The Hidden Princess: Part Two free porn video

The Hidden Princess: Part Two It had been Loilas. The ancient AI had long gone rampant. But since the definition of intelligence included a sense of self-preservation the AI had hidden the sickness away. A Lykensi AI had been able to insert a Trojan Horse-type virus into Loilas during a previous engagement and the program had worked as it was supposed to. Broadcasting the coded message of the Princess' presence and then deleting itself before the signals had left the antennae. Therefore the only trace left was just that a message had been sent. Only because the Capitol ship had been so far out of the usual transit corridors the Empire ships traversed the Lykensi had found themselves completely out of position and having to travel at maximum speed to catch up to the lonely Capitol ship. But of course by that time it had been surrounded by a massive escort flotilla, including the one ship the Lykensi feared. The Empire Defense Class: Brighton. It was because of that ship interposing itself between the Capitol and the Lykensi fleet that the princess had been able to escape. Even after Loilas' backdoor had been exploited once more they were unable to glean any information of what the trajectory of the God's Eye was. The records showing another AI had changed the programmed course at the very last minute. And once the Capitol was fully able to engage with their MAC cannon, plus the Brighton the battle would still have been winnable but it would have cost the Lykensi fleet deerly. So instead, what ships that were still capable came about and quickly jumped to light speed, arching away in flashes of bright light. Scattering onto hundreds of possible courses incase their prey popped out of hyperspace before reaching the inner systems of the empire. ******** -Brian rolled on to his side and opened his eyes to find himself looking at Brianne. She was staring at him, her emerald eyes boring into his brown. "I'm dreaming again..." -She made a face. "You think so, stupid?" Brian laid still and continued staring at himself... herself... whatever. This wasn't the first time he had had this type of dream and was no longer startled by how much of a bitch she was- "I'm only a bitch to you, you're the one making this hard. Matty likes us just fine." -"You, he likes you. And because of the way you flirt with him all the time he thinks I like him too!" Brianne gave an impish smile and moved closer so that they were almost nose-to-nose. -"I bet there are shrinks back home who would love to be in our head right now. Seeing you and me, us, arguing with ourselves or is it myself? Yourself?" Brianne giggled at her own silliness, and then turned serious. "So are you going to let me out to play when we wake up?" -Brian tried to back away from her, but couldn't move. Which was normal in these dreams. "No! The last time wasn't even on purpose and you kissed him!" -Brianne bit the corner of her lip at the memory. "Oh, yeah... well what if I promise to be a good girl and keep our hands to ourselves? It's not fair that you get to decide how this goes, Brian, I want out. Like out, out. Not just what I can get away with when you aren't paying attention. If you let me have control I promise I won't do anything bad. When we're Queen we can share, I liked riding the motorcycle." -"No. I'm a boy. I want to go back to being a boy. You need to stop trying to have your way. You made me look so weak during the attack with all that screaming." -"We were scared, Brian. Are you really trying to tell me, the girl in your head, that you weren't scared?" -"Guys don't scream when they're scared and we don't-" -Brianne put a finger just before Brian's lips, silencing him. "Do you hear-" Brian opened his eyes before the sentence could be finished and he was greeted with his mother looking over him, looking panicked. "Honey, I need you to sit up and buckle in, right now." Coralun moved to the back of the cabin, before he could say anything. Brian slowly moved to comply as he became more aware of the flashing lights and alarms going off in the cabin. Matias was at the control console, his fingers dancing over the holographic surface like a concert pianist. Out of the view screen was for half a heartbeat Earth, but then Brian realized the continents were the wrong shapes and the oceans weren't the right shade of blue. "Mom?" Coralun reappeared and sat into her own seat quickly pulling the straps over her shoulders. "Matias, Celesta is ready to be transmitted, tell me there's a Survival Sat out there!" "Yes ma'am... the AI is on the way. She'll track us in from the satellite and drop the gear right behind us! Auto pilot is set!" Matias spun out of the pilot's chair and rushed back to the cabin. First checking that Brianne was secured in tight and then secured himself into his own chair. "Mom! What's going on!?" More calmly than she felt, Coralun looked over at her daughter who had been sleeping so peacefully just moments before, "There was a problem with the slip space drive, when we exited it blew the micro reactor and now we're crash-landing on a planet. We're lucky it's here, honey. We'll be okay. " The view out the window suddenly changed when the nose of the lifeboat angled up away from the planet as the computer settled the craft into an appropriate reentry angle. An orange glow began to fill the cabin as the lights suddenly went out from more relays blowing. Brianne screamed. They had to wait. The landing had been rough but the three occupants had weathered it well enough. They had to wait for the hull to cool enough to open the hatch. Through the side view port Matias had already confirmed with Celesta that several survival kits had safely made their own atmospheric decent and landed with near pinpoint accuracy. Of course there were more on the behemoth satellite that was now settling into geo-synchronous orbit directly over them; but it was best to hold in reserve. There was even a small manufacturing plant that could make almost anything