The moment Vivi answered the call, she regretted it. It was her fifth of the day. In addition to the Minatozaki speaker, there was also a minister from Saturn, as well as one of Kepler’s lead diplomats. As far as politics went, Vivi liked the Keplans, tolerated the northern rulers of Aphrodite, and even considered the leader of Artemis a friend. The Minatozakis were far from her enemy, though relations had been strained since the attempted kidnapping of their princess (of which Vivi had had no idea about until a war had almost begun). 

They exchanged pleasantries. Chaeyeon from Earth was starting to be one of her favourite diplomats. Saturn’s Eline wasn’t quite her favourite, but she was a woman who did her job and she was honest. As honest as people like her were. 

And Vivi didn’t have the best hold on honesty when her entire death and resurrection was a secret. 

 As usual, Onew was a delight, occasionally asking how his dearest Dahyun was doing and if royalty was treating her well. 

“You and I both know she’s doing splendid,” Chaeyeon replied. 

“And that she hates it,” Onew chuckled, “she’d rather spend a day talking to us than anyone else. And we were the ones who almost arrested her.” 

Vivi watched Eline during the exchange. That Queen Sana had married outside of royalty, or even a woman, hadn’t ever been the problem. Marrying someone who was practically a criminal had had its own controversies. The entire ordeal had been controversial. The northern part of Aphrodite had conspired with some people from the Earth system, organised Sana’s kidnapping. Dahyun had been dragged into escorting Sana and two others back to Earth. Somewhere along that journey and Dahyun’s time on Earth, she’d proven herself to be someone Sana would have on the throne. It was positively romantic. 

And hadn’t resulted in disaster, so Vivi counted that as a win for the couple. 

Eline didn’t frown as Onew praised the Keplan queen. She didn’t echo her agreement, but she didn’t look as if she hated it either. 

And then the entire conversation shifted. 

“Queen Viian,” Eline began. “It has come to my attention that you have Dr. Jo Haseul on your ship.” 

Vivi nearly told her not to use the title. She wondered if Haseul didn’t use it because she was ashamed, or if there was another reason for it. This was also making it less of a secret that Haseul wasn’t with Eden at this moment in time. None of them were in danger, because most people didn’t dare try to combat an Aphroditan ship, let alone the royal vessel. 

So Vivi smiled. “Where’d you hear that?” 

Her lips pursed. The frustration was a good tell for what was to come. “Witness reports say she was on the carrier. Your people arrested her.” 

“Witness reports meaning cameras?” Vivi asked. It was no secret that they spied on one another. It was just a matter of enhancing their barriers. Vivi would have to tell Heejin about the weak spot the Earthers had found. They’d decipher it within the next few weeks. 

No response. Onew and Chaeyeon both looked uncomfortable. 

So Vivi thought it best to keep them in the exchange. “What do Artemis and Earth know about Jo?” 

Onew looked like he was fighting a smile. “Helped make Eden an even better pain in the .” 

Vivi laughed slightly. “Careful now, I almost heard respect there.” She could feel the low thrum of the tech. It was adding to the pressure in her head. 

“I met their leader once,” He shrugged. “She didn’t kill me.” 

“So you had a chance to unveil their identities and didn’t?” Chaeyeon asked. She shook her head, muttering something under her breath. Then she straightened, looking Vivi’s way. “One of their ships was spotted around Pluto’s stations.” 

That was interesting. The Plutonians were mainly a stopping point, as well as water shuttlers. Was Eden in need of water? Or some other trade there? 

“I’d have died if I’d have tried to unmask them,” Onew replied. 

That Haseul was the only known member of Eden was a curious case in itself. There were a fair amount of bounties for her in all three systems. 

Except Eline wasn’t one who needed any reward. 

Vivi kept her expression neutral. “If I would have Jo onboard, why would it matter if she’d be persecuted on Aphroditan soil and not Earth?” 

Eline’s eyes twitched. “It wouldn’t,” she said. “But she is still a citizen of Saturn.” 

“Then why has she been erased from that list?” Vivi asked. The pressure was getting worse. 

“What do you think?” 

