“Everything is nearly done.” Hagar turns to watch the ships being loaded up with the supplies and equipment I’ll be needing for my new assignment. “You’ll have one hundred and forty robots, plus the officers to command them and the required support troops. Be certain that you follow the coordinates I gave your navigator exactly. You’ll be detected if you deviate from the course in the slightest way.”

“Yes, Hagar.”

“It’ll be good for you to stay on Arus, believe it or not. The further you are from Lotor, the better off you’ll be.”

“I certainly realize that now.” Coba rubs at my legs as if to offer sympathy. I lean down to pat his head. “I just don’t understand. I never wanted to hurt him, and even after all that’s happened I still don’t.”

Hagar sighs. “You must put that sentiment far behind you, child. It will do you more harm than good. There’s only one person Lotor cares for outside of himself, and that’s that precious pink princess of his. Everyone else has a level of importance that varies with his mood.” She glances toward the ships again. “You know, I’ll understand if you decide that you don’t want to do this after all. There are hundreds of places I could send you instead of Arus.”

“It’s all right. I want to do this more for your sake than his. And when I do bring him his princess, he will say ‘thank you’ to me.”

Hagar laughs. “Well, capturing Allura isn’t the only project you’ll be working on. The potion we made is a key element in a future attack I’m planning. It will allow me to lay the groundwork for a robeast that will be unlike any other I’ve ever made. It will be my most glorious crowning achievement, the terror of all terrors. And the best part of all is that the Voltron Force themselves will be providing me with the special component I need to complete my little project.”

“What is the component?”

“From the Mist of Nightmares I will produce the Heart of Nightmares. And that is a powerful item indeed. It’s a crystal that contains the effect of the potion on a permanent basis. It can be used on anyone at will.”

“Amazing.”

“Yes, it’ll be impressive, all right. It just takes so much effort to make. I have to have a flawless crystal, and I have to use a spell that takes weeks to prepare and hours to cast. But it will be worth it in the end.”

“Hey, Hagar!” Cossack comes strolling across the bay, and I see two brilliant points of green blink from the unlit doorway behind him. Zelaniel steps out into the open to follow Cossack as he approaches. He’s dressed all in black from head to toe, in a muscle shirt, leather pants, trench coat and boots. His movement is so graceful he seems made of liquid. He stops by a stack of crates five feet away and stares at me without speaking. I blink at him and look over at Hagar.

“Cleans up well, don’t he, Sweetcheeks?” Cossack breaks into a grin. “I can hardly wait to turn him loose once I arrive on Marlowe. That’ll be it for the slave rebellion.”

I look at Zelaniel again. He gives me a sad smile and looks away.

“You shoulda seen him in the arena this morning, Toots,” Cossack says. “Sure, his sword handling is a little sloppy, but he moves so fast that it makes up for lack of technique. And his wounds heal themselves really quick. The first creature he fought laid into him a couple of times before he hit his stride, but then he figured out which end is up and ripped the thing to shreds. By the time it hit the dirt, all his gashes were gone. I swore under my breath - you know, like when something impresses you enough - and I swear he turned and looked straight at me, even though I was in the royal viewing box a hundred feet up. He’s pretty impressive, I gotta say. Nice work, Hagar.”

“Of course he is,” Hagar replies with a smirk. “And remember, when you give him orders, you have to word them with care. You cannot force him to attack and kill a friend of his, but you can tell him to defend you, which means if one of his friends happens to try something on you, then he will have to fight them in order to see to your protection. Understand?”

“Yeah…yeah, I got it.”

“Good. Now what did you want from me?”

“You got a cloning tank, right?”

“Yes…”

“So you could clone my girlie for me, couldn’t you?”

Hagar rolls her eyes. “Cossack…”

“No, seriously. You could, couldn’t you?”

“Do you have a sample of hers I can work with?

“Huh?”

