The death of a king. That's still a thought that I cannot process through my head. It's normal if it was from old age. Everyone would almost expect it, but this was sudden, almost deliberate. They didn't care who else they hurt; the goal just needed to be accomplished. I can't even imagine what his children are thinking. Are they mad? Do they blame me? It's only a matter of time before I have to confront that reality. So, it comes to no surprise that the princess requests me again only a day later. I'd thought she would blame me for what happened on the spot, but she just wants to talk…I hope. Honestly, I am terrified. With the Bosman out of business, I hitch a ride on the RNS Luther. Han orders it and Lewis is forced to abide.
The Luther arrives at our destination on Sulis III. Lewis and I stand in the hangar. A ship is to come pick me up but it seems to be taking its time. He looks me in the eye for a moment but turns away before he thinks I notice. I can tell from his body expressions he is not really happy with what's going on. Suddenly a voice whispers into my ear. It was familiar and annoying.
"Hey there, failure." He says.
The voice is following me from the hospital now, he's on the ship.
"What?" I said. "How did you get here?"
"Did you already forget?"
I sigh, remembering our conversation from before.
"No. I don't need reminding."
"Good."
"What are you going to be doing? Just following me now? Do you need a name like my pet? What would you like? Sol, Devil?"
"Well Demi is a boy's name too. So, I'll leave you with that."
"Demi?"
He shrugs at the response.
"Or just D."
He turns his attention to Lewis standing in the corner.
"Who's the fucking child standing over there refusing to give you eye contact?"
"Chi- what? Why are you calling him a child?"
"Cause he's acting like one. It's like you have short term memory or something."
"What?"
"Do you need another reminder?"
At this point, I have had enough. My anger boils over and I turn around and grab him by his shirt and pull him down to me, putting me right in his face. I speak firmly but not loud enough to draw attention. I needed to make my anger known.
"Ok. If you are going to be here, know this. I am about sick of your insults and frankly I am this close to tearing you apart."
"Ooo. Is this that famous short fuse I've been hinted at so much? Because if so, that's pathetic."
"Do you know who you are talking to?"
"I absolutely do. But it seems that you do need another remainder, considering that you're talking to a fucking aberration."
"Demi." A voice calls to me.
I turn my head to find the source of the voice. Lewis is staring at me, confused. I turn back around to find the man is gone.
"Who are you talking to? He asks.
"I…uh."
"Come on, the ship should be arriving soon."
He leads me down the stairs and onto the hanger floor where we continue to wait. More ships fly over us as they enter and exit the hangar doors.
"So." I ask, "You decided you want to talk now?".
"Excuse me?"
"You were an ass to my pilot. What was that about?"
"Oh that."
"You were acting like this during the meeting as well."
Lewis sighs as he shakes his head.
"You really don't like them, do you? The Immora family."
"They are a bunch of frauds. That's what they are."
"Wow, you really don't like them. Why do you hate them so much?"
Lewis turns to me in a look of anger. Whatever memory I just spark was clearly something he deeply hated. He clenches his fist as if he were ready to punch the next person to stand in front of him.
"Did you know I have a son?" he asks.
"You? A son?"
"What? You didn't think I would?"
"I didn't expect you to. What's his name?"
"That's not important." He snaps.
"Ok." I said, a bit disheartened.
"When he was young, he had a sort of crush on the princess."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He really loved her. Even went as far as to have posters of her on his wall."
"Huh."
I couldn't really tell if that's really cute or really creepy. Lewis takes a deep breath, but not one of those calm breaths. It's hard to explain but it's almost like something you would hear as if someone was holding back tears.
"One day, before I became captain, I had an opportunity to observe an event the princess was hosting. I brought my son along as an early present. He was so excited."
"What happened?"
"Something made the princess angry that day. I don't know what, but she canceled the event before it even started. My son was so disheartened by it. Later that day we had a chance encounter with her. He excitedly asks her questions and talks about how much of a fan he is when out of nowhere, she pushes him to the ground. A SDF officer rounds the corner armed with a bat and just starts…swinging at him."
