Justin Marius's home had its own tower to rival the highest vistas in the city, including that of the Constellation building.

It soared a few hundred feet up from the rooftop deck on top of his family's manor, a slender white column with three viewing levels, the topmost open to the sky.

There, on the highest observation deck, Justin sat alone at a table for two and wondered who had assassinated the president for him. The tower revolved slowly to complete one revolution an hour and currently set Justin facing away from the downtown core and out toward residential neighborhoods and the bay. The light from a thousand houses, some with levitating towers of their own, glimmered on the calm barely waves.

Footsteps echoed on the staircase that circled the tower. Justin didn't permit links to the top; one had to come through a link from inside Justin's mansion, come out at the bottom of the tower, and take the stairs up to the viewing platform.

Franco came up panting at the top of the stairhead and took the seat across from Justin. Between them on the small white round table were Justin's roses, not in a vase but suspended upright, two perfect roses that had been perfect for decades. They still looked as if they had been picked today.

The roses had floated over the table for every single one on one meeting Justin hosted at his observation tower. With a swipe of his hand, Justin adjusted them so they didn't block his view of Franco, who had caught his breath and looked ready to speak. Justin waited.

It was dark, but Justin could see the accusation on Franco's face, along with frustration, confusion. None of the emotions Justin would have expected the moment after the removal of their primary opponent.

"I have a problem," said Franco. He looked like he didn't know how to put it, but Justin waited with his hands folded on the table for him to figure it out. "Not with any of our targets or the opposition, it's to do with one of our own. Someone I would think you wouldn't want to be unsatisfied, Justin. There was a time when any of our unhappiness would have kept you up at night, and that's what's gotten you this close to the presidency. But Candra asks you for just one thing and you can't do it for her. So I have to ask you. Why is there still a Dasilva alive on this planet?"

"You tell me," said Justin. "That's your operation, why have you failed?"

The accusatory look was back. "Not for lack of trying. A dozen attempts to kill Nova Dasilva in six months, most of them in the past week since I've been connected to the Potestas router. At first it seemed simple luck, which was reasonable considering I have to make it look like an accident. But the poison necklace I had Calo Gloriam send her barely gave her a skin rash.

"I'm not an idiot, Justin. Someone's protecting her, and it's either some kind of genius who can predict exactly how I'm coming every time, or someone who already knows the plan. So please, explain why you won't let me do the job."

Justin adjusted uncomfortably in his seat. He preferred to be honest with his people, so he took a breath and aimed for the truth. "I haven't made up my mind yet. Consider me stalling for time. She has proved useful alive. If we had eliminated her six months ago when Candra first asked, how would we have connected our people to Potestas router?"

"Well, I'm connected to the router now. Stephen connected me himself, I've seen him twice today and he shows no sign of suspicion against me. He won't disconnect me. We don't need her anymore. Give me a reason not to forget this accident business and just shoot Nova Dasilva in the chest. Candra has been loyal to you."

"Hasn't Nova Dasilva been loyal to me?"

Franco sputtered. He hadn't considered that, apparently, and didn't know what to say until he did. "That's not loyalty, it's mind control," he snapped.

Justin didn't want to argue about that, so he moved on. "Haven't you been loyal to me, Franco?"

That question took Franco off guard too. This time he didn't say anything, but waited.

"I know you want to give Candra what she asks for, but she's asking to marry the next boss of Invernali — Stephen Potestas. Is that really how you want your loyalty repaid? You've made a show of trying to give her what she wants, but it's in conflict with what you want. Of course, the solution is obvious. Can you trust me to take care of this matter?"

There was no hesitation. "I trust you. I can't see the whole picture, but I trust you."

"Then here's more of the picture," said Justin. "How would you like to be boss of Invernali?"

Franco's disapproval vanished, but the eagerness Justin expected to see didn't make an appearance on his face. He only looked pensive. Then he admitted, "That might work."

In Invernali, Ilan Potestas came in from the rooftop of Potestas Tower to the foyer of his penthouse. The light was too bright, so he dimmed it. With Leander at his side, he was about to mount the right side of the double staircase leading to his apartments when a communication link appeared in front of him, reflecting his face back at him while Nova's voice said, "Boss, I've caught Cristo. I'm bringing him to you."

"All right," said the boss. The link expanded and switched over to a view of the solarium below the boss, where Nova had Cristo held at gunpoint.

She rarely even carried her pistol, but it was a good thing she had it on her tonight.

Ilan vaguely registered his son come down the stairs behind him, while Cristo emerged from the link ahead of Nova. Once they were through, it disappeared.

Nova had Louis's pistol too, which she passed to Leander without a word. She seemed to be waiting for the boss to speak, and even Cristo didn't say anything, to defend himself or otherwise.

Stephen came around his father, as if to get a better view of how the scene would unfold.

