Stolen by the Alien Raider: A Novel of the Silent Empire

by Chase, Leslie

  "I'd love to but I'm waiting for someone." That had the virtue of being true, at least, but the man's tone made it clear that it hadn't been a request. A gesture from him brought two other men into view, each wearing the same armor without the shiny medals. They didn't need to be told what to do, they just grabbed me by the arms and lifted.

  "Hey! Wait a minute, you can't—"

  "You are a stowaway, aboard the Lament for Battles Unfought without proper permissions," the big man said. "I, on the other hand, am Lord-Commander Bergot of Prince Xeraxis's personal guard. That means I can do anything I like to you. Be glad that I have orders to bring you in unharmed."

  One of the men pressed something to my arm and I felt a painful sting. Yelping, I looked down to see him holding a device like the one Kadran had tested me with back on the Red King's Revenge. As I watched the lights tuned green and the man nodded.

  "It's her, Lord-Commander," he said and I tensed. Whoever these men were, it looked like they wanted me for the same reason Drezz and his crew had. That couldn't be good news.

  My breath caught and I tried to remember the lessons Kadran had tried to drill into me. Unfortunately we hadn't gotten to 'how to beat up three men in armor' in our little classes yet. I'm going to have to complain about that the next time I see him.

  No point in picking a fight that I knew I'd lose. None at all. I had to keep reminding myself of that as I glared.

  "Good." Bergot sounded satisfied that I wouldn't resist further. "Take her things and let's be off. I have no desire to linger in this cursed place longer than I must."

  With that he turned and marched away. His men led me by the arms, strong enough that I knew resistance would be futile. If I stopped walking they'd simply drag me, and that wouldn't help. A third guard grabbed my pack and took up the rear.

  My hope that we'd meet Kadran on the way out, that he'd save me, was quickly dashed. For one thing, another squad of four guards waited outside, their weapons drawn and ready. If Kadran had come this way, he'd have run into a lethal ambush.

  It started to sink in — wherever these men were taking me, I didn't have a choice in the matter. At least they're human, I told myself, trying to find a silver lining. It didn't help. Humans could be as cruel as any of the aliens I'd met so far, and Kadran had been kinder to me than any human ever had.

  They whisked me through the corridors quickly and efficiently, following a path much more direct than the one Kadran had brought me by. Soon we came to a large door, also guarded by a squad of four men who were watching a small crowd of annoyed aliens. They parted to let my captors through, and the doors opened to a seemingly empty shaft that fell away to nothingness.

  Bergot didn't stop, he simply marched over the edge and fell from view. I dug my heels into the ground, trying to fight, but the guards on either side of me lifted me off the ground. Before I could draw a breath to object they stepped into the shaft, carrying me with them.

  I screamed as we fell, though my guards didn't seem worried. And then I felt it, some force grabbing us all and guiding us away from the edges of the shaft. Whatever was happening here, I wasn't simply dropping to my death. That was a small relief.

  With a sudden jolt, we were pulled sideways into a cross tunnel. Finally I began to understand what was happening. This was some kind of transport system, and it felt fast. My heart hammered in my chest and I whimpered as we zoomed through tunnels, the walls zipping past at insane speeds. I shut my eyes, but that made it worse when we changed direction suddenly. I really didn't want to find out what would happen if I threw up in here.

  Struggling to control my stomach, I forced myself to watch the walls. At least the guards didn't seem at all frightened — and hopefully they knew what was happening.

  At last we slowed, a set of doors opened ahead of us, and whatever mysterious force kept us safe in the tunnels deposited us neatly onto a nice, stable floor. My legs buckled under me and I would have collapsed if not for the guards on either side of me holding me up. The ship whirled around me and I tried to focus on the black marble floor under my feet. Don't throw up. Don't. Come on, hold it together.

  "Welcome, my lady." I tried to drag my gaze up from the floor but everything still seemed to be spinning. "Dear me, Bergot, what have you done to the poor woman?"

  The speaker sounded half way between concerned and amused. His voice was powerful, cultured, and compelling.

