“Tarot.”
Canio Marsyas laid his cards on the table and the other man’s face fell. “You’ve already taken my money.” The Tevrova businessman told him and it was clear, despite the thick local accent that he was almost panicking.
The businessman stopped to think for a few moments and with a look of sadness and regret on his face, tapped a few buttons on his dataslate.
The one in Marsyas’ pocket beeped, telling him it had received a message.
“You belong to him now.” The businessman turned to the young woman sitting beside him and Canio Marsyas saw her for the first time. He suddenly hated Tevrova that much more…
Slaves on an Imperial world? We’re better than this… Fine. I’ll free her right here, right now.
The former Imperial Pilot turned drifter looked at his dataslate and found what he expected, documentation listing him as her new owner, along with a list of her training and skills.
He didn’t care about any of that- he saw only the collar around her neck and her short-cropped hair- she would be rather pretty if not for the look of sad acceptance in her pale eyes.
“My ship leaves tonight, I really must be going.”
He swept the cash on the table into his pockets, gave the businessman a mocking bow and held his hand out to the enslaved woman at her former master’s side. She slung a large bag over her shoulder, picked up a suitcase and joined him without a word.
They left the gambling hall hand in hand and stood for a moment, looking out on the skyline of towers and onion shaped domes while he called for a ride to the spaceport.
“Your name is Lucia?” He asked, and she nodded.
“You’re free from now on.” He kept his promise, while reflecting that he would much rather have the man’s money. “I was born to serve. I know nothing else…” Her voice, a milder form of the accent that disgusted him so much was low, quiet and almost fearful…
“Talk to me- not the pavement.” He was already annoyed at the woman’s total submission.
She looked up with the same fear in her eyes.
“You’re no one’s property. Go home, get your things and make your own way.” He tried again but she didn’t move.
“He is always travelling- this is everything I have. I come with you?” He glared at her and slowly realized there was no other way.
“Open it.” The order came out harsher than he intended but Lucia did it without question. Canio Marsyas lived by few rules- a drifter and gambler like him simply had no use for them, but there were things even he would not do and digging through a woman’s clothes was on that short list.
“What do you have in there?” He asked her, hoping she had clothing more practical than the sleeveless gray tunic she currently wore. A winter coat and boots, woolen mittens and a fur hat… but little else.
A litany of curses from a dozen worlds came to mind but he kept the outburst in check. If she wants to follow me around like a lost puppy… Guess I’m responsible for her…
Captain Kraegus was almost livid. “I took in one stray and now you’re bringing me another one… The owners run this tub on a shoestring as it is… You can bring your new pet along but I’m not responsible for her.”
Lucia stood beside him, face turned down, staring at the deck.
At least New Master is kind… bought me new clothes for travel… took off collar…
“Wasn’t my idea to bring her along- got handed to me, the last guy couldn’t pay his debts.” He pulled a few more coins from his pockets.
“Here- this should buy close to a week of extra rations for both of us. We don’t leave for another two hours- I’ll run and get something.”
Lucia knew how to read men and their moods.
New Master…No, call him Canio…is unhappy…I am costing him his money…
“Fine- but you’re both off at the next port. Be back in time or I’m leaving without you.” Kraegus growled and turned away.
“Lucia! With me!” He ordered, again harsher than he intended and she followed him to the nearest market. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his dataslate, making sure she could see its contents. All it took was one pressed button and the document declaring him her owner and master vanished from the screen and from his personal records.
“There- you’re free… Please go- get a ride to the nearest church, they can help you.”
“I stay with you… I work for you… help you get money back…”
“I really need to teach you to speak properly…” He noted, still frustrated and angry.
“Problem with how I speak?”
At least she’s not afraid of me anymore…
“We’re off the ship when we reach the next planet- you understand what that means? No work, no money- no food. I can’t take care of you forever Lucia. You’ll need to stand on your own.”
“I know- but was a slave only a couple of hours ago- need time.”
“Fair enough.” He admitted and hastily placed canned food and bottled water into their cart.
They arrived only moments before they were scheduled to leave, and Kraegus silently went about his work- doing his very best to ignore them. Lucia could read the other man’s mood, she could tell that his anger had faded into apathy. The awkward silence remained in place until well after the Landers docked and the crew went about their business.