“I need her DNA if I’m going to create a clone. Hair, blood, skin sample…”

Cossack scratches his head. “Ahh, no…no, I don’t have any of that stuff.”

“Then you don’t have a clone, Cossack. Sorry.”

He snaps his fingers in disgust. “Damn it, I thought I had something. Oh, well…guess I’ll have to give it up.”

“Which is what I’ve been telling you all along.”

“I know, I know…fine, I’m gonna go inspect the troops. Seeya.” He turns and leaves, with Zelaniel following behind.

“Goodbye, Zelaniel.” I say softly.

Zelaniel pauses, throws a glance over his shoulder and resumes his walk. I watch after him until he disappears from view.

“All right, child, I have to finish up some preparations for your own departure,” Hagar says. The sound of her voice snaps me out of my musing. “You should be getting back to your room to pack your things. For your own safety, stay there until I personally come and get you. And if Lotor should happen to summon you to the throne room or anywhere else to speak with him, you find me first - even if you have to make him wait. I’ll leave kitty with you in case you do have to send for me.”

“All right.” I walk with her to the exit from the ship bay. She pats my arm and smiles, and we go our separate ways along the corridor. Coba wanders ahead of me in his continual quest for rodents. I laugh to myself as he pounces on a large ball of dust, mistaking it for his next snack.

As I pass by a darkened archway, a hand snakes out, claps over my mouth and drags me into the shadows. I twist in my captor’s grasp to see who it is. Bright green eyes blink down at me, but they’re full of confusion and alarm. I attempt to struggle but Zelaniel pins me firmly in place.

“Well, how about that,” Cossack chuckles from behind me. “I got the wording right. Come on, boy, down to the dungeon with her, so she and I can ‘talk’.”

Cossack starts down a circular staircase. Zelaniel lifts me under his arm and follows behind. I struggle in his grasp as we round the first turn and immediately meet pitch darkness. In the hallway above I can hear Coba meowing loudly as if he’s calling to see where I’ve gone to. My heart begins to pound wildly as I realize that I’m entirely at Cossack’s mercy for the time being. I can only imagine what he’s planning to do to me, and it makes me angry and fearful all at once. But I can give Zelaniel orders too, according to what Hagar said. I just need a moment for him to take his hand away…

The absolute darkness gives way to a torchlit corridor at the bottom of the stairs. The hall is empty. We’re in the dungeon again. I allow myself to relax, falling limp in Zelaniel’s arms. I get carried to the torture chamber and Cossack orders for me to be seated in a chair and held in place. Apparently it’s a neutral enough command for Zelaniel to obey it but I feel him tremble bodily with the attempt to resist. He takes his hand away from my mouth and adjusts his grip to set me on my feet. I pull out of his grasp quickly, take three steps forward and spin to face him as he reaches for me.

“No!” I yell at him. “Stop!”

He halts in mid-grab and blinks at me. Great relief comes into his expression. I point at Cossack.

“Grab him.”

Zelaniel gives me a slight smile and goes to do my bidding. Cossack looks surprised, then alarmed as Zelaniel advances on him. He orders him back after me. This will quickly go nowhere. I have to think of something better. I can’t tell him to beat on Cossack, but I can order him to -

“Push Cossack! Push him hard!”

Zelaniel plants a palm in the middle of Cossack’s chest, and gives a slight shove. Cossack flies backward as if he was yanked with a rope. I immediately sprint for the door. I hear Cossack order Zelaniel to stay where he is and then the crack of a whip comes from behind me just as I reach the steps. I feel rope bite into my ankles, and Cossack yanks hard. I twist as I fall, landing on my back, and I reach up to grab my amulet.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Cossack growls. He lashes out with his whip and the tip cracks against my hand. I shriek and yank it back reflexively. He begins to lash at me repeatedly and I have to raise my arms to protect my face. The whip shreds my dress, tears into my flesh. I bite my lip hard to deny him the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. He continues with his beating, forcing me to roll up into a ball, and when I do he begins to flay my back. Then the whipping stops. There is a brief pause before his footsteps approach, my hair is seized and he flips me onto my back once more. He sits on me and grabs at my chest to get the amulet, deliberately pawing my breasts as he does so. The last remnants of my clothing tear further as I kick and squirm beneath him. He slaps me twice, hard, and I feel blood dribble from the corner of my mouth. I lie still and he yanks the charm from my neck, snapping the chain. He grins from ear to ear as he rises to his feet.

