Youri gripped the steering wheel tightly while a dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. The city blurred past the windows in a stream of glass towers, imperial banners and the distant echo of engines. How did I get myself into this?
"After you drop me off, you'll go to my brother's apartment," Leonora said from the back seat, her voice crisp and commanding. She did not even look up from the datapad in her lap. "The address is in the navigation system. By the time you've picked him up, I'll probably be finished, so you'll come straight back for me. And I hope, for your sake, that you're not late."
"Yes, ma'am," he muttered, barely audible over the hum of the engine. I don't care how much a carpet costs, he thought. This is just plain cruelty. Now I have to babysit her brother too?
He dropped her at the Consul building, followed the flickering marker on the navigation display across the city, and eventually pulled up in front of an apartment complex that looked nothing like the world Leonora lived in. Its walls were cracked and had been painted over a dozen times. Its balconies were cluttered with drying laundry and rusted antennas. He climbed the concrete stairs with his boots echoing up the stairwell and rang the bell.
"Anna, you're here!" a young voice called from inside. "I'm almost ready!"
Roland looked like someone who was still waiting for the world to happen to him. He was seventeen, tall, with black hair that fell just shy of unruly, and there was an innocence in his wide, searching eyes that made people underestimate him. What they did not see were the hours behind it — the quiet obsession in front of the mirror and in the training yard. He was a little naïve, but he was not foolish. He watched, he studied, he practiced. Every movement he had once made awkwardly was now deliberate and rehearsed, not out of vanity, but because he was trying to impress someone whose approval meant more to him than any medal or rank ever could.
The door swung open, and he stopped dead. "Who are you?"
Youri stood there awkwardly with one hand in his pocket. "I'm your driver."
The boy blinked. "No, you're not. Where's Anna?"
"Anna's at the house."
Roland's eyes went wide with panic. "No way. Are you trying to kidnap me?"
"Listen, kid," Youri growled, rubbing his temple. "The last thing I want is to be here dealing with you. Trust me, I'm more confused than you are. So please just come down and get in the car, or your sister will have both our heads if we're even a minute late."
"Alright, alright, calm down. I'm coming."
"Thank you," Youri muttered, turning back toward the stairs. And here I thought war was stressful.
The car slid silently through the narrow streets of the capital as a fine drizzle began to fall and streaked the windshield like strands of silver. Roland leaned forward from the back seat, unable to sit still. "So who are you, really?"
"I'm your sister's new driver, performing my duties as requested."
"Great. And what's your name, driver?"
Youri sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. "You can call me Youri."
"So, Youri, where are you from?"
"Somewhere far, far away."
"Outside the capital?"
"Outside this galaxy, I'd say."
Roland's eyes lit up. "No way! You're an emigrant?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"But emigrants aren't allowed to work for royalty!"
"This is a special exemption. Don't worry about it."
Roland tilted his head and frowned at the back of Youri's head. "You said your name was Youri, right? Where have I heard that name before…"
"Beats me," Youri muttered. "It's not an uncommon name."
The car pulled up in front of an imposing marble building adorned with the imperial crest, and Youri barely had time to turn off the engine before Leonora came storming out of the main entrance with her heels striking the pavement like gunfire. "You're late!"
Youri stepped out quickly and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It took a little convincing before your brother would get in the car."
"Sister!" Roland ran forward, grinning from ear to ear. "I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been?"
"Get off me," Leonora said, brushing him away. "You know I had to deploy."
"Yes, but it's always so boring without you."
"You mean it's boring in your apartment."
He laughed sheepishly. "Come on, sis, you know that's not true!"
"Just drop it," she said, already turning back toward the car, though there was a softness at the corner of her mouth that Youri noticed and pretended not to.
"So how did the Consul meeting go?" Roland asked.
"Normal enough. Apparently I have to go and carry out an inspection in Laspeas."
Roland's eyes lit up all over again. "Really? I love that place! All those beautiful lights, the casinos, the hotels, all the ladies — it's magical."
"I have to agree with you there, Roboy," Youri said, smirking faintly.
"Who gave you permission to talk?" Leonora cut in sharply.
Youri straightened. "I'm sorry, ma'am!"
Roland looked between the two of them with open curiosity. "Sister, how come you hired this guy, anyway?"
"It's a long story," Leonora replied. "But he owes me money, so he has to work it off."
"You know," Youri muttered under his breath as he started the car, "with one lucky spin in Laspeas, I could be a free man."
"I thought I told you to drive the car," Leonora said without looking up.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Come on, sister, can I come with you to Laspeas? Please?"
"Why do you have to beg?" she said, rolling her eyes. "It's not as if I wanted to go anyway. But some company wouldn't be that bad."
"Thank you, sister! Thank you so much!"
Leonora turned toward the front seat with a mischievous look in her eye. "Hey, D7. I hear you've been to Laspeas."
"Yes. I even lived there for a while."
"So you know the area?"
"I'd say so."
"Then pack your bags. You're coming too."
Youri froze with his hands on the wheel. "There's just one problem with that. You know my situation, right?"
"I'll handle it," Leonora said coldly.
"Thank you. But there might be some other things I left unfinished there. I might get in trouble for them."
Roland gasped. "You bastard! So you stole money too!"
"No," Youri said, with a faint smirk. "I borrowed money. But circumstances forced me to leave the planet, and I never got around to going back."
Leonora's tone hardened. "Those are your problems to deal with. Your duty is to escort us around the city. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good," she said, closing her datapad with a soft click. "Now we pick up Anna, and we leave tomorrow morning."