Jackie slipped out from under Dick’s shoulder—he’d been shielding her the whole time. She stood up, looked at the bottle, and said:
“Dick, Blindy’s Gramps still with me. We’ll head over to him too. Might as well grab the smart glasses while we’re at it.”
Dick nodded, got up, and with a quick wave forward, started toward the street. Jackie hurried after him.
As they passed the admiral, they gave her a short nod.
“Take care, ma’am,” Dick said.
Jackie added, lingering for a step before catching up with him.
“Nice meeting you, Miss Hartvale.”
The admiral responded with a brief nod.
“Stay safe, citizens.”
She barely moved her fingers—and the space marines stepped aside, clearing them a path.
Dick walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped halfway and looked back.
“Sage! You coming, or you gonna keep lying there?”
The Author rolled heavily onto his back, waved a hand, and muttered between breaths:
“You… go on…
Thanks for showing up…
I… just… need a minute…”
Dick just snorted and kept walking. Jackie shrugged and followed him.
The admiral turned her head slightly. Three space marines immediately approached the Author lying on the ground.
“Careful,” one muttered.
They tried to lift him by the arms.
He was heavier than they expected.
One of them slipped on the dust and almost dropped down beside him.
“Shit…” the second said quietly.
“Not shit—citizen,” the third corrected.
On the second try, they managed to get him up. The Author swayed like a badly calibrated gravity stabilizer and stood there for a few seconds, breathing hard.
When he finally felt steady ground under his feet, he gave them a nod.
“Thanks… guys.”
He took a slow step forward—then another—and walked up to the admiral.
“Well… then… Lady Magus…
mind giving me a lift… to Minervale?”
The admiral straightened.
A short, perfectly measured bow.
“Of course, Your Majesty… Rex.
It would be an honor.”
She lowered her voice slightly.
“What should we do with them?”
The Author waved his hand tiredly and slowly started toward the open airlock of the dreadnought.
“They’re… no threat to the Order…
and of no interest.”
He took a few more steps.
“Let them live.”
Another lazy wave of his hand.
“Notify the Regent—Vaellenis. Have him gather everyone in Minervale immediately.”
Admiral Lissa Hartvale bowed her head again.
“It will be done.”
She turned to her people and, in a familiar command tone, said:
“Ensure full security.
Then withdraw from the planet immediately.”
After that, she calmly followed the Rex—who was still walking like death—toward the dreadnought’s airlock.
On the way, Jackie suddenly stopped.
“DICK!
WHERE’S BIGEYE?!”
Dick looked at one hand.
Then the other.
Only now realizing the drone was still lying under the crane.
“Fuck…” he muttered.
He rasied the holo-tablet and barked:
“You round idiot. Get over here!”
Under the crane, the smoke-covered drone twitched, lifted off the ground, and started beeping angrily:
“Veeeeee—pee-pee-pee-peeeeeeeeee!”
Swaying, it flew toward them.