General Kazrus stared at the tactical display before him, his mouth twisted in a sneer of frustration. No response had been received from the task force sent to Nyar Three, nor was there word from the scout. Had the Hand destroyed them? The loss of multiple cloaked cruisers would be pronounced.

  Kazrus presumed the opportunity of Nyar Three left with minimal defenses was too crucial to pass up. But had he miscalculated, had the Hand sniffed out the Grysk’s cloaked scout cruiser? If so, it was possible they’d repositioned the fleet defending the system in order to lure the Grysks into an ambush.

  It would also mean the Hand would have learned about the presence of cloaked vessels in the region. Wishing to keep a few surprises up his sleeve, Kazrus had been hoping to avoid that eventuality.

  Anger washed over Kazrus. He should have anticipated this possibility, waited until he could bring a larger force to bear. Perhaps there was another explanation for the lack of communication from the task force. Yet Kazrus doubted it.

  He tapped a key on the armrest of his command chair. “Commander,” He rasped. “Prepare the Doomweaver for departure and plot a course to the Kwenast system, at the best possible speed. It is time to hunt.”

  Kazrus leaned back in his chair, lacing gloved fingers together. The Hand would pay for what they’d done. They stood like a wall in the road of Grysk conquest. A wall that needed to be knocked over and crushed to fine grains of sand.

  It was time to see to that personally.

  Laceeya drummed her fingers absently on her thigh, seated in her command chair brooding.

  The sound of Shyka’s approaching footsteps pulled her out of her introspection. “Just wanted to let you know that munitions are being loaded, and we’ll be fully stocked up before we leave,” She reported, running her hand over the sessile ysalamiri that lay sleeping on its frame mounted to the back of Laceeya’s chair. Shyka quizzically cocked her head to the side . “Speaking of, how much longer until we head out?”

  “The Vice Admiral wanted to check over a few things, and the techs are completing some last minute minor repairs to a few of the ships in the task force,” Laceeya told her. “Replacing some armor paneling where we had that hull breach. So about twelve hours.” She said with a small shrug.

  “Got it,” Bren acknowledged. “Do you have anything to do?”

  “Not really,” Laceeya answered, narrowing her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

  “Captain Harax can oversee things here for a couple hours, right?” Bren asked, leaving Laceeya’s question unanswered.

  “I guess,” Laceeya conceded slowly.

  “Good. Since I already asked him if he could. Come on.” A smirk lifted the corner of Bren’s lip, and she beckoned for Laceeya to get up. She complied, pursing her lips. Bren set off to the rear of the bridge.

  Trailing behind in her wake, Laceeya stopped by where Harax was conversing with a crew member over a console. “Captain, can you take care of things here for a couple hours?” She asked him.

  “Of course, Commodore.” Harax replied with a nod.

  “Thanks, Captain,” Laceeya said with a smile, inclining her head toward him in thanks. “Have the TIEs been loaded with their special packages?” She asked.

  “They have, Commodore.” Harax confirmed.

  “Perfect. I’ll be back soon.” She continued on after Bren to the rear of the bridge, the doors opening before them.

  Stepping into the hallway, the doors slid shut with a hiss, interlocking behind them as they exited the bridge. Bren looked back over her shoulder, giving Laceeya a mischievous smirk. She couldn’t help but smile back. Turning slightly, Bren held out her hand to Laceeya. She accepted it, placing her palm on Bren’s and lacing their fingers together. They headed further down the quiet corridor, passing by the door to Laceeya’s quarters as Bren pulled her along.

  “Where are you taking me?” Laceeya queried mildly.

  Bren turned to shoot Laceeya a grin. “You’ll see.” She answered cheerfully. The pair arrived at the turbolift, and Bren tapped a few controls. Laceeya squinted at her, a puzzled smile on her face.

  A moment later the turbolift doors opened, and Bren again dragged Laceeya out and through the hallway. She led her into the ventral hangar bay, over to where Laceeya’s TIE Reaper sat. The ship still sported some fresh scars, but the major damage from the skirmish with the Gruhjaffa fighters had been repaired. The ramp was already open, waiting invitingly. With their boots sounding on the metal, the two marched up the ramp into the vessel.

  Upon entry, Bren pressed the button for the ramp to retract, and a second later they were sealed privately inside the Reaper. Bren turned to face Laceeya, beaming at her.

