Chapter Thirty-Five
March 25, 2231, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Apartment of Erik Blackwell
Erik lounged on his couch, his feet up. He was looking at a ruby-encrusted ring in a data window. With a swipe, the image changed to a solid black ring with a bright blue opal inlaid around the circumference. He’d lost count of how many rings he’d gone through in the last few hours, but with Jia visiting her sister, it was a good time to scope out potential engagement rings and not raise hopes and questions.
It had been quiet after Io. Alina had congratulated them on their success in person upon their return, but she also made it clear that she didn’t want anyone going anywhere, and more missions would be coming very soon. That made it difficult to relax. Everyone needed to fill up their t
