Portal to Passion: Science Fiction Romance

by Amber Stuart

  Again everyone was staring at her, and the room was very, very quiet. Jen realized that this was not a flight of fancy at all. This was deadly serious.

  “Hm. Well. Now. When you say marry... Is that some sort of alien code for something? Like, does it mean becoming his maid or his pet or a zoo exhibit or something? Because on Earth, it means, like, becoming one and being together for the rest of our lives as husband and wife and so on. Is that the same in your culture, which I'm sure is very nice and rich and all, except for maybe that marriage thing?”

  “Yes,” the admiral said, “we have researched typical marriages on your planet, and they are much the same as for us. Except that we bond for life and never leave our spouse ever. Nor do we cheat. And we can only have children with our chosen one.”

  Jen raised her eyebrows in sincere approval. “Okay, sounds nice.”

  “And what would your answer be, now that you know that?”

  Again everyone was staring at Jen. “I guess I'd have to talk to him more, you know, get to know him, see what's he's really like, talk about life and stuff like that or possibly just go to his quarters right now and get married and then proceed to make sweet love and spend the next week in a passionate embrace with that golden god of a hunk and bear him many, many children that we will raise together as only we can, because he'll be the most wonderful dad.”

  Huh. That was a surprisingly passionate thing to say about someone she didn't really know, Jen thought. But it felt so true! Now that the alien had mentioned it, the prince and she were obviously meant to be woman and husband. It was so obvious! She felt it very strongly, and the missing part of her heart and mind did clearly have something to do with the prince.

  “Ah. Very well. Thank you for now. Could you please wait outside while we discuss some... other things? We will not be discussing you, of course. Not at all. No no, it's an entirely unrelated topic. Colonel Dec'Hor will escort you.”

  The alien officer who'd gotten her from the shuttle gestured for Jen to follow him, and he held the door open so she could leave the room.

  Chapter 10

  The door closed and all hell broke loose among the alien officials as they all had to give a voice to their inner turmoil in a chaos of opinions.

  “She's obviously not the prince's Hon'eekoh,” Dr. Mon'Toc screamed, releasing a hail of disagreement.

  “She obviously is!” one doctor said.

  “She seems to be. But we must investigate further!” said another official.

  “She has a remarkably royal shape. Very... um... round,” someone said, and there was a wave of agreement.

  “Her skin is unusually pale. She may be anemic.”

  “No, no, many of them are like that. And some are not as pale. But none of them look like us, exactly.”

  “Do they even have blood? They're very alien to me.”

  “Yes, yes. Well, no. Not like we have. Their blood is... How shall I put it... red.”

  There were many loud gasps in the room.

  “Red?!”

  “Not black?”

  “Not blue?”

  “Not mysteriously striped?”

  “Not transparent with kind of a milky sheen?”

  “Red. Very red. As is my understanding. I have of course never seen this alien blood in any great volume myself. But when we bring in the alien again, notice its eyes! Look very closely at them. You will see little red veins. That's the color of its blood!”

  There were more gasps and the chaos increased further until the admiral had to raise his voice.

  “Gentlemen, ladies! Settle down! We have to make some decisions here. First: Is she the prince's Hon'eekoh? Second: If yes, when shall they be wed? It must obviously happen very soon. Already the prince's condition is deteriorating noticeably, because his Madness of Love is not finding satisfaction and consummation in the arms of his One. Chief Royal Physician, what's your opinion?”

  “Let me answer the second question first,” Dr. A'Atk said. “If possible, he must be wedded today, within twelve hours. We all agree that he suffers from the Madness of Love. It's very powerful in him, as we would expect. It may kill him within less than a day from now if the marriage isn't consummated by then.”

  “Very well,” the admiral said. “We know that he has the Madness, and we know that his Hon'eekoh is somewhere on this spaceship. But I understand there's some disagreement about exactly who this Hon'eekoh is?”

  “No, not really-” Dr. A'Atk began.

  “Yes!” Dr. Mon'Toc yelled, her face now almost pure silver in excitement and frustration. “It's a complete forgery to say that this pale and, quite frankly, fat alien is the Hon'eekoh of any member of the royal house, much less the Prince Regent! It's obvious to everyone who knows anything about medicine that it has to be a Derigaz female. And we know precisely who that female is.”

  “Yes, yes,” the admiral sighed. “We know you really want it to be your daughter. And I suppose there's an extraordinarily slim chance it might be her.”

  There were mutterings of “no, no” and “out of the question”. Everyone in the room shook their heads vigorously, except Dr. Mon'Toc, who stood by herself with a straight back and a face that was more silvery than ever.

  The admiral knew that it was important to do everything right, to prove her wrong once and for all, so that everyone could get on with carrying out the royal wedding which had to take place, one way or the other. Dr. Mon'Toc was not of noble blood, but she had a great deal of influence at the Imperial Court, especially with the First Minister, who wielded almost as much power as Prince Tar'Shoc while the old emperor was ill. It would be dangerous to cross her.

