Empire's Legacy - Snippets of the Past

Snippet 1. Grey: Convince Me

Grey leant back in his chair and slowly rotated back and forth, a grin on his face as he watched his wife on the vidscreen. "You think of a name yet?"

Sophia sat back on her heels. "I thought that was supposed to be your job," she teased, pushing hair back from her face and leaving a streak of dirt across her cheek.

"What are you planting?"

"A vegetable garden," she replied, holding up a tiny plant. "By the time the baby's born in spring I'll be able to send you out to pick cucumbers from the garden to put in the salad."

Grey's smile faded from his face. "Soph—"

She put down the plant. "Morgan, you promised."

"It's not that easy, Soph—"

Sophia pushed herself to her feet and bent awkwardly to retrieve the vidscreen, giving Grey a momentarily disorienting view of her legs and stomach. "How hard can it be, Grey?" she asked, walking inside. She set the vidscreen down on the kitchen counter and sat down on a stool with a sigh. "I need you here. We'll both need you."

Grey rubbed his forehead. "Asking the Commission for a transfer isn't like picking berries, Sophia," he said, more sharply than he'd intended. "I'm an engineer. I'm more valuable shipside than dirtside."

Sophia opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and finally said, "All I can say is that I sincerely hope the Commission values you as much as you think you're valued, Grey. I'll talk to you next week."

The vidscreen hissed and went dark, leaving Grey in a silent room.

* * *

Commandant Marshall pulled his pistol from its holster and held it out to Grey. "Convince me," he said. Grey looked up and met his eyes, and then his gaze dropped to the pistol in the other man's hand. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the grip, and then turned to face the woman across the room.

Sophia smiled. "It'll be okay."

Grey raised the pistol, closed his eyes, and squeezed the trigger.