Winter of the World

Augustgrad had just endured a night of rain. The wind carried the faint chill of early winter, and a comet brought news from the far reaches of Koprulu.

Louis Sarah Mengsk suddenly woke from her bed. She rose and opened the window, and a gust of cold wind rushed into her face. The chill sharpened her mind and clarified her thoughts, making her aware of where she was.

It was lonely at the top.

From here, Louis could take in Augustgrad's prosperous downtown streets at a glance: Katherine Square, the artificial lake, the water park, the musical fountain, the holographic cinema.

Louis would turn eight this year. Since the day she was born, she had lived in Augustgrad, only visiting the Taradorn System, Haven, and Hermes while vacationing with members of the royal family. Unlike Korhal, which had once been filled with Radiated Wastes and deserts, those planets could truly be called havens of life. Other than that, she had never even been to Tarsonis, the former capital of the Terran Confederacy.

The Empire's territory spanned multiple star systems, with more than a thousand inhabited planets alone. Including places such as orbital habitats, comet farms, and asteroid mining stations, there were even more.

As an Imperial princess and member of the royal family, Louis should have frequently accompanied her parents on visits to the Empire's worlds. Magnified camera lenses would enlarge every detail of her body, holding a child to royal standards. But the Emperor and Empress never brought Louis to political events. By contrast, her cousin Valerian was the darling of Imperial politics and the press, since he was already an adult.

And aside from his golden hair, Valerian was considered a genuine Mengsk in every respect.

Once Louis grew a little older, things would change whether she wanted