“Yes. Most sentient species preserve relics of their past. Age makes them sacred.”
“I only mentioned it because one of those gods was named Horus. Or at least that is how we think it was pronounced. You even resemble how he was depicted, a little.”
The secretary leaned back in his chair and laughed openly.
“The universe is full of strange coincidences.”
Lily nodded. The fact that she was here at all felt improbable enough.
Now that she had spent more time among the stars, she was beginning to see patterns across species. She found similarities between alien races and the creatures of Earth’s myths.
She could not tell whether her mind was drawing connections where none existed, or whether aliens had once reached her homeworld and left an imprint on humanity’s collective memory.
The rest of the meal passed pleasantly. Horos proved to be engaging company, and Lily was delighted when she finalized the order for the solar collector model she truly wanted.
Horos escorted her back to Vitro but did not board with her.
All in all, Lily felt she was making real progress toward the life she wanted. She was closer to financial independence and free travel aboard her own ship. She had gained her first alien friend in Khar, even if the friendship was still tentative.
Horos still made the hairs on her neck rise slightly, but nothing she could not brush off. He was only her superior in the loosest sense, someone she rarely saw.
Smiling to herself, Lily stepped back onto Vitro’s deck, eager to share the good news with Khar.
Chapter 11
Urgent Matters
Khar
“I would not recommend hiring this male. He seems… unpredictable.”
“Oh, nonsense. There is nothing wrong with him. I like that he has some nerve. If anything, you could learn from him.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“You see? That is exactly what I mean.”
Conversation between Vegrun and Horos after Khar’s interview
Khar was pissed off.
And sulking.
He could not sit still after Lily left with that predatory bastard, so he went down to the cargo bay and started moving crates around. His body seemed to need an outlet lately, ever since Lily had hugged him after the fight.
Not that he had accepted his current situation.
And just because he had not given in to the next step, something every fiber of him demanded with growing urgency, did not mean some leering carrion bird like Horos could swoop in and take advantage of her.
Khar knew exactly what the secretary’s intentions were. He was not about to let that smooth-talking parasite exploit an innocent, inexperienced girl. The fact that he himself might have benefited from Lily’s presence was irrelevant.
For now.
His senses were sharp, honed by countless raids and ambushes, so the soft voice behind him still caught him off guard.
Had he known Lily was back, he would have pulled on his uniform jacket instead of standing there half-naked, a faint sheen of sweat catching the low light across his chest.
“Wow, Khar. You actually finished the reorganization,” Lily said. “This morning you said you could not be bothered.”
