by Calista Skye
A grain of excitement grew in her mind. This... could be interesting.
18
She casually walked into the cabin and sat down in the one free seat beside the sensationally handsome man.
He looked calmly around at her and smiled. “Finally up, I see.”
The two other men in the cabin turned and looked at her. One of them smiled and nodded in greeting while the other just looked her up and down and turned back to his instruments.
“So,” she said, wanting to keep the initiative, “who are you guys and what's going on?”
“We are officers of the Atrexu Empire,” the man said in a deep and melodious voice. “I'm General Ar'Ric, that is Colonel Ev'Ax, and our pilot is Lieutenant Colonel Ber'Ain.”
“A bright guy, huh?” Emily said, but Ar'Ric just looked at her uncomprehendingly. “I mean if he's called 'Brain'?”
“I'm afraid I don't follow,” Ar'Ric said. “But certainly, all our officers are at least somewhat intelligent. Though it must be admitted that for some of them, tying their shoelaces is quite beyond their capabilities. Do you have a name?”
“You can call me Emily. Not 'Em' or 'Emma' or 'Emmy'. The full name. Just saying. So you don't get mysteriously slapped in the face.” She smiled sweetly.
“Very well, Emily.” His accent was fully understandable but very exotic. She liked the way he pronounced her name. She sort of wanted to stare at him and take him in fully but managed to look out the windshield.
“You asked where we're going,” Ar'Ric said. “We're on the way to our capital planet, Atrexu. And you are aboard because you snuck inside our ship and hid while we were out. We didn't discover you until we were underway, and by then it was too late to turn around. We got you secured in that seat before we had to perform some very violent maneuvers with the ship, and the forces made you pass out.”
“Uh-huh.” She remembered now. She'd needed a private moment, and she had crawled too far into the unknown hole in the wall. “And what's the plan? Why are you taking me there?”
“Ah. We thought you might want to see our Empire. Since we were going there anyway. You'll be the first person from Earth to go there, because your civilization was just discovered. That's why we wanted to take a closer look at your newly discovered world. You are from Earth, correct?”
Emily didn't like all that she was hearing. “Sure. You know, you speak super good English for a guy who just discovered our civilization. I guess I'll be the first to discover your civilization. Great, huh? You'll finally be discovered! No more primitive living! I'll make sure we send some missionaries and conquistadors, okay? You'll just love it. Try not to catch measles, though.”
Ar'Ric and Ev'Ax exchanged glances. It had probably not occurred to them that discovery could run both ways. She was laying it on pretty quick, but damn, she would not have Earth talked about as a primitive little stone age world that needed discovering. And she was not in the best mood to start with.
“I wonder what I'll call your home planet once I discover it,” she continued. “I'm thinking Emilia? Like, after myself, the discoverer? But seriously, you're taking me on some sort of vacation?”
“It's sometimes hard to follow your manner of speech, Emily. I suppose you can think of it as a vacation.”
“Yeah, so, did it occur to you that I might have some sort of life back home? I don't, as it happens, but is it a little presumptuous of you to just take me along?”
“Do you want to go back? We would like you to stay for a little while, but if you'd prefer to return to Tellus Station, we will turn around. And I did ask you once before. You agreed enthusiastically to come with us. But possibly you were not in a position to make that decision at that time.”
She thought for a moment. The guy seemed sincere. She had read once about how everyone always trusts beautiful people and automatically assigns them good intentions, and this man was without a doubt the most beautiful guy she'd ever laid eyes on. She had to be careful about judging him too lightly. But being in his company for a while didn't seem like such a bad thing, certainly not if the alternative was facing Meller again.
“Nah, now you got me all geared up to discover your planet. Will you take me back if I ask? I mean, even after we get there? Or will you, like, put me in a zoo?”
“We will take you back anytime you want. I don't understand the second part of your question.”
“Like, will you put me in a cage and let people look at me? Like, see the weird alien for two space dollars? One space dollar for kids?”
Ar'Ric looked at his friend as if to ask him if they understood. But Ev'Ax just shrugged.
“Again, I'm not sure what you... Nothing will happen that you object to.”
“Can you be sure? I mean, you're a general and all, or so you say, but if you come home with a chunky Earthling in some very crappy maintenance overalls and hair that needs a good conditioner, will everyone else agree that I should not be exhibited at a freak show or cut open for experiments? I've been watching a lot of science fiction horror, just so you know. You can't blindside me about these things. I'll be on to you like that.” She snapped her fingers, but the sound wasn't as impressive as she'd wanted.
“I can be sure.” He was very definitive. And if Emily was any judge of people, he fully believed what he was saying. She'd read a lot of pop psychology books, and he hadn't made any of the classic liar's mistakes.
“Well, Emily, we've been wondering what you were doing on our ship, armed and obviously ready for resistance.”
“Yeah, I... armed?”
“You may have forgotten, but you fired your weapon at me. At a very low setting, of course, for which I'm grateful, but still. Plainly an exotic sidearm.”
She did remember having tried to hose that guy down with the all-purpose cleaning spray. But she was pretty sure that fighting aliens was a purpose that the manufacturer had never had in mind. What should she say? Admit that she cleaned space toilets for a living? Or would that make them have her clean their whole spaceship? She needed more information.
