Search for the Princess

I followed Sephanee into the Garden. Then promptly lost her. One moment I was following her through the trees. The next I was alone beneath an artificial canopy with nothing but waterfalls, alien flowers and the stars beyond the glass dome for company.

“Sephanee?” Nothing. She’s a trained Imperial operative of course she can effortlessly disappear into the trees. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be. With a. Glowing blade not exactly optimal for sneaking up on somebody I instead drew my L-8 pistol and continued down the path. Something moved behind me.

I spun.

Nothing.

“Sephanee?”

CLICK.

Before I could react to the sound of a pistol cocking something cold hit the back of my head and hard. I stumbled to the floor, I quickly grabbed my pistol off the ground.

“Drop it.”

Well. This was unexpected. I let the pistol fall.

“Turn around and let me see your hands.”

I obeyed. And suddenly understood why an eighteen-year-old princess had become the face of a rebellion. Ashlyn Vesperia was beautiful. Not Sephanee beautiful. Sephanee looked like a team of Imperial geneticists had spent a fortune crafting the perfect woman. Ashlyn looked like she’d walked out of some impossible space-age fairy tale.

Chestnut-brown hair had been braided into an elaborate crown around her head, woven through silver clasps and thin strands of glowing material. Huge brown eyes dominated a delicate heart-shaped face, framed by thick lashes and soft features that made her look far too innocent to be pointing a pistol between my eyes. She was slender, almost delicate, with a slim waist and long legs beneath a flowing white dress. A broad silver belt hugged her middle while a high slit opened along one side, exposing most of her leg whenever the near see-through fabric shifted. The material itself was so thin that the starlight seemed to pass through it, hell I could almost make out the color of her areolas.

I stared. Her pistol moved closer. “My eyes are up here, Imperial.”

“I know.”

“Then look at them.” I did. That didn’t help. Those enormous brown eyes were somehow worse. Eighteen years old. A princess. And instead of sitting safely inside some palace, she’d joined a rebellion and was personally carrying stolen Imperial intelligence through a warship under attack.

She should have been terrified. She wasn’t. I liked that.

“You’re an Agent,” she said. “An imperial dog sent to chase innocent girls though the woods.”

“Innocent? Listen girl you’re the one with a pistol pointed at my head”

“Girl?”

“Princess. Sorry.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Although you’re the one who said girl first.” The pistol lined up with my forehead. I smiled. She almost did, almost.

“You Imperials murdered your way onto my ship.”

“Only because you’ve got something that belongs to us.”

“It belongs to every world your Empire has enslaved.” There was some real anger behind that one. This wasn’t some sheltered royal playing revolutionary. She believed it. I looked at her again. At the ridiculous princess dress. The pistol held steadily in both hands. The determination behind those huge eyes. A thought entered my head that absolutely shouldn’t have. Let her go. It was insane. I’d selected Imperial Agent approximately twenty minutes ago and was already considering betraying the Imperium because the Rebel princess was really cute.

“You’re hesitating,” Ashlyn said.

“No.”

“Yes, you are.” Her pistol lowered slightly. She’d noticed too. Ashlyn stepped closer. “You don’t want to capture me.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“You could have attacked already.”

“You’re pointing a gun at me.”

“You have a shield module on your belt, my shot would bounce right off and you’d cut me down with that heat blade of yours.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Fair.” For the first time, she smiled. It completely screwed me.

“Let me leave,” she whispered. I stared at her.

“If I do, the scary looking lady Agent will probably kill me.”

She thought it over. “Then come with me.” That caught me off guard. Ashlyn extended her hand. “Whatever they told you about us, whatever they told you about me—you don’t have to serve them.” Her hand remained between us. All I had to do was take it. Maybe help her reach an escape pod. Maybe find out exactly why the Empire wanted her so badly. I’m not even sure what information she stole. Maybe—

“Step away from him.”

Ashlyn froze.

Well that voice was familiar.

Sephanee emerged between the trees, particle rifle trained directly on the princess. Her expression had none of the playful hunger from the corridor. She looked every bit like what the Imperium had engineered her to be. A killer. “I said step away.”

Ashlyn slowly raised her pistol. Sephanee’s finger tightened against the trigger.

I stood between them.

Shit.

Twenty minutes into being an Imperial Agent and apparently I was already choosing sides.