The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 963: Ronnie Time!

"Room 10, room 10. Where is room 10?" I muttered to myself as we were walking down a corridor before Ronnie called out from behind me.

"Apollo it’s here. Room 2."

I turned around confused. "She said 1-0 that’s ten, right?"

"Yes, conventionally that is ten, but teacher and I converse in binary a lot due to our affinity for tech. 1-0 is the number two. That is what she meant."

"Oh... I forgot that was a thing. Fair enough, I don’t mind being bamboozled, let’s head into room two then."

The two of us then swiftly entered the room. The room was sparse. A couple of chairs and a table. Not much, but we didn’t need much.

I took my seat immediately and expected Ronnie to do the same, instead he walked over to a lamp and a clock on the wall and began to speak. "Sorry you two, but you are going to have to wait outside. Apollo is a very important man. No one can eavesdrop... No I will not turn you off and on again as a token for your silence, you are just going to wait outside."

Ronnie then turned to me and smiled awkwardly. "Lamps... I’ll just be a second."

Ronnie then swiftly exited the room with the compliances in hand and returned moments later with a large smile on his face. He then swiftly took the other chair and sat down opposite me.

Before even a second passed between us, Ronnie leaned forward, hugging his body. "Oh, I am so nervous. It’s been so long since we have interacted and longer still since I have been with the family. I don’t know what I should do. I don’t know what to speak about. Usually Mother tells me what to do, this free thinking all the time is so stressful."

I smirked at his reaction. "Ronnie, relax. Right now, we are just Apollo and Ronnie. Friends. None of the other stuff. So take a few deep breaths and compose yourself, it’s alright. If it’s any ease to your mind, I have missed you too."

Ronnie proceeded to smile ecstatically before forcing down some deep heavy breaths. Once he was done, he looked at me with that look all the Cultists gave me.

His Everything.

But I didn’t want to start off talking about myself, although he would love that, I wanted to hear about him.

"So, Ronnie. Tell me what’s been going on in your life since we last spoke."

Ronnie nodded. "Ok, so after Jocasta and I left the College we..."

...

I watched on for a moment but suddenly became concerned as Ronnie froze.

As I was about to ask if he was ok, he unfroze and turned to me. "Sorry about that. Someone tried to hack the local defences. It froze my temp tech, for security reasons."

"Someone tried to hack the local defences?" I asked.

Ronnie nodded his head casually. "Oh yeah, it has happened seventeen times already today. The political sphere of this empire is toxic beyond imagining. Don’t worry though, according to Jocasta it has still been a quiet day compared to the last royal speech."

"I see..." I murmured, really regretting some of my choices now that I am basically being plunged into the sphere myself. "Anyway, enough about that. Continue Ronnie."

"Yes. Right away!" Ronnie replied energetically. "So after we left the college, we went straight to Vallerand. Apollo, the tech Jocasta has access to... If I wasn’t currently on a path with a higher purpose, I could have lost myself to all the tech there...

Jocasta is a genius. The way she interfaces with tech. The fact that her brain is still human baffles me. She is basically faster than most high technology species’ Anyway. I didn’t have a lot of alone time getting to know all that tech. Jocasta, while a very good teacher, is also demanding and very strict. From chores to studying to active lessons, alongside helping her with her projects as a lab assistant. I have barely had a moment to myself.

We have been hopping from planet to planet where needed. Completing tasks of all nature, but never anything mundane. Jocasta is basically one of the highest clearance individuals in the Empire. If she was ever to flip... Well, trouble would occur.

It is a shame she has so little organics left. If her mind became ours... Sorry, I’m not sure if I am allowed to discuss certain things with you, I’m not sure what you will allow with privacy and stuff. I usually have mother telling me when to shut up."

I chuckled and looked around. "Are you certain the room is secure?"

Ronnie nodded. "Yes. I would be able to feel and hear any technology. The room is clean."

"Then it is fine for now. Yes, it is a shame Jocasta can’t become a cultist. Though honestly she is too smart and too loyal to spartari for subversion. Right now, being friends is fine. Jewel won’t be coming here in true hunting size for a very long time. So we can be friendly while building up local forces. I mean, by that time, who knows. You might have her job and will make everything that much easier."

Ronnie blushed embarrassed. "I don’t know about that... I am just a-"

"-You are a generational talent Ronnie. It’s ok to be a bit a bit arrogant about it when the time calls for it. And before you deny that you are. I am pretty sure Jocasta would have been done with you by now if you weren’t. And Sophia wouldn’t have chosen you out of everyone possible to bring me here."

Ronnie began smiling at my comment, so I continued by leaning in and whispering playfully.

"Plus, you are my favourite male cultist, so of course you would be the best."

Ronnie proceeded to let out some sounds that can only be described as whimsical before composing himself with an awkward cough.

"So yeah, other than what I have told you, not much has happened. I helped a little bit with your gene enhancement formula when it was brought to Sigismund by Hailey. But other than that, I have mostly been working on technology and I know you don’t like to think about technology and how it works."

I let out a chuckle. "You are right. I don’t. I’ll stick to my strong suits; I already have enough on my plate as is without going down another learning road."

"Then in the future leave all that to me and I won’t let you down!" Ronnie declared with a certain zeal about him that made me nod in appreciation.

"Very well. I shall do just that."

"Apollo, are you here alone by the way? I am worried I’ve not been scared by Onyx yet... She is behind me isn’t she?"

I watched in amusement as Ronnie’s neck turtled into his body as his shoulders became extremely tense.

"No. She isn’t here. I won’t go into it much, but pretty much just before the war ended, she left me alone due to foresight shenanigans, so for my voyage into the Coalition, I will be alone."

"Oh no..." Ronnie sounded distraught hearing that. "So you have no one to look after you tonight? What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I’ll be fine Ronnie. Orchid is on the planet, I’ve had a couple of days of fun with her and there is another cultist here tonight, Willow if you remember her? She was with me when I was at war."

"Oh Willow? The one Keyla infected prematurely? I am glad she has taken to the gift then, especially with her absence from the start of her new life. Would it be ok if I spoke to her tonight? I will try to come up with a valid reason for our interaction."

"Of course it’s alright Ronnie, She is your sister after all. Oh speaking of sisters, are you aware of what Samantha is up to?"

Ronnie nodded his head. "Yes, the plan for Atlantis was still in motion when I was still with the family. Though I saw the news of an abduction there last night. I hope the two aren’t related. Public exposure is not a good thing in the early stages of branch development... It’s probably nothing though as Mistress Samantha is, of course, one of our brightest minds."

I smiled hearing that. Samantha, for one of the few cultists I had been intimate with, was one of the ones I had spent the least time with unfortunately. But I did know she was as smart as she was sexy.

’I should make a point to go and visit her once she is established. Exploring the "lost city of Atlantis" would be pretty neat to add to my bingo card for past life shit. Heh.’

I then realised Ronnie was staring at me as I went silent. He then gave me an innocent smile. Future plans could wait, it was time to choke back the cringe of talking about myself and give this cultist one of their favourite things.

Apollo story time!