“Oh, the spray. Yes, I remember. Hope I didn't hurt you too bad.”
“I was not injured, except for some soreness in the eyes. You refrained from using deadly force. You are obviously a fierce warrior with a demanding code of conduct. And so I must ask once more: Why were you inside our ship?”
Fierce warrior? Well, she couldn't let them think it was on purpose. “It was an accident. Something had happened, and I needed time to myself to process it. It's hard to find privacy on a space station, so I went through that hatch. I had no idea there was a spaceship on the other side.”
“But you had armed yourself!” Ev'Ax protested. “Surely you knew what you were doing.”
“You mean the spray? I always carry that. It's part of my... uh... personal gear.” She pointed to her utility belt. “See? I always wear this belt. It holds the spray and this... um... assault rag and this little war brush. And of course here is a tactical bag for my attack stylus and strategic flashlight and a spare assault rag and a holder for my communications pad. For combat use. Everything a janito- umm, everything a fierce warrior needs.” She was not yet ready to say that she was not a warrior. Their fear of her fighting ability might be the only thing that prevented them from tying her up and throwing her out into space.
“I see,” Ar'Ric said. “You have an important function at the station, it seems.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” After all, without clean toilets, the whole space station would become chaotic in no time.
“I wonder,” Ar'Ric said, very seriously, “how do you feel about embroidery?”
Emily frowned. “Embroidery? I don't think I've ever done any. Not that I remember, anyway. But I guess it's the kind of thing you'd forget pretty fast because it just doesn't seem exciting. Why, you need some embroidery done? Here in space?”
“No, no,” the alien smiled with teeth that were so white they practically gave off light. “The less embroidery around me, the b
etter. Never mind.”
“Uh-huh. So. Before we continue this: I know you're aliens and all, but you look pretty human to me. And a girl has needs, if you catch my drift. No? Okay, I'm not used to communicating with aliens. I'll try a more direct approach. What I'm saying is this: Is there a toilet on this spaceship?”
19
“Well, now we know what she's like,” Ev'Ax said. “She has good mental strength. This situation didn't shake her up too badly, even though it must all be a new experience. I think she must be of noble blood.”
Ar'Ric nodded. “She's very mysterious. She knows more than she's saying. And she intends to discover our planets and send 'conquistadors' and 'measles'. No doubt those are diplomats and traders specializing in alien commerce. Her civilization is plainly much more sophisticated than we suspected. It would be well for us to ally ourselves with their world. And what better way to do that than an alliance cemented by a royal marriage?”
Ber'Ain stiffened in his seat but didn't turn around or enter the conversation.
“You still see a potential princess in her?”
“More than ever. She answered our questions with great confidence. And, I think, with truth, as her code of honor certainly dictates. Yes, she will be a fine princess for the Empire. And her curvy shape is ideal for the purposes that we have discussed before. Indeed, she's rounder and softer than I'd ever dared hope. I think you're right, Ev'Ax. With her an Imperial Princess, the fashion is certain to turn in our favor and allow women to take any shape they wish. They will be happier, and our males will also be able to find a physical type they like. No longer are we limited to skeletal embroidery fanatics! It will be a new age for our empire, a glorious golden age. If she wants to marry me, that is. How does one court an Earth female?”
“Well, I don't know! I hadn't seen one until today. Surely they like the same things that Atrexu women enjoy, like serenading, poem writing, jumping from cliff to cliff to demonstrate your agility, gazing into one another's eyes, a display of your child-rearing qualities using puppies or other people's kids... I mean, if you would just tell her who you really are, then very little courting would be necessary, I think. She'd certainly be willing to marry a Crown Prince.”
“Yes... The deception is not to my liking, but I find it important to let her like or dislike me for who I am, not for my station in life. We'll see. I will reveal my true identity when the time is right.”
Ev'Ax was silent for a moment. “I wonder, how do you feel about her warrior calling?”
The prince sighed. “Yes... Ev'Ax, in truth, it does worry me. I'm not sure a warrior is my ideal wife. A marriage should be between two people who complete each other. When it comes to warfare, I'm not sure I need much completion. It would be like marrying another soldier. It could work, I suppose, but I'm around soldiers at almost all times. I'd rather have a non-warrior to come home to after battles, a woman with more feminine qualities. I'm happy that she doesn't do embroidery, but I do wish she had some other occupation, something more... useful.”
20
With a trained eye, Emily quickly assessed the state of the alien toilet. To her relief it had turned out to be a recognizable device that worked just about the same way as the ones she was used to, and her professional scan didn't show any uncleanliness.
She took some time to think. The aliens seemed harmless enough. And Ar'Ric, who was obviously the boss, did something to her, something she had never felt before. There was a certainty about him, a confidence that seemed to stem from something deep inside him. As if he had more power than he knew what to do with, but still retained so much decency that he would never abuse it.
They could easily have dumped her into space, she realized, because stowaways didn't have any rights. No one would have known. It would have no consequences for them. And still, she felt that it had never crossed their minds. Except maybe one of them, the pilot, who had only looked at her without any expression on his face, except something that looked to her like a sneer. Well, maybe it had really been a happy, welcoming smile. They were aliens, after all.
