Epilogue

Six Weeks Later – Kaimoan City, the planet Evevron

 

Chestla grabs my hand. “This is what I wanted, you know.”

She sounds like she’s trying to convince herself. “That’s what you keep telling me. Is there something I’m missing, chica?”

Chestla lets my hand go. “Eugene acted like I wasn’t even there when I was, and now that I’m not, he won’t stop trying to talk to me. I told you. I’m done with him. But at the same time – I don’t want to be making another mistake.”

“So what are you going to do?” I look out at the amphitheater. Construction dust dots the ground near the far side, where they added the giant platforms.

“I’m going to go out there. This is what I’ve always wanted, and Eugene would never come to Evevron. Besides, I have Ball to take care of. He’s going to need physical therapy, and I don’t want him to have to go through it alone, not like I did after I was injured.” She looks at me intently. “I’m needed here, cesuda ma.”

I pull at the white lace covering my wrists. “I’m not going to be your cesuda ma much longer. You should stop calling me that.”

“If you want. But I’m not going to stop helping you. Your people have a history with mine. We both need to know the truth.”

“I know. I still haven’t made my peace with HGB, pero I can’t dig into it, yet. I have to go back to Zant and finish filming. I promised Minda. And it makes sure the Global Court doesn’t have grounds to revoke my pardon. Minda’s setting up drinks with her and Queen Layla and a number of Zantite courtiers. They all want to hear about how hard I fought to save Kaliel. The queen serves as the king’s chief advisor, and Minda wants to present a petition her fan club has organized against the invasion. We’re finally getting somewhere, chica.”

I look over to where mi vida should be sitting, and I can’t help but grasp the pendant I’m wearing, pulling it away from my heart. Every day, I take it off the minute I’m out of public view, pero, Brill says it still makes him feel distant from me. The way he says it makes it sound biological, not symbolic. I hope Frank comes through with a message that they’ve rescinded the assassination order for him soon. I’ve almost convinced myself – almost – that Frank’s not going to swing back around and carry out his order if that covert stay of execution is denied.

Only a few people know Brill is alive. That does not include Brill’s mamá. She asked me to send his things home. When I told her his ship had been lost – since he obviously still needs his things – it didn’t go well.

He’s temporarily switched ship IDs with Gavin, since it’s easier for someone who is alive to file an insurance claim. I’d gone on board before the Fois Gras got hauled in for repairs. Brill had cut the power, and in the absolute darkness, amidst the hum of life support tapping the back-up generator, the bridge took on a pink and yellow glow, finger-painted with swirling constellations of flowers. Up on the ceiling, in giant yellow letters, it had said, Mertex M Was Here. How about now? It had been beautiful and dorky and perfect.

That in-the-know list does include Tyson, who said that as long as Brill isn’t getting any monetary gain out of being dead, he isn’t doing anything illegal. I still can’t believe the Galactacop agreed to keep Murry’s secret, considering the deaths the mindworm scourge caused. Tyson is mid-molt – once the process gets started there is no stopping it, even if the neurological problem is reversed. He looks ridiculous, with patches of scales missing entirely. I can’t help but laugh when he leans over and says something sincere to the Evevron sitting next to him.

Chestla’s friends are all out there, sitting on the first rows. It must be nice to have it so clear-cut, what you want and where you are supposed to be. Then I notice someone missing, and fear tickles through my chest. “Where’s Leron?”

I’m afraid he might be imprisoned or dead. Surely nobody decided his lies were that severe, not considering all the wrongs we’re burying here already.

“He’s not ready to face Murry.” Chestla looks over at the platforms. “I can’t say I blame him.”

Everyone goes quiet as a humming of giant bug-wings fills the air. Six muy grande snake-hippos come into view, landing easily on the platforms reserved for them. Four of the dragons sploot flat instead of sitting – a gesture they must have picked up from their time being Frank’s corgi. The other two – both the smaller female variety – look at their companions reproachfully. Those are the other consciousness, the not-Murry that still doesn’t have a name. Though I think she’ll wind up calling herself Awn.

Interesting the way she and Murry seem to be instinctively trying to differentiate themselves from each other. A hive mind made up of individuals. Two hive minds that are individuals. It’s enough to break your brain.

The two smaller spucks make a noise. The four parts of Murry get the hint and sit up a bit more formally.

