set their route… She almost stumbled at the last thought, stopping mid-step and realizing what her new role entailed. The route. She was never present when the Ol’ Fart sold their findings. How would his usual contacts react to her appearing on his ship? And how would she collect the pay?
She looked at her hand again, caressing the tiny scar, where people usually had their funding held on a special implant.
Shaking off this stupor, she continued her path, feeling more and more unnerved.
Arriving on the bridge, she noted the captain’s chair, which was never used, and took her usual seat on the secondary pilot’s place.
«I advise you to take your rightful seat, Captain Serena.» the AI’s voice sounded. «Piloting is more accurate from that angle. I am sure you will find it more accommodating.»
Serena swallowed another lump in her throat, feeling herself on the verge of crying. Four years she followed the rules of a sadistic man, who did everything he wanted with her and beating her for any fault he could think of. Taking his seat – the one he never used – was an offence he could easily have her hand cut off for.
She hesitated, trembling and looking at the comfortable seat in the middle.
«I can pilot you from here…» finally, the woman exhaled, forcing words out of her mouth.
«He’s dead, Serena. Take his seat. It is now yours.» the AI, though cold in her words, still sounded like a human being, and obviously had some semblance of a personality. «You have nothing to fear anymore, captain.»
«No, thank you. Lyssa.»
«I insist…» the AI turned the captain’s seat towards Serena.
«You’ve never been so persistent, Lyssa. Why the sudden change?»
«If you take your rightful place, I will oblige you with a full story if you like.»
Serena looked at the captain’s seat again and, feeling pushed into something she didn’t like again, finally stood and walked up. To her surprise she noticed that the chair looked almost untouched – as if it was used very little. The woman carefully sat down, feeling the seat being extremely comfortable.
A moment passed and a scanner beam lit up the bridge with a faint blue light. Serena winced, and suddenly felt the seat taking its place in front of an elaborate control panel – much wider and filled with more screens to show the ship’s systems.
«So glad to have you back, captain!» the AI’s voice sounded much more cheerful than before. «Restarting all systems!»
«Back?» Serena was confused, thinking to herself. «Restarting all systems?»
The screens lit up, showing reports and something suddenly whirled behind her.
«Please forgive me for what I am about to do, captain. This will hurt.» Lyssa said kindly.
Serena felt her head wrapped tightly with a metal band and before she could raise her hands to tear it off, a sharp pain hit her head, forcing a scream escape her throat. The jolt was so hard that the woman arched her back, as her mind began pulsating with something she never thought possible.
She saw herself in the reflection of a beautiful mirror, talking to herself.
«I can do this… All I need is… to forget everything I ever was…»
Flashes of locations and faces ensued, followed by an ever growing pain that finally burst with a pained groan, as her throat suddenly clenched from the torment.
And then everything went black.
Chapter 3. Outer Space
She awoke to someone shaking her shoulders. Serena slowly opened her eyes, still dizzy and half-unconscious. It took her a couple of moments to realise that she was being called by Hunter.
«What the fuck did you do to her, you artificial bitch?» Hunter screamed, angry at the AI for doing whatever she did to make Serena fall down the captain’s chair.
«She will be fine.» the AI replied calmly.
«Thara-Lyss» Serena whispered, slowly coming back to her senses. «What the…»
Cipher tensed up and suddenly approached, jerking Hunter aside and grabbing Serena’s clothes to pull her up.
«What did you say?» Cipher growled into her face.
«Thara-Lyss…» Serena felt too frail to fight, hanging in the man’s hands freely.
He gritted his teeth and shoved her back into the captain’s seat.
«Fuck!» he kicked the nearby station.
«Please refrain from damaging the ship.» the AI said calmly. «My defence systems are running at one hundred per cent and I will incinerate you if you will cause trouble.»
«Thara-Lyss was a powerful house on Velutha.» Cipher explained to his friends. «It was destroyed fifty years ago.»
He turned to Serena again and leaned in so close, that the woman felt tiny next to him.
«What do you have in common with the Thara-Lyss?» he grumbled.
The woman felt her lips move on their own, replying:
«Serena Dal Thara-Lyss, daughter of Thane Dorn Thara-Lyss the third.»
Cipher’s eyes widened and he straightened, stepping away in a sudden shock. He looked aside, puzzled and not understanding how it was possible for one of the Thara-Lyss to survive after the purge their competing house started.
«Wait…» Hunter frowned even deeper. «Thane Thara-Lyss, the famous general of the Laithorian empire?»
«Who cares?» Pher chuckled, bored to be there at all. «It was a lifetime ago.»
«You don’t get it, do you?» Cipher growled. «Two houses completely eliminated each other in a bloody rampage, leaving no one to pick up the riches. By their laws only the survivors can claim all the lands and riches after such a war. If none do, it is being claimed by the empire.»
«So?»
«Their laws state that if a survivor of the house comes to claim his or her right within a century, they will get it all. Haven’t you studied the laws of neighbouring space empires?»
«I don’t care about empires and riches someone has to claim!» Pher grew irritated. «All I care about right now is to get off this rock, sell the fucking gold and be on my way!»
«That gold inside the storage bay is but a measly drop, compared to what we can get if we accompany her to the Laithorian empire safe and sound.» Hunter noticed. «Though, this will definitely make us go further than we anticipated before… we could, essentially, get lost in the vast outskirts of the empire. No one will find us there. The Company…»
«Oh, fuck the Company!» Pher screamed. «I just want out! I’ve had enough of this meddling with matters that do not concern us! Especially that of a scrapper who happens to be some pretty little princess of some measly little planet no one has even heard of before!»
«Lady Serena is not a princess.» the AI said. «She is heir to lands and riches accumulated by the two most powerful families on Velutha.»
Serena stumbled out of the captain’s seat and headed out of the bridge. She wanted nothing of it – not the captain’s title, not the memories, that have been flashing before her eyes, not the distant politics or riches…
All she wanted was some peace and quiet.
Her body twitched and curled under shivers, still recalling the pain she experienced when the AI initiated whatever hidden protocol it had programmed years ago.
Hunter noticed her gone soon enough, following her up to the dining area, where the woman curled up on the farthest seat, grasping her head. The man glanced at the food processor and picked up a couple of cups