  “So what’s the plan now?” Laceeya asked, returning her smile and taking Bren’s other hand.

  “Whatever you want,” Bren replied. “I thought it’d be good for you to get away from everything for a couple hours. I know how stressed you’ve been, and I know how worried you are about the upcoming battle. And I also know how much you like flying, so here we are.”

  Laceeya smiled, touched by Bren’s thoughtfulness. “It’s so sweet of you to do this Bren,” She murmured, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Why don’t you take us on a little flight down to Nyar Three?” Bren suggested as the two parted from their hug, inclining her head to the cockpit area.

  “Okay,” Laceeya said excitedly. She tugged Bren along as she headed up to the cockpit. Sipping into the pilot seat, she fastened the restraints snugly over her body. Her hands glided across the controls to input the start procedure. A moment later, the ion engines fired up with their distinctive roar, and she noticed the hangar door had already been opened. With Bren in the copilot seat beside her, she lifted off, hands confidently clasped on the yoke.

  Steering the Reaper carefully out of the hangar, passing through the magnetic containment field and into the dark vacuum of space. She glanced over at Bren, giving her a broad grin. Laceeya navigated the ship through the void of space, careful to keep plenty of distance between the other capital ships parked above the planet. Nyar Three grew larger until it filled the view, and Laceeya leaned the yoke into a smooth starboard turn to remain just above the planet’s atmosphere.

  For a few minutes, Laceeya threw the ship into a series of tight maneuvers and loops, taking joy in the pureness of flight. She increased to full thrust and modulated the etheric rudder to throw the ship into a high speed sideways skid. Then she lined the ship up and dove straight down, perpendicular towards Nyar Three’s surface. Her hand found the controls to dial up the shield strength to maximum.

  The TIE was plunging into the upper atmosphere, wind began to rush over the ship as friction from the air burned against the shields. The thick air coruscated off the shields to make the small vessel look like a meteor burning up on entry. “Uh, Laceeya,” Bren spoke, her voice subtly nervous. “You’re not trying to cook us are you? We’re getting pretty hot.”

  Laceeya merely glanced over at her and gave her a lopsided smirk. Wind howled and buffeted the ship, as she pulled up on the controls to level the ship out and slow the ship's immense entry speed. The Reaper cut through clouds in a shallow dive, steadily losing altitude. The clouds cleared to reveal the surface of the world below.

  Mountains blanketed in monstrous trees with dark red and purple leaves stretched as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful. Laceeya lowered the ship into a valley, the ion engines screaming. Throttling back on speed, the ship sailed above the serene landscape, flying low over the treetops.

  “It’s beautiful,” Laceeya murmured. Forested mountainsides rose up on either side of them, the dense foliage enveloping the ground.

  “It is,” Bren agreed. “But I’d argue that the view inside the cockpit is even better.” Laceeya glanced over at her out of the corner of her eye, snorting softly.

  “You’re too sweet,” Laceeya replied. The trees were huge enough to weave the ship through in places. Some had gnarled light grey trunks that spread out into a canopy of thick red leaves. Others had skinnier trunks with dark wood and lavender leaves.

  “It’s the truth.” Bren said innocently.

  Laceeya tilted the nose of the craft lower into a dive, leveling out and twisting around the huge trees. She leaned the ship to port to skirt by a thick trunk, then back to starboard between two huge trees and ducking beneath their expansive branches.

  “You better not be flying crazy just to impress me,” Bren teased nervously as the Reaper slipped closely by a trunk.

  Laceeya shot her a smirk. “Hey, you’re the one who said we should fly,” She countered. It was a joy to sail through the forest, without worry of enemy craft pursuing them or flying laser bolts. Just the thrill of flight, with Bren by her side.

  “Better not make me regret it,” Bren said.

  Laceeya pulled back on the yoke, taking the ship back safely above the forest. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” She apologized. “But this is great, Bren. Thank you so much.” She gave her a big smile.

  “It’s just great to see you happy.” Bren replied with a warm smile, placing a hand on Laceeya's thigh. Continuing to sail the ship over and through the forest and between mountains, the pair conversed, laughing and grinning and enjoying each other’s company to the fullest.

