Chapter 1
(Rising Star of Hope)

Taking Lisha in hand, Vathion twirled her to face him before swiftly dipping. For a moment, he gazed down at her, her blue hair pooling on the floor, eyes wide with anticipation. She had fought him every step of the way to get this... and he was still pissed about being forced to. However, he had already destroyed one of her other scenes and destroying this one too would bring down the wrath of the entire class that had helped modify the play.

Deciding that he had waited long enough, Vathion closed in - for the sloppiest kiss on record before abruptly releasing her. Lisha collapsed to the floor in an undignified heap and sat bolt upright, ready to tear him apart. Quickly, he swept out his baton and grinned at the audience.

“Onward mates! For the Empire!”

The crowd went wild.

Finally, the curtains closed.

If he had been given the choice, Vathion would have remained behind stage, or picked a different character, but he had been firmly overruled by the female contingent of his class. His own best friend, Mirith, had started it too, which was the real kicker but she knew how to get him to go along with her schemes. Vathion enjoyed acting, but it was mildly insulting to have to play the part of his own father, Ha’Natan, the charming daredevil Hero of Gilonnia.

The problem was that he hated Natan.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He hated playing Natan.

Giving that irresistible Natan grin, Vathion offered his hand down to Lisha. She accepted his hand with a dark look as the curtain opened for the bows. Lifting their joined hands as he and Lisha stepped forward, Vathion bowed in unison with his co-star, retreated as the other actors came forward to bow, and finally all of them took a final bow and the curtain closed again. His pinned on grin fell from his lips.

“What was that?” Lisha demanded, jerking her hand loose. She was slender, with fairly large breasts for a Gilon girl, stuffed into a skimpy blue dress that left little to the imagination, her dark blue hair tied in a tail at the back of her head.

Shrugging, Vathion said, “Hey, you got the kiss like you wanted, and that drop was in character. Which hurts more; your butt or your pride?” He sheathed his baton in a practiced move as he turned away from her. Giving a nonchalant wave of his hand, Vathion strode off the stage and out into the hall that ran beside the school’s auditorium. Lifting his hands, he began to pull his blue contacts out, putting them away in the case he had snuck into his coat pocket. Natan had blue eyes, not green. They had forced him to paint his Bondstone too, since Natan’s bond, Paymeh, had blue eyes too. All of this had been just so that he would look like the real Ha’Natan. He scratched at the paint on the glassy coin-sized organ in the center of his forehead.

#That was pretty funny,# Jathas, Vathion’s Bond, sniggered mentally, #You didn’t do bad with the ad-libs either, they were a lot funnier and more natural than the lines you forgot. Sorry I wasn’t quick enough with them for you.#

Giving a slight shake of his head, Vathion thought back at his hyphokos friend, #Not your fault, I can’t rely on you to remember everything for me. Otherwise tests would be a measure of how much you retained rather than how much I did.#

Jathas laughed softly. #Okay.#

The audience filled the hall near the doors to the auditorium, blocking easy exit. Vathion paused as he pondered how he was going to find his mother and get out before Lisha caught up to him; or worse - Paire, her boyfriend.

“Vathion,” a voice called out, and the young man looked back to see Paire, the drama teacher’s pet and the one who had been stuck with the unfortunate role of Ma’Gatas. Paire was a nice enough when not provoked, but Vathion was glad that in another week Paire would be graduated and gone.

The senior boy grinned, dropping an arm around Vathion’s shoulders, which only he could do, since they were of comparable height, somewhere around five feet and seven inches. “You did a great job!” Paire said with a glint in his eyes. They were cousins on Vathion’s mother’s side, but that didn't mean they had to like it, or each other.

Vathion shook his head slightly. “I think you would have done better,” he said honestly.

Paire removed the amber wig and fluffed his sweaty cyan hair, some of it falling into his sleepy ocean blue eyes. The stage makeup painted across his face, simulating Ma’Gatas’s scars, gave him a slightly older look for the moment. He picked at it, "This stuff smells terrible," he muttered, then turned back to the topic at hand. “I just don’t fit the part of Ha’Natan. He's rather energetic.” He prodded Vathion’s ribs. Vathion squirmed, uncommonly ticklish. “Besides, you look just like him - and do that line so well,” Paire concluded.

He rolled his eyes. “You're a passable look alike too, and also senior in the class. I shouldn't have gotten the role.”

