Sterling’s smile vanishes. He leans forward, his voice dropping to a lethal, icy calm. "Luna, the world is changing. The old rules no longer apply. The UN is weak. The Security Council is fractured. The Prometheus Consortium is the only entity with the resources to manage the genesis energy on a global scale. If you don't partner with us, we will find another way to access the energy. And we won't be as polite as I am being tonight."
The silence in the dining hall is absolute.
I look at Sterling, my heart swelling with a fierce, overwhelming pride. He thinks he can intimidate me. He thinks he can buy me. He thinks he can threaten my family.
He is entirely, beautifully wrong.
"Lord Sterling," I say, my physical voice quiet, carrying the deep, resonant frequency of the Luna. "You are sit
