Page 66 of Space for More

The next day, meeting Eden at the conference and noticing my datapads were out of order.

My blood goes cold. “You werespyingon me?”

“Don’t act so surprised!” Mezli huffs angrily. “That’s what happens when you try to sell dangerous schematics on the black market.”

The purple-haired human standing between us gapes at us. “Whoa whoa whoa, black market? Spying?! What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Mez?”

It’s a question I have as well.

Mezli glances down at her comm nervously, then tears it off and tosses it on the floor. “Come on, I’m sick of arguing in this hygiene room.” She pushes past me and Fina, turning on the fan in the hygiene room and shutting the door behind her. She storms into the main area of the loft, where Maerlon and Paul are cleaning up dishes from dinner. I resist the urge to yell at her to put her clothes back on, still too damn confused to prioritize shielding her from Paul’s view.

“Everything okay?” the imposing seladin asks as Mezli plops down on the couch. Fina shakes her head and gives him a look that says she’ll explain later.

“I didn’t know if they were listening or not. I don’t want to get even more shit from those damn agents about how I’m not doing my duty to protect galactic security. If they cared so much, they wouldn’t have recruited two civilians to do their damn work for them!”

Agents? Galactic security? Either Mezli had some kind of break with reality or someone is fleecing her and Eden.

“What agents? Who are you working with?” Fina asks. My head is reeling too much to formulate words.

“They’re Consortium agents. They recruited me to get close toPhelix because they suspected him of dealing in dangerous, illegal medical tech. Since Lord Nafar here is a member of the second house of Nexxa Itat—fancy nobility nonsense,” Mezli explains to the rest of the room, “—they couldn’t go after him without proof of his dealings without risking a political nightmare.”

I should’ve known. I knew something was off, and I didn’t listen to myself. I let my fucking cocks and my pathetic heart take control. Everything from the moment I saw her and Eden was a lie. I’m going to be sick.

“And you were all too happy to believe them,” I say with a grimace. “To believe some absurd story about me being a criminal. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I didn’t realize your hatred of me ran so deep. These past few days must’ve been torturous for you. Forced to flirt and pretend that you had any interest in our mate bond. Forced to fuck thexalaryou loathed. Your social training is excellent—you fooled me into thinking I could be happy.”

The dinner from earlier churns in my stomach, and bile threatens to escape me. How could I have been so blind?

“It wasn’t—that’s not—ugh, stop being such a melodramatic jerk for a moment and explain!” Mezli says, confusion twisting her features. “Are you saying it wasn’t true? They have the files with the schematics!”

I level a cold stare at her. “I’m not dealing in dangerous schematics, nor have I ever done such a thing. I’ve dedicated my entire career to finding ways to help bring life into this universe. To help sustain our people’s population. Why in the Goddess’ name would I involve myself with something that would take lives away?”

“I didn’t know you, Phelix! When they came to me and said that Eden and I needed to get close to you and verify the data, I didn’tthink to search your work history. Lives were at stake!” Mezli’s voice shakes as she snaps back at me defensively.

Paul clears his throat from the kitchen. “Um, not to confuse things more, but I don’t understand why they asked a random human doctor who’d never been away from a small farming planet to do a covert operation.”

Mezli shrugs in exasperation. “It was a trade for the Consortium sponsoring her trip to the medical conference. According to Eden, she oversold her qualifications on her application and they thought she’d be more well-suited for the job.”

“Huh, you’d think they’d have worked with the human Coalition to find someone more qualified,” Paul says, lips downturning as he thinks. “Or at least contact them to vet potential candidates for sponsorship. Part of the treaty that allowed us to establish an embassy on Spire included oversight on those types of things.”

As much as I initially disliked this human, his comment helps the pieces snap into place. The Consortium would never have sponsored a random human to come to such a prestigious medical conference without a series of checks. Eden was chosen because they knew about her connection to me. They knew I’d trust her because of our shared ideology.

A humorless laugh escapes me. All of this nonsense. All of this hope and heartache because of corporate greed. “Those ‘agents’ lied to you. They’re not with the Consortium, so they didn’t need to consult anyone. If I had to guess, they’re mercs working for the company that holds the rights to the lifesavingschematics I have with me, trying to keep me from distributing their tech without a license. You weren’t entirely wrong when you said I’m a criminal, because technically what I plan to do with them is illegal. But I can’t stand by and allow schematics that should be freely available to everyone to sit behind a paywall while people die. If I can do onedamn thing right in my pathetic, privileged life, it’ll be taking on the risk of a slap on the wrist and a fine to make a difference.”

The entire loft goes silent. I drag in deep breaths to keep myself from sinking into despair. I don’t know any of these people. They could easily turn me in to these “agents” or to the actual Consortium, and all of this will have been for nothing. Just another example of how meaningless my life is.

“That’s very noble of you and as a member of the Coalition ambassadorial staff, I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear any of that,” Paul says. I’m starting to like him.

“Yeah, we didn’t hear anything,” Fina agrees.

“If we had, we would agree with your decisions. And ask if there’s anything we can do to help,” adds Maerlon.

Mezli snorts and finally looks me in the eye, after spending my whole explanation staring at the floor. “Well…sh-shit,” she says quietly, her voice breaking. “You’re a good person.”

A choked laugh bursts out of me. “You say that like that’s a bad thing.”

“It’s terrible.” Mezli’s face falls and tears start to slide down her cheeks. “It means I’ve ruined my chance at something good. Again.”

My chest sizzles with the pain of our truths coming to light, alongside the smallest flicker of hope that her words kindle. Should I let the pain win like it always does, hardening me again and again until my heart is an impenetrable fortress? Or should I let the spark of hope catch hold, knowing how much more it hurts when I’m inevitably burned?

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