“Okay, that should do it. Now we just need to tighten the projection a little which will sharpen the image.”

Antero, walking past the entrance to the royal library, stopped mid-step. Curious, he poked his head into the door to see just what was going on.

On one of the tables in the center of the vast room, a young redheaded woman had claimed the entire area- textbooks and notes were scattered across the surface of the table, vying for space with electronic parts and a large projector.

As it appeared she was alone, Antero was at a loss to discern just who the girl had been talking to. That is, until a small figure crawled out from behind one of the projectors. The dark haired human climbed back to her feet and wiped the dust from the front of her shirt.

“Okay, I have made the adjustments. Give it another try.” The human called up to the Titan. Myona? Antero was fairly certain that was her name.

“Right!” Myona chirped and typed something into the keyboard of her data pad. A moment later, the projector hummed and a small holographic tree as tall as the human appeared on the table.

“Ah!” The small person clapped her hands. “It worked.”

“You bet it did!”

“Excuse me.” Antero cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Can I ask what you are doing?”

Myona let out a startled yelp before turning to face the Prince. After a second she bolted out of her chair. “Oh uh, hello Your… um…” Myona’s face paled as she suddenly realized she didn’t know which honorific to use with a Prince.

“Please, Antero is fine.” The young man smiled.

“Oh, uh, right.” Myona’s expression flipped again and her face was split by a bright smile as she sat down again. “Anyway I was just showing Shaar how to recalibrate a projector in the event of a lens misalignment.”

Antero blinked. “You were what?”

“Oh!” Myona gasped. “I’m sorry! I guess I should explain. I’m a holographic engineering major and I’ve been showing Shaar how to program holograms. Of course, this also includes dealing with projectors.”

Without realizing he was doing so, Antero pulled out the other chair at the table and lowered himself into it. “And… she understands this?”

“Better than you do, likely!” Shaar snapped, annoyed that she was being kept out of the conversation.

“Oops, sorry Shaar.” Myona apologized.

Antero blinked, it had been a long time since someone had addressed him so… gruffly. “I’m sorry… Shaar was it? I uh, meant no offense.”

Shaar crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed disdainfully. “I am learning how to make the holograms very fast. Myona even says so!”

Antero’s eyes widened. “That… I hope you will forgive me if I’m a little skeptical.”

Shaar’s mouth opened to protest but Myona was able to swiftly cut her off before Shaar could say anything.

“Shaar, why don’t you demonstrate for Prince Antero?”

Muttering darkly, Shaar positioned herself at the controls. Unfortunately, she would have to dictate the code because she was too small to work the keypad herself and Myona was unable to find one more appropriate to the human’s size.

Antero watched in fascination as the two of them worked. Shaar wrote the code out and then told Myona what to type in.

Or, at least, that’s how it appeared to be.

After a few minutes, the holoprojector flared to life and an image appeared in front of them. It was a simple geometric shape, a cube, that slowly shifted into a sphere and then into a pyramid and then back again. Simplistic, Antero was certain, but impressive nonetheless.

“How… How long have you been teaching this to Shaar?” He asked, dumbfounded.

“Oh gosh… since the start of the semester I’d say.” Myona responded, idly running her fingers through the image, causing it to pixelate and reform every time she did so. “I mean, probably teaching her the code took the longest, after that it’s really all about remembering how to tell the computer what you want it to do.”

Antero blinked. “Really?”

“Oh sure!” Myona smiled.

“I’m pretty good at fixing the hardware too.” Shaar interjected.

“That’s true.” Myona agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “Frankly I think she’s better suited to it than I am, being smaller she’s better able to handle some of the more delicate parts than I am. If only I had proper tools for her.”

Antero silently watched the two of them work for a moment. “Can I ask whose idea it was to teach Shaar how to… how to do this?”

Myona looked up from the screen and smiled. “Mine, I guess. But I only got the idea when she solved a problem for me without even really thinking about it.”

“The wire was loose. It made sense to me that that was probably what was wrong with whatever the thing you were working on was.” Shaar added, grunting in exertion as she turned a dial on the projector.

“Right.” Myona nodded. “And at first I thought she had just gotten lucky. But, then I wondered if maybe she could do more than that. And… if she wanted to learn, well, I had to see for sure, right?”

