Star Destiny: The Complete Series

By Odette C. Bell

The complete Star Destiny series. Follow Celena and Williams on their saga to defeat the emperor in this five-episode boxset.
Intergalactic battles, the most powerful assassin in the empire, a twisted royal family, and a man way out of his depth.
Commander Williams is going somewhere. In the Imperial Forces, it’s almost impossible to climb the ranks without noble birth, but Williams is the kind of soldier who can. Like a dog after a bone, once Williams locks onto a target, he can’t let go. Which is a problem, because his next target will drag him into an intergalactic war, steal his heart, and change his life forever.
Celena is a runaway assassin, the Emperor’s favorite. He will do anything to claim her back; she will do anything to run. With the ability to create star chambers – pockets of almost limitless power – there’s no one who can catch her. Until she runs into him. Williams is just as handsome as he is tenacious. He’s convinced she’s a common criminal, but when her secret is revealed, he traps her. But in taking her on, their destinies intertwine – and this knot will never come undone.
....
Star Destiny follows a runaway weapon and the hapless lieutenant drawn into her troubles as they fight a corrupt galactic emperor. If you love your space operas with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab Star Destiny: The Complete Series today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odette C. Bell
• Release date: Oct 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005843717

Book preview

Prologue

Just shut up already. You are capable of that, right? Commander Williams spat, his teeth bared. The perfect white enamel sat stark against the jet blue and black of his sleeveless uniform top. It hugged his strong form, but not as much as dusk did as the massive suns of Halifax Two set in the distance.

What, don’t want any more surprises? Celena asked, tone far from playful as she pressed her lips together, the flesh becoming as pale as Nubia milk. Must’ve been a surprise for you, Williams, seeing me take on an entire Separator Unit like that.

I told you to stow it, he growled, voice dipping down low, the strong, strident tone echoing out across the valley.

And what a valley it was. It dropped several kilometers down to a winding waterway that cut right through this breathtaking mountain range.

Across the river and up the other side of the range was their destination – a stationed emergency ship.

Williams was convinced they could reach it by morning. She wouldn’t hold her breath.

Any ship on this planet would’ve been plucked bare by roving pirates and mercenaries years ago.

You know, these cuffs won’t hold me for much longer. What are you going to do when I break them? She locked her brilliant, fiery gaze on him, the corners of her lips curling with grim satisfaction.

Maybe that was going slightly too far, because Williams yanked his head around, the strap of his scrounged pirate gun jostling over the torn shoulder of his Shan Imperial Star Forces uniform. A few pink and red scratches were visible beneath marking his shoulder cuff. And just to the side, slightly deeper wounds that still oozed whenever the idiot was dumb enough to make any sudden movements like he did now.

He took a jerked step toward her, the move snapped like a spring. I’m not going to let you go. No matter what you do. You’re coming straight back to Imperial space with me. And there—

She didn’t jerk her gaze away, despite the fact his was as fiery as the center of a star. She locked her teeth together, pulling her saliva-covered lips hard over them until the skin was crinkled like melted plastic. You don’t actually know what happens then, do you? Care for me to explain?

I don’t want your complaints—

They’ll take me and lock me in one of the Terminator Stations. You wouldn’t have heard of those, because that’s way above your pay grade. You might have been a big shot back on Jeopardy Station, but you need to recognize one thing before you drag me back to hell. Despite the fact she was still wearing cuffs on her wrists, she took a step toward him.

Williams stiffened, expecting an attack. But he didn’t shoot her. Just yet. His brown eyes – deep, large brown eyes that, before she’d known him, she would’ve described as soulful – ticked from left to right, assessing her every movement. And what’s that?

They’ll use me to kill. That’s all the Emperor is interested in. It’s all he’s ever been interested in. Right now I have a conscience. For the first time, her voice wavered with emotion. It split her tone, twisting her pitch until she sounded as if someone was strangling her. But when they get me, they’ll strip it back.

He didn’t react. Williams was always the consummate soldier. And any good soldier quickly learns in this complicated universe that the key to success is control. Your expression, your body language, your muscles, your fatigue, and yeah, your conscience.

He took a moment. A moment where she was sure he was dredging the depths of whatever counted for his conscience. His lips ticked back as his gaze flicked away. Not my problem.

If he hadn’t been too cowardly to stare at her as he said that, he would’ve picked up two tears glistening at the edges of her tear ducts. Fine. I’ll make something else your problem.

He began to turn away, but he twisted quickly, his regulation tactical boots crunching through the grass as he spun with poise and balance. Though the pirate gun he’d managed to scrounge was practically Stone-Age compared to the weapons he was used to as a Forces soldier, it still had basic functionality. It was coded into his neural link, and with nothing more than a twitch of his trigger finger, it would swing up from its strap using small thruster cells lodged in the shoulder mount, and it would lock into his grip.

