Final Break: A Space Opera Adventure (Shades of Starlight Book 4) by B.L. Dean

Author:B.L. Dean [Dean, B.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

18

Jules found the whole sprawling complex fascinating. It was like a space station, but underwater instead of in the sky. She’d spotted airlocks, familiar safety mechanisms, and elevator shafts leading to floating platforms. She could spend a week studying it. Not to mention the view of sea life rather than stars.

After talking to Perrin and summarizing their trip since leaving Neridia, she’d left her boss as soon as she could, claiming she wanted to check out the engineering of the place. Not totally a lie. But also, it was almost time to confess everything, and Jules thought she might be sick.

Fueling the nausea was the lack of reply from Ezra. Was he giving her time, trusting her? Or did he know she had betrayed him and was even now talking to his bosses and preparing to expose everything she’d done?

She lingered outside the meeting room after listening to peace talks that didn’t sound very peaceful. Delegates trickled toward the dining hall, and she spotted Alexei inside talking to Finley. It was so weird that he was friends with a celebrity. Except, he was one now too, which meant she also had a famous friend. Not the wisest choice for a saboteur working with terrorists.

When Alexei left Finley, he headed her way. Lines creased his forehead until he spotted Jules, and his face lit up.

Her stomach squirmed. She surely didn’t deserve that reaction.

“Rough day?” she asked.

“I liked it better when we were on the run from revolutionaries.”

“You did not. I heard your speech. You love talking to people.”

“Yeah, when they want to listen.” He shook his head. “Never mind. I have a plan. It will be fine. What about you?”

“I do not have a plan. I need to send another message to my cousin soon, but I have no idea what to say.”

“I know you won’t like this, but I think it’s time…”

“To talk to the others?” She sighed. “Yeah.”

He took her arm gently. “Let’s eat first.”

Buffet tables were covered with fish, fruit, rice, and a variety of fancy dishes. The chef must have stayed. Bots served anything you requested. Jules wasn’t sure she could eat seafood while its brothers swam right outside the windows.

Many other delegates sat scattered throughout. What planets were these people from? Had she broken anything on their home worlds?

She and Alexei took seats with other Cobalt Republic colonial delegates. Jules half listened as Alexei extracted their life stories and deepest hopes and dreams for the negotiations and life in general. It was hard to focus, or enjoy the nice meal, when she knew that dessert would be a heaping serving of confession.

When they finished, Jules set her jaw. It was time. She wasn’t a coward, wouldn’t back away from this. She’d own up to what she had done and make a plan to move forward.

She just hoped it didn’t cost her everything.

“Who do you want to talk to?” Alexei asked quietly when the others had left.

“Perrin.” Trusting her boss was a safe enough step. “Rumor is, Tai is a Confed special agent, so he might be helpful.

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