There’s a bit of uneasiness in the air, I’m afraid one of the Evevrons is going to attack one of the spucks. But the moment passes. I have no idea how the council spinwashed this to convince everyone to stop eating the dragons. Pero, it seems to be working.

They asked me to keep in regular contact with Murry to continue helping with his socialization. And in exchange, the Evevrons are going to publicly denounce the invasion of Earth.

I would have done it anyway. Murry needs a friend or two. We all do.

Pero, I want to make sure that I have the right information before I interact with him again, and Chestla’s been working with the team to help with the former parasite’s transition into civilized society.

“How do you know Murry released the hugs he had on everyone else?”

“The ones who knew they were infected came here, went on the hunt with us, injected copies of the para – of the consciousness – into the new species themselves. The Royal Court compensated them handsomely for their trouble, so I doubt they would have brought accusations, even if they hadn’t become complicit by that final act. And then…” Chestla points over to Kayla, who is sitting between two Evevrons, looking terrified. I can’t blame her. The predator pheromones are thick here, and even I’m having trouble keeping my knees from shaking. “She went back in the machine – willingly – and checked for extensions of him. It only takes a few weeks for the solid parts of an expired Mindhugger to dissolve away, so hopefully, we won’t have anyone extracting one while it’s still in a condition to be identified.”

A dragon makes eye contact, and surreptitiously holds up a hand, waving at me. I wave back, and it breaks into a hunormous, toothy smile. My sublingual rings.

Hi, Murry.

Hi.

For a moment, we just look at each other across the amphitheater.

You want to go flying later?

You know it, mijo.

It’s an odd balance. Murry is trusting the Evevrons not to eat any more of him, imprison and experiment on him, or kick him off the planet. The Evevrons are trusting Murry and the other dragon-consciousness not to mindhack them or try to take over the galaxy. And both sides know that if Murry does try expanding again, or if the secrets between them get out, all it will take is a couple of Nitarri and a giant machine to stop the plague. I have no idea what balances out the Nitarri. I’m not sure I want to know.

Chestla goes out there. Grammy takes her hand and addresses the audience as much as her. “You know how proud we are of you. We had already approved you, so you didn’t have to take the obstacle course again, but you insisted and not only passed, but showed unexpected innovation in solving some of the challenges. But the real test was whether you could keep your word and successfully protect your cesuda ma’s friend, and Kaliel’s life was indeed spared.” A lot more was spared than that, but they’re keeping it under wraps, even here. “Therefore, we would like to offer you a position on the council, rather than as a Guardian Companion.”

Chestla scrunches up her nose. “I thank you for the opportunity, but you know I’m not cut out for that.”

So they make her a Guardian Companion. Two others who also passed the obstacle course become palace guards. And then we all go to a massive party at the sculpture garden.

Chestla is laughing, holding out a bowl of mystery meat, telling us we don’t know what we’re missing, when her eyes go wide, and she swallows hard. “Eugene?”

Eugene is indeed walking towards us, in all his nerdy glory. “Hello, everyone.”

“What are you doing here?” Chestla asks.

“I wanted to see your ceremony thing. But I guess I missed it. I couldn’t leave until the test results came in.”

“What test results?” Chestla asks. She’s blushing. He may be late, but she’s obviously flattered that he came. She turns and looks back towards town, where Ball’s still lying in a hospital bed, holding what Chestla said to him when he was bleeding in her arms close to his heart.

Well. That got complicated quick, no?

“I was analyzing a plant virus.” He pulls off his backpack and takes out a jar. There’s a cacao pod, floating in clearish liquid. It is crusted over with white scales. “I can’t get anybody at HGB to believe me, but this will destroy all cacao plantations on Earth within the next five years.”

I catch one of Murry looking at us. He looks away. I call him using the signal signature from when he called me.

Do you know anything about this?

I may have engineered a plant disease out of the Pure275. In case you went to Earth instead of Zant, there would have been a few… surprises. I undid everything else, but that – Murry waves a hand at the jar – has no cure.

My chest goes frío.

Oye! That got real complicated. Real fast.

Which seems about par for my life these days.

I’m not sure now if I’m heading back to Zant to keep my obligation – or if I’m going to Earth to help solve this new problem. Either way, we have to keep chocolate flowing through this hungry galaxy.