by Luna Hunter
Finally, a moment’s peace.
Having to pretend I am still that casual, happy-go-lucky guy I’ve always been is harder than I thought.
The constant flirting with Takara helps alleviate my stress, but I had a rough night.
In fact, every night since I’ve been back has been rough. Not a single one goes by where I don’t find myself back in confinement, back in the Leviathan, terrified and alone…
I shake my head and try to focus on my surroundings. There’s little of interest in this office. A few cubicles, chairs and comm systems, and a vending machine still selling tournament-themed candies with the faces of last year’s Grand Champion on it.
That is to say, my own.
Let Rinor pop off in your mouth!
Never been a big fan of that slogan, but it helped sell a gazillion of the candies, so who am I to judge?
My heart skips a beat when I feel that Takara is in trouble. I notice her presence right outside, and I quickly slow time down and open the door. She is striding by, and I grab her arm and pull her into the office.
Her beautiful face registers shock first, and then follows up with relief.
“Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry. Was it really that bad? They’re just doing their job, you know.”
She rests her back against the door and sighs. “It was that bad, yes. I think I’ve made a few enemies.”
“How so?”
“They kept harping on, wanting me to talk smack about Davik-Vorta, wanting me to badmouth Cormas and ridicule Tarik-Gara. I tried to be diplomatic, but you know how they are. They’ll cut and splice everything up to make it look just how they want it.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“I’m absolutely certain it is,” she sighs. “I’m not you, Rinor. I’m not the Grand Champion, the Red Menace, the Conquerer.”
“No, you’re something much better. Takara King, Warrior Princess!”
She rolls her eyes and fidgets with an unruly curl. “I wish they’d drop the ‘princess’ part. Makes me sound juvenile.”
I shrug. “I like it. You could be my princess any day of the week.”
“Don’t try to humor me,” she says. “I still haven’t forgiven you for the other night.”
“What for?”
She looks up, her violet eyes filled with intensity. I love that concentrated, determined look on her.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Rinor. I don’t like being kept in the dark. How come you are suddenly in the know?”
“You want me to tell you everything?”
“Yes,” she says. “Please do.”
I walk over to the vending machine and order us both a bag of candies. I toss one her way.
“First off, do you want to pop a Rinor off in your mouth?”
I finally get a chuckle out of her. Still haven’t lost my touch.
“Did you really sign off on this slogan?” she asks.
I shrug. “There’s so many products with my name on it, it’s hard to keep track.”
“I really shouldn’t,” she says, looking at the candy. “This is one big sugar bomb.”
“You can cheat your diet just this once, right?” I say. “I mean, if I’m going to share Zoran state secrets with you, the least you could do is have a snack.”
“I suppose you’re right… just this once.”
As I watch her open the bag and down the candy, I think about all the things I want to tell her.
Where do I even begin?
Am I really going to share my hidden past with her? The horrors I’ve seen?
Father has strictly forbidden it… but fuck, he hasn’t gone through all of that trauma. He’s so caught up in ‘protecting the peace’ and ‘keeping order’ that he doesn’t even see his own flesh and blood is hurting.
Meanwhile, the answer to everything is right here in front of me, working her way through a bag of sugary candy.
With the powers we both wield, we could take on SINTRA. She can also move through time, like I do — and I’m betting there’s even more she’s not telling me.
Fuck the whole Titan Games. We should be on Earth, getting to the very bottom of this!
“I… don’t know where to start,” I say, as I sit down, my eyes on the floor. “The whole cuhla bender, it’s a total lie. And not my own. Not this one. No, it comes straight from the High Command.”
Takara is listening attentively, hanging on my every word.
“I was… taken. Abducted. Imprisoned. Tortured. I let down my guard for a brief second on Corlis Station, and it nearly got me killed.”
“Oh my stars,” Takara says. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Rinor.”
I look up at her, fighting back the tears as the memories flood back. “How could you? The High Command has forbidden anyone from talking about it, but… I still have to live with it, you know?”
“And you’re saying SINTRA was behind it?”
I nod. “Yes. It’s because of my powers — and yours as well. They want to steal them, use the Chosen for their own gain. I’m sure there’s something you can do that you haven’t told me, right?”
She crosses her arms defensively. “I, uhm… you’re right. But I don’t control my powers as well as you do. I… have an effect on technology. One I don’t really understand yet. Sometimes I make the tech around me go haywire.”
“You can control it?”
“Not yet, but almost… at times.”
“So you were there. In the showers!”
Her face grows hot. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re even worse a liar than a warrior,” I tease. “I sensed your presence. The Zorashi symbols confirmed my suspicions. You saw me in the showers!”
“Perhaps,” she says defensively. “I didn’t control it though. It wasn’t a conscious effort. It just sort of… happened.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Well, that’s completely unfair.”
“How so?”
