Book 2: Living free from Jupiter's law - Rising from the ashes of Herbay

The ghosts of Riki's past

The natural order of events dictates that individuals who have gone through a spiral of negative situations, in which misfortunes added up and attacked without interruption, are destined to rise, heal, and take back ownership of their lives.

The inhabitants of the small planet that was finally living free from Jupiter's laws were no exception, and all of them, no matter whether generated from a human womb, a mixture of cells in a test tube, or the project of a supercomputer with megalomaniac tendencies, were finally being rewarded.

Raoul's short-circuit was cured, he had resumed his role as a chief biotechnologist and head of the Jupiter Tower clinic, and every night came home, where his mongrel showered him with affection and attention.

Aylin had broken out of her self-imposed isolation, opened a little her heart until now imprisoned in the pain of grief and regret, and welcomed Sid back into her everyday life. She still couldn't love herself; it was hard to predict if she would ever return to being the joyful, smiling girl she once was, but she loved Sid and her brother. This feeling managed to bring back some color to her gray cheeks, shine to her dull hair, and strength to her skinny arms.

Creek spent time with Mike almost every day. It all happened so quickly and he felt so happy that he was almost afraid to say it out loud. As if he feared that fate might realize it had made a mistake and take away from him that gift from heaven. As if it was too good to be true.

Cal had his dream job and was finally experiencing a fulfilling relationship with Benson. The platonic love of the past had been replaced by the gradual discovery of carnality, thanks in part to the sex education course for eunuchs in which Daniel and Katze also participated in the role of organizers and students at the same time.

Miss Jenny, the newest addition to the Mink household, was an angel whose presence in a few days became family to both the Blondie and the mongrel. It could have been a peaceful and profitable period for them as well, but there was one thought that haunted Riki and didn't allow him to concentrate or focus on any project.

It was Daryl.

Since it was clear that he wasn't going to get any useful information out of Iason, he chose a morning when he was sure there would be no Katze and Daniel in the office and went to see Cal. The opening of the heavy, rust-colored door was accompanied by an unfamiliar voice, whose owner he collided with shortly after crossing the threshold.

He was a very attractive boy of medium height with flashy fuchsia hair fashionably styled, light eyes in the shade of green, a lean body with soft curves, and a youthful-looking face. Riki greeted him amicably.

"Hi! I'm Riki, nice to meet you."

"Hello," the other replied. "I'm Reinold."

The older one smiled. "We've never met, but I am quite at home around here. I used to work here before the reforms."

Reinold already knew it. Riki was famous among pets: Lord Iason Mink's mongrel protagonist of many scandals. Ever since he found out that Riki was friends with Katze and Cal and that he had been working for the black market, he had been eager to meet him.

"Katze told me to always let you in. I heard a lot about you in Eos."

"In Eos? Are you from there?"

"Yeah. I'm a pet," the boy revealed with some awe. His category was not well-regarded outside Tanagura.

"Really?" Riki moved closer to get a better look at him. "You look like a pet, actually. Were you one of those who thought he was better than everyone else just because he had a pedigree?"

Reinold looked down mortified, but Riki laughed and patted him on the back.

"I'm just kidding. That place brought out the worst in anyone. All the pets were a pain in the ass, but whatever you did in the past, the important thing is that you got out of there. Actually, I'm very happy to meet you. I was really hoping that some pet would dare to step up and live for real. Pet salons are as toxic as it gets, they make you lose your mind. I was one of you myself for a while, too."