All it would take was a second.

And a second was indeed all it took as he twitched that finger and the gun locked into his hands.

He leveled it right at her throat, right at the two glowing lines that ran down the front of her neck, deviated diagonally from her collarbone, then met up in the center of her chest. Lines that few in the galaxy would recognize.

As the cuffs degraded, they showed her for what she truly was.

An Ares’ Daughter.

The most coveted soldiers in the Emperor’s arsenal, they could, and often did, decide wars.

Celena had no fear for her life. Just as Williams’ grip on his gun was steady, so too was her gaze. How long are you going to stand there staring at me down the barrel of a gun, Commander? We both know you’re not going to shoot.

Want to try me? His body crunched low over the gun, his fingers settling over the trigger.

Do you know the only thing the Emperor would consider worse than letting an Ares’ Daughter go?

You keep trying me, and I will pull this trigger.

The only thing worse than letting me go would be to kill me. The Emperor has been trying to get his hands on me for years.

You are not in control of the situation. The dying light of dusk lit up the side of his face, running along his chiseled, hardened cheekbone and glinting off the top of his gun.

You’re right. Her shoulders slumped, bitter realization flooding in. She dropped her head, but only for half a second. Slowly, the muscles of her neck tightening like vices, she dragged her gaze up and locked it on him. But you’re not in control, either. And that, Williams, is the point.

Chapter 1

5 days ago….

Celena leaned against the wall, the soft flesh of her palm pressed against the cool metal as she considered her creation.

It was a map.

One she would use to get out of here. When the time came.

She lived on the top level of Accommodation Block Alpha Two, and unlike most of her neighbors, she had a balcony. They were mostly enlisted soldiers and officers in the Forces Army. Celena most definitely was not.

The glass door was open to the balcony, letting in a marching, sharp breeze that whipped around the room.

Though she had a weather-control system lodged in the wall next to the front door, she rarely used it.

She liked it when the wind howled and screamed in through the open door. It reminded her just how brutal the real universe was beyond the comforts and luxuries of Jeopardy Station.

Half closing her eyes as she concentrated on a singular point in space, Celena let her gaze slide toward the view.

She could see the ocean below – a slice of glittering blue glory along the horizon line. Rising through it at even intervals were the towers and floating spires of the station.

The station – despite its name – was technically a planet. Albeit an artificially created one.

It had been crafted in the Central Arena – an area of space that spanned an entire spire of the Milky Way. There, the Shan Empire sat – the ultimate rulers of most of the known universe.

Few got to visit the Central Arena.

She had.

She hadn’t been a visitor.

Concentrate, she spat, using the exact urgent tone her teacher had used on her years ago.

It focused her.

She brought up the small, variable drill clutched in her left hand and let it hover over the wall.

She drew a circle, her measurements perfect, despite the fact she hadn’t calibrated the tool to help her.

When it came to circles, for Celena, they were instinctual.

Another blast of wind made it in through the open door, ricocheting around the room like shots from a sound-wave gun.

They caught her shoulder-length purple hair and whipped it around her sharp eyes.

She didn’t blink, even as a few strands sliced over her nose.

She paused, then drew another circle.

There. That ought to do it for today. She took a step back from the wall, letting the drill piece drop to her side, her thumb sliding over the control button and turning the device off.

Few would allow a variable drill to hang precariously close to their leg.

Few were like Celena.

She’d always led a life of calculated risk.

Settling a breath deep in her chest, she took one more step back and tilted her head to the side.

Her room was nonstandard, much larger than most.

She didn’t care about the reading nook she had beside her balcony, the one where, if you sat right, you could see the Central Command Tower splitting up to the sky in the middle of the city, a testament to power and the Shan Empire’s technological prowess.

She didn’t care that she had a comfortable bed off to one side – one with a real gel-vara mattress that controlled body heat and assisted in healing throughout one’s nightly rest routine. While most of the grunts who lived in the rooms around her had to put up with pods in the wall and no balconies, she had money.

And money set you apart, even at Jeopardy Station.

The money wasn’t even hers – she’d stolen everything she owned, for everything she’d ever owned had once been stolen from her.

Not the point.

She’d bought this apartment for one sole purpose.

It had a lot of wall space.

Still considering her map, she nodded once then turned.

She dumped her drill on the table by the door.

She had to get to work.

She walked out, the door closing behind her as her hair fanned around her, the wind managing one last howl before it cut out.

The sound of the wind might have cut out, but Celena’s life had taught her one unavoidable lesson – even if an enemy goes quiet, that doesn’t mean they’re gone.

…

Williams

You’ve got to be excited, sir. With a birthday tomorrow and a hot date with a Shan representative, things are looking up.

