Twin Stars 1: Ascension Read Free

ships, but as third-in-command of the Crystal Leaf he could control her, and he would see that she was ready to meet any situation- as was his duty.
    However, there was wisdom in Kip’s words. As Kip had just said about him, if a man is pushed too hard he could break things, and Tysen needed to keep what crew he had left. Perhaps a little flexibility in his approach to command was called for. Perhaps he could change his command style…a little.
    Yes, Tysen considered. He might try that.
    “Kip…I…” He began. Then he noticed that his comrade’s eyes were glassy, and fixated on something on the street behind him.
    Annoyed at being ignored, Tysen turned to see what was so damned important that…And caught his breath…
    “Beautiful…” The words escaped Tysen’s lips without him even being aware he’d said them.
    “You can say that again, buddy.” Kip agreed. “You can say that again!”
    There were many ways to describe women, and Tysen had used most of them in his time, but the only word he could think of to describe the woman that walked near them was- perfect. Slightly above average in height, with a slender form that wasn’t slender in the right places, she had the elfin beauty to her face that Tysen had always found attractive. Her hair was a simple light brown bowl cut, and her clothes a nondescript form fitting powder blue bodysuit and boots, but the way she wore them still made the men around her stop and stare in wonder as she passed. On another woman they were clothes, but on her- style.
    Tysen drank in her beauty, even the act of breathing forgotten for a moment, and then his senses returned and he became aware of something- she was not alone.
    “Forget it, Kip.” He cautioned his friend. “Take a look who she’s with.”
    At first, Tysen almost mistook him for one of the street performers; he looked like a stilt walker who was several heads taller than the beauty who walked beside him. He wore an odd dark blue military dress uniform with a white ribbon tie that was strange even in these festive surroundings, but once Tysen focused upon the too-tall man, all doubt was gone as to his manner or his origins. His face distinguished, and he was older but not old, with graying temples and a manner that made Tysen feel like this was a man who was used to being in charge. Despite his size he moved with a grace that made it seem like gravity had blessed him with only the lightest of her touch, and had a fluidity to his stride that only increased his presence.
    “Yeah,” said Kip, disappointment clear in his voice. “I see him. Think he’s a real Noble, or that’s just for show?”
    “Oh, he’s for real. There…” Tysen gestured to the long curved scabbard that the man had hanging from his hip. A weapon in a place where weapons were outlawed, and carried so openly as to display the power required to bear it. “And take a look her, don’t you think she’s a little too perfect?”
    The pair were passing the café now, close enough to see not only the woman’s flawless skin, but also to see the dark jeweled choker she wore around her neck. A collar that marked her as a bioroid- one of the inhuman companions that tended to the needs the nobility.
    “She’s a Squire.” Kip said, shaking his head in disappointment. “Must be nice to be a Noble.”
    “Yes,” Tysen said absentmindedly, watching them go.
    “You’re a Noble, Al. Why don’t you have one of those?”
    Tysen looked at his friend, considering what lay behind those words for a moment, then, deciding that it was just momentary frustration, he smiled. He was used to prejudice by standard humans against the post-human species to which he belonged, but not from someone so close. “I’m not a ship captain, nor a captain of industry, Kip. A Squire is as much a sign of status as that sword he’s carrying, and I’m just an enlisted man like you are.”
    “Not for long,” Kip said dryly. “You’ll be captain in no time, with a