The next three days passed slowly, dragging on longer than Xaleyp could have ever expected. It took him awhile to fully comprehend that Lina was gone. Each time he woke up, he expected to be back at Vertyn and walk out to the common area to meet her. He couldn’t take his mind off her, the conversations they used to have, the playful arguments between them over something stupid, the fun and enjoyment, despite the Hyperion’s domination. None of that would happen again. He would never see Lina again.

However, with comprehension did not come forgiveness or acceptance. The Arcadians attacked with reckless abandon, that much was clear. He came to realize they were the ones that were to blame. They were the ones that killed Lina, not him, and it was this fact that he repeated to himself over and over again in the back chamber of the transport. They didn’t care about who lived or died. They didn’t care about the consequences of their actions. He would personally make sure they came to understand those consequences, regardless of how long it took.

“You must trust her.” That’s what the voice said in his vision. If it meant Lina, that would make it a moot point, but somehow, he didn’t think it meant her anymore. Not now that she was gone. The memory came only one more time during the time on the transport. One of the first days after they left. It had taken him by surprise, just after one of the trips Mian made back to get something to eat. She gave him a look before she left, and he was sure she noticed the sudden pain he was in, but said nothing. Now, all signs led him to believe it was definitely talking about Mian, but why? What was so special about her? Why did he need to trust her?

He mostly kept to himself as the days passed, unable to look anyone in the eye. His CAM only contained so many streams and, after reading through it the dozenth time, the history book grew old and stale. It made him wish he kept more fiction downloaded to the chip, but there was only so much storage space. Every now and then, he would walk around the room to keep the blood flowing and give him something to do other than sit around on the bunk. The conversations he had with any of them were hurried and terse. They avoided any mention of Vertyn and Lina, mostly relaying to him how long until they would arrive. He was fine with that. He didn’t really want to talk to them, anyway.

“Three days and seventeen hours until we reach Arcadia,” Redman told him an hour or so after they left. He left the room immediately afterwards, not wanting to stay and chat.

“About two days,” Mian told him. The notes of sympathy were strongest in her voice. “Give or take a couple of hours. Maybe you could join us out here for a little bit? I promise we won’t bite.”

He didn’t. Sometimes he would venture out into the main chamber, but those times were few and far between. Mostly, it was to clear up the bunks if the others needed time to sleep, at which point there was more room outside the small chamber. He could see the hurt in Mian’s eyes when she would try to talk to him, and he responded curtly. She didn’t seem to understand that he didn’t want to speak with anyone.

“One day, two hours.”

The Emperor was the most blunt, acting as if nothing had ever happened. His entire attitude had seemed to change to Xaleyp from the first two times they talked. Where once he was somewhat jovial and upbeat, he now seemed more reserved and standoffish, as if the slightest affront would set him off. He walked in circles within the center of the transport for hours at a time. Sometimes he muttered to himself. Other times, his eye twitched as he accessed his CAM. Anything he looked at would’ve had to be downloaded before they left. No communications could reach them in hyperspace.

Finally, Captain Redman came back to relay to him another update.

“Seven minutes until we drop out of hyperspace. The Emperor would like a word with you.”

Xaleyp nodded, but he said nothing. After a couple of minutes, he stood up from the bunk, his knees protesting from sitting for so long. The door separating him from the rest of them hissed as it slid open. Sitting down and looking at a datapad with a stylus was Mian. It gave him a sudden flashback to Lina, the day before it happened. She was drawing something new. He never found out what it was, or why she hid it when he came in. He shook his head and pushed the thought aside as a pang of guilt went through him. There was nothing he could do about it now. Redman leaned against the wall just around the corner of the door. His eyes focused intensely on the floor, moving ever so slightly to use his CAM. The Emperor continued his habitual pacing in the center of the room. He kept his eyes on the window to the side, watching the stars streak past. All three looked up when the door opened.

“Ah, Xaleyp.” The Emperor walked over to Xaleyp and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “It’s good to see you. Did you sleep well?”

“As well as I could.” He brushed the hands aside. “So what’s the plan?”

“Well, first, I should tell you more.” The Emperor sat next to Mian and folded his hands in front of him. She looked sideways at him for a moment before returning to the datapad. “I didn’t have an opportunity to explain exactly what is going on here, and now’s as good a time as any.

“The Arcadians are fighting for independence, like I said in the rally the other day. General Ganex was one of my most trusted generals, but I recently discovered he is a spy for Arcadia. I regret that I let him get so close to me, but such is life. I wanted to stop this rebellion in its tracks, so I let him leak information to the Arcadians. I wanted him to know I was going to be at Vertyn. I wanted the Arcadians to attack. I wanted to prove that Hyperia was still the galactic power it once was. Unfortunately, I underestimated them. But not anymore.”

