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Kage grinned as he chowed hungrily. ‘I see you still have my meals on board.’
‘There’s no sub for them,’ Riv agreed, dunking a thick cheesy toasted sandwich into the unctuous broth. ‘Bestchakulain the system, hands down.’
‘Enjoy, brother,’ Kage said with a smirk. On his down days, he cooked for his Sable family, stocking their kitchens and gunship galleys with homemade meals, which he thoroughly enjoyed creating. It was his love language and not one Rider had ever complained in all their years together.
‘Damn clones, didn’t see that coming,’ Riv said a few minutes later, setting his empty bowl aside.
Mirage joined the conversation. ‘Seems Rinnax Holdings has aggressively stolen tech from smaller outfits across the System. They intend to become the biggest computing player in the System.’
‘In essence, they’re trying to be us,’ Riv agreed. ‘In one of their business reports, they even refer to The Sable Group as a top competitor.’
Kage made a noise of disgust. ‘This is when I welcome the haters because the imitators are shit. And what about those freaky clones?’
‘Clever, if not slightly spooky,’ Riv said. ‘I can see why though, they’d go down this path. Clones can be good undercover spies, as we can see with Ruben. You can deploy them for both assassination and even recreational subterfuge with ease. They can also use any tool or vehicle designed for human use and learn faster and better than an AI can. So using the clones over a longer period might be a better investment than an AI.’
‘Hey!’ Mirage’s protest echoed throughout Aura’s command deck.
‘You’re one of a kind, Mirage,’ Kage reassured her. ‘Plus, we’ve worked on you for years to perfect your parameters. Still need work on your personality and ‘tude, though.’
‘Funny, haha,’ the AI snarked.
Kage and Riv laughed out loud.
‘When it comes to building an army of assassins or spies, clones are the way to go, unethical thought it may be,’ Riv continued, ‘Droids are hackable - their memory might be something someone can search or recover after they’ve been destroyed. However, a blown-up clone is done when dead, and no further intel can leak from them. So Rinnax is onto something.’
‘It’s bizarre and downright cruel because of how expendable they are,’ Kage growled. ‘Think they’ll detect our motes?’
Riv shook his head. ‘Nada. They’re almost invisible. Plus they come with our latest brain-scanning technology. It’ll take a few hours for them to start to transmit. Mirage, be on the ready to gather every little bit of intel. We need to find out who these losers work with within the Rhesian government. That’s who our true enemy is.’
10
Honour, perseverance and spirit
Harlow
On Eden II, the dark half of the lunar month had long since enshrouded the moonscape. The sky above was cast in inky black velvetiness. Against it, the neon lights of Eden II glittered and gleamed throughout the moonscape, leading like a trail of lights across the architectural columns of the metro’s multi-story buildings, flashing over the slew of flyers whisking past darkened doorways and deserted alleyways.
It was late, way past 2200, as Harlow meandered through the streets of Eden II. For hours now, she’d been retracing her tour of the rock with Kage, her footsteps echoing through the empty streets.
She’d left her apartment, needing to walk out her feelings. She strolled the city while thinking of Kage and wondering where he’d disappeared to.
All Zane had told her during his comm call, was that his fellow Rider had left for a secret Sable Group mission off the rock, and he’d had no time to brief her. Zane had even apologised on his brother’s behalf.
It didn’t help to stop the deep stab of disappointment she’d felt. Not that they’d had anything planned, but more so because she’d no idea when she’d next see him - whether at work or in her suite. He’d grown on her, and she admitted she missed him deeply. The depth of that emotion he stirred in her threw her for a loop. She didn’t know what to do with the feeling. So she’d ventured outside her building and meandered aimlessly for hours.
She was starting to tire, and she’d long since wandered past familiar buildings. She’d left Old Town behind and had made a right turn into what she thought was a walkway that would lead her back towards the metro centre. But, instead, she found herself closer to East Pikani, in a strange and unfamiliar place. Her steps faltered when she realised she didn’t know where she was going.
She kept walking, eyes scanning the streets for any signs of life. She saw a few flyers passing by and heard the distant sound of music and laughter. But for the most part, this sector of Eden II was quiet and still, as if everyone had gone to bed.
Harlow felt a sense of unease growing inside her. She was alone in a strange place and didn’t know how to return to safety. She started to feel a little worried and pulled up her wrist comm, looking for a map to take her back to The Sable Group complex.
She thought she heard a noise and cocked her ear. It sounded again — the distinct drag of shuffling feet.
Harlow stopped in her tracks. It’d come from somewhere behind her. She whirled around and looked into the shadows, where she heard a distinct cough.
Then a woman who looked familiar emerged from under a dark awning. She was small, faded, and bent over with age and care. But she had the same lifeless hair and eyes that Harlow remembered from her childhood, and she felt a surge of rage and dark emotion.
The woman gave her a small, weak wave. ‘Lyddae?’
