**********
Celeste was grateful that the temple on the bottom floor of her father's palace was empty, as it was nearing 12:45 in the morning. The bottom floor was dark except for the security lights that gave her just enough light to see.
The temple was enormous, encompassing forty-thousand square feet of space. A gold statue representing the goddess of light rested against the back wall in direct line with the main entrance. The statue stood about thirty feet tall, and next to it stood the gold and bronze statue of her father. Her father's statue stood only twenty feet in the air, but was magnificent, to say the least. He was adorned in a red military uniform and he was holding two swords above his head that crossed at the blades. In his right hand was a red sword, which represented Gnolom, and in his left hand was the black sword that represented Terrest. The crossing was symbolic of the joining of the two worlds of Gnolom and Terrest by the mighty Koroan, who, it was prophesied, would unite two worlds and two peoples.
Celeste rolled her eyes as she looked at her father's statue. She was becoming less and less faithful that her father was actually the one prophesied. She walked slowly down the red carpet that led from the temple entrance to the statues. Each side of the carpet contained gold tables adorned with ancient scriptures from Gnolom's spiritual leaders and tributes to Koroan's conquering of Terrest. She stopped just in front of the statue of the goddess of light, looked around, and pulled out a heavy black coat with a hood from its hiding place behind the statue. Celeste took off her white robe and placed it neatly in the hiding spot behind the statue. She put on the coat and was grateful she had hidden it for such a purpose just days ago.
As she looked out the window, the cruelty of spring in this part of Terrest had just begun to throw down its mighty fist. Large, wet snowflakes began to fall, and she could tell from the slant of the snowfall that the wind was blowing ferociously.
She zipped up her coat, made sure her dagger and plasma gun were secure, put on her hood, and walked toward the exit. As she was about to exit the sliding glass doors, she heard a noise from somewhere inside the temple. She looked around. Nothing.
After exiting the temple, she walked over to the ten, two-man assault hover vehicles. Her father had given her one just after he had invented them. They were a speedy and agile craft, traveling at nearly two hundred miles per hour and they could turn on a dime. The outside of the vehicle was designed for the least amount of air resistance possible. The tip of it was almost as sharp as her dagger. The nose of the vehicle was about three feet long. At the end of the nose, the vehicle had slanted wings that extended out five feet. In between the wings was the pilot and copilot's seats and just behind that, the jet engine.
As Celeste approached her metallic silver Chati, named after one of the fastest animals on her planet, she noticed that the vehicle reminded her of a mini jet airplane that Adrian had shown her in pictures of from his home world called Earth.
Celeste reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a remote that opened the canopy to the cockpit. She climbed inside and fired the Chati up. She was grateful that they were quiet machines. She retracted the stands and hovered in the air for a few minutes.
Gently pushing the control stick back, she backed out of the parking area and turned the Chati to face the guard post that exited the palace courtyard. She knew that she would have to tell the guard a good story as to why she was leaving so early in the morning.
As she approached the guard post, she noticed the guard appear in her lights with his right hand extended, and his assault weapon tucked neatly under his left arm. She stopped as the guard walked to the left of the Chati. Celeste opened the canopy.
"Oh, Your Highness, I didn't know that was you. Where are you going at a time like this and in this weather?"
Celeste didn't want to make small talk, so she got right to the point. "It is none of your concern, Major."
Major Dent looked disappointed. "Very well, Your Highness."
Celeste managed the best smile she could muster. "Thank you, Major. Oh, and do me a favor?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do not tell my father that I have left. He has retired for the evening and is very tired from his address to the city. I know that if you wake him, he will be very angry. I will not be long. I should return before sun up."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Good."
Celeste closed the canopy as Major Dent ran into his post and opened the thirty-foot Omutx metal gate. Celeste grabbed the stick and sped off into the snow-filled night.