With renewed purpose, Colita, Nox, and I carried on with the invasion. This you must be curious about as someone who enjoys science and strategy.
[SS]: I’ll admit to a morbid fascination. “I get the explosion in the school, and the Tantamounts around the world. But there’s only one thing I don’t know how you orchestrated while fighting us.”
What is that, amos?
[SS]: “Nox’s Sphere. How did you create it?”
Ahh, well. I won’t come out looking so good in the end. Let’s get past this ugliness to make it through to the other side.
{Earth | Invasion Day | April 2006}
On the day of the invasion, we carefully divided the central work among the three of us—Colita, Nox, and I. She disabled your fire alarms and sprinklers while her men prepped the explosives. I canceled our arrangement with our internal CoN contact—
[SS]: “Our principal.”
—Right. And Nox coordinated the men along the halls to create his grand entrance.
[SS]: I’m shivering over the typewriter.
Korac comes up behind me and chafes my arms.
We can stop.
[SS]: Shaking my head, I ask him to continue, “It’s only that it feels like it happened to someone else. And that I’ve experienced so much trauma since… Invasion Day feels less significant now.”
That’s how the life of someone who lives as long as we do works. At least it does for me. It’s my hope you won’t endure much more.
[SS]: I swallow this information as best I can and kiss his palm. “Go on, now. I’m all right.”
Well, after I finished off Mendax and Colita set the charges, she met me in the empty cafeteria, where I glimpsed you earlier in the morning. When I say, the female Icarus was bitter about Nox’s excitement over Rayne—I mean downright petulant and juvenile.
“He doesn’t have to be so obvious about it.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
I rolled my eyes for the thirtieth time and signaled for one of my men to guard the exit on the South Hall. Nox’s fixation on Rayne made me less than happy, but I was at least grateful it revolved around violence and retribution, rather than his prior bordering-on-romantic interests. To Colita, I half-consoled, “Our King doesn’t want her, but your concern is that he doesn’t want you, either. And that—I cannot emphasize this enough—is not my problem.”
Another lieutenant arrived and saluted before announcing, “General, the Sphere is prepared and ready to execute.”
I grinned. The day was going so well. “Commence. Initiate on my signal—”
“You truly think he doesn’t want her? That he doesn’t love her? Are you fucking blind?”
“What is the signal, sir?”
With a heavy sigh, I lost my grin. “Colita, do find somewhere else to be. Let one of your men take you in a hall somewhere until you relax. Your brand of scorned lover bores me so.” I answered my lieutenant while she ground her fangs on that. “The signal is my death. T.a.o.’s descendant will defeat me, and then I want you to raise the Sphere.”
My lieutenant gaped.
Colita stamped her foot and stormed off, muttering about keeping what’s hers and all that.
[SS]: “So, you planned on me kicking your ass all along?”
I welcomed it. You fought marvelously for someone without nanites. That last move where you caught my axe, rolled, and impaled me—Stunning. And when you cried and took my axes after defeating me—I knew I’d union with you.
[SS]: This is a stupid memory to blush at. Yet here we are. I needed to know, “Why?”
We wanted to test your abilities, but also to prove to whatever barrier that kept Xelan from providing you with nacres that you definitely required them. No matter how great your training, your healing, speed, and strength couldn’t compete. Nox believed if he injured Rayne badly enough, that Xelan’s heart would demand the upgrades, if only to protect her from such abuse again.
It worked, and now the Progeny are the strongest force in the galaxy.
[SS]: I frowned pretty much through this entire explanation. My nose scrunched and everything. It made sense. Cruel, diabolical sense. “What about the Sphere?”
Do you remember in Nox’s Verse when they had the discussion about the Sphere?
[SS]: “That Xelan said he wouldn’t do it unless the sacrificed blood and nacres came from volunteers?”
Ten million Icari volunteered to enter the device rigged with the atmospheric disruptor from Lacceirus-Capra. Massive ugly thing. Built of nacre glass and anchored by Tantamount drills. When I fell to you, those Icari gave their lives to shield us from Sol.
[SS]: “I can’t claim to be happy about that.” I tuck my knees to my chest and hug them to me as I consider this. “I reconciled the man I love with the man who committed all that horror so long ago. You were willing to serve your time. I just destroyed the prison.”
We can think of some penance together to absolve me if you wish, but I seek no absolution. Only your forgiveness. If you say you want my contrition, then I give it.
[SS]: I think on it a bit with my chin resting on my knees. It’s a lot for me to contemplate after so recently surviving Gait. But an idea comes to mind. “Did those Icari have families? Young children or spouses?”
Of course.
[SS]: “Then we commend them for the sacrifice their loved ones chose, and we offer them special stations once we regain our Two Worlds. Or something. Can we do that?”
Korac’s smirking at me.
We can do that.