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Bathed  in the light of a universe of stars, Dalian Crown Prince Anton leaned  back in the plush captain’s chair and watched the panorama of space.  Isolated, hurtling through the cosmos, he finally began to relax. The  awful events that sent him into space seemed so far behind him now: the  civil war with neighboring Kajia, the attack on Dalia, the decision to  send him to safety with only Thurgose, his automatonic horse, for a  companion. There had been no time for anyone else to accompany him.

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Out  here, on the swirling edge of the galaxy, Anton felt such calmness. He  could have picked up one of his 4-D video games, but did not. For a  moment, he could be lazy, resting between lessons from Thurgose. He  gazed languidly at the starry blackness, munching on freeze-dried  dydala. He thought about having some humsta, the syrupy porridge that  was his normal breakfast, but was mostly grateful that choosing what to  eat was the hardest decision he now had to make.

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“Brubiscon,” Thurgose interrupted in its metallic voice.

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Anton  turned his head. As usual, the little horse was hooked into the  controls. However, it had shifted to the side, hooking its legs into the  media control unit.

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Tossing  his blond hair in disgust, Anton waved it off. “I don’t want to see a  movie,” he said. “I just want to enjoy the view.” He turned sideways to  stretch his short legs across the chair, letting his bare feet dangle  over the armrest.

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Thurgose did not respond, but simply dimmed the interior lights and projected a  holographic image against the far wall. Anton gasped and sat up as his  father, Frighem Laren of Dalia and Kajia appeared. He looked so real  Anton almost reached out a hand to touch his father, whose face had  become a purple mask as age seeped through the familiar yellow coloring  of youth.

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To  Anton’s surprise, the Frighem had smeared chocolate-colored culka  powder under his eyes. Only fighters on Dalia wore that since it spoke  of determination and death. Anton leaned forward in his seat.

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“My  son,” the Frighem said in hushed tones. “When you see this, I may be  dead.” He began talking about the civil war between his planet and the  neighboring planet Kajia when the old man suddenly grew silent. His  mouth remained open, and his lips moved, but no words came out. Anton  glanced quickly at Thurgose, the robotic rocking horse projecting the  video, and back at the wall. His father seemed unaware of the loss of  sound.

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Then,  strangely, a hole appeared in the Frighem’s forehead, blossoming red  and ugly in the middle of one of the deep purple creases. His eyes  seemed to roll upward then disappear. In a moment, the picture vanished,  too, swallowed by the darkness of the room.

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Anton  gasped. Stunned, he realized he had seen the assassination of his  father. His stomach heaved. He slowly began to cry as the lights went  on. Death did not usually move him; on a planet where life spans were  short, death happened frequently. However, as prince, Anton had one  clear duty: to perform the funeral rituals for his father. Far away, he  was not there to say the Mourning Prayer, to light the traditional pile  candle. He could not dust his father’s hands and feet with the good  Dalian dirt.

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After  a moment, Anton collected himself. In his precarious position, isolated  in space, he could not grieve long. He ran a hand through his lavender  hair and allowed his natural yellow hue to return to his face. A couple  of tears crossed his black eyes, but that was all.

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He took a deep breath. He would be strong. He had to be.

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He started to stand. There was a lot to think about.

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“Please remain seated,” Thurgose said. “There is more.”

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Somewhat  uneasy, Anton dropped back into his chair, turning again to face the  wall. The light from Thurgose’s plastic eyes shone again, but no image  appeared. Instead, there was a loud buzz followed by a calm, harsh,  sinister male voice.

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“Anton,”  it said. “I am going to kill you.” Anton sat up, trying to recognize  the voice. It had an odd accent, but he had heard it before.

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The  speaker continued with calm invective. “You can run to the outer  reaches of the universe.” His voice was youthful, vibrant and arrogant.  “I will find out. I….” There was a harsh sound, and the tape cut off,  too.

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“What  is all that?” Anton cried, jumping to his feet. He wanted to do  something, anything, but didn’t know what. Thurgose was as impassive as  usual. It stood by the controls, slowly shifting its legs back and forth  to activate the various functions. Anton heard a click. The interior  lights returned to the normal level. Everything seemed the way it was  before, except nothing was the same.

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Thurgose  rocked back, disengaged itself from the controls and rolled to Anton’s  side. “I am your protector,” it intoned. “I have been programmed to  insulate you against bodily harm.”

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Anton  trembled and touched the plastic head, finding the special sensor  device built into the automaton’s surface that sent reassuring warmth  into his hand. The automaton came to his waist, the perfect height for  petting without reaching.

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“Do you know who was threatening me?” Anton asked.

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“Yes.” The horse paused. “I have analyzed the voice, and it belongs to Wyron, the Prince of Kajia.”

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Anton  nodded grimly. He should have known. As royal children, they had often  played together. Now, Wyron wanted control of the two sister planets.  Almost unconsciously, Anton continued to stroke the horse’s head.

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“I wonder where he is now,” he thought aloud.

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“I  have detected no metallic compounds or radiation in the vicinity,”  Thurgose reported. “The exterior sensing equipment has been activated  since we left Dalia, and no such signals have been received. I monitor  them on a regular basis. You may be assured of your safety.”

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Anton  relaxed a little. He walked over to the closest portal. He pressed the  switch, and the blue metal shield swung wide. Looking out, he could see  the bands of stars stretching in all directions. Not a few minutes ago,  everything seemed so calm and inviting. Now, there seemed no pattern, no  clear paths.

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“Where  are we going?” he asked Thurgose. He didn’t expect an answer and didn’t  get one. Thurgose simply ran through a rainbow of colors as if  searching memory banks for a response it knew didn’t exist.

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“Did  you have to show me that today?” Anton continued. He could have enjoyed  a few more moments of peace. That illusion was gone forever.

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“I can only do as programmed,” Thurgose said.

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“That’s  all I can do, too,” Anton replied. He felt very depressed. All he  really knew was confined to the metallic interior of this ship. His  memories were a mishmash of images that floated together in a hazy soup.  His father was dead; his planet lay in desolate, contaminated ruins.  And he floated in space toward some unknown target. Somewhere out there,  perhaps a few light years behind, rode someone who wanted to kill him.  Anton turned back and looked at Thurgose.

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“I am the Frighem now,” he said almost in wonder. The very idea awed him.

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“Yes,”  Thurgose said. “You are chief flower among the eastern skies, god of  youth and firmament, first son of the great Frighem Laren, son of the  great queen Rena, Brubiscon of the Gorean festival and bearer of the  Whiten bushels at the festival of Alain. And, you are also the Frighem.”

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Anton  shook his head. What did any of those titles mean on a spaceship  somewhere in deep space? “I am the leader of one,” he noted sourly.

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“I am ever ready to obey my Brubiscon,” Thurgose assured him.

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“Then what am I supposed to do now?” Anton asked.

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“Now is everything,” Thurgose recited. “Dugozy. 1654.”

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“No philosophy,” Anton pleaded. “My head is reeling.”

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Thurgose  responded by changing from a slight yellow color to an off-gray, the  signal it was ready to instruct, and began to roll along the metallic  strips in the flooring to the teaching nook.

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Sad  and disheartened, Anton followed the little automaton into the aisle.  And, for just a moment, he tried to ignore what fully he realized lay  ahead.