There was only one transit hub on Lapicidina Station. The magnetic interference from the planet below made it difficult for spaceships to navigate nearby. Because of that, an entire sector of the station was dedicated solely to managing extraplanetary transit.

What that resulted in, however, was the loudest and most uncomfortably packed train and ship platform in the galaxy.

Tasia was already uncomfortable when she stepped off the civilian liner from Amaranthia Prime. The flight itself had been miserable, cramped as it was. But her hopes for a reprieve on the station were dashed the second the doors slid open.

She had barely stepped off of the ship before a human bumped into her as he rushed past. Another body brushed against her tail, the unwanted contact making her jump forward with an indignant sound. This only made her run into another amaranthian in front of her, earning her a silent glare.

To make matters worse, Tasia’s proximity to the Station automatically reconnected her neurolink to the local network. This was marked by a large holographic interface blotting out the center of her vision as it notified her of the network status. A veritable swarm of advertisements, popups and warnings cluttered her vision before she had the chance to hastily dismiss them.

Even then, they still hung in the corners of her vision and on the many surfaces in the Station itself, overwhelming her senses even further.

The ambient noise around her didn’t make the situation any better. There was enough cross-talk, overlapping music and the occasional ad or announcement that it all blended into a single deafening drone.

She tried to take a step forward, but she found herself bumping into another person. The unexpected sensation made her suck in a breath as her hands balled into fists at her sides. She tried to step in another direction and found unexpected resistance again as she stumbled over someone’s luggage.

The enormous transit hub felt like it was simultaneously growing and getting more cramped with each passing moment. She could feel the tension in the air around her rising to unbearable levels. Everywhere she looked, the walls of the station stretched into infinity while the cage of bodies drew tighter around her.

Tasia’s ears hurt, her flesh crawled, and her muscles tensed until it felt like she’d burst out of her skin. She was cold and itchy, her breath hitched with every inhale, and panic welled as she realized she couldn’t find her way through the crowd.

It was all too much. Tasia was gripped by the urge to scream at something, anything, and the overwhelming desire to run straight into a wall as long as it meant getting away from the cage of people and tortuous noises.

“Woah! Hey, babe? Sensory overload? Let me help.”

Serena’s melodic voice pierced the cacophonous haze of sensory stimuli like a hot knife cutting through butter. It was the only warning Tasia had before the processors grafted into her inner ears flickered to life, filtering out the noise.

The overlapping sounds faded until they were a background din that sounded like it was coming from another room. In its place, the beginning notes of her current favourite song began to play at a low volume, masking the rest of the muffled noise.

Two neon teal arms draped over Tasia’s shoulders from behind, the translucent limbs reassuring her of her lover’s presence. Cybernetic nerves sent haptic feedback through her body where the limbs touched, and a phantom weight settled onto her back through the cumbersome rucksack she wore.

The touch was comforting, and the sight of the arms around her shoulders made her smile despite the crowd. She still felt cramped, but Serena knew just how to keep her from getting too overwhelmed.

Tasia reached up and clasped Serena’s hand in her own. The sensors fed information directly into her nervous system, giving her the sensation of actually holding someone’s hand. She could even feel Serena’s fur, like static that tickled her palm faintly.

“Thanks, Ser,” Tasia breathed.

“Don’t mention it,” Serena cooed as the weight of her chin settled between Tasia’s ears, “Now, do you want some help with this interface?”

“If you don’t mind,” Tasia squeezed Serena’s holographic hand for emphasis.

Serena’s response was in the form of a musical hum in sync with the music playing softly in Tasia’s ears. A moment after she began humming, Tasia’s retinal display flickered and the Station’s ads blinked out of existence. The holographic notifications that had swarmed her the moment she stepped off the ship disappeared, removing a tremendous weight from Tasia’s shoulders.

“And how about a guideline too?” As Serena asked, Tasia’s retinal display was already updating.