Williams looked to the side, eyebrow sliding up as he considered his second-in-command and arguably best friend, Jeff Towers. At six-foot-one, he sat just an inch under Williams, but made up for it with a bulkier form fitted to his combat class of Carrier. Carriers were exactly what they sounded like – units who accompanied the more agile, elite commandos into battle, be it space or planetary, with equipment and ammo bolts.

When were things looking down? Williams smiled. Maybe it was arrogant – okay, it was arrogant – but for the first time in his life things were on solid ground, and Williams wanted to celebrate it. While he could.

He’d received some worrying news this morning about skirmishes in the Central Divide. He had friends stationed there, including his mentor, Captain Bentley, so he kept an eye on that region of space.

Plus, it was the canary in the coal mine, if you didn’t mind an old Human phrase.

When things kicked up along the Central Divide, it was always an indication that all was not well with the Empire.

Williams’ lips ticked down into a half-frown as he thought about it. Then the last thing he wanted to see caught his eye.

What’s with the sour expression? Jeff leaned in, his brow crumpled.

Jeff got his answer as he twisted around and saw the exact same sight that was curdling Williams’ stomach.

Celena.

No last name, just Celena. She was technically human, and as per human tradition, she should have at least two names, but Celena was an oddity in every respect. Someone who seemed to go out of their way to do two things – skive off society and irritate the hell out of him.

She was walking out of one of the main pillar lifts in the middle of the circular promenade. The bank of lifts had about 20 different units, each operating nearly continuously as traffic came and went from the upper levels.

And yet, out of the sea of civilians and army personnel coming and going, Williams’ eyes locked on her with all the magnetic power of targeted ionic blasts.

She was wearing the exact same thing she always wore – a simple white tunic with blue and gold accents around the hems, and sturdy boots. The tunic was nice – expensive, much more than he’d ever be able to afford. But the boots?

Why does she always wear tactical boots? Jeff snorted derisively, barely keeping his tone controlled, presumably thinking the noisy promenade would stop his voice from carrying.

Celena walked in the other direction, not before making brief, direct eye contact.

She’d heard the slight, then?

They’re not tactical boots, Williams eventually answered, letting his gaze flick expertly over the black, heavy-soled shoes.

So they’re just for show? Figures. Doubt she’s worked a day in her life.

Williams didn’t reply. He recognized that brand of boots. You didn’t buy them at the eye-wateringly-expensive boutiques on the upper levels of Jeopardy Station. You bought them out on colony worlds, on mining planets, at places where you had to scrounge to get by. Sure, they didn’t have the add-ons you would expect from an Imperial pair of tactical boots, but what they lacked in sophistication, they made up for in one simple thing – sturdiness. The rest of your armor could fall apart, your life could crumble, you could run out of your last Central Credit, but those boots would stay on your feet until the day you died.

… Question was, what was Celena doing in them?

Ah, let’s just ignore her. We’ve got a party to plan. Should be the best of the year. It will rival the soirées they put on in the penthouse apartments. Jeff grinned as he made that barefaced lie.

Williams didn’t bother to snort. Sure, his party tomorrow would be big, and some important people would be there, befitting the fact that Williams had managed to climb the ladder of promotion only several months ago. But no, it wouldn’t rival the parties of the upper levels. Williams would never be that important.

… Sir? Jeff tried.

Despite his second-in-command’s protestations, Jeff did not tear his gaze off Celena.

There was something about the woman. There’d been something about the woman the day he’d met her and she’d ordered him around like a bellboy, despite the fact he’d been a newly promoted lieutenant commander and his insignia had been glowing like a damn star on his breast.

She was arrogant. She was rich.

More than anything? She was a mystery.

Before he knew what he was doing, he pushed off, his tactical boots ringing as they contacted the smooth, polished white metal surface of the promenade floor.

He shifted through the crowd seamlessly. Williams had always had fine control of his body – it had been what had set him apart. He wasn’t of noble birth, and unlike a lot of the other commissioned officers he’d worked with over the years, he’d earned his command.

Every battle. Every success.

Sir? Jeff asked, a note of defeated frustration ringing in his tone. It was the voice you would use on someone who wouldn’t let something go, no matter how many times you’d tried to convince them it was useless.

Williams didn’t bother to answer as he shifted lithely past a seven-foot-tall Maraxi Warrior. He kept his eyes on Celena. She reached the large central stairs that swept up to the mezzanine level above the promenade.

Though Williams had a one-track mind when it came to Celena, at least he could admit that just like himself, she knew how to use her body.

As a Station Security unit walked down the steps, she shifted in between them like a minnow darting between a school of fish.

Williams wasn’t so lucky.

He knew most of these men.

Looking forward to the party tomorrow, sir, one said with a grin.