  “Why don’t you take us down over there?” Bren said after thirtyminutes of flying and chatting, pointing out a large rock outcropping jutting from the side of a mountain. Laceeya cut back on thrust, dialing up the repulsors. Extending the landing gear, she smoothly set the vessel down on the rock. Pressing a few buttons, the ion engines fell into silence as the ship shut off.

  Laceeya undid her restraints, and removed her tunic to set it to the side. There was no need to be in uniform here. Taking a deep breath, she sat back in her seat, exhaling slowly. “This is nice,” She murmured, turning her head to look over at Bren. “I wish this is how it always was. Us together, going wherever we want with no worry of the Grysks and all the threats in the Chaos.” She said wistfully.

  “I know,” Bren agreed with a nod, looking back at Laceeya. “One day.” She smiled reassuringly. “One day.”

  “I hope so,” Laceeya replied with a tired sigh. She swallowed. “Lately it’s really felt like the Grysks can’t be defeated. Like we’ll never have peace.”

  Bren just nodded gravely, gazing out the viewport at the forest below. “We don’t need to worry about that right now,” She cocked her head to the side, meeting Laceeya’s eyes. “Right now, it’s just me and you.”

  “Thank you so much for this Bren,” Laceeya remarked. “You have no idea how much I needed this.”

  “Well, I had some idea,” Bren countered. “And I’ll take any excuse to spend some time alone with you.” She stood, stepping over and leaning in to kiss Laceeya gently on the lips. Laceeya closed her eyes, taking in the scent of Bren’s hair and the warmth of her breath. Their lips meeting sent a shiver of excitement through her body.

  “I love you,” Bren shifted to whisper in her ear, kissing her neck. Her hand ran down the smooth blue skin of Laceeya’s shoulder and arm. She laced her fingers around her hand, tilting her head to the side to indicate for her to follow. Laceeya stood up, letting Bren guide her into the troop bay.

  Laceeya narrowed her eyes. “Where’re you taking me now?” She asked curiously.

  “Just trust me,” Bren replied, a mischievous smirk playing across her mouth. “Let me grab something real quick.”

  “Okay.” Laceeya said suspiciously, as Bren pressed the button to open the hatch. The ramp lowered with a hiss of hydraulics, sun peeking into the ship’s interior. Unsealing her uniform tunic and shrugging it off, Bren retrieved a backpack from a storage compartment and slung it over her shoulders.

  “Okay, ready.” Bren confirmed. She stood expectantly, looking particularly stunning in her uniform pants and boots, with her tight tank top that revealed the sharp lines of her collarbones and a hint of cleavage.

  Laceeya just stared at her for a long moment, thankful for this amazing woman in her life. “What’s in there?” She finally questioned, gesturing to the backpack.

  “That’ll have to remain a mystery for now.” Bren joked.

  “Don’t make me put my uniform back on and order you to show me,” Laceeya admonished with a sardonic grin.

  “You wouldn’t dare abuse your power in such a way.” Bren stated. She held out her hand again to Laceeya. “Come on.”

  Laceeya placed her palm onto Bren’s, tightly interlocking their fingers. They set off down the ramp. The outside air of Nyar Three was warm but not oppressively hot, and a slight breeze stirred the leaves on the trees surrounding the rock outcropping. Laceeya breathed in the fresh air, brushing aside a stray lock of hair that had blown into her face.

  They walked together, side by side with Bren leading her along. “It’s so nice here,” Laceeya commented. “It’s a shame we pretty much only get to see it from space.”

  “Yeah,” Bren agreed, as they strolled through knee high maroon grass, beneath one of the massive trees. “It really is. And it just sits right under our nose while we float around in space.” The pair continued on through the forest on the mountainside, the sea of trees extending all around them.

  Finally Bren stopped by the base of a tree, which grew out over the edge of a small cliff. A creek gurgled quietly, twisting its way down the mountain. The thick grass layered the ground. “This is perfect,” Laceeya remarked softly, gazing out at the landscape below.

  “Perfect place for a perfect lady,” Bren said brightly, sliding off the backpack straps and setting it onto the grass.

  “Time for the mystery to be revealed?” Laceeya queried, raising an eyebrow.

  “It’s not much of a mystery,” Bren admitted, opening the pack. She removed a couple blankets and spread them out on a flat section of soft grass. She pulled out a few containers of food, placing them beside the blankets on the ground. “Surprise.” She said with a dramatic hand gesture to the blanket. “I know it’s not much, but-“

  She was cut off as Laceeya stepped forward to embrace her and kiss her passionately. Bren setting up the whole experience was an incredibly touching gesture. “It’s amazing, Bren,” She whispered. “You’re amazing.” Laceeya couldn’t think of a way she’d rather spend her time.

