Polaris by Mindee Arnett Page A

believe it, and yet he’d seen the man for himself. Saar had certainly looked old enough to have fought wars nearly fifty years ago. “If this is the same Saar, then why us? Why now?”
    Flynn, who’d been silently following the conversation, added, “Yeah, if he’s not dead by now then surely the guy’s retired.”
    Milton shook his head. “Saar is not the type of man to retire. There hasn’t been much need for his services since Emet fell, but he went on commanding smaller missions and excursions. The size never mattered to him. He went after little targets with the same relentless fervor that he did Emet. He is the ITA’s greatest weapon.”
    Lizzie’s tear-reddened eyes widened. “And now they’ve pointed him at us.”
    â€œSo it would seem.”
    Jeth looked up at the ceiling, his thoughts turning to Cora. He wished the ITA would just give up their hunt for her, that they would realize she was just a child, with the same rights as anyone else, the right to live a normal life, not as some perpetual science experiment.
    Only that was the crux, wasn’t it? No matter what she appeared to be, she wasn’t fully human. As long as theproblem with the Pyreans went unresolved, they would never give up. They needed her too much. Her genetic makeup and ability to perceive metaspace was the key to finding the solution, the surest way to ensure their continued dominance of the galaxy.
    Exhaling, Jeth lowered his gaze again. Movement across the way drew his attention to the door, and he saw Lizzie’s yellow-haired cat stride into the common room, his bushy tail held high like a golden banner. In ironic contrast to the rest of them, Jeth realized how fat Viggo was looking these days, his belly a hairy satchel drooping between his legs.
    Shaking his head, Jeth returned his focus to Sierra and Milton. “If Saar is so great, then how come I got away? He could’ve killed me but he didn’t. He—” Jeth broke off as the truth broke the surface of his consciousness: Saar let me go. On purpose.
    â€œIf that’s true then there’s only one explanation,” Sierra said, echoing Jeth’s realization. “He let you go so he could track us. The bounty will force us into a corner and make us easier to catch. And he knows he must be careful approaching us, as he likely has orders to take Cora alive.”
    â€œCareful?” Celeste said. “Then why did he kill Vince? If the plan was to track us, why reveal himself at all?”
    Sierra didn’t look at Celeste as she answered, her quiet hurt the still waters to Celeste’s raging river. “I don’t know, except, killing . . . killing Vince seems to fit. Saar is an executioner, not an assassin. And Vince was an ITA deserter. A traitor, as far as Saar was concerned.”
    â€œSierra’s right,” Milton said, slowly nodding. “Saar is the worst of enemies. He’s a man with full faith in his own righteousness.”
    Flynn rapped his index finger against the end table. “So what you’re saying is, we’re screwed no matter what, and we should just turn ourselves in right now.”
    Jeth, well used to such an attitude from Flynn, straightened from his slumped position against the table, drawing all the energy and force of will he could muster. Things were bad, but he refused to give in or give up. And he wouldn’t let any of the others do it either, not while they remained on his ship. “No, what they’re saying is we need to search for the tracking device.”
    â€œYes, that’s the first place to start,” said Sierra, sounding more like she did when she’d first entered the common room. Jeth supposed that having a purpose to focus on was a shield against grief.
    Bolstered, if only by a degree, Jeth added, “And we need to figure out our next move. We’re not beaten yet. The deal with Wainwright was a bust, but I