“I said, can I have your attention.”
No “please” this time, and her voice has gotten louder. Sounds to me like the princess is a little put out, and I sort of expect her to start stamping her feet at any moment. Her bare feet.
I barely resist the urge to laugh.
From her spot near the console, Beckett turns around, a slight smile on her face as she looks at the princess. But it’s not a nice smile, and it doesn’t reach those cold yellow eyes of hers.
She may have been a prisoner, but there’s a good chance she could be completely innocent. While she doesn’t look innocent, I know that along with political prisoners, some of the “experimental subjects” on the Caelestis were bought from the raiders. The raiders are illegal, at least officially, but as far as I can tell, they move around the system unhampered. I’m guessing they serve a useful purpose doing anything that the Ruling Families or the Corporation want done but don’t want to be seen doing themselves.
Anyway, a lot of the prisoners have committed no crimes, have done nothing at all other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I should know. That was Milla, Max, and me ten years ago. Eventually we got away, but not everyone is so lucky.
And now Milla is a prisoner again.
But we will get her back. Anything else is unacceptable. We just need a new plan—one that doesn’t involve Princess Stick-Up-Her-Ass calling all the shots. Or any shots, for that matter.
But the longer I sit here, the itchier this uniform gets. I hate the damn thing anyway—not only is it made of the worst material, it’s also a mark of subservience to a regime I despise. It’s long past time I got rid of it.
I do a quick scan of the panel on the arm of my chair. There’s nothing buzzing or flashing, so I presume everything is working as it should. I get to my feet and grab my bag from the floor, considering changing in here, but I don’t want my princess to get too excited—or to give the little girl in white a heart attack—so I head for the exit.
“Hey, I was talking!” the princess exclaims as I walk right by her into the corridor. “Where are you—”
The door slides closed, cutting her off mid-word—which isn’t satisfying at all.
Now that I’m alone, I quickly strip off my weapons and uniform. I pull my own clothes out of the bag and am dressed again in minutes. I slip the knife into the sheath at the small of my back, another into my left boot, one under my jacket, and then strap the laser pistol back around my waist and tie it at my thigh.
I feel better once I’m in my own clothes. More like myself.
When I stroll back into the room, the princess does a double take, her eyes widening. She clearly still likes what she sees, though you wouldn’t know it from the scowl on her face. It’s a subtle thing.
Surprisingly, it looks like she somehow managed to get everyone else’s attention when I was changing. Nice of her to save me the trouble.
But before I can say anything, she clears her throat. “I was just telling everyone that we need to head directly to Askkandia.”
“That’s one idea,” I say conversationally as I give her a deliberately slow smile, just because I know it will piss her off. She’s a lot easier to argue with—and get the better of—when she’s angry. “Too bad it’s not happening, Princess.”
“What do you mean? Of course it’s happening. What else would happen?” She pauses for a moment, studying me like she’s trying to figure me out. It’s all I can do not to laugh and tell her that’s not going to happen, either.
But then she gives another one of those scary smiles of hers and continues. “I can assure you that you will be compensated for taking me home. My mother will pay very generously for my return.”
This time, I do laugh. Max and I are wanted on every planet in Senestris—probably even the dead ones. The second we step foot on Askkandia—especially with the Empress’s daughter—we’ll get tossed in a cell. Which will be followed by a very rapid execution, I’m sure. And that’s only if the Empress is in a generous mood because we returned her baby girl to her.
If she’s not…well, if she’s not, we’ll probably get handed over to Doc V’s minions for her experiments. I know a good captain’s supposed to go down with the ship, but there’s nothing good about her. Besides, people like her don’t die that easily. I’d bet a lot of planetas she’ll be back in business in no time, trying to save Senestris by making sure no one who isn’t part of the Ruling Families is actually safe.
It’s total fucking garbage, but I don’t bother sharing this with the princess when she probably knows it all already. Instead, I settle for, “I’ve got other plans.”
“You mean this friend of yours? Milla?” She takes a deep breath, and her smile is more genuine this time. “I promise you, if you get me back safely, my mother will help you find your friend.”
Beckett snorts. “Is she for fucking real?” she asks the ship in general before looking straight at the princess. “Are you for fucking real? I mean, do you actually believe the shit you’re spouting, or is this all part of the good-little-princess act you’ve got going on?”
The princess’s mouth gapes open like she’s a fishgalen in search of a hook, but I’m not paying her all that much attention right now. No, I’m more focused on Beckett, who suddenly seems a lot more lucid than she did when she first arrived. Sure, she’s got a twitch in her left hand she can’t control and a weird-ass way of blinking that freaks me out, but she’s calling the princess on her shit, and that is something I can definitely get behind.
“You really think your mummy won’t kill us because she’s such a nice, kind lady who likes to help people in need?”
“I know exactly who and what my mother is,” the princess answers, which isn’t an answer at all. “And she will take care of all of you if you bring me home.”
Beckett snarls, leaning forward like she’s ready to tangle with the princess. But then she winces.
She rubs the back of her skull and closes her eyes for a moment. Then she shakes her head and turns away. She walks to the nearest seat and lowers herself into it, once again closing her eyes like it hurts too much to keep them open.
I don’t know what to make of it—or her. Either she was hurt in the explosions or—and this seems more likely—she’s suffering the aftereffects of one of Doc V’s experiments. I almost feel sorry for her. Doesn’t mean I’ll take any shit from her if she decides to direct it at me instead of the princess over there, though.
Speaking of which, the princess is staring at Beckett with her mouth hanging open. Has she been rendered speechless? I somehow doubt it, but I suspect she’s led a sheltered life and probably thinks everyone loves her because she’s a fucking princess. Now, she’s coming face to face with the real world. And guess what—I don’t feel even vaguely sorry for her.
The guy in the white robe stands up. “I think we should head to Serati. We need to return the high priestess to the safety of the monastery.”
“High Priestess?” I ask, focusing on the girl with him for the first time.