“I was wanting to get together with you before, Sweetcheeks, but Lotor warned me about your little amulet here.” He waves it in triumph. “Without this, it looks like you’re pretty much at my mercy. And with my girlie gone, you’re just gonna have to take her place for a little bit. It’s not like Lotor cares what I do to you, and Hagar ain’t going to have anything to say because Lotor’s her boss. So be a good little girl, and I won’t have to hurt you anymore, okay?” He leers and rubs his crotch gleefully. Behind him, Zelaniel is fuming in silent rage. I could try calling on him for help, but Cossack would simply counter my orders and we’d all be back in the same situation as before.

What I need to do is dispel the magic that Hagar originally cast to keep Zelaniel under restraint. She did say that the phrase of negation can break even the most powerful magic if the caster summons up enough determination, and it’s one of the few spells I can use without the aid of my focus charm. I have to try something. I refuse to allow myself to be abused by this crass, arrogant brute.

As I ponder my options Cossack leans down to seize me by the arms and snatch me to my feet. His fingers dig cruelly into my tender skin and I cry out as he drags me over to a table and shoves me backward to lie on it. I glare up at him with all the princess-like contempt I can muster.

“I have just one thing to say to you, Cossack, before you begin.”

“Oh yeah, Sweetcheeks?” He smirks again and starts to loosen his belt. “And what would that be?”

“S’terr, otolo grethe.”

Cossack arches an eyebrow and looks unimpressed. “And what’s that supposed to be, some kinda insult? Look, you can call me all the names you want, darlin’. I don’t mind if you talk dirty to -”

He freezes in place, his eyes going wide as he becomes aware of the slow, measured footsteps advancing on him from behind. He spins around to find Zelaniel right in his face, glaring at him with fire in his eyes. Cossack shrieks like a girl and bounds away. He rushes to retrieve his whip and cracks it on the floor as Zelaniel advances toward him.

“Get back, you freak, back off!” He cracks the whip again but Zelaniel continues to march right into the assault. The whip tears his shirt open and marks the skin beneath, but it doesn’t seem to bother him in the least. He raises his forearm at Cossack’s next strike, and the end of the whip wraps around it . He seizes the slack and yanks the whip right out of Cossack’s hand. Cossack blanches and tries to run but Zelaniel is at the doorway long before he gets there. He seizes Cossack by the neck and lifts him up by it. Cossack makes fearful gurgling noises deep in his throat as he kicks and thrashes helplessly. Zelaniel tightens his grip and Cossack’s face begins to turn deep purple.

“No,” I say to Zelaniel.

He turns and blinks at me, still holding Cossack aloft with no effort whatsoever. I slide off of the table and stumble over to retrieve my amulet, dropped to the floor in Cossack’s attempt to escape.

“Let him go. I want him to live to report his failure to Lotor.”

Zelaniel gives a curt nod and opens his hand. Cossack lands awkwardly on his butt and scrambles to flee from the room, whimpering as he goes. Zelaniel gives a hearty chuckle as he watches him run. Then his mirth fades as he turns to me, his eyes traveling over my tattered clothes and wounded body. My dress is hanging off of me in shreds, exposing my lacy black undergarments to his scrutiny. His emerald gaze lingers in places I’d rather not have him stare at. I shrink away and attempt to cover myself with my arms. He pulls off his trench coat and approaches to wrap me in it.

