THE RELIANT: DARK HORIZONS

PRINCESS OF PAIN

"So what's our next assignment, Captain?" Commander Steinier asked Captain Yager.

"We're doing another transport mission," John replied a little less than enthusiastically.

Lisa raised her eyebrows. "Another one?"

John nodded. "Yep."

"So who are we transporting this time?"

"We're to go to the planet Averth and pick up a Princess Loha and transport her to the planet Onux where she's to wed a Prince Batolmew."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but is this another arranged marriage?"

"Yes, it is. According to what Admiral Flagg told me, both planets wish to become members of the Alliance, but they've been at war for going on decades now so, as you know, that makes them ineligible to apply for membership. So the royal families of both planets decided to marry off their offspring to one another as part of a peace deal."

"Great," Lisa replied with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You did say Admiral Flagg gave us this mission?"

John nodded again. "Yes, I did."

"Well, that explains a few things. He seems to enjoy giving us these less-than-stellar assignments."

"Well, think of it this way, Commander: It could be worse."

"And how do you figure that, Captain?"

John looked directly at her and said, "We could be dealing with the Kelvarians again."

This time it was Lisa who nodded. "Point taken."

John smirked at his first officer before he turned his head and gazed at ship's pilot Zack.

"Mr. Renjay," he said, "plot a course for the planet Averth."

"Aye, sir." He keyed in the coordinates. "Course laid in, Captain."

"Let's go."

The Reliant flew off to the planet of Averth to pick up this Princess Loha . . .

***

John stood in front of the landing bay along with Lisa and Bortis waiting for the shuttlecraft to arrive from the planet Averth. As he was standing there waiting for this Princess to arrive, he thought about all the times he, Lisa and Bortis had stood in front of the landing bay waiting to pick up some dignitary who usually turned out to be some snobby, sanctimonious bastard who felt it beneath them to be traveling in a lower-class ship like The Reliant instead of a Class A or even a Class B ship. This was their first time escorting a bonafide Princess, so he had no idea what to expect with that. But he knew he was about to find out, and he wasn't looking forward to it. He just hoped this mission would go without a hitch, though, given their track record, he figured that to be wishful thinking on his part.

After the shuttlecraft finally arrived, John, Lisa and Bortis stepped into the landing bay to greet the Princess. The side door to the shuttle opened and out walked this petite young woman with dark skin and long flowing jet-black hair and shimmering green eyes. She was wearing this rather slinky yellow dress that accentuated her curves quite nicely, John thought. John wasn't sure why, but, when Flagg told him his ship would be escorting a Princess, he was expecting somebody more frumpy-looking and possibly portly. But this Princess Loha turned out to be one of the most attractive women he'd ever laid eyes on. If Lisa could have read his mind at that moment and what he was thinking about this princess, she would have likely smacked him in the back of his head right then and there! Behind her this tall lanky man followed her out of the shuttlecraft carrying a couple of big cases with him. John, of course, had no clue who this person could be since Flagg had led him to believe they would only be transporting the Princess. Loha and this other man stepped up to John as he stepped forward.