Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 47

“Are you nervous?” Mara asked as we headed down the studio hall that had dark walls and yellow ceiling lighting.

“Me? Pshh.” I replied, plastering a fake smile across my face before dropping it completely. “Honestly, I’m terrified.”

“Just remember, they are people, not monsters. Mia and her producers won’t give you any experience, so killing them will only get you in trouble.”

I craned my neck, looking cross at her. “What do you think I am?”

“In need of a joke. Nervous energy totally messes with your vibe, Mr. Optimo. Flex your pecks or something and cool your jets.”

Stopping, I cast my gaze downward. “I can’t do this. I’m not, worthy…”

“Pec pound,” she cried, hitting me in the chest with a strong right cross.

“What the…”

She gave me her best what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it glare. “If you can mock me, then you’ll be fine. I’m beginning to think this dorky silly-boy persona is the real you.”

“You’re just figuring that out?”

She adoringly looked over at me, before catching herself and replacing it quickly with a friend-level grin.

I caught it but didn’t reciprocate. I’d been distancing myself from her and she’d been making her feelings more obvious by the day. She’d already pushed past my normal defenses. It was because I felt something for her that this had to be done. I probably should’ve come out and forced the issue. Destiny said it was hard to judge how Mara would react. She predicted she wouldn’t give me much a reaction, but once alone it would hard for her for a few days. She added that being up front with such matters might seem like the most mature thing to do, but that wasn’t always necessarily the case. Sometimes letting things sort themselves out naturally was a better option. Her emotions would develop and dissolve over a period of time that way, making them easier to manage.

I still wish I said something, especially before the interview. Now it just felt like I was leading her along until I got help.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain on the opposite side of my chest.

“Needed to even things up,” she snickered.

“Thank you, so much,” I said with drawn out words. “Why the violence?”

“This way you have an excuse to fall back on if you get asked a question you can’t answer, or don’t want to. Just say, sorry, I’m having trouble focusing because Mara pounded my pecs.”

“You’re not related to Kline, are you?”

“Eh, you think? I’m taller than he is. But seriously, having something funny to fall back on in case your mind is going blank helps. And if it shows that you don’t take yourself too seriously, it’s huge. I’m not just hitting you to work our my frustrations. If that were the case, wouldn’t I hit you every time I see you? And I’m kind of weirding myself out that I did that just now. My bro is the only one I beat up, and he gives it back to me so… Don’t go turning me in for battery now, kay?”

Placing my hands on my chest as if protecting it, I replied. “Okay. Your secret is safe with me.”

She covered her face with both hands. “Let’s call it off. Look what you did. Now I’m freaking out.”

“Mara…”

She tilted her hands to the side to reveal a snicker. She crowed and fell into a martial arts stance I wasn’t sure a real one and said confidently. “Come, Optimo. Let’s go.”

There was a large man at the end of the hall that must’ve been security. He’d just seen everything. As we neared, he looked to be a mix of humored and tense. He was trying to stand extra tall. As an abnormally large guy, it looked like he wasn’t used to being around someone bigger than him.

“Hello,” he said. “Marabella, Major Lucius Edwards, please.” He opened the door behind him and ushered us in.

I stopped as I was passing through and offered him my hand.

He cautiously grabbed it. He was definitely scared of me.

In an overly dramatic voice, I said, “You saw nothing.”

“Uhhh,” he fumbled, oblivious to the joke I was trying to make, then he noticed my pecs bouncing. The corners of his mouth turned up and he finally looked me in the eye. With a pec pop of his own, he said with far less tension, “Yes, sir.”

Seeing the reaction, I chuckled heartily. “Good, man.”

Now that the tension was allayed, I stepped into the room and found Mia and her producer watching me. I’d had a lot of starstruck moments over the last year and a few months but seeing Mia in person was different than those of the past. It wasn’t a hero of mine I was meeting, but someone I respected from a slightly different but related line of work that complimented my own. She seemed pleased at the way I’d handled her doorman.

“Major, welcome to Mia’s Haven,” she said, giving me one of her tilted smiles and waved me toward an empty seat.

I was immediately struck by how her hair and clothing looked nothing like how she always did during her show. Her hair was black and glistening, and she wore bright green pajamas. I expected much of her show to be augmented, but it was still surprising to see her going to these lengths with today’s technology. Perhaps she just liked pajamas?