But not so alien that Ar'Ric didn't have a serious attractive force on her. Damn, what a man he was! Tall, strong, sensationally handsome, with a relaxed ease to his movements that betrayed both self-control and agility. What would it be like to make love to him? To an alien? The idea sent unmistakable tingles down below. There certainly was a pretty decent sized bulge in his pants... And no claws that she could see.
She shook her head to clear it of ridiculous thoughts. Time for a reality check. He would be like many other men brainwashed by the media, thinking that curvy women were somehow beneath them. It would take an pretty manly male to be able to handle her fluffiness, she knew; a real man, sure of himself, attracted to the female and never making apologies for what he liked.
Of course, Ar'Ric was the manliest man she'd seen. He might be interested, and his size and muscles made her feel small. Dammit, was she falling for this guy now? Well, why the fuck not? He was probably the best man she'd ever met. Why not fall for him? Why wouldn't an alien be just as much of a man as any Earth male she'd ever met?
She sighed. No, enough with the useless dreaming. She was on the way to an alien planet, and she was probably the first Earthling to see it. That could be her way out of Meller's grip. If she were able to make some contacts with the aliens, get to know their society and what they needed and wanted, it would give her a head start on every other Earthling when it came to this alien civilization. She would become a celebrity on Earth, no doubt about it, as the first person to ever go to the alien planet. Atrexu or something?
She'd write a book, make a documentary, set up some sort of trading company, go on talk shows and make enough money not to have to work for mean bosses and clueless superiors.
Of course she had never written a book or done any trading or any of those things. But it was kind of a plan, anyway. She had gambled everything on making a career on Tellus Station. It hadn't seemed like a gamble at the time, just a smart career move that was sure to work, but now that dream was crushed. So maybe a gamble that seemed like a crazy roll of the dice would work out? And if she lost... Well, things really couldn't get much worse. She had no life on Earth. Maybe this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance she should grab with both hands? And it was in space. Just the way she liked it.
She got to her feet and went back to the cockpit.
21
“That's our planet.” Ar'Ric pointed. “The capital of the Atrexu empire.” The planet looked a lot like Earth, Emily thought, except the oceans seemed to be more green than blue.
“What will happen when we get there?”
Ar'Ric and Ev'Ax exchanged glances, and Emily got the impression that they hadn't thought that far ahead.
“We will go to my residence and make further plans. You are somewhat... uh... different than most Atrexu women. We can't let you go out in public without some sort of disguise.”
The spaceship had covered the distance from Earth to Atrexu in only a few hours, and Emily had spent most of the time talking to Ar'Ric and Ev'Ax about both Earth and their world. They'd given her food, too, but they didn't have anything that resembled coffee.
They were still under the impression that she was a fierce warrior, and that was okay for now. And was there really any reason to tell them the truth? She doubted that toilet cleaners, no matter how good at their craft, were held in any higher esteem on the alien world than on Earth.
22
The ship landed on the night side of the planet. It briefly hovered over the landing pad, then Ber'Ain set it down with a mild shudder. The engine sound gradually weakened and everyone loosened their safety harnesses and stood up.
The prince was caught up in thinking and planning his future moves with Emily, excited and delighted that he might soon have a wife that was exactly to his preferences. He didn't realize what was happening until it was too late.
Ber'Ain moved fast towards Ev'Ax, who was suddenly lying limp in
his seat, and then the pilot suddenly had a small, but very deadly gun in his hand.
It was pointed straight at the prince's face.
Surprised, Ar'Ric looked into the pilot's eyes to try to discern his meaning. But the pilot only stared right back, his jaw clenched.
For a second no one spoke while the tension in the cabin rose.
“You can still get out of this, Ber'Ain,” Ar'Ric said, very calmly. “A momentary lapse of reason can happen to anyone. Put the gun away and we can talk. But soon, the moment will have passed. Then it will be too late.”
“Your Highness, this is too big for me,” Ber'Ain said, his voice trembling with tension. “I must let others decide what to do, people with experience. All I know is that bringing this alien to our home world and planning to make her a princess is disastrous for the Empire.” His hand holding the gun was very steady.
There was something about the words he used... “I see. You work for Duke Hyp, do you? He was always trying to supplant me. What did my cousin promise you?”
“I only work for the Imperial Navy, sir. But the duke has been kind to me and my family. I think he will support me in this desperate act. It's not with a light heart I point a gun at my Crown Prince, fully prepared to shoot him dead.”
“Mixed loyalties are not honorable, Ber'Ain. You must have been Hyp's spy in my surroundings for quite a while. It explains some things.”
Ber'Ain didn't answer, just came closer to Emily and kept his gun aimed at Ar'Ric.
“If she comes to any harm, you will lose all honor,” the prince warned.
“I think not,” Ber'Ain responded, getting close to the alien woman and grasping her shoulder. “It was you who insisted that she be brought here. Everything that happens now is on your shoulders. You can't blame a patriot for being concerned about this grave threat to the Empire and trying to make it right.”