needed, except food and water. Rescue could be days, months, even years away. "Is this planet part of the empire?" Both Coralun and Matias turned to look at Brianne. They had almost forgotten she was in the cabin she had been so quiet. "I mean do we have to worry about those... things coming after us?" Coralun shook her head. "No, honey. We're too deep into the Empire to worry about them. This isn't exactly how I wanted your homecoming to be but now we just wait until some comes to get us." There was a beep, and then a hiss as the hatch popped its seals and began to open. Fresh air and sunlight poured into the cabin and Matias instinctively drew the pistol from the holster strapped to his thigh. A high-pitched wine emitted as he flipped the power switch. "Let me do a quick recon of the immediate area first. I'll signal when it's all clear." Matty placed a boot on the threshold and stepped out into the sunlight, disappearing from view. "So no more of that gas then?" Coralun turned to see Brianne was still strapped into her seat, and still wearing the same yellow jumper when they had come under attack. No one had thought to grab an overnight bag out the door. "Come on, would should get changed while he's gone." Beneath one of the deck plates was a small compartment containing four survival kits. Among the requisite small supply of water, food, thermal blankets and small cubes of fire starter was a jumpsuit and a good pair of boots. The jumpsuit was form fitting and was made to give the wearer a chance at surviving everything from extreme cold to extreme heat. Poly-carbon weaving made it cut proof and puncture resistant. There was even a helmet with a supplemental oxygen pack for unfriendly environments. Coralun was sure to avoid even touching that. By the time Matias returned both Coralun and Brian had changed into the jumpsuits. And as he stepped out of the lifeboat he felt Matias' eyes rake over his body. The suit was more than form fitting; it clung to every curve and crevasse almost as if it had been painted on. He shifted his gaze away as heat spread up her neck into her face. "Anything from Celesta on our location, Matias?" "No ma'am, nothing yet. Evidently they didn't think to equip the Survival Sats with any sort of scanning equipment facing out. All the sensors and cameras are looking down on the planet." "What about communications?" Matias shook his head again. "Nothing but text messaging for now, something about the atmosphere of this planet is scrambling anything that needs more bandwidth. Celesta doesn't want to start broadcasting until she has an idea of where we are." Matias pointed to the cluster of cylindrical pods jutting out of the soft ground. "I suggest we unpack quickly and return the pods to the satellite so Celesta can reload and send down more equipment." Brian let them carry on. They'd let him know if he was needed. So instead he took in the scenery. They had landed in a long clearing of ankle high grass. A shollow furrow caused by the lifeboat extended at least half of that. A thick pine forest threatened to close in from all sides except for the far end. And thanks to the gentle down slope of the clearing Brian could see a slow moving river. The sky was a much richer, deeper shade of blue than Earth. In fact as his eyes adjusted to natural sunshine he realized that all the colors were just a touch more vibrant and clearer, richer. It reminded him of the many camping trips he'd taken with his...well Brian didn't know what to call the man he called Dad if his mother was to be believed. Then a gentle breeze rose and sighed through the pine forest. Bringing with it the strange floral scents of this strange new planet. It occurred to him that he should be more concerned about being stranded on a planet untold light years from Earth. But if he had to pick a place to be stranded a forest planet was a good place to start. He knew the forest, he knew how to set snares and how to fish. Brian could literally build a fire with two sticks. And knew how to build a shelter for the season; whether it be a snow cave lined with pine boughs or a lean-to built up slope incase of sudden rains. Brian turned to see Matias pulling items out of the pods and his mother stacking and sorting the various items. "Can I help?" It was several hours later as Matias set the last empty pod on the launch rail that Brian finally managed to bring a pile of kindling and sticks into a roaring fire. He stood from his work as the flames grew and spread and couldn't resist a smile of satisfaction. The wood seemed different here and had taken a bit more effort to get lit but now the warmth and glow was already beginning to fight off the chill of dusk. "All clear!" Matty sealed the pod and picked up the tablet computer he used to communicate with Celesta. He and Coralun stepped to Brian's side of the fire and with a tap on the tablet the four pods lifted off on tiny but incredibly powerful ion rocket engines. They emitted no smoke and barely any flame could be seen from the thrusters. All three stood in silence, watching the pods arc into the darkening sky until they vanished. Matias then tapped another sequence into the tablet and the six spheres he had arrayed around their campsite burst into life. Each one was about the size of a soccer ball, but with three legs that telescoped out into the ground and a device that reminded Brian of tuning forks that jutted from the side, facing out. Beams of blue lanced from one to the next until they were encircled by a glowing hexagon. The light grew in intensity until a sparkling field of energy arched up and over, leaving a small hole in the very top of the dome, which the smoke immediately began to drift through. Then it all faded away, including the spheres and all appeared as if nothing had happened at all. But as Brian watched the smoke from his fire rise he could see that it was being prevented from going strait up. Instead it drifted along an invisible ceiling until reaching the hole in the now transparent force field and