A drop of sweat rolls down the side of my neck as I press myself against the wall of the kitchen sink cabinet. My heart has started to hammer but I dare not open the door to check on who has walked in.

I'm banking thoroughly on luck here, hoping General Grievous isn't as paranoid as Lazarus is. I remember Lazarus telling me that his entire estate had motion sensors all over his floors, to track everyone inside. He mentioned it in passing when I moved in but a part of me has always felt like it was a warning.

It's extremely expensive to have them plastered all over, only a select few Plutonians are even able to afford them. But we're talking about a general here so now I feel like hitting myself for not covering my tracks enough. I should have worn his shoes.

All my father needs to do is analyse a footprint and now I have to think of some reason for being in his quarters, which isn't something I do on the regular.

There's some shuffling on the other side, I press my cheek against the door, straining to hear for more. Someone's humming to themselves and then I hear the sound of dishes being rinsed and processed.

I slump against the wall, releasing a soft exhale. It's one of the helpers and she doesn't look like she suspects anything at all. There's nothing else to do but wait as she finishes with her work but the attendant takes her time, going through the dishes and then sorting out the cushions on the chaise lounge in the living room.

She's further away now, the sound of the humming much softer but it would be too risky to slip out, especially since I need to get past the living room in order to leave.

I hear the door slide open again and adjust my legs to get more comfortable. The woman is still singing to herself but then she lets out a high pitched giggle. Conversation ensues and I wonder who she is having such a flirty conversation with.

I dare sneak a peak through the slit in the door and my stomach clenches when I see my father. The general is smiling and talking to his attendant with an ease I've never seen before. My eyebrows bunch together as I frown, shouldn't he be on a scheduled visit?

Wasn't he supposed to be back tomorrow? After one atmospheric cycle?

Without warning he grabs her and they're embracing each other like two long lost lovers who haven't seen one another in years. Nausea rides up my throat, the urge to vomit growing with each passing second. I press against the wall, shutting my eyes as I try to drown out the sounds they are making.

My mother's out there beautifying herself in order to impress Grievous and here he is, screwing the attendant. It's all so cliche, if I wasn't so disgusted I would have laughed. I quickly lean back when the flighty attendant drags him past the living room and into the kitchen.

The two of them are standing right in front of me now, their chatter ringing in my ears. He's telling her about his trip with an enthusiasm that never existed for us, his so called family. I've always known Grievous married Ursae for status and vice versa.

It shouldn't be a surprise to find him here like this, in fact I've heard rumours about him many times. But still, watching this feels like the greatest insult even though I'm technically trespassing.

My anger grows tenfold as they continue their banter but I hold my breath, praying that they don't notice me inside, praying that they would leave the area so I can escape. I can only hope that they don't proceed further here in the kitchen, with me listening in.

If only memory erasing devices exist.

Finally, after what feels like a few interminable seconds, the female attendant leads Grievous to his bedroom chamber. I wait in silence, not wanting to act too rashly. After a few minutes of complete silence, I finally push open the cabinet door and sneak out of the room.

The door shuts quietly behind me and I race to my chambers, desperate to put some space between us. The adrenaline rush gradually wears off, leaving me on shaky legs. I slide to the floor and put my head in my hands, crying softly.

I think of Lazarus and then my father and the tears keep coming until there's nothing left for me to do but lie on my bed. I must be thoroughly exhausted because sleep takes over before I know it, my dreams filled with death and heartbreak.

***

The small disk in my hand is shaped like a coin, its circumference smaller than the width of my thumb. I place it deftly into the recess by the table and our holographic screen lights up.

A list of the approved flight paths occupy the space between General Lyra and I. I watch her study them from the other side of the table.

"Lucian was right, Lazarus did make a visit prior to yours. And not much of a time lapse if you ask me. Just two cycles, only slightly more than four Earth days." She places her hands behind her back, shoulders military straight as she walks over to my side.

"Well done." She pats me on the back. "I thought we'd lost you but it appears you've only been doing your duty to us."

My chest feels tight thinking about the weeks spent with Lazarus. I would hardly call that infiltration, spying on him was the furthest thing from my mind but the general doesn't need to know that.

My eyes shift to the different segments of the lab, our antechamber giving me a bird's eye view of the entire floor. General Lyra said she thought she'd lost me but she must have known I would come back.

No one ever leaves the Sympathizers. She'd made me swear to a life long oath as a Sympathizer before my induction was complete. Once you're in, the only way out would be death. Our secrecy means too much, if an officer chose to leave or worse betrayed us, their untimely deaths were an absolute guarantee.

