be writing a message to Father for the next few hours.”
He blinked in surprise. “That long?”
“It’s going to be a legally binding contract, so yeah, that long. I want to make sure there aren’t any loopholes for him to exploit.”
“I’ll be down in a little while,” he said.
I grabbed my com then headed down to the mess hall. After fortifying myself with a tall glass of iced coffee, I went through the complicated ritual necessary to authorize my necklace and cuff. When I didn’t have anything left to prolong my procrastination, I pulled out my com and got to work.
I started with our basic House contract. I added the things I wanted. First up was the ability to pick my own spouse, the freedom to come and go at will and without supervision, and the immediate cancellation of my bounty. All three of those things were hard requirements. I loved my family but I wasn’t returning if it meant a prison sentence or a forced marriage.
I added the ability to choose my own staff and security detail because if I didn’t, I might as well count on having Father’s spies following me everywhere. I also added diplomatic immunity for my staff and five people of my choosing. It probably wouldn’t survive the cuts, but it was worth the ask.
Next, I required the return of Polaris in working order within three months. Father would balk, but I wanted my ship back. Three months would give the scientists and engineers enough time to study the alcubium FTL drive and get started on their research.
Lastly, I asked for Father to vote yes in a clemency hearing of my choice. I doubted the request would survive the negotiations, but it worked as an opening salvo. Father would know I was serious when I later came to him about the Genesis Project.
In return, I would let his people pick over Polaris for three months, hand over all the alcubium I had on board, and submit to no more than a week of debriefings about everything I’d learned about the alcubium FTL and while on XAD Six and the Santa Celestia.
With the rough draft complete, I began revising, tweaking the language until it was ironclad. Loch came down sometime during the first pass, but when I muttered something vaguely intelligible at him after he questioned me for the third time, he laughed and left.
I didn’t make any changes on the fourth pass, so I figured it was as good as it was getting. I’d dealt with enough contracts to at least be familiar with the common pitfalls.
With the contract done, I began working on the accompanying note. It had to strike the right balance between friendly and threatening or he’d gut my contract without a second thought. By the time I was happy with it, my back ached from hunching over the table for so long.
I signed the message with my personal key, encrypted it with our House key, and sent it highest priority. Because APD Zero was within minutes of the gate, Father should receive the message in the next twenty minutes.
I also sent a copy to Bianca. Perhaps she could be the voice of reason if Father got carried away.
My stomach twisted as anxiety dumped adrenaline into my system. I stood and stretched. I needed to move and not just because I’d been sitting for hours. Fight or flight rode me hard even though the danger was likely sitting behind a desk a million light-years away.
I slid down the ladder to the bottom deck. My arm stung just enough to remind me to take it easy. I heard the rattle of weights before I entered the exercise room. Either I’d found Loch or the ship was haunted.
Loch was doing deadlifts with some ridiculous amount of weight. He wore a pair of low-slung athletic shorts and no shirt. Watching the muscles play across his body as he lifted the weight was a thing of beauty.
“Hey,” I said once he was done with the set, “I sent my message and need a distraction. Care to spar?”
“You going to run away?” he asked.
I grinned at him. “Probably.”
“What do I get if I catch you?”
“I’ll give you a pat on the back and permission to feel smug for a whole thirty seconds.”
He chuckled. “With an offer like that, how can I refuse?” He turned serious. “How’s your arm?”
“Mostly fine, but still a little tender. Try not to directly hit it if possible.” I moved to the sparring mats