  "Apologies, Your Highness," Bergot replied, sounding a good deal less confident now. "You said you wanted to meet the girl at once."

  "I didn't say that you should terrify her, idiot. Look at her! She's never been through a grav-tunnel before." Footsteps approached, and a hand took me by the chin. Pulled my face up. I swallowed my nausea.

  The man standing in front of me was human, tall, and handsome. No, gorgeous. He looked good in a way that I'd only ever seen on movie stars, people with an entire industry devoted to making them look perfect. It seemed unnatural to be face to face with someone that good looking, like it had to be fake.

  Dark blue eyes looked at me, keen and searching, and thick golden hair framed his face like a lion's mane. I couldn't look away.

  "Are you all right, my dear?" he asked, voice compelling. "When I sent my men to fetch you here I expected them to treat you kindly, not traumatize you."

  "I'm fine," I insisted, trying to get my feet under me. The twitch of his lips told me that he wasn't convinced, but he didn't contradict me.

  "Good, then. I'm sure you have many questions—"

  "Starting with who the hell you are, and where I am." For a moment, just a moment, the man's eyes clouded and the barest hint of a frown showed through his perfect control. Not used to being interrupted, are you? Well, tough. You're the one who had me brought here, you'll just have to deal with the mood your men left me in.

  I felt the guards holding me up tense and thought that maybe I was pushing things. But I didn't care. If I stopped to be frightened I'd get nothing done.

  "This is Prince Xeraxis and you will address him with respect he is due as an Imperial Prince," Bergot said, stepping in to fill the pause. "He is the Prince-Captain of the Lament for Battles Unfought, and a son of the Silent Empress. Lord of Signam Major and Rocheyn Minor, Hereditary Supervisor of the Fuvist Alliance, Duke Tertiary and Septimus—"

  "Yes, yes," Xeraxis waved off the rest of his titles, stepping back. "If you recite them all, Bergot, we'll be here for hours. And besides, most of them matter less than stardust these days. My beloved cousins have taken them from me, in fact if not in law."

  A hint of a sad smile touched his lips, and it looked almost natural. But there was something artificial about it, something not quite real. Xeraxis was too perfectly controlled to let his emotions show through accidentally.

  "As to where you are," he continued, "you already know that you're aboard my ship, don't you? Now you are at the heart of it, in my palace. You will be quite safe here, I assure you. I would not leave a fellow human to the mercy of the alien scavengers that haunt the outer ports of the Lament."

  He stepped back, letting go of my chin. I found that my dizziness had passed and I could stand on my own feet. Shrugging off the guards, I looked around.

  Wherever I was, it was a lot fancier than the abandoned shrine. A long marble hall flanked by statues of various metals, all of them bearing Xeraxis's face. Some carried weapons, others reclined elegantly, all looked fabulous. In comparison, the man himself was almost plain — dressed in a simple black uniform with golden edging, he could have almost passed for one of the guards. But there was something about him that made it clear he was in charge. Maybe it was his bearing, maybe it was the way his uniform fitted perfectly, like the most expensive suit imaginable.

  "You will have a thousand more questions, I am sure," the prince continued. "Enough that you don't yet know what they all are. I should not have pressed you so, but I wanted to meet you as soon as I could. It's not often that a new face like yours arrives aboard, and you will have
to forgive my curiosity."

  That didn't sound like a request. I snorted and shook my head, amused. "Are you ordering me to forgive you?"

  Xeraxis laughed at that, but Bergot didn't see the humor. He was beside me in an instant, raising his hand high. "You will address His Highness with respect," he snapped. "Or you will regret it, mudborn bi—"

  "Bergot!" Xeraxis's voice carried an unmistakable snap of command and the guard stepped away instantly. "This woman is my guest, and you will not threaten her. Am I quite clear?"

  "You are, Highness," Bergot astounded me by dropping to one knee. "A thousand apologies."

  "I have trusted you to be my right hand for years," Xeraxis said, narrowing his eyes and glaring down at the guard commander. "If I learn that trust was a mistake, the consequences will not be pleasant. Now go! You have other duties to attend to, ones where you will not insult my guest."