Despite the basic attire, she was a tiny thing, but as petite as she was, she was also well proportioned. She’d always had a pixie cuteness and charm, but it seemed like the real her was much more mature. It wasn’t uncommon for guys to go crazy over her. I’d just never looked at her in that way. But meeting her was like seeing her in a completely different light.

“No drooling,” Mara said.

I then realized I hadn’t moved from the doorway. Catching myself, I said the first thing that came to mind. “Drool’s here?”

“Dork.”

Mia laughed, and I noticed she was far less animated now then she was on her show. “It happens all the time,” she said. “I don’t quite fit my meta-persona like I used to. No one is eighteen forever. It makes it much easier to go out in public.”

“I bet,” I said, finally reaching my seat. She wasn’t that old. Maybe twenty-five? Twenty-seven at the most. “And sorry for staring.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said sitting across the table from us. There was no equipment between us, and she didn’t even have a headset on. Current tech made that all unnecessary.

In contrast, Mara and I were dressed without augmentations in mind. She had a new and updated ballistic suit that was the most flattering one I’d seen. It was mostly black with a tactical aesthetic, but there was also golden trim in the right places to make it look powerful. There were many company logos artfully placed of her sponsors. Her hair was blond and wavy. It was long in the back and sitting on her shoulders on both sides. As always, she looked great in anything, but her stylist had done up something special for the show.

As for me, I wore a fitted t-shirt and slacks. Prodos’s logo was on of the left side of my chest. Destiny had also taken the opportunity to get me some quick sponsor deals just for logo placement during the interview. The maker of my weapons of choice, Lethality, as well as Lucci Psionics, my ballistic suit maker, had their logos on the right side of my shirt. It had only cost them a cool twenty million cryptos apiece.

I’d thought it was crazy that anyone would pay to have their logo on a nonaugmented t-shirt, but Destiny reassured me my chest would be thoroughly inspected by many during and after the show. The less augmented, the better.

That was just the normal ad placement. It was Salivate-tion that had paid the most. Their logo wasn’t on my shirt, however. Their five hundred million cryptos had bought something more elaborate.

There was a knock at the door, and I turned to see a purple orb hauling an artistic jug through the air three times her size. Destiny flew over and set it down on the table. Before releasing it, she asked. “Is the placement good?”

“Spin so that the logo faces my producer, Oren,” Mia said. “We’ll do a, what’s your favorite recent merch segment, which is extremely popular, so don’t worry. It’s the day before the Vanguard event. We’ll hit a billion views in the first twenty-four hours easy, if not double that.”

“Great. I’m also technically merch, I guess,” Destiny replied. “Where do you want me?”

“Over the shoulder works best for drones.”

That’s right, there was her drone maker too. I glanced down at my shirt and saw my father’s company logo there as well. It was free placement we gave him. Father said it had given his department a huge boost, and the synthetic brain tech he’d been working on was no longer a personal project. It would be their first physical tech product and once they were ready to take it live later in the year, I would be the face of it. I was officially an investor and sponsor of his company now.

There was one other ad that had been place on my shirt for free. At center collar was the small image of a shield leaning again a spear stuck atop a hill. It was Achilles’s logo.

“Now, before we get started, lets chat a little to get loose,” Mia said. “Thanks for what you did for Greg, by the way.” She motioned toward the now closed door where the security guard was. “He’s a huge fan of yours, and so is his son. I personally love meeting celebs that are just as real in real life as they on the meta.”

Everything I did to keep from turning red wasn’t working. I still didn’t see myself as a celebrity in any sense of the word. I said as much. “If he wants an autograph or something, I’m more than happy to hook him up.”

“That’s great. Once we’re done here, Oren will send him in. So…” she said, leaning forward with a grin. “Here’s how things work. Our feed has a three-minute delay. Comedy by definition is borderline offensive. If you want to try something you think might be funny, go for it. If it falls flat or might get us sued, we’ll cut it. Don’t worry about offending me. I’d rather you push things than play it safe. Also, if you reveal something about sponsors or business that’s confidential, just say so and we cut it. Now don’t feel like you have to be funny, either. That’s not what I’m saying. We’re here to have a fun time while putting on a show, and that works best when you’re comfortable not worrying too much about what you’re going to say.”

“Oh, I like that,” Mara commented. “Told you she was a pro.” She nudged me. “I’ve done many live shows and I can’t tell you how many of them have little to no buffer. I can’t believe I haven’t been on here either. It’s a pleasure to finally get to talk with you.”

“Same here,” Mia said sincerely. “We been in touch with your sponsors and manager in the past but scheduling never worked out. I’m ecstatic to have you.”

