S01E16 · Who We Were, Who We Are · Part 2 (Kai)

This episode is the cinematic audiobook version of ORRIONA UNIVERSE | BOOK ONE | LEGACY | CHAPTER ELEVEN - PART TWO

Kai stares at the smooth ceiling, counting heartbeats against the Orriona's engines. Sleep came in fragments. Each time he closes his eyes, the explosion replays—the Belloros vaporized in a clean, cold analysis from his tactical display.

Twenty-four hours ago, he was running card games on Level 9.

Now luxury surrounds him. A contract promising credits. Academy patronage. A future.

Eight years ago, that would have set his heart racing.

Now it feels like contamination. The kind of feeling meant for alleys and abandoned corridors, where sharp edges fit the frontier's landscape. Here, surrounded by abundance, it feels wrong.

He would deal with it later. On the driftline. Where he always dealt with everything.

But the Orriona's showers aren't the thirty-second sonic rations of Edgepoint. Hot water cascades over his shoulders—a luxury bordering on reverence. And in that private moment, something breaks.

The Belloros explosion. The targeting solution. The choices made in fractions of a second.

His chest heaves. The pressure building until each breath requires conscious effort. The compartmentalization he's maintained for years cracks open, and he can't hold it back.

After the water stops, voices drift from the galley. Kellan's laugh. People being people.

He's spent years learning when to walk away. The question waiting is whether he's learned how to stay.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Audio drama adaptation of Legacy with cinematic sound design
A queer-norm galaxy (no homophobia, no coming-out angst—just space adventures)
The cost of compartmentalization
Luxury that allows grief to surface
Learning the difference between surviving and living
Grand, hopeful adventure with a massive heart

CONTENT NOTES: Processing trauma, emotional breakdown, survivor's guilt

WHERE TO PURCHASE THE BOOK: Currently in Kindle Unlimited. Visit https://www.orriona.com/ and subscribe to the newsletter for more information about wider availability and free content.

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Welcome aboard. The Driftline awaits.

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