“Let’s sleep on it, and travel to Mars.” I glanced at Killer, which was parked a short distance away. The ramp was open, and loud music blasted from within. How was I ever going to work with Varn Wallish without one of us choking the other?
TWO
The Sage manufacturing plants on Mars looked different than the last time I’d seen them. Before, they were beginning to wear down, with precious little capital being funneled into their maintenance. After the Board had convinced the Primaries to commence funding the construction of the Defenders, they’d each put an allotted amount of resources into the project.
From the outside, the buildings appeared much the same. Inside was a different story. The lights were bright, and dozens of robots wandered around, fulfilling tasks too dangerous or costly for humans. My father had been working here during the Defenders’ assembly, and I was grateful he was finally able to relax with his wife in Hawaii. The moment my grandfather was deemed killed in action on Obelisk, my parents had been demoted from their executive status.
That was how these Corporations operated. As soon as you couldn’t bring anything to the table, they cut you loose. Contrary to how annoyed I was with Frank Under and Sage Industries, they had sponsored me as a young Pod sprinter, and provided my parents years of employment.
We hadn’t even gotten into the main assembly warehouse, but I could already hear the machinery toiling away on the new weapons and vessels. This was the largest wartime effort ever organized, and the fact that the Primaries, Secondaries, Board, and Liberty members were working together on it was a testament to our fear of the imminent Velibar invasion.
“Arlo, what do you think of all this?” Varn asked as we followed a skinny man with spectacles toward an office. He had been introduced as Hans, the assistant to Frank Under. He was obviously new to the job, because I hadn’t met him before. I imagined working directly for the Sage CEO was full of challenges, but this slick-haired man seemed up to the task of butt-kissing and shoe polishing.
“The weapons facility? It’s good. Nice to see them coexisting.”
“Never in a million years did I expect to be working with you on a mission to another solar system.” Varn patted my back. “If we can be friends, the Primaries doing the same should be a piece of cake.”
I grabbed his arm and stopped, letting the others walk ahead. “Varn, let’s get one thing straight. We’re not buddies. We’re never going to high-five each other or get drunk reminiscing about the time we defeated the Velibar.” I leaned closer. “You were a jerk to me when I was a kid, and you teased me relentlessly after my grandfather left. When he vanished, you rubbed it in. You were a grade-A cretin, and from my recent experiences, not much has changed.”
He stared at me blankly, his lips opening like he was about to retort. They sealed again, and he walked past, shouldering me as he caught up to the rest of our party. I listened to his footsteps carry away.
“That was harsh.” Eclipse entered from the main doors. Her gray hair was in a ponytail, and deep lines cut from the corners of her eyes as she smiled.
“I wasn’t wrong.”
She strode in step with me. “My sister and I were always at one another’s throats when we were kids. I don’t know if we struggled with needing more attention from our parents, or if it was just in our nature to be competitive.
“When we moved out, and went to college, we both studied the same thing. Political sciences. I went to Lotus’ campus to get a different experience from our upbringing. I was tired of seeing nothing new day in and day out, and wanted to break free from the box of bricks erected around my mind. Octavia chose to settle in with Sage, as most of the serious contenders did.” She stopped as we neared the set of doors.
“Did you stay in touch?” I asked. I knew nothing about their pasts. There wasn’t much on file about the pair, especially Eclipse, or her real name, Ellie Post. Octavia’s information began the moment she joined the Board.
“We did. But after four years apart, we drifted farther. She bought into the whole corporate structure, but I met a man…” She gazed away, as if recalling a ghost from her past floating. “He was… inspiring. He taught me that life was more than profits and production. It was about the people. Our race has lost that over the last two centuries. We have numbers now; we control the outcome. Liberty was formed because of him. When Lotus learned about his secret meetings, he was seized. I never saw him again.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“It was ages ago. As you can see, I’m an old lady now, and we’re taking the first steps to ensuring a different future,” she told me.
I recalled overhearing Frank Under on the Moon. “I wouldn’t count the chickens before they hatch.”
“What does that mean?” Eclipse asked.
“These Corps won’t be so easy to manage. Not after they’ve been to the top. You don’t change the food chain overnight.”
“There is a way.” Eclipse had trouble in her eyes.
“How’s that?”
“You eliminate the apex predator, and things fall into line.”
“You’re implying we end Sage?” I spoke so quietly, I worried she might not have heard.
She gave me a single nod and stepped into the office where the rest were waiting.
Luther and Jade were with Octavia, but Varn’s team was absent. Frank and his assistant were discussing something. Hans was typing on his PersaTab.
“Good. We’re waiting on one more.” Octavia gave me a grin, and I turned as the