“It’s okay. You can just be yourself now, Lucius. They’ll cut out all of the dorky stuff.”

Closing my eyes, I cringed. I peaked at Mara out of the corner of my eye. “Don’t make me say it.”

She knew I was about to call her the nickname she despised. “I take back what I just said.”

Mia giggled. “You guys are adorable. I must say, this is a family friendly show, so we cut any excess flirting, kissing, touching. You get the picture. You’re both welcome to flirt with me, especially for skits and humor’s sake, but there is a reason the table is here. Stay in your seat.”

“You’ve had people…” I began to ask.

“If you can imagine it, we’ve had people try it. Normally, Greg is enough, but you’re one of the first psionic superheroes we’ve interviewed, so I need you to be on your best behavior. As much as he is a fan of yours, one of the reasons Greg is so standoffish is that he knows that its his job to stop you if you try to do something inappropriate. And we all now how that would turn out.”

I sobered quickly as I glanced over at Mara. She nodded matter-of-factly. How quickly I’d forgotten how different things must have seemed to the general public? Forcing my will or killing them would be far too easy.

“Don’t stress it,” Mia added quickly. “We’re convinced you’d never willingly do anything inappropriate or you wouldn’t be here. We’ve got to know you well through watching and talking to your friend Hwan. He’s been a guest multiple times. It’s just our new reality and we’re all trying to figure out how to live in it. Your friend Kline was here earlier in the week, and it was one of the funnest interviews I’ve had in a long time. Your biggest problem will be trying to outdo him.”

I chuckled at the idea. “If that’s the case then he’s already won.”

“Yup.” Mara said without missing a beat.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” she retorted. “Your can be a lovably goof, but he’s hilarious. Stick to your strengths.”

“If I was Kline, I’d be flexing right now…”

“No one would complain if you did,” Mia said.

Both girls had a good laugh at my expense.

“So I’ll just start by asking you guys’ questions. We’re slotted for an hour, but if we go over its not a problem. Special event programming is its own monster, and the fans love it.”

And so, Mia went from beautiful female professional, to super animated pixie girl in an instant. She saw my reaction and made a cutesy face. “I was actually super hyper when I was a teen, so the faces I make are mostly the real me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve calmed down. It’s actually super exhausting being me all the time so I’ve had to learn to intentionally do them less when I’m not working.”

I couldn’t help but to laugh. “That’s amazing.”

“Why thank you,” she said, letting her eyes spin around the room sweetly before landing back on me. She made one of her customary, over the top expressions, then turned and introduced us by name and rank. She started with Marabella.

The first few lines of questioning were light and fun. She quickly brought attention to your sponsors indirectly by asking how it must feel to be our clothing. She flattered us up and down saying she was so excited to get to spend the afternoon with two beautiful people.

So much had changed in the last year, and much of it didn’t become obvious until that very interview. I would’ve considered myself handsome before Freedom, but there are plenty of decent looking guys that never got attention on the meta—or from girls for that matter.

I was suddenly feeling very self-conscious. There wasn’t a level of beautiful above Mara and Mia. Some guys might prefer one look over the other, but Victoria was the only person I’d ever met that pushed past that barrier. They were the kind of girls whose attention should’ve been enough to make me forget everyone else. Of course, a man’s appetite for visual stimulus was never satisfied, but what teenage guy wouldn’t have killed to trade places with me right now?

Destiny had had a decade to fill my mind with every fact and argument against indulging my appetite, and despite Kline’s inadvertently trying to talk me into it, I did my best to remember the ladies before me were people and not just candy to look at.

My timing was a little odd during one of Mia’s monologues as I stifled a chuckle. I realized I hadn’t really felt like a teenager for a long time. I was rather enjoying it.

After that, I started to loosen up and had some fun with it. I wasn’t really that funny, for I couldn’t tell a joke to save my life, but I was totally engaged and both girls fed off it.

When the first segment ended, Mia turned to the main reason we were here. “So Major, it’s being said that Prodos is at a major disadvantage because you have no Genesis participants in this event that is promising many opponents with rank E psionics. What say you?”

“They’re right,” I said, not hiding a thing.

“Oh, do you think Prodos will score lower in this type of competition where viewership isn’t counted? You think you have a chance at winning?”

“Oh, we’ll win.”

Like the pro-antagonize that she was, Mia smiled evilly to a camera at a different angle. “No one doubts your ability to defeat rank E opponents, but Prodos only has four people at the same rank. Do you think it will be enough against battalions like Lethal Accord who is now more than a thousand rank E soldiers strong?”