A holographic guideline the same brilliant teal as Serena’s own body appeared on the ground directly in front of her, twisting and turning through the crowd. It moved fluidly as it adapted to Serena’s scans of the crowds, giving Tasia a clear path forward with each step.

Tasia sighed in relief the moment the guideline appeared.

Feeling reinvigorated, Tasia set off through the crowd with her composure restored. She automatically began stepping to the beat of her music, propelling her forward at a quick and confident pace along the guideline Serena had laid out for her.

“Feeling better, babe?” Serena asked as her free hand began to rub small circles on Tasia’s upper chest.

“Much. Thanks, love,” Tasia replied with a smile and a quick turn of her head.

Serena was there over her shoulder, her holographic body sticking out of the top flap of her rucksack as though she were riding inside it. She looked much the same as Tasia herself; a taller-than-average amaranthian with generous muscles and a squared jaw. It would have been like looking in a mirror if it weren’t for the fact that Serena didn’t have a cybernetic arm.

Or the fact that Serena was blue and translucent.

The digital intelligence grinned down at Tasia, setting her heart aflutter.

“Focus on where you’re going, silly!” Serena chastised playfully.

Tasia snickered and shook her head, but looked forward and focused on her path. The guideline was still actively adapting to the ever-changing crowd around her, but with it, she was able to swiftly navigate the maze of bodies. Each step brought her closer to the express train station on the far side of the sector, conveniently highlighted in bright teal in the distance.

With Serena’s help, Tasia made it across the transit hub without any further issues. It was a few minutes of fast-paced walking, but with the background track of her music playing in her ears, she found the time flew by before she knew it. At some point, the crowd thinned out, then vanished entirely.

The express platform was quieter than the rest. She found herself alone, with most of the other passengers taking one of the passenger-specific trains towards the center of the sector. As she broke herself out of her synchronized pace, a wave of relief washed over Tasia as the solitude and quiet truly sank in.

Tasia knew from experience that the express train was mostly used to ferry heavy shipments of ores in various states of refinements to the other twenty-three sectors of Lapicidina Station. But her destination was Sector 12 on the exact opposite side of the ring, making the express train a necessity.

Besides. There was another reason to take the express train - one which had messaged her only two hours before her arrival.

A melodic chime emanated from the express platform, cutting through Tasia’s music. At the same time, a small notification bar dropped down from the top of her vision, informing her to stay away from the tracks as the train approached.

In the direction of the train, a blue IFF tag appeared on Tasia’s retinal display. It moved along with the train and displayed only two words.

Theophila Laevinus.

Her elder sister.

The maglev train raced through the tunnel, passing through to the far side of the platform as it slowed down. It took a moment for the enormous freight train to stop, but as it did it crawled forward until the platform’s airlocks were lined up with the train’s doors. Passenger umbilicals extended, bridging the gap between the platform doors and the train doors until the lights above the station airlocks turned green.

Tasia braced herself as the airlock doors slid open at the same time as the train doors.

She found herself face-to-face with the well-manicured visage of her sister.

“Little sister,” Theophila remarked, the words rolling off her tongue as quick as a whip, “Welcome home.”

Tasia’s sister was a picture-perfect example of an amaranthian businesswoman. Her gunmetal grey fur was immaculately groomed and trimmed, and the exposed port of the neurolink over her temple had been updated to the newest, most chic style. Dressed from head to tail in only the finest fabrics, the sharpness of Theophila’s formal attire was matched only by the sharpness of the crystal blade she kept at her hip.

The family’s amarkai was on full display on Theophila’s hip, the solid silver sheath glittering in the artificial lighting of the train. Seeing it brought no small wave of envy to the forefront of Tasia’s mind, which she had to bitterly force down to keep her emotions from polluting her face.

“Sup, Theo?” Tasia shot back with a single nod of her head, “You the welcoming committee?”

“Of a sort.” 

