– S C O R P I O N –

The moment the robotic tone sounded on the rooftop I activated the pulse grenade. I tossed it out and a charge fried half a dozen guard on the rooftop. They collapsed while others shot over their corpses and I bolted from the lift behind a statue of the Emperor himself.

I cast a glance at the long platform and raised launchpad. A lone shuttle that hummed in preparation for launch at any moment. I just needed to get damn close enough–a chunk of stone flew off near my head–and not die.

I finally cast my hand down to the heavily protected titanium dagger sheath on my thigh–one of two blades–coated in vanta glass. One nick was all it would take and he could launch himself off into the abyss for all I cared...

I feigned return fire from the right before rolling to the left and taking out two more guards before I pulled a toasted body from the ground and let it take a few rounds. My arms screamed in protest–one deeply wounded–the other bearing most weight. Then I picked off the final few.

When I heard the launch thrusters hum louder I moved into a sprint for the launch platform. 20 metres. Then 10. Before a shot sang through the air and hit me square in the back. The impact threw me to the ground and the gleaming and lethal blade skidded off the edge of the platform. Whatever damage the Vanguard could take was at an end. I felt the bite, its armour barely keeping the burning round from scorching my skin.

I sucked in a breath and dragged myself onto my side catching the shadow that walked toward me leisurely.

I scrambled for the pistol at my side and he merely stepped down on my hand with an audible crunch. I snapped my teeth down and shouted into them. My eyes burned into a pair of black ones that looked happily down at me.

"How easy you always made it..." He uttered over the raging winds. "You simply lay out whatever bait looks most enticing and like a child... you run to it–regardless of all logic or reason." He said calmly as he kicked the gun off the edge too. He levelled the glowing rifle at my head.

"Whatever speech you're prepared can fly off the edge too." I spat back, laying my head down on the platform, exaggerating my exhaustion. Making my weakness seem overwhelming.

He gave me a cruel smile and pushed his heel into my hand further making me snarl into my teeth. If I kicked his feet out now the chances of that round going through my head were too high. But if he died with me it was all worth it... I had one more dagger. One more shot.

"Removing a criminal ruler and a false heir in one evening... wouldn't that be something." He mused as he clicked the safety off and the fusion gun glowed.

"Stop!" A voice called out.

The Emperor did not take his eyes away from me as his daughter stood meters behind with a gun trained on his head. A daughter that should not be on this rooftop. A daughter that shouldn't be in this building at all–

"You forget yourself, daughter." He growled over the winds behind.

"I know how much you value your life so don't cut it short." She snapped.

He laughed loudly. "Don't act like one of them, you don't even know–"

A shot fired out and he flinched. He took his heel off of my hand but did not lower his weapon. I glared at him, resisting every instinct to run my eyes over every inch of Makayla.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be. My troops already have every exit accounted for."

"Then you can join them." Makayla growled as she closed the remaining distance and pressed the barrel against his neck. The anger in his eyes told me enough. He did value his life too much. I slowly got to my feet and flexed my hand. Broken in places.

I disarmed his gun from him in the next breath despite the shards of pain snapping my hand and kicked his knee out from under him. He knelt before me and sneered the way a self glorified bastard would. But the lift dinged once more and another squadron poured out of the glass and levelled sights on us.

"HAULT FIRE!" A guard called.

The Emperor's look turned mocking. "You have no cover and no alternatives, Scorpion. The moment you pull that trigger you sign both your death warrants."

Only then did my eyes flash to Makayla as she stared back at me. Not seeing any options. Not by taking his life and getting to keep our own. Her golden hair was wild and tangled and bloody but she was still as breath taking as she was the moment she had descended those stairs tonight.

"Get in the shuttle." I ordered her.

"Alex?"

"Now." I said calmly as I kept my gun on the Emperor. It was our only hold on their ceasefire and I would keep it as long as I could. For once she listened to me and moved. She did as I asked and opened the hatch and disappeared inside. I exhaled hard.