Another slapped him on his back as he strode up the steps purposefully. It will be the highlight of the year.

Every time Williams was forced to stop and engage in platitudes, Celena got further away.

She walked with direction. From the movement of her lithe but strong legs, you could tell she wasn’t aimlessly strolling like a lot of the other tourists and rich folk.

Either Jeff had given up, or he wasn’t having the same luck pushing through the crowd.

Williams finally negotiated the security unit and breached the top of the stairs.

For a second, he lost her in the crowd, then picked up her signature messy, shoulder-length purple hair.

The hair was another reason it had been hate-at-first-sight when it came to Celena. He was a traditionalist. Yeah, a plethora of gene-altering technology existed, and if you were cashed-up enough, you could change everything from your eye color, to your hair, to your body physique. He didn’t see the point. Appearances had only ever been skin-deep to him.

If Williams were being rational and weren’t currently caught up with his twisted feelings for Celena, he might point out that tomorrow, he had a date planned with arguably the most beautiful woman on the station. And yes, he could bet she’d had alterations.

Not the point.

Like he’d said before – with Celena, it was different.

Because with Celena, he couldn’t shake the impression there was something to hate.

Locking onto that trace of purple hair through the crowd, he followed it, using his superior height to track her until she reached one of the hallways that led off the mezzanine level and cut through to another tower that joined this one.

The walkway was more than wide enough and filled with stalls and stores that he didn’t stick out in the crowd.

You wouldn’t think you’d get common merchants at Jeopardy Station, and you didn’t on the upper levels, but the further you got away from the central tower, the more tourists and travelers hawked their goods.

Robed merchants walked deftly among the thick crowd, selling strings of the most luminescent gemstones you could imagine or bottles of perfume crafted from some of the rarest flowers in the galaxy.

They sold tickets, too, transport crew walking around with glowing holographic signs above their heads detailing their ships, the vessel’s class, and the types of rooms still open for booking.

Celena avoided every single merchant, even the truly insistent ones.

She was deft on her feet, walking to the side, ducking, shifting behind groups of people so the hawkers would stop them instead.

Williams wasn’t so lucky. A cargo captain almost barreled right into him, the guy’s old face touched here and there with Unitech engine grease. Couples transports. Best on Jeopardy Station. One ship, one day, and one experience she’ll never forget.

No thanks.

75 percent off.

Still no. He craned his neck to the left, pushing onto the tips of his toes.

Dammit, he’d lost her.

You’re killing me, but 76 percent off.

That’s a hard no. No time for romance.

You’re Commander Williams. That’s not what I’ve heard.

Really? Had news of his date spread to random transport captains in the lower decks?

Look, I really can’t talk – I’m on duty at the moment.

That was a lie. Or was it?

Something about tracking Celena down felt like the most important work he’d done in weeks.

He shoved past the captain, practically barreling through two merchants who were selling potentially dodgy Carmine crystals. He could report them later.

He made it to the end of the corridor, tilted his head up, and attempted to find Celena on the huge set of stairs that led up to the level above.

He scanned the terrain quickly. Not, of course, that it was terrain, but like he’d said – this felt like work.

Before he could take a step up the stairs and hope to find her on the much more expensive boutique level above, the back of his neck itched, and he ticked his head to the left.

There, he caught just a hint of purple disappearing into the gardens.

He’d never picked Celena as someone who liked nature, and even if she did, the level II gardens were not where you’d go to get it. It was a couple’s area. With the curated, manicured plant life from all around the galaxy, it was somewhere you went to be with someone else, and Celena?

He imagined with a personality like hers she’d been alone her entire life.

That brought a twisted sense of satisfaction to Williams, and his lips curled.

He pushed into the gardens, gaze scanning over the perpetually running creek that babbled down the center of the area, dividing the garden in half.

He saw a lot of couples, but—

There you are, his voice ticked up with satisfaction as he watched Celena walk right past some of the most breathtaking flowers in the galaxy, head up a small set of stairs, and walk directly into a maintenance section. His body tingled with satisfaction as he wondered if he was about to finally catch her up to no good.

He made a beeline for her, ignoring some of the other officers and crew he ran into, even when they asked if he was doing research for tomorrow night.

He wouldn’t take his date here. Malenquai preferred peace and quiet. And stunning views. He already had the perfect place – the viewing platform off the left side of the central tower. On one side, it looked out onto the crystal-clear ocean, and on the other, down into the city, through lines of hover traffic and up into the glory of the high towers.

His heart didn’t speed up as he thought of tomorrow night – he was too focused.

He reached the top of the stairs and walked into Maintenance Section 2BA.

His hand pumped in, his fingers curling into a fist as he waited to see—

Celena wasn’t messing with any of the hydraulic equipment and atmosphere controls that ran the gardens.

