Baron Revenant approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to go meet with our mutual friends. Make sure phase-two is ready. I’m expecting the rogues to appear soon.”
“Very well,” she heard Rega respond.
Who were the rogues? There was no mention of them in Sanul’s data. She pieced together that the ‘mutual friends’ referred to the VoQuana since the data told her he had plans to meet with one Allatu via some kind of puppet—though that sounded crazy.
“Captain Solus,” Zalor said. “I’ll have the Laocoon group as the Home Guard until further notice. Is that clear?”
Solus glared at him but nodded.
“Good. Now, shall we to—”
“Meia, sorry to interrupt,” Iapetus’ voice filled her head. “You are needed.”
But— she stopped herself. If he said she was needed, then she was. With a reluctant sigh she disconnected from Rega and dropped back into her body. It was just as well, Solus would be coming here. She had to prepare an appropriate welcome for him.
Sanul. Good job. Pick up Rega when you get this. Zalor’s meeting the VoQuana. She stored the message in Mr.D with the agreed on encryption and held her arm out. The miniature drone extended its four pylons, and with a burst of blue flame from its engines, shot up into the sky.
“Okay, let’s go.” She pulled herself up to her feet and headed to the palace Cartography Room where she knew Cylus would be hosting his guests.
“Sorry to interrupt, master, but Meia Starblood has arrived,” she heard Ben announce through the heavy wood doors. The words drew her up short on the carpet and she stood at attention.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Cylus said when Ben swung the doors open.
She saluted him and stepped into the broad chamber. It was built around the circle of dark wood at its center. Standing within it made her feel like she was in the center of a ribbed drum. The table itself could probably fit a tank on top of it, and a star map of the Confederation hovered above its surface.
“I’m sorry, who is this?” Helena Revenant said from beside the window.
“Meia Starblood,” Cylus said. “She’s my personal guard. She was at our last meeting.”
“By the Void, do you expect me to remember the help?” Helena rolled her eyes.
Sophi muttered something from within her bright-blue cloak and earned a sharp look from Baroness Revenant.
Meia nodded to them both and moved to stand behind Cylus. He was having none of it, however, and waved her up to the edge of the table.
“Continue,” he said.
“With her here?”
He nodded.
“Cylus doesn’t go anywhere without his courtesan,” Sophi said.
Meia snarled.
“That’s going too far, Sophi.” Cylus glared at her. She shrugged in return.
“Ugh, fine. I was saying that you’ve jailed so many barons at this point you’re going to be hard-pressed to defy my cousin in the Barony when he returns. Even barons who might have supported you will be alienated by this.” Helena shifted her weight.
“They conspired with Dorsky to murder my aunts.” Cylus’ voice popped and shook as he spoke. “You aren’t asking me to absolve them, are you?”
Baroness Revenant laughed. “When have you known my family to ever forgive anyone? I can hardly begrudge you that, but I’m talking about your survival.”
Meia raised an eyebrow and looked at Cylus.
“She came here talking about supporting me against her cousin,” he said. “I could hardly believe it myself.”
“My cousin’s made a royal mess of things. He never should have left the capital. I’ve lost both my husband and my daughter—”
“Adopted,” Sophi cut in.
“Still, she was my daughter and Olivaar was my husband.” She made a face like she tasted something bitter. “It’s clear that Zalor does not have his family’s interests in mind.”
“And you intend to survive his return? Are you afraid he’ll blame you for the failures of your husband and allies?” Sophi asked.
“Dorsky was no ally of mine. The idiot couldn’t see past his own ego. I’m looking forward to watching you sentence him to a life of hard labor.” She locked eyes with Cylus. “This is the perfect opportunity to cripple my cousin’s interests once and for all.”
“My, you Revenants don’t even spare each other.” Sophi laughed. “Tell him what you’re really after.”
“What?”
“You know, that big, fat barony you’re really craving? Isn’t that the price for your help?”
Cylus looked from one woman to the other.