Antero nodded. His mind was racing. “I see. That… that does make sense.” Despite the fact that he’d been serving his tour of duty in a post that might charitably be called ‘out of the way’ Antero wasn’t ignorant of events that had been occurring on Archavia proper. He was aware of some rumors about a human that wanted to teach at a Titan college. Opinion on whether the rumors were genuine or an elaborate hoax were mixed. And, truthfully, Antero had been inclined more towards the latter point of view.

However… seeing the small human in front of him reprogram a hologram projector was forcing the young Prince to revisit the idea.

Which, of course, lead his mind further down the path. If one human was smart enough to teach University level physics courses (assuming of course, that the rumors were true,) and another was smart enough to create her own hologram codes and execute them properly. Then what else could humans possibly be capable of?

Antero found himself very disturbed by the implications. He filed the thought away for later perusal.

“If… if you ladies will excuse me,” Antero said, suddenly rising from his chair. “I have an appointment I need to keep. It was nice to have talked with you both.”

“Oh, it was nice to meet you too, Your… um… Prince Antero!” Myona responded effervescently.

Antero nodded and turned to walk from the library. He found himself with a lot to think about.

*.*.*

Rhionne sat with Tylum in the latter’s guest room. Pierce was seated on the desk nearby. He wasn’t participating much in their conversation, at the moment he was content to just listen and observe.

Something was off about Rhionne and Pierce hadn’t quite figured out just what it was yet. She seemed more reserved than usual. He suspected it wasn’t something just anybody would notice about her, but Pierce liked to think he’d gotten to know the princess fairly well. That he could read her moods fairly easily.

His train of thought was interrupted by a soft knocking. Turning towards the open door, he saw Empress Rajenlif standing in the door frame.

“Your Majesty!” Tylum yelped and rose to her feet.

“Please, be at ease my dear.” Rajenlif spoke softly and with a tone that suggested she got that kind of reaction all the time. She smiled warmly. “I’m not here as the Empress, today.”

“What… what can we help you with, mother?” Rhionne asked, with just the barest of a hitch in her voice. She looked, from Pierce’s estimation, like the proverbial deer caught in headlights.

“Actually I was wondering if I might have a word with Pierce?”

Now it was pierce’s turn to try out a cervine impression.

“M-Me, your Majesty?” Pierce yelped.

The Empress turned her eyes on him, and while Pierce suddenly felt an entire colony of butterflies appear in his stomach, he could also sense the Empress had no intent to make him ill-at-ease. He saw only kindness in her green eyes and that, and a deep breath, helped to calm him somewhat.

“Yes.” Rajenlif responded. “My daughter has… informed me of a few things, and I’d like to see if maybe you could give me some perspective on what she has had to say.”

Pierce swallowed and nodded. While he couldn’t say he’d been expecting to have a private interview with the monarch of an interstellar empire, he wasn’t entirely surprised by it either. Rhionne had, after all, made him aware of the possibility.

“I’d… I’d like that, your majesty.” Pierce said, affecting a bow that felt more awkward than it probably looked.

“There’s no need for that.” Rajenlif said, resting her upturned palm next to him. “By custom, only Titans are required to bow before the Emperor or Empress.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Pierce glanced at Rhionne and Tylum, who were both watching him encouragingly. After only a slight hesitation, Pierce climbed into Rajenlif’s hand and carefully lowered himself into a seated position.

The Empresses hands were soft, though at the same time Pierce could detect the remnants of callouses. This was a woman who was used to working with her hands.

Before he could observe further, her hand rose into the air. The movement was carefully executed, but Pierce still found himself instinctively grabbing at the golden band around her middle finger for support.

The Empress bid farewell to her daughter and Tylum and carried Pierce from the room.

*.*.*.*

“Come on, I think the cook said it was over this way.”

Aezhay smiled and watched as Fara tramped across the grounds behind the palace, her boots crushing the turquoise colored grass in front of her and making a clear path for the taller Titan to follow. The two of them were hiking to the far edge of the palace grounds where, according to some members of the kitchen staff, the royal stables were located. Fara, of course, was interested in examining the animals and had persuaded Aezhay to join her. Not that it had taken too much persuasion.