She was sitting with her legs pressed between the rails, her head rested to the side as she looked out over the gardens and into the merchant corridors beyond.

She almost looked peaceful.

Apart from one fact. Her shoulders were hunched, her back rounded a centimeter or two.

Which is precisely what happened to his back as he realized she was fully aware of him.

She cleared her throat. What have you imagined I’ve done this time, Commander? Destroyed the galaxy? Started a universal war? Or just irritated you in some inconceivable way? Slowly, with her face still pressed against the rail, she turned and locked one eye on him.

Her eyes were dull.

He wasn’t being particularly cruel; it was just a feature that always got to him. It sounded weird, but he got the strangest impression that someone had deliberately turned the light down in them.

His hackles rose as he finally forced himself to pay attention to what she’d actually said. You shouldn’t be in a maintenance section.

She paused then snorted softly. The maintenance section is two meters that way. She jammed her thumb over her shoulder.

Sure enough, there was a red, perpetually glowing line that ran across the metal floor, indicating the point which civilians could not cross.

Williams’ hands dropped to his sides, and he slowly curled them into fists. You’re still too close to it.

She chuckled. There was something dry about it. Something that suggested Celena had always found Williams amusing.

And that?

Just made his hackles rise all the higher. His fingers crunched in until his nails dragged against his palms. It isn’t recommended to insult an officer of the Forces Army.

She still kept only half her face directed at him, her cheek always pressed against the railing as if she was so bored by him, she had to prop herself up. Gosh, what a threat. You done? I want to get back to what I was doing.

Staring uselessly into space?

Yeah, staring uselessly into space. She turned, clutching both hands on the railing as she pressed her face between it, her messy hair obscuring her features.

Williams continued to stand there. He hadn’t come this far, tracking her through the crowd until he’d lost Jeff, just to back down now. By sitting there, you are potentially interfering with the operations of the station. As an officer in the Forces Army, I’m requesting that you move.

Don’t you have anyone else to bother? Or, I don’t know, a job to do? Her voice dripped with spite on the word job.

The exact tone it reached made Williams’ skin crawl.

That right there – the derision, the snide superiority ringing through her haughty tone – was exactly why she irritated him so much.

I’ll have you know, I’m a decorated officer—

Then go officiate somewhere else. Don’t you have a party to plan? Talk of the station. Everyone’s going to be there. That’s a lot of people to impress. So go bake canapés and brush up on your table manners.

At least I have friends, he said.

… Yeah, he’d actually said that. It was something a seven-year-old would point out in the playground. He was an adult.

But—

He opened his mouth, ready to continue the fight, but somebody accessed him on his neural link.

He felt a vibration pulse through his jaw. It stilled him to the spot and focused his senses as he heard a disembodied voice echoing in his ear. Commander Williams, you are requested to come to the Security Division Central Offices. There is a matter for you to attend to, an automated voice rang in his mind.

Received, he said out loud, the communication instantly ending.

See? There is real work for you to go do. So do it and leave me alone, Celena wouldn’t turn to him as she spoke, her hands tightening around the rails.

He paused. That was a priority communication he’d just received. He needed to hightail it to the closest transport point. Now.

But—

Celena didn’t turn to him again. She sat slumped, her hands the only strong things about her as she stared out over the gardens.

… His better judgment won out, and he walked away.

It wasn’t until he’d walked a good ten meters that he picked up the slight rustle of Celena’s tunic and heard her turn to stare at him.

He paused on the top of the stairs and turned to her.

They made eye contact.

He turned away; she turned back to the view.

Maybe he hadn’t caught her out on any charges today, but the day would come.

Mark his words – because Williams never got it wrong.

…

Celena

As the always irritating Williams walked away, she stretched her right hand open in her lap. With her eyes locked on a section of ceiling right above her, Celena pressed her finger into her palm and started to trace circles.

Small circles, big circles, quick and slow.

She was building a map.

One only she could navigate, for Celena was an Ares’ Daughter. And the time was rapidly coming for her to fight once more.

Chapter 2

Williams

Do I get to know why a full Separator Unit is coming to the station? Williams couldn’t keep control of his tone as it shook with surprise.

Anyone’s would.

Separator Units were the most elite forces the Empire had. There was no conceivable reason for them to come to a station like Jeopardy. They operated behind enemy lines, ending wars swiftly or, preferably, before anyone even knew they’d started.

And yet one was coming here.

Captain Faria stood behind her desk, her hands locked on the edges of the metal.

Without saying a word, she simply locked her lips together and shook her head.

Though Williams didn’t have the greatest respect for some of the commissioned officers he worked with, Faria was different. Yes, she’d come from a family of privilege, but unlike some of the others, she’d earned her command. She was fierce, she was fair, and most importantly, she had insane instincts.

