“Somewhat,” Vonsse replied with a nervous glance at his first officer. “That all depends on the reception when we return to Ghowrn.” To Ellie he added, “Does your vessel still have room for three additional passengers?”
“It does,” she said with a look around. “We need to make a stop on Earth first.” She turned to Bethany with a smile. “Just, you know, don’t tell anyone I’m an alien.”
“Excuse me?” Bethany eyed her suspiciously. “You think I’m going back?”
“Yeah, I figured you’d want to.”
“Are you kidding me? Ellie, you’re a freaking alien. We’re on a spaceship. What part of I wouldn’t miss this for anything do you not understand?”
“Um, how about we’re headed into war?”
“All the more reason why you need a friend at your side.”
“Well we still have to… Richard?” Ellie turned to her stepfather next, but he shook his head.
“I go where my wife goes.”
“Well Vito then…” Ellie began, but trailed off with a lopsided grin when he shook his head.
“Gertie’s got the joint under control. I’ve been on the run for too long, kiddo. I ain’t expecting a warm welcome, and Earth has become my home, but I don’t wanna live the rest of my days looking over my shoulder and Earth’s on the radar now. The way I see it, helping to reinstate a fair system of government should win me a couple of brownie points even if this knucklehead goes back on his word.”
“All right then,” Ellie said, displaying the star map on the main screen. “I guess we’re headed to the Ghowrn system. All of us.”
Epilogue
It was strangely unnerving, the way the wires and filaments snaked across his body unassisted, diagnosing and correcting damages done by the exposure to the elements. The stark and unnatural silence reminded Ellie too much of the last moments she spent with her step-grandmother on Earth, after the machines that had always provided background noise for her visits had been turned off. The memory cast a shadow over her heart and her mind ran away with dark thoughts of final goodbyes.
“I know you’re in there,” she murmured, daring to take his hand in hers. “I still don’t need you to protect me, but dammit, Julian, I need you.”
She pulled her hand away, not daring to allow the entirety of her emotional distress to be communicated while he was in such a vulnerable state. It was bad enough that he’d sustained damage. He didn’t need to experience the pain of her irrational thoughts as well.
A quiet tone alerted her that she was no longer alone with Julian. She turned to see her father standing just outside the door. She acknowledged him with a nod, stepping back from Julian’s form as the door slid noiselessly away.
“El’iadrylline, may I have a quick word?”
“Of course, but we really need to work on not being so stiff and formal,” she chided, noting the way her father’s demeanor changed abruptly the day before, right after they’d released the crew of Svoryk’s ship from quarantine.
“That’s actually one of the things we need to talk about,” he said with an expression of apology. “I’m afraid there are some customs and practices amongst our people, both the Eidyn and those of the Ghowrn Alliance, that you may find strange and dare I say frustrating.”
“What else is new?” Ellie asked, rolling her eyes.
“You’re royalty, Ellie,” her father said with a chuckle. “The role you play may differ wildly from that of princesses past, but you’ll still be expected to act a certain way, and yes, this includes certain formalities.”
“I understand,” Ellie said with a groan.
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes at her father.
“Just because I understand it, doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
El’iadryov chuckled softly and shook his head. “Your mother would blame your Earth upbringing, but only because she won’t admit your stubbornness is a trait inherited from both sides. No, I suspect you’re already building your own personal rebellion against that which you may perceive as unjust. I do not wish to coerce you into abiding without question.”
Ellie raised her eyebrows and crossed to the panel on the wall, checking to make sure their conversation was indeed private. She’d waited until her mother and friends had gone to sleep before sneaking down to medical, but clearly, she wasn’t the only one about. “Don’t you though?”
“No, Ellie. I know you. I may have been absent for the entirety of your growth, but I know your heart and I can say with pride that none have been as deserving to carry the Kyroibi as you. But you must understand, this in itself is enough to make you a target for those whose goals are not as honest. I needn’t remind you that politicians are universally dualist.”
“I thought the Kyroibi’s draw was only damaging to those who firsthand witnessed its potential?”
“The addiction, yes, but Ellie, surely you understand that even rumors of such potential will always attract those guided by greed.”
“Fantastic.” Ellie sighed. “You realize that once this is over, I’m through. The council can appoint another to keep safe our history.”
“What I realize is that you underestimate the scope of the Huptsovian Empire and the legacy it leaves. The war is not over, Ellie. Svoryk was a pawn, but there are plenty of others who will rise up to take his place.”
“No, unfortunately, that is something I realized,” Ellie countered. “I will fight, but I will fight for what I know to be right, not what is accepted as status quo.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
“What is it then?” Ellie asked, noting that while her father seemed to beam at her with pride, there was a worry he wasn’t bothering to try and shield.
“There is…” He hesitated a moment, eyes darting back to Julian’s still form. “…another matter which may be of concern.”
“Julian?” Ellie asked, following her father’s eye movements. “That he was Svoryk’s assassin?”
“Not exactly,” El’iadryov said, clearly trying to hide something and displaying discomfort because of it. “His role as commander of the Eidyn army’s limitless battalion is known to our people. That he was temporarily reassigned to the Empire cannot be held against him as he is a construct with no abstractive root. However, that…”
Again, El’iadryov faltered, but he didn’t have to say anything more. Ellie understood completely.
