“I just don’t know,” Cariad sniffed, her face sparkling with glitter-tears. Vellan grief was as heartbreaking as it was beautiful. “It’s clear Amara is still enamored with Maeve. And why wouldn’t she be? Maeve is elegant and well spoken and can take Amara on trips to Caesura and Rime. What do I have? Five pounds more than I did two days ago, that’s what.” She tossed a discarded chocolate wrapper across the room, missing the trash by a foot.
“Maeve is a wicked, spineless dullard,” I assured her. We were sitting on her sofa, which hung from the roof of her apartment by a vine. “I honestly still can’t figure out why Amara went back to her.” I was tempted to pull a page from Hugo’s playbook and do a deep dive into Maeve’s history. “Oh! Hugo!”
“What?” Cariad asked, dabbing her face with a tissue.
“Um, sorry, nothing. Tell me more about the last time you spoke to Amara.”
02to 03Ping-pong, what are you up to?
03I’m sitting on Eira’s back porch.
02She has a back porch?
03Yes.
02Is she sitting there with you?
03No. She is making friends with her new neighbor, Nellie Platin. She didn’t want to, but I explained the importance of networking on Coda, and she eventually acquiesced on the condition that I show her a new planet soon. She is already tired of this one.
02Sounds like you two were made for each other!
03Your platitude is nonsensical.
02Can I come along? I want to planet hop with you. You weren’t planning on using a star bridge, were you? Those take ages! Why hadn’t you already pinged me? How long has it been since I left, anyway?
03It’s been nearly a turn. And yes, I was going to purchase another cruiser and book passage through a star bridge. If I lived my life according to your schedule, I would not get very far.
02Why are you buying another cruiser?
03You left my old one on Caligo.
02Oops! Well, give me the coordinates to a safe place in Eira’s house to pop in. We’ll figure something out.
“And that’s why I just can’t possibly imagine it ever working out between us,” Cariad sniffed. “What do you think?”
“I think…” I stammered. “I think that you’re overdramatizing things. Amara’s clearly under a spell, cast by an evil witch.”
She laughed, “Who’s dramatizing now?”
I feigned just noticing the clock on the wall. “Oh no, I didn’t realize what time it was.”
“Sorry, I’ve kept you too long.”
“Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry about those chocolates either; we’ll have a dance party and work them off later!” I hopped down from the hanging sofa and waved goodbye before slipping out the door and popping away just as I passed out of sight.
Eira’s home was nice, though basic. Either Hugo helped her decorate, or she hadn’t fully moved in yet. The coordinates he gave me were for the restroom, so I freshened up, put on my Codan face, and joined Hugo in the backyard.
“We should go to Threnos,” I said, surveying the grounds. It looked like most Codan fare—tall white-and-copper walls, trimmed topiaries, a reflecting pool in the center. I would have to bring her some housewarming gifts to spice up the place.
“Isn’t Clara on Threnos?” Hugo asked.
I mock gasped. “She is? Well, my goodness, we should pay her a visit too, shouldn’t we?”
Hugo didn’t respond. I knew he wasn’t a fan of either Threnos or Clara. Then again, he wasn’t a fan of much. I was honestly too afraid to ask where he wanted to take Eira. Probably to some dusty old museum or library.
“Well,” I said. “We can always ask Eira where she wants to go.”
“I’m amenable to that idea.”
We waited for Eira while I plotted their love affair. I could already tell what Hugo was up to—trying to pawn his mortal girl off on the likes of Nellie Platin. Clearly, he was repressing his true desires. Even so, he was still there, sitting on her back porch. For Hugo, that was big.
The closest he’d ever come to a relationship of any kind was a young revolutionary fighting against insurmountable odds. Hugo spent three turns with the kid, deep in the trenches, taking notes and offering advice when asked. He became his second-in-command. For a time, they were inseparable. Then the war ended. The revolutionaries lost and were locked away. I really thought Hugo would find a way to get the boy out, but he didn’t. He just left, punching lightspeed to the next destination.
I only learned of the kid near the end, popping unexpectedly onto a battlefield in the Eskeran streets of Samarise. The revolutionary and Hugo were taking shots from the fifth floor of a condemned building, sharing a single cigarette between them as their compatriots charged forth below. It was a fool’s errand—trying to defy the Eskeran military—but for a turn or two, he seemed to allow himself to forget the odds (or relish in their futility).
I didn’t know what kept him around this time, but I knew he could still walk away. I needed to weave Eira into his orbit, and Clara was a great start. She was quick to make friends and never forgot a face. If I could pair those two up, Eira would be a more permanent fixture in our inner circle. When she finally returned, I had everything planned.
“How did it go?” Hugo asked.
“I don’t like Nellie,” Eira said, offering me a congenial nod. “She’s arrogant and condescending, and she’s got this whole entourage that follows her around like some sort of collection. Different species dressed up like dolls. It’s weird and creepy, and I want no part of it.”
“I agree,” I said. “Nellie is a classic Consortium nut job. Don’t mess with them, Eira, they gobble you up or throw you away.”
03Keeping the Consortium happy is also Eira’s most likely avenue of success.
I stuck out my tongue and went on, “Hugo told me you wanted to see some other planets. I know of an amazing one made entirely of silica on the edge of the galaxy. The people there are literally one with the planet. They rise up from a crystalline ocean and communicate in song.”
Hugo groaned.
“Is that…” Eira began, eyes scanning her visor. “Threnos?” That was when I noticed her new carbon suit. It was a neat look, like a space assassin, and she accessorized it with a white hooded sweatshirt and white boots.
“Yes,” I said, “Also, I love your new style.”
She shot a defiant look at Hugo, thanked me, then said, “I’d love to go to Threnos. I’ve got some information here from Hugo’s notes that says: nonsense planet — highly superstitious and delusional — don’t waste time. Of course, this means I have to go.”
“We all have to go!”
Hugo looked positively miserable, but that was normal. Eira was happy, Hugo wasn’t refusing, Threnos was beautiful, and Clara was an amazing hostess. We were going to have a fantastic time.