"You've got the hair, though."

Vathion shoved his dark violet hair out of his face. He'd had it cut just before the play into the shaggy, slightly wavy mop that Natan had made quite popular. The twin locks framing his Bondstone were the most annoying part about it. "Quite by accident, I assure you," he deadpanned.

Giving a slight shrug in return, Paire grinned and ruthlessly poked again as he guided Vathion towards the crowd gathering at the end of the hall.

Clearing his throat, Vathion said, “I think you did a really good job as Gatas. I think everyone was actually sorry to see him go.”

The real Ma’Gatas was alive still. The students of the senior level drama club had decided that someone needed to die and they had, of course, picked Gatas. He was glad that Paire was at least making an effort to appear as if he was not mad about Vathion getting to play the highly coveted lead role. Vathion had tried to give Paire his moment by making a show of mourning the loss of his second in command before bouncing back to hit on Lisha briefly before getting distracted by the plotline of the play.

A laugh, and Paire let Vathion go, “Of course they were!” he said, lifting his hands in a flippant wave that was, admittedly, one of Natan’s gestures - though generally done with a lot more energy than Paire did it, “I believe every character has a good and bad side, even if they are griping cowards, and it helped that you played along so well!” He lowered his arm again, pushing lightly on Vathion’s shoulder, keeping him aimed towards the crowd that was steadily growing larger at the end of the hall. “Come now, you should go talk to your fans! They loved your performance!” Leaning closer, he whispered sharply, “You really pissed Lisha off, you know.”

Stopping abruptly, which forced Paire to halt as well, Vathion shook his head. “She ticked me off, pushing for that kiss. Ha’Natan hasn’t played around like that in years. Besides, she’s your girlfriend. I don’t poach.”

Before Paire could comment, they were rushed by the audience. “Wow! You really look just like him!” the mate of the drama teacher enthused, “You ever thought of becoming an actor for real?” She was just as rabid about acting as her mate.

Flushing, Vathion shook his head, “I’ve got other plans,” he said enigmatically, cursing how much he sounded like his father, even just speaking normally, especially in these last few years since his latest growth spurt.

A strange man dressed in flamboyant lime and pink pushed forward then, inflicting himself on Vathion’s vision. If he had not known better, Vathion would have mistaken him for a Wilsaer, given how terrible his fashion sense was. The man extended a gold-ring encrusted hand and grasped Vathion’s firmly before the young Gilon could get away, pumped a few times - and did not let go afterwards. The intense smell of perfume wafted over Vathion, making his eyes water.

“Hello! Hello! Hell-OH Young man! Vathion Mayles, correct? Yes, yes! You’re sure you’ve got other plans? Like... what? Perhaps service in the Navy?” he leered, pulling Vathion off balance and down several inches, his ruby eyes glittering. He rudely sniffed Vathion's personal scent, which was quite strong after two hours of running around in black under hot stage lights. “Or maybe a privateer? Own your own ships and kite about the Empire for Justice?” He grinned knowingly. His short hair was bleached, and may once have been red but was now definitely pink and frizzy. His Bondstone was clear where it was set between his deep red eyebrows.

Vathion fought to free his hand from the man’s. “Sorry, but I don’t know you.” Just as he got free, his wrist was grabbed again and turned over to expose the calluses he had acquired over the years of training in the use of the baton that hung at his hip.

“The name’s Hiba,” the man said as he flicked a card out of his sleeve, slapping it into Vathion’s hand, then grinned again. “Call me if you’re ever interested in setting anything up.”

Shaking his head, Vathion turned and reached across with his left hand, grabbing Paire’s sleeve, “Here, Mister Hiba - this is Paire Danton, my cousin, he’s looking to be an actor and is graduating in a week. Didn’t he do such a wonderful job playing Ma’Gatas? Absolutely tragic, wasn’t it?” He shoved the startled Paire between himself and Hiba and stuck the card into Paire's hand. Vathion grimaced frantically over Paire’s shoulder - though the expression ended up looking just like one of Natan’s silly grins.