“It’s a fair one,” Baroness Revenant returned.
“Except that it’s mine,” Sophi snapped.
“You were disowned.”
“Cy is going to restore me, isn’t that right?” She angled her head so that the light caught her eyes within the shadow of her hood.
Meia gritted her teeth. In the weeks that followed the assault on the Cronus’ tower, Sophiathena visited with increasing frequency. Through the snide remarks and outright antagonism she got to know the baroness. It was a trying few weeks, and she could see it would be a trying era if the woman got control of Cosmos Corp. She already had Elthroa and Shiragawa. With Cosmos she would be unstoppable.
“Restore you? Don’t you already have enough?”
“Don’t you?” Sophi snapped back.
“This is why I wanted you here.” Cylus sighed and rubbed his temples.
Meia looked at him.
“For moral support if nothing else,” he murmured.
“In any case you must decide soon. My cousin is bound to be arriving any day now,” Baroness Revenant said.
“He already has,” she stated.
“What?” Cylus gasped.
“He just passed through the space port. He arrived with Captain Solus so he must have hitched a ride with the Laocoon. I was going to tell you…” she said.
“So, you’re out of time. Do you want my help or not?” Baroness Revenant cocked a thin, blond eyebrow.
Sophi shook her head. “Cy?”
He blanched.
“The longer you hold off Dorsky’s trial the more sympathy he will garner,” Baroness Revenant said. “You can’t afford to wait much longer.”
“I disagree. He’s out of the public eye and passions are cooling as we speak. A long delay will give the other barons a chance to see that what you have done was appropriate,” Sophi said.
“Appropriate?” Baroness Revenant laughed.
“Just, if you prefer that term.” Sophi’s smile was venomous.
Baroness Revenant snorted and rolled her eyes. “I need to be getting back. My cousin will be expecting me at the tower. Cylus, do what you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Shaking her head, Baroness Revenant left the room with bold strides.
He sighed.
“You’ll get through this,” Meia said.
“Yes, I suppose he will, but it won’t be because of you,” Sophi snapped.
She felt her gut clench and heat start to rise up her back. The press of her Growler against her thigh was suddenly present in her mind. It would take barely a second to snatch it up, aim, and put a bullet between the smug albino’s eyes.
“No.” She forced herself to relax as much as she could. “It’ll be because of his strength of will.”
Sophi laughed. “What strength of will? Cylus has always depended on others for his strength. He has none of his own.”
“You’re wrong, Sophi.” He took his time in directing a glare at her. “I have my own strength and my own will. I will see this through to the end, and I will see Zalor defeated. Me.”
“Do you think you can do it without me?” She shook her head.
“I didn’t ask you to join me. You came unbidden. Your plan got Lina killed, and now you think I need you? Get out. Go try and rule the Shiragawa if you think you can or go crawling back to Elthroa for all I c
are. Either way, just get out.” He shook with clenched fists, and his eyes held the gleam of fire.
Sophiathena looked at him for a long time. Her eyes flickered to Meia’s, but only for a moment. She shook her head, walked over to the door, and turned to him.
“You’ll need me again soon. You’ll call, but we’ll see if I answer.”
With that, she left the chamber.
He let out a long sigh.
“She’s quite the piece of work,” Meia said.
He cleared his throat. “We better prepare for Zalor’s arrival. I’m sure he’s going to come for me.”
“He’s actually sending Captain Solus.” Her heart started to beat harder. “And he’s on his way to meet with the VoQuana.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“I’ve got good intel on it.” She didn’t want to get into it lest she reveal Sanul or her fleshride.
He gave her a suspicious look.
Meia licked her lips. On the one hand it seemed foolish to speak to him about everything, but the more she thought of it the more she realized she needed him on her side. The only way she was going to have the freedom and resources she needed to save him and the Confederation was through him.
“Okay, I have to tell you some things. They’re going to be strange, maybe upsetting, but I need you to know.”
His suspicion faded into puzzlement.