  Bergot bowed low before rising, and didn't even look at me as he and his men withdrew. But something told me that if he had the chance, he'd repay me for this humiliation and I wouldn't like that one bit.

  Xeraxis turned to me, his anger vanishing instantly, replaced with a charming smile. "Let us continue our conversation over dinner, my dear. You must be starved for real food after the horrors that the lower markets have to offer. My servants will help you prepare."

  * * *

  Servants whisked me away from the grand hall and to a bathroom. That word wasn't adequate to describe the room — it held a dozen pools, water cascading between them in glorious waterfalls. It was a magnificent sight, splendid and awesome, and after the cramped vibroshower beside the shrine it felt like an amazing luxury.

  The servants themselves were all smiles and giggles. A pair of beautiful women, looking alike enough to be twins, they said not a word as they guided me into the room. They wore golden robes that made me feel quite underdressed, and they seemed almost amused by my own clothes as they tried to help me undress.

  "I can take my own clothes off," I said, shooing them away and looking around. They smiled and backed off, looking at me expectantly.

  "Great, I'm going to have an audience," I groused, but honestly I didn't care much. The chance for a proper bath in actual water was more than enough to make up for the awkwardness. Stripping quickly, I stepped into the nearest pool.

  It felt wonderful. The water was, somehow, the perfect temperature. One of the servants joined me immediately, casting aside her robe with casual indifference. The other stayed behind to neatly fold my clothes and set them aside.

  "What are your names?" I asked the girl beside me. She giggled again and shook her head, pulling a sponge from somewhere as if by magic and reaching for my arm. I pulled away.

  "Look, I'm not comfortable with this," I told her. "And I won't be until I know what's going on. Are you okay? Are you slaves?"

  I wasn't going to accept slave labor. Not after I'd nearly ended up as one myself. If these girls were slaves... well, I didn't know what I'd do about it, but it would be something.

  But the look she shot me told me I didn't have to worry. She was insulted by the possibility and made no effort to hide it.

  "Come on, talk to me," I said, pulling back against the edge of the bath. The second girl joined us and now I was flanked. Great. I guess I'm going to have to pull rank. "Talk to me, that's an order."

  Glaring, I crossed my arms. The two of them exchanged a look.

  "I am Rei, and this is Ia," the first servant said uncertainly. "We have the honor to serve Prince Xeraxis, my lady. Please, we are not supposed to talk with you."

  "Why not? What's he hiding?" I asked, softening a little and letting Rei take my hand. She ran the sponge over it, carefully washing. The two girls exchanged another look and smiled.

  "Nothing, my lady," Ia answered. "But you are too important to be addressed by the likes of us."

  Why the hell would they think that? I couldn't think of a reason I'd be important at all, but Xeraxis seemed to have a different opinion. And I had to admit that I'd rather be treated like this than like a slave. Being pampered was a nice change, even if it was awkward as hell.

  A lot depended on what he wanted in exchange, of course. He certainly didn't seem like the type to just be generous to a stranded Earthwoman.

  "I'm no one important," I told them. "And my name is Amy."

  "Yes, my lady," Rei said with a little mischievous smile. I shot her a look and she tried again. "Yes, Lady Amy?"

  That was better, though not much. Why the hell were they treating me like I was some kind of royalty? Still, I wasn't going to argue with the results. The last time I'd been snatched away hadn't been nearly so pleasant.

  It felt weird to have people help me bathe, but they were quietly insistent and I got the feeling that shouting at Ia and Rei would be the only way to stop them completely. Once I was clean and relaxed, they helped me out of the water and dried me.

  My clothes were gone, of course. I didn't know why I hadn't expected that — of course they weren't going to let me dress for dinner in the same clothes I'd arrived wearing. Instead, Rei and Ia helped me into a dress that shifted around me as they fastened it, changing until it fit me perfectly. The color changed too, starting as a dull black and shifting as Ia made some adjustments. By the time she was done it was a bright and beautiful blue.