“It’s a little cramped…” He almost apologized as he slid a metal door aside.
With space at a premium Canio Marysas’ room was more of cell, roughly two by three meters. It held a narrow bed, a chest and nothing else.
“There’s just the one bed.” He realized for the first time, he’d never given it much thought before but now that he was responsible for another human being…
“Is alright- I sleep on floor.” She offered. “You take it…” He told her. “I’ve slept in worse places.”
“We take turns.” She offered a compromise and laid her things in the chest.
Canio Marsyas went to work only moments later- leaving her alone with his dataslate and boredom. She struggled to read the words and numbers and she realized that this was a record of his personal finances. The numbers were much smaller than she thought they’d be.
“Canio is a poor man, not like Master. I will take care of him, like he takes care of me...” She kept herself as busy as she could, alternating between sleep and small cleaning tasks, waiting for his return.
They flipped a coin to decide who got the bed that night and Canio won. He was too exhausted to do much else but sleep for what felt like only moments. He woke to find her laying on top of him- his hands instinctively holding her tight.
“Didn’t think you’d mind.” She told him. “Floor is hard… and cold.”
While surprised, he found he didn’t mind feeling her body against his. It had been far too long…
“I don’t…” He gave his answer, struggling to push his sudden desires aside.
“Master would use me…I will if you ask me… to thank you for saving me.” She whispered. The pleasant moment ended in cold anger.
“You are a free woman! You don’t offer that to me!”
“I’m sorry…” She answered with tears in her eyes. “Please… don’t yell… Master would drink, and yell… he would hit me…” His mood softened at that confession.
“No one else gets to hurt you- not while you’re with me.”
While he had left Battlefleet Eressa and his promise to protect The Imperium behind him, he would protect her- at least until she could stand alone.
“Should I sleep on floor? Will need extra blankets.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She snuggled closer to him and the pair enjoyed their moment, fending off the cold dark of space together.
Kraegus dumped them in a nameless mining town on a backwater ice planet- taking a hold full of ore with him. Neither spoke as they struggled through the deep snow, finally arriving at a tavern lit by red neon signs, beckoning them inside. Canio Marsyas instantly noticed a few things- the wooden floor was dirty the liquor flowed freely, and company was abundant.
But it was the stuffed Ork head on the wall that he noticed most of all- not so much the crude, rather disgusting trophy but the card tables beneath it- they almost called to him and he saw his chance.
“Deal me in.” He pulled his money from his pockets and sat down.
Lucia sat beside him, thinking back on their meeting. Canio ordered a couple of drinks and growled his terms to the other players.
“We’re playing for money and only money- girl’s not for sale.” The other men at the table nodded their agreement and the man directly across from him made a comment as he dealt.
“We don’t want your girlfriend…”
“She’s not my…” He tried to protest but the miner cut him off when he turned to her.
“He doesn’t deserve a pretty girl like you… might have to steal you away for a dance later…”
“Your decision Lucia- can’t hold your hand on this one.” Canio Marsyas slugged down the shot of local Amasec and tapped his fingers on the table, just waiting for the game to begin.
“I’ll be a perfect gentleman- I swear.” He gave them both a smile and dealt. Lucia watched, fascinated by the game and she made a note to have him teach her later. She was trained in housekeeping skills, not card games.
He collected his winnings with a broad smile and they headed out into the dark cold night, looking for somewhere to stay. A storefront display caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks- her old master had never allowed her much beyond a couple changes of clothes and a winter coat.
“I just want to look…”
He greeted the request with dull acceptance and walked down the alley alone, waiting for her to finish her window shopping. He felt something poke him in the ribs and he realized it was a laspistol a split second too late.
“Do I need to say it?” a voice growled in his ear
“Canio?” A female voice echoed down the alley a few moments later. “Still there?” Her arrival was enough of a distraction for him to make his move. He turned and wrenched the other man’s arm downward, accidentally putting a shot into the pavement.
Lucia froze in place, paralyzed by fear but for only a moment before she saw the situation. The gunman had his back to her, the laspistol was in his right hand and the pair was struggling for it… She saw her chance and then made her move. She jumped onto the mugger’s back and reached for his throat, but she quickly lost her grip and slid into the dirty snow. But the action was enough- it divided his attention further, allowing Canio to land a few hits. The mugger shuffled away, blood dripping from his nose, in search of easier prey.
