Chapter 78

Eliza was flying in an aircar with Galboa and Finx, her mind now flooded with a thousand thoughts. So much had happened during that brief conversation—so much she didn’t understand. Galboa broke the silence:

"Miss Donovan, thank you for telling me about Anji’s transfer. After my recovery, I never saw him again and couldn’t thank him. Finx even forgot about him over time."

"Thank him? It was only because of your kindness that he was able to work part-time at the spaceport."

"No, that was nothing. When I lost my arm—" Galboa raised his right hand, "—I was put on unpaid leave. Insurance only covered the prosthetic and the engineering implants in my hand. I didn’t get my salary, but someone sent me money from an anonymous account—roughly a month and a half’s worth of pay. I’m sure it was Anji. But I couldn’t pay him back—I had nothing at the time. Now I was ready to return it, but… things turned out differently. He wouldn’t even listen."

Eliza didn’t fully grasp the situation or Anji’s resolve. As a child, he had found a family in the crew, and she had tried to use that against him. After their talk in the cafeteria, Anji hadn’t been afraid for himself—he’d been afraid for them. He, a child, had protected the people he cared about, even when he was hurting the most. And now, she had created a situation where he had cut ties with the very people he cherished.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Filtz. Things didn’t go as I planned."

"It’s alright. You let me see him, and now I know he’ll be fine. That’s enough for me."

Anji had been willing to give up everything he held dear just to stop being weak and vulnerable. After their conversation in virtual space, she still hadn’t understood that. And now, this was the result. The boy’s determination had crossed every reasonable limit.

But he had slipped up. He’d said: "I’m glad I got to see you before leaving for the colony." Yet there was no way he could have known he was being sent there—not just to another group home on the station. A small detail, perhaps—but not for Anji. Not with his intelligence.