“Wait up, will you?” Aezhay called after the shorter woman.

“Oh sorry Aezhay. I didn’t mean to run ahead, I just got excited is all.” Fara smiled softly as she paused to wait.

“Yeah I know, I’m a little excited too.” Aezhay admitted as she stepped up beside the dark haired girl. “We used to have a vashana when I was a little girl.”

“Oh, you did?” Fara said; gushing only a little bit.

“Yeah.” Aezhay chuckled. “Dad named her Hustain on account of her being a mean little thing. Well, mean to everybody but me that is. For some reason, I was the only one she’d let ride her. Not even Aisell or Lezah could get near her, but she was as gentle as a breeze with me.”

“Oh! There it is, at the bottom of the hill!” Fara pointed down into the valley at the bottom of the slope they were standing on, where a squat brown building rested surrounded by a fenced off area.

It didn’t take them long to reach the bottom of the hill, where they both approached the stable. As they drew closer, they could hear the shuffling of the animals inside, and smell the… well, the animal smell. Of course, this didn’t bother either of the girls, who were used to such things.

“Hut! Hut!”

The vocal commands and the sound of hooves indicated that they were not alone, however. Aezhay cocked her head towards the fenced off area to the side of the stable and the two of them circled around the building to see what was going on.

As they stepped out of the shadow of the stable and up to the fence, they saw that one of the animals was out, and astride the creature’s back was Princess Vallero, dressed in loose fitting riding gear.

“Hut!” The princess barked and tapped the quadrupedal animal on the left flank. The night-black animal swiftly turned in that direction, the sunlight flashing off the hard green scales of the beast’s neck and underbelly.

“Good!” A new voice called out. Aezhay looked across the enclosure where another woman was leaning against the fence. She was dressed in similar clothing to the princess and it took a moment for Aezhay to recognize Jarlkon Gunvjer, Prince Antero’s wife.

“Are you ready to try a jump?” The jotunn woman called out to the Princess.

“I don’t… I don’t know…” The young girl yelled back, pulling at the reins to keep her mount in line. “What if I fall?”

“You get up and try again!” Gunvjer replied with a smile. “Come on. Just try the small one first.” Aezhay and Fara turned towards where the Noblewoman was pointing at a small barricade, about knee height.

Aezhay and Fara leaned against the fencing and watched intently as the Vallero guided her vashana around the enclosure and in front of the barricade. Aezhay could tell, even from across the enclosure, that the princess was nervous. It was the way she sat in her saddle. But, Aezhay bit her lip. The last thing the young woman needed was to know that more people were watching her.

“Don’t think too much, you’ll scare yourself!” Gunvjer advised. “Just go! It’ll be done before you realize it.”

Vallero nodded and urged the vashana under her into a trot. After a few moments the animal started moving at a slow canter, gradually picking up speed. Before long it was almost at a full gallop. Aezhay and Fara watched in fascination as the pair of them drew closer to the barrier.

Then the Princess pulled up on the reins and the animal reared back and soared into the air. The creature sailed over the barricade with the princess atop its back.

Aezhay, however, felt her stomach clench. She could tell almost immediately something was wrong with the way the Princess was positioned in the saddle. A second later her fears were confirmed as the Vashana’s hooves impacted with the ground and the Princess was sent flying over the animals back and to the ground with a bone jarring thud.

“Oh no!” Fara gasped as she climbed over the fence. She and Jarlkon Gunvjer rushed towards the fallen princess.

Aezhay, knowing that the princess was being taken care of, had her eyes trained on the Vashana. Stripped of its rider, the animal leaped over the fence of the enclosure and was trotting away from the stable and what, for it, was a fairly leisurely pace.

However for Aezhay, who took off after the wayward animal, it was closer to a dead sprint.

Legs pumping and feet thudding against the uneven terrain, Aezhay chased after the Vashana. After a moment, the animal seemed to sense her coming and tried for a faster getaway, but by that time it was too late. Aezhay ran up alongside its flank and grabbed ahold of the reins.

The Vashana tried to run, and Aezhay was dragged for a brief moment before she found her footing again. After that it was a relatively simple matter of hooking her foot into the stirrup of the saddle and pulling herself onto the animal’s back.

“Easy there!” Aezhay hissed, pulling back on the reins. “Easy! Let’s get you back home.”