My eyes grow wide as he tells the story. The sudden realization of what I am hearing begins to settle in. Lewis continues.
"If I had not gotten there in time, they would have beaten him to death. Cadence just looks at him with this hatred in her eyes. You should have seen it. My son was terrified. She left after that."
Lewis clenches his fist so tightly it starts turning red and I think he is bleeding a little.
"The posters were gone the following day and I helplessly held my son as he cried into my arms."
"What did he see in her?"
"Nothing. I saw nothing in those deep blue eyes of hers. They weren't the eyes of a princess or the eyes of a warrior. They weren't the eyes of a welcoming and inviting figure. She was nothing like what I saw on the displays. They were the eyes of a monster. The eyes of fucking psychopath."
"You truly believe she's like that?"
Lewis doesn't respond. He just stands there, his hand clearly bleeding from him clenching his fist too hard. I reach to try to tend to it but he violently yanks his arm away. I can get a clear view of him now. The look of sadness and anger was written all over his face.
He turns away as the ship enters the hangar. Before he leaves, he turns his head and says, "You have no idea what you are up against, Demi. Be careful." then walks away.
The ship lands and two men step out, waiting for me to board. I recognize it. It was the same ring ship I rode with Cadence on before when we were on cloud. I board the ship and it flies to the surface.
I am being escorted by the Sulis Defence Force. Some internal security that protects the royal family. I had already met a few of them, Melena is the first to come to mind.
We pass through the atmosphere and enter the moon Sulis III. One of many moons inside the Sulis system. It orbited a massive blue gas giant and sported an equally massive city on the surface. The towering skyscrapers were as big as mega complexes but reached high into the clouds, thousands of feet into the air. The neon and bright lights fought for attention against the brightness of the sun, but you could tell from looking at it that they would be a sight to behold at night. We sway side to side, weaving around the many neon-styled skyscrapers within the city before pulling up into the rolling hill backdrop. We rose above cloud level to reveal the palace that was placed at the top of the hill. A massive red and white mansion that spread along the hill line, held up only by a multitude of support beams placed underneath the palace. Its roof tops were angled sharply to run parallel with the hills and its gardens were wide open and were so colorful they could be seen from space when the skies were clear. The mother planet Sulis, the blue gas giant, had its magnificent rings lying perpendicular to the horizon. Its rings stretched high above the palace and completed the magnificent view. The ship lands on the exterior landing pad outside of the central building of the palace. Its arms revert back to its landing form along the bottom of the ship and more dust gets kicked into the air. As we touch down and the platform begins to rotate toward the city, I catch a glimpse of the prince who is standing on another landing pad, observing us from a distance. It freaked me out a little, daring me to ask the question, why is he watching me? He didn't even come to greet me.
As we exit the ship, Melena is waiting at the beginning of the hallway. She waves at me to follow her.
"Melena." I say as I approach her. "Hey."
"The princess is down the hall." She says, ignoring me, "Follow me."
We walk through the immensely long hall. It's dotted from head to toe with murals along the walls and windows. Each depicts an important event in Sulis' history. I didn't study the history of Sulis when I was in school, however, some pictures did stand out to me. One like the founding of Sulis, when their founding father signed the first declaration. It was an abstract painting of him pasted on the window. Light blasts through the outline of him, making him look like some kind of holy figure creating a blessing. It's blasphemous if you ask me. Another came up on my left against the window. A depiction of Cadence at a young age, maybe five or six, pointing to the night sky with her mother and father. At the top of the mural was a single shining star. It was brighter than all the others and was the most beautiful of all of them. We made our way to the balcony, where Cadence stood, leaning into the railing. The view overlooks the mountain tops and the city's tallest buildings as they poke through the clouds. Cadence looked a bit out of it today. She was strangely still, almost like she was staring into nothing.
