The shadowy, cavernous chamber was partially illuminated by strips of imperial violet light on the walls and ceiling.  A long metal walkway stretched towards the darkened dais in the back.  Statuesque guards lined the walls, each wielding glowing heat spears that pointed upward.  They were ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

The double doors opened and in stepped two figures.  High Priestess Samarian wore long black robes that flowed from head to toe and billowed as she walked.  Contrasting her robes was a plain white mask with dark eye openings that revealed no eyes.  It was as if there was nothing but empty space behind the pale facade.

At her side was Comandante Astatine, her right-hand man.  He had chestnut brown hair tied in a high ponytail and piercing hazel eyes.  Tiny studs and cuffs lined his ears.  He wore black robes, pauldrons, a shoulder sash, and long boots.  Attached to his belt was a pair of crescent-shaped daggers.

The pair walked down the walkway and kneeled in front of the dais.  The perimeter of the dais lit up and a mass of thin metal strips suspended by wires descended from the ceiling.  Lights located on the dais and around the room projected a ghostly visage onto the suspended metal pieces.

It was the face of The Imperator.

No one had ever seen the mysterious leader of the Imperiat in person before.  He only appeared in projections and on video screens. Sometimes he was just a voice blasting through speakers and headphones.  Wherever he was, he commanded an intergalactic force that was ever-expanding.

“High Priestess Samarian,” the Imperator’s voice boomed as the mouth of the projected image moved.  “What updates do you have on the Elemental Project?”

“Imperator, the project is underway.  We have sent large fleets to multiple planets to seek out signs of Elemental abilities.”

“And what of the Tokamanen princess?”

“The planet Tokamanen has been eliminated and we are in active pursuit of the princess.  We have placed a high bounty on her so every hunter in the galaxy should be on the lookout.”

“Good.  We need to obtain as many Elementals as we can before the Rebels get to them.  Make sure they do not intercept the princess, as having her on their side will inspire widespread revolts.”

Samarian bowed her head lower.  “Bringing her back will be our highest priority.”

“Do not fail me, High Priestess.”

“We shall not, Imperator.”

“Very well.  You may be dismissed.”

The projected face went dark and the metal strips were pulled back up into the ceiling.

Samarian and Astatine stood up and made their way back along the walkway.  When they exited the room, they walked down the long, narrow corridor.  They passed by many armored guards and droids.

“Astatine,” said Samarian.  “I will put you in charge of the effort to find Princess Amara.  She has the potential to be a powerful Elemental and we need to have her on our side.”

“Yes, my lady,” Astatine replied as he walked stiffly and focused his gaze straight ahead.  “Although it would be hard to convince her to cooperate with us after we destroyed her planet.”

“Yes, she and the Queen were both too free-spirited for their own good.  We made them quite a generous offer that would have benefited both our parties, but they insisted on maintaining their status quo.”  Samarian tilted her mask toward him.  “Well, I trust that you can accomplish your mission since you have a vested interest in making sure she is found.”

Astatine’s eyes shifted towards her.  “Of course, my lady.  Of course.”

***

Leiyu stood in front of the electric stove in the cramped kitchen.  A viscous mass of bean stew bubbled away in the saucepan.  He had not used the saucepan in ages and had given it a thorough rinsing after digging it out of his cupboard.  Generally, he ate energy bars but he felt that he should welcome his guest with a hot meal.

After a few minutes, he turned the stove off and poured the soup into two small bowls.  As he set the bowls and two spoons on the small corner table, his guest walked into the kitchen.

Thallios had just come out of the shower and their hair was still damp.  Leiyu’s breath stopped for a second as he saw water droplets slowly slide down the auburn strands.  Thallios had also borrowed some of Leiyu’s clothes, since their own dusty garments were now spinning away in the small laundry machine down the hall.  Since they had a petite frame, the borrowed shirt resembled a tunic and the hem of the pants were folded upward so they did not drag on the floor.  Leiyu turned his gaze toward the soup bowls so he could conceal his amused smile.