Theophila stepped to the side and gestured elegantly with one hand for Tasia to enter the train. A brief moment of dread welled up in the back of Tasia’s mind, but she stepped through the umbilical and entered. The doors slid shut directly behind her a second later, then just as suddenly the maglev began to accelerate fast enough that Tasia had to brace herself against the wall for support.

“Good morning, ma’ams,” the feminine voice nearly made Tasia leap out of her skin.

The source of the sudden voice was a dark orange amaranthian, translucent like Serena. She looked similar to Theophila, but wore much less ostentatious clothes and held a digital clipboard to her chest.

“Domitila?” Tasia asked with a raised eyebrow, “Barely recognized you in that getup. Why do you look like an underpaid secretary?”

“There have been many changes since your… untimely venture,” Theophila interrupted before Domitila could respond, “Domitila has taken on many responsibilities in response to my own increased workload. For the sake of appearances, we agreed upon a certain aesthetic that would further cement my professional presence.”

“So…” Tasia glanced at Domitila with a disbelieving look, “You are an underpaid secretary?”

Domitila’s ears flattened back against her head and she awkwardly cleared her throat. A glance at the translucent clipboard in her hands was immediately followed by an exclamation.

“Well, would you look at the time? Miss Tasia, Miss Serena, I must take my leave for the moment. If you require my assistance, please do not hesitate to ask Madam Laevinus,” she turned her attention to Theophila and bowed her head, “Madam.”

And with that she flickered out of existence, disappearing into the network for whatever job she suddenly had to do.

Tasia shook her head with a distasteful expression, “Don’t know why you’d ever treat a DI like a secretary. Aren’t you above that shit yet?”

“Not all of us are graced with a digital intelligence as synchronous with ourselves as you and yours, dear sister. You mind how you treat yours, and I will mind how I treat mine.”

“It’s fine, babe,” Serena reassured with a squeeze of her arms around Tasia’s chest from behind, “You know Dommy could leave if she wanted to. Don’t judge!”

A discontented grumble escaped Tasia, but she nodded in resignation. She turned her attention toward Theophila again before gesturing idly, “We have a spot to sit or something?”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“We have a room,” Theophila agreed, turning heel, “Follow me.”

Tasia fell into silence as she lock-stepped alongside her sister. The compartment they were in currently consisted of a long hallway on one side of the train with a multitude of sliding metal doors on the opposite wall. 

As they made their way toward their destination, Tasia took the opportunity to peer out the external windows of the maglev. The express train was located on the edge of Lapicidina Station’s raised outer ring, offering unparalleled views of the factories, mining sectors and residential biodomes below.

“How did Amaranthia Prime compare?”

Theophila’s voice startled Tasia, making her flinch. She glanced at her sister, who had paused a few steps ahead to let Tasia take in the sights. Search though she may, Tasia was surprised to not find any malice or sarcasm in her sister’s question, merely curiosity.

“It was dry,” Tasia answered honestly, “Even inside the academy my skin itched. But the holos don’t do it justice; it really is the jewel of the Amaranthian Empire.”

“I almost envy you. In a way,” Theophila turned away from Tasia to look out the window, “Lapicidina Station has everything. And yet…”

Tasia frowned slightly. She stepped forward and set her metal hand on Theophila’s shoulder from behind. It was impossible to miss her sister’s flinch at the contact, but Tasia kept her hand there.

“You know, my offer from two years ago still stands,” Tasia offered hesitantly, “There’s a whole galaxy out there. Some of it sucks, but a lot of it’s pretty cool. Lots of opportunities for someone like you.”

“Not to mention our chances would be a lot better together!” Serena chipped in from above Tasia’s head with a cheerful beat.

Theophila turned her head to look at the two of them in silence. Her narrow muzzle opened briefly, then closed again as her eyes turned towards the window. A sigh escaped her after a moment.

