Defender of the Empire 2: Facades Read Online Free

that. “I wonder who they will elect?” Westley wondered.
                  “I have a guess as to who it might be,” Marius said. At our expectant looks, he continued bluntly, “they’ve tried to tap him before.”
                  “Captain Wingstar?” I asked. He was the only one I knew of who had been asked to take the position in the past but had turned it down.
                  Jason grunted. “He’ll probably try to set a whole new record by refusing the diamond again. I really wonder why it is that he refuses to rise above captain. He even turned down the compromise to be a commodore. I guess he just really likes the Captain’s Gold Star.”
                  “Or he just really doesn’t like diamonds,” Marius added with a shrug.
                  I shook my head before asking, “Are there any other candidates?”
                  Jason shrugged. “I’m sure there are. After all, there are all the commodores to choose from.”
                  “I bet they’re somewhat miffed at being considered after a mere captain, twice now,” I observed.
                  “Perhaps. But everyone who is anyone knows that Captain Wingstar deserves to be a higher rank. They need his skills on the Board,” Westley said, just as we reached the barracks. “Well, we will find out soon enough,” he continued in the lobby. “Meet you all here in a few minutes.”
                  And so we split up. Well, I went a different way since I was the only female in the group. I climbed the stairs to the third floor, enjoying the exercise and the extra time it took, delaying the sight of my roommate.
     
    There are some people who are just not fun to be around. A stuck up jewel rose who is disgusted that you even exist and live in the same room as her is one of those people. She has been especially sullen since learning that I was now a crewman, and thus outranked her by five levels. When she tried to blame me for the added pressure from her parents to rise above me, I raised my hands and told her to bring it up with the emperor, as he was the one who had given me the commission. She didn’t know what to say to that.
                  As I approached our room, I noted that the door was open, which meant that Lassie was there for sure. Sighing, I prepared myself for one of her moods. But as I got closer, I heard her delighted laughter and a male voice. My brows rose in surprise before descending into a frown. One of her guy friends was over? Great. Just great. I would need to be quick about grabbing my stuff and going to the bathroom to change. Wait. Everyone is expected to go to the ceremony, I thought. I smiled slightly. I had a good reason to kick the guy out by reminding the two of them of the upcoming event.
                  It wasn’t until I got closer that I recognized the male voice. My suspicions as to who it belonged to were confirmed when I stood in the doorway. Leaning on the side of the window that granted a view of the door, most of the room, and outside without exposing himself to the outdoors, was a familiar young man. It’s a habit ingrained in those who have discovered the life-saving grace of paranoia. It was a stance I knew well, just as well as his strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. An unnerving, assessing look glittered in those eyes as he spoke to my roommate.
                  Ace was being his charming self, and Lassie was eating it up like it was her due, which I suppose she figured it was. It was how she was used to being treated, after all. I wondered how she would react if she knew that the attractive guy giving her so much attention was really a colonist. Even worse, a gang leader who dabbled in prostitution. Concerned, I glanced at her desk to see if there was any form or anything that Ace could have used to get her signature to apply to a contract. He has been