Though she hadn’t been in a saddle in years, Aezhay felt the familiarity of it all coming back to her as she swiftly turned the animal around and pointed it back to the fence at a swift run.

Moments later, she pulled back on the reins and she and the Vashana sailed through the air, over the fence, and back onto the pounded sand of the enclosure. Aezhay moved her body with the impact of the landing and was able to keep her seat.

After a moment to recover from the jump, she pulled the reins and rode back over to where Fara, Jarlkon Gunvjer and the Princess were waiting. Thankfully, Vallero looked no worse for wear from her fall.

“You all right, Princess?” Aezhay asked as she climbed down from the saddle, giving the beast she’d ridden an affectionate pat.

“I’m… I’m fine.” Vallero mumbled, wide eyed. “But… that was amazing! Where did you learn how to do that?!”

Aezhay shrugged. “Oh, well, I used to ride a lot when I was younger.”

The princess climbed back to her feet, assisted by Gunvjer and Fara. “I see. I’m still learning, but the Jarlkon has been a very good teacher.”

“He’s a beautiful animal.” Fara said, raising her hand to the animal’s snout. She waited until the creature had given her an inquisitive sniff, and then gently scratched around the greyish silver antlers.

“Beautiful, but stubborn.” Vallero laughed ruefully. “This is not the first time he’s thrown me.”

“Vashanas are native to Jotunn lands.” Gunvjer smiled. “Stubborness practically bleeds from the ground there.”

“Oh, do you have others?” Fara asked the Princess. “I’d love to see them.”

Vallero grinned. “Of course we do! Come, I’ll show you the entire herd if you like.”

*.*.*.*

A part of Pierce had been expecting an interrogation. He expected to be grilled on every aspect of Earth that the Empress could think of, and in a way, he had been. But Rajenlif had a way of putting people at ease with her. Even someone small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. Within moments Pierce found himself relaxing, and he began to see the resemblance between Rhionne and her mother.

She asked him about his art, and like Rhionne had, she’d shared with him some of the carvings she’d made. They had been even more impressive than those that had been carved by her daughter. She also asked him about the day he’d been taken from Earth, and had him recite every detail, no matter how insignificant, that he could recall.

“That you were taken from your world is a travesty.” She told him as he finished recounting the event for her. “It is my hope that perhaps some clue can be found that will lead us to those responsible.”

“Your majesty…” Pierce cleared his throat. “Would it be possible… I mean, will I ever be able to go home?”

Rajenlif’s eyes slid away from him and she bit her lip. “I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I am, but the law is clear, and even the Emperor is bound by the law. Until the ban is lifted by the proper channels… you must remain away from Earth.”

Pierce’s stomach fell, but he nodded. He suspected that would be the Empress’s answer. He knew that if there was any hope of him returning to Earth, then Tylum would have already found it.

“I understand.” Pierce sighed. “I don’t like it, but I understand it.”

Her majesty smiled sympathetically. “Come,” She lowered her palm to him again. “It has been nearly three hours, which is quite a lot of time for you. There is still more my husband and I wish to speak with you about, but it can wait for another time.”

*.*.*.*

Daz stared out the window as the landscape zoomed by. She was sitting in the back seat of a shuttle, next to her sister. The two of them were content to ignore each other as they travelled towards the Palace. In front of them, their driver minded his own business, which left the shuttle a very quiet place indeed.

Daz’s thoughts inevitably turned towards her immediate future. Would she really be forced to go through with this? Had Rhionne even been told yet, or would this be a complete shock to her? How was the Princess going to react?

Actually, that line of thought confused Daz the most. While she didn’t want to be forced to marry Rhionne, and wouldn’t be surprised if the Princess felt the same… she also didn’t enjoy the idea of being rejected by the princess either. An ego thing, she supposed.

The thought brought a brief spark of amusement, but it quickly extinguished as she saw the Palace appear on the horizon and draw closer entirely too fast. Soon, they were being allowed through the main gates of the courtyard and driving up to the massive staircase that lead into the palace proper.

“Here we are!” Vasha said cheerfully, the first sound Daz’s sister had made in hours. “I hope you’re ready for this, my dear!”

“Me too.” Daz sighed.