“You could work on your skills of persuasion, sister,” Theophila remarked as one of the corners of her mouth turned up in a smirk, “But I appreciate the thought. There is a galaxy out there. But my answer is the same now as it was before your departure; I will have to explore the galaxy as the head of an Amarianthian house - not on some spontaneous escapade with my little sister.”

Tasia clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in disappointment.

“Well. Had to try.”

“Points for trying!” Serena laughed, squeezing her from behind in another embrace.

“Yes, I will give you credit where credit is due. You paint a pretty picture,” Theophilia admitted with a glance in her direction, “But my duties lie here.”

As she spoke, she tapped at the heavy sword at her hip for emphasis. Her palm made a dull thud against the silver sheath, rattling the crystal blade slightly within the tight confines of its home. Tasia had to swallow another wave of bitter resentment at the sight.

No one spoke for a moment as the maglev train roared along the raised edge of Lapicidina Station. Tasia’s eyes trailed to the view of the station facilities below and found herself faced with the intrusive desire to jump. It was at least a kilometre down to the surface of the station, and the sheer wall of the edge did little to dampen the vertigo that accompanied the thought.

“Shall we?” Theophila’s voice broke Tasia out of her thoughts.

“Yeah.”

Tasia turned away from the window and followed her sister along the hallway. They didn’t go very far, only a few doors down before Theophila came to a stop. The door opened with an unseen command, allowing entry.

At a wave of her sister’s hand, Tasia took point and entered the room first.

It was a reasonably well-furnished private cabin that included a booth with two padded benches and a table in the middle. There was a humble minibar in the corner, a shelf above it containing a variety of light snacks, and a built-in holoscreen against the opposite wall.

Tasia immediately slipped her arms free of the rucksack and dropped it to the ground. It made a dull thud as it hit the metal floor, then without any fanfare, Tasia kicked the mulberry bag under the table.

“Remember we used to play Hazzar Invaders on this thing on the way back from school every day?” she asked nostalgically while seating herself on one of the benches.

“I seem to recall that I always had the highest score,” Theophila remarked as she sat opposite her.

“Psh,” Tasia spat dramatically, “No way! Everyone knows I was the better shooter.”

“Actually, you both forget it was me who not only had the highest score, but I soloed it to level 118,” Serena suddenly interrupted.

While the digital intelligence spoke, the weight on Tasia’s back shifted as Serena disembarked. Her translucent blue form settled on the bench beside Tasia, between her and the rest of the train.

“That doesn’t count, you interface directly and get a better reaction time out of it,” Tasia immediately countered with a lopsided grin.

“Even Domitila, pacifist that she is, had a better reaction time than either of us,” Theophila added.

“Plus, you always used the A8 and camped corners. I said it was cheap then, I’ll say it’s cheap now!”

“Woah, hey now! Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Serena defended with her hands held up placatingly, “It’s not my fault they gave the A8 so much splash damage. And it just makes sense to put your back to a wall when faced with a swarm!”

Tasia and Theophila shared a laugh at Serena’s expense, the two sisters shaking their heads in amusement as the DI looked on in mock indignation. Serena even joined in, her bell-like voice joining the cacophony as they shared in their revelry. The laughter only lasted for a moment before it began to die down, finally ending in silence.

No one spoke for a moment, three pairs of eyes looking between one another in the comfortable silence of familiarity. Sensing an opportunity, Tasia was the one to break the silence.

“You know, we do have an hour. We could probably squeeze in a quick round, for old time’s sakes.”

Serena gasped excitedly and grinned, “That sounds like a great idea, babe!”

“Ah, unfortunately, I can’t,” Theophila remarked with an awkward look.

“What?” Tasia asked, “Why not? We’ve got plenty of time!”

“Sorry, sister, but I have many duties to attend to. Even as we speak, I’m running at full capacity.”

A frown creased Tasia’s muzzle, her brows furrowing in frustration, “Theo, I’ve been gone for two years. What’s so important that you can’t take an hour to catch up?”