Lucia rose, and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m alright… Thank you.” He drew in a few breaths of the cold air, prompting a ragged cough.
“I was so afraid for you.” She confessed and refused to let go. He went from grateful to annoyed once again.
“Let me go- got things to do.” He almost snarled at her and quickly apologized, tucking the laspistol into his jacket.
“You almost died!” She held on and refused to let go.
He decided I owe her- more important. I trust her.
“In a way I already did… I’ll tell you later.”
The nameless hotel was obviously not built for luxury and much to their irritation they were again forced to share a bed.
“At least we have heat.” He noted, a few moments before the generator outside slow ground to a stop and they were plunged into cold darkness.
“Said you would tell me.” She reminded him.
“I did.”
He told her everything…
Where others joined Battlefleet Eressa willingly he’d had no such plans- he was perfectly content to remain on the family farm. But it was inevitable really...
He hadn't seen his home, or the stars in Animos' night sky since. He would have loved space travel if he he hadn't been forced into service aboard an Imperial warship...
But for all of the bad, one thing kept him sane- his Valkyrie. It had seen him through things most people could never imagine- but only day gave him a new opportunity to flee from the life he had grown to hate.
The sound of screaming engines and the smell of smoke were burned into his memory- the smell of burning flesh told him his co-pilot was already dead and the sound of screaming metal told him that his aircraft was breaking up… He didn’t remember much else…
He woke on a beach, the smell of smoke still assaulting his senses and an idea came to him… The Valkyrie cockpit was at the bottom of the ocean- as far as anyone knew, he was dead. Being dead gave him a chance at a new life…
It was actually rather liberating to tell his story to someone he trusted, and a sense of relief swept through him. Her only response to it was a grave nod.
“I was born in the city of Via-Pevrova... ” She began to speak. "Born a slave..."
Her voice was strangely soothing, and he fell asleep to the sound of her words. She looked out on the falling snow, spoke to no one and made her peace.
“Not a slave anymore- Free Woman.”
Canio Marsyas slowly woke, half expecting to find her beside him and was almost disappointed to find nothing but wadded up blankets. At least until he thought about it for a moment.
Struck out on her own… good.
The smell of very strong Caffeine quickly jolted him into awareness. His eyes snapped open and he saw Lucia sitting in front of him with a pitcher. He quickly gulped down the cup she offered him.
“Plenty more downstairs. Miners like it and like it strong.”
He guzzled down another and she revealed what she had learned.
“Next trade ship isn’t coming for six months- to pick up next load of ore.”
“Guess we’re staying.” He accepted his fate and dealt the cards later that night.
Curiosity got the better of him and he finally asked about the Ork head on the wall.
“There’s Ferals up in the mountains- like to raid the convoys coming down with ore sometimes.” His hopes of signing aboard to protect them were dashed with the next statement.
“PDF can deal with ‘em most of the time. Always looking for hands in the tunnels though.”
That wasn’t an option for either of them and while the cards had been good to him thus far he knew his luck wouldn’t hold forever. And so, he took whatever work he could find- a few hours a day cleaning up after draft animals, repairing broken windows and tools. He spent as little money as possible- sometimes going hungry for her sake and working well into the night to allow her sole use of their rented bed.
A local Ecclesiarchy priest had taken it upon himself to educate the town’s poor citizens and so she went to school in the mornings, and in the afternoons looked for work. She did this for days until a scent carried on the wind caught her attention. She didn’t recognize it and so she followed out of curiosity. The barn on the outskirts of town smelled of smoke and hot metal- she assumed it to be a foundry or factory of some sort.
Can I finally help Canio earn money?
She approached and recognized that something was very wrong.
Factories don’t have armed guards…
She landed face first in the snow…
“Lucia!?” He opened the door called for her and when she did not answer he knew…
He pulled the laspistol from beneath the bed, tucked it into his coat and ran into the streets to search for her. He spoke to The Priest, who knew nothing. He searched the shops on the main street and for was about to pray for help, the first time in years, when the smell found him.
The smell of smoke, warm metal and something sweeter than an average Lho stick. It all made sense to him. The miners needed something extra to keep themselves working through long shifts, maybe a little something extra to trade to passing ships.
