Chapter Fifty-Three
November 3, 2230, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Private Hangar of the Argo
Erik sipped his coffee before settling at the table in the galley beside Jia. They’d been back on Earth for two days, after an uneventful return trip. He’d spent the time with Jia, pointedly not doing anything resembling training. Simulated time at a nice beach was a fine reward.
There was something in the air, nagging at the back of his mind. He was convinced the Core was accelerating its operations and building up to something. More rebellions? If that was the case, they could rest easy. Emma had been uninterested in sorting through the data they’d collected on New Samarkand any more than she needed to because of her focus on reprogramming the jumpship’s AI. Even now she was absent, con