“The family business you walked away from!” Theophila snapped, her ears rotating backward in a tense display.

Tasia blinked, recoiling slightly at the forcefulness in her sister’s tone.

There was a moment of silence before Tasia’s sister sighed, letting out an explosive breath. She reached up to rub at her temples with her eyes closed as though dispelling a headache, then after a moment she finally looked up.

“Look, sister. I am excited that you’re back. I’ve missed you terribly. But ever since you left, all of the responsibilities that we would have shared have fallen squarely on my shoulders. Once you return to the family and take up your share of the mining business, then I will finally have time to spend as I see fit, and then hopefully we can catch up properly.”

Tasia looked down at the table between her arms with a frown, her ears falling back flat against her head. That terrible feeling she’d been running from came back with a vengeance at her sister’s words.

“What if I don’t want to take my share of the mining business?”

“You have no choice,” Theophila’s words snapped like a whip, “By coming back here, you have already agreed to it.”

Tasia’s eyes shot up to fix on Theophila with a glare, “I left in the first place for a reason, Theo! I’m not here to be daddy’s good little spare heiress on some Laws-forsaken mining station in a quadrant no one’s ever heard of!”

“Then what are you here for?” Theophila retorted.

There was a moment of silence as Tasia glared across the table at her sister, neither one of them blinking as they refused to back down. Tasia’s hands balled into fists on the table and she could feel indignant rage flooding into the forefront of her mind. Why had she come back?

“Okay, girls, settle down,” Serena interjected, holding up her palms towards the two sisters placatingly, “It’s been two years, we just got back. Can we please take this down a notch?”

Serena was right, of course. She hadn’t even been on Lapicidina for a day and already she was ready to scream at her sister. And if she was being honest with herself, Theophila hadn’t even done anything that offensive.

Tasia averted her eyes, breaking the standoff. Her tall ears perked back up and her shoulders slackened, dropping the hostile posturing she had fallen into over the table. Finally, she let out a long sigh.

“I had nowhere else to go.”

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Theophila’s ears turn forward, breaking her aggressive stance. The only sound was the steady mechanical humming of the maglev train around them as it raced above its suspending rail. Then, after a moment, Theophila spoke.

“You always have a home here.”

Tasia exhaled softly and gave a single nod. She turned wordlessly towards the window and peered out at the planet below. 

Irantes-IV wasn’t the sort of planet that any sane person could call beautiful. It was an ever-changing hostile landscape of sharp mountains and cavernous valleys, all various shades of grey-brown. Storms constantly raged in the upper atmosphere, and the swirling masses of dark green chemical clouds were occasionally illuminated from within by violent electrical discharges.

Trailings ponds the size of oceans interspersed the endless mountain ranges, ranging from neon blue to radioactive scarlet and everything in between. Even as she watched from the safety of the train, unstable tectonic activity consumed a mountain range before her very eyes.

And to think this was the view she had grown up with.

It didn’t feel very much like home.

“Yeah,” she lied, “I know.”

There was a brief pause before Theophila spoke again.

“We will have time to figure it out. You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Tasia nodded and turned her gaze away from the tumultuous planet below, focusing instead on her sister. Theophila looked remorseful, that much was for sure. But the faint orange glow within the depth of her sister’s irises told her otherwise.

She was still working, like always.

“We’ll make the best of it,” Tasia agreed, forcing a lopsided smile onto her muzzle.

Theophila returned the smile, evidently unaware of Tasia’s turmoil. Her eyes drifted off, tending to something in her retinal display, and silence reigned once again. It only lasted for a moment, however, as Theophila’s eyes turned to glance at Tasia’s left hand.

“So… are you going to tell me the story about that?”

Tasia blinked, genuinely surprised at the question. She looked down at the alloy of her left hand as she held it up and rotated it this way and that.

“What, the Terminus?” she asked incredulously.