“No, I -I’m all right.” I swallow tightly to hold back the wave of nausea that’s threatening to overtake me now that my adrenaline is fading. My skin is on fire and my head is throbbing. I rest a wavering hand on his arm and look up into his eyes.

“The spell’s broken. You’re free now. Get out of here while you can.”

He acts as if he hasn’t heard a word I said and lifts me into his arms as if I were made of feathers. I make a feeble attempt to squirm out of his hold.

“No, put me down, put -” I swallow tightly again, overwhelmed by the violent dizziness that overtakes me suddenly. He ignores my weak protest and steps out into the hall. I sigh heavily and my head sags against his shoulder. I don’t feel like arguing any more. I don’t feel like doing anything anymore.

Zelaniel makes his way to the lab and pounds at the door. Hagar answers his knock and I hear her gasp as he carries me in.

“What in the world...?” She watches open-mouthed as Zelaniel places me on the very lab table where he underwent his transformation last evening. Then she hurries over to get a look at me, attempting to nudge him aside.

“Move,” she says to him, “let me see how bad she is.” She opens the trench coat and gasps at the sight of my injuries. Then her expression turns downright murderous as she turns toward Zelaniel.

“What’s the meaning of this, boy?” She demands. “Tell me now!”

He relates the entire story to her, including the fact that I negated her binding spell in order to allow him the freedom to go after Cossack. I wince inwardly at the mention of it. Hagar pauses in thought, then she looks down at me.

“First, I’ll tend to her wounds. Then I’m going to go talk to Cossack. He won’t get away with this.” She crosses the room to get some ointment and bandages. Zelaniel looks me over with that searching gaze again and I feel my cheeks grow hot. Then I realize that it’s my wounds he’s staring at. I reach out to brush a fingertip over the back of his hand.

“I know it’s not your fault,” I say softly. “I know you wanted to stop him from hurting me.”

He gives a quick nod and averts his gaze. Hagar returns to the table and opens the trench coat further to expose me completely to view. She carefully removes the last scraps of my dress with scissors, then she begins to tend to my wounds.

“Damned toad,” she mutters under her breath. “Lousy damned toad. I’m going to teach him a lesson, all right. Here, boy. Help me sit her up so I can get to her back.”

Zelaniel does as he’s told, carefully holding me upright so Hagar can apply more ointment and wind bandages around my torso. When she’s through she turns to Zelaniel once more.

“I’m going to her room to get some fresh clothes. I need you to watch over her while I’m gone.”

He simply nods once in reply and Hagar leaves the room. I rest my hand on his again and he looks at me.

“There’s plenty of time to get away before she can re-cast the binding spell.”

Again he ignores the remark. Hagar returns a little while later with my favorite pair of black satin pajamas and she asks Zelaniel to lend a hand in putting them on me. I bite my lip at the feel of his careful touch. He seems to be a little embarrassed himself; there’s a touch of color to his cheeks as she slides the slacks up over my hips. I smirk at him a little and he blushes even more. Once I’m dressed Hagar picks up her staff and asks him to carry me back to my room. He lifts me in his arms carefully and she leads the way.

Darah is at a loss for words when she answers the door. Zelaniel carries me over to my massive bed and waits for her to pull the covers aside before he gently lays me down. Hagar calls him and both servants back to the door to have a quiet talk with them. The girls nod their heads and leave. Zelaniel returns to the bed and sits on the edge of it. Hagar studies him for a moment, nods to herself and leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Zelaniel begins to watch the door warily. I touch his arm and he looks down at me.

“I’m all right now. You don’t have to stay.”

He shakes his head firmly. “I’m supposed to protect you. Hagar’s orders.”

I frown at him. “Aren’t you listening to what I’m trying to tell you? The binding magic is gone. Now is the time for you to escape.”