“You’ve seen me naked! You’ve seen all that Rinor has to offer!”
“I haven’t seen it all,” she says. “There’s some important bits I haven’t seen yet.”
“Yet? So you will in the future?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Oh, but you do. Your words betray you, Takara King, Warrior Princess!”
“This is why I hate interviews,” she huffs. “I always put my foot in my mouth and say the wrong thing at the wrong time!”
I take a step closer to her. Nothing could wipe the smirk from my face at this point. The pain of my imprisonment is temporarily forgotten, replaced by the sheer joy of making her flustered.
“You haven’t said anything wrong,” I say. “On the contrary. Everything you’ve said is perfectly right.”
She takes a step back, bumping into the door.
“We’re opponents, Rinor,” she stammers. “We can’t — my reputation will be ruined. I can’t be one of your conquests.”
I reach out for her and my fingertips graze the skin of her wrists.
There’s an instant reaction. Our energies merge and sparkle, and a blinding light fills up the entire room. We are being sucked towards the epicenter, the gravitational pull too strong for either of us to resist.
Takara tries to step away, but I grab her waist and pull her close.
“Whatever’s happening, it has already begun,” I say.
A second later we tumble into the light and pop back out on unfamiliar land.
“What’s happening?” Takara asks shakily, leaning into me as she scans the horizon for anything familiar. “Where are we?”
“I think we are beyond… time,” I say.
How else can we be standing on the surface of the moon without a regulator-implant?
A brilliant display of bright light draws our attention. The Rift itself opens up to us, showcasing
its full splendor. A brilliant, dazzling vortex, and beyond it… countless galaxies. An entirely new world.
The next second the light swallows us again, sending us spiraling through time and space once more , and depositing us back in the small office we left.
With her mouth agape Takara just stares at me.
“What did we just see?!”
My brow rises.
“I think we’ll know soon enough.”
Chapter Seven
Takara
I have to get back to my room. I have to find some peace and quiet. The journalists are bad for my mental health, but being stuck with Rinor in this small office is even worse.
My body yearns for him, but I resist. Perhaps foolishly, but I resist regardless. I’ve trained for the Titan Games for years. I’m this close to winning the independence I’ve craved for my entire life
And now, on the eve of my biggest victory, everything is going to hell. I can’t deal with this — SINTRA, the Rift, entire new galaxies?! Managing my own life is hard enough.
“I have to go,” I stammer as I exit the room. I’m immediately cornered by a Federation journalist looking for a soundbite.
Moments later, Rinor exits the same office I just left, and the reporter’s brow rises up high. She knows a bigger story when she sees it, and rushes after Rinor.
Great. This is exactly what I’ve wanted to avoid.
I hurry back to my apartment and crash on my bed, hiding my face in my pillow. I’ve always treasured stability and order. Being the ‘media darling’ was hard enough without all these powers…
And without this connection to Rinor, my number one opponent.
The last thing I want is to be reduced to being Rinor’s side-chick.
When I’m around him, I feel so… vulnerable. It’s not something I’m used to — even though he showed me his vulnerable side as well.
I can’t believe he was imprisoned… I have so many questions, but before I could quiz him properly the conversation had already moved onto how I peeped on him in the shower.
Completely accidentally, of course.
I mean, I liked what I saw, but it was still an accident.
That’s what I keep telling myself.
I need to get through the Titan Games without any of this blowing up in my face. That’s why I need to avoid him… for now. None of this time-bending, trip to the moon when we touch crap…
I’ll have to buy some gloves!
Imagine if this happened during the final round of the Titan Games. That would be bad.
When I’m freshened up, I go hunting for Gorba. My bodyguard slash best friend has been sneaking off a lot lately, which is impressive, considering his gargantuan size.
I locate him on the roof terrace, watching the aerial ballet. I can tell he’s enjoying the hell out of it, and I decide not to drag him to the arena with me.
I know that helping me spar is something he does just for me — he deserves to do something he truly enjoys, after all the hard work we’ve put in together. Despite his lumbering physique, Gorba’s got a gentle, artful soul. One he misguidedly thinks he has to hide from me.
I join his side and rest my head on his shoulder. His bushy eyebrows rise up instantly.
“Train?”
“No, not today,” I say. “Let’s stay here and watch, okay?”
“If you want.”
“I do,” I say.
Anything to take my mind off Rinor…
Chapter Eight
Rinor
At the pre-game mixer, Takara is more distant than I’d like. We’re both surrounded by the rich and famous, by donors and past champions. This is where I used to get wasted with the other fighters, but I’m not in the mood this year.
“Drink, Rinor?” Davik-Vorta asks, offering me a glass of cuhla. “Nice leg sweep, by the way. I won’t fall for it again.”
“No thanks, big guy,” I reply.
“Rinor? Turning down a drink? What universe are we in?”
“Our own, for now.”
