Earth?"
I laugh. "Lucan, you're clear."
Slag interrupts. "Coot, what the fuck are you doing? I was sent by your mother!"
I turn back and growl, "I don't have a mother, Slag. What part of my words aren't getting through to you?"
He crosses the room and grabs me by the arm. My body reacts without the extra squirt of adrenaline that appears during even the most benign of confrontations. My elbow hits him in the face and I turn just enough to knee him in the balls. He stumbles, but stays standing. Ashur steps between us, and Lucan is bending down into my face, his mouth contorting into ugly lines.
My heart never misses a beat and I realize I've wanted to do that for a long time. "I'm not leaving, Lucan."
"Ashur, take him outside and have him escorted back to his ship while I have a private talk with her ."
They make for the exit and Lucan snarls at me, "Sit down, Junco. We're not done here."
I take a seat and watch him as he formulates his next move. One thing is very clear about Lucan, he has no idea who I am. He's read reports, seen videos maybe. Some first-hand accounts. He knows nothing beyond the few confrontational words between us.
When he speaks, he is calm. "You do realize you've tilted your hand, do you not?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lucan. Please, just get to the point."
"You have no real reason to stay here, Junco. Your morph is over, you're free to leave, you have a long life ahead of you. Your decision to stay is based on your desire to save Tier from his fate, and not this silly rebellion directed towards your mother."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I burn hot with rage, then see his smile and tone it down. "Are you really going to sit there and tell me you think that tech contained a message from my mother? You fucking piece of shit." I get up and see a slight movement backwards from him. "That wasn't my mother on that tech asking me to come home, Lucan. It was a clone of my first boyfriend snipping off Moju's finger. And I swear to my own fucking God, I will slice your fucking head off with my SEAR if you say another word to me about it."
I realize I'm up in his face – as far as I can manage with the height difference – and I take a step back. Then I turn and walk away.
"I'm staying," I say over my shoulder. "Moju's a big boy, he can certainly handle that little fuck without my help. When I'm done with this Fledge bullshit I'll go back on my own terms."
"When you're done with this Fledge bullshit , Junco, you will belong to the Aves Cluster. And you will go where you're told. Is that understood?"
"As long as someone tells me to go back to Earth and kill people, I've got no problem with that."
He lets out a breath and I can feel him roll his eyes at me. I turn to face him. "You're not going to win this game, Lucan."
"Says the one small girl with no power."
"I'm just warning you. Don't be disappointed in the end when I take back every drop of satisfaction you extract from my failures."
He sighs. It hints at exasperation, boredom even, and I sense I may have miscalculated. "One of these days, Junco, we will have an honest conversation. If it's Fledge fights you want, girl. Be my guest. Go and kill. But it won't save Tier. He's been on his way out for a very long time. Long before he refused orders, long before he waged war on the RR for you, and long before he gave away his genetics to a man who helped him kill more than two dozen Earth leaders."
Shit .
I look up at him, too quickly, having misplaced that little secret Tier told me out on the rock. Lucan reads my face and smiles. "Ah, I see some recognition there. Don't worry, Junco – when you testify the drugs will get it all out in the open." He stops and stares into my eyes, burns into them. I look away, feeling a little beaten already.
But he continues, "So, just remember, when we are at the end, when I am standing over you as you break in half, and I am forced to leave you with nothing, Junco – don't say I never
I laugh. "Lucan, you're clear."
Slag interrupts. "Coot, what the fuck are you doing? I was sent by your mother!"
I turn back and growl, "I don't have a mother, Slag. What part of my words aren't getting through to you?"
He crosses the room and grabs me by the arm. My body reacts without the extra squirt of adrenaline that appears during even the most benign of confrontations. My elbow hits him in the face and I turn just enough to knee him in the balls. He stumbles, but stays standing. Ashur steps between us, and Lucan is bending down into my face, his mouth contorting into ugly lines.
My heart never misses a beat and I realize I've wanted to do that for a long time. "I'm not leaving, Lucan."
"Ashur, take him outside and have him escorted back to his ship while I have a private talk with her ."
They make for the exit and Lucan snarls at me, "Sit down, Junco. We're not done here."
I take a seat and watch him as he formulates his next move. One thing is very clear about Lucan, he has no idea who I am. He's read reports, seen videos maybe. Some first-hand accounts. He knows nothing beyond the few confrontational words between us.
When he speaks, he is calm. "You do realize you've tilted your hand, do you not?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lucan. Please, just get to the point."
"You have no real reason to stay here, Junco. Your morph is over, you're free to leave, you have a long life ahead of you. Your decision to stay is based on your desire to save Tier from his fate, and not this silly rebellion directed towards your mother."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I burn hot with rage, then see his smile and tone it down. "Are you really going to sit there and tell me you think that tech contained a message from my mother? You fucking piece of shit." I get up and see a slight movement backwards from him. "That wasn't my mother on that tech asking me to come home, Lucan. It was a clone of my first boyfriend snipping off Moju's finger. And I swear to my own fucking God, I will slice your fucking head off with my SEAR if you say another word to me about it."
I realize I'm up in his face – as far as I can manage with the height difference – and I take a step back. Then I turn and walk away.
"I'm staying," I say over my shoulder. "Moju's a big boy, he can certainly handle that little fuck without my help. When I'm done with this Fledge bullshit I'll go back on my own terms."
"When you're done with this Fledge bullshit , Junco, you will belong to the Aves Cluster. And you will go where you're told. Is that understood?"
"As long as someone tells me to go back to Earth and kill people, I've got no problem with that."
He lets out a breath and I can feel him roll his eyes at me. I turn to face him. "You're not going to win this game, Lucan."
"Says the one small girl with no power."
"I'm just warning you. Don't be disappointed in the end when I take back every drop of satisfaction you extract from my failures."
He sighs. It hints at exasperation, boredom even, and I sense I may have miscalculated. "One of these days, Junco, we will have an honest conversation. If it's Fledge fights you want, girl. Be my guest. Go and kill. But it won't save Tier. He's been on his way out for a very long time. Long before he refused orders, long before he waged war on the RR for you, and long before he gave away his genetics to a man who helped him kill more than two dozen Earth leaders."
Shit .
I look up at him, too quickly, having misplaced that little secret Tier told me out on the rock. Lucan reads my face and smiles. "Ah, I see some recognition there. Don't worry, Junco – when you testify the drugs will get it all out in the open." He stops and stares into my eyes, burns into them. I look away, feeling a little beaten already.
But he continues, "So, just remember, when we are at the end, when I am standing over you as you break in half, and I am forced to leave you with nothing, Junco – don't say I never
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