“Who’s going to protect your royal person?” He rests his hand over mine and gives it a gentle squeeze. I swallow down the lump that suddenly comes to my throat. He returns his attention to the door. As the ointment cools the burning sensation in my skin and reduces the pain to a dull ache, I feel the urge to sleep creep up on me. The last thing I see are those bright green eyes looking down at me from the other side of the drowsy haze that swallows me up.

“So now that she’s leaving, I suppose it’s all good.” I take a sip of my wine. “If I’m lucky, she’ll get caught and executed for crimes against the Crown while she’s frolicking on Arus.” I raise the wine glass in mock salute. “Here’s to my little sister. Good luck and good riddance.”

Modru doesn’t reply. He seems to be lost in quiet contemplation.

“Modru?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“What’s eating you now?”

“Sire, I’ve been concerned about Cossack ever since the last time he spoke with you. I don’t like the way he hinted about a chance meeting with the princess and putting his new robeast to the test. I fear he will do something terribly careless and rash before the evening’s out.”

“Come on, Modru. Cossack is an idiot, but he’s a loyal idiot. Do you really think he’d do something that stupid to get the old witch pissed off at me?”

As if in reply to my question, Hagar enters the throne room and marches straight up the steps, bearing a small wooden box in her hands. She comes to a stop right in front of me and glares. Something is very wrong here because she normally isn’t this aggressive toward me, at least not in public view. I take a casual sip of my wine and wait for her to speak.

“You gave your word that Tira would be safe while she was here and working for me,” she snarls. “And yet behind my back you’ve tried to kill her twice and Cossack whipped her, not to mention that he was planning to rape her. I have just one thing to say about it.”

“And that is...?”

She yanks the lid off of the box and dumps the contents into my lap. The toad lands on my thighs with a heavy thump.

“From this moment forward, I will consider any attack on her to be an attack against myself, and I will retaliate,” Hagar says. “Consider this to be your first and last warning, and thank your dark stars that the magic isn’t permanent - this time.”

She storms off without another word. I blink down at the creature resting on my fine robes for a moment before picking it up with two fingers.

“What in the world...?”

Modru fights to maintain a calm demeanor in the face of his obvious disquiet. “Sire, I believe that...is Cossack.”

“No kidding.” I look the toad in the eye. “Is that you, Cossack? Croak once for yes, twice for no.”

The toad croaks once. I give it a firm shake.

“Stupid, Cossack, that was a stupid call. I thought you knew better than that. Now Hagar is going to be on the rampage for weeks on end. You screwed up. We are going to have a serious heart to heart talk when this spell wears off. You got that?”

The toad croaks once again. I hold it out to Modru. “Go find a bucket of mud or something to put him into.”

“Yes, Sire.” Modru gingerly lifts Cossack from my hands and leaves with him. I settle back against my throne with a sigh.

Everything around me is soft and warm when I awaken. All the pain is gone. I hug the pillow I’ve curled into and sigh heavily. My encounter with Cossack seems like it was nothing more than a very bad dream.

A hand brushes over my hair, touches my shoulder from behind me. I swat at it.

“Stop being so thick-skulled, damn it. Get out of here. You know she’ll re-cast the magic on you if you stay. Do you want to be Cossack’s pet again?”

“Beg pardon?”

The voice isn’t Zelaniel’s. I twist around to look. Garn is sitting on the edge of the bed, studying me with concern.

“Princess, are you all right?”

“What? Where is…?” I sit up and look around. Kyle is sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, facing the doorway with his rifle on his lap. Darah and Xerina are busy folding my clothes and putting them in suitcases. They’re the only people in the room. I look at Garn and he smiles at me.

“Hagar sent us here to protect you,” he says. “We’re supposed to stay until the ships are ready to depart. It shouldn’t be too long now.”

“Protect? But -” I try to climb out of bed but Garn takes me gently by the shoulders.

“Tira, you need to stay in bed. Hagar told me to make sure you do until the ointment does its work.”

