Never The Way (short story)

Never The Way, or Never the Way, was the second story in the anthology True Stories.

Plot
Accompanied by the fugitive Princess Emi, Benny meets with Calico Nightstreet and receives forged boarding passes, but he turns on her after payment and intends to hand them both in for a bounty. They flee from him and are cornered by a Pede whom they manage to escape after Benny tricks it into changing its form, allowing them to board the Wiseau space liner after knocking out a port officer. They head to the Koriss system where Emi's mother, the Red Queen, has allies who can keep her safe from the White Queen.

Benny and Emi are attacked by the Pede and use cargo transporters to escape to the Sky Pyramid of Xarva, making Benny realise that she was sent thousands of years backwards in time whilst on her journey to the Dinarchy. She attempts to manipulate the Crown Prince with knowledge of his future coup, but he and the Overseer have her and Emi imprisoned. They escape thanks to Emi's Bright Violet and use it to make the warrior statues kill one another, run off the station and play marbles and to make the station shake.

Placing her diary where she knows that she will find it in the future, Benny leaves with Emi through the airlock and worries that she might have inspired the Crown Prince to destroy the station when his coup fails. She tells herself that the universe does not revolve around her.

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Emi li Loree na Kia
 * Calico Nightstreet
 * Pede
 * Port officer
 * The Overseer

Worldbuilding

 * Benny drinks Cockle Warmers.
 * Benny has an Omnidrop 490.
 * Benny and Emi board the Wiseau.
 * Flathargon Fever can cause pus balls.
 * Emi is one of the Daughters of the Dinarchy and ninth in line to the Red Throne.
 * Emi's siblings include Shar li, Hai li and Kirri li.

Continuity

 * Benny excavated the Sky Pyramid of Xarva months ago, in the future. (PROSE: Hue and Cry)
 * Benny mentions her mother's death. (PROSE: Love and War)