“Sir, I hate to interrupt, but what does that have to do with me?” Xaleyp felt the anger rising back up inside of him. How dare he just blatantly say he didn’t care what happened to anyone at Vertyn? He had friends there, and one already died because of his arrogance. Keith, Caster, Oliver, all left behind with who knew what happening to them. How could the Emperor just act as if they were nothing but fodder, a means to an end?

“It’s important to understand the past to prepare for the future. Hyperia has fallen. I received reports before we left that the rest of our empire is under siege as we speak. Now, we must start our own rebellion, a resistance, if you will.”

“Why?” Xaleyp scoffed. “Empires rise and fall all the time. If this is Hyperia’s time to go, it’s their time.”

The Emperor stood and had his hand around Xaleyp’s throat before he could react. Mian yelled out at the sudden attack but didn’t stand. The cold metal wall stung against his flesh. He fought for every breath. The man’s hand stayed strong, even as Xaleyp tried to claw it open.

“My ancestors built the Hyperion Empire and made into what it is today. I am not giving it up just because some pretenders think it’s okay to usurp my throne.” The Emperor released his grip on Xaleyp and took a deep breath. He patted the boy’s shoulder gently. “I understand if you don’t want to help. But if you don’t stand with me, you stand in my way, and you will be disposed of.”

“One minute to drop,” the pilot said. “I suggest everyone take their seats. It may get a little bumpy.”

The Emperor continued staring at Xaleyp for a few seconds before returning to the seat. Mian watched him every step of the way, her eyes piercing into him. Xaleyp massaged his neck then sat down. The straps fastened around him, pulling him tight to the seat.

“Now, listen up, everyone,” the Emperor said. He cleared his throat several times before speaking again. “Once we drop out of hyperspace, it is important that no one knows who we are, where we came from, what we’re doing. Our objective is to get in touch with my contact, then we’ll go from there. You will not refer to me as Emperor, lord, or anything else you may be comfortable calling me. You will call me Seth or Mister Drake. I am no longer an Emperor, and it is better for you to forget about that.”

“Five seconds. Everyone hold on. Three. Two. One.”

The ship jerked as it fell out of hyperspace. Through the window was a planet familiar to Xaleyp from his classes. The southern hemisphere was mostly a large swath of yellow and brown of desert with a massive dust storm working its way across, wreaking havoc. To the north were gentler greens and grays of the jungle and mountains that had not been tapped for resources, cutting the land into large, jagged sections. Around the entire planet’s midsection was a ring of dust and particles, slowly orbiting the planet, with the far section bathed in shadow. Without a doubt, it was Arcadia.

Around the planet was a combination of defensive military ships and civilian transports and cargo freighters. A dock was in orbit for repairing larger ships or searching suspicious ones before allowing them access. Most of the ships were motionless as they waited for clearance. Some smaller boarding craft moved to the larger civilian ships to take a closer look at their cargo.

“Sir, I’m being hailed.” The pilot turned in his seat as the ship continued forward at a steady pace. “What do I tell them?”

“Tell them you’re transporting a group of four individuals from Venator negotiating a trade contract with ArcDefense Corporation. We expect to be on the planet for seventy-two hours, at which point we will depart.” As he said the words, he went to the back room and returned with four sets of synthetic clothing. They were somewhat transparent, and the shape was hard to focus on. “Modular Fabric suits. Put them on over the clothes you’re wearing, and it will turn into whatever you think of through your CAM. Make it something professional looking but inconspicuous.”

Xaleyp changed his Fabric into a black dress robe with a hexagon pattern covering it, giving it the appearance of a dark beehive. Next to him, Mian changed hers into a flowing, dark blue dress with skin tight sleeves covering down to her wrists. He couldn’t help but think that she looked beautiful in it, the way it hugged her body. He quickly pushed the thought away, shaking his head slightly. Definitely not the time. Seth and Redman both chose plain black suits with black ties. Yeter continued to wear his pilot suit.

“Oh, and Xaleyp.” Seth moved close to him. He held out a necklace with a silver chain and stars, phoenix, crown, and spade interlocked. It was his father’s pendant. “I believe this is yours. I had it taken off Ire before we shipped out his… body.”

There was a slight hesitation in the words, as if he couldn’t believe that Ire was dead. Xaleyp didn’t pay much attention, though. He took the necklace with shaking hands. When he ran a finger over the insignia, the metal was cold to the touch but smooth. He slipped the chain around his neck, letting the symbol hide behind his Fabric.

“Thank you, sir.” Xaleyp didn’t know what else to say. How had he not thought about asking for it before they dragged Ire off? He almost lost it forever, and it didn’t even cross his mind. It felt right having it against his chest. It was like having his dad there with him.

“Don’t mention it. I figured it’s better back in the hands of its rightful owner.”