I yanked him to his feet and pressed the barrel against his head. He grit his jaw and made no move to tempt the kill shot.

"Order them to stand down." I growled in his ear.

He set his jaw and watched the rows of his men wordlessly. I dropped the rifle down and shot him through the foot. His scream of pain did wonders for my rage and adrenaline. His guard only made to scramble closer with guns trained on the platform.

"The next goes through your head." I told him simply bringing it to his temple. He shook in pain and gave a sharp nod. Before snarling out an order to cease and drop arms.

His guards hesitated and I charged the gun at his head, then they dropped their arms quickly before the narrow platform of the launch pad. I calculated their distance–had been carefully drawing us back towards the shuttle before I pulled out the last dagger from my side and barely grazed the back of his neck. Just a whisper.

"Enjoy what remains of your life." I murmured to him as I shoved him away harshly and bolted for the hatch door as he stumbled to the ground.

The metal shut with a heavy clang and the sound of fusion rounds as I turned the lock. The small cockpit was lit in a soft blue and found Makayla strapped into the pilot chair. It was at a mad angle and more 45 degrees than on the floor.

"They taught you space flight?" I demanded.

"Nope." She answered simply as she smashed a large central pad with some words like 'Authorisation' and 'Confirm' before the engines sounded louder than before and I threw myself into the co-pilot seat.

"Makayla did you change the coordinates?" I demanded.

"Nope." She answered again with maddening simplicity. I stared at her as her hands swiped over confirmation of royal identity and I heard gun shots fire into the hull louder. "They won't breach it–it's designed to take far hotter temperatures."

I glanced at her in shock before tightening the harnesses around my chest and clutching my bloody arm. She finally took her eyes off the screen and gave me a silent look before taking my free hand and weaving her fingers through it.

Then the thrusters ignited and I was glad the chair was angled as it was because the force practically sucked us into the ground. We raced upward through the night clouds like a comet. Away from the Emperor. Away from Merridian.

Away from the planet itself.

– M A K A Y L A –

The second I pressed the barrel of the handgun into my father's neck was the second I knew I would take his life if I needed to. Alex watched him on the ground below. Her shirt was shredded and only the deep black armour remained on her torso that looked like it had taken a bomb to it. Pain burned in those golden eyes but she directed all of that towards the Emperor now.

It all moved in dangerous blurs. By the time Alex had his weapon in her hands he was on his knees before her and she had a shot on his head. Panic still managed to flare through me. Terror as I was about to witness my own father's execution at the hands of the woman I loved–

The elevator sang to life at the other side of the roof and units of Imperial guards poured out in formation levelling their rifles.

"HAULT FIRE!"

I turned from them and stared at Alex as she considered this. Taking her shot so cleanly would mean they had no reason to keep us alive and from what I could see Alex couldn't take much more of this. Her arms were smeared in blood and wrapped tightly in a wound I had to hope was treated. The rest of her was a mess of scorch marks and red.

My father sneered with mocking. "You have no cover and no alternatives, Scorpion. The moment you pull that trigger you sign both your death warrants."

Of course she knew this. Her golden eyes flashed to mine in that precious time and it shot a spike of adrenaline through me. If this was the last time I'd meet those eyes I wanted it to be more, closer, touching–

"Get in the shuttle." She said flatly.

"Alex?" I asked, desperately hoping this was not another plan that did not include her.

"Now." She said simply as she readjusted the aim on my father's head. I knew this argument would only cost us time and give my father seconds to plan something far worse. So instead of making this harder, maybe because of the look on Proximo's face I had seen moments before–I moved for the shuttle, opened the hatch and jumped inside.

The small cockpit lit to life in soft blues among the white interior.

I didn't waste time by throwing myself into the pilot's chair and bringing the holo screens to life.

"Identity confirmed. Xavier, Makayla." I thanked every non existent god for the fact that my title still gave me emergency controls.