then out. "That's pretty cool." Matty smiled down at Brian. "Well until we know who or what were sharing this planet with it's important I do everything to protect you and your Mother." Brianne felt her stomach flutter when she saw Matias and that damned lopsided smile in the firelight. "I saved you from the Lykensi, it'd be a shame to lose you to a wild animal, wouldn't it?" "I suppose..." Coralun interrupted, "Matty, that special case from the first pod. Where did you put it?" The smile faded from Matty's lips and he looked as if he didn't want to say. "Matias, you know it's necessary. We tried to shield you from this on the ship. But there's nothing to be done about it now." "It's over by the life boat, ma'am." His interest piqued, Brian turned to see what his mother was getting and found himself suddenly embraced from behind by Matias. His arms gently pulling Brianne back against him. She resisted at first but the feeling of him pressed against her melted the resolve and Brianne settled into the feeling of being held. His natural scent enveloped her and against her will she let out a small sigh of contentment. "You built a nice fire. Did you learn how to do that on Earth?" The bass in his deep voice caused the skin on her neck to vibrate and sent a shiver down Brianne's spine. "Yeah..." "You know we have fire starters, right?" "I figured, but I wanted to do it. I love camping." Brianne heard the crunch of her mother's boots and looked to see her approaching. "No... please..." Coralun was holding a canister and a mask. Brianne knew what it was instantly. And as she tried to pull away Matias grip became like iron. Brianne craned her neck around and looked at Matias as she realized that he would have to know what the gas was for. "I'm sorry. But you can't get sick out here." Brianne's eyes turned into pools of liquid. The tears were too much for him to watch and he looked away. "Let me go! Matty... Please! Don't let her do this, you don't know-" Coralun fitted the strap of the mask over Brian's head and settled the mask into place, cutting off Brianne's words. "It's been two days, honey, so this is going to be a large dose, okay?" Brian's eyes grew big and he redoubled his efforts to get free from his fianc?. The large doses hurt his lungs the most and caused the worse dreams. His mother turned the valve on the cylinder and Brianne instantly began coughing. He tried to reach for his chest as always but her arms were pinned beneath Matias'. Her eyes quickly glassed over and lost focus as the huge dose of the gas promptly began to pull her under. Coralun was marginally gratified to see that her daughter wasn't able to fight off the effects as well as she used to. It meant it wouldn't be too much longer before she'd be completely transitioned and that the boy who was fighting so hard to stay alive will soon have lost the fight. Brianne's eyes never closed completely when the gas put her under, but Coralun knew she was out when her head lolled to one side and her breathing settled into a steady rhythm. Coralun pushed Brianne's lids closed and kissed the girl on the cheek. "Let's go ahead and put her to bed." Matias easily lifted his sleeping fianc? into a cradle and carried her towards one of the shelters that had been erected. They were tents with a rigid floor and were made of a solar absorbing material. It gathered the energy from the sun during the day and then slowly released it into the interior as heat at night. The shelters were incredibly sturdy and could even be made airtight for hostile environments. Brianne had insisted on erecting her own and had actually completed it before Matias had done the other. In hers she had already set up the cot and made the bed. Which made it easy for Matias to lay her down and Coralun to tuck her in after removing her boots. Matty was quietly standing by the fire when Coralun reemerged and was not looking happy. "Say it," Coralun challenged from her side of the fire. "You are my Queen. I swore an oath to your husband as everyone who serves in the forces of the Tyrolean Empire. I cannot and will not ever do that again. How can she be my wife if she doesn't trust me?" Coralun pursed her lips and nodded. "You're right Matias. I'm sorry, but it had to be done. I'll figure something else out." "Why does she still need that stuff, anyway? She seems all girl to me." "Has she kissed you again?" Matty shook his head. "No." "That's why. She's acting and behaving more like a girl everyday. But the boy that she never truly was is still in control and still resisting." As she finished speaking it occurred to her that Brian had loved being in the outdoors and maybe she shouldn't have let Brianne start the fire she was now enjoying. Being in his element could actually cause harm to the progress he had made so far. "Brianne knows a lot about camping and surviving off of the forest. She's going to want to help you, if she doesn't hate you, when she wakes up. She's not allowed to do anything I don't give direct permission for her to do." Matias nodded grimly, knowing Brianne wasn't going to like that one bit. -Brian's eyes flew open as he bolted up right in bed. He was in Brianne's room again and as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed he pondered how he could wake from a nightmare into a dream. Not for the first time it occurred to him that nothing had been right in his head or life since his mom had placed that first mask over his mouth. -Then she appeared, naked and sweaty; her hair mussed and a light sheen all over her bare sex and upper thighs. And looking quite cross. "You asshole! I was almost there!" She screamed through her teeth and stamped her foot, pointing a shaking finger at Brian. "What gives you the right to ruin my dreams!?" -"Those aren't dreams, those are nightmares. My nightmares. Get out of my head, go back to wherever you came from," Brian spat back. She hadn't existed until his mother had inserted the phallus when he was still in the suit. She had been incredibly weak and timid