Chromium

14.4

First draft

The Galley was unusually quiet that night, though it still bore signs of what had happened a few hours ago. A few tables were flipped over, and there were fragments of glass, empty bottles and trash scattered across the wet floor. Dia glanced around the room, pausing when she noticed that Reyes was already waiting for her at the counter. Her hands were damp with sweat as she tidied her tunic, a reflexive action springing out of her vastly established defense mechanism.

She wore her uniform well, and her body was fit, proportionate, almost perfect, and yet there was a hint of vulnerability on her face. Only a few steps separated her from Reyes, but they were significant. She knew that she was at a crossroads, she knew that the time for half measures was over. She needed answers, and she needed them now. Which meant she couldn't avoid taking risks.

She checked the insignia - the three-headed lion of the imperial family - right under her lapel for the tenth time. Then she straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and walked toward Reyes, trying to look more confident than she actually was.

"Dia." When he saw her, Reyes immediately stood up, put his unfinished drink aside and looked at her with a faint air of wonder. "you actually came."

"You seem surprised." She said with a frown. "I invited you here, remember?"

"I half-expected you to bail on me." Reyes admitted.

She gave him a mock-glare. "I'm not that fickle, Reyes."

He raised his hands in surrender, "I never said otherwise." He said in a playful tone.

She eyed him with suspicion, but when he met her glare with a disarming smile, she dropped it and asked, "What are you drinking?"

"Tequila. Do you want some?"

She shrugged, sitting next to him. "Sure."

"By the way," He said as he uncorked the bottle, poured her a drink and held it out to her. "Interesting choice of clothes for a first date."

"Sorry to disappoint you. I was in a bit of a hurry when I left the planet." She said sarcastically.

He plunked the drink down in front of her and gave her a smug smile. "Oh, don't worry, Dia. I admit I would have liked to see you in that fishnet dress, but I'm not disappointed." Reyes leaned back on his stool and blatantly checked out her butt. "I love a woman in uniform."

"You're an ass, Reyes." She said, but there was a playful tone in her voice.

Reyes seemed to take that as a compliment, the smile widening into an unrepentant grin. "You know me well."

Dia shook her head and muttered under her breath, "You're incorregible." Then she guzzled down her shot of tequila, her mouth twisting into an ugly grimace. "God, this is awful."

"You're just spoiled. When I joined the Umbra, I would have killed to have something to drink." He said, his grin fading into a wistful smile.

"How did that happen by the way?" She asked casually.

Reyes raised a brow.

"The Umbra." She explained. "You never told me how you ended up working for him."

Something between a snort and a laugh escaped Reyes' lips. "I was born on Daxum, Dia. Over there, everyone works for the Umbra...in a way or another."

"You had choices, Reyes." She was well aware she sounded sanctimonious, but she couldn't stop herself. "You said it yourself, not all the people living on the Syndicate worlds are criminals."

"What about you then?" He asked softly. "Did you have a choice?"

Dia zipped her mouth shut, unable to come up with an answer.

"We are not that different, Dia." Reyes said after an overlong silence. "Just like you, I never really had a choice."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Are you talking about your parents?"

Reyes gave her a slow nod, his expression darkening. "My father. He worked for the Umbra."

"You have never talked about him." She said softly.

Reyes shrugged. "There is nothing to say, really." He said nonchalantly, but his shoulders were stiff, his gaze guarded.

"You followed in your father's footsteps, I can understand that." She said. "But the galaxy is a big place. You could have run."

Reyes stared at her intensely. "You didn't."

"It's different." She objected, her soft voice growing sharp.

Reyes laughed, a dry humorless rasp that made her uneasy. "Is it?"

She shot him a freezing glower. "I've never worked for a criminal."

"That's a matter of perspective." He said, observing her with a cynical smile. "Many would say that compared to the emperor, the Umbra is just a good amateur."

Dia winced, guilt biting at her.

The somber moment lasted only a few seconds, then Reyes said, "Sorry, Squirrel." His tone sounded genuinely apologetic. "That wasn't fair. You didn't know what was really going on."

Dia shook her head, keeping her face impassive with an effort. "No, but I should have suspected it."

"How? As far as I know, the Siren was your first real assignment." He said, reminding her she was talking with someone who had stalked her for years. "You've spent most of your life in the Core Worlds, and those planets are as peaceful as it gets."

"You don't have to defend me, Reyes. True, I've never been on the Fringe worlds, I've never seen the Empire at its worse, but I knew something was wrong with the system. I knew it, and I did nothing."

"Don't blame yourself, Dia." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "The Empire has done a great job brainwashing its citizens. You know that right?"

"The Syndicate is no better." Her answer came back with the automatic speed of reflex.

"No," He admitted, retracting his hand. "it's not." Something indefinable flashed through Reyes' eyes. "But that could change. We could change it."

She looked at him, transfixed. "We?"

Reyes nodded slowly. "I know that the Umbra gave you a bad impression of the Syndicate."

Dia suppressed a snort, swallowing a biting response. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed.

Reyes sighed. "I'm not stupid, Dia. I know that the only reason you're obeying the Umbra is because he's blackmailing you." His expression turned somber. "I'm sorry. It shouldn't have happened that way."

"We can't change the past, Reyes." She answered, her eyes unreadable.

"No, we can't." He admitted regretfully. "But we can influence the future."

"The future?" Dia asked, her eyes glittering with suspicion.

"Yes, the future." He repeated as he stared at her, unblinking. "The Emperor, the Umbra, even those faceless guys from the Collective - none of them matters." He flashed her a look filled with confidence. "We can defeat them. If we are together, we can beat them all."

A chill ran down her spine, her eyes widening in shock as understanding filled her face.

"What..." She swallowed, her throat going dry. "...what about the Umbra?"

"He is just human, Dia." The words were spoken low, but with a startling intensity, his eyes never leaving hers. "He won't live forever."

It took some time for the shock to fade. "Are you..." She paused, a pinching sensation in her chest warning her that she had to tread carefully. "...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I think I am." Reyes answered, meeting her eyes squarely. "So what do you say? Are you in?"

Dia hesitated for a moment, but when Reyes extended his hand, she took it.

"Yes, Reyes, I am in."