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CHAPTER1
ORION
Orion had been soaking sore muscles in the red mud pools of Crimson Spa deep beneath the planet’s surface when the chime of an incoming transmission echoed in the private chamber. He flipped to his stomach in the viscous liquid, resting his chin on his forearms at the edge of the pool.
“Ignore.” He sighed, focusing on the heat soaking through his skin.
Bing.
The directionless chime sounded again.
“Block notification.” His stern voice slapped against the rock wall and then silenced in the humid air.
Bing.
Goddamn it.
Who was overriding his instructions?
“Fine. What the hell is it?”
A soothing artificial voice announced what it was: “Live transmission from Colony ShipColossal. Priority Five.”
Orion groaned. What did she want now? He’d been left alone for the better part of the previous year and was half-hoping they’d forgotten about him. But even after ten years of banishment to Mars, he remained at the mercy of her fucking transmissions.
“Mother.”
“Orion. Are you somewhere private?” Mother’s voice came clipped and businesslike as usual. He thought he heard a faint hoarse undercurrent in what was usually a steel-smooth inflection.
He clicked his tongue, giving the room an unnecessary glance. This was a private chamber of the spa, reserved only for him.
“I’m alone.”
She wasted no time. “I’ve been informed that I have an advanced cancer which evaded detection for several years.”
Orion perked to attention, sitting up straight.
“What’s the treatment plan?”
“There is none. It’s incurable. They can stave it off for six months to a year Old Earth Standard. After that, I’m Uploading.”
Shit.
Orion was standing in the pool now, the mud coalescing around his upper thighs.
“You need to get back to the ship for handover.”
Orion ran a muddy hand through his hair, tugging at the roots. The dull pain in his scalp should have helped center his reeling mind. Alas, the reeling won out.
“But that’s too soon. You know I’m not ready. I got zero interest in—”
“Save it, Orion.” Her voice cut through his rambling like a brig door slamming shut. “You knew this would happen.”
“In a fucking couple hundred years, maybe! I thought you might have another kid by then, Mother.” Orion grasped at straws, though he didn’t believe his own words. His parents had fertility issues like everyone else. Colony commanders weren’t exempt.
“Trust me, this isn’t ideal for me either. I’d rather not have my lazy slacker son take control of the greatest colony ship in existence. But it seems neither of us get what we want.”
Orion took a steadying breath.