It was a good question. On paper, it was impossible, but Major Harrison was bringing in some tech that we hadn’t been using on our expansion, and as long as the enemy didn’t have psionic shielding, many of our strongest rank F users had killed rank E goblins by now. It was just the overlords that were too much for them.

“I’m not so sure any of us will have an easy time after seeing the promo vid. If the opponents simulate real Ekseliksi soldiers, then their tactics and skill will be far superior to anything we’ve seen since Vanguard began.”

“Mmmm, us mortal can only hope. So victory has been declared and the enemy is more than it seems. Every expert we’ve talked to agrees with you on this point, including the press release by the Vanguard devs themselves.”

“Interesting…”

She leaned back into an exaggerated sidewards stance. “Let’s say that, just for argument’s sake, you’re wrong and Prodos loses. How would you respond?”

“Then we would train harder and smarter than everyone else.”

“Ahhh. Training. That’s what you’re known for, but the meta has been surprisingly silent on your training in Vanguard. We’ve seen you in action recently and you move unlike anything we’ve ever seen. So are you ready today to reveal your secrets? Is there any special training you’re doing to get one step above the competition?”

Looking up, I pursed my lips. I couldn’t tell her about training with Krato, but they’d seen me fight him. “Nothing too special. After fighting the Ekseliksi elite, I got a hold of all the information I could on the Ekseliksi and have been studying how they fight. I’ve been taking from that what I think would work for me and developing my skills from there.”

“Sounds morbid.”

“It is.”

Seeing we were going down a gloomy path, she got us back on track. “So you’ve been studying the Ekseliksi, and not your competition? We’ve heard from more than one of the top five Genesis participants. They think you’d be an easy opponent. They’d just wait until you trying to jump over their head, then it would be all over. Have you not been studying them?”

“Oh, I’ve seen their highlight reels, but my main focus is on learning to fight and kill the real enemy. We’ve only been practicing psionics for a few years. The Ekseliksi have been doing it for centuries.”

She pounded the table and sinisterly pumped her brow. “I don’t want to speak to soon, but I think some of your competition won’t take too kindly to what you just said. Some of them are peak level rank E psionic users. Do you want to add anything or retract what you just said?”

Leaning forward with my arms resting against the table, I answered flatly. There was no way what I was going to say wouldn’t come out arrogant, so I just said it. “There are some incredible fighters among the other battalions, and I could learn something from all of them. However, as they are now, I’m just tracking their progress. It’s the few of them that unlock rank D psionics before Vanguard’s final event that I’m training for.”

Mia brought both hands together then proceeded to simulate an explosion. “That be a provocation if I’ve ever heard one, Meta. You heard it here first.”

Facing her producer, she threw out her hands and held them there as she addressed her viewers. “Which is a perfect segue to the world premiere of a promo vid the Vanguard devs have been saving for this moment.” She inclined her head and looked over at us.

Our astonishment was genuine.

The footage appeared on the wall opposite her producer starting where the last promo had left off. An Ekseliksi soldier was carrying the rail-rifle and psword in through the castle gates. It was handed to a runner, and an orange aura lit up his form as he took off at a sprint. As he went, he cleared ten stairs at a time, and darted through courtyards as guards at the gates to each new section of the outer castle yelled a warning. His pace was frenzied, panicked.

He bypassed the entrance to the castle’s main hall and flew up a flight of stairs around the side. He ended up outside of what looked like the medieval version of a penthouse apartment. The messenger was announced, and the door swung open. Out stepped a thickly muscled brute, with sickly, green-tinted skin and the same deadpanned expression Krato often held.

Seeing that he was shirtless and wore nothing but scaled faulds, or thigh and hip armor, over padded shorts that cut off well above the knee, I smacked my palm on the table as I moved to the edge of my seat. I took in every detail that I could.

Above its head flashed boldened text.

Peak Level Psionics Rank E

Ekseliksi Centurion

As the centurion took the rifle and sword to look over, he glanced up as if knowing we were there. The screen flashed black, and one thing was left.

Not a simulation!

I missed Mia’s expressions as she brought us back from the video because I was too lost in thought.

“Lucius, you obviously were shocked by this revelation. You said a minute ago that you weren’t worried about the other participants who were at the peak level of rank E. Why do you seem worried now?”