Paire's eyes widened with surprise. “Mister Hiba you say?” He grinned and immediately began his pitch.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Vathion turned - only to encounter Lisha. Lifting a hand, she swept it out to slap him, but he ducked back and caught her hand in his with a loud clap. Grinning, Vathion pulled her in to tuck her under his arm. “You were so great! Wonderful acting, Lisha! Really!” He tugged her closer and turned towards the audience members who immediately pulled out their cameras. Lisha was forced to smile for the pictures and Vathion leaned close and purred in her ear, “Really, quite amazing work with the writing too.” Her expression changed and a light blush touched her cheeks as she looked up at him; he gave that seductive little smirk Natan always did, eyes half lidded. As he had expected, she lost her claws in the face of the inherited charm. He turned back towards the cameras with a grin and raised his other hand behind Lisha’s head, two fingers poking out from behind her hair. There was even someone from the local paper taking pictures, and Vathion grinned all the broader when the flash went off. Lisha was sure to see that one.

Releasing Lisha, he propelled her towards her groupies. They probably wanted to ask the obnoxious girl if Vathion was a good kisser.

A hand grabbed his arm, and Vathion looked down to find his mother's large emerald green eyes and long matching hair. "Here you are!" she said and huddled next to him, in danger of getting swept away by the crowd. Smiling, she took advantage of an ebb in the crowd to wrap her arms around his shoulders and pull him down to kiss his cheek. She was only five feet tall, and looked tiny next to his over-average height of five foot seven. His father was even taller at five nine, but Vathion was not done growing yet.

Drawing back, Hasabi grinned, still restraining him to her eye-level, “Oh, you look just like him! I recorded it all so we can send it to your father." Thankfully the noise of the crowd covered her soft voice and only he heard. "He’ll be so proud!” she kissed his cheek again. Flushing, he hugged her back.

“You think he’ll like it?” Vathion asked, unsure.

Hasabi nodded, “He’ll love the end - that was funny!” She kissed his cheek again, “come on, let’s get home and get some dinner.”

Grinning, Vathion nodded. “Okay!”

Standing back slightly, Hasabi dusted off his shoulders and straightened the short jacket and panel of cloth with red tassels that rested on his shoulders. “You look so good in that uniform.” Leaning up on her toes, Hasabi whispered, “I think he’ll be getting you into one when you graduate.” She winked, eyes flicking towards Hiba - who was still talking to Paire but looking at Vathion.

Vathion shook his head, “Only if you come too.” He fiddled with one of the hanging ends of his Tassels.

A sly smile crossed his mother’s lips and she whispered, “Edict from the Emperor couldn’t stop me! Come on, I'm making your favorite tonight!”

In an inadvertent mimic of his father, Vathion pumped his fist, “Yeah!” Silence fell, and Vathion glanced around, flushing at the eyes on him.

Paire, still standing close by leaned over and said in a stage whisper, “You sure you’re not the son of our dear Hero Ha'Natan?” Hiba was grinning from ear to ear as well.

“What's wrong with you?” Vathion snapped, flushing slightly as an uncomfortable pocket of silence fell around them and people looked at Hiba accusingly.

Paire cleared his throat and murmured to Hiba, "His dad's dead..." Hiba briefly looked uncertain, glanced at Hasabi, then smiled again.

Thankful that Paire had inadvertently covered for him, Vathion turned away. Flailing his fist, he began forging his way through the crowd, “Come on, Mom. Let’s get dinner!” he crowed like a call to arms.

“For the Empire!” Hasabi chimed.

Cringing, Vathion eyed her over his shoulder and sighed. It wasn’t a fight worth starting - especially not in public. Catching up to him, Hasabi latched onto his arm and pulled him along out the doors, ditching the after-play cast party. Parties just did not interest him - all he did during them was sit silently brooding in a corner. There was just too little he had in common with his classmates and too much he could not say for fear of having his life completely ruined by Ha’Natan’s fans and followers.

Besides, Natan was probably going to talk to him about the play tonight, and he was... sort of looking forward to bragging to his father about upstaging Paire and Lisha. They were not his favorite people in school.

Outside, the night air was cool and Vathion ran his other hand through his hair, fluffing the violet locks before picking at the paint on his Bondstone. Eika, Hasabi's hyphokos Bond was waiting atop the car. It was the only way the exceptionally small Hyphokos could avoid getting trampled or run over other than being merged with Hasabi. When Hasabi came close, she leapt and landed gracefully upon his mother's shoulder.