Haseul had erased herself from the Earth system. The news that had followed ensured she wasn’t perfectly away from the worlds, but they made immediate sightings of her, from facial recognition to audio logs, delay a few precious moments. Then whatever programs Eden had tried their best to block Earth from finding them. 

They usually worked. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Vivi said. Her head was hurting again. “There’s much mystery when it comes to Jo Haseul.” 

Eline didn’t react, but it was enough. Vivi had known there’d a cover up since the news had initially come from Saturn. Earth wanting to have her back was just another example of it. 

Poor Eline was the one responsible for it. She knew less than Vivi about the matter, which meant she only needed to care about getting Haseul back. 

It was unfair, and Vivi almost wished she could help her. 

But that wouldn’t help Haseul, nor would it help Vivi, if she let herself be selfish. 

And then there was the matter of Eden, who very clearly valued Haseul enough not to take one of the many bounties on her head. 

“Is that all for tonight?” Onew yawned, a horribly acted gesture. “I have four angry corporates who’ll be complaining about the lawlessness of our system.” 

“Because it is,” Chaeyeon shot back. 

“I know,” he replied. “But at least my one didn’t have an inclusion with the conspiracy.” He tapped his chin. “In fact, I think we helped solve it.” Then he went off the call. 

“It’s been years,” Chaeyeon muttered. “And they’ll hold it over our heads for decades more.” 

Vivi laughed. “Not to worry, they do the same for us. And they have the wrong hemisphere.” She looked to Eline then. “Jo Haseul will remain in this system.” She turned off the call, along with the rest of the computers.

Then she looked for the nearest chair and sat down. Her mother would berate her for the posture, as well as the groan, but she was alone. At least for a few moments.

She didn’t straighten when the door opened and Heejin walked in. 

“Eden were there for two reasons,” she said. “One was a typical thing for them. They sabotaged a Martian’s weapon’s delivery and took everything but the explosives.” 

“Did they also take the ship?” Vivi asked. 

Heejin grimaced and nodded. “They’ll be pushing their luck.” 

“They’ll be trading it for another Phantom,” she corrected. The Aphroditan combat ships were some of the best in the system. They’d been used to destroy a few Earther ships. One beat up Artemis ship had managed to destroy one with a fair amount of damage to its own hull. 

And there’d been sanctions afterwards, but they hadn’t stopped anyone from trying to get their hands on them. 

Eden had been the most successful, trying to amass something short of a squadron. For what, Vivi still didn’t know, but it wasn’t going to be an invasion. Eden didn’t quite have the political ambitions as other groups did. More likely, they’d be planning larger scale heists. 

“And the second reason?” 

Heejin frowned then. “They dropped someone off.” She looked back at her tablet. “Still a student at Jupiter’s academy. Jihan‘s the name she took on.” She turned it over to show a young girl’s academy picture. From the uniform, she was going to be a chemist. 

“A kidnapping?” She would’ve thought Eden had access to already established scientists. If they’d managed to get Haseul into their ranks. 

“There wasn’t a ransom paid,” Heejin shrugged, “I looked everywhere. Even asked back home and they didn’t spot anything.” 

“Is she in custody now?” 

“Back safely in her dorms now. It looks like she spent her vacation in Eden.” She snorted. “But we’ve blocked Earth from seeing it. They know she was in Aphrodite, but all they know is she was enjoying the sights of our emerald oceans.” 

Vivi nodded, massaging her head again. 

“Is it getting worse?” Heejin walked over, worry apparent. 

“No,” Vivi said. “I mean it, we just might have a bit of trouble with the Earthers for other reasons.” 

“Should we ask for a decoy to be sent over?” 

She shook her head. “They won’t attack. And if they see that we’re trying to keep her away from me, they’ll think I’m afraid they would.” There was also the risk that the ship would be blown up on its way. Vivi wasn’t sure if they wanted Haseul out of the picture, or back in the Earth system. 

“Is she really worth the risk?” Heejin looked cautious, as if worried she was asking exactly the wrong question. 

But it was the right one. 

Vivi nodded. “She seems to think we are as well.”

She frowned. “She’s practically a prisoner. She knows she couldn’t get out.” 

