going to hear the end of it. “Just tell me what the fuck you want,” he growled. “I presume there’s something you need me to do.”
“Of course. We’ve been invited to attend a council meeting. On Trakis Four.”
“What council?”
“The newly formed Council for the Advancement of Mankind.”
He cocked his head. “That sounds completely made up. Is it even a real thing?”
“It is now,” Rico said. “With the Trakis One gone, there’s no one in charge. Some guy called Luther Kinross, on Trakis Four, is making a play for the vacancy, though he’s not saying that outright. The thing is—the other ships are going along with him, so right now we don’t have a lot of choice.”
There was always a choice. “Thanks. But I think I’ll pass.”
“Not an option, my friend.”
Milo sighed. “Why me?”
“Well, we would send Katia and Logan, but Katia was under investigation when the Trakis One went down.”
This just kept getting more convoluted. “Investigation for what?”
“Working with terrorists to destroy the fleet.”
He shot a questioning look toward Katia, and she merely shrugged.
“And there were too many people aware of that,” Rico went on. “Besides, Katia and Logan were supposed to be on the Trakis One when she dived into the black hole. Sending them now will raise too many questions. So I had a think—and came up with you.”
“Why me?” he repeated. “Get to the point.”
“Because you are so charming.”
“Ha.”
“Okay, you’re not particularly charming, but there’s a reason you were the best Facilitator on Earth. You know how to negotiate. You’re level-headed. You can be relied upon not to do anything too stupid. But in the event everything goes to shit, you’ll do what’s necessary. Plus, you can pass for human—which is clearly going to be a big advantage.”
Milo suspected that was the main reason. “And if I do this, then I don’t owe you anymore?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that—I did save your life at great personal risk. But I would be very grateful, and I might even give you your magic stick back.” Rico grinned but then his expression quickly turned serious. “Look, we need information. Find out everything you can about this Kinross guy. Whether he’s got any reason to think he should be in charge and anything to back it up. And most important—is he any threat to us.”
Milo wanted to say hell no, but he also wanted his wand back. “I’ll think about it.”
Rico shook his head. “You didn’t want to come on this trip. I get that. But you’re here now, so make the best of it. This is a chance for a new start. Dios, when you were young, you’d go on and on about changing the world. Making it a place where we wouldn’t have to hide what we are, where we could all live out in the open. Free.”
“That was a long time ago.” He’d been idealistic back then. But the truth was he’d never really let go of that dream, just realized the impossibility of people like him ever being accepted as anything but evil back on Earth. So he’d buried the dream deep. Now it awoke sleepily inside him, nudging at his mind.
“Tell me,” Rico murmured, “that you don’t still want that world.”
A world untainted by religions that claimed they were monsters. “Maybe.”
“Well, this is your opportunity. We can make Trakis Two our world. Unless this Kinross decides to stick his nose in. So get to Trakis Four and find out what’s going on.” Rico took a swallow from the bottle and smiled. “And don’t worry about being lonely. We’re sending Dylan with you.”
Christ, no. “I’d rather go alone.”
“I’m sure you would. But you can’t. They’re expecting two representatives, so you’re going to have to get over the whole I-want-to-be-alone thing and play nice. It won’t be for long. Then you can come back, make your new world, or disappear into the darkness and do whatever the fuck you want.”
“That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Then you really need to get out more—another reason for you to be on this job. Practice your social skills.” Rico stood up. “I’m going to make sure your shuttle is ready. Katia and Logan can fill you in on the details of what’s been going on and what subjects to avoid.”
As Rico crossed the room, Milo called after him. “What about my wand? I might need it.”
Rico pursed his lips. “Dios, no. You need to be discreet. Which means the last thing we need