(Editing) Book 1: Don’t Say My Name

Stormfire City, on the planet Galvo buzzed and bustled with activity as various spaceships from transports to freighters and the fighters that defended both, zoomed in, out and around the city. The city was a major planetary hub within the Celestial Accordance, and incredibly important to its status within the galactic community at large. Hundreds of people carrying out their routines and lives. One of these people, a woman, was sitting in a bar, seemingly sulking and drinking. There were a few other glasses around her. People were laughing and eating at tables around her, while she just stared at her drink. She didn't want to forget her old life, but at this point it'd probably make everything that's happened so much easier for her. If she's just another drunk, she doesn't need to get involved anymore, not for the people who used to give her praise who have just as easily turned on her. For a faction she laid down her life for to go from showering her with praise, to just as easily have forgotten what she did for every single one of them. But maybe the life of an anonymous drunk wasn't glamorous, but it was certainly simpler.

"Another!" She called out with a risen voice.

"You know you've had enough. You can't do this all the time," the male bartender said with a look of disappointment.

She continued to sit there and fiddle with the empty glasses in front of her with a bored look on her face, when a very meek man sauntered over to her. He shakily looks at her and finally gathered the courage to ask,

"I... ma'am. Are you the war hero Commander Fiona Gat? The hero who protected the Accordance when you stood up against that cruiser in the final battle of the War for the Accordance?" He was shaking as if it was rare he spoke to a woman, or even spoke to people at all, but she was beginning to realize there was more to his nervousness than the awkwardness she was picking up. So much ran through her head in under a minute. Her heart was pounding and it didn't help she had a little bit of liquor running through her veins. She immediately jumped up almost as if she was sitting directly on a rusty nail she didn't realize and lunged forward as if this man said the worst thing he could possibly have said, and physically covered his mouth, to which he staggered back, startled,

"Idiot. Don't say that name out loud!" She still covered his mouth while she scanned the room again and caught her breath when she realized nothing around them changed. There were no raised voices, no sudden silences and no one was even looking in their direction. She was able to calm herself when she realized no one really paid them any mind. She muttered to herself, "3 years of being a ghost and someone like you is the one that finds me. Sorry about my reaction. I didn't expect anyone to find me. And... please refer to me as Lyric," she spoke with more of a whisper, "And who are you?"

The man responded, "My name is Christopher," he responded still a little shaken.

"Well Chris, please leave me alone," she was almost trembling when she spoke, but as she drank she had a realization, "You must have done some digging to not only find me, but trust me enough to even approach me after all of this. Wait... how DID you find me?" As Lyric finished her question, she noticed a flash in the mirror behind the bar, and saw a glass shatter only a few inches away from her on the bar surface next to her. Before she could even think, her instincts took over as she tackled Chris to the floor as gunfire began on their location. "Shit, what did you do?"

"Me? I'm not the one who's wanted in the Celestial Accordance, but I always knew how unusual that was after your heroism, and I learned that you knew it was all deeper!" Chris spoke almost excitedly.

"How the hell do you know all of that?!" She shoots some rounds back. "Ugh never mind, now isn't the right time to talk. Whatever the hell you did to get that info and find me, no wonder they're trying to kill you."

"Well why the hell are you still here if you're wanted in the Accordance?!" Chris had a level of boldness Lyric didn't think he had in him.

"Because of the agreement I made to stay. Listen, all of that's over and whatever you did put a damn target on your back. Now we gotta go. We have to leave the planet and probably even the Accordance's planetary space as well. I don't even know how we'll find a ship," puts a hand to her head before grabbing Chris's hand and trying to run in the opposite direction using as much cover as she could find. As they ran and thought about their escape plan, a stray bullet tore through the back of Chris's leg, causing to scream and stumble, but Lyric didn't miss a beat. She pulled him forward as they fled through the chaos. The chase had just begun

End of Chapter

Note from the author: Thanks so much for reading. I've got a lot more stories coming! If you like the story so far, a like or comment really helps the story grow! You can also save it to your reading list to catch future chapters!

Fun questions you can comment the what you think if you want!:

1.What are your first impressions of Chris? Do you trust him yet?

2.What do you think Lyric might have done to end up hunted?