“He’s an artificial construct,” she repeated, the words bitter on her tongue. “Without the capability to think or feel on his own. My…” She fumbled for a word that conveyed her feelings with neutrality. “My… attachment is unnatural, isn’t it?”
“It is not something that will be readily accepted,” her father admitted.
“I’m not looking for acceptance.” Ellie noted, the restless feeling in her growing at the thought that not only was she expected to comply with customs that were not hers, but that she would not be granted the same courtesy. “On Earth, people with different skin color, born under the same government, were not allowed to marry up until a few decades ago. People of the same gender only just won the same right and I don’t even want to tell you what kinds of strife and adversity they face. Even with laws, there are those who pass judgment or worse, act criminally against those who would dare to look beyond the superficial and see love. Yet we still love. We still fight. And we will continue to do so because love is a cause worth fighting for. Don’t you dare think for a moment that I’m going to change my beliefs simply because I’m going to another planet.”
“I understand, Ellie, and I am not telling you that your feelings are wrong. I cannot. I would not. But there are many who would. I expect if you made your intentions known, there are plenty who will.”
“Then I have one more battle to win, don’t I?”
“So it seems. I just…” Again, there was a concern in her father’s expression that he tried to mask. “I wish you victory, Ellie. In all your battles.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
With one last look at the still form in the middle of the room, El’iadryov left his daughter to her privacy.
“Stubborn as always, aren’t you?”
Julian’s words, a mere whisper of crystal leaves, tickled her ear as she turned. The sight of him, eyes open and half sitting up opened a floodgate of emotion that she didn’t bother to try and mask as she rushed to his side.
“I prefer the term fiercely independent,” she joked, leaning in to touch the tip of her fingers to the diodes over his heart.
“Of that there is no doubt,” he said with a smile in his voice, despite the frown on his face. “But your father is correct. You are about to face a level of scrutiny that no amount of fame on Earth has prepared you for.”
“I meant what I said to my father, Julian. I’m not afraid to fight for what I believe in.”
At that he smiled and sat up fully, leaning in to brush his lips over hers.
“And is this what you believe in?”
“More than anything,” she whispered, sending a torrent of unspoken emotion between them.
“Even though I am an artificial construct?”
“Is this artificial?” She leaned in closer, placing her entire palm flat against the diodes on his chest, feeling the strong, steady rhythm beneath the surface. “Can you tell me in all honesty that you feel nothing?”
“You know I cannot, because I do,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “The physical manifestation of my emotional state cannot be reconciled by logic, but that doesn’t change what I am.”
“No, but I suspect you’re more than you know,” she whispered, grazing his lips with the mere shadow of a kiss before pulling away, leaving an empty ache within the both of them. “Well, when you’re better, come find me. We have much to plan.”
“Plan?” Julian asked, reaching out as she stood, breaking their contact.
“We’ve a galaxy to save, Julian,” she said with a wink. “But I still intend to do so one life at a time.”
Ellie’s adventures will continue in The Princess Rebellion, The Kyroibi Trilogy Book #2.
A Note from the Author
Thank you very much for reading the first book of what began as a joke with the working title of “Princess Robot Commander.” Though the journey was long, with many stops and starts along the way, I am pleased to have been able to finally give voice to Ellie, who hasn’t always been the most patient character as she waited her turn for publication. As with all my books, I cannot take sole responsibility, so I’d like to acknowledge the following people:
To begin, I credit the tenacity of my cousin Jacqui. She was the one who insisted that Princess Robot Commander needed to be written. Though the name changed, the spirit remains.
Often, authors are too close to the story and do not realize that what is in our heads is not always clear to the reader. That the story, which suffered many rewrites, makes sense at all is thanks to the keen eyes of fellow authors G. G. Atcheson, Ben Mariner, and J. Daniel Layfield, who took the time to beta read and let me know when I’d strayed into my own head.
For this cover, I wanted to do something that hearkened back to the sci-fi paperbacks I loved as a child, meaning my own limited artistic skills would not do. Fortunately for me, Missy Sheldrake’s artistic talents brought Ellie to life in a way that was more than I could have asked for. The level of detail she added, including many hidden gems that can only be seen in the full paperback cover, is amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with the next installment.
I always thank my husband for his help, support, and insight, but this time I have to add an apology along with my gratitude as he has had to listen to me bemoan this particular book for several years. Thank you for putting up with my whining.
And of course, as always, thank you for taking a chance on an indie book. I can only hope Ellie’s space adventures have been and continue to be as enjoyable to read as they were to write.
For a listing of all of my books, check out (and consider following) my author page on Amazon. For information on new releases, upcoming projects, or to read my sporadic musings on life, check out my website, Vampires and Robots. For monthly free books by up and coming indie authors, consider subscribing to my newest site, Bookworms Discover. For less seriousness and more interaction, feel free to follow me on Twitter or Facebook, where I try to be captivating and engaging, but mostly I just tell terrible jokes.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
A Note from the Author
A Space Girl from Earth (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 1) Page 25