“Master, perhaps this is best handled in another chamber?” Ben asked.
“Why? She can tell me here. What’s going on, Meia?” He put his finger tips on the edge of the map table as though to steady himself.
She took a deep breath.
“First, I obtained a great deal of my intel from the files I confiscated from Sanul Mondu before he escaped.”
“Can you trust that?” he asked.
“Iapetus and I have been over it. Yes, the files are genuine. They detail a plot between Zalor Revenant and the VoQuana which includes the development and deployment of Siren.”
“Siren?” Fear passed through his eyes. “What does Zalor have to do with Siren?”
“Baroness Altair revealed that they were making the nanoweapon on Elmorus. It was used to kill Mitsugawa Yoji, and as you know from Calemni, it was tested on a wide-scale there. She knew about it…” Meia shuddered, fighting back the memory of the cold, desert nights.
“Baroness Altair…” Cylus shook his head. “I think I was trying to speak to her on the Queen Gaia, but I couldn’t find her.”
“You found her,” Meia said. “Dorsky’s video was genuine.”
He looked at her in confusion. “What video?”
She cocked her head to the side. Could the VoQuana have somehow messed with his head so bad that he was incapable of recalling his interactions with them? She decided on a different tactic.
“Never mind that; I must be confused. The video I have is of Baroness Altair discussing Siren with a VoQuana named Sinuthros. Cygni Lau Aragón was on to them. She was attacked by Sinuthros but she managed to kill him with the help of an umbral, Thuban Vargas. He was then killed in Dorsky’s office by some fake Gaians.”
“Fake? The Praetors confirmed the assault on Dorsky was genuine.” Cylus turned to lean against the table.
Ben moved forward but he waved his servant back.
“And they used it to justify the attack on the Biodome—except, the Gaians were innocent. Sanul was there. Praetor Prime Augusta executed them rather than take them alive.” She shuddered, remembering Modulus hunting her on Calemni. “I believe the Praetors don’t want their side of the story coming out.”
“They blamed Olivaar and Baron Vargas on the Gaians, too.” Cylus’ eyes went to Ben for a moment, though she didn’t know why.
“All lies.” Something made her look in Ben’s direction. He stood a step in from the door, staring at them with his pinhole gaze.
“So, who were the assassins?” Cylus asked her.
“I don’t know. I assume they were mercenaries that Zalor hired.”
His expression grew grim. “He’s been behind all this?”
“Him and his VoQuana allies… and maybe the Praetors, too.”
“Daedalus? That’s absurd.” He frowned at her.
She clasped her hands before her waist. It wasn’t until then that she realized she was shaking.
“I was attacked,” she said.
“What? When?”
“When I went out to the Bazaar.”
“I didn’t hear any reports—”
“Let me finish,” she said and waited for him to nod before continuing. “I went to a bathhouse and I was attacked there by an advanced robot with mimetic flesh.”
Cylus squinted. “Huh?”
“It looked like a Volgoth, but it wasn’t. I was able to disable it. It had the same type of memory core that Modulus did.” She took in a shuddering breath. “It tried to drown me, Cy. Daedalus tried to kill me.”
“How could that be? Could it have been another type of memory core and you just mistook it?”
“No. I had Iapetus analyze it. It’s definitely Daedalus’.”
“Do you think the Praetors figured out who you are?” His eyes were full of worry.
“I think so, yeah. I also think they don’t want me talking about what I know about Calemni, just like they didn’t want the Gaians talking.”
He stared at her for a long time, then nodded. “Dammit.”
“There’s more. There’s a Siren factory beneath the Palace, and Cygni’s people found out there are canisters of the stuff all over the city in hidden places. They couldn’t locate them all, even with Thuban Vargas before he was killed. Cy, this city… I can’t let it become another Calemni.”
His eyes grew wide. “Siren factory? Here? Do you know for sure?”
“No. They move it periodically from what I’ve gathered. Elmorus might have been the first, but there were more, and I think this one is recent. I’ve been hesitant to go down there. I don’t want to tip them off.”