The mere fact she wasn’t speaking and was rather communicating with a pressed-lipped frown, told Williams everything he needed to know. And that was that he already knew what he needed to. He’d been told everything he had clearance to know, and the rest would fly right over his radar.

That didn’t stop him from sighing, bringing up an arm, and running his hand over the side of his chin. I take it it’s nothing that’s going to get out of hand? he asked as he looked up at her sharply from under his dark brows.

Don’t worry, Commander, it won’t interrupt your party tomorrow. You’ve earned a celebration.

He laughed uncomfortably. Yeah, like he’d already pointed out, he wanted to enjoy tomorrow, because yes, emphatically yes, he’d earned it.

But first and foremost, he was a soldier, and his ultimate concerns lay in the protection of this station.

I’m more concerned about what’s going on. Parties come and go, but… he trailed off. There was no point in emphasizing the obvious. Separator Units did not come and go. Not this far out from Central, anyway. They got their orders from the Emperor’s advisors, and sometimes, even from the man himself.

Williams… Frank, Faria said after a deep breath, you know everything I do. All we have to do is make room for them. Support them if we have to.

That was a big if.

There was no support Williams would be able to give to a Separator Unit, anyway.

Maybe his skills matched some of the junior members of the teams, but his tech certainly didn’t.

The only thing the Unit would want the existing army and security forces on Jeopardy Station to do would be to get out of the way and shut up.

Williams locked his hands behind his back and let out a reverberating sigh. It touched the tension in his shoulders, easing it a little, but it didn’t do anything for the tight muscles around his throat.

Why did he get the impression that he was headed for some crisis?

Maybe Faria could read his mind, because she let her hands drop from her rigid grip on the desk. Just let it go, Commander. I let you know because you’re a senior member of staff. Now go out and enjoy tomorrow.

Williams shrugged. I’ll try. See you there?

Faria smiled and nodded her head. See you there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Williams had to chuckle at that one as he about-faced, remembered a salute a little too late, then walked out.

The doors closed behind him, the metal sliding from the walls with the smallest vibration.

He was left to walk down the open, practically empty corridors of the Command Division, his thoughts running wild.

A Separator Unit? Here?

Though he couldn’t tell what they were after – or who they were after – he could tell one thing. This was no innocent matter. There was someone on this station with the attention of the Empire’s greatest soldiers.

But that had nothing to do with him.

The Separator Unit would deal with that, however big the trouble was.

That left Williams’ mind to tick back to one thing. And no, it wasn’t the party. Nor was it Malenquai.

It was Celena. Williams trusted his instincts. And they told him she’d been up to something. He’d rest for now, but as soon as the party was over? It would be time to lay her secrets bare.

…

Celena

There was a reason she was the best. It wasn’t just her natural talent, or her unique biology. It wasn’t just that she’d always displayed more power than any of the other Ares’ Daughters put together.

It was that she perfected her abilities, day in, day out.

She studied her environments, every twist and turn in the corridors, every placement of every bulkhead. There wasn’t a single part of Jeopardy Station she didn’t know off by heart, and that?

It’s probably going to save your life one day, she muttered under her breath.

Her mind ticked to Williams, even though she knew she had much, much worse enemies to worry about.

She’d once illegally hacked into his bio, and she’d read that he was one of the rare examples of an officer who’d actually worked his way up the ranks through skill and not family. He’d been a poor boy in one of the outer colony worlds, and he’d lived his early years scrounging a life working on transport ships across the Central Divide.

She’d been to the Central Divide. She’d stowed away on ships like the ones he’d worked. So she could appreciate what kind of life he’d led. A life like that will lead you to do one of two things. See the brutality and cruelty in the universe and try to change it, or become it.

She wasn’t quite convinced that Williams was as bad as many of the Forces officers she’d had personal experience with over the years, but he certainly didn’t have a warm heart in him, either.

She would give him one thing, however. Whether it was unconscious bias or luck, Williams was the only officer on Jeopardy Station who had ever paid any attention to her. Maybe the guy had instincts, or maybe he just didn’t like her hair, but guaranteed Williams had no idea just what kind of a case she was. If the fool ever captured her, he wouldn’t just rise through the ranks – he’d be taken before the Emperor himself. But no one, no one captured Celena.

Because no one was willing to put in the work she did into staying free.

Okay, now where do you go? Celena muttered under her breath, one finger locked against her palm as she retraced the circles she’d marked there from the gardens.

She pushed all thoughts of Williams out of her mind. She focused on the little tickles of energy she felt in her palm, centering her breath so she retraced and retraced the marks she’d made. She reached out to the wall, pushing up onto the tip of her toe to attempt to reach the exact spot where she needed to draw the next part of her map. She wasn’t tall enough.

