Vai wasn’t really sure what came next for her. As Maphira headed to the back of the boat to release the aluminium tomb robot Cole lay within, Vai caught herself staring off toward the ocean, wondering once again where her life would take her from here.
Although she’d held an impressive position within the Conclave of Mechanists, she doubted anybody would hire somebody who had a history with that organisation, now that they were gone. Perhaps she’d have to start her own business – the question was, what kind?
Maphira had offered to hire Vai for her boat welding business, but Vai couldn’t really see herself installing snapper racks near Melbourne for the rest of her days. Of course, she could have just lied about her work experience, leaving out the Conclave stuff, but then she’d have to answer the dreaded question of why there was such a large gap in her resume. She’d briefly considered going back to her old job of being a detective, but that didn’t feel right either.
Gripping a nearby rod holder for support as the boat swayed, Vai took a deep breath. She looked down, expecting to see her reflection in the water – instead finding only choppy waves. She supposed that’s what her future looked like. Unclear and unsteady.
Perhaps that wasn’t the worst thing. It meant her future was wide open. Maybe she’d go travelling, get away from all this, or start following her passions and see where they took her. Either way, she was sure things would work out.
Vai headed to the back of the boat with Rylee, watching as Maphira prepared to release the boat latch. She placed a hand on Rylee’s shoulder, giving her friend comfort as they prepared to symbolically say goodbye to her love.
It was fitting, that this came at the end of it all. Cole had died because he got too close to the Conclave before they came to power. Now that the Conclave was gone, they could make peace with it, closing the book on this chapter of their lives.