She was saddened and deep in thought. She had an interstellar pocket watch in her hand. I've never seen what it looks like, but she was staring into it as we approached her. It was golden in color and almost blindingly bright. Melena calls for Cadence's attention and she smiles as she greets us. She wore a huge elegant white dress, like something I could see myself wearing at a wedding or something. Like that would ever happen. Her red hair was curly but long and fell to her waist and left to flow in the wind. She approaches me and places her hand under my chin and pushes it up until we are face to face. She stares at me long and hard as I hold my breath. My heart starts to race harder and harder
"Wow," she says. "My father was right. You do have beautiful eyes."
"Ma'am?" I ask.
"Melena," she says. "Give us some room."
"But ma'am." She contests. "What if she…-"
"-I said, leave!"
There was complete silence for a few moments. Cadence is pissed. She had this look of fury I'd never seen before. I was shocked by her outburst as was Melena, who immediately looks away in shame, then stands up and swiftly leaves. Cadence's eyes follow her out the door. She turns her attention back to me.
"Sorry about that, I seem to be having trust issues today."
"Trust issues?"
"Come, join me."
She heads back down the hallway Melena and I came from, though we were much slower in pace. She observes the windows and stops at a depiction of her looking at the shining star.
"Have you ever felt like we meant to do something important? Like accomplishing something. Making an impact, so to speak."
My thoughts turn to my ring as I twist it around on my finger.
"Sometimes." I said.
"For me, I've wanted to start from the beginning for a while now. Burn the whole thing to the ground and start anew."
"Your highness, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but what does this have to do with our meeting?"
"You're right. Have you heard of Sulis Starfire?"
"Starfire? Like the engines? What is it?"
"The project I have been working on. A peace group. An independent fleet of powerful ships, with enough firepower to stop any war, halt any coup, and bring justice to any nation."
"Independent? Who would control it?"
"No one, hence the independence."
"And what, they would move around the galaxy doing whatever they want?"
"Something like that. Think about it. While our politicians are debating on whether we need to send aid or not, we would have the ability to save lives with no red tape. We can protect small nations from invading forces. Provide supplies with no strings attached."
"So that leads me back to my first question. Who would be in control of it?"
"So far, no one is, but you are on my list."
"Me?"
"Yes, but I am still not convinced."
"On what?"
She then stands up, circling me as she talks, like she was inspecting me from every angle, like livestock. A shivering sensation went up my spine.
"What I see in front of me, is a woman who doesn't know her place yet in this galaxy. Someone who was told that they would accomplish great things, but doesn't quite know what that is yet."
"You got all of that just from looking at me?"
"That ring is not a fitted size, it's adjustable, making me think it's a sort of heirloom. Nekomon culture uses rings like that as a symbol of adulthood. Each is different depending on which clan it belongs to and considering your heritage and name, I know enough already."
"My heritage?"
"You're a Nassan. You were born into a family whose shadow dwarfs the mother planet herself. You are the inventors of Starfire. The very engine that brought us to where we are now. You have to fight with every inch of your body to make yourself known in a family of achievers. You're just like me."
Like reuniting with a long-lost twin, she smiles as she looks back at the mural. I don't get it. What does she mean by me being like her? We are nothing alike. I don't even know her.
"You seem to know a lot about me." I say.
"Well yes. I am required to when picking out the best."
At that moment, she pulls out her gun concealed on her leg under her dress. The sudden action makes me jump back with my hands at the ready. The pistol was jet black but is made of some kind of metal I don't recognize. The barrel had several displays with words written on them but I couldn't make out what they were saying. She inspects it as she talks, walking back down the hallway with me in tow.
"Follow me." She says.
