The Untold Story of Lady Robby Coffman: A Prequel to the Evolution Series

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Act Three: Fleeting Moments to Love

It had been two years and a month now since they took him. His piloting skills proved beyond exceptional to her father. So much so that he couldn’t honor his blood oath to Camille to kill him. The risk of the Red Runners finding out was high, but he having someone who could pilot the Onyx and win battles was worth more to him than his oath.

Little by little, even against her father’s wishes and increasing threats to stop, Robbie continued to teach him their ways and watched over him. It took some time, but she had accepted him. Allowing him to call her by her first name.

She felt the tug at her heart more and more every day, becoming enamored with him. And she could feel it from him in the way they stole away moments to be alone in the corridors, out of sight of the crew. He was the first boy, the first man to know her lips and hear her words of affection for him. And she wanted him. He was the one for her to stand with and be at her side. She wanted to share her life with him.

She only had to figure out how to keep their relationship out of sight and away from her father long enough to find a way. Only a select few of their entanglement, but kept their secret.

Standing behind her father, her eyes wandered from time to time to the pilot chair where Kerry sat working as they made their way to Erlos Five. A small colony on a dark asteroid where they have been hiding for the last nine months. The colony agreed to let them use their only hanger to house their ship and allow them off to mingle with the general population in exchange for food and information or news from around inside the Amethyst.

“Ensign Vorcek. How much longer until we dock?” Her father barked in frustration with folded arms folded across his chest.

“Roughly seventeen to twenty minutes, sir. The tramp freighter that is in dock currently is just now getting underway.” Kerry replied.

“God damn it. I should just blast those idiots out of the damn hangar. They were supposed to have been already gone by the time we get here.” He muttered to himself.

Robbie swallowed, looking around the bridge as the crew kept busy. Looking across over her father, she found Karla, as always, standing behind the security station, keeping watch. Now only an inch shorter than her and filling out her uniform solidly, her once thick short black hair now covering the top of her head weaved into two small pony tails hanging just above the collar. The sides of her skull were clean shaven and her lower lip pierced through the bottom by a small silver bar.

She finally had earned her Valkyrie blades, wearing two of them on each leg with her manta pistol holstered upside down behind her back. She had proven herself in combat and in competition.

Hearing the soft bell chime, she returned her focus to Kerry as the second shift crew filtered onto the bridge. The exchange and pass down of the day’s information and events taking place.

Her eyes remained steadfast on him as he got up and strode past, also eyeing her with his trademark grin, making her face flush. He was the only man who could do that.

“Robbie.” Her father’s heavy voice destroyed her imagination.

She looked back down, finding him facing her.

“What have I been telling you for the past year about him?”

Caught like a deer in headlights, she rose on the balls of her feet in her boots, taking in a deep breath before settling back down. “To keep my distance from him and stay my place.”

“Correct. Then why do I constantly find you and him together and your mind off in the reaches of space every goddamn time he is around you?” His voice rose.

Robbie tilted her head back, feeling agitated being questioned again in front of the crew.

“Don’t you dare.” He breathed.

“Then stay out of my life. I am no longer a child and responsible for my own actions and way I wish to live. And I can choose who I wish to share my life with as a Reaper.”

Pulling his arms out, rising from his chair slowly, he took one measured step towards her. His one genuine slate gray eye glared at her.

“I am more than aware you have reached the age of womanhood with in the clan and can lead your own life now. But you are my daughter and rightful leader of this clan who you need to learn to control. A heart alone does not rule without strength. And this man will only weaken you and lead you to your demise. He is on borrowed time. I warn you, stay away from him before he completely corrupts you. Your continued infatuation will force my hand.”

Robbie’s upper lip curled as the rage boiled over in her before composing herself. “Stay away from him. I swear if you lay a hand.” She never finished as the resounding slap sent her staggering backward with a yelp, the sound bouncing off the bridge’s walls and amplifying the pain.

“Get off my bridge. That will be all Lieutenant Coffman. Return to your quarters and remain there until I say so.”

With a soft hiss of pain, she reached up, covering her left cheek, before slowly standing back up. With a silent, practiced motion, she drew her Valkyrie blade from its sheath behind her back—the familiar weight of the steel reassuring—as her father’s joyful laughter and approving nod filled the air.

“Good. I see you are understanding now.”

Growling, fear making her muscles tense, she shoved the blade back into its sheath, quickly turning as Karla approached, her footsteps clacking against the steel floor.

“Why not gut him? You have every right to after that.” She said under breath as they walked through the bulkhead into the corridor.

“That’s enough Karla. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But he shamed you in-front of the crew again!”

“I said enough!” Robbie yelled, making Karla draw in a breath, letting it out with a groan of displeasure. “More than half of this crew listens to you over him, Robbie. He will not lead much longer. And he does not love you like blood, as he should. He is just using you, and you know it.”

Karla stopped looking up as Robbie walked straight into the arms of Kerry. His hands already reaching for her face, turning her head peering at her with concern. Turning to glance behind them, she wanted to see if her father was watching or could see them, since they were close to the bulkhead of the bridge.

