A heavy silence settled on us as we waited in the half-lit dark. The luminary gave everything a garish appearance. My mind started drifting toward all the ways this could still go horribly wrong. So I spoke up, unable to bear my mental torture any more.

  “Tell me about yourself?” I asked the woman beside me.

  A puzzled look came to the Lieutenant’s face. I knew I was heading into precarious territory. I was her boss, and even more, I was a member of the ruling class of Ethia. The question I’d asked wasn’t something a man in my position would usually care to ask a mere Lieutenant of the Zahnian Legion, but in this moment, I simply didn’t care how things were done. I just needed to keep myself and the Lieutenant distracted from our dismal circumstances long enough for Markus to reach us. And maybe I remembered Markus’s advice about needing to be a little more social.

  “I-err–what did you want to know?” She said hesitantly.

  I tried to shrug out of habit, but with my shoulders trapped and I could not. So instead, I said, “I don’t know. Maybe why you decided to join the Legion? Or maybe about where you are from? Or what’s your favorite thing to do when you aren’t on the job?”

  A long time settled between us, and I wasn’t sure she was going to answer, but then she blew out a long breath and spoke. “Well, I’m not exactly part of the Legion. The Legion doesn’t really let women serve on active duty, not like the Vanguard does. And I actually considered joining the Guardians, but Grand Admiral Lewonti knew I had experience in organic ship engineering and recruited me to the Legion’s engineering corps. I was honored that he made the effort, and well, I became one of the very few women to ever serve in the Legion, even if in an auxiliary capacity.”

  I had heard about Grand Admiral Lewonti. It had been part of my training with Dur-ele to know all the top people in Ethia now and in recent history. Lewonti had been the previous Supreme Commander of the Legion before Admiral Vang, but age had caused the man to take a step back from active duty, and he now served more in an advisory role. As I understood it, only a few had ever been awarded the title of Grand Admiral. It was the highest rank possible in both the Legion and the Vanguard.

  “So you actually met Grand Admiral Lewonti? I heard he’s a bit of a recluse these days.”

  I saw the woman nod in the harsh light. A look of awe was now on her face. “I actually met him a few times. I was more surprised than anyone when he approached me. He said he’d come out of retirement to recruit me and a few others. There were some concerns about how aggressive the Fazha Rebellion was becoming, so the Emperor asked him to find some individuals that might help in that endeavor.” She paused as if she immediately realized she shouldn’t have said something.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I wasn’t supposed to say that. I mean, the project I was recruited to work on is classified at the highest levels, and I could get in a lot of trouble just telling that little bit about it. When asked, I’m just supposed to say I’m an engineer for the Legion and leave it at that. But I thought, maybe, you being who you are, that you already knew about what I had worked on.”

  “I…” I hesitated, considering how to respond. In truth, I did not know of any classified project involving the Fazha Rebellion, or any real classified material at all except for what I was currently doing with the research team. My training had covered the major political players and threats to the Empire, but specific military operations had yet to be shared with me, though I was sure it would be, especially after I became my father’s official Heir.

  “I haven’t been briefed yet on any classified material outside of what we’ve been working on with the team. I’ve been too busy training and preparing for my presentation at the Feast of Kings and working on the Shixx problem. But I am sure I will hear all about the project you were working on for Admiral Lewonti and everything else in due time. So, I don’t think this would count as you telling someone something you shouldn’t. Besides, I read your file, and it had a reference to you working on something related to Fazha organic ships, though it did not go into detail of what that was exactly. It’s why I chose you out of the other candidates.”

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  The Lieutenant looked relieved, and her mouth even had a small upturn at the corner, like she was pleased with why I had chosen her. “Well, the Fazha are the only ones in the Empire who use organic ships. The Legion and Vanguard know very little about them, or how they work. Admiral Lewonti thought it wise for the Legion to close that gap of knowledge. I’ve been working with a small team for a few years now to do just that. In fact, I was surprised to be called off it to join your team. Though now that I know what we are up against with the Shixxaminti, I suppose it makes sense that I was pulled from my other project.”

  I gave the woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry, that was all me. I was given a list of possible names, from Admiral Vang to flesh-out my team, and you came up right away. We needed someone who knew about organic ships. But with as much knowledge and accomplishment as you have under your belt concerning geology, I’m surprised you aren’t working in that field.”

  The woman shrugged. “It’s a hobby of mine, and I like to get on geological surveys whenever I get a chance, but my unique experience with organic engineering is my most endearing quality, it seems.”

  “I can think of more endearing qualities than that,” I said.

  “Oh? Like what?” Quinton asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

  I felt my face grow warm. Where the hell had that come from? Could I blame it on a possible concussion? I licked my lips and attempted to recover myself.

  “I just meant that your analytical skills and calm under pressure are quite impressive,” I replied as smoothly as I could.

  The Lieutenant’s smile widened, and I noticed a dimple appear on her right cheek that I hadn’t seen before. “Thank you, Your Highness. That’s kind of you to say.”

  “Adar. Please, just call me Adar,” I said, then winced at another throb of pain in my chest.

  The smile disappeared, and she looked uncomfortable. “I’m not sure that would be appropriate.”

  Of course not. How many times had I heard people say that since I’d come to Ethia? Certainly, I knew from the many lectures from Dur-rele of the proper protocols of a person of my station, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. I remembered Markus’s other piece of advice from today. Or maybe ask someone for a dinner for two? My Protector clearly referring to Lieutenant Quinton.

  At least someone in my life didn’t seem to mind my setting aside the proper way of things from time to time. But I also realized that maybe Markus had put ideas into my head. An idea that had been growing in the back of my mind since he’d said it, especially as our adventures had started with the rappavore. There was nothing quite like being in the middle of a crisis that helped you get to know someone. And I was finding I rather liked the Lieutenant, not just on a professional level, but a personal one as well.

  I also remembered more of the words from Markus. She’s beautiful, and she likes you. I wasn’t sure how he knew the second part, but I couldn’t argue with the first one. She was covered in dirt smudges, and her normally bouncy curls were in total dishevel, but I actually think it made her look even more beautiful, especially the quiet confidence in her eyes.

  Hazel.

  Her eyes were hazel. Why hadn’t that registered before? Maybe her bouncy, playful hair had been too much of a distraction. And the small upturn of her mouth when she was deep in her work. I wondered if she knew she had a perpetual grin, even if a small one, the whole time she worked.

  I noticed those eyes staring at me now, waiting for me to say something. We had been talking about something. What––? Oh yeah. Jesus. Yeah, I most definitely had a concussion. I was feeling like I was all over the place. Once again, I felt my face grow warm as I stumbled for words to convince her to call me by my first name. I decided to go with funny, or what I hoped would be funny.

  “Yeah, well, I’m covered in dirt with a mountain of rocks on me. I’m not feeling very Prince of the Empirey right now. So please, I insist on Adar. At least until someone digs me out of this heap.”

  Ha! There it was. The smile. A full-face smile. And those hazel eyes were all lit up with mirth. See, I could be funny when I wanted to be.

  “Very well, Adar,” she said softly as if testing it out to see if she could actually say it.

  I felt goosebumps rising at the back of my neck at hearing her say my name. I smiled. She smiled. And it was like an unseen electrical pulse was radiating between us for a heartbeat.

  My God.

  Markus was right.

  She did like me, quite a lot actually.

  For a moment, my mind exploded with possibilities, but I reined it in, realizing that maybe I couldn’t rely on anything I was thinking or feeling right now. I wasn’t entirely sure I was in my right mind. So, I asked her something simple to keep the conversation going.

  “So where is your home world?”

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