Curse the princess!

  The white-clad figure stood among the dust and rocks on the surface of the moon and waited. His patience had worn thin. He had come to the past in pursuit of a child, one who could ruin his plans and end his conquest of Earth. He had sent out his droid, a mechanical monstrosity, to retrieve her. Instead, the girl had escaped.

  Now, he waited once more for the droid to find its prey. He realized his robotic servant was insufficient. He needed his companions to join him in the past.

  He was unsure how the princess had ruptured the barrier between the future and the past. Such a feat was beyond even him. Her meddling with time, however, had left a gaping wound in the fabric of reality, one that was slow to heal. It was a wound he was all too glad to keep reopening.

  He raised his hand and closed his eyes. He concentrated and drew upon the dark energy that now coursed through his veins. The darkness poured into the invisible fissure in time, forcing it open once more. The space in front of him warped and twisted. A time vortex of purple and green energy burst open before him.

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  A lone figure stepped through the portal. It was a young man, tall and thin, with a shock of black hair on his head. His face had the fine features of a nobleman.

  The white-clad figure wavered; the exertion of opening a door in time threatened to overwhelm him. He had hoped to bring more of his allies into the past. It would have to wait. He lowered his hand, and the vortex disappeared.

  The young man dropped to one knee before him.

  “Prince Demande, how may I serve?”

  Demande placed one hand on the young man’s head, as if to bless him.

  “Saphir, my brother. I am glad you are here. Rise and report.”

  Saphir stood.

  “Our attack on Earth continues, but the princess still stands.”

  Anger flashed across Demande’s face.

  “Curse the princess!”

  Saphir observed his brother with curiosity.

  “How goes the hunt?”

  Demande snorted.

  “Your droids are marvelous inventions, Saphir, but this one struggles to subdue a child.”

  Saphir bowed.

  “My prince, I ask that you give the creature a chance to fulfill its mission. I have no doubt it will succeed.”

  Demande placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

  “Very well. We shall wait. When I have gathered my strength, I will open the portal once more and bring the rest of our clan into the past.”

  Demande allowed a twisted smile to creep onto his face.

  “Should your little droid fail, I know just who can bring this situation to a swift conclusion…and anybody who dares help the child, to a swift end.”