Chapter 60: Confession

Rudy's crimson flight suit tightened. He stretched his back, feeling the fabric slide over muscles too long unused.

His mask, the first thing he'd pulled up, replayed again and again a clip from President Rhetta Ferrill's triumphant broadcast: the slow pan over the defeated Oligarchs, culminating in Otto, cocky and defiant as ever. At least for the camera.

The elder Algreil's mouth formed words Rudy couldn't hear. His flight suit's distributed computer couldn't hear them either, of course, but it could analyze the motions and synch them with past recordings of Otto speaking. Subtitles appeared in white beneath the image, clearer with each repetition.

"The company is yours now, Rudy," Otto mouthed. "If you can take it."

Typical Otto. Not enough to be defiant to the end when he could bust his little brother down on the way.

Of course, considering Rudy's track record of late, Otto probably had a point.

"Crimson Phoenix?" A soft voice brought Rudy’s focus back to New Kyrillopolis. "... Rudolf?"

He banished the recording.

He said, "Milissa."

The Kyrillos girl stood in the doorway of his room again, eyes downcast, for once wearing a dress that looked genuinely modest. She’d gotten better at pretending to spacer ideals, even if she hadn’t nailed the stylings. The fact she kept up the attempt almost impressed him.

She said, "You're leaving?"

"Stealing a shuttle if I have to." Rudy didn't worry too much about telling Milissa that. Even if she did try to rat him out, he doubted Stephan respected her opinion enough to listen. "One way or another, I'm done waiting."

"But you can't go! You're needed here, now more than ever."

"My brother needs help," Rudy said. "I'm not gonna sit here until Chloe convinces yours to do something."

"She won't."

"You're crazy, Milissa. Saving her parents is all Chloe cares about." And she thinks I stood in the way of that, Rudy added to himself. "Now that she knows her dad is in danger, she'll lean on Stephan night and day."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Milissa looked up. She swept across the room and grabbed his hands. Before he could pull away, she said, "Stephan won't listen. He's... he's done something terrible!"

Rudy froze.

"She told him she would never give him his Kyrillos dynasty, said terrible things – but maybe they were true things –, said she was going to Etemenos herself if she had to. But then she went to her room to get her things, and I heard Stephan call our men-at-arms to stop her."

"He doesn't have the balls. If she gives him an imperial order –"

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"Stephan only cares about the empire if it's our empire. His empire." Milissa shook her head. "I love my brother, but... but it's not right, Crimson Phoenix! He's dishonoring our family, and the Empress doesn't deserve this."

"Why ask me for help? Shouldn't you appeal to your men's imperial loyalties?"

"They won't listen. They serve Stephan, not me, not Her Highness. If it comes to it, you're the only one who can help her. You're all she's got."

"Thanks to you, she doesn't 'have' me, either," Rudy said.

"Then make it up to her," Milissa said. "I'm not a good person, Rudolf. I'm immoral and I'm unserious and I did try to seduce you and Stephan let me because he wanted Her Highness to get over you. Principle! You think I don't know that?"

"I think you know pretty damned well,” he said. “You might have caught that it’s why I don't trust you now."

"I didn't realize... how much she meant to you. Or vice versa. Stephan said I'd be doing her a favor by getting her over a relationship that could never go anywhere." Milissa lowered her eyes and rested the top of her head against his chest. "Truth is, I honestly am a fan of yours. When Stephan told me he didn't mind me sleeping with you, I didn't think about it because I didn't want to think about it."

Which does a whole hell of a lot of good now, Rudy thought. He figured Chloe being such a softie had rubbed off on him, though, because he couldn't bring himself to stay furious at Milissa.

"I truly am a fan of the Crimson Phoenix," she said. "Always rooted for you, always will. I can't help but love your style. But... at the end of the day, I'm just another fangirl."

She gulped, looked up. "I'm an empath. I felt what Her Highness felt when she saw us together that evening. Merciful Principle, I feel it every night when I close my eyes! And it's tearing me apart. Her Highness doesn't love your style, Rudolf – she loves you."

"Not anymore," Rudy said. "She knows better."

"Then convince her," Milissa said. "Show her. Save her!"

"Who says I love her?"

"If you didn't love her," Milissa said, "you would never have pushed me away. I know you wanted me. You still do, and Principle knows I probably still don't have it in me to turn you down. So why don't you take what you want?"

Rudy’s lip curled. "You think I've got that little self-control?"

"Of course," Milissa said. She managed a smile, however forlorn. "I am a fan, remember? The next time the Crimson Phoenix shows restraint will be the first."

Rudy had to choke back a chuckle.

"She needs you, Rudolf," Milissa said. "I can never make up to either of you for what I did. But I can't let it get any worse. I'd die before I let it get any worse."

"Stephan's right." The words felt like ash choking Rudy's mouth. He said them anyway.

Milissa looked up sharply. "W-what?"

"If Chloe goes to Etemenos, she'll be walking into a trap," Rudy said. "I do care about her. A lot. I don't want to see her get herself killed, or worse."

"She'll get herself killed anyway," Milissa said. "You can't believe she'd stay here now? Even if she weren't trying to save her adoptive father –" Rudy couldn't help but notice that the young noblewoman couldn't drop the qualifier from 'father.' Still her brother's sister, despite everything. "– she'd try to leave just because Stephan said the things he said."

"And Stephan would stop her, and she'd hate him," Rudy said. "Is that what this is about? You get me to 'rescue' Chloe, figuring I'll say the same damned thing and 'talk sense into her,' and then she forgives your big bro?"

"You don't understand," Milissa said. "If Her Highness tries to escape, Stephan won't just lock her up. He doesn't dare. He's terrified she'll deliver herself to the Feds and become a weapon for them – or, worse, that she'll awaken and destroy us herself.

"If Stephan thinks it's her or House Kyrillos," the young noblewoman continued, "he'll kill her."