Читать книгу Star Lass - Paul Kocourek - Страница 3

Lassandra's heart sank. The guards found her, and they had with them a Nullilizer. She emerged from the air duct.

"Princess, you are to come with us. No harm will come to you if you obey."

"No harm? Like what you did to the king and queen, your king and queen?" Her contempt burned like acid.

The guards did not answer her.

Play along, Lassandra, Roby advised. We need to stall for time. I am yet a long way from completing the teleport storage matrix.

"If I am to be presented to your leader, please allow me to freshen up. I am filthy with dust." As if to punctuate her remark, that sneeze which had been building during her escape efforts came out in several rapid sneezes.

"Our orders are to bring you to General Gorgun at once."

"Have you no knowledge of royal court procedures? Gorgun wants my hand in marriage so he can gain the throne. Do you want to explain to your future king why his future queen looks like a sweaty dust-bedraggled tramp?" She sneered that last sentence and sneezed again.

The guard visibly vacillated.

"That is, I mean," he started, looking in confused appeal at the rest of the guards, who gave him looks with raised eyebrows that the whole thing rested upon him. His responsibility, his head.

"Very well," he answered irritably. "We will escort you to your personal quarters. Clean yourself and dress regally for your king husband. Do not attempt to escape. We still have the Nullilizer. We will post guards inside your room with you."

They reached her room in short order. Guards posted themselves inside by her door, watching with steely eyes. She took her shower, modesty's demands requiring she washed from around the corner away from the prying eyes of her death squad guards. Afterward, she dressed in her best outfit, a new royal attire which looked very much like a one-piece bathing suit with a cape, gloves and boots. The main material was costly purest white persasilk and a gold star of Arista on her chest just above her breasts. The attire had azure blue trim to match the color of her eyes, flowing azure blue cape, and snug blue gloves and boots. Her golden royal belt with the gold star of Arista at the belt clasp, she transferred over to her new outfit. Roby's necessary space-time interface, his connection from hyperspace to normal space, resided in the gold star of the belt, and Lassandra would not part from it for anything. She eyed herself in a mirror. Overall, the outfit pleased her. At another time, in an altogether different world where her parents still lived, she might have reveled in how it showed off her superlative figure in all the right places, complementing her feminine curves and ample bosom, and how shapely long slender legs were bare from her boot tops to nearly her hips.

At another time, she might have. Not now. She felt empty like a lifeless mannequin all dressed up for a funeral. Her funeral.

"That looks adequate," her guard announced when she stepped back into view. "You will now accompany us to the general."

Roby? Lassandra sub-vocalled in a panic.

Sorry, but it is not ready yet. I am working as fast as I can.

I know, Just work faster, please!