"Quit picking at it, you're going to hurt yourself," Eika admonished as she tucked the braid her shiny black hair was plated into back behind her long flexible ear. She had painted green designs up her hands and feet, the color a bright contrast against the deep red she had acquired with age. Only a small stripe of yellow remained down her spine.

Hasabi unlocked the car doors and they climbed in. "She's right. We'll take something to clean it off when we get home."

"It's just uncomfortable. Jathas can't see."

The trip home was uneventful, and thankfully short. Stepping out of the car, Vathion’s Tassels fell back into place and he reached in to help his mother from the car and Eika scurried out afterwards; the car doors locked automatically.

Hasabi hurried inside, “I’ll get dinner in the oven,” she said.

Stepping in through the front door after her, Vathion peered down the front hall to find that his mother was already in the kitchen. Taking off the belt that held his baton, Vathion dropped it over the back of the couch on his way to the vidphone in the far corner of the room. A link was already open and sending a file. He glanced at the destination; his mother's parents, the Gannatets next door, and his father.

His ankle-high boots clacked on the hardwood of the floor as he pulled the chair out from in front of the desk and took a seat. The vid blinked with a call. Vathion pressed the icon on the screen to answer.

“Heyla!” Ha'Natan shouted in surprise, “Kiti! I said call Hasabi, not gimme a mirror!” Unlike Vathion, Natan was not wearing his coat and Tassels. Vathion suspected that otherwise he and Natan probably did look incredibly alike. They both had mops of violet hair, pointed features, and tall, thin builds. Natan grinned, showing the faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth.

Paymeh, Natan's Hyphokos bond, sat on the desk beside his Gilon and slurped something from a teacup. Cocking his long tapering ears, Paymeh blinked his dark blue multifaceted eyes - being an older Hyphokos, he was mostly red with only a thin stripe of yellow down his back.

Sighing, Vathion shook his head. “It’s just my costume.” The icon in the bottom of the screen flashed and popped out of existence, announcing that the files were sent. Odd how just a comment like that from his father could put him in a bad mood. “I think mom just sent you the play.” Lifting a hand, he picked at the paint on his Bondstone some more, but it wasn’t coming off and he began to wonder what the people doing the make-up for the play had used.

Grinning, Natan nodded, “Yep, can’t wait to see it! I bet you blew their socks off.” He pumped his arms above his head, then looked down at Paymeh and sniffed. “Hey, gimme some of that.” He took the cup from the Hyphokos and gulped a swallow before handing it back.

Putting his elbows on the desk, Vathion rested his chin on the heels of his hands, “Yeah, Dad, they thought it was you on stage,” he said sullenly, eyes half lidded.

Shifting, the violet haired man on the other side of the wallscreen dropped his smile briefly. “Oh come on,” he kicked his feet under the desk with a loud klong of the metal toes of his boots against the already dented wall, audible over the vid. “You’re not looking at it the right way. Just think of all the girls you could hook up with!”

Scowling at his father, Vathion said, “Did it ever occur to you that I’d like to make my own way instead of hanging off your coat tails for everything?”

Natan paused and sat back, folding his arms on his chest.

“Is that your father?” Hasabi called from the kitchen, and then leaned out the door briefly, “Oh! Vath - watch the oven for a minute?”

Getting up, Vathion gladly surrendered the chair to his mother. Once in the kitchen, he kept as quiet as he could so he could listen. “Oh, what’d he say this time?” Hasabi asked once Vathion was out of sight.

Sighing, Natan said, “Nothing he’s not entitled to think. Am I pushing him too hard? I just want him to lighten up some. He always looks like someone kicked his pet!” Vathion pursed his lips as he walked over to the oven. #I don’t... do I?# he asked Jathas.

#Eh... you do. You should lighten up some, Vath. And you really should quit comparing yourself to Natan too.#

They had been Bonded since Vathion was seven, a very young age for them both to have done so, but Vathion would not trade it for the world. Jathas was the only one who knew all Vathion’s secrets and desires, and the only one who understood them. #You’re just fine as yourself,# Jathas concluded. Crouching, Vathion rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the casserole that sat behind the tinted glass of the oven door.

“Natan, he’s alright, he’s just busy all the time.” Her voice lowered and Vathion stood again and snuck closer to the kitchen door to hide against the pantry and eavesdrop on his parents, “I think he’s just mad about never getting to meet you.”