“The other participants aren’t Ekseliksi. If this centurion really isn’t a simulation, then he could have decades, if not a century worth of experience. And I’ve seen this garment before. It’s the ritual dueling garment used by the Ekseliksi. If I’m interpreting this correctly, he’s saying that he doesn’t need armor or weapons to fight us.”

Mia hesitated a little at what I said about his getup. “You really have been studying the Ekseliksi a lot, haven’t you?”

She turned from me to Oren. “Get as much information you can on their dueling traditions as you can. That’s a whole show unto itself. Thank you, Lucius.”

“Sure.”

If they were advertising a centurion, then they had to have more than one. They’d claimed this would be a fair event, so how could it be fair when no two centurions would be exactly the same if they used them as the main boss? Unless they didn’t think many battalions would get that far… I doubted they’d make that same mistake again though.

After a few more questions, she moved on. Even if we were heading into more pleasant conversation, she caught me off guard by what she asked next. “So let’s hear it. Do you two have a wedding day set or any buns in the oven?”

It took me a moment to processes, but Mara looked even more astonished than I was. Thankfully, I had prepared my answer beforehand. “Nothing like that. Mara is an incredible teacher and friend, but far too pretty for the likes of me.”

Mara smiled over at me fondly and did a good job hiding her discomfort.

Before she could say anything, I put a nail in that coffin. “I’m not currently looking for a new relationship.”

“Oh?” Mia said. “Are you taken, or heartbroken?”

“Can I be both?”

“That’s too often the case. What about you Mara, everyone’s favorite bella of the ball? Boys. Don’t make me pull out the AI boyfriend predictor.”

When Mara gave a much shyer answer than expected, Mia started naming famous pro gamers and asked started playing attractive or not?

When Vector was mentioned, she scrunched up her nose. “Ewww. Not. He’s like a brother. Sorry Drool.”

In the end, she came round to me. “Lucius.”

“Yes.”

When I glanced in her direction, she scooched away from me. “What?”

“Lucius’s turn.”

“Uh.” I really didn’t like the direction this was going.

Mia settled her gaze on Mara before asking me, “Attractive or not? Mia of Mia’s Haven?”

I was watching Mara only to snap my head in our interviewer’s direction. She looked back and forth between us like a playful serpent.

“Oh come on, everyone knows you think, Marabella’s attractive. How about someone more cute than elegant,” she said fluttering her eyebrows.

“Of course,” I said without giving it much thought. It was true enough.

Mia did a little dance in her seat which was usually Mara’s thing.

From there, the interview ran into general topics. We got to name our sponsors and I introduced Salivate-tion’s new flavor of protein shake as I’d been paid to. It helped that it was one I’d actually liked.

We had enough fun that it ran twenty minutes over. Mara and I had come together, but she had to have a conversation with her publicist after the interview, so Mia waved me into the hall after I signed a few things for Greg. She led me through a side door to a little office. As soon as I was in, she slipped behind me and closed the door.

I spun to find her with her back to it facing off with me.

She looked sweet but had lost most of the cuteness she displayed during her show. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to force my way with you. Not unless you as me, that is. To keep this from being awkward, I’ll just come out and say it. I watched your journey through Freedom with great interest and have been crushing on you pretty hard for months. I rarely do things this casually, but, if you’re interested, we could hook up right now. No obligations necessary. And I’m not saying I would reject something more serious.”

I was befuddled at the girl that stood just arm’s length away from me. She still had on her green shirt and pants, so it wasn’t like she was being outwardly seductive. Not that it mattered a lot with her curves. Just as she’d been before the interview, she was strictly professional.

Seeing my reaction, her features softened. “I didn’t read things wrongly, did I? You and Mara aren’t…”

“No. I meant what I said.”

“Okay, good. And I mean what I said as well. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. I’m just interested in you and didn’t want to lose the opportunity to ask while you were still here.”

Remembering back to when Olivia had come to my room and began to strip, I shut down that part of my mind even knowing Victoria likely wouldn’t find out this time.  “I’m flattered Mia, but I meant all of what I said.”

“Understood,” she replied, nodding as much to herself as me. “That’s why I haven’t touched you and kept my clothes on. Do you agree that I’ve gone out of my way not to do this in a seductive way while asking?”

It was such a strange question, that I could do was say, “Yes…”

“Great. Because I hope to have you on the show again soon. Next time, I promise I won’t ask, but if you change your mind, I hope you’ll let me know. As I said, I don’t do this kind of thing, or want to burn bridges by asking.”