I swiped quickly at location and destination. I tapped the coordinates that were locked for the space station and it did not change. I tapped at it again and the numbers glared back at me unchanging. Well, shit if we didn't get ourselves killed we were going to the Imperial space station. A desolate and sterile, metal ring that cruised around orbit.

I had never been but I knew it had supplies. Enough to last years and enough for me to fix up whatever damage they had done to Alex.

I heard the door open quickly and slam shut followed by fusion shots. I tapped faster now and activated the launch sequence. I was happy to hear the thrusters activate and it was still as easy to launch–even ten year old me could have done it.

"They taught you space flight?" Alex asked incredulous as she threw herself into the tilted seat next to mine.

"Nope." I said simply, confirming the last identity scans as I went.

"Makayla did you change the coordinates?" She demanded in panic now.

"Nope." I replied, resisting the urge to smile. There was no point in explaining yet why this was largely okay that we were about to leave the atmosphere. When I heard more shots hit the outer hull I said, "They won't breach it–it's designed to take far hotter temperatures".

That did not seem to calm her heavy, panicked breathing so I looked at her then and reached out to take her hand that was not clutching her injury. Some of the fear left her eyes as she watched mine closely. Then the thrusters burned below us loudly and we were pressed tightly against out seats.

It was almost funny how much I trusted this shuttle and design to safely take us to the station–more than I did trusting a parachute at 15,000 feet out of a Falcon.

"Breathe, Alex. Think of one of your military jets... just a bit higher."

She snorted as she watched the main visor in front of us cut through the last of the clouds and present us with the clear night sky beyond. The stars called back to us.

"It may come as a surprise to you, but I have never left that city before–let alone the planet. Interstellar travel was meant to be banned." She said through her measured breathing and the force pulling down against our bodies.

"It is to everyone that doesn't build space stations." Makayla said, watching the stars calmly.

It's true they cut off space travel after the wars. The scramble for resources on other planets and the lack of control to keep order under any of it. There had to be limits. The airspace was already much too crowded and littered... only the rich dared to quietly get their own emergency stations in orbit now.

The shuttle began to rattle and shake as the upper atmosphere clawed at us in heat trying to keep us in its grip. The heat was bright against the glass, burning white hot and then orange and gold. We both stared as the shaking increased and Alex's hand tightened around mine.

Finally we burst through and the shaking instantly stopped. Endless black presented itself beyond dotted with countless stars beyond. I saw Alex stare in wonder at them and lean forward. I smiled as a strand of her dark hair came loose from her braid and floated effortlessly like it would in water.

She flinched back into reality and then plucked it back behind her ear. She shook her head at me. "Here I was thinking I had so much to show you... then you take us into space."

"Technically this was your great plan." I grinned back at her.

She moved to unclip her harness and winced. I also came back into reality and saw the extent of her injuries. I swiftly unclipped my own and carefully hopped over her seat with no gravity. I pushed her shoulders gently back and stared into her eyes deeply.

"Stay. I need to fix you up before we dock." I said simply as she gave me an amused but pained look.

"Yes, ma'am."

I bounced lightly, careful not to use too much momentum as I drifted towards the back of the shuttle and tapped a small square pad. The white cabinet slid open soundlessly and I pawed through various packs and food supplements until I found the aid kit.

I slid it carefully shut and moved back to her. She still stared out at the stars as the shuttle positioned us into orbit. It would spin us into direct view of the dark side of the earth in a few minutes and that really would be a sight. But priorities first.

I set the kit down behind me on the panel and watched it try to float away. I suppose there was no down anymore... I turned back to Alex and she watched me set myself over her and try to hook my leg through a chair arm–

Amid the struggle she saw me trying to avoid touching her injuries she set her good arm behind my lower back and held me secure to the chair. She chuckled as she watched me search through the aid pack.

"This should be interesting." She said dryly.

"Why is that?" I murmured, as I grabbed a bottle of anti-infection liquid.

She eyed the bottle and then me and smiled without saying anything. I rolled my eyes and placed a hand to hold her jaw and her gaze.

"A little faith from my patient please."

