[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"Beatrice, what do you mean, 'where we really came from'? What nursery? Is this some kind of galactic adoption agency? Because if it is, I have some serious questions about the paperwork and the lack of a proper consent form from her biological mother, who happens to be me, by the way."

Sofia’s voice was a strained whisper, her gaze fixed on the holographic star map that pulsed with new, impossible data. She was sitting on the edge of the crystalline throne, her oversized Southern shirt feeling damp against her skin. The room was bathed in a soft, emerald-green light now, a stark contrast to the violent...