"You could have brought him straight to the detention level, Nova," said the boss.

"I'll leave it to you to decide what to do with him," said Nova. "I think he should be executed before he lies his way out of this, or just disappears before our eyes again."

"You make a good point. Are you going to vanish again, Cristo?" said the boss.

"I have nowhere else to be," said Cristo. "The only thing is, I'll be more useful to you if you don't imprison me. I'd like Gaia Solin to still be president of Constellation tomorrow, and I'm the best chance she's got."

"Oh, enough of the lying—" Nova started, looking like she was about to either kick him or shoot him, but the boss interrupted her.

"President Gaia Solin is dead." He had eyes on all three of them for reactions. Surprise that registered on all three of their faces said that none of them had heard.

Nova and Stephen were merely shocked speechless, Stephen's eyes popping in bewilderment while he gaped with his mouth and looked back and forth from Nova to Cristo. He looked like he was trying to communicate with them without words, Ilan noted, and then Stephen got ahold of himself, shut his mouth and tried to pretend as if he hadn't been doing it. Ilan would have to think about what that could mean, but pretended not to notice for now.

Cristo looked both sick and anguished — the only one of the three who actually appeared to be upset that the president was dead. "No," he said, shaking his head. "You have to be wrong; that's not supposed to happen." The boss noted that now Nova's eyes were popping out of her head and her hands covered her mouth.

"It's confirmed," said the boss. "The whole empire is talking about it." When he said that, he had the feeling he'd made a weak argument, that if the whole empire was talking about it it must be true.

"I told you the presidency was in danger," Cristo started, but Nova interrupted him again.

"Shut up. No one believes you. You freed one of our prisoners who tried to kill the boss, and threatened to murder the boss's son yourself."

"No," said the boss. "Let him speak." She was being infuriating. This was exactly how she had acted last night, and he had demanded that she stop being so untrusting of Cristo then too.

He normally didn't have to ask Nova to do something twice.

Cristo's actions may have changed him from the boss's rescuer to a renegade, but what hadn't changed was the boss's curiosity. What was making Nova act so unreasonable? "I want to hear what he has to say."

"It's all lies," Nova argued, "and you've heard it all before."

"Don't argue with me," said Ilan. His voice came out exactly as sharp as he intended, and she winced. "I want to listen to him."

"Well, I don't. I have better things to do," said Nova, and a link appeared next to her, through which the hallway to her room could be seen.

"No," said the boss, and she stopped mid-step and turned back around. "I'd like you to stay. Just keep your mouth closed." He couldn't tell whether she wanted to argue with him, but she didn't.

Stephen piped up, "I want to hear why Cristo threatened me," and Nova glared at him. There was still something unnatural in his body language, but the boss couldn't place what it could be. Maybe he just wasn't accustomed to agreeing with Ilan — or to arguing with Nova. That was Ilan's best guess so far.

"Speak, Cristo," said the boss.

Cristo said, "I told you Justin Marius is about to take over the company — not whittling away at it, he's going to succeed in a takeover tonight. And now the president is dead. Still don't believe me?"

Stephen was the first to answer, surprisingly beating the boss, who was still thinking, and Nova, who was actually obeying the command to keep quiet. "But why did you let Lien Cassus go free? Why did you threaten me to get her out of our holding cell?"

"I needed her to get into Marius's office in the Constellation building and get ahold of a whole list of everyone he's manipulating — and a detailed account of how."

The boss asked, "Did you get it?"

"I didn't take it with me, but I saw it, and it's all in here," he said and pointed a finger to his head.

"So you have no proof," said the boss.

"I still have Lien Cassus. I left her somewhere she can easily be retrieved."

"Mhmm. And what are you planning to do now the president is dead?"

"We need to ensure Sunyin Aura is elected president. We'll need to gather the electors and convince them not to vote for Justin Marius. We have no proof, so we'll need to be creative in how we persuade them, and I think they should be dealt with individually. Between those of us in this room, if Nova will agree to help, it should be possible."

"Nova will do what I ask of her, whether that's to go along with what you say or to ignore you."

"I'm assuming Solin's strongest followers will default to Sunyin Aura over Marius, but I'll have to verify at least the weakest links. Then, we need only six additional votes. It might interest you to hear what they've done to coerce Exequi Cytheria, Boss. You might be able to help free her from the leash they've put on her. And I have faith in your ability to get Ignatius Varian under control. So that's two."

The boss glared at that. "I begin to understand how you know so much about Justin Marius's plans, sneaking around Constellation and spying on private documents, but I wonder how you came to know anything about me and my relationships with Ignatius Varian or Liao Cytheria. There's a lot you aren't telling me."

Nova found her nerve to disobey him again and said, "Exactly. We can't trust anything he says."

She rushed to keep talking, but Ilan didn't interrupt. He was thinking along the same lines anyway at this point.

