Starhold Vesta

Chapter 3

Nuna and I rise with the sleep cycle shift. The warm cabin lights brighten, stirring her before me. I've never known what she calls a circadian rhythm. Rising and falling with the sun goes against everything I was taught to believe. It's an easy adjustment though—underground dwellers like me can sleep anywhere at any time. My body wouldn't know the difference.

She kisses my shoulder, pulling me further into the start of another day on the HMS Valediction. "Good morning."

I groan and bury my face in the pillow. "No."

She drags a finger down the row of scales lining my spine. They preen from contact, rising and falling with the pressure of her touch. "Yes."

"It's hard to argue with that logic," I pull the pillow over my head, shutting out the light.

Nuna, always the one to play dirty, bites my shoulder hard enough for me to yelp and squirm away, slipping off the bed. "Not fair," I accuse when I'm on my feet.

We prepare for the day. When fully dressed, I slide into Huxley's room to perform the say grudging song and dance of trying to get my child out of bed.

A while later, Hux storms the passageway, skipping and tapping on the signage he always taps on his way to his teacher's room. John meets us in the kitchen as we grab a bite for breakfast and continue on our path. I point out a newborn star in the window that I noticed on the ride back yesterday. We chat, his hand in mine, John scuttling behind me, the friendly people of the HMS Valediction waving good morning as we pass. And once I drop him off, it's down to business.

The elevator takes me down. Down, down, down to the armory at the belly of the Valediction. Technically, it's more like a stern or a caboose, but I can't get past how familiar it feels to exist below everyone else. If I didn't know better, I'd assume this was Moon's doing.

The elevator opens and I'm greeted by my happy home. It's as bright, sleek, and blue as the rest of the Val's interior, but behind those smooth cabinets are rows and rows of weaponry that I own and control. It's my little piece of heaven.

"It's good to see you, Gunner," says the attendant guarding our arsenal. "It's been pretty quiet here without you."

"It's good to be back. I'll be in my office if you need me."

That's a laugh. No one ever shows up here. No one needs anything I have to offer.

I slide behind the front desk and relish the quiet of the empty room as the door whooshes shut behind me. My office is small, but the view is remarkable with nothing but a picturesque view of the stars at my back. My tablet lies untouched on the sleek silver desktop. When I approach, the screen illuminates, the white notification blinker flashing.

"Ledi, can you read out my private messages?"

"Yes, Lorn. You have three."

I lean back in my chair and kick my unlaced boots up on the desk. "That's a lot."

"You were gone a while," he says.

"First message?"

"I will spare you the six hundred blips. In summary, it is Borr-KeYann-Lo requesting an advance on next month's supply of glucker grubs."

"No."

A soft trill echos through my office. "Message sent."

"Second message?"

The tablet brightens. A familiar face appears.

"Lorn," the exasperated voice says like a curse. "Where the god-damned hell have you blasted off to?"