then, but with every treatment of the gas she grew stronger. -Brianne raised a hand to slap him self but remembered that they couldn't actually touch. She clenched her fist instead. "He didn't want to do it, Brian." -Brian shrugged his shoulders as he looked away from his naked female self. "Didn't seem like it to me. Why didn't he let me go when I begged him? When you started crying he couldn't even look at me. He knows what the gas is for!" Brian glanced up then back down again, she was still naked. -Brianne's tone softened. "Do you know why we started crying?" -"'Cause mom was going to dose me again. Make you stronger and me weaker." -"No stupid, because we actually like Matias, and his stupid lopsided smile. You let him embrace us like that. Camping under the stars, a raging fire and a handsome fianc? holding us. It was nice, admit it. We started crying because one perfect moment had been ruined." -"I was cold. I don't like him like that. He's just the only one who had been nice to me since all this mess started, until tonight anyway. And I thought he didn't know. He didn't treat me like mom or the technicians who kept me in the suit or gassed me all the time." The bed sagged as she sat next to himself and there was a long moment of silence. -"He didn't want to do it, Brian. You never complain about it because you hate what's happening, but Brian you know we get sick when we go to long without it; the upset stomachs, the pounding headaches. And I don't want to find out what happens if we go without and neither does he, cause he likes us too." Brianne fell silent for another long moment then spoke again, "I'll make you a deal." -"What?" -"Forgive Matias and let him get to know us and I promise no more sex dreams with him. For awhile anyway." -Brian looked at his female self. Relief from the nightmares was too much to pass up. With every dosing they were getting more intense and realistic."Swear it?" -"I swear." It was weird; somehow she had followed him into consciousness. And although she remained mostly quiet he knew she was there. Intellectually he knew the girl in his head wasn't a separate entity but the way he was coping with the way he was changing mentally. That didn't help as Brian watched Matias insert a new power cell into his beam rifle. Matias was a fine example of young masculinity, and boasted a fine physique from meeting the requirements of being in His Majesty's Service and from picking a discipline that required hard work as an engineer of a Capitol class ship. The morning sun was kind to him and Brian felt a sudden desire to go with Matias. Celesta had completed her scan of the planet and mapping of the stars and declared them safe from any hostile entity on the planet; that was the good news. The bad news was that they had somehow overshot New Tyrol and were now on the far side of the Empire. The planet had no name and was not inhabited. The only reason why it even had a survival satellite assigned to it was because of the fact that it was habitable and would most likely be colonized sometime in the future. Celesta had sent out a vague S.O.S, but at best it would be another month before rescue arrived. "How long have you known?" Matias set the rifle down after making sure it was functioning properly. And began shoving items into his rucksack. "There were rumors. The official word was that your mother had had a son. But if that was so; then the question was why did she go into hiding? So when you and your mom came aboard it was pretty obvious. Those suits are only used for one purpose. Still there was nothing official until you got out of the suit." "So everyone knew?" Matty heard the alarm in his fianc?'s voice and finally looked up and into her emerald green eyes. The morning sun ignited the gold-yellow highlights in her green hair and even though she wore no make-up she was still a sight to behold. "When your mom came to me with the marriage proposal I started learning everything I could about Earth. It's amazing those people haven't destroyed the planet with the petty differences Terrans hold so dear. In the empire we've evolved beyond caring so much about the rigidity of gender, Brianne, among other things. Many people choose to spend part of their lives as the opposite sex. You're father, the King, actually spent his teenage years as a girl. We have no 'Battle of the Sexes' because as a people we've come to understand that at the end of the day the sexes are different but still equal in many ways." "What are you really saying?" Matias finished packing the rucksack and slung it over his shoulders before answering. Picking up the beam rifle he looked Brian square in the eyes as he finally answered, "I'm saying that you have nothing to be ashamed of and... and I hope that you can forgive me for last night. Because I think you stole my heart the first time I saw you in the gym and I want you, need you, to trust me." Matty watched Brianne's eyes cloud in confusion and shock from his confession and turned to walk out of camp. "Wait..." Matty turned to see Brianne doing that cute thing with her hands when she gets nervous. "I-I know stuff, about forests and..." she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Coralun was still out of earshot and lowered her voice. "Can I come with you? I forgive you for last night." Matias felt his frustration build with his Queens commandment that Brianne do nothing related to roughing it. "I think I'll be okay, Princess. Celesta sent down a map and I'm just going to survey the area and try my hand at setting snares so we can eat more than protein bars." He turned to leave again; he didn't want her to see his eyes. He actually would have loved her company. Matias had been born on an ocean planet and then spent the last three years of his life in deep space after joining the Imperial Fleet. He'd never actually spent time in a forest as his survival training had been on a desert planet. Matty thought walking through a forest with his betrothed was a good way to maybe spark some romance. He