  Bren beamed, her radiant smile lighting up her face. She took both of Laceeya’s hands and pulled her over to the blankets to sit. Sitting side by side, Laceeya felt Bren slide an arm around her waist. The skin of their shoulders pressed against each other. Laceeya leaned her head over to rest on Bren’s shoulder, her dark hair cascading over Bren’s chest. She snuggled her body closer to Bren’s, wrapping her arm tightly around her.

  “Why can’t it always be like this?” Laceeya said softly, the wind rustling the leaves and grass. Bren ran a hand through her dark blue-black hair.

  “You’d probably get tired of going on dates with me.” Bren said.

  “Oh be quiet,” Laceeya admonished playfully, nudging her gently.

  Bren just laughed lightly, and kissed Laceeya on the top of her head. The trickle of the stream running over rocks and winding its way down the mountainside added to the relaxing ambiance. The call of an avian cried out in the distance. Laceeya closed her eyes, deeply inhaling the fresh atmosphere. She lifted her eyes back open, gazing at the vast landscape before them.

  This is what the galaxy held, this and so much more. Yet most of what Laceeya experienced was war, and the burdens that were included with it. Was another life possible for her? She had a brief fantasy of taking her TIE Reaper and running away with Bren from everything. She knew she could never do that. Laceeya couldn’t abandon her crew. They were her friends, her family. They needed her, and she’d never be able to live with herself knowing that they were still fighting and dying. She knew Bren felt the same way.

  Bren scooted over to sit cross legged facing Laceeya, taking both of her hands in her palms. She tilted her head marginally to the side, a crooked smirk across her face. The sun was striking her face, her blonde hair appearing a rosy gold in the rays of sun. Laceeya stared into her deep brown eyes, and marveled at her exquisite beauty.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Her features never ceased to entrance her, Bren always looked just as beautiful as the first time Laceeya laid eyes on her. If anything she grew more beautiful in her eyes as she fell in love with her. Anytime her glowing red eyes fell upon Bren, it was difficult to pull her gaze away. “How do you do it?” Laceeya asked.

  Bren cocked her head a bit more to the side, smiling quizzically. “Do what?” She questioned in response.

  “Look so damn effortlessly beautiful all the time,” Laceeya answered with a smile.

  “It takes a lot of effort to look effortlessly beautiful,” Bren said mock-seriously, doing her best to keep a straight face.

  Laceeya laughed. Bren broke out into a broad smile, giggling.

  “You’re silly,” Laceeya teased, squeezing Bren’s hands.

  Bren grinned back at her. “Maybe so.” She admitted.

  Another gentle gust of wind brought warm air to her face, the leaves in the huge trees rustling above. Laceeya looked around her at the picturesque landscape. “Such a perfect world. But no one lives here.”

  Bren shrugged. “There’s a lot of planets in the Chaos.” She said.

  Laceeya nodded. Her eyes caught the large tree beside them, and she raised her head to watch the thick branches sway ever so slightly in the breeze. “It’d be fun to climb a tree,” She mused, as her eyes traced the gnarled trunk and twisting branches. “I used to love climbing things as a kid.”

  Bren scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know how you’d get up in a tree that big.” She said doubtfully. “But if you want to, we could go find one for you to climb.” She said with another small shrug.

  Laceeya pursed her lips, shaking her head. “Not right now,” She said, turning her gaze back to Bren. “Right now I just want to be right here with you,” She smiled warmly. “Seriously Bren, thank you so much for this. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

  Bren cocked her head to the side. “You must’ve screwed up real bad to get stuck with me,” Bren joked, a wry smile crossing her face. Laceeya rolled her eyes in response, snorting. “But really, all you did was be your incredible and amazing self.” She told her, smiling. “Such as being kind, strong, empathetic, smart, loving, loyal…“ Bren added, counting off on her fingers. “Need I go on?”

  “You flatter me.” Laceeya said, rolling her eyes and grinning.

  “Oh, and did I mention drop-dead gorgeous?” Bren added.

  “You’re just trying to flatter me to get in my pants.” Laceeya joked with a raised eyebrow, smirking wryly.