There were hot springs a few dozen kilometers from here, grow the raw material in secret and process it in a town where people had some money to spend on the finished product- he’d never given it much thought but now that was thinking about- the logic was sound, at least to him.
“Lucia- you stupid girl… you naïve, stupid girl…” He sighed, more worried than angry.
“You probably think it’s incense or something.” He made a final comment to himself and followed the scent.
She woke to the sound of voices arguing but didn’t react.
“She won’t say anything…” The first said to his partner, and probable boss.
“I’ve see her around town- she’s an outsider… can’t trust ‘em.” The other man answered and sniffed several times.
“Then what do we do?”
“Lemme think…”
The same scent flooded her nose and she gagged loudly. There was no point pretending anymore and so she quickly scanned the room. The barn was full of cauldrons full of boiling liquid, sacks half full of white powder and plants she didn’t recognize by sight or smell scattered around the room in various states of processing. She understood what they were doing, and she knew she was in the wrong place.
“So you’re awake then. Came to the wrong place girlie…”
“Please don’t hurt me…” She nearly begged.
She tried to swallow her fear, knowing that Canio would come for her. At least she hoped he would.
Does he think I went off on my own? No- I am never leaving him again. Too dangerous without him.
“Depends on you girlie… the boys saw you poking around before we caught you. You’re not PDF, you’re not with The Law. So, who are you?”
The boss waved a smoldering length of wood in front of her face.
“You’re not from around here… No one will notice if you go missing but that’s the thing- don’t want disappear you, unless we have to.”
She gave them what they wanted, trying to stall for time.
“Just travelling- with a man named Canio. We’re waiting for another ship to arrive before we can go. I won’t say anything, I’m sure that he won’t either.”
He announced his arrival with a single las shot that punched a hole in one of the cauldrons, spilling boiling liquid across the floor. The next shot shattered an overhead light and Canio Maryas stalked forward.
“Let her go.” He demanded and quickly shifted his aim to the Boss’s hand.
“Your boys are still breathing- I’d like to keep it that way.”
“We have you outnumbered but we can talk.” The Boss tried to regain control of the situation.
“No talk- lose the girl or lose your hand.”
Canio shifted his aim.
A shot cracked out from behind him, he dove for cover and squeezed off a return shot. Lucia tried to get up and run away, only to discover that her hands and feet were tied to the chair and so she threw herself backwards, trying to avoid being hit.
Someone screamed “No Shooting!” but the order was ignored, a flurry of shots thundered through the room, one of the gunmen went down, emptying his autogun’s magazine in a spray of fire at the ceiling The others had enough,
“Fine- take her and go. I’m taking a risk in trusting you- sell me out and I’ll find you.”
They both knew he was bluffing but let the matter rest.
Lucia let out a near silent gasp of pain.
“Canio…” She again slipped into darkness.
He was across the barn and at her side in only a few steps.
“You’re alright…” He lied.
“God Emperor…” He breathed, the words half curse, half a prayer. Her clothes were already sticky with blood- and with no time he waste, he simply drew his knife, cut the ropes from her hands and feet and cut her tunic away to reach the injury.
One of the other men overcame his terror and offered him a bottle of some local moonshine to clean the wound. She’d fallen on a rusty piece of metal debris- driving it through her body, just above her left hip. It was bad, but he had seen much worse. He let out a heavy sigh of relief- the wound hadn’t hit anything vital- if he moved fast enough she’d be alright.
He worked quickly, his sole focus on saving her. The bleeding slowly stopped, he wrapped her up the best he could, giving up his coat to keep her as warm as possible and he carried her through the snow.
He gently laid her in their bed and let her rest and as the adrenaline faded he sat on the floor and slept. He woke the next morning to find that she was running a fever and the wound was seeping. She slept for the next four days as her body fought and she woke on the fifth day to a pleasant sight. Her head was cradled in his lap and though she could not make out the words, she knew they were a series of silent prayers.
“You’re finally awake…” He whispered a greeting.
“How long?” She whispered in return.
“Four days. I never left you.”
“I feel terrible- I’m going back to sleep…”
She whispered and slipped back into a pleasant dream. He let her rest and returned that afternoon with a gift.
She accepted the box and removed the brown paper wrapping. There was a new shirt inside it and tucked into that new shirt was a simple, straight bladed knife.
“There’s some things you need to learn.” He told her.
