Southern Cross by Windstar

Her voice was perfectly controlled, and only someone who had known her as long as Angwar
had, would have detected the slight edge to it. The Provost licked his lips and decided it would
be a good idea to proceed carefully on this one.
"Emie, she's been working with humans her entire life, she didn't know she was made by the
Bak'ra. Are you certain you want to remove her completely from control of her ship self just
because of that?"
The First Guardian's voice was ice as she swiveled her chair once more to face him.
"She's one of them, Angwar. One of those things, one of the one's who destroyed our planet, and
killed our race. How can you sit there and tell me that I shouldn't remove her from control? By
all rights I should shove her out an airlock!"
Swallowing, Emily leaned back, forcing her hands to stop trembling and reeling herself in. She'd
been shouting by the end, and it took her a few seconds to get herself under control.
"Emie, look at me. I'm your Provost, and I'm also your friend. Don't do this to her, or yourself.
She can't help where she came from, but that doesn't change what she is."
"What is she, Angwar? Do you know? Do you really know what she is? Can we risk her turning
on us when the Bak'ra show up? Are you willing to risk this world on that?"
Angwar stood slowly, a flicker of what she thought was sadness crossing his face. It was gone
before Emie could figure out what it was though.
"She's still, Julie. That hasn't changed, no matter what has happened. She's a Guardian, Emily,
she took the oaths, and passed every requirement she had to. If you remove her from duty, what
message is that going to send?"
"It will send the message that I hate the Bak'ra, which I do, so I don't see any problem with that."
Angwar straightened to attention, saluted and stalked out of her ready room.
"If you say so, First Guardian."
The doors slid closed behind him before she could get in the final word. This time she let the
anger sweep up over her, and flung the pads from the top of her desk. Several bounced off the
other bulkhead with a satisfying crack. A wordless scream of rage at the fates that would let her
fall in love with someone who she wanted to hate with all her heart.
Pounding her fist against the bulkhead didn't do much other than give her bloody knuckles. Lady
Windstar, First Guardian, second in line for the Imperial throne, slid down the bulkhead of her
ready room and raged against it all. The deaths of those she had been supposed to protect, her
world, her people, and now her love.