had found something the day before he was sure she'd enjoy. "But I know how to do that. And I can show you other stuff, like-" "Let him go, Brianne." Brian watched Matias' back stiffen and then he began to walk away. Brian spun to glare at his mother. "Why can't I go with him!?" "Because you are a Princess. And princesses don't go tromping through the bushes rooting for food." "But I don't want to be here with you! Why are you being such a bitch!?" Brian hadn't seen the look every parent has when I child has gone to far in so long, it didn't register what was about to happen until his mother had covered the ten feet between them and her right hand was already in motion. Coralun's hand connected fully and felt to have been driven by rockets. The impact so hard Brian's head snapped to the side and he collapsed in pain and shock that his mother had struck him. "You seem to have forgotten yourself, child. I am still your Mother and you will respect me. You like wearing that jumpsuit, yes? Toe the line Missy or I'll have you back in dresses so short if you sneeze your panties will show. Now get up! You have studying to do." It rained that night, and Matias activated the force field to act as a giant umbrella. The fire had been started using one of the fire cubes and had a green tint to it as a result, however it still gave plenty of warmth. Under the dome they were quite comfortable and dry. Brian was sitting on a rock and looking up at the flashes of crackling blue light from the raindrops striking the barrier. The effect cast a soft blue glow across the campsite and gave a very surreal effect. It didn't help the headache though. Even though it was a pretty light show, Brian could only enjoy it for a few minutes at a time. It was odd that the symptoms were coming on so strong after only one day. Aboard the ship she had managed three days before the technicians had finally planted a tracking device in her leg. Brian took a long blink to allow the throbbing behind his eyes to ease but they must have been closed longer than he thought because Matias was standing before her when she opened them. She knew by the look on his face that she wasn't hiding it very well and feared for a moment that he would alert the Queen. But instead he sat on the rock next her. Brianne instinctively leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Please don't tell her. It'll pass." Brian grimaced as his stomach roiled again. Matty had his doubts; she looked pretty peaked, but wrapped an arm around her and looked up to watch the light show that surrounded them. Matias pulled her closer when he felt her shivering despite the warmth of the fire. "Why do you do this to yourself?" Brianne took so long to respond Matty was about to ask again when she said, "I don't know anymore." They sat in silence for a long while as the rain continued to fall and the fire burned. Eventually her shaking diminished and her breathing became deep and rhythmic. Brian had woken wearing the mask and against her will even she had to admit she felt better. Someone, he hoped his mom, had removed the suit and tucked him into bed. Outside she could hear Matty and her mother milling about, doing the morning stuff they usually did. But when Matias mentioned going out into the forest the girl in his head spoke up. -"We should go with him." Brian noticed her voice was louder, stronger. -"You know mom won't let me out of the dome." -"She can't say no if we don't ask. Come on we are a teenager, we're supposed to rebel! Besides, what's she going to do? Ground us?" -"But-" -"You promised to try to get to know Matty, Brian! Remember what he said yesterday?" -"Thanks for not letting me forget it." Brian glared at the ceiling for a long moment. It wasn't a terribly bad idea. He'd been chomping to get out from his mothers thumb since they had made planet fall. And fianc? or not, Brian would rather spend the morning in the forest with Matty than another moment under the dome, stuck with his mom. -"I knew you would heed the voice of reason!" -"They'd put me away for sure if shrinks back home knew I had warring personalities." -She laughed. "Silly boy, the only one at war is you. Now get dressed before he leaves." There was about fifteen feet of open space behind Brianne's shelter before the barrier would make its presence known. Of course it was invisible but a ring had formed around the base from the water running off the shield during the previous nights rainstorm. So it was easy to gauge the distance she would have to sprint. Brian had shown his face for breakfast and then complained of not feeling well and made his way back to the shelter. He figured he had about thirty minutes before his mom came to look for him, probably shortly after Matias left. Soon he could hear the high pitch whine of the power cell being activated in the beam rifle and then watched as the orbs became visible from being deactivated. Brian waited until they were completely solid and burst into a full sprint. She had seen what happened to birds when they flew into the barrier and didn't want to know what would happen to her. The short distance seemed to stretch out to a mile but he cleared the line just as the shafts of blue light began connecting the orbs again. He plunged into a fern like hedge of bushes and skidded to his knees to turn and look to see if he had been seen. There had been no shout of surprise or anger and no sign of his mom. Just that hard sprint had winded him and he took a moment to just get his breath back. It was then when he heard someone gently clear their throat and Brianne spun to see Matias not twenty feet away with that damned cute lopsided grin of his on full display. "I like your hair braided like that," he said softly as he covered the distance between them and helped her to her feet. Brianne had the look a frightened child as his mouth flapped several times as he searched for something to say. It occurred to her that Matias might not have wanted her to accompany him into the forest. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing the direction of the nearest snare line. Neither commented on how she hadn't let go of his hand. They had walked quietly for the first half hour, and were on the way to the second snare line (the first had been empty, and Brian figured they all would be because of the rain) when Matty finally spoke. "You know she's going to be livid?" Brianne wasn't sure there was a word for how angry his mother was going to be when they got back. Once they had been far enough away, Matias had sent a message from his small tablet to let the Queen know that Brianne was with him. In reply he had received a very terse, "Very well." "It's funny." Matty held her hand as she navigated small boulders over a small stream, while he just tromped through the shallow water. "Why is it funny?" "It took my mom dragging me to the far side of the galaxy and turning me into a girl for me to get the balls to sneak out of the house without her permission." "You mean you never snuck out before? Ever?" Brian shook his head. "Nope. She would have flayed me alive if I pulled a stunt like this. My friends called me a 'Momma's Boy' 'cause I never did anything that would get me in trouble. I guess it makes sense now why she would have a fit every time I got hurt." "Yeah I guess so." Brian pressed on, it was nice to be able to talk to someone without fear that her every word was being weighed and measured. "Like, when I was nine I fell out of tree in our back yard and broke my arm. I don't think I had ever seen her so concerned for my well being. She was both frightened and angry. The next day she had some gardeners rip the whole thing out, roots and all." "Seriously?" "Yeah... stuff like that all makes sense now. It didn't then, though." "But what about the motorcycles? You obviously learned how to ride somewhere." Brian nodded and smiled as the memory came to the forefront. "Yeah, so I guess that was the one thing I did without her permission. But I wanted to ride so bad, and my friend had this old Ninja-" "Ninja?" "Oh, a type of motorcycle, not as fast as the ones we rode, but pretty fast still. Anyway, I guess she knew all along about that too." They arrived to the head of the second snare string and all of those were empty as well. "Well it looks like its rations for us tonight." "That's okay, it's nice just being out here with you." Matty turned to see Briannes face turning red as she nervously avoided his gaze. Obviously her brain had put out the words before running them through the filter first. "Yes it is nice." Her face went a shade darker. "Can I have some water?" Anything to get him to stop looking at her with that smile of his. For a brief moment Brianne wondered if he knew what effect it had on her. A canteen appeared from Matty's back-pack and Brianne drank deeply. "So what now?" She asked handing it back to him, trying to steer the conversation away from things that made her blush. "I'm out. She can only get so mad and I don't want to go back yet." "Well..." He consulted the map on his tablet. "Hmm, yeah it's not far. C'mon." He took her hand and began leading her even further away from the campsite. -"Stop it! Don't make me say things like that!" Brianne giggled and cooed, -"Brian, I'm not doing anything. You're the one who keeps reaching for his hand; you're the one not letting go." Brian looked down at her small delicate hand being gently but firmly held by Matias'; their fingers were interlaced. "Where are we going?" she asked nervously. Brian had been holding his hand all day, had let himself believe it was Brianne's doing. But he and Brianne were the same person. "You'll see, it's not far." It was waterfall fed pool, deep and crystal clear. The waterfall tumbled from what had to be at least a hundred feet. Falling from a cliff that was ringed in with humongous pine tress. As Brian craned his neck upwards he could just barely see the tops of the trees gently swaying in the mid day breeze. He looked back to Matias to see her fianc? had dropped the back-pack and beam rifle and was now pulling the zipper to his jumpsuit. ?What are you doing?? ?I found this on my first trip out here. I?ve been wanting to go for a swim, do you know how?? ?Of course, but, but...? Matias pointed to a large bush trying to claim an equally sized boulder. ?You can get undressed over behind there. I won?t look, I promise.? ?But, but...? Matias grinned and pulled his arms from the sleeves watching as Brianne?s face turned pink and then red. ?Princess, I promise not to look and to keep my head above water at all times. But I?d really like to go swimming you.? In a daze, Brian turned and walked behind the bush as he pulled at the zipper to his suit. -?Boy are we glad you picked matching underwear this morning.? -?Shut up!? She could see his shape moving through the water, the paleness of his skin easily visible through the clear water. She was sitting on a submerged boulder with just her head and shoulders above water. Matias rose slowly from the water, he was tall enough to actually reach the sandy bottom and still be looking Brianne in the eye. Although at this depth only his head and upper chest were above the water line. Her braid had fallen loose and hung in long wet strands about her face, the very ends floating in the water. The highlights in her hair dance light spun gold in the sun and the light made her eyes shimmer and sparkle like perfectly cut emeralds. And for all of that he could tell she wasn?t content. ?What are you thinking about?? Brianne didn?t answer for a moment and his face appeared as if he was weighing his options. ?I... I don?t know if I can do this, Matias.? Matias? smoothed his hair out of his face. ?Do what?? ?You?re so nice to me. And on the ship...? Brian angrily wiped away tears that were brimming. Matias moved closer. ?You?ve shown me nothing but kindness, since we met in the gym, even though I was rude to you then. And you know that I struggle with how... how I got here and... ? Matias took a non-threatening step closer; close