“You haven’t,” I reassured her, though I wasn’t sure if that were true or not.

“Thank you. Then let me walk you out.”

As she walked me out of the building, she gave me a sideways hug and said, “I’ll be casting tomorrow with a bunch of meta-personalities. I’ll be cheer-casting for you. Kick some Ekseliksi butt.”

“Thanks again, Mia. I had a lot of fun.”

Mara was waiting for me in the military transport vehicle. She seemed surprised to see me. We were facing one another, so there was no hiding. She eventually came out and said it. “Mia asked you to, you know…”

“Yeah. She was strangely professional about it.”

“And?”

“And what? I said no, of course.”

“I was so close to bonking her in the nose,” Destiny said, appearing on top of her orb between us and was almost screaming.

“Oh.”

Seeing her downward expression, I decided I shouldn’t put it off any longer. “I was serious about what I said. No new relationship, and I don’t do ‘casual’.”

“I see.”

She was quiet for several minutes, so I asked. “Did you really think I was going to hook up with her?”

“I don’t know. When you didn’t follow me out, I thought you might have been… Or maybe planning for a date after tomorrow’s event. I’m not saying it’s bad that you aren’t. There’s not a lot of guys—famous guys with money—that would say no to that. Especially from someone like Mia.”

“Maybe I should go back then.” Seeing the fright that came over her, I burst out laughing. “Kidding. I stand by what I said earlier.”

“Victoria?”

I raised a brow. “She’s engaged.”

After that, she didn’t push any further, but I think she realized the truth.

If I took Mia up on her offer or started pursuing Mara instead, it would’ve been as if I didn’t believe what I’d told Victoria. It would make everything I was doing mean nothing. No temptation, as momentarily satisfying as it might’ve been, was even worth it in comparison to what I purposed to achieve.

Our conversation turned to the Ekseliksi Centurion.

“Is he as big of a danger as you said?”

“He’s not on the Ekseliksi elite’s level, but just under it. If we aren’t careful, fighting him will cost us a lot of lives.”

I had to admit, that as I headed toward my cube, out of all the opportunities I might be giving up, Mara was the one I’d regret the most. If I’d met her before Victoria, things would be different. Instead of loving her, and supporting her, I’d rejected her the day before Vanguard’s big event. And for that, I was sorry.

***

Victoria recovered while relaxing in a cushioned lounge chair after an intense workout. She was in the midst of a plain ballroom she still hadn’t bother decorating. It was important for her to continue to sharpen her skills, and it helped keep her in tip top shape. During Freedom, she’d had rare opportunities to practice her dancing, but here in her simulation within a simulation, she did every day. It was the best stress reliever she had now that Lucius was out of the picture.

She wore a comfy pair of athletic shorts and sports-tank. Her Epithumia attire was far too revealing to comfortably wear when Peter might contact her at any time. Of course, as soon as her session was over, her mind had returned to tomorrows strategy. She’d seen Lucius’s interview. The revelation of the centurion wasn’t surprising, but he’d still be an obstacle that could give them lots of trouble. Lucius should be able to handle him, especially with the rank E squad, but he’d likely want to face him one on one. She didn’t have it in her to deny him the opportunity.

As she pondered what she should do, more than once she remembered his words. “You know where to find me.”

She did know and wanted to go to him—or at least to contact him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He’d taken a stand, but so had she. It wasn’t long until she’d brought up a recording of the vid he’d played and given her during their date.

She was just torturing herself by watching it but she wasn’t ready to give him up completely. These memories would be precious to her centuries from now when she was married and alone. She’d at least have her children to keep her company and perhaps maids in waiting and servants she might learn to call friends. There were many worse fates.

Who’s to say the Ekseliksi would even last that long, or if her father had his way, Earth would become an Ekseliksi vassal.

She shook off her melancholy and turned to her plans for Hectate’s planetary defense. Her very next thought was what Lucius would think of what she considered a genius design. She growled to herself, and at herself, before leaping up from her cushion and shot into the air. Stopping in the center of the ballroom twenty feet in the air, she just floated there.

She took position for The Long Last Goodbye and began. It was a doleful piece of mourning for a lost lover. It was also frantic of pace and laden with gentler, intense moments. It was perfect for how she was feeling now. Beckoning with her hand to a far-off lover, she pushed off on nothing to a ciseaux—leaping splits in the air. Like a shadow of mournful memory, she disappeared. With each reappearance, another memory of intimacy emerged to delight her ghostly audience with passion forever lost.