Lucian is sitting across from me in the office room, his nose buried in the Fifteen Planet article the Plutonian press published today. The atmosphere has been tense ever since I found out he was assigned to the same site visit. We haven't interacted much since my birthday celebration.

I notice how his eyes glaze over ever so often, like he's fighting against falling asleep. He pretends not to notice me, gaze fixed on the tablet screen even though he hasn't scrolled down the page for the past quarter cycle. 

"If you want to sleep, just sleep," I say tightly, noticing how his shoulders tense when I speak. He's been that way the entire flight, icy cold and indifferent to my presence. 

"What do you think the generals would say if they saw me dozing off in the middle of a cycle?" He answers mechanically, not looking up from the screen in front of him. 

"They would think we were taking shifts. I will cover for you." I reply. Last I checked, taking a nap wasn't illegal.

"There's hardly any need for a nap when we're travelling on a hyperlane. We'll be reaching Earth anytime now." Lucian's tone is hard and stony. He's never been so cold towards me before. 

I wish my relationship with Lazarus didn't affect my relationship with Lucian but it's slowly becoming apparent that by choosing one I will lose the other. And I'm not ready for anything remotely close to that. 

The thought of losing either Lucian or Lazarus is enough to paralyse me with fear. I can't imagine a future without either one of them. My thoughts drift to the tablet I found at Lazarus's bar, the one with the assassination proposal. 

I look at Lucian and my eyebrows furrow with worry. I can't let him isolate me right now, not when he might need me. 

"I said I was sorry," I tell him in exasperation. "Are you ever going to forgive me?" 

"Forgive you?" Lucian finally looks up at me, gracing me with his attention. 

I sigh and hold out my palms in surrender. "I'm sorry I didn't meet you that night on my birthday. You still haven't told me why you wanted to meet in the first place? What was the surprise?" 

"There was no surprise. I was going to give you your birthday present. That's all." Lucian turns back to the article he has been pretending to read. 

"The priceless artefact you had sent over to my house?" I recall the exquisite necklace he had made from remnants of the legendary Gold Star ship that had blown up in Fire Constellation two Plutonian years ago. 

The effort it must have taken to track down the coordinates where it had exploded and then to collect each individual piece to make into a a necklace is something I didn't think possible. 

"It's beautiful," I smile at him. "I wore it for the launch of our new army base inauguration, did you notice?" 

He nods but that's the most I get from him and after a while I get sick of the silent treatment. I place my palms on my thighs and get up, leaving the office room to see what the rest of the crew are up to. 

Most of my squad members are manning the control room with Lucian's squad, while the others are in the pantry. 

"Got anything to drink?" I take a seat amongst them. Remulus, Lucian's infamous playboy commander is quick to address me. 

"PG Luna, of course. Would you like something strong or perhaps something more relaxing?" He gestures to the array of multicoloured bottles stacked behind us. 

"Surprise me," I say tiredly, thoughts of Lucian and Lazarus making it hard for me to decide. 

Commander Remulus jumps up from his seat and I notice my officer, Alya watching his movements as he prepares a drink for me. He mixes some green and purple liquid together and it fizzles, turning a stunning yellow after a few seconds. 

"What's that?" Alya asks him, eyeing him from head to toe. She looks like she wants to pounce on him at any moment. Even Commander Dusty stares at him in admiration.

I don't blame them. Commander Remulus is deceptively handsome with his peppered dark hair and exquisite features. He's one of those halfbreeds who turned out almost perfect, with Plutonian strength, agility and health intermixed with human features and charm that make him stand out among us. 

Not to mention he's the biggest smooth talker I've ever met, which must be why he's so popular with all the officers. 

I take a tentative sip of the concoction he prepared whilst the rest of the crew stare at me. Remulus's Plutonian blue, almond shaped eyes gauge my reaction tentatively as he leans across the table, putting the weight of his body on his forearms. 

"Is it good?" He asks nervously and the table is silent, every officer waiting as I swallow the delicious drink he prepared for me. I want to laugh at the way they are gawking at me in panic, like I will execute them for giving me something distasteful. 

Lucian has always been more work than play, a little too serious for his squad whereas Lazarus is volatile. His squad has to tiptoe around him constantly. I've always been laid back, my officers are excellent, they've never given me any reason to fire them. And yet they're always nervous around me. 

"It's amazing," I say, chugging down almost half of it and suppressing the small cough that follows from drinking too fast. 

All the officers around the table visibly relax and Alya pats Remulus on the shoulder. "I want one too." 

Everyone echoes her sentiment and soon all of us have bright yellow drinks in front of us. We talk about frivolous things and cheer with each other ever so often. 

"PG Luna, how is PG Lucian doing? He hasn't left the office since we came in." Remulus asks me softly once all the other officers attention are elsewhere. 

My shoulders slump with resignation. "I don't know what to do. He's so stubborn." 