“She could,” Vivi said. “She’s been looking around at the ship. She knows the layout now as well.”

“You know this?” 

“Yeojin saw it,” Vivi couldn’t help but smile, “if she really wanted to, Haseul would be off of this ship and we wouldn’t be able to follow.” Even if Yeojin could outfly her, their controls would probably be momentarily disabled. Haseul would make the ship she used practically untraceable. And then she’d be gone. “She’s staying, because she benefits just as much as I do from her help.”

“And you’re really going to let her have the information to build another body? What if she’s making it for herself? Or all of Eden?” 

“She won’t.” 

Heejin shook her head. “You can’t be putting this much trust in her. She may be genuine now, but that says nothing about her in a few years time.” 

“Saturn was a few years ago,” Vivi countered. “And those beliefs have stayed.” She got to her feet. “Now I need to tell her that Saturn know she’s here. So Kepler, the rest of Aphrodite, and Earth will all suspect so as well.” 

“She’ll run.” 

“She might,” Vivi nodded, “and then we’ll see what else we do.” She took Heejin’s hand and squeezed it. “But I think she’ll stay.” 

“And what about after?” Heejin’s worry was heartwarming. She’d been one of the first people Vivi had admitted her fears and worst thoughts to. That was exactly why she was scared now. 

“Jo Haseul ruined her own life for her beliefs,” she told her. “So I’m trusting that she’d keep this from spreading for those same reasons.” 

Heejin nodded slowly, but she still looked unconvinced. 

“If you realise I’ll be ruining everything, you’d be allowed to stop me.” 

Heejin shook her head. “I trust that you know what you’re doing. We all do.” 

“Thank you.” Vivi smiled at her. “You can slap me if I’m wrong.” Then she opened the door. 

“I will,” she chuckled, “maybe.” 

______

Vivi knocked twice.

Haseul looked up. “Hi.” Her eyes widened. “Come in.” Then she laughed. “Probably don’t need to give you permission there, do I?” 

“You still should.” Vivi walked in. The papers were scattered around the table. “Give a royal an arm, they’ll take the army.”

She looked at her for a long moment. “Was that supposed to be a joke?” 

Vivi smiled. “A bad one.” 

Haseul’s lips broke into a smile. “Is it the crown that did that, or the tech?” 

“Neither.” She gestured to the chair. “May I?” 

“Please don’t be all formal with me,” Haseul said. “It makes me feel even weirder about this.” She waved to the papers. “These notes treat you like a science project, Your Majesty. And you’re the literal queen.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s a lot to process.” 

Vivi fought a laugh. “You know,” she sat down, “you can just say it.” 

Haseul looked up, the smallest of frowns appearing. “Say what?” 

“I’m part machine,” she said. “The queen isn’t human, you can say that’s also bizarre. It’s alright.” 

The woman looked at her, brow furrowed, as if she was trying to figure out if Vivi was lying or not. 

“You are,” Haseul said then. 

Vivi couldn’t help but frown. “I am?” 

She laughed, rearranging the papers in front of her. Everything looked disorganised. Jinsoul probably wouldn’t mind it. Jungeun would’ve flipped out seeing it. “Human,” Haseul said. “You’re human.” 

Vivi took the next piece of paper. “Was she right? Was the decision not to augment my processing speed better?” 

Her brow furrowed more. Then she just shrugged. “Actually, a great decision. Having your memory be enhanced was already not the ideal decision, but making your thinking faster would’ve just been idiotic.” 

“Apparently, that’d been quite the argument when they were building me,” Vivi said. “My father wanted everything enhanced, so I’d be even better at ruling the entire half of the planet and wouldn’t need so many advisors.” 

Haseul cringed then. “Did I just insult him?”

“Yes,” she nodded, “but you also agreed with the team that built me.” She patted her own arm. “And if he’d had his way completely, I probably wouldn’t have had a sense of humour at all.” 

Haseul hummed once, before getting to her feet. Vivi watched as she went to the opposite table and picked up another sheet. 

“I mean, whoever worked on it, they managed to get the short-term memory to four times what you had before.” Haseul let out a surprised laugh. “If they’d let you process things even more, it’d probably have been way too much.” 