She nodded and pulled it from its simple leather sheath and followed along the best she could. She overextended, gasped as pain shot through her and nearly fell. He was ready, he gently lowered her to the floor and both sat down to rest.
“That’s enough for today.”
It was six weeks before another ship arrived, trading food and medicine in exchange for the illicit goods they’d discovered.
“I can’t afford to take on passengers…”
“How about now?” Canio pulled his remaining money and his newly acquired laspistol from his pockets.
“I have money and know how to fight.”
He didn’t mention how he’d been called on to prove that by this man’s suppliers. The Smuggler Captain thought for a moment and gave him an answer.
“Welcome aboard. The less we know about each other the better.”
This Smuggler was a self-proclaimed scholar. The lie was obvious but his largely neglected cache of dataslates proved invaluable. While Canio put it sixteen- hour workdays she was left to her own devices and as time passed she slowly learned to read the words before her, enjoying his novels far more than the dry religious texts she’d been reading at school.
He stumbled into their cabin one day and she thought it best to say what she was thinking.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done… I would still be in chains back on Tevrova if not for you.”
“You’re improving- that’s good.”
He noted and fell asleep without another word. Lucia gently kissed his forehead and let him rest. He was back at work the next day, unaware of her growing feelings toward him.
He returned to their shared room and slowly opened the door.
Something moved- too quickly for him to react and barely fended off a series of rapid strikes- only one connected but it drove him backward a step and the unknown assailant pressed their advantage. They overextended, tripped over the table and he made his move, readying a heavy stomp to his downed enemy’s midsection but they rolled away at the last moment and pulled a knife from their belt.
He greeted her with a genuine compliment “Good- you’re getting better. I’ll make an armsman of you yet.”
“Kind of you to say… I have a good teacher.” She answered and held out her hand, silently asking him to help her off the floor. He leaned over to help her, off balance for a brief moment…
She took advantage, pulled him to the floor with her and with another couple of moves squeezed her legs around his throat.
“Do you yield?” She asked, feeling triumphant.
He didn’t bother to choke out an answer but reached out, pulled her legs apart and shifted just enough to turn the tables. He held her down, keeping her from reaching her weapon and answered.
“Never.” He finally gasped his answer.
Neither moved and the moment grew awkward. But Lucia realized something as he looked down on her.
God Emperor… Thank you for sending him to save me… I would give myself to him if he asked- is that wrong?
He had a moment of his own. She’s made me a better man… Feels good to trust someone for once.
“So… will you move first, or will I?” She asked with a smile on her face.
They arrived at an obscure dock at a distant station and immediately booked passage elsewhere.
“What did you find for us?”
“First one out- bound for Beyonne. Never been.” He didn’t tell her that passage had nearly destroyed their meager savings, but she knew all the same.
“I’ll trust you.” Lucia answered slung her bag over her shoulder and followed.
They traveled in relative comfort for the next several weeks, arriving at Beyonne a few hours ahead of schedule. The passengers piled into a modified Tetrarch dropship stripped of all weapons and armor and headed toward the planet as the vessel continued on her course.
Lucia clung to her armrest, knuckles white and eyes tightly closed. The Lander dropped through layers of stormclouds, rattling with each thunderclap. The lightning flashed around them, and Canio placed his hand on hers, trying to calm her down, undue attention could be very bad for them both...
A deafening thunderclap left everyone’s ears ringing, the Lander shook wildly, and the lights went out. The smell of smoke filled the cabin and Canio realized in an instant- the engines were gone… He acted on instinct, throwing off the seatbelt and racing toward the cockpit.
“Sir- I need you to return to your seat.” The pilot struggled to remain calm, but his fear was obvious.
“I’m a pilot. Move.”
He wrestled the controls from the Lander pilot, shut down the engines guiding the disabled craft through the next waves of turbulence and the driving rain. Where most men would be crippled by fear and indecision he was never more confident than now. The stromclouds vanished behind them as he saw the lights of Port Elys less than a kilometer ahead.
“Tell everyone to hold on. This is going to be rough…”
He ground his teeth together, bracing himself for impact as the Lander fell from the sky like a stone. A final hard jerk back on the stick kept the Lander from smashing into the landing pad, but only barely. The craft sprayed sparks as it ground to a stop against the rockcrete, leaving the passengers alive but badly shaken. Lucia recovered fairly quickly and rose to embrace him as he stumbled down the aisle toward her. His only reaction was to grab her arm, far harder than he intended, and drag her away before anyone could ask any questions.
