“She’s got Marius by the stones. I’ll give her that. But why should I break my back rebuilding this colony for her? I work the land, and she owns it. My great-great-grandfather agreed to serve the Rose dynasty for a new life here, but I shouldn’t be bound by his choice. It wasn’t his to make.”
“I get it,” Kane said, and he truly did. Two years of space travel had opened his eyes to all sorts of political systems, some of them better than others. “You don’t owe the royals anything, but life’s not perfect on the other settlements, either. I’ve been to places so broke your own neighbors will sell you into slavery.”
“So I should be grateful to the royals?”
“I didn’t say that. Give Cassia a chance. She might surprise you.”
“Let’s assume she does,” Badger said. “Even if she’s the best damn monarch in Eturian history, that doesn’t mean her kids will be, or whatever husband she takes next. But they’ll rule over us for generations to come based on their last name.”
Kane didn’t want to think about Cassia with children because it forced him to question which blue blood would put them in her. What he wanted to do was to shut down this conversation. “Look, if your commander thinks I can persuade Cassia to walk away from the throne, he’s delusional. She’s wanted this ever since we were kids.”
“We’re not asking that.”
“Then what do you want?”
“No one’s closer to the queen than you are. She even bought out your Daeva contract.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, and from what I heard, it wasn’t cheap.”
“You heard right,” Kane muttered. The price Marius had put on his head was enough to tempt a saint, not that the Daeva had any morals to speak of. By buying out the contract, Cassia had freed him for a whole new kind of life. Now he could show his face in public, anywhere he wanted, without looking over his shoulder.
“My point is,” Badger continued, “she’ll confide in you. What we need is for you to tell us what she’s planning. That’s how you can help the cause.”
“You want me to spy on my best friend—the one who bought my contract?”
“Not spy, really. Just keep your ears open and report…” Badger nodded and threw a hand in the air. “All right, yeah, I want you to spy on her.”
“Not happening.”
“Listen, man, we’re taking over this colony, with or without you. Your help might make the difference between a quick transition and a long, bloody battle. The war was bad enough. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt.” Badger’s gaze shifted toward the barn in the backyard. “Do you?”
“I liked you better when you were blowing up toilets.”
“And I liked you better when you weren’t wrapped around Cassia’s pinkie finger.” Badger’s ears lifted as he grinned. “Oh wait. Never mind. That finger’s always had your name on it.”
Kane chuckled darkly and flashed a hand gesture recognizable to anyone within the Solar Territories. “Here’s a special finger just for you.”
“Seriously, though. Will you at least think about it?”
“There’s nothing to think about.” There were some lines Kane wouldn’t cross, and betraying Cassia was one of them. “I’ll keep your secret, but that’s all I can promise.”
“If you change your mind, you can reach me here most days.”
“I won’t change my mind,” Kane said.
The morning dew transformed into a glittering mist beneath the sun’s warmth, clouding the docking field and curling its tendrils around the Banshee where it slumbered. Cassia approached the landing gear and tilted her ear toward the ship’s belly to listen for clunking footsteps or tinny voices. She heard nothing. The crew was probably asleep. She reached for the boarding ramp keypad and then pulled back her hand. She knew the code, but it didn’t seem right boarding the ship without permission.
She didn’t live there anymore.
Standing on the outside looking in, she couldn’t deny feeling a little wistful. The ship had been more than a home; it’d been her lens to the galaxy. Within its walls, she’d traveled from bustling tourist planets to systems so remote they didn’t have names. She’d witnessed the birth and collapse of stars—miracles most people would never see.
“What’s the problem?” Jordan asked. He pounded the side of his fist against the hull and shouted, “Lower your gear for the queen!”
Cassia cringed. “This is why I wanted to come alone. These people aren’t my subjects. They’re my friends.”
“Then why didn’t they spend the night in the palace?”
“Because they didn’t want to impose.”
The lie slid smoothly off her tongue. Kane had called last night from the ship, claiming that he didn’t want to take a bed away from a refugee when he could sleep in his bunk. But she sensed there was more to it than that.
Jordan didn’t look convinced. “How considerate of them.”