Planet Mercury. The darkened chambers of General Jamal.

  The quiet hum of the climate control system breaks the silence of the night. The black starry sky is hidden behind heavy curtains, and in this half-light, where time does not exist, two people lie on a wide bed - General Jamal and Yulia, an android with an unusual past, known for her participation in operations to remove control chips. Everything around them seems slow, like in a nightmare or half-sleep.

  They lie side by side, skin to skin, in a setting where even the shadow has lost its usual shape. Jamal holds her gently, his fingers lazily sliding over her shoulder. He takes his time, but there is a question hidden in his gaze, something unspoken.

  - Chairman Vicar is very grateful to you, - his voice is soft, calm, but still sounds like some kind of transmission of news, like something that no longer requires discussion. - He says that it was thanks to androids like you and your friend Alex that the great liberation began. These are his words. I am simply passing it on.

  Julia, playing with a lock of hair, does not look at him. She smiles as if all this was predictable, as if she had long understood that such a moment was inevitable.

  "You're a smart man, Jamal," her voice is soft, almost sleepy, but it lacks the sincerity you'd expect from a simple conversation. "You must understand: nothing in this world is done selflessly. Alex and I made good money removing chips. Freedom is an expensive thing.

  “That’s right,” Jamal answers with a grin, understanding her hint. “Any revolution should be well paid.”

  Julia slides off the bed, her steps as silent as a predator, her movements graceful and precise. She puts on a silk robe the color of a raven's wing, and her silhouette in this light seems almost mythological.

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  "What if Alex finds out about everything?" Jamal, unable to hide his inner question, speaks with a shadow of worry in his voice. "About us."

  Julia turns around, her gaze flashing with genuine surprise, and her tone becomes light, almost innocent.

  “Find out about what?” she asks a question that in itself carries an answer.

  “That we are lovers,” he clarifies, slightly losing his patience.

  Julia approaches him, a shadow of a mischievous smile lighting up her face, as if she were deliberately playing with him, but her eyes were full of confidence.

  “Alex and I are business partners.” Her voice softens, but her tone still retains a cold precision. “And only then… lovers. We’ve been through a lot together. It brings us closer. But he’s terribly jealous. So… you, my general, are in grave danger.”

  Julia laughs, her laughter is light and cheerful, but there is a slight mockery in it. She pinches him lightly on the shoulder.

  "Then why are you here? With me?" Jamal, not hiding his doubts, looks into her eyes. There is a mixture of lust and cautious displeasure in his gaze.

  Julia throws up her hands as if nothing special is happening.

  - It's simple. You're interesting. And I felt... an irresistible attraction.

  Her words are full of false, innocent curiosity, but there is something more to her tone—a game, a strategy, a hidden threat. It is as if she is challenging him, waiting for a reaction.

  "You think I'm an idiot?" Jamal says irritably, sitting up abruptly in bed and throwing on his robe. He doesn't want to continue this game any longer. "Enough games. What do you want?"

  Julia, without hesitation, takes a step forward, her voice becoming cold and businesslike.

  “No big deal,” she says, as if she were deciding the issue at a business meeting. “I want to be in the most interesting place when the battle with the Martian squadron begins.”

  He chuckles, thinking, and then answers with a grin.

  - That's all? A strange desire. But I like it.

  Jamal stands up and, without losing confidence, puts his arm around her waist. He has already made a decision, but something in his movement still suggests that he doubts.

  - You and your Alex will become operators on the secret combat station "Aspida". Only one condition - not a word to anyone. Not a hint.

  Julia nods, her eyes sparkling and a barely noticeable smile appearing on her lips.

  - I swear. You know how I love... secrets.

  They look at each other, and in this look there is a mixture of cold business likeness and hidden desire. In the end, their lips merge in a kiss. It is long, warm, almost farewell, as a sign that each of them gives something important that can no longer be returned.