Remulus, Cassandra and I sit silently in Lucian's glider in agitated silence. I grind my teeth together, watching his pale blue eyes scan Cassandra's paternity test. 

"Why did you take this test? Did Lazarus order it? Or Physus?" Lucian finally addresses Cassandra and she shivers under his stare. 

"No one ordered it. I know they will take a paternity test after I give birth and due to my circumstances, wanted to be sure before Commander Physus found out," She admits. 

"It seems you made the right choice," Lucian murmurs and then he runs a hand through his hair looking deep in thought. "Remulus, how many people in the medical center were exposed to this news?"

"Only three; the nurse who ran the test, the lab technician and an overseeing staff nurse. I've dealt with them personally, doubt they will be dumb enough to tell anyone after that," Remulus replies quickly. 

"Good but Lazarus has highly ranked medical personnel working for him in the center as well so you need to keep an eye on them. Although he may already know by now," Lucian says.

Cassandra gasps as soon as he says this and I see tears flowing down her cheeks again. I put my hand around her shaking form and rub her back, trying to calm her. 

"How could he know so quickly?" She stutters and Lucian doesn't reply.

Remulus side eyes me and I immediately realize that the whole medical center must be under strict surveillance which means any General or the Trinity might have already witnessed everything. Even if they haven't seen it now, they will definitely have access to it later. 

"What will he do if he finds out?" I'm almost too afraid to ask. 

Lucian leans back and stares at me intensely. "It's happened a few times before and lets just say there's no one around to tell those tales anymore."

My fingers around Cassandra's shoulders tighten and I hold her tightly while she bursts into full blown sobbing. 

"Not my baby. Please I don't care about myself. I just want my baby to live," She rocks back and forth in my arms and I stare at Lucian in concern. 

"It is quite the predicament," He says while he studies my face, his eyes distant and unreadable. "He wont risk his engagement with Luna. Power means more to him than anything or anyone." 

A smile slowly stretches across his cheeks and he suddenly looks delighted which confuses me. "Although this situation could work for us."

"PG Lucian?" Remulus stares at Lucian looking worried and I can't help but feel the same way. He is smiling like a crazy person right now.

Lucian pulls out his communicator and dials a number while the three of us watch him in trepidation. I nearly jump out of my skin and Cassandra sucks in a breath when we hear him address Lazarus. 

"Lazarus, brother I need to have a word with you," He pauses and my heart beats furiously in my chest. For a fleeting moment I wonder if Lucian is going to turn Cassandra in. 

"Yes, it's urgent. It would be best if we meet in Central Command in the White region now. I'm on my way as we speak." He cuts the line and I nearly burst out in fear. 

"Why did you call him? If you tell him about this Cassandra is as good as dead," I whisper in a broken voice but he just shakes his head. 

"He was the only one already in Central Command which means he might be the only other person who knows. The only advantage we have on our side is the fact that the three of us know as well," Lucian replies. "Don't worry I'll handle it." 

"What are you going to tell him?" I can't help but ask. 

We reach the army base before he can answer and he instructs us to take Cassandra back home. He keeps the test results and none of us can do anything aside from listen to his instructions. 

I watch Lucian walk inside and when the gates close behind him I feel nothing but panic. 

"We just have to trust him, Aria. PG Lucian cares about you, he wont do anything that will hurt you," Remulus says and both Cassandra and I stare at him blankly.

"I know. I just hope he CAN do something," I reply and Phillius takes us back to Cassandra's place. 

Cassandra is quiet during the rest of the journey. I only hear her sniffle once in awhile and her body trembles every other minute. I do my best to calm her but I know the only way she will feel better is if Lucian's plan works, whatever that plan is.

"Do you think Stela will talk?" I am suddenly reminded of my ex-best friend whose nose I just broke. She must be getting it patched up in the medical facility as we speak. 

"She has nothing to talk about. I told the officers I had to punish her for attempted assault on a Commander. Who do you think they will believe - a third ranked commander or a noisy human paramour?" Remulus smiles at me reassuringly. "No one will believe her and she knows it."

I cast a cautious look at Phillius who is driving even though we have the soundproof divider up. 

"What if the camera's caught it?" My voice comes out as a whisper.

"I know where the camera's are over there. Don't worry I was standing in the way."

I nod my head feeling grateful for Remulus's intrusion. We sit in silence until we reach Cassandra's house. We follow her inside and she is so shaky and weak, I have to help her walk to her bedroom. 

Cassandra doesn't speak, she just lies down on the bed and stares at the ceiling, unblinking. I feel so worried for her, the thought of leaving her here alone at the mercy of Lazarus, her commander or whoever else fills me with anxiety.

If anything happened to her I would never forgive myself.

I sit by her side and hold her hand tightly. "I'll stay with you till things get settled."

"That may be a good idea. No one will think of harming her if there's someone else present here, especially if that someone is associated with PG Lucian," Remulus agrees and then he pulls out his communicator. He informs Lucian of my decision and I am slightly surprised when Lucian agrees immediately. 

He arranges for my stay with Commander Physus and instructs Remulus to watch over us whenever he can as well. According to Lucian, all will be settled by the end of this week which I can't help but pray is true. 

"What is at the end of this week?" I ask Remulus as we arrange my clothes and toiletries while Cassandra is sleeping. 

