After a light meal and a good night’s sleep, he decided to call Marthus after all.

“Hi, Halden. How are you liking Assalin?”

“It was interesting.”

“Was?”

Halden forced himself to smile, hoping it wouldn’t look as fake as he felt.

“Sorry I couldn’t warn you earlier, but I’m back home.”

Marthus looked startled. “You are?”

“Things happened so fast, I never got around to calling you. There’s so much I need to tell you... I’ll come by the office, if that’s okay?”

“Of course! But, Halden, are you sure you’re ready to go back to work?”

“That’s part of what we need to talk about.”

“Oh? Alright. Well, you know where to find me.”

“I’ll be there in an hour.”

He cut the call and looked around his room. Stared at the pouch with the wiper. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of a way to use it without anyone noticing something was off. Marthus himself would notice a chunk of his memories were gone and would know it had something to do with Halden. Which was why he had not wanted to call at first. He’d thought to surprise him, so he wouldn’t remember him being back. But it would have been near impossible to get to him when he was alone.

With a sigh, he leaned, grabbed the pouch, and slid it into his jacket’s pocket. Maybe he’d think of something on the way to the IAS.

The building was as it had always been, as long as he remembered. Large, modern, but unremarkable. The panel at the entrance displayed a fake name, so no one would know the evil at work there.

Evil. Ha!

The irony was perhaps not so ironic, all things considered.

He parked the glider in his usual spot, stepped out, and went through security with no issues. His credentials were still valid, and the guards smiled and greeted him when they recognized him.

Halden went into the elevator but did not stop at the floor where he usually got off to reach his office. Instead, he went all the way to the top, to the seventh floor.

He nodded at Marthus’ secretary, who smiled back at him.

“Hello, Prof. Roche. The boss told me you’d show up. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

He did not wait long. As soon as his old friend heard he had arrived, he had him come in.

Halden grew nervous. Would he be able to keep his cool, to pretend everything was alright when he was boiling inside? He was walking on thin ice, but he had no choice.

When he walked into the office, Marthus rose from his desk and crossed the room, meeting him halfway. He clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a hug.

“Good to see you, buddy. Come on, have a seat, and tell me about your adventure.”

As he sat, Marthus gestured in the air. A holobar appeared, floating in front of him.

“Zestri with ice, as usual?” he asked.

Halden nodded. “You know me so well.”

His friend grabbed a holographic bottle and poured the amber liquid into two glasses. When he grabbed these, they materialized in his hands as the holobar dissolved.

“Why the long face?” Marthus asked as he handed him his drink.

Halden mentally cursed at himself. He needed to be more joyful, lest his plan fall apart.

“I hope you’re not still thinking about Lucy,” his old friend said lightly as he sat back behind his desk.

Halden’s hand tightened around the glass. He allowed himself a few seconds to push back the swelling anger.

“Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind,” he finally managed to mutter.

“Okay. So, what did you want to tell me?”

He had thought about that a lot on his way here. It might not be the wisest way to go, but there was no other he could think of.

“I have a confession to make,” he said slowly.

His friend quirked a brow but said nothing, motioning for him to go on with his glass before taking a sip.

“I lied to you. I never went to Iriaki.”

Marthus put down his glass, a frown on his face.

“I don’t understand. Where have you been, then?”

“Before I left, I read a report... I suppose you must have seen it. About a source of thilium ten times bigger than any other we’ve found before.”

Marthus looked confused for a moment. Blinked. Then laughed. “Oh! That thing? Yeah, I’d forgotten about that. Groggan brought it in. Thought I should see it, since you were gone. Said it might be important.”

“It was!”

He made a dismissive gesture. “Come now, it made no sense! All those numbers were way off. How could it have been there for so long without being reported before?”

So no one had looked into it. They thought it was a farce. A mistake. A travesty.

“I went there, Marthus.”

“You what?”

“I went to the Tin’kisti Belt. I needed to see it for myself.”

Marthus stared at him quietly for a moment.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “And?”

“It’s real. It’s huge. It’s... It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Raw thilium, Marthus—”

He stopped abruptly.

For a moment, he had forgotten why he had come. Saying his so-called friend’s name had sent a shudder down his spine. Reminding him of what this man had done to him. To his daughter. Steady now. Stay the course.

Marthus scowled at him, drumming his fingers against the desk.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going there? And why are you telling me this now?”

“I didn’t tell you before because you forced me to take a leave of absence. You wouldn’t have approved—”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t!”

“—and I’m telling you now because I’m quitting.”

“What?”

“I’m quitting,” he repeated calmly.

Marthus leaned back in his chair.

“I don’t understand you, Halden. Why would you leave all this?” He gestured around him, meaning the building. “It’s your life. Has been for decades.”

“No,” Halden said coldly. “Lucy was my life.”

His old friend stared at him, his face unreadable.

“So that’s why you’re leaving?”

“Actually, I’m leaving because I got a better offer.”

“A better offer? There’s nowhere else to go, Halden. Unless you don’t want to work in science anymore.”

“I went to Assalin—that part was true, by the way. I met the visor there and told him about the Fault—the source. He’s giving me my own team to study it.”

Again, silence.

“I see,” Marthus finally said. “I wish you would have told me about all this earlier. Can’t help but feel betrayed.” He smiled to make the words sting less.

They only stung more.

Of course, he hadn’t needed to tell his friend any of this. But he felt it was important. To make sure the man understood he had become untouchable.

Halden smiled. “Hey, we’re still buddies, right? No harm done. Just saw a better opportunity and grabbed it. It’s what you keep doing here, isn’t it? Keep going higher and higher.” He glanced at the ceiling. “Don’t think there’s any higher you could go now, though.”

Marthus laughed. “You crack me up. Of course, we’re still buddies! Look, I’m sad to see you go, but I get it. I’m glad you found something that brings you peace. You’ve had enough grief in your life. How about you come over for dinner tonight? Lara and the kids will be happy to see you.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

Halden stood and nodded. “Sounds lovely. Could you pick me up? Glider’s been acting funky, and I’d rather not use a hovercab.”

Marthus walked around his desk and clapped him on the back.

“Of course, buddy. Six sound good?”

“That would be perfect.”

Halden left with a smile on his face.

This time, it wasn’t fake.