  Bren shook her head. “It’s all true. But…” She said. tilting her head and running her tongue over her lips. Laceeya felt her squeeze her hand as an alluring smirk formed on her face. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

  Laceeya snorted and giggled. Bren leaned forward, releasing Laceeya’s hands to slide her own up the pale blue skin of her arms. Bren pulled her forward, shifting her hands to place one on the small of Laceeya’s back and the other behind her neck.

  Laceeya felt her heart jump in excitement at her touch, and their lips brushed together, meeting in a kiss. She closed her eyes, giving in to the wonderful feeling of Bren’s lips and the closeness of their bodies.

  Bren pushed Laceeya to the ground so she was lying flat on her back on the blanket. Laceeya bit her lip provocatively, looking up at her. Bren sat back to work off her boots, and standing up, she slowly slid down her pants to reveal her long and shapely legs. Bren removed her top, and deliberately stretched her arms above her in silence.

  Laceeya felt her heart speed up, stimulated as she watched Bren reveal her body. Kneeling down, Bren straddled Laceeya’s form, and again brought her lips to connect with Laceeya’s. The kiss was passionate and long, and after Bren moved down to place her lips on Laceeya’s neck.

  Laceeya closed her eyes, gasping softly with her mouth open slightly as she felt the thrilling touch of Bren’s mouth on her collarbone. She lifted a hand to trail down the smooth skin of Bren’s back, below her waist to trace her curves. Bren shifted her body up, her hands falling to clench the hem of Laceeya’s top and work it over her shoulders and head. Laceeya propped herself upright to remove her uniform trousers, letting them fall to the ground.

  Bren's hand gently caressed the smooth pale blue skin of her hips and waist. Laceeya’s pulse quickened, her face feeling warm as her body flushed with arousal. Bren had a mischievous smirk across her face, looking down at her.

  In Laceeya’s eyes, she never ceased to be the most beautiful person imaginable. Laceeya’s muscles practically moved on their own accord to propel her to Bren, touching her mouth back to Bren’s lips.

  “You’re so beautiful.” Bren murmured breathily, leaning to whisper into her ear. "And you're all mine."

  "That's right." Laceeya closed her eyes. For the next half hour, her fears and worries dissolved away. All her attention and thoughts were veritably on the moment she was experiencing with Bren.

  A little while later, Laceeya rolled over to face Bren, wrapping shaky arms around her body.

  The pair lay closely together on the blanket, facing each other. Laceeya’s chest rose and fell as she caught her breath. She met Bren’s dark brown gaze, a lock of blonde hair slightly covering one eye. Laceeya reached an arm over to brush the hair aside.

  Laceeya smiled lovingly over at her. “You’re amazing.” She whispered.

  Bren stroked a hand through Laceeya’s tousled and messy blue-black hair, staring deeply into her eyes.

  “I can’t imagine a better couple hours than this.” Laceeya sighed, rolling over to lay with her back against Bren’s body. She tightly snuggled up against Laceeya, embracing her in her arms and resting her chin gently on her head. Laceeya savored the feeling of the warmth of Bren‘s body and the touch of her smooth skin against her own.

  “Neither can I.” Bren agreed.

  “I wish it wouldn’t end.” Laceeya said. A warm breeze passed through, the leaves whispering overhead. Laceeya could feel the warm air brush across her body. “It’s like we have the planet all to ourselves.”

  “I know.” Bren replied, gently running a hand over Laceeya’s back. They lay together in peaceful silence for a minute, nothing but the sounds of nature in the background. Thoughts floated into her mind, dreaming of if her life could always be like this. If she wasn’t bound by honor and duty and the bonds formed with friends and crew.

  “I wish we could run away from it all,” Laceeya murmured after a minute. “Away from all the death and responsibility. Just me and you.” She sighed. “But I know we can’t.”

  “I know,” Bren repeated. “Me too sometimes.” They were both quiet for a moment.

  “You’re what keeps me going, Bren,” Laceeya murmured, closing her eyes. “I couldn’t do it without you. I’d fall apart. I have nightmares about losing you.”

  “Come on, I’m not that important.” Bren teased lightly. ”You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re the Commodore Laceeya.”

  “Oh be quiet,” Laceeya said, snorting softly. “I’m serious.”

