Earth Is Mine

The Sympathizer

Today is a Monday.

"Announcing the arrival of Sole General," A guard calls out in a gravelly voice. They didn't bother waiting for reply as they pushed open the front door. "The building is secure Sole General, we will remain outside should you need our assistance."

General Lyra scoffs to herself despite the shiver of fear currently crawling down her spine. If anything, she's the one who will need the assistance not their Sole General.

General Lyra doesn't hear her footsteps, they've always been feather light, unsuspecting and unthreatening but she can sense her coming even before she has crossed over the threshold to the sunroom where the general currently sits.

Axon has two suns, one primary one that gives us longer days than nights and one secondary one that casts shadows over the first one's rays. The sunroom is where the general usually sips her tea, it's clear ceiling and walls giving her a view of the green landscape that surrounds her estate.

The sun today is mild but it casts a glow over Luna's silver hair making it look like she is wearing a crown.

The newly appointed Sole General smiles at her once she is in the centre of the room. She looks as beautiful as ever, radiant in her black army uniform that is now bedecked with medals. It goes against everything the general ever taught her.

"My apologies former general. I've been too busy with work, it has been a struggle to find the time for a visit but I figured it's been long overdue." Luna smiles in that helpless, damsel like way she's perfected over the years. A smile that has disarmed almost every one it has been aimed at, making them think she's harmless.

It only irritates General Lyra.

Luna's sharp eyes notice the flicker of irritation on her face and her smile deepens, but General Lyra has no way of knowing what she is here for.

"Aren't you going to offer your guest a drink?" Luna taunts and she walks up to the rows of potted plants lining the back wall, the one that leads to the rest of the house.

General Lyra tenses when Luna lifts a hand and strokes the leaf of a plant, her fingers grazing the rim of the ceramic pot. She doesn't know what Luna just planted there, she can't see it with her eyes but she knows the girl has placed something inside.

It is after all the way she was trained by the general herself.

"I would offer you a cup but I'm not sure you like needle flowers." Her voice is shaky, she needs to get a hold of herself. Years in isolation has made her weak, afraid. Maybe Luna has come here to free her from exile, maybe she's come to save her.

Even the general can tell how untrue those hopes are. Despite everything she taught the girl, she knows somewhere deep down that Luna has grown to hate her. She realised as much when she never visited her once, knew something was amiss when Luna became Sole General, when her very own commanders - sympathisers like Commander Z were charged for treason and forced into exile.

She wouldn't be surprised if they were all dead. She wondered if Lucian knew anything about this, if he suspected something was up but she could never get the message out when he came to visit.

The chances of being heard where too high. She couldn't risk his safety like that. The only way she could hint at things without harming anyone were through his kids.

She looks up at Luna who is staring at her as well. It's as if she can read her mind and General Lyra feels a stab of fear that Luna might have developed some sort of nano tech capable of spying her thoughts by now.

Luna sits down on the armchair across from her and crosses a long slender leg over the other. She chuckles at the expression on General Lyra's face. "You should see how pale you look."