by Leslie Chase
"Who are you?" she demanded. Her voice was strange, like listening to a recording of myself. If I was an arrogant, overbearing bitch, anyway. "And why are you wearing my dress?"
"I'm the double Rofain picked for you," I told her. We were both staring, I realized, looking each other up and down. It was uncanny, seeing someone so exactly like me. "I, uh, I don't know how much you've already figured out."
She muttered something under her breath, and I recognized the tone. It was the one I used to swear in when I was really angry.
"That treacherous old—" She bit off whatever she was going to say, shook her head, and looked at me. "No time for that. I need to know what's happening, and you're the first person I've had to talk to in weeks."
"You first," I said. She looked shocked that someone would tell her what to do, but I met her gaze steadily. "Come on, whatever happened to you happened first. My story will make more sense if I know yours."
With a despairing sigh, Immorata threw herself down into one of the chairs that surrounded the clearing. "Fine, but I don't know much. I was to marry some Acheran warrior-prince as part of a peace treaty. Before he arrived, though, Rofain locked me in this garden. It's a pleasant enough place, and there's a console for ordering food and drink. A perfectly comfortable prison, but still a prison. I suppose that means Rofain didn't want the treaty to hold? Or is this one of my brothers or sisters taking me out of play?"
"I don't know why he's doing this but Rofain is behind it," I said, sinking into a chair opposite her. "Heriam is in on it too. I don't know who else."
"Heriam? I knew she didn't want peace, but this..." Immorata punched the tree next to her and winced, shaking her hand. "Damn it. They can disapprove all they want, it's my choice. I didn't exactly want to marry an Acheran, either — but if it stops a war, well, I'll make that sacrifice."
"They told me that you didn't want the marriage," I said, warming a little to the princess. As vain and spoiled as she was, at least she'd shown a willingness to put the galaxy's needs ahead of her own. "But they said that you'd run off with a lover to some pleasure planet instead of going through with it. That was why they needed me to marry Xendar instead."
"What? But I would never shirk my duty like that!" She gripped the arm of the chair hard enough that her knuckles whitened. I could sympathize, I wanted to hit someone too. "And you'd never succeed. The Acherans wouldn't be satisfied with a casual scan, and you couldn't fool a genetic test, no matter how much you look like me."
Her eyes looked me up and down, a careful examination that almost made me blush. It would have done, if I hadn't realized that I was looking at her the same way. We were alike in a way I couldn't quite believe, but I supposed in a huge galaxy full of planets it would be weird if we didn't have the occasional double out there.
Eventually, Immorata allowed herself to relax with a sigh and a shake of her head.
"You'd better tell me the whole story," she said, and I sighed and started at the beginning. It might only have been a few days, but it felt like a lot more.
Getting it all out took a while, but at least Immorata was a decent listener. I tried to skim over my feelings for Xendar — this was, after all, the woman he was supposed to marry. Just the thought of that made me angry with her, which I knew was completely unfair. It didn't matter how stupid the jealousy was. The idea of her in Xendar's arms sent an irrational flood of fury through my veins.
It wasn't just unfair, it was ridiculous. We looked so alike, I was getting angry at the thought of myself in his arms. That realization was enough to make me lighten up a little as I finished telling the story.
Immorata, on the other hand, had been looking steadily angrier and angrier as I talked. Once I was done, she stood and paced silently. It was probably part of a princess's upbringing, but the look on her face was scary.
"Are, uh, are you okay?" I asked. She whirled as though she'd forgotten that she wasn't alone. And then I saw that it wasn't just anger in her expression. Someone else might not have spotted it, but that was my face too. I knew what was happening on the other side of that expression. Immorata was terrified.
"Neither of us is okay," she said slowly. "Whatever they planned to do with me before, there's only one way forward for Rofain and Heriam now."
