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“I’ll keep in touch with Uros,” Cal said, nibbling on his lower lip. “I’m sorry to burden you more, but would you keep an eye on Addy?”

“Of course I will, my boy.” She patted Cal’s shoulder. “Let me see if I can fetch them before you take off. If not—we’ll give you a holocall, okay?”

Roy slurped the coffee AVOS had prepared. After setting course for the nearest speed tunnel, Cal kicked off his boots and lowered the gravity field. He jumped into the air and floated in the middle of the control room, his back arched.

“Do you know what’s strange?” Cal mumbled, closing his eyes. “I’d expect my heart to bleed, but I feel… nothing, really. Just emptiness.”

“Perhaps your mind hasn’t caught up yet.” Roy cradled Cal’s body, hooking his arms under Cal’s shoulder blades and knees. With the low gravity, he was barely a feather landing on Roy’s joints.

“Maybe.” Curled into his embrace, Cal let out a troubled breath. “It’s weird. I should’ve cried, or got angry, but instead I cackled when Uros said that, by their definition, he’s a whore just like me.”

Roy winced. “Wait—what?”

“He said he was seeing a stableboy back on Eiden. And that hay is unexpectedly prickly,” Cal snorted. “Apparently, he’s not gender-focused like me.”

“I’m sure he threw that right in your face,” Roy chuckled.

“I’ll miss him. And his constant pouting.”

A smile tugged at Roy’s mouth. “You know, for some reason, me too.”

Three quick blinks flashed above the door. AVOS had awakened—and apparently had things to say. “Gentlemen! I am very sorry to interrupt you, but we need to adjust our course.”

“What?” Cal frowned, rotating in the air. The light gravity drew him back to the floor. “Why?”

“Imperial orders. Speed tunnel M117B is closed for civilian travel. We need to re-route.”

“Okay.” Cal’s fingers danced on the keyboard as he hunched over the dashboard. Roy leaned over. The blocked paths popped up on the map like tiny orange stars in the night sky.

”Unfortunately, the whole Nivian sector is closed too.”

“How are we supposed to go home?” Cal exhaled. “The path you’ve picked is twice as long. We don’t have fuel for that.”

“The Empire has increased the number of refuelling stations. No need to worry.”

“Why are they closing whole sectors?” Roy asked.

“I’m afraid that was not part of the broadcast.”

“Who sent the message?”

AVOS hesitated. “Military broadcast. I hope that doesn’t cause you distress.”

Chapter

Fourteen

The spreadsheet displayed on Roy’s e-Scroll showed an impressive number highlighted in green. Roy drummed his fingers on the table. Warmth bloomed all over his body—a mixture of pride and relief. Despite skyrocketing fuel costs and journeys constantly rerouted by the military, they had managed another good month.

Since Cal had started helping him out, the migraines faded as the tension in his shoulders eased. He no longer had to worry about spoiled seaweed if he got sick for a couple of days. He’d also successfully delegated the small talk with customers to Cal, who took to it with passion, as if he was genuinely interested in Ms Khaji’s clowder of stray cats she was feeding with bits of sardines.

Buttercup sprawled on the floor, letting Cal brush her dense undercoat. Next to her, piles of dark grey fur gathered. Enough to reconstruct a second panther.

Lowering himself next to Cal, Roy’s fingers dipped into the plush rug. Cal had spent one whole evening scrubbing it clean with a miracle solution he’d bought at the market. The whole house had been cleaned thoroughly. Roy had tried to help, but his methods left smudges on the mirrors. It drove Cal insane.

Two days ago, Gwen had stopped by with a basket full of food and her tall, curly-haired dog. Greeted with a hiss from Buttercup, the dog hid under the dining table while Gwen listened to Cal’s stories from Eiden.

“You’ve been working so hard,” Roy whispered and pecked Cal’s cheek. “Maybe rest for a while?”