off under autopilot. The route to Earth was already programmed.
I was going home.
The thought didn’t fill me with the warmth I thought it would. I felt vaguely uneasy. I’d changed a lot in the last two years. I wasn’t as naive or trusting, and while I was still loyal to House von Hasenberg, I’d lost the rose-colored glasses. I wasn’t sure my family would appreciate the changes, especially when they arrived along with a convicted murderer/bodyguard and a lot of uncomfortable questions about the Genesis Project.
APD Zero dropped away and the sky opened up. As soon as we’d cleared the atmosphere and put enough distance between us and the other ships in the area, the FTL kicked in and we jumped.
I hadn’t swapped out the alcubium, so this was a conventional FTL jump. I kept an eye on the systems as we popped out the other side, but the time in Sedition meant the drive had had plenty of time to cool down. The ship slid neatly back into normal space and Earth glowed blue in front of us.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Loch asked.
“Yes,” I whispered. It was hard to imagine that the entirety of the Consortium’s vast power flowed from this little sphere of blue and green.
Because of its importance, everything within a light-year of Earth was neutral territory. That neutrality was fiercely defended by the most seasoned of the RCDF forces. No matter what happened between Houses out in the greater universe, Earth remained peaceful.
That meant I had a good chance of seeing Richard in person at the next Consortium event, and I couldn’t even punch him in his pretty face. And I had no idea how I was going to prevent Loch from going after him.
No one challenged us as we approached. I’d added my House seal to the ship’s registration. The RCDF would verify the validity of the seal, but once it proved genuine, they wouldn’t even log our passing—only non-House ships were logged.
The House designation also meant that I’d been able to request a jump point much closer to the planet. We’d be on the surface in less than thirty minutes. My fingers trembled with anxiety.
I began pulling on my public persona. The spaceport might be in von Hasenberg territory, but it was still public. My father would expect me to act above reproach until I was safely in our private residence. And if I was going to bluff Loch’s presence in, I’d need to be as cold as ice.
I pushed my anxiety deep, until I was a still lake. I could do this. I would do this. We entered the atmosphere and my calm barely rippled.
Polaris dropped toward Serenity, the only city on Earth and the heart of the Royal Consortium. Thousands of years after Earth was abandoned, the Consortium had worked for decades to make it habitable once again. Then they turned it into the seat of their power and a natural museum to human history. Anyone was welcome to visit, but few were invited to stay.
The city itself formed a circle, with the Consortium common buildings in the center and the three remaining High Houses each in their own quarter. The last quarter used to belong to the fourth High House, but after its fall, the lower houses took over, moving in from the outer sectors.
Each quarter operated independently, with its own utilities, amenities, and security. The quarters were divided into sectors starting from the middle and moving outward. Sector One, the innermost sector, contained the family residence for House members. Access was restricted to family and high-ranking staff.
Sectors Two through Ten contained various extended family and staff residences, as well as offices, shops, and all of the other things found in a large city. The sector numbers were used mainly for addresses and directions—sectors weren’t divided by functionality. Travel between the various quarters and sectors was encouraged and frequent.
The von Hasenberg family spaceport was on the outer edge of Sector One. There was a larger spaceport out past Sector Ten, but Polaris was small enough not to need the extra room.
Serenity was spectacular on approach, a beautiful city carved out of a lush green jungle. The ocean sparkled in the distance, a shining blue jewel.
Each quarter’s architecture reflected the High House who claimed it for its own, especially in the inner sectors. The outer sectors tended to be high-rises, as the need for housing outstripped the need for design.
But the family residences were works of architectural art.
House Rockhurst’s residence was a gleaming