“I think he’s allowed to spank you if you don’t listen to him,” Kyle says. Garn throws Kyle a withering look. Kyle grins back at him.

A light rap comes on the door and then it opens. Garn moves between me and the door and draws his laser pistol. Kyle shifts forward in his chair and picks up his rifle. The girls run to hide behind the far end of the dresser. Then Coba saunters into the room, followed by Hagar herself. Everyone relaxes and goes back to their business.

“Hello, child,” Hagar says cheerfully to me. “Are you feeling better? I had to get a new chain for your focus charm. The other wasn’t repairable, I’m afraid.” She walks up to the bed and holds it out to me. I reach out slowly to take it from her.

“Hagar, when did they get here?” I gesture at Garn and Kyle. “Where is -”

“My robeast? I have no idea.” She shrugs. “He could be anywhere by now. I suppose he took advantage of the magic being gone and escaped. And I certainly don’t have time to search for him with all these preparations being made. Ships to load, soldiers to recruit, equipment to inventory...” She turns and starts for the door, pausing with her hand on the knob when she reaches it.

“Wouldn’t it be interesting,” she muses aloud, “if he managed to return to his own planet somehow. Cossack would receive quite the warm welcome when he went back to resume his post, I imagine.” She gives me a wink and goes through the door. I press a hand to my mouth and laugh through the tears of relief that flood my eyes.

“Tira?” Garn touches my arm. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” I give him a big hug and smile as I pull away and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. He tries to put my feet back up but I give his thigh a playful kick and hop off the bed to cross the room and stand at the window. In the distance, a cluster of blinking lights indicate the departure of a ship from the city starport. I wonder if he’s on that ship or on his way to one. I know Hagar won’t tell me exactly where he is right now. I wish I knew…

I rest my palms against the glass and sigh. My thoughts are back on those green eyes again. Maybe it’s better that I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye after all.

“Princess, please come back to bed, will you?” Garn starts across the floor toward me. I look around and give him a sly grin.

“Are you going to spank me if I don’t?”

He stops dead in his tracks. His mouth flops open, snaps shut. “I have no permission to do any such thing. Kyle made that up!”

“All right, no spanking then. But I do I think I need a bath.” I walk to my vanity and sit down in front of it. “Care to lend a hand? I’ll need someone to soap my back.”

“How about I keep watch out in the hall?” Kyle gets to his feet and heads to the door. Darah and Xerina exchange knowing looks and giggle their way into the bathroom. Garn walks over to stand behind my chair and give me an arch of his eyebrow in the reflection.

“Are you serious?” he asks as he rests his hands on the back of my chair.

I rest a finger against my cheek and smile. “Of course I am. Don’t you think you can handle that order, soldier?”

He purses his lips and rubs at the bridge of his nose with a finger. “Umm...”

“Oh, just come here.” I get to my feet again, turn to him and slide my arms around his neck to give him a kiss.

There are very few street lamps lit in this section of town, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t need them. To my new eyes, it’s as bright as day - whatever passes for day here. Twenty yards ahead of me, a dimly-lit doorway reeks of incense, liquor and smoking materials of countless types. That means I’m close to finding who I’m looking for. I reach the entrance to the bar and go in.

Several of the patrons look up from the drinks they’re nursing to study me - they think they’re free to do so since they’re under a cover of supposed darkness. More than one of them takes note of my eyes with apprehension, and I see the words ‘Hagar uln rothna’ - Hagar’s demon - mouthed several times. I walk up to a lone Drule nursing his drink and tap his shoulder.

“Bruzzo?”

“S’kall,” he grumbles in reply and points to a table across the room. A plump, bearded Drule in worn clothing is seated there, tapping his pipe against the base of a battered brass lamp in the middle of the table. He looks up and seems more curious than alarmed as I approach.

“So, a friend of the old witch, I see.” He lights his pipe, draws a puff and a smell like candy mixed with burnt paper suddenly singes my nostrils. “Please, sit.” he nods at the chair directly across from him. “How may I be of help to you?”