“Hey, did you find everything okay?” Leiyu asked.

“The water pressure was a bit low, but it was nice to have a warm shower,” Thallios smiled.  “Thank you.”

“No problem.  Sorry, the spacecraft’s a bit old so the amenities aren’t great.  Just let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you.  I don’t want to impose too much, since you’re already being so generous by letting me stay here.”

“Well, you did save my life, so it’s the least I can do.”  Leiyu pulled out a chair.  “Anyway, I made some soup.  Well, technically I just heated up some canned stuff, since I’m not much of a cook.”

Thallios sat down.  “It’s all right, I haven’t had a hot meal in a while, so anything is good.”

“Oh, what have you been eating?”

“Um…whatever rations I had on my ship before it crashed.  Flavorless nutrition cubes.”

“Ah, those.  Yeah, I eat those sometimes.  Energy bars too.  In fact, I would have eaten an energy bar for dinner but I thought you might want something better.”

Thallios chuckled and picked up a spoon.  “You’re very considerate.”  They dipped the spoon in the bowl.  “What kind of soup is this?”

“Miscellaneous beans, I guess,” said Leiyu.  “These cans last for decades.”

“Ah, so we’ll be eating these for the long haul.”  They took a sip.  “Not bad.  Rather hearty.”

Leiyu took a sip from his own bowl.  “Yeah, I think it’s okay.”  He looked over at Thallios.  “Um…if you want, once we get to the next planet, we could go to a proper restaurant with real cooks.”

Thallios blushed.  “Ah, you don’t have to go out of your way.  I’m fine with this.”

“Okay, but you might get tired of bean soup after a few weeks.”

Thallios smiled.  “Maybe.  Although, I don’t want to go to a place that’s too crowded.”

“Oh?  Are you claustrophobic?  Is this ship okay for you?  It’s pretty cramped.”

“Um…that’s fine.  I’m not claustrophobic, I just prefer…quieter spaces.”

“Ah, gotcha.  That’s okay, I don’t really eat out that much either.  Although I do stop at taverns sometimes, since a lot of bounty hunters hang out there.  I can get news through the grapevine just by sitting there and listening.”

Thallios looked up at him.

Leiyu’s face flushed.  “Yeah, I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop on people, but my ears are super sharp so it’s hard to avoid.”

“You’re a bounty hunter?” Thallios had a very solemn look on their face.

“Er…not really.  It’s more of a part-time thing.  Bounty hunting can be dangerous so I don’t pursue it that often.  I am more of a generalist freelancer.  I pick up whatever assignments are nearby and seem easy to do.  Or sometimes I’ll pick a job if it’s on a planet I haven’t been to yet, so I have a reason to visit it.”

“The sandworm job was dangerous.”

“Yeah, but the pay was good.  Also, it was my first time dealing with sandworms, so I was kinda curious when I saw the job posting.  Those other people were there too, so they clearly decided the risk was worth it.  You were there…”

“Not by choice.”

Leiyu frowned.  “Yeah, of course.  Sorry, I spoke without thinking.”

Thallios continued sipping the soup.  “It’s okay.”

“Well, you were doing quite well.  That blaster of yours…I’ve never seen anything so powerful.  Where’d you get it?”

“Um…it was custom made…” Thallios looked down at the soup.

Leiyu figured that a blaster like that was very expensive and sensed that Thallios did not want to talk about it further.   “Ah, okay.  It was impressive though.”  His kom buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out.  After scrolling for a bit, he looked at Thallios.  “Speaking of assignments, would you like to accompany me to one tomorrow?”

Thallios looked up.  “Um sure, what are you going to do?”

“This is more of a delivery job.”

‘Oh?  That sounds easy.  What are you delivering?”

“It sounds easy on the surface, but the challenge is not what we’re delivering, but where.”

“Oh?  Where are we going?”

“The Labyrinth.”