I looked at her blankly, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I know you weren't raised to the scheming of the imperial court, and that the technology here is strange to you. But there is no way that you could have fooled the Acheran court. A portable scanner, yes, we can be close enough matches for that. The full tests they'd do once you were there? No. You'd have been spotted instantly, and the whole scheme would have unraveled. There might have been a war, there might not, but Rofain and Heriam couldn't possibly escape the consequences."
It took a second to grasp the implications, but when I did I felt my own face pale. "So that means that the bomb was them covering their tracks. But if they wanted you dead to start a war, couldn't they just have done that instead of getting me involved?"
Immorata looked shocked at the idea, then laughed. "I doubt they even considered that, to be honest. They grew up under my mother's rule, raised to serve the imperial family. That conditioning runs bone-deep and killing me wouldn't be easy for them to do. Especially not when they could keep me confined in luxury instead. Getting you killed in my place works just as well for their plan, and no one inside the empire would ever suspect them of the bombing — they'll look for someone else to blame, and the Acherans are right there."
"While the Acherans will suspect a human faction." I groaned. It made sense. My masquerade couldn't have kept Xendar fooled for much longer anyway, even without the scans revealing me, and Rofain must have known that. But it didn't matter, not if I died on route to Achera.
I remembered what Xendar had told me about the bomb. Even if he'd worked out that I was an impostor, it would have gone off the first time he left hyperspace. He would never have had the chance to tell anyone. It was only because he'd wanted to show me Erdush that we were still alive.
"Cheer up," Immorata said. "You survived, didn't you? And then you made enough of a splash on Erdush that they couldn't kill you outright. Keshiir sounds like a nasty piece of work, but he's a mercenary. No one could possibly pay him enough to take the blame for killing you."
"So now what?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I've read a lot about court intrigue, but this is the first time I've been caught in anything like this. Whatever it is, we have to do something soon."
She paced back and forth, her nervous energy filling the garden. I watched, equally nervous.
"What's the rush?"
She swallowed, closed her eyes, and then looked at me. With a visible effort the princess forced out the words. "The plan's unraveled too far for them to salvage it, so Rofain and Heriam are going to be covering their tracks. As soon as they can find a way to avoid the blame for it, they're going to have to kill us both."
18
Xendar
Waking up was painful. First physically as my body struggled against the paralysis the stunner had left in my muscles, but that I could shrug off. The emotional pain that followed was far worse.
Hope was gone, of course. Gone to her doom, whatever the conspirators behind this had in mind for her. If Keshiir hadn't simply killed her and ended it as soon as he had his hands on her.
The grays' ship was gone as well, the sky empty. At least Hope's plan had worked, and the city was still intact. Her sacrifice hadn't been completely in vain. That did little to make me feel any better though. I would gladly have given up the city for her safety. Which was, of course, why she'd stopped me.
I staggered out of the wreck we'd hidden in, gathering my strength as I headed for the spaceport. I hadn't managed to leave the junkyard before I found myself face to face with a furious Yennifer, though. Her face was white with rage and both her lizardhounds stood at her side. My muscles trembled as I gathered myself — I might not want to fight her, but
if I had to, I intended to win.
"What the fuck?" Yennifer swore, hefting a huge wrench like a club. "You were meant to protect the princess. You should have kept her inside! What in the Eternal Silence's name did you let her go for?"
"I didn't let her do anything," I growled. This was something I really didn't need, feeling as bad as I already did. "She made up her mind to save the city and didn't take no for an answer."
"This rotten city isn't worth a hair on an imperial princess's head, and you know it." Yennifer was practically shouting, the volume making me wince. Her pets were picking up on her mood too, growling at me. I snarled back. Maybe a problem that I could solve by punching would be a good thing.
"I know that she made the wrong choice," I said, trying to stop this from escalating. As satisfying as punching someone would be, I needed Yennifer on my side. "She stunned me and walked out. We can either fight over what's happened or decide what to do next."
For a moment I thought Yennifer would take a swing with her wrench. That would have been that — on edge as I was, I doubted I could have restrained my response.