Davik-Vorta knocks back the glass of cuhla himself and shrugs those massive shoulders of his. “More for me.”
I finally catch a sight of Takara — the violet streak of curls give her away.
“Excuse me,” I say as I make my way towards her. After what we saw together, she can’t deny our connection any longer. We ported together! Why does she keep avoiding me?!
Or does she just enjoy seeing me chase her? If so, chase her is what I’ll do!
There’s a multitude of galaxies behind the Rift, just waiting for the both of us to explore them. I don’t understand why she’s not as curious as I am.
General Bokartha grabs my arm and steals my attention before I can reach Takara.
“Son, do you remember me?”
“Yes,” I say to the retired general. He’s the one who trained my father, a fact he reminds me of every single time I meet him.
“I trained your father, you know!”
There it is.
“Yes, I’m aware, I—”
“Ah, Husik! Such a bright warrior, such promise, but I see even more promise in you!”
“I really should—”
“Let me see your biceps, son.”
“I’m not sure that’s really appropriate—l”
“So big! You will win this year again, surely?”
“Well, the competition is stiff, but I’ve got a good feeling—”
“Of course you will, of course you will!”
My father crosses the room to greet his mentor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to slip away.
I head towards Takara, who is lounging outside on the balcony. She turns away when she sees its me, wounding my pride.
Her gloves draw my attention.
“Look,” she caves after a full minute of awkward silence. “I’m not trying to be rude. I just think we ought to focus on the tournament.”
“Even after what we’ve seen?” I say, exasperated. “How can you deny that?”
“Yes, even after that,” she says. “I didn’t choose this.”
A muted light spills from her gloves, and my symbols respond in kind.
Time slows to a firm stop.
Takara clenches her fists and casts me an annoyed glare.
“Why are you doing this?!”
“I’m not,” I answer truthfully.
We both wait in silence, but time does not continue to flow — and the symbols on our wrists grow brighter and brighter.
“Fine,” Takara sighs, removing her glove and grabbing my hand. “I see you’re not going anywhere. We might as well see where this leads.”
Instantly, a swirling light engulfs us, and we teleport again. Not to the moon. No, this time we find ourselves in the comm room of a vessel.
A SINTRA vessel to be exact.
The destination on the Nav panel is as clear as day.
New Exon.
A closer look reveals there are a dozen other ships in formation right behind it. Takara and I have the same idea simultaneously. We hop forward, reaching for the controls — but the light swiftly blooms and ports us back to the balcony.
Time returns its normal flow, and it it is as if nothing ever happened. The guests all around us are oblivious to what has just transpired in front of their very eyes.
“Did that really just happen?” Takara asks.
“I think it did.”
“We have to alert the High Command then,” she says, clutching her stomach. “Also, this jumping around all over the galaxy is making me sick.”
“I’ll go straight to my father,” I say. “You should rest. I’ve got this.”
Chapter Nine
Takara
“Open up! I know you’re in there!”
The pounding on my door won’t go away. I figured if I ignored her, she would just leave, but this PR-girl doesn’t give up easily.
“Come on! I could do this all day! Gorba himself told me you’re home!”
Ah, damn
it. Why’d he have to spill the beans?
I open my door a tiny inch, but somehow the girl manages to sneak her away inside.
“Niana, at your service! Come on, we haven’t got all day! Let’s get a move on!”
“Look, I know my father hired you to manage me, but I’m actually waiting for an important call from a friend, and…”
“Less talking, more moving!” She says. “Chop chop!”
I don’t know how she does it. I opened the door with every intention of telling Niana to get lost, but half an hour later I find my face covered with a moon-clay mask while a beautician works on my nails.
How did she manage this?! I have to admit, she’s damn good at her job…
And I really don’t need this in my life right now. SINTRA is coming, for all of us. Rinor and I have abilities that the High Command can use. Talents that they desperately need.
It’s my opportunity to claim the destiny I’ve always wanted! I can put my hard-won skills to use, and keep New Exon safe from alien invaders. I’ll no longer be a glorified entertainment princess, but a proper Zoran warrior.
I’ll be on the front lines. I’ll make a real difference!
The last thing I need is a makeover. And yet, I can’t shake Niana. She’s sharp and persistent, and she doesn’t let me weasel out of this as easily as I’d like.
“Stop fidgeting,” she admonishes me from the chair opposite mine. “This mask will bring out your inner glow!”
“I really don’t have time for this,” I protest. “I have to visit the Trade Port admin office.”
“What for? They’re closed today. It’s LoveSpore day!”
Stars! How did it get here so fast?! The timing couldn’t be worse.
No matter. I have to talk to my father. I’ve been trying to reach him, but my calls haven’t gone through.
I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, and climb out the window, my bathrobe and clay mask still on. I’m a long way from home, but I’m a trained warrior — I should be able to sneak across the Trade Ports without being spotted. Right?