"He only ever tells half the story. What does he have to hide? If he had a good reason to break Lien Cassus free, why didn't he tell you before? Because he hadn't thought up a sad excuse for an explanation before. None of his motives make sense. For all we know, he killed the president himself," her eyes were wide as if the theory was coming to her as she spoke, but Cristo's face was unreadable stone. She continued, "All to get Sunyin Aura elected. None of us had ever heard of Cristo before last night when he arrived uninvited to a party, at your home, and saved your life — to gain your trust and convince you to vote for Sunyin Aura — and to tell your friends to vote Aura too. I've never understood what you find so unappealing about Justin Marius, but you can't allow this stranger to use that to manipulate you. Lock him away and don't listen to any more of his stories."

She still had her pistol in her hand and she gestured with it and added, "Have him executed before he can cause any more trouble. Or escape whenever he feels like it."

She fell silent and the boss let the quiet hang while he thought about her argument. It was a sound one. There was nothing illogical about it. It was extreme, but that wasn't out of Nova's character, and she had been wary of Cristo ever since he first lied to her at the moment he introduced himself as Julian Somnare. She was very persuasive.

Almost on a whim, the boss decided to see what would happen if he agreed with her. "All right. I'm exhausted with this, and with President Solin dead I'm not sure I even care who controls the company. I'm not about to let anyone come into this building and infiltrate my confidences just to pull my strings and make me do what he wants. He will be executed."

"Good," said Nova. There was an angry sparkle in her eyes.

The boss let the quiet after her word rang out hang to see what would happen, and in the uncomfortable silence Stephen began to gape again. Nova looked satisfied and didn't speak under the silence, but continued to smile. Only Stephen had his mouth open and was looking for help — from Cristo to Nova.

Not coming up with any words, Stephen ended up swinging his arms dramatically and suddenly the boss knew what his gestures reminded him of.

He'd once seen a play where the pinch in the third act involved a choreographed sword fight along with the dialogue, and in the middle of one of the actor's lines, his prop sword broke and he accidentally spoke a line out of order. His dueling partner on the stage improvised beautifully, incorporating the broken sword into her lines as if it were perfectly scripted, but the lines were still out of order, and the actor with the broken prop was not as skilled at improvisation. He lost his train of thought and flailed the hilt in his hand uselessly.

The other actor recovered the story while he was wordless, but the poor weaker actor could not get back on track and fumbled, mute, for an awkward minute of stage time. Nova had played her part without a flaw, even when the boss derailed the script, but Stephen had no idea how to improvise, and she couldn't keep him afloat.

It didn't stop her from trying. "I'll escort Cristo to the detention level, Boss. Stephen, will you help me?"

"Yes," Stephen said as her link changed destination to the detention level in the hub between jail cells. "I mean no," he recovered. "I still think his argument has merit. Let's hear more." His voice was loud, not unlike a stage performer. The boss almost cringed, but he wasn't ready to drop character yet himself.

"That won't be necessary," said Ilan. He pulled his own weapon from its holster. "I can execute him right here before he can say another lie, or vanish right in front of us again." He half expected Cristo to vanish right then, but the boy was brave, to his credit.

Cristo did reach his hand inside his jacket for something while Nova broke character and yelled, "No!" with both her hands out in front of her. She even got in front of Cristo to block the boss's fire, then let the word hang there. Then defeat made her whole body slump.

The boss almost laughed out loud; he couldn't keep from smiling. "Well played, Nova. Almost," he said. She didn't move from in front of Cristo, but she looked up, sheepishly.

Stephen looked hopeful, though, and he rushed to explain. "We're sorry, Father. We thought you'd never let Nova change your mind one way or another, but we needed you to forgive Cristo as quickly as possible and help him get Sunyin Aura elected."

"Nova, what could possibly convince you to be persuaded by this man? Do you now oppose Justin Marius?"

She nodded, then took a few steps toward Ilan and took his hands like a loving daughter. He wondered if that was more of her acting talent. "You have to trust me. If it's too late for President Solin, we all need to back Sunyin."

"And your plan for this is to throw a second gathering in twenty-four hours? Or perhaps a wake for the president would be more fitting."

"A party," said Cristo. "The sun set early, the world is ending, and the president of Constellation is dead. People will want to get together. Chatting at a wake isn't classy. And we need to talk everyone into putting Justin Marius in his place."

On the hovering east tower of the Constellation building, Candra had remained on the balcony directionless minutes had sped by, until a link appeared in front of her and reflected her frown. "Candra, please come to the north tower immediately," said Justin Marius, and then the link disappeared.

Candra created a link to his office and didn't let herself stall going through.

There were half a dozen offices in the north tower, and Justin's was a multi-level lab like many others. On the bottom floor. He had chosen it, though, the least coveted location, with no windows, no view, and no symbolic position, to take advantage of some amount of secrecy.

