieces of jewelry around her neck. Her parents, Walter and George were just coming into the ballroom. None of them wore uniforms. That wasn’t because he didn’t want them to, but because Sami had turned him down.

“You looked just the same when you went to that freshman year dance,” she teased.

“Well, you do as well, which is to say you look amazing.” He took both of her hands in his and gazed down at her outfit.

She twirled the skirt. “Despite you hanging back like you used to, Jace, you look… amazing, too. You’re… you’re so… big.”

He laughed and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re pumped full of alien goo.”

Her eyebrows lifted. They’d spoken over a vid-con link with her phone earlier that day. He’d explained as much as he could. But he understood that seeing was believing.

“You know, my father said that our people have tales about a star falling from the sky sent by the ancestors. I think the Osiris may be that star,” she said carefully as she studied him. “It’s like they’ve perfected you, Jace. Not that you weren’t wonderful before, but--”

“No, I was really sick and looked it,” he agreed with her. “And I’m sure you’re right about that story.”

“Thank you for inviting us. I know this is only for the crew members, but--”

“I couldn’t leave without seeing you and--and thanking you for being such a good friend to me--”

“You sound like you’re leaving and never coming back!” Alarm filled her dark brown eyes. “That’s not what you’re doing right?”

“No, but like I said on the call before, I don’t when I’m coming back to Earth,” he reminded her. “But there will be ships here to keep Earth safe from the Khul so… I don’t want you to worry.”

Sami had given a brief shudder at the mention of the Khul, but she was steady otherwise.

“I won’t worry with you out there,” she said.

“I wish…” he stopped and bit his inner cheek. He had asked her to come. She had said no, for the same reasons she had not been willing to go to college out of state. Her people needed her. He had to respect that. “Did you imagine we’d be here ever? I mean just before you and George came in Timmy Grace and Danny Wilson were trying to steal porn mags.”

But Sami didn’t laugh at that and in half a second he knew why as the Osiris showed him that the two boys had not survived the Khul attack. He had purposefully not wanted to know the list of the Sunrise dead. Like Mrs. Lo, they had either died in the Hive or burned away in the Sun. He staggered back a step. Sami grabbed his nearest hand to steady him.

“Jace!” she cried.

Though Khoth should have been too far away to hear her or to get to Jace that quickly, he was suddenly there. He had an arm around Jace’s back, keeping him upright.

“Pilot?” Khoth’s voice was rough with concern, but he hadn’t used Jace’s name, which just showed how disciplined he was.

Jace? I am coming! Do not--

No, Gehenna. I’m good. I’m just…

Those children! Oh! Oh! I’m so sorry, she cried softly.

Those children.

They were just kids. They were now gone. They would never become whatever they should have been.