Perhaps realizing that, she took a step back and lowered the weapon. A mix of relief and disappointment filled me. I wanted to kill someone, but it wasn't Yennifer who deserved my wrath.
"Fuck. If she was that determined to give herself up, she could at least have let me claim the reward," Yennifer said at last. She managed a small smile, and I shook my head, forcing one of my own.
"You're better off without it, honestly," I told her. "I don't think that you'd gain much from being associated with this — this mess."
I felt steadier, stronger. The stun blast was wearing off. Good. My tail still tingled, as did my fingers, but I could move with purpose again. I looked at the human engineer and bared my teeth. "Anyway, if it's money you're looking for, I've got a job for you."
Yennifer glared silently, but she gestured for me to continue.
"I need Nest Four repaired as quickly as possible," I told her. "I don't want waste another second on Erdush. We've already sorted out the parts, but the work will go a lot faster with your help."
Her eyebrows raised. "What's the rush? You're not going to try going after her, are you?"
"My mate is in the hands of villains," I said fiercely. "Of course I'm going after her."
It was almost painful to say that. To call her my mate. It was only as I said it that I realized that I wasn't lying. She might not be the princess I'd been promised, but she was the woman I'd fallen in love with. We'd grown close over our time together, closer than I'd ever expected to feel towards a human princess, and that she'd been forced to lie about who she was didn't change my feelings.
Yennifer hurried to catch up to me as I strode through her junkyard towards our pile of parts. The power exchanger was the heaviest so I started there, lifting it with a grunt of effort and heading for the landing field.
"You're mad," she said. "Okay, fine, you're going after her. How are you going to find her?"
"I bet I know where she is," I told her. "And if she's not there, well, I'll just have to keep looking. I made a promise to keep her safe, and I am an Acheran warrior. We keep our word."
Yennifer made a dubious noise, but still grabbed an armful of components and followed.
"Okay, fine," she said. "You're mad, but I'll help. On one condition."
"I'll pay you enough to get you off world. What more do you need?"
Her laugh wasn't exactly happy, but at least it was enthusiastic. "You're not paying me anything until you get home, and you've just said that you won't do that until you find her. So nope, I'm not counting on ever seeing that cash. I've got something better in mind anyway."
I turned to look down at her, and she grinned up at me. There was something unsettling about her smile, and I knew that I wouldn't like what came next.
"I'm coming with you," she said. That was about as bad as I'd expected. I did not need to take a noncombatant into this mess with me. Before I could say anything, though, she held up her hand. "Hear me out, oh mighty warrior. I can't stay here. Everyone saw Princess Immorata leave my yard, so I'm going to take the blame for the damage the bastards did flushing her out. I'd probably already be in trouble if you weren't here, but no one wants trouble with an Acheran if they can help it."
I looked around. Okay, she had a point. There were more evil looks being thrown her way than I was entirely comfortable with. It would take the mob a little while to build to a truly dangerous level, but I didn't like the look of things. Maybe she would be better off getting off Erdush.
"Plus, well, I still want that imperial pardon," Yennifer continued. "I'm not getting that from you, but if by some miracle you can save Princess Immorata, there's no way she can say no."
That was a little bit more awkward. There would be no pardon, no imperial thanks for this. Reaching the Nest Four, I sighed and let us in. This was going to be a conversation best had in private.
"If you're going to come along, then there's something you need to know," I said. "We can talk while we work."
"She did what?" Yennifer stared appalled. Both the work and the explanation had taken long hours, and it was only when we were nearly done that I finished the story. Partly that was because it was so awkward to talk about. But I also didn't want Yennifer to abandon me with the work unfinished.
I felt a bit bad about that, but Hope needed me. And I'd reach her a lot faster with Yennifer's help — the human turned out to have a gift for engineering that I couldn't dream of matching.
The hyperspace engine hummed to life behind me as I sat up.