She didn’t need to go buy a hover pad from one of the lower-level merchants. Nor did she need to knock on the door of a nearby neighbor to borrow a chair. She simply pushed from the base of her foot, activating her QVT units.

Circles of light projected from the base of her feet.

Projection was the wrong term.

Pure creation was much more accurate.

Some people thought Ares’ Daughters were magicians of the modern age. They weren’t. They were aliens of every shape and size who had a unique quirk in their biology.

They could create and destroy quantum singularity bridges at will. As long as they were fitted with the correct technology, that was – tiny, undetectable quantum tunneling units lodged in the base of her palms and just under her ankle bones called QVT units.

Even if someone had her under a full bio scanner, they wouldn’t be able to locate those units. That was the point.

The Emperor had the most sophisticated technology in all the universe, and arguably, the very top of that technology was in Celena.

A mistake, considering she’d run from him.

Celena pushed that thought from her mind as she pushed up higher, controlling the manifestation beneath her feet, reaching her hand up until she marked the wall exactly where she needed to.

The circle beneath her was referred to as a star chamber, or SC for short. The Emperor had given them that quirky name. To him, the brilliance visible at the exact center of one of those circles had to be the heart of a star.

It arguably had the same power.

The star chamber beneath her glowed, a brilliant luminescent white-blue. It looked like rings of fire that had escaped a supernova.

As soon as she was done, she swung her foot back, jumped off the SC, and landed neatly.

She patted down her knees and took a step back, her eyes widening as she took in the enormity of her map.

To anyone who wasn’t a trained Ares’ Daughter, all they would think was that the markings on her wall were mere decoration – concentric circle after concentric circle running over each other, overlapping, interlocking.

To Celena?

It was an intricate, perfectly detailed terrain map of the station. Every twist, every turn, every corridor, every bulkhead, every ledge.

And it was done.

She locked her hands behind her back, tightening her fingers on her wrist, allowing the base of her thumb to brush just over the point in her palm beneath which her implant was lodged.

She swore she could feel it, even though she academically knew that it was not detectable.

It anchored her, centered her mind, and pulled her lips thin.

She finally yanked her gaze off the wall and onto her open balcony, her eyes sweeping out to the horizon line just as the day turned into dusk.

The red and brilliant purple and orange clouds of Jeopardy Station hung low in the artificially generated atmosphere, every brilliant hue coded by some computer in the central power nodes lodged in the middle of the spinning station.

Celena had stayed at Jeopardy Station longer than she had anywhere else in the universe since she’d been on the run. Did she like it here?

It was adequate. It certainly smelt much nicer than a lot of the pirate dens she’d ghosted through a few years back. It had better resources, too, and she didn’t mind sleeping in a real bed.

Would it last?

No.

It couldn’t. Sooner rather than later, the Emperor’s men would catch up with her.

Then the chase would begin anew.

Though Celena didn’t have anything to do tonight, and she knew the station would be dead as Williams’ had his party, she got the urge to head out. She swung on her foot, pushing toward the door. Just before she left, she turned over her shoulder and considered the balcony.

If there was one thing she would miss, it was that.

Because that balcony, in her mind, at least, was a metaphor for the freedom she’d never had but always sought.

She turned, she walked out, and she left that balcony behind.

…

Williams

This place is insane. They dropped some serious dough on this, Jeff said as he leaned in next to Williams, clapping a large hand on the Commander’s back.

Williams smiled, nursing a brilliant green cocktail in his hand.

The venue was starting to fill up, and what a venue it was.

The powers-that-be had booked out one of the biggest clubs on the third level.

Not the second level, not the first – but the third.

Williams wanted to tell himself that it was a reward for all his hard work, but he half wondered if someone else had intervened.

And that someone walked in now through the main doors at the side of the huge room.

Malenquai.

The room was cut on three levels. It stepped down to the main party area that was a set of three spinning circles, kind of like an Old Earth Lazy Susan. They shifted around, allowing people to mingle and to get to the different floating bars.

On the top level was a bar that ran pretty much along the whole wall. On the other side of the level was a wall of windows that offered an unrivaled view of the city below with a balcony just beyond.

Though the party hadn’t started yet in full, it had already filled up with Williams’ fans, all of them soldiers, and all of them men and women who’d worked with him in some way or another over the last five years.

And to a T, every single one of them quieted the hell down as Malenquai walked in.

She was stunning, as always. She was wearing a high-necked, trim one-piece tunic that emphasized the long line of her legs, her slim hips, and her otherwise killer figure. There was no embellishment apart from two gold cuffs that sat around her wrists, and two dainty drop earrings that emphasized the slim curve of her neck.

Her long, sleek ebony hair was slung over her shoulders, kept back by a simple silver clip.