"I trust you entirely. Not so much the lack of gravity." She smirked as I squeezed the bottle and clear droplets floated annoyingly out. I took a swab cloth and caught them against it. After a few attempts most was absorbed much to Alex's amusement.

"Would you stop smirking like a little child." I demanded half-heartedly.

"I'm dying of blood loss because Makayla spent my last moments catching bubbles–"

I made to hit her but decided against it at the last second. She grinned wider until I pulled away her bandage and pressed it tightly into the wound. Then her teeth grit shut and she stared out past me to the stars again. I hated seeing her in pain like this but distraction was better than nothing. When I pulled it back and saw the half ass job the clotting powder had done, I soaked it in the stuff again before slowly pressing it down against the deep wound I could only imagine a fusion gun had done. It was as wide as my finger–like it had scrapped against her arm, burning as it did.

Agony must have been ripping through her. Kartuga had no issue howling out his lungs when I did this. While she stared into the depths of space beyond with suppressed pain in her eyes, I dipped my head close to her and placed my lips on hers lightly.

I felt her slight shock coming away from whatever thoughts made her handle pain. But she smiled against my lips and ran her hand up against the silk of my dress, bringing me closer as she returned it and claimed my lower lip. I drew back and shook my head.

"That was not meant to lead to more." I scolded her. But my own body heated relentlessly despite my words.

"I like your distraction technique." She said simply, leaning back into the chair. "You can't blame me for committing to it."

I laughed lightly as I slowly removed the disinfectant from her arm. It looked just as angry red and bloody but at least it was not blackened and covered in grime now. "Where else does it hurt?" I asked.

She pointed directly onto her lips shamelessly and I rolled my eyes to the stars. Her light laughter filled the small space of the shuttle and I fought my smile as I looked her over for her injuries. I found small cuts and scrapes on her skin and smoothed over them with the swab carefully cleaning as I went.

"That feels nice." She commented as I carefully brushed the tenth mark I found and cleaned it.

"Being cleaned with disinfectant?" I asked with doubt. "It must feel like I'm burning your cuts."

"Not, quite. They're not bad... and you're careful." She answered quietly. I leaned up from my work and caught her watching me. I'm not sure why my face heated under her stare. So I busied my hands again.

"I need to see under your armour."

"Can you at least buy me dinner first?" She asked with a lazy smile.

"I can get you two sachets of nutrient rich paste under the stars?" I answered easily.

"You have yourself a deal. I need your blade." She said as she pulled herself forward slowly from the chair.

"What about yours?" I said reaching for the shining sheath on her thigh. Her hand quickly moved and stopped mine. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"That is not a good idea. Unless you have anti-venom for a Vanta fish at hand."

My mouth dropped open as I stared at the gleaming titanium sheath in disbelief. "You–your blade is–" I shook my head and raised my hand to the sheath on my chest with the throwing knife. "I don't even want to know where you get these things..."

"I don't normally go in for poison." She said like we were talking about dresses. "But it worked when I needed it to", she said with heavy meaning watching me. It took me a heartbeat to realise the reason I heard no gunshot on that launchpad. Why she needed to get into the shuttle so quickly.

"So he's really dead." I said emotionless.

Alex nodded her head confirming that my father had taken the venomous blade. It was not the shock I thought it would be. But my mind was likely tucking away things today for a good reason. So instead of answering her I carefully drew my blade and looked at the complicated piece of armour over her torso.

"You were shot so many times..." I murmured, brushing a hand over the scorch marks.

She rubbed her hand against my back reassuringly. "Nothing we weren't prepared for."

I shook away the thoughts. "Where am I cutting?"

"Under the arms where a thin line of fabric should connect. Run the blade along it, we should be able to–" I lifted her damaged arm carefully and she winced. "–peel it off both sides." She huffed as I ran the blade along the thin seam as instructed.

It took a few tugs as the throwing knife was not as sharp as I would have liked...

"Kartuga's blade." Alex noted with surprise watching the metal work in my hand. "How did you convince him to part with that?"