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The Julii stares at Volga, her face coated with blood and dirt, her eyes glea frouish She heaves a horrible sob and turns away to stu that was hers

—

I lean against the wall of the shower, sinking into the heat The scar on my chest is mostly healed thanks to the Julii’s medici I’ve spent a She said she had so to do I exit the shower and dress in the clothes the Julii provided I keep waiting for the trap to close, but it seeive Or becoe

A holoCan plays in the living rooa there, back from her mysterious errand She sits surrounded by half-repaired Oly Reds and lowColor, each with a fist clenched in the air as they chant for the Reaper Beyond the holoCan’s prislows Attica

After all this time, it must be fate to end up here after all

The Reds go silent as Volga mutes the feed “You’re awake,” she says

“Did you complete your mysterious mission?”

Her face falls “I wanted to see Ulysses What they did to him”

“Oh,” I say aardly She stares at a spot on the floor, then wordlessly speeds through the channels faster than I can follow

“How can you even follow that?” Undisturbed by the chaingun of infor ht has been hijacked by the silent streaa never settles for long Five seconds at a protest in Nike Two seconds at a strike in a new Red mine city Fifteen at two dead Obsidians carried by ato retrieve their brethren as pain tanks disperse the croithfor terrorists

This isn’t what Sefi wanted This isn’t the world she tried to make It’s not fair for others to come in and cock it all up

“Sefi bit off a mutters

“Hyperionin ain’t much better, love We don’t even chew”

“They h on God’s Bread,” she says in contempt of her own people “As if Mars would want to be ruled by savages instead of the Reaper” She whispers his name A new reverence

“Sefi isn’t a savage”