MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
We are a ghost-fortress.
I looked out the dome. The kaleidoscope of colors was fading, replaced by the deep, terrifying black of the Oort Cloud. We were at the edge of the solar system. The relay was waiting—a massive, skeletal structure of gold and violet light that pulsed like a dying heart.
"The Source knows we're here," I said, standing up and helping Nevan to his feet.
"Good," Nevan said, drawing his claymore. The silver runes on the blade were glowing with a new, lavender light—the light of the saved children. "I was getting tired of the quiet anyway."