  Once the girls were satisfied, the dress was tight-fitting and low cut. Beautiful, sure, but more there to show me off than to be comfortable. There'd been times back on Earth when I would have killed for a dress like this, but here and now it felt like they were just putting me on display. The high heeled shoes they put on me didn't help, for all that they fitted as perfectly as the dress.

  "There!" Ia said brightly, clapping her hands and standing back. "You look beautiful, Lady Amy."

  I sighed. "This is the only outfit available, isn't it?"

  The girls nodded in solemn unison and I sighed again, looking at my reflection in the floating mirror they'd somehow conjured. I'd rather be in my worn jeans and a sweater, but this is better than nothing.

  "Then lead on," I said, waving at the servants. They smiled encouragingly and bowed low before guiding me out.

  Our destination wasn't far, for which I was grateful. I'd never gotten the knack of walking in heels, and this was no time to practice. Soon I stepped into another gigantic room, vast and tall. The far end of it was devoted to a statue looking out through massive windows into the gulf of space. Even from behind I could recognize the Silent Empress. Her statue here was identical to the one in the shrine I'd been hiding in, though this one was in far better condition.

  A long wooden table led up to the statue, and two places were set for dinner. It seemed a ridiculous extravagance to eat in a place like this if there were only going to be the two of us, but for all I knew this was where the prince took all his meals.

  More likely he's trying to overawe me with all this grandeur, I thought. And I guess it's working, but why? Why would he care what I think?

  As if thinking about him summoned the man, Prince Xeraxis swept into the room. He'd changed for dinner too, and the resplendent black and gold jacket that he wore was spectacular. It was no surprise that his clothes fitted as perfectly as my new dress, and they showed off his broad shoulders to good effect.

  If he wanted to look good for me, he'd certainly achieved that. But it all still looked so artful I could only see it as artificial, and it left me wondering what he was really after.

  "I hope you feel better after a bath, my dear?" he asked as we both approached the table. His smile looked friendly enough but there was something in his eyes that made me doubt it. Something cold, predatory, hidden behind a kind expression. Or was I just seeing what I expected to? It was impossible to tell.

  "It was nice to get washed up," I answered. "And so much better than the vibroshower I've been using. Your servants took good care of me."

  There. Watching his reaction closely, I spotted the tiny flash of confusion before he
controlled his expression. As I'd suspected, the prince was a man who didn't even think of his servants as people, didn't see why anyone would praise them. I'd had bosses like that back on Earth, men for whom perfection was expected and anything less was to be punished.

  No, I don't think I'm misinterpreting. And I don't expect I'll like Prince Xeraxis much.

  "I'm glad to hear it," he said, recovering quickly and holding out a chair for me to sit. I almost gasped as I sank into it — the chair fitted me perfectly, comfortable in a way I'd had no idea a chair could be. Being a prince in the Silent Empire certainly seemed to have its advantages.

  "You're putting a lot of effort into looking after me," I said as he walked around the table and sat opposite me. "I can't believe you do this for every stray who arrives here, so what's your game?"

  Xeraxis laughed, a deep and amused sound. "Are you sure you want to ask questions before we eat? Whatever you're afraid my nefarious plan might be, surely you'd rather face it on a full stomach? I assure you, my chefs are the best in a dozen systems, and I would never stoop to drugging your food."

  He did have a point, I admitted to myself. I was in his power already, and if he wanted to slip me something he wouldn't have to go to this trouble. Still, it wasn't exactly a line designed to make me feel safe.

  Nothing here did. Either he was keeping me off balance deliberately or he really needed to work on his conversation skills.

  "We can talk while we eat, right?" I said. "Unless that's some unforgivable insult to you?"

  "According to formal protocol you haven't stopped insulting me since we met, Amy," he said, and this time the smile actually reached his eyes. "Several of my attendants are scandalized, but I'm not a fool. Unlike some of my siblings, I see no point in taking offense when you couldn't possibly know better."

  "I'm not sure I'd behave any differently if I did."

  "Excellent," Xeraxis said, clapping his hands in delight. "You have no idea how much of a bore it is to be surrounded by the extremely polite! I think that we shall get on very well, Amy."