Cw: political violence, forced family separation, childbirth, medical neglect leading to death
Mytus VII was a name whispered only in terrified secrecy, even by those who knew of its existence. A barren rock hidden at the galaxy's edge, it was reserved for prisoners so vile they were erased from memory. Most were destined for solitary confinement, isolated, forgotten by the Galactic Republic they had supposedly betrayed.
In one of those dark, windowless cells lay Cassia Thane, a young woman whose once-bright eyes now carried nothing but shadows. Her slender frame was swollen heavily, her breathing shallow. Cassia had once stood proudly alongside her closest friends—Rynn, Jora, and Vanya—in their failed attempt to assassinate Senator Orion Khalid, a monster disguised behind the mask of democracy. The Republic didn't care about the truth—they never did. Her brave, defiant friends had already been executed, forced before a firing squad just days after their capture.
Cassia alone had been spared, and for months she'd wondered why, until the growing swell of her stomach and the tiny, fierce kicks provided her answer. Now, in darkness, alone, she paced restlessly, sweat soaking her thin gown. Pain tore through her body with increasing ferocity, stealing her breath and clarity.
"Ahhhhhhh!" she screamed, her voice echoing from cold metal walls, as sharp cramps stabbed her abdomen. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "Mama! Mama, I'm scared! It hurts—it hurts so much!"
The faint scent of jasmine seemed to fill the room, a gentle whisper from a mother who'd been dead for years. Cassia's mind drifted into a haze as she collapsed onto the floor, screaming again when a sudden gush of liquid poured down her legs.
"Ahhhhhh!" she sobbed, clutching her swollen belly.
Her body refused to wait. Cassia, trembling and drenched in sweat, felt the unbearable urge to push. She braced herself, head thrown back, screaming again as pain tore her apart from the inside out.
"Ahhhhhh—ahh! Please!" Cassia cried, her voice ragged with exhaustion. She bore down, gathering every shred of strength left in her broken body. One final push brought an explosive wave of agony—and relief. Her vision blurred briefly before clearing, her ears filled with the raw, beautiful sound of a newborn's cry.
Cassia, gasping, raised her head, staring in awe at the tiny, blood-slicked form lying between her legs. With shaking arms, she reached out and carefully lifted the infant, cradling the fragile girl close to her heart. Tears of pain gave way to tears of joy, warmth filling her chest as she gazed at her daughter.
"You're here," she whispered weakly, smiling despite the searing pain radiating through her. "Oh, Elianora. You're perfect, my sweet girl. You're so perfect."
But the fragile peace was shattered as the heavy metal door slammed open for the first time in months. Harsh footsteps thundered inside the cell. Guards—faces hidden behind helmets—moved swiftly toward her.
"No! Stay away!" Cassia shrieked, clutching Elianora tighter. "Don't touch her! Leave us alone!"
Weakness betrayed her. Hands stronger than iron wrenched the newborn from her grasp. Cassia lunged desperately, her nails clawing uselessly at armored shoulders.
"NO! GIVE HER BACK! ELIANORA! NOOOOO!"
Her screams filled the corridor as Elianora was carried from the room, cries echoing and fading down the hall. Cassia collapsed to the ground, sobbing, utterly broken, drowning in her own agony.
A week later, a clinical note appeared in the guards' logs—execution scheduled. But death arrived ahead of schedule, mercifully. The untreated tears from childbirth had become infected, ravaging her exhausted body beyond hope.
When the guards returned, they found her unconscious, barely breathing. Without a word, they lifted her body and tossed her into the incinerator, discarding her existence without ceremony or remorse.
But Cassia felt none of it. Her mind had already fled, finding solace far away from darkness and pain. She stood smiling, radiant beneath a clear blue sky, holding Elianora gently as friends and loved ones crowded around, laughter drifting through endless fields of wildflowers.
In that moment, Cassia knew peace—far from Mytus VII, far from cruelty, her daughter safe forever in her embrace.