“How so?” 

“Here.” Haseul slid her the papers. “This one’s from three years ago. Whoever made it was going between all the sources. I didn’t even know memory had come that far.” She was grinning. 

Vivi nodded. “Soul’s been focusing completely on this. Her team’s one of the best in the system, probably all three.” 

“I’ll say,” Haseul muttered. “Probably with the best access to papers, huh?” She waved them around. “I’m seeing stuff from a Keplan research crew.” 

Vivi couldn’t help but feel relieved. Haseul was exactly who she’d thought she was, and more. She might’ve stopped contributing directly to science, but she hadn’t detached herself completely either. 

“That’s how you repaid them, huh?” Haseul took a long drink from her cup. “Shuttled over the right research?” 

“Everything available,” Vivi replied. 

“Available?” Haseul repeated. “Or accessible?” 

She sat back, wondering if she should say that or not. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Haseul shrugged, “scientific integrity kinda stopped happening since we got off Earth.” 

“It’d depend on where we are in the galaxy, wouldn’t it?” 

Haseul shook her head. “Earth’s not pardoned from that, not even with how hard the Minatozaki’s try to keep it under control.” She frowned then. “I can’t tell you how many times we got some classified intel from Kepler, even Coruscant if we were lucky.” 

Vivi rested her elbows on the table. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be telling me this? 

The corner of her lip tilted upwards. “Are you sure I’m supposed to be seeing how far Aphrodite’s reach goes for?” 

“And being told one of the best kept secrets in the universe?” 

“True,” Haseul laughed, “I thought my first secret was a big one, but this.” She shook her head. “Well, I don’t know where I’ll go from here.” There was a hint of caution in her eyes then. A question too.

“Home,” Vivi said. Then she realised how that probably sounded. “Eden, I mean, not Earth.” 

Haseul smiled. “Earth stopped being my home a while ago.” She dropped her eyes back to the papers, reading over. 

It wasn’t exactly subtle, but also not completely obvious either. Still, this was something the woman wanted to drop. 

So Vivi dropped it. She still needed to tell her that Earth was very clearly after her, but she’d wait a few minutes until then. 

“Do you have any questions yet?” Vivi asked. “I understand about half of what happened to me, but,” she pointed at her arm, “I can leave you this if you needed to see how the nerves work.”

“Nerves?” Haseul repeated, eyes lighting up. “Not sensors?” 

“I’ve got blood too,” she replied. “And a working heart. Even a lymph system.” 

Her eyes were now bugging out of her head. “An immune system?” 

Vivi stifled a laugh at the pure shock on her face. “I got a terrible bout of food poisoning last year.” 

“Oh my god,” Haseul rested her head on the table, “this’s just theoretical!” She practically lunged for a paper on the floor. “Eight years ago, Jinsoul was speculating.” 

“I know,” Vivi nodded, “she’s incredible. So's her team.” 

“Her team,” she looked up at her, “you like ‘em, huh? Only because they got you this way?” The look in her eyes was a bit too nonchalant. 

“You’re not going to find out who they are that way.” Vivi smiled. She glanced at the papers. “Unless you recognise that handwriting too?”

Haseul shook her head. Then she chuckled. “Those two tell you everything that happens here, don’t they?” 

“Just about,” she nodded, “and Yeojin follows a great deal of it too.” She didn’t miss how Haseul’s mouth twitched upwards at that. “Stopped finding her intolerable?”

“She’s still really annoying,” Haseul replied. “But she’s less terrible, I’ll give her that.” She pointed at the ceiling. “Did she just hear that?” 

Vivi shook her head. “This room’s clean.” It was devoid of computers, so all she felt was the general thrum of the ship and those of the wires. Everything she’d managed to keep from hurting her. Her head was still sore from the call, but this room was a relief from it. “There’s a few I’ve left empty.” 

Something flickered across her expression then. “Oh.” 

“Earth, Saturn, and Kepler know you were on the craft,” Vivi said. “And they know you’re here.” 

Haseul’s eyes widened. “What?” 

“They managed to get access to the surveillance cameras,” she replied. “I don’t know how, but everyone seems to have their hackers, so I’m not surprised. Neither should you.” 