Remulus's lips purse and I know this upsets him. Remulus is the only half breed to have been selected to a second tier squad lead by the Trinity. His loyalty to Lucian is undying because of it and I briefly wonder if maybe Lucian confided in Remulus about his troubles. 

After all, Remulus is known for being his eyes and ears. 

"Remulus," I say and he nods, leaning in to give us some privacy. Everyone else is lost in their own conversation as I whisper into his ear. "Do you know why he's always so tired?" 

I watch him tense up, the muscles in his back and arms flexing under his army suit. "No, PG Luna. I'm afraid I don't." 

My stomach tightens and I study his face, trying to catch if he is lying. His micro expressions give nothing away. It only frustrates me even more because it looks like he's telling me the truth. 

We land in central Africa on one of our secluded bases where the Namibian and South African leaders are ready and waiting. Only a select few leaders on Earth know of our existence and all of them have been made into power players, dictating terms to the rest of their continent because of us. 

The Namibian Prime Minister is quick to usher our teams through a highly secure entry point at the base of Brandberg Mountain where the other Earth's leaders are waiting. 

Lucian and I walk behind them, our squad members forming a subtle shield of weaponry around us whilst Commander Pollux and I scan for any detonators, guns or threats. 

"President Walsh, it's a pleasure always." Alya greets the president of the United States and then we proceed to the table where the Indian prime minster is currently eating with a few others. 

We take our seats and the Russian president begins to give us a rundown of the installation of Plutonian bunkers in his country. We could have done this on call but this trip was supposed to be a formality, a chance for me to interact with the leaders in person and gauge them properly. 

Although Alya will be acting as Precursor General Luna, not I. We've interacted with Earth's leaders numerous times before and while we have seen their faces, they have only seen what we want them to see. 

No one on Earth knows what PG Luna looks like, unlike PG Lucian who has never been as paranoid about keeping his status and identity a secret. He has met them before on a diplomatic visit. 

Which is why it surprised me when he volunteered to join as well. 

Once the briefings are over we are lead to a luxurious spa like hotel in the heart of the mountain. I stay in the suite with Commander Alya and the other officers close by. We rest for awhile and then I head out to find some food, stopping by Lucian's suite on the way. 

When he opens the door, I notice the bags under his eyes. His hair is ruffled and he blinks a few times, looking like he just woke up. I half expect him to shoo me away when I ask him to accompany me for dinner but he only nods tiredly, asking me to wait while he washes up. 

I stare out of the large pane windows, admiring the large green forest that currently surrounds us. Nature on Earth has always made me envious. We could never replicate such phenomena on Pluto, despite trying for decades. 

The air outside must be cool and moist, the glass panes have started to mist over. 

"Do you want a drink?" Lucian asks and I turn to him in surprise. 

He looks much better now after the shower, his dark blue shirt and grey pants complimenting his hair and eyes. He gives me a small smile and offers me a glass of wine from the bar. 

"Are you sure the drinks here are safe?" I take it from him tentatively. 

"Don't worry I've scanned everything in the room already. I can be just as paranoid as you, you know?" Lucian clinks his glass to mine and I'm trying to wrap my head around his sudden change in mood. 

"Finally he smiles," I say teasingly.

He simply shrugs, staring out the window as well. 

"Imagine living here, with this oxygen, this sunlight. Everything real." I murmur, watching as a red bird settles on the branch of a tree just a few feet from us. 

"We would ruin it," He answers darkly. 

I turn to him, surprised by his words. "We would organise it, restructure their system so that they can be as efficient as us. We could even teach the younglings space travel in the future. Imagine the human potential then."

Lucian takes a step forward and places his palm on the misted glass. "We had this once, Luna. Millenia ago our planet was destroyed because of the wars we created. What makes you think it will be any different when we take over this one?"

My lips purse. It sounds like he's opposed to the idea of us eventually settling here and yet his reports have always stated otherwise. 

"Those were our ancestors. We will be different." I reply affirmatively. 

"Will we?" He asks and I have no way of guaranteeing that so I just remain silent. 

"Why Lazarus?" Lucian suddenly asks after a long bout of contemplative silence.

"I can't answer that. Not when I don't know the reason myself." I tell him truthfully. 

"Is it serious?" He then asks and the look on my face fills his eyes with pain. 

His thumb circles the rim of his glass and he looks down at his wine. "Can you trust him?" 

My eyebrows raise in question and then my stomach drops when I realise I can't answer that either. 

"He met covertly with a few Earth leaders just two cycles ago. My sources tell me the South African and Dutch leaders were one of the few present. Did you know of this?"

My skin burns with humiliation and I can't meet his eyes. Lazarus and I have spent almost every cycle together since the night I fought with my parents. I've spent more nights at his than my own house and yet he never mentioned anything about this when I told him about my visit today. 

"Is that why you're here?" I ask Lucian.

Just then we hear someone shoot down the handle to Lucian's room door and I push him behind the bar island, immediately taking cover.