I've seen it happen before, although I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave such an advanced organisation with the propensity for such growth and power.

"I'll go through the coordinates. It will give me an idea on their whereabouts, Lazarus in particular." General Lyra says, saving the file and then handing me the disc.

"General Grievous as well. He's just as suspect." I mutter, trying hard to keep the distaste out of my voice. I haven't seen him since and I'd like to keep it that way. That being said, my lodging has become quite the issue. I still have a few items at Lazarus's place but somehow can't find the energy to ask for them back.

I haven't talked to him since the night we broke up. It's not just misery keeping me away. My scalp still tingles at the memory of the way he had grabbed me so roughly, leaving my skin chafed. I remember his eyes, the intensity in them when he held me in place and shudder a little.

If Lyra notices, she doesn't let on. She nods and then I head off. There's another excursion planned for today and the briefings scheduled to commence soon.

The Grey region is not as empty as I'd expected and my stomach drops when I catch one of Lazarus's officers on the floor. This can only mean one thing.

"Commander Siphus! Didn't know I'd be seeing you here." I greet Lazarus's second in command with mock enthusiasm. My stomach is churning uncomfortably, half expecting to see him to pop out from a corner.

The older Plutonian's hair has started to grey and it shows more when he bows before me. "PG Luna, we are honoured to join you on the scheduled mission today."

He hands out a pocket sized tablet and I take it from him, activating it to its normal size and glazing through the flight path and destination.

One of our biggest Cixin factories were attacked just a cycle ago. Normally this wouldn't warrant a visit from the Trinity or the Generals but this isn't the first time one of our major distributers were attacked. Our gold manufacturer on Sigma and one of our weapons manufacturers on Amygda was also targeted in the span of a month.

Rebels have been there from the beginning but they are becoming more brazen and this doesn't look good for the empire. We've been monitoring them since the first attack but the scum are smarter than we give them credit for. They're never caught by our space drones and remain unidentifiable on cameras.

Almost as if they know exactly how Plutonian surveillance works. The thought doesn't sit right with me and I walk into the meeting room with the tablet in hand, checking the images for any tell tale signs.

It's the usual, the attackers faces are covered and they wear outfits similar to our Plutonian army uniforms, only their size and figures are a dead give-away that they aren't Plutonian at all.

I read through the reports from our Cixin representatives and feel my body tense, muscles tightening and locking in place when Lazarus announces his presence.

He takes a seat next to me at the head of the room but I dare not look up, my beating heart like a drum against my rib cage.

"Pleasant day, Luna," He hums my name and I feel it all the way to my core.

My fingers clench by my side and I murmur half heartedly. "Pleasant day."

The briefing commences with Commander Physus going over our schedule for the next three cycles.

Three cycles with Lazarus in Cixin, the planet where we consummated our love. I briefly wonder why the stars are punishing me so harshly and then sneak a look at him while everyone is listening in.

Contrary to what I expected, Lazarus looks like shit. It's the first time I've seen him so disheveled, so unrested. His hair is uncombed, eyes ringed with fatigue and is that a five o' clock shadow on his jaw?

He's usually the one demanding all the attention with the way he sits and speaks but today he remains impassive, leaning against the high wing back chair with a slouch. I've never seen him slouch in my life.

My concern for him grows the longer I look at him but then I remember the way he acted with Lucian and I. My scalp stings again and I look away, pretending to listen to what I've already read in the files.

We leave immediately and Lazarus and I board the unmarked ship reserved for the Trinity and their attendants alone. It's more than a little awkward and I keep to myself during the journey, until he knocks on my door.

"Care to join me for dinner?" He asks politely and I want to say no, but there's no point prolonging the inevitable. We're bound to have meals together sooner or later.

He leads me to the pantry where our attendants have laid out a full course meal and some chilled wine made from Cixin berries. We had the same drink on my birthday.

I sit down and take a long sip, savouring the taste but the memories that come with it are bittersweet.

Lazarus does the same, his smile reminiscent. "Brings back fond memories, doesn't it?"

I refuse to indulge in those, instead cutting into a piece of wargol steak, the juicy meat cooked to perfection. I'm about to stab it with a fork when Lazarus takes hold of my hand, his skin cold against mine and when I don't reciprocate his grip tightens.

Guys I'm so sorry I've been irregular with this book updates. I'm gonna start posting on Mondays weekly. Feel free to call me out if I don't haha. Anyway hope you're enjoying the story so far :) Do you think the couple will make up this trip?