  “Well it’s a good thing you don’t have to worry about me going anywhere,” Bren replied. “Ever. I’m always going to be here.” She paused for a moment. “Unless you kick me out,” She added jokingly. “After all, you’re the Commodore and you give the orders.”

  “Not with you I don’t.” Laceeya countered, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

  “Good point.” Bren whispered in her ear. “Speaking of, we should go for a walk.”

  “That sounds nice.” Laceeya said.

  Bren sat up, and Laceeya began reaching for her clothes, pulling her tank top back over her undershirt. “Just like Csilla I bet.” Bren said sardonically with a lopsided smile on her face, gesturing expansively to take in the planet. Csilla was the Chiss capital planet, a cold and frozen world. Over the years, Laceeya had told Bren a lot about the Chiss Ascendancy.

  Laceeya snorted softly, rolling her eyes and grinning. “More or less.” She joked in return.

  Laceeya tugged on her boots, standing and stretching her arms high above her head. Feeling Bren’s gaze upon her, she looked back at her, a sideways smirk lifting the corner of her lip. Bren was sitting back, propped up on her elbow, her eyes taking in Laceeya’s form. Turning, she offered a hand and helped pull Bren up.

  Hand in hand, the pair strolled through the thick maroon grass. Warm rays of sunlight shone down through the canopy of leaves.

  “Let’s go over there,” Bren pointed out after a minute of walking, where the mountainside fell away into a sheer cliff face, around 100 meters all at its highest point. Vines crawled down the rock wall, lush grass peeking over the edge and a few large trees growing out over the void.

  “Okay.” Laceeya said with a smile. A warm breeze washed over her, leaves overhead rustling as the dark red grass waved lazily. A few locks of midnight blue hair fell in front of her face, and Laceeya closed her eyes for a moment. She drew in a long breath, absorbing the smells of the planet and savoring the small gusts of wind on her face and body.

  Holding onto her hand, Bren gently tugged her along, the two of them walking over to the top of where the cliff dropped off below. “Watch your step,” Bren warned.

  “Long way down.” Laceeya agreed, peeking over the edge. The tops of the largest trees on the mountainside below reached up close to their position.

  “Nyar Three is incredible,” Laceeya breathed as her fiery crimson eyes gazed out across the vast landscape.

  “Someone should make some travel holo brochures for it,” Bren joked.

  “Or we could just let it be our secret,” Laceeya countered, a smile lifting her lips.

  “I do like the idea of having our own planet,” Bren agreed.

  “Aside from the base the Hand has here.” Laceeya added.

  Bren shrugged. “Plenty of room for us to have the rest of it.” She said.

  “True.” Laceeya replied, peering at a striking patch of lavender moss that enveloped the ground. Nature was something that had always fascinated her.

  “Laceeya,” Bren said, getting her attention. She reached out to grasp Laceeya’s other hand, facing her as she stared deeply into her crimson eyes. “Whenever you’re struggling, I want you to try to think of today,” Bren murmured. “And remember that there’s good out there that we’re fighting for. Remember that there’ll be days like this for us in the future, and that this is what we’re working towards.”

  Laceeya was quiet for a moment, pursing her lips tightly. “I’ll try,” She whispered.

  “It’s great to see you like this today,” Bren commented. “It’s the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time.” She smiled warmly.

  “Thanks to you,” Laceeya responded, smiling back in return. “I honestly couldn’t ask for a better day. Thank you for doing this, Bren.”

  “Anything for you,” Bren said wryly, her blonde bangs swaying in the breeze. Pulling on Laceeya’s hand, she steered her over to a huge rock that jutted out a couple meters from the rest of the cliff edge. She perched herself on the edge, finding a spot with a patch of soft moss, her long legs dangling over. Gesturing, she motioned for Laceeya to sit beside her. Laceeya lowered herself onto the edge of the rock, sitting closely against Bren on the moss that grew around the stone.

  With an arm around her waist, Laceeya rested her head on Bren’s shoulder, exhaling. She heard the screech of an avian in the distance. The forested valley dipped down below where her feet hung.

  “Things used to seem so much simpler,” Laceeya whispered. “Back before I was in command of a whole task force. Back when we first met, when I was still just a Senior Lieutenant like you. Now…” She trailed off, sighing softly. “Sometimes I think about if I could go back, and refuse promotion.”

