We’d left the garage giddy. Fornax had shown us how to use the ship and all of its weapons. There were so many. Some were manual but some had smart trackers that would fix on the Council ships so that the pilot could fly without having to worry about aiming. Fornax had said that she debated making all of the weapons trackers but ultimately decided against it. It made sense. Sometimes it was better to be able to aim, then you could target specific areas like the engines or (depending on how strong the weapons were) the windows.

I couldn’t wait to take the ship out for real. She said that we could come back tomorrow after class and use the simulator. We had to do that to get used to the controls before we could actually fly them. Fornax said that the simulators were way better than the ones on Nova, they could simulate force as well so it felt like you were really flying.

Cory had turned a delicate shade of green at her words and quickly informed us that he’d been scheduled to work in the medBay tomorrow so unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to try out the simulator or the ships. He claimed that it was unrelated to what Fornax had said but none of us believed him. Judging by the wild cackle that she’d let out, she didn’t believe him either.

Gem and Cory had insisted on us going to the canteen next before we continued the tour. Apparently, neither of them had been able to eat enough of the food they’d hidden in their room before the meeting this morning so they made us walk quickly. The journey hadn’t been too bad. The endless corridors and lack of windows made my skin itch a little bit but the whispers that followed us were worse. They made me long to run from Freo and not return but I knew we couldn’t. I did fantasise about it though.

The canteen was weirdly similar to the one on the base but at the same time, it was foreign to us. The walls were a brushed light silver which made the room seem bigger, less cramped, but the lack of windows was still jarring. The room was lined with rows of tables and the buffet was on the back wall, just like on the base. And just like on the base, everyone fell silent the moment we walked in.

Has it been like this ever since you all got here? I asked, my gaze fixed on the food at the back, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

Yep, Cas answered flatly.

Andy said it would get better over time but when we came to lunch with him, someone literally ran up and asked for our autographs, Gem’s voice was tinged with discomfort.

“Oh, my Gods! It’s Crew seven six one!” I heard someone hiss from the back of the room.

I forced myself to keep walking and not look at the person who had spoken but it was difficult. I wanted to meet their gaze, see who had spoken our names with such reverence.

It felt wrong that people were so happy to see us. I didn’t feel we deserved it. I still don’t. We hadn’t done anything all that special. It still felt like we were just dumb kids who had tried to do the right thing.

A sudden, unexpected sound roused me from my ruminations and this time, I did look at the person. They were middle-aged, dressed in the same navy jumpsuit as us. Their light hair was pulled back from their beaming face and they were standing, applauding us.

Like wildfire, it spread across the room. Too many people, many of them injured and clinging to their friends or using crutches to hold them up, were standing and clapping.

For us.

I froze, feeling the rest of my crew stop behind me as well. I felt suddenly claustrophobic. Too many people were crammed into the gap in between the tables, trying to get closer to us. I needed to escape but I couldn’t with so many people here. Not without a fight, at least, and they didn’t deserve that. They were just trying to show their support, they didn’t know how much I hated it.

What the hell do we do? I asked, my voice desperate as I turned my head side to side to take in all of the people.

I don’t know! They didn’t react like this before, Cas said, sounding slightly panicked.

I knew he wanted to run too.

“Seven six one! Seven six one!” A chant went through the crowd as they continued to cheer and stamp their feet.

How do we make this stop? I could feel the anxiety rising in me too quickly as I raised a hand in acknowledgement and tried to keep the wince off my face.

Arie, I think you should say something to them, Gem thought quietly.

What the fuck would I say? Thank you all for fighting the Council whilst we were imprisoned and incapacitated? I asked with a slightly hysterical laugh.

Well, maybe slightly more eloquent than that. Go on. They deserve to hear from you. Cas nudged me forwards lightly and I shot him a glare before slowly blowing out the breath I had been holding.

I held my hand up to quiet the room, hoping that no one else would notice how much I was shaking.

“Speech!” someone screamed from the back of the crowd.

I swallowed nervously before letting the reaching hands pull me up onto a chair.

It was even more intimidating from this angle. I stared down at the people who were watching me expectantly. More people were crammed into the room than when we’d first come in and they were all waiting for me to talk but my mind was blank.

“Sorry for interrupting your breakfast,” I started with an attempted smile, trying to make sure my voice was loud enough for everyone to hear me, “my crew and I just wanted to say thank you!”

A cheer went through the crowd and I waited for them to fall quiet once more, my mind racing as I tried to work out what else to say.

“Each and every one of you has helped us be free today. Your support has been instrumental in taking on the Council and without it, we would probably still be rotting away in jail today! You have all done something wonderful just by being here. You are standing up against the Council and telling them that the way they rule is unacceptable. For too long, they have forced too many of us to live in poverty whilst they bathe in excess. They have taken away our free will and coerced us into a life of servitude. It’s not right. We live in a time of endless war. We’re either fighting for the Council or against them but no more. This will be our last fight against them. And, together, we can bring them down!”

I wasn’t sure where the words had come from. I think they were just what I had been subconsciously thinking the whole time I’d been awake but from the way the people were cheering, it had been good enough.

My gaze found Andy who was leaning against the door, a look of contemplation on his face. Embarrassment shot through me for a second before he smiled and nodded at me slightly.

Having his approval soothed the panic inside me. I was worried I’d said too much or the wrong thing, gone against his and Aquila’s will but judging by his smile, I hadn’t.

I jumped down from the chair and looked back at my crew nervously. They were beaming at me as well.

Was that okay? I asked, glancing at Cas uncertainly.

It was perfect. Let’s bring those fuckers down.