enough they were now breathing the same air. ?This is weird, okay? Like, I?m attracted to you, but then part of me is still male and you know that but you like me anyway and in a weird way that makes me like you even more and you have this damned lopsided smile that makes my heart pound, but I don?t like it, but I do, and sometimes I dream about that kiss in the holo- suite-? His lips were pressed against hers; his arms wrapped around her and pulled her off the boulder as her arms locked behind his neck and legs around his torso. As smoothly as they?d been doing it half their lives. Matias pulled away after a moment and rested his forehead against hers. ?We are matched, did you know that? Celesta compiled everything she knew about you, and then searched for a mate that would fit you perfectly. Do you know what that means?? He was still holding her and gently turning in the water; spinning slowly in place and causing a spiral of ripples to fan out across the waters surface. For Brianne all sound ceased except for the calm breathing of the man holding her. There was not waterfall, no birds chirping, no wind sighing amongst the pine trees, just the sound of Matias? steady breathing as he waited for her to answer was all she could hear. ?No,? barely above a whisper. What ever he was doing was working. Brian?s pulse was racing at miles per minute, and there was a faint roaring in his ears. His eyes remained closed since they were unable to focus. ?It means that it doesn?t matter to me. I can call you Brianne, or Brian. When we?re married you can wear dresses or jeans and we can ride motorcycles everyday. Although, with you?re backside I?d have to insist your pants be well fitted and made of something stretchy.? That managed to pull a laugh out of her. ?Would you really call me Brian?? ?Well, maybe not Brian. People would take notice, but I?ll think of a pet name for you, that way when I use it you?ll know what I mean. How does that sound?? ?Okay, I guess, but... It can?t be this easy Matias. I?m a guy!? A last ditch effort, Brian thought about detangling himself from Matias but he had moved them into deeper water and most of her liked the way her body felt against his. ?Remember how I said you are the only one making this difficult, Brian? I just told you I don?t care.? Brian opened his eyes to find Matias looking right back at him and tears welled in her eyes. ?You called me Brian...? ?I just told you I would, silly.? Matias gave his signature smile and said, ?You hate when I do this too you, huh?? ?I hate everything you do to me. My brain gets full of cotton when I?m alone with you. But I like being alone with you so I guess I?m getting used to it.? And Matias kissed her again, pleased to literally feel her melt against him. Coralun had been incensed with Brianne. And had been prepared to tear her daughter a new one until she saw them holding hands as they walked back into the campground. After that day Brianne never had to breath the gas again. Coralun could tell that there was still part of Brian rolling around in her daughter?s head, but it seemed not to matter. The two became inseparable, and when they thought Coralun was asleep they engaged in heavy make-out sessions like a couple of teenagers in love; which they were. The Queen didn?t put a stop to it, knowing Matias to be an honorable young man. She never did find out were they disappeared to every other day. But it all seemed harmless, and Brianne was happy. It was almost a month on planet when the ships appeared. Celesta had reported making contact and two hours later the first ship appeared in the night sky. Quietly the three watched as ship after ship dropped out of faster than light speed, like silver arrowheads mounted to arrow shafts of light. They quickly lost count as the number of ships, ever increasing in size, surpassed a hundred. The biggest one yet appeared into formation. Where the others were so far up all they could see was a silvery mass, this one was easily visible and Coralun nudged Brianne, ?That?s the Capitol ship, the one we were on.? Next was the huge battleship that had fired the first salvo in the battle. And then a ship so massive it blocked half of the moon appeared and Brianne turned her head at the sharp intake of breath from her mother. ?Oh,? said Matias. ?What?s wrong?? Brianne asked, they were both acting weird and Matias had let go of her hand. She looked back to her mom who was still staring up, tears brimming, at ninety percent of the fleet of the Tyrolean Star Empire, including the flagship; the one that only left orbit from Tyrol if her husband was aboard. Her Husband... Coralun, took Brianne?s hand and began pulling her towards the shuttle, ?Your father is here. We need to change, you too Matias.? Fortunately Celesta had sent down a pod of clothing for them all just days before, but Coralun had something special stowed away in the shuttle. It was a simple white satin dress, with a nipped in waist and halter style neckline. Short, but not the shortest dress Brianne had worn by a long shot. Her hair had been brushed out and hung loosely in its usual large curls down her back, held back by a matching white headband. Her mother stood to her right, wearing an identical dress, but she had braided her hair into a fish tail that draped over a shoulder. Matias was looking handsome on her left in a crisp new jumpsuit. The tools of his trade pulled from wherever he?d stashed them hung from the belt around his waist. And his boots had the best polish he could put on them, considering they were the only footwear he?d had for the last month. The Imperial shuttle made almost no sound as it settled onto its landing gear, barely disturbing the air enough to stir the hair of the two women. At the sound of the hatch popping its seal Matias bowed deeply. Brianne almost followed suit but then remembered that she didn?t have to. Even in the dark the first thing she noticed was the thick mop of wavy blue hair that fell to the mans collar, then his eyes and lastly his smile as