She turns the corner and starts to accelerate her walking, forcing me to keep up. We are now walking further into the castle. Here I start to experience everything this building has to offer. The walls tower high into the air and the rest of the building starts to open up. She walks through an open door and we arrive at an open balcony running alongside the castle. We were located on the other side of the building so the city was no longer along the backdrop. Instead, there was an expanse of rolling hills strengthening as far as the eye can see. A row of mountains sat along the horizon with the tallest peak partially covering the mother planet, Sulis, as it fades into the horizon. Along the balcony, against the building, sat rows upon rows of flowers and plants of all kinds of different patterns and colors. The arrangement was a strong stimulation of the senses as I observe every planet we pass. It was so overwhelming that I stopped myself without realizing it and just stared into one of them. It was a beautiful shade of purple, vivid and bright for all to see. Cadence notices and turns around. She stands next to me and observes the flower.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She says.
"What is it?"
"This species normally resides on the southern hemisphere of this moon. A purple Haliford"
"Oh."
"My growers brought them up here this past season. They look to be thriving."
"They sure do."
"Do you want one?"
"Want one?"
In a quick motion, she pulls back her sleeve on her left arm, revealing another metal sleeve in its place. It is small but bulky and was fitted snugly around her arm. A battery was attached on the side and a yellow light was placed on top. She rotates a knob on the sleeve and the light turns off. A voice plays as it happens.
"Shields offline." it says.
She then turns the knob a little further and closes her fist. A blade ejects out of the bulkier end of the sleeve, hovering over her knuckles. The blade was thin but sharp. She reaches for the flower and grabs it by the stem. Using the blade, in a single motion, she cuts the stem toward the top of the flower. It was a clean cut done with little effort. She opens her hand again and the blade retracks. She turns the knob back and the light comes back on again. Afterward she takes the flower and closes her eyes, smelling it and taking in the aromas.
"Haliford's are famous for their citrus aromas and beautiful colors."
She opens her eyes, takes the flower and places it in my hair.
"It looks good on you." she continues.
She smiles and continues walking as I inspect the flower with my hand. It felt smooth but fragile, like any wrong move would cause me to rip it in half. As we cross the garden, I catch a glimpse of a massive ship hovering in the distance. It falls through the clouds, revealing its glory. It's a bright silver in color and is as large as the Rosa from what it looks like. The entire ship stretched on for miles, though I could grasp the full distance from how far away it was.
"What is that?" I ask.
"That…is my Starfire. My final project."
"It's huge."
"Yes it is. Come."
She continues down the balcony and exits through the hall. We arrive back at the hangar where the shuttle is waiting for us.
"What do you want from me?" I ask we stop at the ship 's ramp.
"A deal. I know you are looking for whoever attacked your family, your captain being one of them."
"He's not my…fine."
"Tomorrow, I am to report to the People's Council on Sulis II. There I am to be named queen."
"Named queen? You aren't just next in line?"
"Yes and no but that's not how it works here. I have to prove myself to the council before being chosen "
"Hmm."
"Prove to me that you have the ability to handle this. Once I am named queen, I'll help you find who tried to hurt you and your family.
"And in return?"
"You help me find who killed mine."
She had this serious look on her. It's a bit off putting, even for a princess. She holds out her hand in hopes of a response from me. I didn't quite know what to think at that moment. My thoughts went back to Phoenix. I'm not letting that happen again. I reach out to shake her hand and she smiles.
"Perfect." She says, shaking my hand.
"What happens now?"
"Everything we know about the attack is being sent to "The Luther" along with the rest of the Rose Fleet. Find the pieces and we'll put the puzzle together."
She walks me back to the shuttle where a guard waits for us. The ship's doors open.
"How would I contact you?"
"You'll come to me directly, I don't want anyone intercepting my transmissions within the castle."
"Alright."
"One more thing."
She turns to me and kisses me on my right cheek. The sudden shock from it causes me to jump back a little as I press my hand against it. Cadence giggles a little before taking a step back.
"It's said a kiss from a princess brings good luck, so I wish that on to you. May our mother Sulis watch over you."
She smiles as a security guard approaches us and calls for me.
"Commander," He says. "Your shuttle is ready."
"Go ahead Demi. We'll talk again soon." Cadence says.
I nod, walk up the ramp. The doors close behind me.