“You’ve got to. You have to be sure. We have to get rid of it!”
“Cy, if I go down there and it trips off the canisters in the city then everyone will die. We can’t let that happen. We need more intel, and I need freedom to go get it.”
She held his gaze until she saw understanding dawn behind his green eyes.
“What about me? What if Siren gets released?” he said in a small voice.
“I’m hesitant to give you the cure.” This was the hardest part. “I was laughing off the notion of you under the VoQuana’s control but now I’m not sure. I think they’ve been trapped a long time and they just want to be free like the rest of us, but I also think they’re using you to get what they want. I owe you and I’m going to free you of them. I’m pretty sure they are involved with Siren. If I give you the cure they might be able to counter it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He took a breath and she saw his cheeks bulge as he gritted his teeth.
“You aren’t going to give it to me.”
“I will when I’m sure you’re free of them.”
“But not now, when we know Siren is here and I need it.” His nostrils flared and his voice popped as he spoke.
“If they have some kind of hold on you it’s too risky. I can administer it if you get infected but—”
“But you won’t be here. You just said you have to go run around and gather intel! What if it gets me?”
She stepped forward. “I’m going to save you, Cy, just like you saved me. Trust in that. I’m going to go find out what Revenant and the VoQuana are talking about. Maybe they’ll give away their plans for the city. We need to know when they intend to release Siren before we can do anything, and we can’t chance them getting wind of what we’re doing and releasing it early, right?”
“But—Okay. Okay, I trust you. You’re the only one who’s been totally honest with me.”
She bit back the feeling of guilt at not telling him about Sanul. She had to keep the Volgoth secret in
case the Praetors made him talk. It was one thing to reveal herself, but she already decided she was going to save Sanul, too.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Okay. I don’t like this at all, but okay. I’ll—I’ll try to be brave enough.” He lapsed into a coughing fit.
She waited until he recovered before continuing.
“Captain Solus is on his way here. As much as I want to beat his smug face in right now I think he might be part of this, too. Don’t have him arrested. Let’s just act like nothing is wrong. He will recognize Iapetus’ name so if it comes up don’t refer to him as such.”
Cylus cocked an eyebrow. “No problem.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Solus is going to want you to go with him to Cosmos Corp. Zalor expects you to listen.”
“I won’t,” he said.
“Good. Don’t. If he wants to see you make him come here. Remember, Iapetus has the cure too, just in case.”
“You’re leaving him here?” Cylus asked.
“Thanks to you, I’m linked to him all the time. I won’t be gone long.”
“Okay.” He looked lost.
“I’ll be back in two blinks of a pulsar.” Meia gave him a warm smile.
She pulled away from him and headed for the door. Ben opened it for her as she approached and bowed.
“Meia, please be careful. Don’t die,” Cylus said.
“I won’t.” She left, hoping that her words would hold true.
The seven points of Cosmos Corp Tower loomed against the bright-orange and purple sky. Meia stared at them and the swirling distortion at the apex where they came together. Her target would be up there, near the maelstrom, which might make it difficult to get a signal off the spy grain in Revenant’s office.
“Do you wish you stayed behind?” Iapetus asked her over their link.
What are you talking about?
“Do you wish you stayed behind with Premier Keltan to confront Solus. You have been wanting to do so for nearly half a year.”
That’s a strange question to ask right before this mission.
“Meia?”
She gritted her teeth and took her eyes off the tower ahead. The air taxi was starting to bank around it at a distance to avoid the turbulence. Deep down in her gut she felt a tremor. She concentrated on it for a moment, then shook her head. She was genuinely worried for Cylus and part of her had wanted to stay behind with him. “Save Cylus, Save the Confederation” was her mantra over the last few weeks, but her feelings were going beyond that. She spent so much time thinking about what the VoQuana could want with him, how to best Zalor, and what to do to destroy Siren that she hardly considered the consequences of her debt to him.
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