Her slim but shapely lips ticked up into a smile as she walked in, her hands behind her back. Her gaze didn’t swivel past any of the admittedly well-built and attractive soldiers that lined the bar. It kept shifting until it locked on him. Despite the fact he looked like an idiot, he still stood up, his drink sloshing over his fingers as he waved at her.

Even from here, he could see those perfect lips curling into an equally perfect smile as she strolled toward him.

Did his face lift? You betcha.

Jeff picked it up, because he let out a low chuckle. Should I leave? Wouldn’t want to cramp your style.

You of all people know that I don’t have any style. Stick around. I don’t want this to get too awkward. Not yet, anyway, he added before realizing it was a stupid damn thing to say. That was the problem with Williams. He wasn’t a diplomat, never had been. He was a man of action. You would think someone with Malenquai’s sophistication would want a partner with the full package.

Here’s to hoping she’d never figure out just how much of a muscle-head Williams was.

She walked elegantly down the steps that led to the central area, and whatever whizbang had programmed the computer tonight had obviously done a good enough job that as soon as she approached the spinning circles, the outer one stopped, allowing her to enter.

Williams didn’t take a seat until she sat down on the opposite side of his small circular cubicle.

This is quite some party you’ve got here. And it hasn’t even started properly yet, Malenquai said with a soft laugh as she sat back, locked her long legs over each other, and rested her hands easily in her lap.

That’s what he’d always liked about her. A lot of people from the upper levels didn’t know how to behave around the so-called normal people. Malenquai got it. You just acted normal yourself.

Though her comment hadn’t been a joke, that didn’t stop him from tilting his head back and laughing easily.

It felt good. But even in the back of his head, he couldn’t forget what Faria had told him.

Something reinforced that fact as, out of the corner of his gaze, he saw Faria herself walking through the main door.

She was not at ease. He could see how high her shoulders were, her hands crunched into tight white fists behind her back.

He half waved at her, not bothering to get out of his seat this time, but Faria’s gaze sliced right over him. Then she turned and walked right out.

That was weird, Jeff said, obviously having picked up the strange sight too.

… Yes, Williams managed.

Malenquai accepted a drink from a waiter, turned, and let those perfect lips tick into a frown. What’s going on?

Williams didn’t answer.

Instantly, his second-in-command’s eyes locked on him, but Jeff was a good enough soldier not to say a thing. He’d be able to tell from his Commander’s wariness that this was not a matter for public discussion.

Maybe she’s just looking for one of the other captains? Malenquai said, shrugging it off as she sat back and fixed her full attention on Williams.

It should have been enough to pull him in, but he kept a fraction of his attention for the main doors.

Nothing happened, though, and an hour later, the party was in full swing. He was surprised by how many people had come. Not just his senior commanders, but politicians and leading members of the station, too. Or maybe he shouldn’t be surprised, he thought once more as he ticked his gaze toward Malenquai. They weren’t here for him. They were here because she was into him.

That thought didn’t have long to settle until the doors opened abruptly and two security personnel in full gear walked in.

Williams’ heart hadn’t skipped a beat all night, despite Malenquai’s company, but right now, it practically ground to a halt.

When the security personnel didn’t start scanning the crowd for anyone, and instead walked right up to the bar and ordered drinks, Williams realized they just hadn’t had time to change after their shift.

He relaxed.

It would be the last time he would relax properly in months.

…

Celena

She couldn’t sit still. She was uneasy, and she didn’t know why. The skin along the back of her neck was prickling, a sharp sensation tracing down the side of her jaw and tickling over her throat.

It had been enough to push her from her quarters, enough to see her walking quickly through the halls and corridors of the lower station.

She half jogged, half walked, not caring that it probably drew attention to her. Of the few security officers that were on duty, most of them were too busy to notice her. Plus, nobody here thought she was important enough to bother with – save for Williams. And he’d be upstairs, safely tucked away in his party.

As Celena walked, she watched. She used her sharp senses to track the various aliens as they walked across the merchant hall.

Not everybody at the station had been invited to the party – not everybody was worthy – so the crowd was still thick enough to offer Celena some anonymity as she darted through.

Her movements were quick but controlled. She didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself by snapping her head this way and that.

The fingers of one hand, her left hand, kept dragging back and forth across her palm.

Some Ares’ Daughters had a preference for which hand they used, and for Celena, it was her left hand.

Because it was her left hand that was marked.

The Emperor didn’t advertise his Ares’ Daughters. But he did brand them. Celena had stolen enough money and had headed to some of the remotest medical labs in the universe to have that mark removed. All that remained was a simple small scar. Even if a full Ares’ Daughter saw it, they wouldn’t recognize what it had once been. For Celena, she let it remind her of what she’d always been running from.

With her teeth locked against the insides of her white lips, she found herself heading naturally upstairs. People like Williams might assume that she was more comfortable on