  “You’ve done a lot of good,” Bren told her. “Putting others first above yourself. Think of all the people you’ve helped,” She narrowed her eyes, glancing over at Laceeya. “And don’t trick yourself into thinking that you’re not the best commander you could be.” She added.

  “Yeah.” Laceeya murmured.

  “There’ll always be ‘what if’s’ in life,” Bren said. “But I think you’ve made the right choices. Imagine if you’d decided not to join the Hand in the first place, and you never met me.” She nudged Laceeya playfully.

  “That would be terrible.” Laceeya agreed. Her eyes defocused slightly as she reminisced. “It feels like a lifetime ago when we first met. But at the same time, I still remember it perfectly.” She said dreamily.

  Laceeya looked over at her profile. Bren’s blonde bangs fell on either side of her face, the rest of her hair tied back in a loose and slightly messy bun. “Me too.” Bren said, glancing over at her and smiling.

  It really did feel like so long ago. At the time, she was serving as the senior weapons officer on the Ethereal, the same position that Bren now held. Having been transferred to the Ethereal, Bren was a junior weapons officer, tasked with overseeing one of the main gunnery stations.

  Laceeya laid her head back on Bren’s shoulder as she thought back to their first encounter.

  Since Bren’s role had her serving directly under Laceeya, she recalled meeting her the first time, when she was showing Bren her position and giving her a rundown and tour of her duties. She’d looked just as beautiful then as always when Laceeya’s luminous red gaze first fell upon her.

  With her back straight and hands behind her waist, Bren had stood facing away from her in the main turbolaser gunnery station, overlooking a few displays.

  “Junior Lieutenant?” Laceeya had said, striding into the room.

  Turning around, Bren stood before her at attention when she introduced herself. The dark grey navy uniform adorned with red stripes was the same as she wore now, crisp and neat, her blonde bangs poking out from underneath her officers cap and draped around either side of her face.

  Laceeya smiled to herself as she reminisced. Their eyes had met, locking together for a long moment. Thrown off, Laceeya had completely forgotten what she was saying, her words stuck in her throat, her mouth hanging open ever so slightly.

  A faint smirk had played across Bren’s lips as she cocked her head quizzically to the side. It was a motion she regularly did, one that Laceeya was now intimately familiar with and had seen her do thousands of times. “Everything okay, ma’am?” Bren had asked. Laceeya had opened her mouth, searching for the words she’d been speaking. “Yes,” She’d managed, her face warming with embarrassment. “Fine.”

  “Junior Lieutenant Bren Shyka, ma’am.” Bren had said, holding out her hand.

  Laceeya realized she hadn’t even introduced herself. “I’m Senior Lieutenant Laceeya,” She told her, stepping forward to shake hands. Her palm met Bren’s, feeling her smooth skin and giving a gentle handshake as Laceeya stared into her brown eyes. “I’m the head weapons officer here.” She gave Bren a little smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Junior Lieutenant.” After a long moment, she let her hand slip away.

  “It’s great to meet you as well, ma'am. So you’re my direct superior,” Shyka had observed, her head tilted slightly.

  “That’s right.” Laceeya had confirmed with a nod.

  “So we should be working together pretty closely then.” Bren had said, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth.

  “Yes, that’s right.” Laceeya had repeated, gazing deeply into Bren’s brown eyes.

  “I’m looking forward to that.” Bren had murmured, her smile growing slightly.

  “Me too,” Laceeya had agreed, smiling back in return. Her heart had beat through her whole body with excitement, just from being in Bren’s presence. They had stood there, their gazes locked together. Bren’s brown eyes had appraisingly moved across Laceeya’s body, looking at her down and back up to her fiery crimson eyes. She recalled the way her heart had jumped in her chest, the feeling of nervous excitement washing over her.

  “I think you were supposed to be showing me around.” Bren had commented slyly.

  Laceeya had felt her face flush again with embarrassment. Distracted by Bren’s presence, she’d completely forgotten the entire purpose of why she was there. “Right,” Laceeya had said quickly. “Umm…” She glanced around at the gunnery station that they were in. “This is the main turbolaser gunnery station,” She gestured to the room behind her, tightly packed with numerous consoles filled with buttons and switches and displays. A few gunners sat around at their respective positions.

  “I’ll be on the bridge, relaying your targets and orders,” Laceeya had told her. “Which you’ll then pass down to the gunners. I can provide direct targeting data, which will be sent to the gunners’ displays.”

