Skyfire Avenue

“Alright.” Lan Qing answered.

Hua Li turned his attention to Lan Jue. “A-Jue, come on over when you have the time! Oh, right. I should go there. Am I welcome?”

Lan Jue chuckled. “Of course you’re welcome. If Tyrannosaurus would get there the Monarchs would be together again.”

Hua Li looked at him with a serious expression. “I’ll be there in a little while.”

After they hung up, Lan Jue spoke to his brother with a slight note of envy in his voice. “So this is the power of wealth, eh? You think we’ll have a family like this in the future, bro?”

Lan Qing was stoic as ever. “Not many families are as lucky as the Poseidon Group. Usually the more wealth and prestige you have, the more numerous are your enemies. Poseidon Group wouldn’t have invested so much in war machines if humanity wasn’t under threat – it would be taboo. Remember that the Poseidon Group traces its family roots all the way back to the former era. Luck and intelligence got them this far.”

Lan Jue chuckled again. “No need to school me on principles, I understand. I’m just making conversation. I mean, you’re lazy too am I right? All this hard work your whole life was so you could take it easy later. I remember you saying something like that when you were little.”

Lan Qing’s face twitched. He stared at his brother. “Stop with the nonsense. Go welcome Hua Li.”

“Yeah, alright!”

ζ

Poseidon-Class Bastion Ship.

“You’re going over?” Mo Xiao looked at Hua Li, her face scrunched in a scowl.

“Yup.” He nodded, running a hand through her hair. “Don’t be like this. Didn’t we already talk about it?”

She sniffed. “Just because you’re good to others doesn’t mean they’ll be good to you. The Austin family should be a lesson. They took their fleet, or didn’t you notice? We’re an important family, too, with many secrets to protect. You are the patriarch, Poseidon. IF something happens to you they’ll be able to coerce whatever they like from us.”

Hua Li frowned. “You think too much. There is no other group of people I trust more than them. Are you saying you don’t trust Lan Qing and Lan Jue?”

Mo Xiao shook her head. “It’s impossible to know what’s in a person’s heart, especially when it comes to the interests of their people. Are you sure you have your priorities straight? You’ve brought the full force of our family out for everyone to see. The rest of the family already doesn’t agree. Without my help you would have had a million troubles on your hands. Now you want to walk over and put your safety in their hands. I won’t allow it!”

Hua Li’s face stiffened. “Whether or not you allow it doesn’t matter. Don’t think because people call me your wife you have the right to tell me what to do. You said it yourself, I’m Poseidon. Patriarch of this family. You don’t determine what direction this family takes.”

“You…” Mo Xiao’s breath became ragged.

Hua Li continued. “What’s more, even without me there’s another successor already. This has nothing to do with that. Now I’m going.” He stomped down the hall, never looking back.

Once his back was turned, tears began to stream down Mo Xiao’s face. She shook with emotion.

“Why? Why do you treat me this way? Am I not good enough for you? Why?!”

ζ

Lan Jue saw Hua Li an hour later. The two walked side by side to Middle Heaven’s recreation area.

“You came just yourself? Your family isn’t worried we’ll detain you?” Lan Jue smirked as he said it.

The entertainer shrugged. “Detain me, then. I’m not opposed to sticking around. Just so long as you treat me right, big guy.”

Lan Jue scowled. “Come on. Who would want your pompous ass? You’re a waste of food. Now hurry up.”

Hua Li looked heartbroken. “Don’t you have a heart? We’ve traveled a long way to help you, and this is how you treat me.” His voice was lilting and pathetic as he trundled down the hallway.

Lan Jue shivered. “What the hell are you doing? A-Li, how can we be sure you aren’t actually a woman dressed as a man? You’re killin’ me here.”

Hua Li chuckled. If Iwas a woman in man’s dress would you like me? If there was no Hera?”

Lan Jue’s response was no-nonsense. “I’d have to think about it. Maybe. It’s not my fault you’re so pretty. It’d depend on who I met first. Now go on, drop your trousers and let’s make sure you aren’t a chick.”

“Screw off!” Hua Li hurried a few steps ahead.

It made Lan Jue happy to see his old friend again. It was the first opportunity he’d had to relax since the war began.

“Do you want to see the big guy?” Lan Jue asked.

