STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Lyra’s eyes narrowed. Her voice was quiet. “No. What we know is that you ’re terrified. People are waking up, and you’re afraid of what happens when they realize they don ’t need you anymore.”

Caidan’s smile faded.

Harun leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eye. “One more thing.”

Caidan raised an eyebrow. Waiting.

“We want maintenance bots. A full team.” Harun tapped his fingers on the table. “The infrastructure in our sector isn’t going to upkeep itself, and I’d rather not waste human hands fixing potholes when we’ve got machines that can do it.”

Lyra shot him a sharp look, but Harun didn’t back down. “Harun—”

He grinned. “Hey, we’re building a new society, not a medieval village. Let ’s make it efficient.”

For the first time, Caidan’s mask slipped.

There was a flicker of amusement.

“A practical request.” He gave a small nod. “The Council will approve it, with the condition that the bots remain under your oversight. You ’ll be responsible for their programming and maintenance. ”

Harun gave a mock salute. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t go rogue.”

Caidan leaned back, folding his hands. “Then it’s settled. The sector is yours, under the agreed-upon terms. You ’ll have the grace period you requested to establish yourselves. The Council expects your full cooperation in maintaining peace within the city. ”

A pause.

Then, Lyra stood, extending her hand. “We’ll hold up our end. You hold up yours. ”

Caidan hesitated for a fraction of a second before clasping her hand.

His grip was cool, calculated.

“Let’s hope this proves to be... harmonious.”

***

As the others rose from the table, murmurs of guarded relief rippled through the group.

Lucien remained seated. His hands rested on the surface of the table, but his mind was racing.

He could feel the power in the moment—the fragile peace they’d brokered,

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