“Terminus? Enlighten me, sister, why would you elect to remove a perfectly good limb for a gaudy military tech augmentation?”

“Gaudy?” Tasia gasped, feigning offence, “Theo! This is Terminus tech! And not just any Terminus tech; this is the Mark 4.”

“I would understand if you elected for an Imperator or Judicas augment, but Terminus?”

“Why would I need silicone skin or any of that fancy chameleon fur or anything like that?” Tasia asked in genuine confusion, “Sis, come on, you know I joined the Legions. Seriously, just think for a minute; why would I need an aesthetic augment in the Legions?”

It was Theophila’s turn to look genuinely confused as she looked between Tasia’s bare metal arm and her face. After a few glances in both directions, she finally offered a shrug.

“Maybe you were interested in the interstellar admiralty rather than the grunt work. I suppose I wouldn’t know. You never told me.”

Tasia winced. She glanced down at her metal hand, then looked back across at her sister. Figuring she’d at least try to offer an olive branch, she held the augmented limb up high.

“Okay, watch this.”

With an impulse as simple and intuitive as waving her hand, the metal components of her hand split open. In an instant, they folded back over her wrist to form a tight cuff of metal. From her now-exposed wrist, a blade sprung forth.

“Goodness!” Theophila exclaimed in surprise as she leapt back in her seat.

Tasia laughed at her sister’s expense, Serena’s laughter joining in from the side. They looked at one another during their laughter, shaking their heads in amusement before they quieted back down.

“It’s not just a sword, it has some other features too. Hardpoint interface, couple of slots for peripheral devices, and it has its own combat subroutine. A couple of minor tools too, like lockpicks and a lighter,” Tasia explained as she tilted the sword-arm left and right to show it off.

“It certainly seems… useful,” Theophila didn’t sound convinced, “Not in my line of work, however.”

“Eh, it’s not for everyone,” Tasia admitted with a shrug, “But it’s all the rage in the Legions right now. Most of the career legionaries get at least one. I got mine after the first year when they made me squad lead!”

“Yes, quite. Now, would you mind putting that away? I’m not terribly comfortable around sharp objects.”

Tasia blinked.

“But you literally carry the Laevinus amarkai.”

“That doesn’t mean I like swords,” Theophila frowned.

“But you duel!” Tasia exclaimed in amused disbelief.

“With blunt instruments designed for such a thing, not with real weapons!”

Tasia gave a good-natured roll of her eyes and a scoff of amusement. Without another word, she twisted her wrist and the blade retracted back into her arm. The components of her hand snapped back together and tightened until they were seamless, then she flexed her hand into a fist and grinned.

“Good as new! Pretty cool, eh?”

“It is… something,” Theophila remarked awkwardly, “Perhaps it would be best to be discrete with that particular feature.”

“What, you think I’m just going to go waving the sword about in dad’s face the first time he pisses me off like I’m some dumb, bloodthirsty barbarian? Do I look like a human to you?”

Theophila snorted in laughter, the sudden sound escaping her even before her hand had managed to cover her muzzle. Her eyes went wide and colour flooded into her cheeks in embarrassment, but Tasia could still see the grin in the creases of her cheeks.

“No. No, you do not look like a bloodthirsty human to me,” Theophila agreed as she lowered her hand, revealing the grin still stubbornly clinging to her lips, “Despite your rambunctious nature, I’ll never compare you to a human.”

“Gracious of you,” Tasia chuckled.

“You should see her during the live-fire runs! You’d think she was with how hard she fights,” Serena remarked as she playfully elbowed Tasia for emphasis.

“Oh, I have no doubt my sister is quite the warrior,” Theophila remarked with a shrug, “I just hope she is half as good with a business deal as she is with a sword.”

Tasia felt her sister’s words digging under her skin, threatening to pull her irritation back to the forefront of her mind. They had just been over that, and still, Theophila insisted on talking about her like she was there to get right back to the work she had left two years ago.

