Lucas understood immediately what Ash was saying: there was going to be no help from them. The “subs,” as they apparently called themselves despite how degrading the title was, wouldn’t lift a finger to assist him with this Kegan issue, even though it was their fate that hung in the balance. This didn’t surprise Lucas in the least. History was riddled with examples of feudal towns filled with beaten and belittled serfs who never once rebelled against changing colors and shifting princes as conquerors gained and lost territory from Brittany to Napoli. People didn’t want to rock the boat if they were used to the abuse—that’s just how life was for them. It was exactly how Arab states such as Morocco had maintained the same ruling family for such long periods of time, despite varying degrees of civility or cruelty from their monarchs. The people were simply accustomed to the situation, and any other system was simply unfathomable for them.

“Ignore him. If you’re storming in to save Jason, count me among your ranks. I’ll do what it takes to help the bugger out. I owe him,” Gunter said, finishing his third mug of ale. “Although, I’ll need more of this if I’m going to have to put up with a tin can as an ally.”

“Tin can” must be their slang word for Imperium soldiers. “No worries. I’ll be needing a few just to deal with your breath,” Lucas replied with a laugh. He tried to match the tone, but he could tell from the half-hearted laugh that was shot back at him that he hadn’t done a good job. It wasn’t something he could help, though, since he wasn’t a naturally charismatic person. Charisma, likability, smooth talking—that had always been Yu Hua’s territory. He knew all the theories and had read all the books, but when it came to putting theory into practice, he never would have made it past the first board meeting without her back in the day, much less won over a single investor.

Yu Hua . . . Lucas tripped over the name and tried to force down the emotions swelling up inside of him that his awkward fumble threatened to bring to the surface. His memory automatically worked unbidden to recall the woman who had been dead for almost eight months of real-life time. He felt like he was forgetting the small details every time she came to mind, whether it was the way she would wrinkle her nose when she was annoyed, the way she would bite her lip when she was lost in thought, or the smile she wore as she jumped up in excitement after they landed their first angel investor.

“What’s wrong with him?” Gunter asked loudly enough to interrupt Lucas’s thoughts. “He went quiet.” He waved his free hand back in forth in front of Lucas’s eyes to gather his attention.