Nothing had ever gotten past President Solin, and her approval was needed for anything done with Constellation resources, but by choosing a secluded, low key headquarters, there were few unexpected visitors and only limited inspections, especially if nothing provoked Solin's suspicions.

As long as the giant star dial taking up most of the two story space remained inactive, hardly anyone bother Justin.

Two men stood in front of the sixty-two-foot triangular gnomon of the star dial now, the base of which they were standing on top of, waiting for Candra.

Justin wasn't speaking to Franco, but waited for Candra to join them and said, "Thank you for coming." Then he launched into a speech. "I wanted you three to be the first to know, but the timing wasn't ideal. The president's death came before I expected, and I had to move quickly with plans made long ago should this opportunity ever arise. Cadena Solin has taken her mother's place until the election," he looked at his watch, "in under five hours." Then Justin gestured to the star dial. "I've activated it, with Cadena's approval."

Candra gasped, and Justin added, "I say approval, but with her mother's passing just minutes before I got to Cadena, I'm not sure she really heard anything I said. As long as I win tonight, there shouldn't be any ramifications, although I should say right out loud that if you fail in these final hours it's possible the guardia, under the command of Alma Valerian or Sunyin Aura, will be sent to execute me. I think I could win the argument and persuade them not to, but I don't know for sure.

"Under the circumstances, I couldn't resist. Your jobs will be made easier by these." He was holding three little replicas of the giant gnomon above them. He passed one to Franco and held one out to Candra.

She took it carefully like a big kitchen knife, but she knew it wasn't sharp. It seemed dangerous, though. More dangerous than a pistol. It didn't seem as focused, didn't have to be pointed or aimed, she knew, and she wondered whether an errant thought would blow them all to pieces, so she held it like a ticking bomb until she realized if it was as temperamental as it was lethal Justin never would have handed it to her without a warning. She had her magic education to fall back on. She should be able to control the thing.

Justin said, "A gnomon can be used at any range from the dial. It doesn't need to be connected to a router. You'll be able to use it, for example, in Potestas Tower. But because it's its own router, you have to be touching it.

"We'll have to talk strategy again and reconfirm our targets, but at this point I'm still convinced there's no other way but to eliminate Exequi Ilan Potestas. He's most likely to back Exequi Valerian, and Valerian is most likely to win. His son Stephen will vote for Sunyin Aura, a throwaway. Between yourselves, and Angelus Gloriam and Portia Nero, with those weapons, surely one of you can remove Ilan from the equation by hora undecima and get away as unseen as the president's assassin."

He looked at Candra and she wondered whether he had somehow divined that she'd been with Gaia when she died.

But Justin didn't ask, so she didn't say anything. He was one of very few people it frightened her to lie to.

Justin was about to speak again when a small round commlink appeared in front of Candra's face. All four of them clamped their mouths shut and held their breaths like children playing hide and seek. As long as the link reflected Candra's face, the person on the other side wouldn't be able to see her, but once she spoke, whoever it was would be able to hear them all. It was a portal, after all.

Slowly, deliberately, Justin nodded his head and Candra said, "Yes?"

Stephen Potestas's voice spoke. "Candra, it's Stephen." He was rushing, a crispness to his tone, and he went on before she could say anything. "Do you want to come over? We're having a ... party, just an excuse to get together tonight. Starts at hora octava. Sorry for the short notice."

Candra rushed to reply, but by the time she had uttered the first syllable, "Yyyyes..." the link was gone. Brows high, she rotated and made eye contact with Franco, only to see her expression matched.

"Did you hear that?" said Franco.

Candra nodded. Franco could know what she was thinking, as if he could read her mind. She said it out loud for Justin's benefit. "Stephen sounded angry."

"Livid," said Franco, and for the first time tonight Justin let concern flash across his face.

"Angry?" said Justin.

"He's never spoken to me like that, ever," said Candra. The next part she would have preferred to keep to herself and cross her fingers that Justin never connected the dots, but it was also too dangerous not to tell him. "He knows something."

She was lucky she got it out before she was given the chance to keep her mouth shut, which came a second later in the form of an interruption — an interruption in the form of Lien Cassus, who bashed through the doors to the laboratory and scrambled to them.

"I'm so glad I found you," she said. She was panting for breath, but didn't let that stop her from speaking. "I have to tell you about the man in Portia's office earlier. He knows everything."

Candra and Franco exchanged worried grimaces, but Justin had found his imperturbable mask again and put it back on his face. "Well," said Justin, "tell me all about him."

A/N: Greetings, friends. This is a very long one. I just can't see how to split it, since the whole hour of hora sexta is one continuous piece. All feedback and workshopping is greatly appreciated, as I will probably have to split this in half at some point. The word count here is over 4000. Thanks for your stars, and stay safe, friends!