"She impersonated an Imperial Princess in order to allow the marriage to go ahead," I said patiently. "The reason she was reluctant to offer you a pardon is that she's not actually a princess and doesn't have any pull at court. Hope was forced into playing the role, that's all."
Yennifer blinked, appalled. I could understand that. The idea of someone impersonating a royal like that was nearly unthinkable. The scans, the checks, they'd be impossible to pass.
Once we'd reached Achera, the disguise would have fallen apart in hours. Minutes. Which meant that she hadn't been intended to reach Achera with me, and that answered the question of who'd planted that bomb. The people who'd sent her on this mission had planned to murder her too.
Me as well, but that didn't bother me nearly as much. Let my enemies come for me, and I'd face them gladly. But when they attacked my mate... that I would never forgive. Only blood could pay for that crime.
"Hey, watch it," Yennifer said sharply. "We need that connector."
Looking down I saw that my hand had tightened enough to dent the component I held. Holding my rage in check, I peeled my fingers back. Fortunately, the part was still usable, if barely. I growled and threw it to Yennifer who snatched it from the air.
"You're no good down here in this mood," she said. "Get to the bridge and get us into space, I'll keep working on the hyperdrive while you get us out into orbit."
"You're still coming?"
Her smile was brittle, but her nod was definite. "Sure. You don't get to hog this adventure to yourself, and I still need to get off this dump. I'm still going to remind you that it's a stupid plan, but that doesn't mean that I have any better ideas."
I pulled myself to my feet and nodded. "That's fair. And... thank you."
She shrugged, looking a little bashful. "Come on. I'm doing this for the money, remember? Not to mention that this is the most exciting thing to happen in my life for years. Plus, the two of you made a cute couple. I kind of want to see if you can make it."
I managed an embarrassed laugh and stepped past her as she crawled into the guts of the hyperdrive. The ship was cramped for me, the ceiling far too low as I pulled myself into the cockpit, and we hadn't had a chance to change the seats out for something I could sit on. But the controls were familiar enough, and the engine started without a hitch. The unsettling feeling of artificial gravity wrapped around me as I aimed us
skyward and we left the landing field of Erdush behind. Good riddance.
Now to hope that I was right. If the conspirators behind the original plan were covering their tracks, then there was only one place they could be taking Hope. It had to be the Shadow of a Forgotten Love.
Either that or Keshiir had killed her as soon as she was out of sight. But I refused to consider the possibility. My mate was alive, and I would rescue her. That was all there was to it.
The question was, how? There was no way that I could get clearance to board the Shadow, more likely I'd be blown out of space on sight. I needed a plan.
If I'd been aboard the Darkfang, it would have been obvious. I could fight my way aboard and rescue Hope. That had been with my warship, though. Nest Four was armed, but nowhere near as well, and the shields wouldn't hold out long against any serious fire. No wonder the verkesh had wanted to make their money on the planet's surface.
Going up against Keshiir's hunter craft would be dangerous and trying a full-on assault against an Imperial Household Ship would be suicide, especially when I didn't have much experience flying the ship. I had to come up with a better plan. Fortunately, I had one last trick up my sleeve, a source of advice that rarely failed me.
The Darkfang AI core plugged into the pilot's console easily. It wasn't an ideal interface, but it was enough to get power to her and soon the Darkfang was filtering through the ship's files. While Yennifer was fixing the hyperdrive, I and my battle AI laid our plans for the assault.
The bright colors of hyperspace flashed around the ship, and then flickered out as we fell into realspace again. The carefully chosen course brought us out closer than was safe to the planet the Shadow of a Forgotten Love orbited, and my hands tensed on the controls. We tumbled closer to the surface as the systems rebooted.
At least this time went smoother than the last, in that no one had planted a bomb designed to explode on our return to realspace. The ship slowly came to life around me and I carefully adjusted our trajectory to avoid a crash without using too much energy. We couldn't afford to be detected, not yet.