She was about to retort when Serena interrupted her.

“I’m sure that it’s not that hard,” the digital intelligence reassured with a diplomatic smile, “And even if it’s not business deals, I’m sure that there’s something else. Like you said; we’ll figure it out now that we’re all here together!”

“I am glad that you’re so amicable, Serena. You always were the sensible one.”

“She’s the smart one,” Tasia interjected quickly, “I’m just the brawn.”

“Well, perhaps we can teach you how to be smart as well,” Theophila offered in a tone so bittersweet that Tasia wasn’t even sure if she was being honest or sarcastic, “You will have plenty of time to learn how to do things the Laevinus way now that you’re home again.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Tasia dismissed.

“We can start by giving you a well-deserved makeover. Trim your fur neatly, get you some respectable clothing, and a proper replacement for that thing,” Theophila gestured to Tasia’s arm with no small amount of distaste.

Tasia frowned, her gaze immediately shooting towards her sister. Her ears flatted back against her skull and her brows furrowed. Fury boiled to the surface before she even had a chance to think about it.

“Excuse me?” Tasia snapped, her hands clenching into fists on the table in front of her.

Theophila blanched, recoiling slightly from Tasia’s display.

“I mean no offense,” Theophila defended hastily, “But your arm draws attention. And not in a good way. It has no place in the business.”

“How many fucking times do I have to tell you that I’m not interested in the family business?” Tasia barked, hunching forward over the table to glare at her sister.

“As many times as you would like, sister, but that doesn’t change the fact that as long as you are here you must be a part of the business!” Theophila retorted, her stunned expression immediately flipping to match Tasia’s furious indignation.

The two sisters leaned over the table, their furious expressions less than a foot apart in the middle. Tasia could smell the sweet musk of overpriced perfume emanating from her sister at that distance. The scent instantly made her recoil.

Memories of her mother’s judgement and constant scolding reared their ugly heads, sending Tasia’s heartbeat racing as her blood ran both hot and cold at the same moment. Pinpricks raced across the surface of her skin and she felt her breath hitch. It escaped her in a low, rumbling growl as her lips pulled back to expose the sharp canines beneath.

Theophila’s eyes shot wide and she immediately withdrew as though Tasia had pulled a gun on her. Even through her fury, Tasia could tell she had scared the shit out of her sister.

She couldn’t find any sympathy buried beneath her anger.

The touch of Serena’s hand on her shoulder made Tasia freeze, the sound dying within her throat. A glance to the side filled her vision with Serena’s concerned visage looking on at her. The synthetic nerves in her body reacted as Serena rubbed and squeezed at her shoulder reassuringly, and despite her desire to remain righteously furious at her sister, she found her anger bleeding away steadily.

As though Serena had pulled the plug from the source of her anger, the toxic rage bled out of her system until all that was left was hurt and despair. She allowed herself to be slowly guided back by Serena’s hand until she was in her seat again.

No words were exchanged between them as Tasia looked at Serena, meeting her gaze. Tasia was glad that Serena’s hand didn’t leave her shoulder at that moment, otherwise, she might have broken down and started crying right there.

“Well,” Theophila began awkwardly, the discomfort clear in her voice, “I need to check on some cargo.”

She stood up, her attention elsewhere as she hastily crossed the room to stand in front of the doorway. Tasia’s frown returned as she looked over at her, fighting through the weight settling within her chest.

“What do you mean cargo?”

Theophila paused and looked over her shoulder at Tasia.

“I am here on company business,” she admitted flatly.

“So…” Tasia began hesitantly, “You meeting me was just…what?”

“Coincidence.”

With that, the door behind Theophila slid open and she hastily slipped out of the room without another word. The door slid back closed only a moment later, latching with a metallic click.

Tasia let out a breath, somewhere between a sob and a scoff.

She felt like she had just been slapped.