A Friendship Full of Lies
That's right. Aubrey and Riker were good friends during their time in high school. Once Aiden decided to pursue military education at Fort Steel, Gunther Elderich and Aurora Wildemann also moved Aubrey to Earth.
"What would you do if we could go back to high school again, Aubrey?" Riker asked as he took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled slowly.
Lighting his cigarette first, Aubrey answered, "Dating Ms. Hawthorne."
Immediately Riker chuckled with satisfaction when he heard Aubrey's answer. His friend replied, "How about you?"
For a moment, Riker was silent with a bright face. Aubrey looked at him questioningly. Finally, his friend answered.
"Maybe… snatch Patricia from you?" Riker said with a mischievous expression. Aubrey sighed, while Riker chuckled again.
"Why should she be taken? There's nothing between me and Patricia, Bro."
"'There's nothing between me and Patricia'," Riker sneered then laughed again, Aubrey sighed. His cold smile appeared. Riker said again.
"Patricia was 'your first,' wasn't she?"
Riker spoke his words while looking suspiciously and hilariously at his close friend. Aubrey tapped her tobacco on the edge of the ashtray.
"Who says that?" Aubrey also replied by asking. He enjoyed his tobacco once again.
"The rumors among alumni…"
"You guys are gossiping about other people too much, you guys know that?"
"Actually, Patricia conveyed it to me in a subtle way."
"You made it up to bait me…"
"Don't lie, Aubrey. It's been almost 6 years since we left high school. You think I don't know? Elsa is crazy about you. But you were naked with Patricia," said Riker with a cynical victorious smile.
"Hey, watch your mouth, Bro."
"You think I didn't know you and Patricia showered together when we were on a field trip at Parson's Hill, it's impossible for you and her not to do anything!"
"HA HA HA…!" Riker and Aubrey laughed in unison.
Eight years ago, Aubrey entered St. Peter West New Haven High School. Riker is the first student to greet him. Aubrey and Riker's behavior is as different as the Earth and the sky. Aubrey is super calm, while Riker has an energetic demeanor.
Riker often jokes and acts silly, he is a clown. When he first met the blonde young man, Aubrey initially thought that they would not be good friends.
In fact, they did a lot of mischiefness together during high school. Until finally, the three happy years passed.
"You were at Abraham when the incident at Edison happened?" Aubrey asked after he and Riker talked about random things. Then Riker said he was traveling to Cloudbase US-1 during the incident in space a few days ago.
"Yes, I am. Man, that was crazy. I heard people say the Abraham military is ready to launch their Mega Armors… Aubrey, I'm at the nearest safety shuttle station with coffee in hand and only brought my laptop," Riker chirped. He said again.
"I don't care about my other things anymore. I left everything at the hotel where I was staying," Riker said in an agitated manner. His eyes widened.
"I didn't think you were such a coward," Aubrey commented jokingly.
"Bro, I am an Eden survivor! To say the least, I was traumatized by the sound of gunshots and explosions in the colony. Never mind, I don't want to bring it up anymore. I'd better tell you how in US-1 I saw a young mother who had beautiful legs..."
While in college, Aubrey and Riker only met twice a year. They are both busy with their respective activities. Getting an education, becoming a hedonist in their own way, and falling in love.
Even though they are very good friends, of course, they each have their own secrets. The most important thing for both of them is that their friendship remains well-maintained to this day.
For a few moments, the conversation between the two began to divert into talking about women. Then the topic of their conversation changed again.
"How is your digital marketing business, Aubrey, is everything running smoothly?" Riker asked his best friend.
"Enough to squeeze my creativity so it makes me want to date and didn't want to do anything every weekend," Aubrey answered with a thin, cynical smile.
"You still work freelance for Benedict Engineering?"
"Of course. Sometimes I pitch designs to them and get rejected. But after some time, they asked about my design again and then they wanted me to change it according to their wishes, and it was ugly."
"Ha ha ha! Client habits, right? The client's taste is as bad as my father's and I had to debate for hours to make him realize that his taste was less than Space Era," Riker said hilariously and Aubrey chuckled.
"What about your own family business, Riker?" Instead, Aubrey asked.
"The property business at Cloudbase is funny even though it is profitable. Thank God, our culinary business is running smoothly there."
Aubrey and Riker don't know each other's background that deeply. What Aubrey knows is that the Lynchs running a large-scale business.
On the other hand, Riker only knows that his best friend is very rich because Aubrey is the son of one of the rulers of Cloudbase who wanders around on Earth.
Neither of them knew that behind their brotherhood, they were now standing on two opposing sides.
"Aubrey's brother is a UEF officer. But I don't want to talk about that with him," said Riker to himself.
Meanwhile, something crossed Aubrey's mind. "I know that since the Eden incident, Riker has had rather extreme views towards United Earth. Sometimes I think ridiculously: maybe he set aside some of his money to support ELC."
The meeting between the two friends ended. Every time he returns to New Haven, Riker wants to really enjoy his relaxing moments. He often takes care of his family business. However, he is not that busy actually.
His parents didn't know how all this time, he took advantage of his business trips and money to enter the ELC circle. Now, he has entered deeper into the rebel network.
After meeting with his best friend, Riker goes to New Haven's Eden Memorial Park. He stepped between the neatly arranged rows of tombstones, most of which were in the shape of crosses.
There are no bodies buried there. Because the hundreds of gravestones are just a symbol of remembrance for the victims of the Eden incident who came from the city of New Haven.
"Hi, Kenny..." Riker said softly when he arrived at a tombstone cross that read: Kendall Angelique Perry. He knelt on one knee, then spoke again.
"I can't believe it; it's been almost six years since you and our child were gone and I still feel like I'm missing something in space," Riker whispered as he placed his right hand on the tip of the cross.
Every time Riker returns from either a business trip, just traveling, or joining the ELC, he will visit New Haven's Eden Memorial Park. Because, as he said to Aubrey earlier. He is a survivor of the incident in outer space.
"Kenny, the word 'sorry' is probably too lame for me to say it to you. Lately, I've been thinking maybe back then… we weren't in love. But we could make it love before those United Earth bastards took you from me."
After those words, Riker stood up. He looked at the three other gravestones to the right of Kenny's cross and then raised his voice louder.
"Ramona, Jean, Simone…, you can definitely see me from heaven with Kenny, right? I will liberate the colonies and countries strangled by United Earth and destroy them in exchange for your lives!"
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