  “Understood, ma’am.” Shyka had confirmed.

  “I’m sure you know all this, but I just want to make sure you’re familiar with the specifics here.” Laceeya said. She’d continued to give Shyka a thorough walkthrough of everything, and introduced her to the gunners she’d be working with. Laceeya had been quite impressed by Bren’s knowledge of all the systems and weapons and tasks she’d be performing.

  “So that’s that,” Laceeya had said with a sigh, hours later. “How do you feel about everything?”

  “Great, ma’am,” Shyka replied with a smile. “I’m happy to be here.”

  “I’m glad you’re here too,” Laceeya said. She couldn’t resist a grin forming on her lips, thanks to Bren’s infectious radiant smile that was directed at her.

  “Maybe you’d be willing to show me around a little more thoroughly sometime, ma’am…” Bren had said slyly, meeting Laceeya’s eyes.

  Laceeya's heart had skipped a beat in her chest. She stared intently over at Bren. She looked perfect, and Laceeya had never felt anything like this, never been drawn to anyone like she had been to Bren. Yet she knew it was sometimes frowned upon for an officer to be involved with their subordinate. But…

  “Only if you want to,” Bren added quickly.

  Blinking a couple times, Laceeya realized she’d just been staring in silence at her for a minute. That was embarrassing, she thought, her pale blue cheeks flushing yet another time. “I’d love to,” She said hastily, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, my brain went blank for a second there. But yes, I’d love to show you everything.”

  A warm grin broke out across Bren’s face. “Great,” She had said.

  Maybe it wasn’t proper for the two of them to fraternize. Yet the pull she felt to Bren was so strong. The way her smile made Laceeya’s heart race with excitement, the warmth of her laugh. It felt so right.

  From that first meeting, Laceeya had known there was something special about Bren, something special between them. And she’d certainly been right about that, Laceeya mused.

  “It’s been over three years.” Laceeya murmured. It had been three years of difficulty and danger in the Chaos, three years of war and all that came with it. Bren was a bright point among the darkness.

  She felt as if she’d known Bren forever. Even when they’d first met, she’d already felt like she knew her well, like being with her was where she belonged. She was now the most important part of her life, an inseparable piece of Laceeya.

  “Long time.” Bren agreed. “Who would’ve thought you’d stick with me this long?” She joked.

  Laceeya snorted and rolled her eyes. “I would’ve thought.”

  “Well I’m glad you did.” Bren said. She cocked her head to the side. “You’ve come a long way in three years,” She remarked. “Senior Lieutenant to Commodore. That’s pretty amazing,” Laceeya felt her arm squeeze her waist. “You should be proud. I’m as proud as someone could be.”

  “Thanks Bren,” Laceeya murmured. “It’s pretty surreal.”

  “Before long, you’ll be a fleet admiral.” Bren added wryly.

  “Definitely not going to happen,” Laceeya said with a laugh. Her smile faded. “Plus, I’m at the limit of how much responsibility I can handle.” She whispered, her expression grim. “Maybe past my limit.”

  “Don’t say that, Laceeya,” Bren gently said.

  Laceeya drew in a long breath and released it with a hissing sigh. It sometimes felt like she couldn’t escape from the shadow of war, the heavy burden it placed on her shoulders. It always crept into her mind, unwanted.

  “Do you want to walk some more?” Bren asked into her thoughts.

  Laceeya nodded. “That’d be nice.” She smiled over at Bren.

  Standing, Bren held out a hand to Laceeya. She looked up at her, the reddish-yellow light of the sun striking her form. Her eyes absorbed the lines of her body, her lean but strong arms, her tight tank top accentuating her shape, and her long legs beneath her shorts.

  She was breathtakingly beautiful, something Laceeya was reminded of every time her glowing red eyes rested upon her. Laceeya placed her palm in Bren’s as she helped pull her up. She gazed back out over the vista, at the tall trees with their maroon and purple leaves swaying. Hand in hand, the pair strolled off along the mountainside through the thick grasses.

  They chatted and laughed and flirted and enjoyed each other's company. Time passed quickly, far quicker than Laceeya would like. She knew that soon, they’d have to return to the Ethereal. Return to reality, and the harshness of war.

  But for now, she was happy. For now, she was safe.