Rise of A Queen: Aster's Story

Chapter 1

Aster tucked her short auburn curls behind her ear and exited her spacecraft with quick strides. Her heart-shaped face and full lips were pinched in concentration as she walked the entryway hall of the Canis Minor Space Center. She was in a hurry to collect the fabric inventory and be on her way home. It had been months since she had seen Rigel but this trip was almost over. This was her last stop before heading home to Mars, and she fully intended to spend the first week back showing him exactly how much she missed him.

As she approached King Cassiel’s large gray office doors, her pinched lips dipped into a frown. Something was not right, the two guards who typically stood at this entrance were missing. She took an angled stance to the side of the door and placing her right hand on her holstered gun, she gave a quick push to the door with her left. Inside she found the king surrounded by a handful of worried-looking people. One of the two guards stood a few feet from the group watching and waiting for orders. King Cassiel was slumped in a chair while a doctor examined him. Two Elders stood nearby with worried expressions. “Excuse me for intruding your Highness, I will just be in the hallway” before she could step back into the hallway the king raised his hand to stop her. “No. Astoria, you must stay.” He looked so weak. His speech was slurred and one side of his face drooped. Aster paused, taking a step back to exit the room as the king gave a fleeting look around the room before continuing. “I am afraid I will not survive the day, and my people are not prepared to continue without my guidance. Your family has always been good allies, showing intelligence, courage, and integrity.” There he paused for quite some time trying to gather the strength to go on. Aster continued to stand stiffly, feeling a bit impatient, and wondering where this conversation was going. Her face revealed nothing as she waited. Finally, the king went on, “It is my final decree as King of the Canis people and ruler of the Canis Space Station, that from this moment on Astoria Black of Mars take the rule of my people and this station. Everything that is mine will become hers, and she will take my only child, Princess Lyra as a bride this day.” With that, the king dropped his hand and closed his eyes. He didn’t have the strength to go on.

Aster stood as still as a statue while thoughts raced through her mind. This was not something she could turn down, but she had her life plans, and ruling a kingdom, or even living in the Canis Minor Dwarf Galaxy was not one of them. She had a handsome fiancée waiting for her at home. What did she need with a wife? Fuckkk I gotta say something quick. This is getting uncomfortable. Okay, take a deep breath, Aster. She slowly looked at all the faces in the room before she spoke. The guard was stoic as usual. The doctor was too busy taking care of the king, who appeared to be sleeping, to have any real reaction to the decree. The two elders in the room looked at her with hopeful anticipation in their eyes. Their long gray-blue robes and white hair made them look like twins. Finally, one of them spoke, “Astoria, I believe King Cassiel has made a wise decision. Your family, as merchants, have established good relationships with all of the major, and many minor, ports in several galaxies. You have exhibited a level head for finances and politics. You have also displayed courage, honesty, and integrity.” As he finished, the other pseudo-twin spoke up. “I know this is unexpected but King Cassiel has a meeting with the Leader of the Berith in 8 hours. Lord Morax was eager to negotiate an arranged marriage with Princess Lyra. We must hold the binding ceremony as soon as possible. We can help you prepare for this meeting, but ultimately it will be up to you to establish your place as ruler of Canis, and how this meeting plays out will play a major part in how all other leaders respond to your claim to the throne. On a more personal note, Morax is well known to be horrifically abusive to his lovers. We believe Princess Lyra would be miserable should she be bound to him.” With that said, Elder number two stood to wait for a response.

This is crazy! Am I actually going to do this? The Canis people are a small but wealthy kingdom, but it was well known that King Cassiel was over-indulgent when it came to his daughter. It was a harsh reality that he had failed to prepare his people for his absence. s**t! How is this my problem? Aster turned off her racing thoughts and gave a curt nod of her head. “Get the King settled in his room and give Princess Lyra the news of our impending binding ceremony. I will gather my things and prepare my crew to leave without me.” Aster’s stiff movements carried her back to her craft where her crew was waiting. She said nothing as she penned a note to Rigel.

My Love,

There has been an unexpected turn of events at the Canis Minor Space Center. The King will not make it through the night and has appointed me as his replacement. Tonight I will take Princess Lyra as my wife. This will reach you before I have the chance to call you. I am giving the crew two weeks off and will expect you to join me when they return. I can’t imagine what you will think when this reaches you, but we will figure this out together.

Always yours,

A

She turned to face her crew, “The fabric will be loaded within the hour. Do not linger, but go back to Mars and immediately find Rigel. You must give him this letter tonight. Take two weeks off and then return to me here. The King is dying and I will be taking his place as ruler. The princess and I will be bound by ceremony tonight.” She left the letter on her desk and grabbed her bag. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left. Her men were capable and well-deserving of a couple of weeks off. That would give her time to make plans for the immediate future. She imagined what Rigel would think when he received her note. The Canis people were very much like humans, but their society had very different customs when it came to sexuality and relationships. For starters, the binding ceremony would be much like a wedding, but she would be expected to consummate the bond with Princess Lyra in front of the entire Elder Council. This part of the ceremony was performed in front of the Elders as a demonstration of her character. The ability to perform under pressure is considered a strength, and to be able to give your partner pleasure is seen as possessing a commanding presence. Aster had never been with a woman before, but she was determined to establish herself as a sovereign leader from the beginning.

Deep in thought, she continued down the halls of the center and entered her apartment. She visited so many ports, but this was one of her favorites, so she kept a small efficiency there. It was very tiny, only a few hundred square feet, but it was large enough for the essentials. She placed her bag on a shelf and jumped into the shower. Her thoughts continued to pursue Canis culture. Their relationships were typically open, and the royals kept an extensive harem to please all s****l orientations. This was a great benefit to her because she refused to give up her relationship with Rigel. The question was, how would they make it work? While Princess Lyra would accept that her Wife had another lover, this would completely change the dynamic of her relationship with her fiancée. Aster turned off the water and exited the shower, her formal merchant uniform would have to do with such short notice. Leaving her hair to air dry, she pushed a button on the panel by the door. “Send dinner in the next 20 minutes. I don’t care what it is, just make it hot and quick.” “Yes, ma’am” came the response from the intercom. She pulled out her black uniform and shiny boots. She skipped her undergarments and pulled on the clingy black pants. The top was just as stretchy and tight with a high, turtleneck collar. Once on, the uniform almost looked like a unitard. Next, she pulled on a pair of black dress socks and boots. She completed her uniform with a two-toned black and grey blazer and grey belt. Aster looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. As much as she hated wasting time looking feminine, she needed to hide her tired, pale face. She grabbed her makeup bag and swept on a silver and grey Smokey eye, black mascara, and red lipstick. She finished by adding a light touch of cream foundation and peach blush. Feminine wasn’t a look she usually went for, so this would have to be the best middle ground she could reach for her bride-to-be. Dinner arrived with vegetable soup, breadsticks, and red wine. Aster sat down to her lonely meal with Rigel still on her mind.