Excerpt: As Yet Untitled

Amaranthe knew neither her mother nor her father. The woman had been born from a donor egg and seed of the highest breeding in the noble families, and genetically engineered with the best traits from the most skilled of the highest class of guard. From then she was grown in a solution reservoir in a laboratory clearance Vesper Omega, given only to a handful of individuals in all of the Alliance.

Undergoing rapid cellular aging, she matured and was born at a biological age of six. At that time she was handed over to the Ephemeris' guard and trained as the next personal bodyguard of the leader of the United Alliance Empire. After that, Amaranthe never saw the inside of the laboratory, nor the face of her creator, again.

She did, however, meet his successor.

It was a few cycles after her body finished its normal course of adolescence, taking full mantle and honor of being the Ephemeris only and personal bodyguard. The guard didn't realize it at the time, though. She was in the mess bay, waiting to get something to eat when the young man in the long monochrome coat that all the scientists wore sauntered up to her and stood next to the guard like she'd been waiting for him to show up the whole time. Briefly Amaranthe looked him down then turned away, and frowned when he grinned and looked expectantly at her. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to ask me out for coffee?"

"Excuse me?" She wasn't sure she'd heard right, staring at the scientist. Then Amaranthe looked around for any giggling lower guards or colleagues that would have thought it amusing to play a prank on her. "Why would I ask you out for coffee?"

"Because I've watched you come here every day for the past month, get the same Licean set meal, eat by yourself, then leave. I figured you noticed me and were just too struck by shyness to ask yourself, so I thought I'd come over and help the process along."

Amaranthe stared at him. "You're joking, right." It wasn't a question.

"You're right, you've got me. Last week you got adventurous and ordered a naarut, but I don't think it sat well with your stomach because you only had about half," he said with a grin.

The guard could only stare at the man, slightly boggled. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you."

"Oh, very much so."

"You know that it's actually creepy that you would watch me for a whole month, don't you. And that I'm of the Guard."

The scientist shrugged, broad smile still on his face. "So are you going to ask me out for coffee or not?"

By then the line had moved along and the pair with it, the server awaiting orders from them. "Licean set meal," Amaranthe said, giving her own tight smile as she took her tray and left the man standing there, and without his coffee.