Brailyn is the best of the best when it comes to her training for the war. One slip up could be the end of her, and though the war is terrible, it's the only place she wants to be, it's the only place she's wanted. When her time is the Trials isn't good enough, Commander Loxard assigns two orphans to Brailyn, knowing she's the toughest out there. When sympathy is a thing of weakness, Brailyn is torn between raising and training the two helpless children. With a rebellion in the midst, and secrecy growing even in their own quadrant, Brailyn quickly becomes a suspect, and is not only trying to save the children, but herself and her country.
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
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