men and women alike, when Gilly turned back around and fired three consecutive shots dead-center in the target, three hundred yards away.
Lira smiled. Gilly knew her way around a weapon, and it was with the greatest joy that she got to watch the youngest member of her old crew serving the queen in such a spectacular fashion.
Together, the three girls were finally fighting for a cause that mattered.
Hoots and hollers sounded down the firing line as their commander signaled the end of their training session.
It’s about time, Lira thought. They’d been at it for hours. She slung her weapon over her shoulder and stepped away from the larger group, joining Breck and Gilly at the edge of the warehouse. The girls took seats together by the watercooler, where the next formation of soldiers waited for their turn at target practice.
Gilly’s red braids bounced as she slumped into the bleachers, craning her neck to look the other two girls in the eye. “Go ahead and try to tell me that shot wasn’t sexy as hell.”
Lira gave her an indulgent smile. “You’re talented, Gilly. A true asset to our queen.”
Breck nodded in agreement, taking off her cap, the golden Solis sigil on it sparkling as she set it down beside her. “Sexy. As. Hell.”
They were like sisters, the three of them, their bond forged through a past they all wished to forget.
“But seriously. You’re doing good, Gil,” Breck added. “Keep it up, and you’ll be out there in the galaxy soon, shooting Unaffecteds, clearing out the nonbelievers.”
“Do you think Queen Nor will ever come down and visit us?” Gilly asked.
Everyone wanted a chance to see the queen, to kiss her hand or simply gaze upon her. She’d turned Mirabel from a place of hatred and darkness to one of glorious, peaceful light. Under her reign, everyone was united behind one cause.
Lira shrugged. “She’s so busy, ensuring Nexus is built and the plans for Phase Two are set in place.”
“Let’s not forget her efforts to take down Arachnid and his so-called resistance,” Breck added, her face set in a grim expression.
Lira’s blood went hot at the thought of those betrayers. Ever since they’d seen Arachnid’s threat playing across the feeds, Lira had felt even more committed to protecting Queen Nor’s rule. Arachnid and his rebels had no place in this galaxy, and Lira would make sure they bowed down to their rightful queen, even if she had to hunt them down one by one herself.
“They won’t be a problem for much longer,” Lira said. The Unaffected numbers were few, and Nor’s army was many, spanning all the planets across the galaxy.
“I wonder how the queen is feeling about all this. What is she going to do?” Gilly asked. Although Gilly was brave, she was still very young, and she tended to worry about things Lira generally didn’t even think about. Their queen was strong, of course, but with so many factors demanding her attention, Lira hoped she was aided by loyal aides and advisers. All-powerful or not, Queen Nor was still just one person.
“I’m sure she’s doing fine,” Lira told Gilly reassuringly. “Especially knowing how capable her army is. We lessen her burden, and we’ll do whatever it takes to stop the rebels.”
“Right now, there are more important things for the queen to handle, like Phase Two. A few rebel sympathizers are nothing but pesky insects,” Breck added, giving Gilly’s shoulder a squeeze. The small girl smiled.
“What is Phase Two?” Gilly wondered.
Phase Two hadn’t been shared with the grunt soldiers like them yet—the queen needed to keep many of her plans under wraps for now, until the Unaffected threat was eliminated. But Lira knew it would be glorious, and she’d do whatever was asked of her when the time arrived.
“It doesn’t matter what it is,” Lira said. “We’re blessed to be able to serve her together. That’s enough for me.”
Breck lifted her cup of water in agreement.
“I served beside you both for two years on Andi’s ship,” Gilly said, draining her water and tossing her metal cup into the bin beside the bleachers. “That traitor.”
The sound echoed like a tiny gunshot that Lira felt in her chest. Sometimes, she still thought about Androma and wondered where she was. But then guilt riddled her insides for spending even a moment thinking of the traitorous young captain of the Marauder. If Andi was on Nor’s side, she would have been here now, with the three of them. She would have put her skills to use serving the rightful queen.
Instead, she’d taken the Marauder and soared away, with Dex and Lira’s twin brother, Lon, in tow. A coward’s move, if ever there was one.
Lira could still see Lon’s face, so much like her own—the same smile, the same ocean-blue skin. But he’d chosen the wrong side. Andi, too. Lira had once considered Andi to be her family, every bit as much as Lon.
Now she felt ashamed to have ever been so closely connected to two Unaffecteds.
A bang came from Lira’s right, drawing her gaze as the double doors of the warehouse suddenly hissed open.
“Looks like it’s showtime,” Gilly said, eyeing the new arrival. She began to bob on her toes expectantly. “Aclisia’s here!”
As Queen Nor’s head scientist entered the range, every soldier snapped to attention.
And how could they not? Lira thought, watching Aclisia march across the oil-stained concrete floor. It was like being in the presence of a legend, albeit a strange one. Aclisia possessed two heads—one of the few left of her race in Mirabel. They both worked in tandem, yet had personalities of their own.
Lira gazed upon her in awe. This was the woman who’d taken a single drop of blood and transformed it into the cure for ignorance. A single shot from one of the silver bullets Aclisia had created, and the victim’s eyes would be opened. They’d see Queen Nor for who she truly was: a goddess, worthy of their worship.
Aclisia ordered the soldiers to gather in the bleachers. The sea of black uniforms obeyed, moving as one to find seats. Two soldiers in the bloodred uniforms of Queen Nor’s personal guard hauled in a pair of struggling, hooded prisoners, glowing magnacuffs binding their wrists, the molten metal swirling around them like a trapped snake.
“This is going to be wicked,” Gilly whispered. Breck shushed her with a wave of her hand. The other soldiers were a thick wall behind Lira, every one of them watching with bated breath.
“Today, we prove to you the power that Her Majesty’s weapon has over her enemies!” Aclisia’s right head addressed the soldiers, her voice ringing out across the warehouse. “The galaxy belongs to Queen Nor. And yet some still fight against her reign. Her Majesty thanks you for your service, and wishes to inspire you.”
The soldiers roared in response. Lira joined them, Breck and Gilly shouting, too.
When they’d quieted down, Aclisia removed the hoods from the captives. The first was a young woman, red-faced from screaming, sweat plastering her white hair to her forehead. For a moment, the woman’s pale locks reminded Lira of Androma Racella, seated