“I suggest you two move on from here. It’s not safe.” Karla said, glancing at them before walking past. “I will see you below, Robbie.” She caught Kerry’s eyes as he turned to nod at her, acknowledging her.

“Kerry.”

“Thanks Karla.”

Taking his hands into hers, she stepped around him, pulling him with to walk away from the bridge. “She’s right. Come on.”

They went on down to the connector corridor to the left, heading into the travel tube one deck below, then out turning left again into the officers’ quarters deck. Then stepping up to a cabin, she touched the pad as Karla stood across the door leaning on the opposite wall, folding her arms with a frown as Robbie looked at her with a squint.

“Please don’t take too long today. I’m hungry and don’t feel like staring at your door forever.”

Rolling her eyes, Robbie pulled him inside with to stand just in her cabin as the door shut, falling again against him, resting her head on his shoulder as he held her. She felt safe in his arms and she loved how her heart raced inside his embrace.

“He keeps getting worse. I don’t know what he is planning or what he will do from one day to the next. And he is really making me nervous about what he says.”

Kissing her forehead, she looked at his brown eyes. “You know I am eighteen now. Which gives me the right to take you as my Reaper.”

His finger touched her lips, silencing her as she squinted, peering at him, reaching to pull his finger away. “Don’t silence me, Kerry, when I am speaking with my heart. You know I love you and I know you love me, otherwise you wouldn’t be risking his anger every day. He wants to kill you. Thinks you are corrupting me.”

Kerry nodded. “Yes, I know. He’s been saying that ever since I came onboard. Almost everyone seems to want to hurt or kill me for one reason or another. But you.”

Robbie shook her head. “Nobody on this ship or crew wants to kill you but my father. And if I demanded the covenant and took it with you in-front of this crew, they would not allow him to touch neither of us.”

Kerry sighed, letting her go, walking away as Robbie lowered her head, glaring at his back, drawing in a deep breath.

“Kerry!” she yelled commandingly, making him quickly turn around with an apologetic face.

“You know not to do that unless you want me to strike you! Never turn your back on us when we speak to each other!”

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to disrespect you. Just a habit. I keep thinking like I am still with the Red Runners.” He came back as she reached to hold his chin, peering at him.

“We are not Red Runners. You know that. Not even close to who those people are. We are proud people, honorable people. Just that my father lives this life of piracy because of his dishonor and exile. It’s only this crew that still honors their life oaths to follow him, even though our people have moved on. He will soon lose command and we will return home where we belong, back to our people.”

“That is a tall order.”

“Maybe. But I will see it through either with him or without him. I will reunite my clan and return home. Maybe not now, but soon.”

Her eyes fixed on him as he looked back, seeing it deep inside her eyes. They exuded power and determination. And he watched her as she turned the crew towards her beliefs of unification and the right to return home. Against her father’s wishes. Her will had turned over half the crew over to her side and given the chance, he knew she would soon lead Hague. All of her people.

Her hand slid up from his back over his neck to the back of his head, pulling him towards her, closing his eyes as she kissed him for a moment. Then opening his eyes, finding her gray eyes peering into his. He could feel the intensity of her presence emitted. She would change the fate and destiny of Hague for the better. It was only her father and his machinations of power that stood in her way. And he was the key that would open the door for her. But he still did not know what the cost would be. And deep down, he knew he had to make a choice at some point.

“Let’s go eat before Karla gets angry. I really don’t feel like hearing her the rest of the evening.” She grabbed his hand, clasping it, pulling him along again.

“Where? The mess?”

The door opened as they walked out, finding Karla getting back up from sitting and brushing her uniform pants off. “Bout fucking time. Were you smooching all that time? Surprised your lips don’t fall off.”

“Fuck you Karla and no, we weren’t.” Robbie made the two fingers circle with her other three outward, plucking away from her as Karla rolled her eyes.

“Sorry, don’t have a boyfriend to fuck unlike you.”

“Shut up!”

“Where are we eating?” Kerry asked.

Robbie turned around, and they headed down the corridor. “Officer’s wardroom.”

Kerry stopped pulling her arm, arresting her, making her turn around to tug a few times. “I can’t. I’m not an officer, and what about your father?”

Karla stopped halfway down, turning around, not realizing they were still a ways back, throwing her arms upward and stamping a foot.

“You can. You are with me and nobody will question it. My father does not eat in the wardroom anymore. He’s afraid since many no longer share his views. So he eats now in his cabin where his guard can keep him safe.” She let his hand go, only to grab his uniform coat, gripping it tightly as her chin lowered. Her eyes conveying she would not accept no.

Swallowing, he let her pull him along for a few feet before she let his coat go grabbing his hand.

“This crew needs to see us, Kerry. Not just me, but you, since we are courting. We don’t hide our feelings and even though you are not born from my world. You at least know our customs. A Reaper’s heart needs another to stand with in life and yours is more than worthy of mine.”

Karla stopped giving Robbie a look before turning back to walk in-front of them.

“What?”

Karla shook her head. “Give him a break, will you?”