Imago

[The Sovereign]

---

Gesturing towards the lone chair near the desk, Stenn stalks carefully through the mess on the floor, avoiding stepping on any clothes, before leaning against the edge of the desk. "I met "Red" twice. Neither was as exciting as I'd hoped they'd be, despite my best efforts otherwise. Couple of months later, I welcomed Vertiga into the Forlorn Hope under a fake name. He captains the Athena, a deep space research and exploration ship of ours." Stenn caught his gaze wandering across the form of his companion, and with a grimace, quickly looked away. That was atypical. Normally he had perfect focus when talking about a job. It must have been the way she opened the door that was throwing him off.

Although, he had to admit she did--. No. Focus. Shaking his head clear, he continues. "About the same time that he met with us for the undercover joining, I got busy with personal and company wide projects. Given that he was prone to slipping between persona's, it wasn't unusual for him to go days without contacting us. When you told me he was gone, I was more surprised than I care to admit."

His tone, while business like, carried a faint hint of concern, and without thinking he reached out to pat Maren on the shoulder, a planned gesture to comfort her. He hadn't been expecting her to look up at him as he did so, and the new alignment of her body led to him caressing her cheek gently. "I.. uh."

---