“I’m working on it, Hasabi!” Natan said immediately, “I don’t like it either, but things just keep happening and... maybe next year.” He sounded defeated, “Things out here on the border are heating up again and though it doesn’t sound like we’re doing much, there is something I’m working on that I can’t just-”

“I know,” Hasabi interrupted. “You don’t have to tell me.”

Silence fell for a moment. Then Natan said weakly, “It’s not excuses...”

Closing his eyes, Vathion folded his arms across his ribs, fingers tucked under. He hated those three words with a passion. Usually Hasabi’s answer had been “okay” but lately... it had just gotten harder, what with all the reports of defections, like Kimidas Station, and the destroyed fleets, Vathion feared every time he turned on Interstellar News that the next story up would be the destruction of the Natan Fleet. Then, as if that were not enough stress, Vathion was nearly an adult, and while their family had managed to stay alive this long, Vathion was terrified of the change in his scent that would trigger his mother’s decline into death.

It was this stupid war. It had been going on for far too long, but there really was not much anyone could do about it, other than continue to fight. It had all started back a generation ago when Gelran - the current emperor’s uncle - had assassinated a noble for some minor infraction. Assassination just wasn’t done in Gilon society. As a result, Gelran had been publically dressed down, stripped of his title, and disowned, his little brother Armalan put in his place. Gelran had then enlisted the ex-head of the Navy, Ha’Likka, to assist in taking over. She had been recently discharged for medical reasons, and it was whispered that she was scent-deaf and that she had murdered her own mate.

Vathion did not know whether that was true or not, but either way, it was disturbing. Regardless, due to the associations Gilons naturally made, when Gelran left and Ha’Likka went with him, many others left as well and the empire was ripped in two. Whether anyone really wanted to defect or not was not really up to them, fear and loyalty kept the war going on both sides.

Hasabi shifted, making the slightly wobbly chair thump on the floor as Vathion skittered back across the room to check the oven and make sure dinner wasn’t burning. He got back to the door just in time to hear his mother’s answer, “I know. It’s just getting hard to believe you even exist anymore. Natan... I love you, Vathion loves you, but ...we’re lonely. Can’t you come for a day? I need you.” Her voice lowered again, "I don't know if I can last much longer without you."

"I'll send something," he said, sounding distraught.

"I don't want something! I want you!"

"But... I can't just visit. I'd never be able to leave."

The slap on the desk made Vathion jump and Hasabi lifted her voice, “Then why not take us with you? Vathion’s out of school in a week, and I talked to the Dean just the other day - Vathion really doesn’t need to stay for two more years. He’s got all his credits to graduate, he’s wasting time there, and I’m tired of being alone!”

Risking getting spotted, Vathion peered around the corner, spying his father sitting with his shoulders slumped, head bowed. “Hasabi - it’s dangerous out here...” Natan objected, though not strongly.

Surging to her feet and blocking his view, Hasabi shouted, “I don’t care! I want to be with you, Natan! That’s all I ever wanted! You're playing with our lives! It was risky enough for you to leave back then, but it's been so long - it's starting to wear on me and I doubt it's done you much good either!"

Silence fell again as Hasabi sank back down into her seat and Natan looked up past her at Vathion. He winced at his son’s expression even as the boy ducked back out of sight. Lips pulled in a long line - not quite a frown, Natan remained silent, thinking, and finally sighed, “A week? And he’s out?” he asked, “get it settled, Hasabi... I’ll send a transport.”

Hasabi lifted her head, a smile coming to her lips beneath her tears. Vathion peeked out from the kitchen once more, expression open and a spark of excitement coming to his eyes, and Natan sighed, lips unable to stay in anything resembling a frown for long. “You two really know how to manipulate me,” he said, “I love you so much.” He looked first at Hasabi, then his son, who had not ducked back again.

“I love you too,” Hasabi said, wiping her tears with the corner of her sleeve.

Shifting out of the kitchen door completely, his Tassels slightly askew, Vathion played with one of the ends as he offered faint smile, then looked down when Hasabi turned to eye him, “...I love you too, Dad,” he admitted and retreated back into the kitchen to check the stove.

For a moment longer, Natan was silent, staring at the kitchen door, then closed his eyes, as if imprinting that moment into his mind. Vathion rarely said those words, and every time he did, Natan treasured them. “One week, then. I’ll see you in a week.”

Chapter 2