“Did you tell them I was?” 

“I got a pointed question during a call with a Minatozaki speaker, Keplan diplomat, and one of Saturn’s ministers.” 

Haseul’s frown slowly relaxed. “And I’m a little too valuable for them to believe you if you denied it, huh?”

Vivi smiled. “You hold yourself in high regard.” 

“I mean,” she shrugged, “it’s true, isn’t it?” 

“I’m not answering that.” 

Haseul grinned. “Okay, so what now? Are the cannons turned our way yet?” 

“Would they risk a war for you?” Vivi asked. “And I’d have thought they’d want you alive.” 

She shrugged again. “Honestly, I don’t think they know what they want with me. At least they haven’t agreed.” 

Vivi wanted to ask why that was, but she knew full well it was more than a sore spot for the woman. 

“To answer your question,” Vivi got to her feet, “our actual destination is Artemis, not Aphrodite.” 

Haseul’s brow shot up. “Why?” 

“You’re not the only one working on this.” She tapped her head. 

She narrowed her eyes, looking at the papers. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to know who else was involved with this.” 

“They’re not the biggest secret,” Vivi replied. “You already got that.” 

Haseul looked more confused than anything. 

“And you have the information here, but you might have a better time actually getting the answers you want straight from Jinsoul and the rest.” 

“Who are,” Haseul trailed off. The confusion faded, replaced by a bit of curiosity. 

She laughed slightly. “Not so fast.”

Haseul’s smile was sheepish. “Guess I got too eager there, huh?” 

Vivi was by the door. “A bit.” She made to leave. 

“Uh, Your Maj—I mean, Viian?” 

She turned her head. 

Haseul had half gotten out of her chair. “Do you have any idea who would’ve known about you?” She gestured to the papers. “If this was kept off the tech this entire time, then,” she trailed off. “You know what I mean?” She looked worried, as if she was saying something out of line again. 

Which she was, in a way, by suggesting there was a traitor in court. 

Except that was one of the explanations for it. 

“Yes,” Vivi nodded, “but as much as we tried to keep the materials as unassuming as possible, there’s also the chance someone picked it up through detectors.” She waved at the room. “Somewhere here is a log from six years ago. One of them realised that if they needed secrecy, they’d have to work on the ratios of material used to avoid sensors, You’ll see that somewhere.” She shrugged. “We’ve been looking for sensors that could sense my circuits, but haven’t had any luck. If you know of one, that might be helpful.” 

Haseul shook her head. “I don’t, but it wouldn’t be impossible to find out.” 

Vivi couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’m not as concerned about finding them, as I am about fixing this without them.” 

“Same here,” she ran a hand through her hair, “because I think I’m figuring out a way how.” She chewed on her lip. “I can use that tech in the other room, right?” 

Vivi tried not to show how relieved she was. Haseul was probably not going to make the machine from her research before. 

“Of course you can.”

Before she could leave, Haseul spoke again. “Does having me here make, you know, the whole Earth–Coruscant thing a little complicated again?” 

“It probably will,” Vivi nodded, “but intergalactic relations are what I’m hopefully an expert in. I’ll handle that, but either I or Heejin will likely tell you if things might go to .” 

A burst of laughter. 

“Never heard royalty curse?” 

“Never met royalty.” Haseul was still chuckling. “I know people who know Queen Dahyun, but none of that was exactly legal.” 

Vivi shrugged. “I’ve had to be flexible with that sort of thing,” she said. “And Dahyun’s not too bad, especially when we made the proper distinction that it was the north who’d been plotting and not us.” Then she finally stepped out the door. “If you need me, I’ll be asleep.” She heard Haseul stifle another laugh as she left. 

______

Author's Note 

There was a fair amount of callback to that other story of mine, but I'll stress again that you do not need to read it. 

This story is honestly so much fun for me to write and I love writing these two characters. I'm being sligthly vague with Haseul's past here and there, but it will be properly explained later on. I just want to leave it, as well as Eden, in a bit more mystery for now. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, or just let me know what you think! I hope you're all doing well. 

See you next chapter. 

Twitter: hblake44