“What makes you think I’m associated with Hagar?” I ask as I take the offered chair. “I could be an escaped slave, for all you know.”

“Not with those strange eyes of yours. You are a creature of the old sorceress, of that there is no doubt.” He points toward my face with the end of his pipe. “But even if you did not have those unusual eyes I would have known that you were sent here by Hagar, or you would not be searching for me.” He takes another puff of his pipe and rubs a finger across his hairy chin. “I take it she is sending you on an errand and she requires my transportation. I am always ready to perform the service, but there is a price. I’m sure she made you aware of this, yes…?” He eyes me expectantly. I pull a small leather bag from my trench coat and drop it on the table in front of him. Bits of rainbow dance across his face when he opens the bag and tilts it toward the table lamp to examine the contents. His yellow eyes light up and he gives a grunt of satisfaction.

“Yes, yes, this is more than enough. My ship is yours. What is your destination?”

“Marlowe.”

“What is your cargo?”

“Just me.”

“When do you wish to leave?”

“Now.”

“Come, then. My lady, the Gray one, she is always ready to embrace the stars.” He slugs down the last of his drink and rises from the table. I follow him around the far edge of the bar where he pauses to slip three of the gems to the slender male Drule tending it.

“Megallio, we need to leave the back way. Open the door, if you please.”

The younger man pockets the jewels and presses a button below the counter. A door at the end of a short corridor slides open. I follow the Captain outside to a battered old hovercar parked behind the building and he fumbles below the dash with a hand to get the engine running.

“Must fix this someday,” he mutters to himself as the motor hums to life. The car wobbles slightly as it lifts from the ground and he has to reach under the dash again to make another adjustment. Once it becomes steady he pulls out of the alley. As the craft glides out onto the main street I take a final look back at Castle Doom, towering over the city skyline. I relax and concentrate on making the mental adjustment that enhances my vision, then I scan the windows.

It doesn’t take me long to find her. She’s standing right in front of her bedroom window with her hands resting on it, her eyes darting back and forth as if she’s searching for something. Briefly it seems like she’s looking right at me, then she sighs and lowers her head a little. After a moment she turns to address someone behind her and moves away. I stop looking then because there’s nothing else in that place I want to see. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes.

Next stop, Marlowe.

Hagar waves goodbye from the edge of the launch platform as my command ship prepares to lift away from planet Doom. The engines strain against the bonds of gravity working to drag the ship back down. It lifts into the air with a steady, determined push, slips through the barrier of gray clouds and rises to the stars, free from Doom’s embrace at last. The planet shrinks rapidly into the distance and finally vanishes altogether, swallowed up in the vastness of space as if it never really existed.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been through so much in three short days. Hagar was right when she said my experience on Doom would be a true eye-opener. I’ll never be so naive about my brother again. But a foolish little part of me deep inside still wants to believe that it’s the pressure of being on the throne that makes him so cold and ruthless. I’ll just have to lock that part away and get rid of the emotional key for my own safety.

The officer at the helm turns in his chair to address me. “Jump point will be reached in twenty minutes, Your Highness.”

I look at Garn where he stands to the right of my chair. He leans close to my ear and tells me that all I have to do is acknowledge the statement and tell him to continue, so I do.

I thought I was just supposed to ride along in this ship, not command it. But I’m pretty sure that much of what I’m doing is simply providing decoration. The bridge crew is doing all of the real work. I won’t be issuing any real orders unless I choose to deviate from Hagar’s instructions or we find ourselves in a combat situation. I hope they’ll be mostly in control for that as well. I have no idea what I’d do in such a situation myself. But there’s a first time for everything, and if I can survive a visit with Lotor, I should be able to handle just about anything else that comes along. The thought stays with me as the ships reach jump point and we head for Arus.

======== END

To Hagar's Little Helper: Part 10