“I’m a deserter remember? Do you understand what that means? I can’t let that happen to you.”
He dragged her along as they vanished into a crowd.
“You’re hurting me.” She stated, and he let go of her arm without a word.
“I’ll apologize later- we need to hide NOW.”
The Constables soon contacted the ship’s owners, and House Decebal sent one of their own to investigate this mystery man who saved more than a hundred lives but hadn’t stayed to bask in his newfound glory.
“Manifest listed his name as Canio Marsyas, booked passage for two- witnesses said he had a woman with him, but we never learned her name. They disappeared into the city- We’ll probably never find them.”
“Leave that to me.” Colonel Korben Pease told him and stalked off, typing what little information they had into his dataslate.
They wandered the streets of Port Elys looking for work and a place to stay but they were turned away time and again. A fierce storm swept in, driving them indoors- a place called the Snakebite Cabaret. They found a quiet table in the corner, nursing their watered-down drinks under dim lights and listening to quiet music. Spotlights flickered to life, shining down on stages scattered throughout the establishment.
A voice echoed over the PA system.
“If you would all turn your undivided attention to the main stage-we have something special for you tonight! These ladies are here for One! Night! Only! Performing the Burning Serpent and other dances sultry and exotic… Miss Mali Tak-Sin and her Scarlet Butterflies!”
Lucia watched, less than impressed.
“Heh- I can do that…” She grumbled just loud enough for Canio and the waitress collecting their empty glasses to hear.
“Good for you… Stage is open to the public tomorrow night. You’re guaranteed at least fifty- more if the crowd likes you. That’s how I got this job- can’t dance but they liked my smile.”
She vanished, and Lucia turned to him.
“We both know we need the money.”
He hesitated but as he had learned so many times before- he could not argue with her.
“Fine. But keep that knife close and remember what I’ve taught you.”
They found a cheap room for rent and though he had long ago decided he would never touch her- he found that he enjoyed their closeness. Perhaps a little too much…
He left her asleep in their shared room, checked his laspistol and simply wandered for a couple of hours. She rolled over in her sleep expecting to find him beside her but woke at his absence. She silently prayed for him, holding his gift to her in easy reach and expecting the worst. But he returned and neither said a word. He rolled up his jacket, placed it beneath his head as a pillow and slept, but not well, still troubled.
She’s everything to me… Stayed with me when I had nothing to give her. Am I…?
Canio Marsyas was far more nervous about all of this than she was, she could read that even through his silence, but she tried to put it aside, thinking instead of the task before her as a bouncer ushered her and a few others to the backstage dressing rooms.
“Thank you…” She told him, and he gave her a polite nod in reply.
“Love that accent- where are you from?” one of the others asked her, trying to be friendly.
“Lucia- from Tevrova.” She answered honestly but revealed nothing else.
“Oh- good thing you got out then. We just heard… Tevrova fell to rebels- the governor and most of the government are dead…”
“Chaos take them all… They were the ones who kept me in chains.” She snarled, and the other woman abruptly changed the subject.
“Shufeng- Port Elys born and raised- You got someone special out there tonight?”
“Yes- he means a lot to me… I don’t think he knows.”
“They never do.” Shufeng gave her a knowing smile.
“Do it for him then- you can tell him, without using words.”
She stepped out onto the main stage alongside five other women, but she knew that he was looking at her and her alone…
All six of them opened their silk robes and stepped forward as a slow drumbeat set the pace.
She recalled the advice she had just received- thinking on how he had saved her and all he had done for her since. He had gone hungry so she could eat, slept on the floor so she could be comfortable. He had never asked her for the body she was willing to give…
You are not a perfect man, but who is? I could love you- if you would let me…
She sought him out afterward and pulled him into an embrace.
“I did good?” She asked, slipping back into her old habits out of excitement.
“You did well.” He corrected.
“I enjoyed that- more important, I think they liked me.”
“I know they did.” He answered, telling her nothing more.
You were great up there.
“I’m going to go collect my pay.” She told him, and he watched her go.
Lucia and Shufeng took to one of the other stages later that night, not for pay but for their own enjoyment.
