The janitor’s heart raced with excitement mixed with worry. It took every ounce of his self-control not to look at the young woman in black walking away. She just resembled Lara! Even worse, she shared her temper; she even gave the same glare when she sensed you were about to do something you’d regret.
What was her name? Lupita! That couldn’t just be a coincidence. Lara had chosen their daughter’s name based on a lucky encounter with an elderly Nawaree woman who had saved her during one of her first missions. Sergius was so grateful that he didn’t object when Lara suggested naming their baby after her. He hadn’t heard that name in over fifteen years. Today, a girl named Lupita, who looked just like Lara, showed up at his counter. For a moment, he wondered if he was imagining things.
What was she doing here at a space academy? And what was she thinking? Lupita had come to school armed with all her Starkosinium blades and dressed like a Jazan. Surely, Lara had taught her the art of disguise. Jazans had survived for millennia because they were masters of the shadows—keeping a low profile, avoiding undue attention, living off the grid, and staying away from Ningens as much as possible. And here she was, walking around as if she owned the place! While he admired the young woman’s confidence, she was about to get a well-deserved reality check. Little of the Jazan teaching would help her survive the academic workload. He had been a janitor at this space academy for fifteen years, and he had seen his share of cadets drop out or get expelled.
He once saved a young cadet’s life, and that cadet repaid him by offering his protection. Who would have thought that this young, impulsive cadet would someday become the head of the SC Intelligence Directorate? But times had changed since he started working at the academy. The church was now in ascendancy, extending its reach deep into every branch of Space Command. To survive, Jazans needed to avoid attracting the Jezzim Order’s attention.
He had promised Lara that he wouldn’t try to contact their daughter and would leave the girl in her care. But now that Lupita was here, how could he turn his back on her? After all, she was his daughter, his only child. He would protect her as best as he could, hiding his involvement to keep his promise. That was the honorable thing to do.