"Nothing I can think of," He says. "Except another boring war council meeting."

I lean back and put my weight on the palms of my hands. What is Lucian up to? A sliver of fear creeps up my spine making me shiver. I hope this whole thing hasn't pushed him to do something he doesn't want to do; like marrying a Commander's daughter to save us. 

But Lucian looked so happy. I doubt he would be happy about having to do that. 

Once everything is settled Remulus leaves the room and I take out my communicator and dial Lucian's number, wanting to hear his voice. 

"Aria, is everything, okay? How is your friend?" His voice is almost drowned out by the loud background noise. 

"She's okay, I think. Are you back home? How did it go?" I ask him. 

"No, I'm having dinner with the Trinity and Generals. Just a friendly outing," He says in a guarded voice. "I think it's a good idea for you to stay there till the end of this week. We don't have any missions scheduled so Remulus and you can watch over her."

"And everything will be sorted by the end of this week? Does it have something to do with the council meeting, Lucian?" 

He doesn't answer and I hear a chorus of laughter echo through the phone. 

"Stay safe and take care, Aria. I'll see you at the meeting. Love you." He cuts the line, leaving me to stare at my communicator in silence. 

I sigh out loud and get ready for bed. I lie down next to Cassandra who is sleeping soundly after refusing to eat or drink anything. It's hard to sleep in the state of agitation that I am in so I watch over her for as long as I can until I finally succumb to a restless slumber. 

The week passes by quicker than I expected and I watch Commander Bardotta announce the formalities again before adjourning with the meeting. I haven't spoken to Lucian since the first day I stayed at Cassandra's and seeing him today fills me with longing. 

It's only been a few days but it felt weird not waking up next to him. I've missed him immensely and he looks even more attractive since I last saw him. I stare at his broad shoulders and thoughts of his arms circled around my waist fill my mind. 

I blink furiously and nearly slap myself for being so distracted. The Commander starts talking about a few random things like faulty ships and then he finally moves on to the more interesting topics.

"In light of the recent rebellious acts, it is time for us to cast a re-vote on the topic of selecting slaves to become fighters instead of allowing them to make the decision themselves," Commander Bardotta announces into the speaker. "All those in favor please raise your hand."

The Commander raises his hand and now I am certain that Lucian did not make any promises to marry his daughter. I watch as General Grievous, General Ursa and a few Commanders raise their hands and my heart nearly jumps to my throat when I notice that Lazarus didn't." 

Even the generals and Commander Bardotta stare at him in shock but Lazarus ignores them and everyone else. 

"All those not in favor," Commander Bardotta is still looking at him and it is safe to say the entire room is shocked when Lazarus raises his hand. Luna casts him a hesitant look before raising hers as well. With the two new votes, Lucian's side wins. 

Lucian is beaming from ear to ear and I am filled with relief at this win. The meeting proceeds and once it is over I watch General Grievous scowl at a grumpy looking Lazarus before leaving. 

Lazarus nods at Lucian and then he storms off as well and suddenly everything makes sense.

"You blackmailed Lazarus into voting against his side, right?" I ask Lucian as we lounge around the small cave like space in the Western Border. 

Our safe space.

"It was more like a trade than blackmail. I promised to bury all evidence and keep it a secret for his sake and he agreed. It is a win-win situation. No one gets hurt and we won the majority vote without me having to marry anyone," Lucian winks at me. He is walking dangerously close to the ledge, making me nervous. 

"He promised not to hurt Cassandra?" The whole thing sounds too good to be true. "And no one else knows about it? Not even the Generals?"

"If she plays along and pretends that the baby belongs to Physus then yes. And Lazarus was in  Central Command with General Grievous so they both knew about it but the footage has been deleted which means no more proof."

"Do you trust him?" I walk up to him and pull him away from the edge, afraid that he might fall. 

He cups my face lovingly and smiles down at me. "Stop worrying so much. Lazarus held up his end of the deal and I will do the same. This isn't the first time this has happened." 

I swallow hard and my cheeks burn under his touch. I peel his hands away from my face and then hold on to them tightly. I'm obviously happy about our victory today but a part of me is still worried. 

It's easy to stay calm when you are in the position to gamble and trade on peoples lives. But the feeling is entirely different when the person being gambled on is someone you care about so deeply. 

We walk to the edge hand in hand and sit down. I stare into the vast expanse of the universe feeling more calm the longer I look at it. 

"I missed you," Lucian says and his hand tightens around mine. "My room doesn't feel the same without you."

I turn to look at him, my heart filling with warmth. "I missed you too."

He smiles happily and pecks me on the lips. He then wraps his arm around me and I lean on his shoulder while we stare at the numerous stars and planets that litter the sky. I catch something at the edge of my vision and spot the surface of a dark planet looking much too large and close for comfort.

"What is that?" I point at it. 

"Planet X. Remember the cluster of Planets I showed you in my room. The one nearest to us?"

"It looks really close," I say as I stare at the thick cloud like substance that surrounds it.

"Aria, would you ever want to go back to Earth?" Lucian suddenly asks me and I stiffen slightly. 

"No. Why?" I lean away from him before he notices how rapidly my heart is beating. 

"Just wondering," He murmurs and then he looks back at the sky. 

Heyy what do you guys think about the last part hehe. Also Lucian managed to win the popular vote :)