Chapter 20: The Academy’s Invitation
The message hovered in Orion's HUD.
[Orion,]
[Call me using the secure comms I gave you.]
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his damp hair.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he moved to his wardrobe, pulling on a loose training shirt and a pair of comfortable lounge pants before heading to his desk.
Reaching into the drawer where he had stashed the secure comms device. It was a sleek, palm-sized construct, untraceable, encrypted beyond even the Confederacy's standard protocols. He activated it.
A second later, a small holographic projection flickered to life above the device, revealing Aurelia's face. She was in her quarters, strands of hair slipping over her shoulder, her expression composed but laced with something tense—anticipation, maybe.
"You took your time," she murmured, tilting her head slightly. "I was beginning to think you'd ignore me."
Orion leaned back in his chair, still feeling the soreness of training in his muscles. "I was in the shower."
Aurelia arched a brow but didn't comment. Instead, she exhaled, shifting slightly as if considering how to begin. "My family—along with several others—were invited to the academy."
Orion didn't react immediately. He had expected as much.