Ella Fleury was a tall, blue-eyed brunette, with porcelain skin and hair that would reach down past her waist if she let it. Instead, most days, she kept it in a tight bun on the crown of her head.
Seeing Mars again sent emotions roiling through her that she had forgotten were possible.
She took out a silver tin from a waist pocket, opened it, and took a green-blue pill out. After putting the small container away, she stared at the pill for a moment. She popped it in her mouth and chased it with a gin and tonic. A knock on her door interrupted her peace. “Come in.”
It was her secretary, telling her that Sergeant Kane was here to see her.
“Send him in.”
As Mars entered, Ella fought to control her emotions with this man who had thrown away her love all those years ago.
“You asked to see me, Stratego, so I came as soon as I was processed and situated,” said Mars.
“That must’ve been a strenuous process for you to still be sweating so much,” Ella stated, playfully daring him to lie to her again.
“By situated, I meant that I inprocessed at the HQ and had a session in the combat complex so I could settle my thoughts and prepare for this meeting. I was not expecting to see you and it threw me off my axis.”
Ella smiled at Mars, pleased at his honesty. He had always been honest with her—sometimes brutally so.
“If I could, ma’am, why was I at the top of your priority list? After our history, I wouldn’t expect it…” Mars said, getting straight to business.
“If you call me ma’am one more time, I’ll lose my shit. You call me Ella when it is just you and me, or Stratego when others are present.”
Mars just nodded his response.
“I am not one to dwell on my personal past and seek retaliation against my former lovers. I do what is best for Lux Orbis,” Ella said, “I chose you because you are the best at what you do, and you always have been. Lux Orbis needs you to lead a strike force.”
There was a silence for what felt like an eternity, as Mars expected her to say more. He finally said, “What strike force? What is our mission?”
“You are going to attack Proxima Borealis.”
Mars tried his best not to laugh. “How is that even a possibility at this stage? We need to keep expanding the Seven Pillars and build more of them, continue to claim our lost cultures. Has our technology even reached the point where I can take a strike force to Proxima Borealis?”
Ella smiled patiently. “Everything you’ve said is correct. We do need to do those things. But we also need to strike back at the clones. Have you heard of Thov Rapra?”
“The spaceport? I have, but I thought it wouldn’t be operational for another four years.”
“That is the propaganda that we dispersed because we know the clones have spies here on Earth. It is fully operational and has been for three months. We prioritized its construction with a higher priority than all other projects.” Ella took a drink of her gin and tonic and then said, “I am very sorry, how rude of me. Can I offer you a drink?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Thank you, but I don’t drink anymore.” Though that is what he said, Mars still held his gaze a second too long at her drink.
“That’s too bad. I remember you being fun when you drank.”
Mars remembered the night at Two Knuckles a few weeks ago and vowed he wouldn’t expose himself to vulnerabilities like that again. He just smiled back at Ella, his mind slipping back to the fun times they had shared.
“The strike force is called Parabellum Scramasax V. Did you find the new uniform in your quarters? That will be your uniform from now on. You are officially assigned to Lux Orbis, and you will move from the Federation Historia quarters to quarters in the Lux Orbis complex, with your squad.”
Mars was annoyed now. Why wouldn’t she have just told him that when they met outside of the Federation Historia HQ? She had obviously coordinated it that way because there was a uniform waiting for him in his Federation Historia quarters. Was this a subtle form of payback? Well, if it was, he wouldn’t let his annoyance show…
“Yes Ella, gladly.”
“Oh, and one more thing. As of right now, you are promoted to Imperator Thegn of Parabellum Scramasax V.”
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After Mars left, Ella reclined on a chaise lounge in her office. She might as well just move in here; she basically lived there as it was. She didn’t pay attention to the reports that were being delivered to her through encrypted holograms delivered from her ranking officers. She was worried about Mars and whether he would be able to complete his mission; worried that so much relied on one man’s abilities.
She thought about the last time she had seen Mars. He had looked dashingly beautiful as he always did—damn him—as he told her that he was leaving for specialized training that would require all his time. He said he couldn’t be distracted by a relationship. That’s all she was to him, a distraction.
She snapped out of it when she heard a portion of the hologram report from an officer in the Meliora Science Division, another failed attempt at replicating Odina’s abilities.
Ella cut in, “Enough. I will hear the rest of your reports tomorrow. Thegn Trevino, come to my office immediately.” Ella threw the hologram receptor at the wall, and watched it disintegrate into a million tiny fragments that soon disappeared.
Why would Trevino be stupid enough to talk about the replication attempts in that setting?
Twenty minutes later, Thegn Trevino reported to her office.
“What were you thinking Trevino, talking about the replicant project over the hologram? Who knows what the other Thegns will report to other organizations which are out of my control?”
“I’m sorry, Stratego,” said Trevino, clearly hurt that Ella didn’t use his title. “My intent was to simply tell you as soon as I could that another replicant attempt failed. I…didn’t think of the other problems that would arise from being expedient.”
“If Odina finds out that we are trying to replicate her abilities, what do you think she would do?” Ella said sternly, letting her disappoint seethe through her glare.
“I imagine it would not be an ideal situation, Stratego.”
“Damn right it wouldn’t be ideal.”
Though Ella was appointed as Stratego of Lux Orbis, the highest-ranking individual in the organization besides Odina and the Consul, she had her orders from the Consul of Earth, Kai Blake.
“Deliver your reports to me in person from now on Trevino. No matter how insignificant you determine the report to be, deliver it in person.”
“Yes, Stratego.”
Ella dismissed Trevino with a slight gesture of her hand.
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Ella turned the shower off, got out, and patted herself dry. She looked at the crows-eyes beginning to form around her eyes. She needed more sleep. It had only been two months, and she already needed more sleep.
She went to her wardrobe and laid out a uniform for the next day so she could get dressed as quickly as possible, should the need arise. Which it probably would. It usually did unfortunately.
She put on a pair of black sweatpants and matching crew-neck, embroidered with the Lux Orbis insignia, and went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth and put her hair in a bun. As she stood there brushing her teeth and looking at the crows-feet around her eyes again, the portion of the mirror that she was looking at began to swirl. Ella stared at it, memorized by it, unable to move, until suddenly she fell to the ground as if her body just collapsed of its own volition; it was as if her body subconsciously reacted to an unknown threat. She fell just in time too, as a laser appeared from the swirling mirror that would have turned her skull to mush.
She pushed a hidden alarm under the ledge of the bathroom sink and waited, wondering what the fuck had just happened.