Hua Li shook his head. “No need, I’m not interested in any of this military nonsense. He can communicate directly with Mo Xiao if he wants, I’m just a figurehead. You? How have you been? You haven’t broken through yet, what a wussy. I never would have thought of the four of us you’d be the last to break through.”

Lan Jue didn’t let his friend’s teasing trouble him. “You may have broken through earlier, but that’s like teats on a breastplate.”

“What’s that mean?” Hua Li asked.

Lan Jue regarded his friend disdainfully. “You don’t know? It means you’re damn useless.”

Hua Li gaped. “Cursing? That’s not like you!”

Hua Li chuckled. “Humans are multi-faceted creatures. You think I have time to just lay around like you? I’m busy from the moment I wake up. Besides, I’m going to break through soon. What I meant to say was that even though I’m not there yet you still couldn’t beat me in a fight.”

Hua Li huffed. “That’s because I was holding back. I didn

T use the full power of my astrum, you see. I was afraid to hurt you.”

Lan Jue changed the subject. “Are you staying here or going back?”

He thought for a moment before answering. “If I only had me to look after I’d be disinclined to go back and I’d hang out with you gentlemen. That’d be comfortable. But, if I don’t go back Mo Xiao would have a meltdown. The family would probably read too much into it as well. I’m just here to visit, I’ll go back in a little while.”

Lan Jue nodded. “That’s good, we’re living in special times. Your family just wants to make sure things are stable.”

“So what about your plans?” He asked. “You think we have a chance against these things?”

Lan Jue shook his head. “I don’t know. Frankly speaking even now we hardly know anything about our enemy. We don’t know what they’re really capable of. But according to our best guess…” Lan Jue went on to explain everything they’d determined about the aliens so far, including what they’d learned from the Pharmacist’s husband. Then he explained their battle plans.

They couldn’t speak openly over the communicator before. The aliens were abnormally well-informed, but still humans had no inkling as to how they learned so much. As far as they’d been able to tell the aliens somehow were monitoring and intercepting human communications.

This was likely to be mankind’s last stand. Because of the concerns the information would be leaked, Lan Jue had carefully omitted some of the most important details of their plan in earlier discussions. Part of the reason he invited Hua Li here was to fill him in.

As he listened, Poseidon Group’s patriarch nodded in understanding. He spoke thoughtfully. “It seems it’s clear by this point. You’re going in for another scout mission?”

Lan Jue nodded. “We don’t even know what it would look like when these planets begin evolving, but we need to go in and learn what we can. When we know the situation we can move ahead with our plans. The more we know the better our chances. It hinges on whether or not the aliens can fight back.”

Hua Li spoke with decisiveness. “I’ll go with you. How can you leave me out of such a good time?”

But Lan Jue quickly waved him off. “No way. You are the predecessor of the Poseidon line. How can I knowingly put you in danger? And this is going to be very dangerous. You don’t know how strong these things are – more powerful than Paragons who have become one with the Infinite. If it weren’t for universal protogenia and the restrictions it brought, their full strength would have easily turned our species to ash and bone. If you go it’ll send Poseidon Group into disarray, and that’d affect our whole plan.”

Hua Li pressed him. “What about you? If you go it won’t screw up the plan?”

Lan Jue smirked. “Don’t worry. First of all, no one is more familiar with the monsters than I am. I’ve been a part of every successful intelligence mission and have plenty of experience against them. Secondly, I’m bringing a whole team of Paragons. Succeed or fail our chances of survival are high. Relax, nothing’s going to happen. We’ll run from whatever we can’t kill. But you’re staying put. I don’t want to have to be the one o face Mo Xiao.”

Hua Li’s lips pressed tight. No, I’m not going to ‘relax’. We’re brothers, and brothers share joys and woes. Poseidon Group will be fine without me, they have Mo Xiao. We have a child, and he will be the next Poseidon. Even if something happens to me the family will go on.”

Hua Li blinked. “You… you have a child?”

Hua Li was quick to interject. “Don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t like that. It was technological. Right now it’s a fetus, but after some genetic engineering and time it will be born. Mo Xiao and I don’t have those kinds of feelings for each other. How could we have kids the traditional way?”

“Hua Li,” Lan Jue chastised. “This is no good. Mo Xiao treats you very well, we all see it. You two are married and you should act like it, at least try to love her. If there’s someone else you love then make a decision. Short, sharp pains are better than long dull ones. Don’t string this girl along.”