Coralun burst forward and found herself being swept up into her husbands arms. ?Oh, Coralun how I have missed you.? His voice was deep, so deep it sound more like it started in his chest more than his throat. The Queen reached up and gently touched her King?s face, ?And I, you Mikal.? Brianne stood rooted as the reunited couple turned as one and walked towards where she stood and Matias still held his bow. The King addressed him first; ?You may recover, Lt. Freau.? Matias snapped erect into perfect attention. Brianne smiled as she realized her fianc? was nervous and it was the first time she had whitnessed it. Matty had always seemed so cool and confident. But then he was also meeting the father of the girl he?d been feeling up for the last three weeks, who just happened to be a King. King Mikal clapped the young man on the shoulder and laughed. ?Relax son, according to reports it was you who guaranteed me the chance to meet my daughter when the Capitol was attacked, obviously you have kept she and my wife safe and protected here; it is I who am in debt to you.? ?I was just doing as every soldier has sworn to do, your Majesty.? Mikal glanced over at Brianne who was studiously not looking in their direction. ?More than just your duty, I think and we will discuss this later.? ?Yes, sir.? And suddenly he was standing before her and he was tall. He stood a good foot over Brianne. Coralun stood to the side, her smile so bright it was almost glaring. ?My husband, I present your daughter, Brianne.? Brianne felt her heart starting to beat faster as it properly sunk in that this man had provided half the essence for her to exist. Memories of the man who had beat her mom flooded to the forefront, and Brianne glanced to Coralun, wondering if that was ever going to come to light. King Mikal gently took his daughter?s small hands into his own larger paws. ?I know it has not been easy for you, my daughter. But you and your mother have returned safe to me. My only wish for you and I is to catch up on the years that have been lost.? He smiled, ?I?ve been told the motorcycle program your mother gave you for your birthday has become quite popular... I have a surprise for you on Tyrol.? Mikal looked to Coralun and Matty and said, ?Come, there is much to discussed, and the people are eager to receive their returned Queen and meet their Princess. Lt. Freau if you would be so kind as to pilot the shuttle?? ?With pleasure, Majesty.? Epilogue Coralun didn?t bother trying to hide her displeasure as Brianne gently passed the infant to her. She and her husband were no longer the King and Queen of The Tyrolean Star Empire. Of course King Mikal and Queen Coralun would always be referred to as such, but as of two hours ago it was now Queen Brianne, Daughter of King Mikal and King Matias of House Freau. Brianne stepped behind the screen and removed the gown she had worn to her Coronation, a mass of blue lace on white satin. And climbed into a custom made, skin tight leather suit with a back zipper. She emerged slipping gloves onto her hands and turned her back to Matias. ?Do you mind, Honey?? The zipper pulled the suit tight around her body as it climbed up her back. Coralun had to try one more time. ?Brianne, I don?t think-? ?Mom, leave it alone. It?s dad?s gift to me, besides there are so many safety protocols in place I?ll be surprised if my hair gets mussed up. Consider it quality time you get to spend with your Granddaughter.? Brianne said as she leaned and kissed the pink hair baby on the head. Matias handed her the matching helmet to her yellow suit, ?The officials are waiting to start, BB.? Brianne smiled broadly and rose up on her toes to kiss her husband. BB was the pet name he used to call her ?Brain? in front of others, she hadn?t realized at the time how much she would appreciate it, but she had become quite affectionate of her pet name. As she exited the tunnel the crowds erupted into a thunderous roar and Brianne smiled and waved, the giant screens hanging from the airships overhead broadcasting her image to the hundreds of thousands who had turned out to watch this inaugural race. The tiny floating cameras that swarmed around her like insects were broadcasting her image across the one hundred and thirty-five worlds of the Empire. When King Mikal had laid out his surprise gift of a road racing course, Coralun had tried to put her foot down. But the King insisted and it?s sort of difficult to say no to one?s own sovereign. He had shown her the workshop in the palace where engineers were attempting to build several different types of motorcycles. But were having difficulty adapting the designs to not using internal combustion engines. Brianne?s simple answer to that was to use the engines the bikes were designed to have. The sound of a motor screaming as it rocketed a rider to over one hundred fifty miles per hour was half the joy of riding, she had explained. The scientists explained that internal combustion engines had been banned for over two millennia... Brianne smiled as the engine of her Ducati burst into life and she swung her leg to rest on the seat of the bike. The distillation of gasoline had become a lost art but eventually the engineers had figured it out once more, and how to make it burn clean as a plus. Although everything had been prepared long before, Brianne?s first decree after the coronation was for the creation of a motorcycle-racing league. This track was the first to be built but there were currently courses under construction on every planet of the Empire. Some ranged from small, super technical courses, to continent spanning endurance courses, but this would be the only one Brianne would participate in. The duties of a monarch would not allow her to race full time. The other racers followed her out onto the track, starting and mounting their own motorcycles. And as she watched the countdown on the HUD display of her helmets face shield, Matias voice came through the speaker embedded over her ears. ?I love you BB.? ?I love you too, Matias.?