Page 124 of Hyperspeed
With everything that had happened over the past few weeks, I’d almost lost sight of why I started this journey. I should’ve felt guilty, but my guilt-o-meter was already maxed out. I just didn’t have any room left for more.
“When?” I asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?!” I squawked.
“Their office called half an hour ago. Apparently another meeting was cancelled,” Nina explained. “I know it’s short notice, but this might be your only shot. They’re set to leave for a diplomatic mission, so if we pass this up, it could be months before they’re available again.”
Fuck. My mind was spinning, and the one person I wanted to talk to was the exact one I was running from.
I couldn’t wrap my head around why the GIR, the very person who might make my people’s dreams come true, wanted to meet me.
Maybe they’d seen the accident and would tell me to get fucked.
“Rev?”
Could I even do this?
I’d been fighting for Iskari recognition from the start, and if Nina was right, this might be my only chance.
Damn it, why did Kai have to be such an asshole? And why was I so damn stubborn?
No matter. It didn’t matter.
Like always, I was on my own, and I couldn’t bear the thought of letting my people down. I shook my head, cleared my throat, and focused back on Nina.
“Okay,” I said, sounding way surer than I felt. “Let’s set it up.”
Not Over Till the Checkered Flag Waves
Rev
Talia Monroe was a plump woman in her mid-forties. She had a warm smile and a general air about her that screamed “motherly.” It was the opposite of the cold professionalism I’d expected of the Governor of International Relations.
We met in the conference room of a hotel in downtown Zyphar, just like when I’d done my tell-all interview all those months ago. I was surprised to see only the two of us there. I’d expected an entourage of security personnel, but she’d given them the afternoon off.
In the corner, her insectoid Sylphian assistant, Sirellka, perched with practiced stillness, antennae twitching, ready to record every word. Nina had come with me, but we’d agreed it would be better for her to wait in the lobby. She assured me she’d be nearby if I needed anything, so I left her to work in peace at the hotel bar.
“Would you like a drink, Revvak?” Talia asked. “Tea?”
She poured a stream of dark liquid from a metal teapot into her mug, stopping just before the rim. There was just enough space for a splash of milk.
“No, thank you, Ms Monroe,” I replied. “And please, call me Rev.”
“In that case, you cancall me Talia,” she said with a smile, adding two spoonfuls of sugar. “Sorry this was so last minute. My schedule’s all over the place. Galaxy life, you know?”
I wrung my hands under the table. “I’m sure it gets tiring.”
“But not as tiring as yours, I’d bet.” She took a sip of tea. “Jumping from planet to planet, all that pressure and adrenaline . . . I think I’d be a wreck by the end of the weekend.”
She wasn’t wrong.
The crash after a race weekend hit hard. I’d learned to manage it better as the season went on, but in the beginning I was just the way Talia described—exhausted, jittery, sometimes shaking for days. The weeks between races had felt like a blessing.
Talia set her mug on the table.
“I’m sure you’re busy preparing for the last race, so I won’t keep you long.” Her tone shifted, and she folded her hands in front of her. We were getting down to business. “The plight of the Iskari has been on my radar since I first took this position.”
