Juno put up her fists and prepared to fight. “Run!” she told the other girls. “Get to the bus—tell Chamberlin we need to hit the space road now!”
“We’re not leaving you,” Athena told her. “We’re in this together. We will all take responsibility for what we’ve done.”
The dark figure chuckled. “Well, well, that certainly is a noble statement,” he said. The man—who was green-skinned with multi-colored hair shaved into a Mohawk across the top of his head—stepped out of the shadows, smiling broadly at them. “I’m not here to punish you. I’m here with a proposition.”
Four of the princesses eyed him suspiciously. Luna, however, swooned. The young alien was incredibly cute, and she was obviously very distracted by his good looks. Like every good hero, this guy was wearing a beret, he was clearly very strong and muscular, and the stubble on his chin? Totally flirty. Luna was hooked. And judging by the way she was ogling him, the man probably could have told them he was taking them to a dark prison and she would have willingly joined him.
“Do you know who I am?” the man asked.
“No,” Juno said defiantly. “Are you one of Geela’s ugly henchmen?”
“Ugly?” Luna said, giggling nervously. “That’s so mean, Juno!”
The man chuckled again. “I … am Captain Hansome.” He said this with a flourish, as though his name should have inspired worship and cheers.
“What do you want from us?” Athena asked.
“Are we in some kind of trouble?” Hera said nervously.
“We cannot discuss it here,” Captain Hansome said, retreating into the shadows again. “I need you to come with me. There is much for us to discuss, but it is dangerous to be meeting like this out in the open. Walk with me.”
“You want us to walk with you?” Rhea scoffed. “You seriously want five girls to follow some guy they just met to some unknown location? Do you think we’re stupid?”
Hansome sighed. “I see your point.” He seemed to consider his options for a moment, then slipped under the drooping branches of a nearby willow tree. “Pssst,” he hissed. “In here!”
The five princesses exchanged wary looks. Rhea shook her head. “This guy is classic,” she said. “I have to admit, I’m a little curious.”
“What could he possibly want from us?” Athena wondered.
“Only one way to find out,” Juno said, then slipped between the tree’s hanging branches.
Once they were all gathered under the tree’s canopy, Captain Hansome smiled broadly. “Ah, yes, welcome. And thank you all for meeting with me tonight.”
Rhea snorted. “Can you just get to the point? Why did you stop us?”
“I have heard your music,” Hansome said solemnly.
“Oh!” Luna said brightly. “Are you a fan?”
“No,” Hansome said. “I am not.”
“Oh,” Luna said, sniffing. “Well, why not?”
Hansome took a deep, serious breath and said, “Let me ask you this: Have you heard … of the Resistance?”
“Is that a band or something?” Hera wondered.
“No, I am not speaking of a band,” Hansome said, obviously offended. “I am talking about … the Resistance!”
“Do you have to say it like that?” Rhea asked, giggling. “With that dramatic pause before you say … ‘the Resistance’?”
“Do you want to join, or not?” Hansome asked impatiently.
“Join what?” Luna asked in a moony voice. “If there’s something you want me to join, I totally will!”
“Luna!” Athena scolded. “You can’t agree to join something when you don’t even know what you’re joining!”
“What is … the Resistance?” Juno asked, imitating Hansome’s ridiculous tone.
“We are a group of freedom fighters,” Captain Hansome said, puffing out his chest. “A secret group of rebels, working against Geela. We call ourselves … the Resistance.”
“Yeah,” Rhea snickered. “We got that.”
“We have heard some of your songs—and I saw what you did to Geela’s posters back there in the courtyard,” Hansome said. “I think you would be a good addition to our team. No one would expect a bunch of singers to be part of a larger mission to overthrow Geela.”
“Oh, pal,” Rhea said under her breath. “You have no idea.”
“So what do you say?” Hansome asked seriously. “Are you in … or are you out?”
“Hold on,” Athena said. The princess of Athenia had been raised to be cautious. She wasn’t about to agree to some sort of rebel mission without being sure of whom she was dealing with. “How do we know we can trust you? How do we know you’re not actually working for Geela? Maybe she’s sent you off on a mission to hunt down all the citizens of the Pentangle who don’t like her, and this is some kind of trap.”
“Huh,” Hansome said. “That is also a good point. But! How do I know I can trust you? We are in a similar predicament, you see. You are strangers to me, I am a stranger to you.”
“Let’s not be strangers,” Luna said, her voice soft and flirty.
“Ugh,” Juno said, nudging her. “Say we do decide to trust you, Hansome. What happens next? Do we just say, ‘yeah, sure, we’ll join … the Resistance, and all is well? Or do you want us to actually do something for you to prove ourselves?”
“Prove yourselves,” Hansome said, running a hand across his chin. “Yes, yes that is an excellent plan. I have a small mission for you. A test, if you will. If you are successful, there will be more. So what do you say? Are you willing to be a part of … the Resistance?”
“Absolutely!” Luna said, nodding. She looked at the other girls in the tree-covered shadows. “Right, girls? We’re in, aren’t we?”
“What is it you have in mind?” Athena asked reasonably.
Hansome leaned in closer to the five girls and said in a hushed whisper, “In the remote Ice Desert on Heralda, we have received reports that Geela is building a new weapon. I need a team to scout and report what kind of weapon she is building.” He paused for dramatic emphasis. “With this information, we will be able to determine the best way to destroy it.”
“That’s the mission?” Juno asked. “You just want us to find it and tell you what we’ve found? We don’t actually get to destroy it ourselves?”
“Absolutely not!” Hansome said, laughing. “Leave that to the experts. You are merely trainees. If you impress me, you may have the opportunity to do something bigger. But for now, don’t do anything dangerous. The Resistance doesn’t want to be responsible for any unplanned casualties.”
“We’re on it,” Rhea said. “And if we like the mission, maybe we’ll be willing to do more for … the Resistance.” She smiled. “Let’s just consider this a test run on both sides, shall we?”
“Indeed,” Hansome replied. “I will send a supply pod with a few things that might be of use to you on the mission, as well as general directions to the Ice Desert.”
“What if we have questions?” Luna said, batting her eyelashes. “Should I call you?”
Hansome shook his head firmly. “I will be in contact with you. All messages and communications will be encrypted and protected with security measures. In order to unlock and listen to our correspondence, you’ll all need to be present. My team collected your fingerprints from your equipment earlier today—”
Rhea cut him off. “They did what now?”
“They lifted your prints from the microphones…” Hansome said casually. “And from your drumsticks, Juno. It’s very easy to do.”
“How dare you take our prints without permission!” Athena growled.
“Geela has done far worse without anyone’s permission,” Hansome reminded them. “Now. As I was saying, each of you will need to be present in order to receive my communications. Five sets of prints. Understood?” He scanned their faces, and each girl nodded her agreement.
Suddenly, Athena thought of Chamberlin and how he would react to their new assignment. She had a feeling he would probably insist that he join them, in order to fulfill his orders to protect the princesses at all costs. “What about our … manager?” she asked. “Chamberlin. He will, of course, be joining us on these missions.”
“Seriously?” Captain Hansome muttered.
“Yes,” Rhea agreed. “He’s very involved. Hands-on and all that.”
“Fine,” Hansome groaned. “Honestly, you rock stars and your babysitters. It’s ridiculous.” He took a deep breath and added, “Wait for my orders. Be ready.” He waved his hand in the air, then slipped between two branches and disappeared.
As soon as he was gone, Juno grumbled, “I don’t like the way that guy underestimates us. You know what I think? I think we need to show Captain Hansome what five angry teenage girls are capable of. Because the five of us … we are not your average princesses.”