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The line abruptly dropped.
‘Well, someone’s not happy,’ Selene whispered to herself. ‘Must have been something I said.’
‘What’s that?’ Rina asked, strolling back into the room. She’d been trying a few gowns in the next room.
‘Prince Emian of Rhesia. He just tried to bribe me for preferential access and an increased stake in xentium.’
Rina rolled her eyes. ‘Fokk xentium. It’s starting to trigger me every time I hear the word,’ she said. ‘I know Rhesia is having energy problems, but damn, Emian sounds desperate. I don’t know if his brother knows he made that call. It doesn’t sound like a move King Auban would make.’
Selene sighed. ‘Kainan said something about the Rhesians sometime back. He said he thought they were utterly ruthless. I didn’t quite buy his theory then, but now I’m not sure. He may have been right.’
‘The Sable Group would know if anyone on Rhesia is being two-faced. They have the best surveillance set up in the System. So maybe get them to look into it.’
‘I might just do that.’
The problem was reaching out to Kainan. He’d effectively disappeared, and she was sorely in need of his strategic mind, advice, and insight.
Damn, she missed him.But she had no idea how to bridge the gaping chasm between them.
Kainan
On Eden II, the dark half of the lunar month had long since enshrouded the moonscape. The sky above cast in inky black velvetiness. Against it, the neon lamps of Eden II glittered and gleamed throughout the moonscape, lighting up the architectural columns of a multi-story building and flashing over the slew of flyers that whisked past its darkened doorway.
The low-lit entrance led into The Osirian, currently deserted and devoid of life.
The sign on its street entrance stated it was closed, soon to be reopened after refurbishments were complete, which were taking a while.
Partly due to the slow order time for the replacement onyx and marble bar destroyed during the crats’ attack and also because of a coup that had occupied the Sable Riders these last few weeks.
The fridges still worked and were well stocked. Cold refreshment was still available for the Riders, their merc teams and the fleet crew. The latter chose to flit in and out daily to replenish themselves. They’d been incredibly thirsty after their successful incursion on Dunia for some reason.
However, the few who’d come by that day had since left. And it was pretty late in the hour. Most of Eden II was asleep in their apartments, dens and tunnel shacks.
Except for one man.
He sat at the far end of the bar’s still-cracked onyx surface; his face pulled into a scowl. Back leaning into the chair, feet up on the shattered bar top.
Earlier, he’d nabbed a glass of the Galician whisky brand he loved and was now sipping it slowly, morosely, staring at the darkened far wall.
The air on his neck bristled at the faint sound of an almost silent approach. Followed by a second set of light footsteps.
He mumbled under his breath unintelligibly.
Kage materialised on one side of him while Riv slumped onto a bar chair.
The pair nailed him with concerned looks.
‘What do you two want?’ Kainan shot at the pair after a long moment.
‘It speaks!’ Kage murmured.
‘Could you just leave me the fokk alone?’
‘We ain’t going nowhere,’ Riv insisted. ‘We’re also overjoyed, brother, that you’re stringing words into sentences now.’
Kainan took another sip of his drink and ignored the pair.
They shared a glance and decided on a different tack.