I’m falling in love… He realized with some sadness as he watched. She deserves so much better than me.
They sat in their apartment that night, counting their earnings.
Lucia had earned far more as a dancer, even on her first night than he had at a card table and that thought made her smile.
“I never thought I’d have money of my own back on Tevrova. I’ve come so far.”
“Got that right- you’re carrying us right now.” He grumbled. “Living here is gonna be expensive.”
“They offered me a place in tomorrow’s show. I’m taking it.” She offered a solution. “I can get you a job.”
She could easily read his concern for her safety and reassured him.
“You taught me how to fight, I still have the knife- I’ll be fine.”
He trusted her, but he still intended to keep the promise he made to protect her. He found work in he kitchen, washing dishes, cooking and throwing out the occasional drunk. One of those drunks, an Imperial Guard veteran on leave, pulled a knife on him slashing wildly and cutting deep into his left arm before Canio knocked him down with one hit.
Lucia was at his side and kept pressure on the wound until help could arrive.
“You looked after me- my turn to look after you.”
Thirteen stitches later and he was back at work the next night taking a turn collecting dishes. No one spoke to him, he was a lowly dishwasher, beneath their notice, all except one man who indicated the dressing on his arm.
"A life as dangerous as yours is bound to get your girlfriend in danger, too."
"...She's not my..." He snapped his answer, just a little too quickly.
"Doesn't matter. Colonel Korben Pease, Decebal House Guard."
"I've heard of you, what do you want?"
"Offer you a job. Heard about the Lander, I know what you can do. You’re wasted as a dishwasher. Civilians never learn to fly like that… you train with The Fleet? You walk away? You can tell me- not the type to put a bullet in your head.” The silence was all the answer Colonel Pease needed.
“Since you have no ties- I’m ready to take you on right here and now.”
Canio Marsyas tried to take regain control over the conversation.
“I have a few conditions: One- I want a Valkyrie. Two. I get my own quarters. Three- Lucia comes with me- you give her quarters, an education and let her be my copilot.”
"You're no good to me if you don't fly. You sleep with the other soldiers, can sleep with her too- I don’t care. Training her should be no problem as long as you keep up your end of the deal."
“What exactly is my end of the deal?”
“You fly and fight for House Decebal. Nightowl Squadron has a place for you and your girlfriend. Lucia was it?”
“I told you she’s not my…” He tried to protest but Colonel Pease cut him off.
“You have an hour to make your decision- you’re not getting another chance.”
“I need to talk to her.” “Then go.” Colonel Pease went back to his Amasec.
Canio left the pile of glasses and dishes on the table and almost ran to the back room. He pounded on the door, calling for Lucia.
She pulled her robe a little tighter and let him in.
He quickly took a vacant seat at an unoccupied mirror, careful to look her in the eyes.
“Got a job offer for us both- if you want it.”
She grew more and more excited as he explained.
“No more running? Steady pay and a place to live? You get to fly again?”
I get to stay with you?
“Yes.” She answered with a smile. “When do we leave?”
They asked the same question of Colonel Pease.
“I’ll take you to the Arch-Militant. Shuttle to Kyreigne leaves in the morning- we’re not waiting for you.” He answered and vanished into the city streets.
The pair finished their last shift and walked out into the moonlight. He reached out,and in a moment of happiness like he'd never known- took her face into his hands and kissed her full on the lips. They stood in awkward silence for a moment.
“Can we agree that didn’t happen?” He finally asked her.
“It most certainly did- but no one else needs to know. I wouldn’t mind if you did it again.”
]
The ink on their contracts was barely dry before they were on the move again. They wore brand new uniforms and wandered across the landing pad.
“So, this is a Valkyrie?” Lucia asked of the aircraft they were inspecting.
“Better- she’s Our Valkyrie.” He answered with a wide grin on his face.
“Canio?”
Do you know how much I love you?
“Lucia? He asked in return.
I Love You…
“I’ve never flown one. Can you teach me how?”
“Take your seat.” He gave her his first order.
“Can you help me up?” She asked, mostly to give him an excuse to touch her.
“Just this once…”
They lifted off and the blue sky quickly turned to black. Lucia wasn’t watching him or his hands at the controls, she saw nothing but the silver moonlight shining through the glass and across War Princess, She knew that she would never forget that beautiful moment.