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“Nope. Sexiest soldier I’ve ever met.”

“So why don’t you ask her out?”

“Because she’s not interested, my friend. And despite my awesome reputation with the fairer sex, I don’t push my attentions where they’re not wanted.”

“Right.” Vahn nodded wisely. “So the fact that she’s the Head of the Vraxian Army and could maim you with her little finger has no bearing.”

“I don’t deny it. She’s as scary as fuck. Now, enough about me.” Rhyn rubbed his hands together. “Let’s talk about how we’re going to scandalize an entire Empire tonight.”

Nineteen

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. It looked like her, but a better, glossier, AI-improved version of her. She turned her head from side to side, watching her hair swish and tumble around her face in gorgeous, shiny waves.

Her eyes looked bigger and darker, her lashes impossibly long. Her cheeks and forehead were adorned with tiny glittering crystals which sparkled whenever she moved. Her lips were just the right shade of kissable red. Her skin glowed.

The two Vraxian servants who’d shown up at her door had worked silently for more than an hour. Kara had tried to engage them in conversation but they refused to bite. She got the impression they’d devised a plan and weren’t going to be derailed from it. Probably they’d drawn the short straw and were just making the best of a bad job.

But given they’d absolutely one hundred percentneverdone make-up on a human before, the results were pretty good.

Finally, after putting her into the dress whilst managing not to look too horrified by her strange human body, they’d stood back and nodded in satisfaction.

And then they’d left, still without saying a single word.

“Um, thank you,” Kara had called after them. The door closed decisively.

Kara took a few experimental steps. The gown was easier to walk in than she had imagined, and somehow the way it swirled around her gave the impression she was far more graceful than she actually was.

“Daa’sten, you clever old bugger,” she murmured. And she was right about the boots. No-one would notice she wasn’t wearing heels.

A subtle sound at the edge of her hearing made her glance round. There was nothing there. She was about to turn back to the mirror when she heard it again.

A soft creak. As if someone was trying to move quietly.

She looked again, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck.

Back on Minerva-6, she’d learned to trust her instincts. If a space looked empty but didn’tfeelit, it was because it wasn’t.

There was someone in the bathroom.

Silently, she got up and moved towards it, picking up a vase on the way. She was almost there when a shadow emerged from the doorway.

“Kara.”

The soft whisper almost made her drop the vase.

“Vahn!” He put a finger to his lips and she lowered her voice. “What are you… how did you get in here?”

“My predecessors built hidden doorways into all the Potential rooms. How better to personally vet them?” There was laughter in his voice which died away as he stepped into the room. His eyes gleamed. “Vannla’s Sword. You look…”

He couldn’t complete the sentence. He just stared.

A slow blush started somewhere around Kara’s ankles and extended upwards. She smoothed down the dress.

“Oh, this old thing?” she said shakily. “I just threw it on.”

Vahn inhaled deeply, willing his heart to slow down.

“Kara, may I show you something?”