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Tatiana hooked her arm under Florian’s as they joined a long line that fed toward a gigantic ballroom.
“You’re sure about this?” she asked. She wore a long, flowing red dress with a train behind it that two circular drone bots carried with little claws.
“Positive,” Florian said. “Just follow my lead and improvise.”
Hux walked next to them in a white tux.
“As long as they’ve got food, improvisin’ is my superpower,” Hux said.
Florian rubbed his eyes. They itched from where the blindfold had been wrapped around his head.
He, Tatiana, and Huxley had spent the night in the corsair, waiting for the next evening, when Miloschenko promised them audience with the emperor. The military quarantined the corsair, and Florian watched the sunken city as the sun rose and set again. When the star