  And, he realized, she did have a point. An alien Hon'eekoh was not politically desirable. The Derigaz didn't mind conquering and ruling alien species, but having an alien as a future Empress would undoubtedly create problems. Major problems.

  “We will have to determine who is the prince's true Hon'eekoh,” he sighed. “I don't recall ever having heard of that being necessary. Is there a procedure for that, Dr. A'Atk?”

  “No. There is not. I checked just now, only ten minutes ago, just to be absolutely sure. Nowhere in medical literature is there ever mentioned a test for this. There has never been any need for one. There is never any doubt, the symptoms are indisputable. The male goes Mad immediately, while the female simply will not consider any other partner than her Hon'eekoh and soon can think of nothing else. We all know this.”

  “Are you telling me that we have to come up with a test?” the admiral said, incredulous. “In just a few hours?”

  “Well, my opinion as a medical professional is that no test is necessary and that the alien female obviously is the prince's Hon'eekoh and, for what it's worth, that the prince is hers. If we could get certain parties,” the doctor glanced at Dr Mon'Toc, “to desist with their dangerous and non-professional nonsense, no test would be required. But if this is impossible, then yes, we have to design a test.”

  “And knowing this, Dr. Mon'Toc,” the admiral said, using his darkest, most threatening tone, “do you retract your plainly wrong and dangerous opinion that your daughter is the prince's Hon'eekoh?”

  “I certainly don't!” Her voice was shriller than ever. “If anything, the repulsive behavior of the alien you've dragged in here and desecrated these royal quarters with is proof enough that she's clearly not the prince's Hon'eekoh and that it's close to treason to claim any such thing!”

  The admiral furrowed his brow. “I have never been accused of treason before, Dr. Mon'Toc. Perhaps you'd like to moderate your statement? I mean, before I draw my saber and slice your head clean off right here?”

  Dr. Mon'Toc's face was now so silvery that she mirrored everything around her perfectly. “No, no! Of course I didn't refer to you, Admiral, but to certain individuals who have brought this entire farce to your presence.”

  The admiral let her words hang in the air for three heartbeats while he stared
her down. Then he chose to let it go. “Now then. The test. We have no time to lose. We must all work together to find a way to prove who the prince's true love is.”

  Again the room erupted in passionate exclamations and opinions.

  “That will not be necessary,” Dr. Mon'Toc yelled over the din. “I have thought out a way. It can't fail!”

  Chapter 11

  “Have you been sleeping, Your Highness?” Dr. A'Atk sat down by the prince's bed.

  “No,” the prince sighed. “I can get no rest. I feel that my mind is in disorder. It's taken up by a huge... ball... of something wonderful.”

  “A ball, you say?” All Madnesses of Love were a little different from person to person, Dr. A'Atk knew. Feeling its presence as a large ball of emotion and ideas and impulses was very common.

  “Yes, a ball that takes up all my mind and keeps growing. But I can't penetrate it. I can't see through it, I don't know what's inside. If I pierce it with an inquisitive thought, it might... burst. It seems to be wonderful. It's very enticing. But I have learned to be suspicious of things that are enticing.”

  “Yes? Why is this?” the doctor said while carrying out a cursory medical examination.

  “Because everyone is always trying to get me to do things. And they make these things seem... enticing. It goes with being powerful. I know that. But now, I have become vary of temptation.”

  The Chief Royal Physician noticed that the prince's vital signs were weaker than before. His heart rate was faster, his temperature a fraction lower, his reactions slightly slower. It was important to keep him from diving into the Madness for as long as possible. Once he gave in to it, his life expectancy could be measured in hours if he didn't marry his Hon'eekoh in time.

  “Yes, it seems prudent to not give in to that. Stay away from it for as long as you can, Your Highness.”

  “I will. But... I feel it will grow stronger than me. Soon. The temptation is so strong. I only know that it concerns... her.”

  “Which her is this, Your Highness?” The doctor made sure not too seem to interested.

  “The Earthling. The alien. She left this ball of wonder in my mind.”

  The prince started to sweat and became agitated. In a split second, his temperature rose to the fever level. “Where is she? Is she surrounded by only the softest silk and is she attended to by only the most beautiful young virgins in the Empire? Is she being guarded by the best officers in my armies and navies, making sure that no man ever sets eye on her, including those very same officers?” He attempted to sit up in bed, but the doctor held him down.

  “Calm down, your highness. Don't think of her for now.”

  “But I want to! I want her to fill my consciousness forever!”

  Dr. A'Atk realized the dangerous direction this was taking. He had to divert the prince's attention.

  “Your Highness, there is some question of possibly canceling the Imperial Migiuz championship next year,” he lied. The prince's favorite sport was the only topic he was sure would get a reaction from the prince.

  “What?! No, I won't have it. The championship will take place as planned. This is because of the cheating in H'urk, isn't it? Hah. I knew they would try something like that, the anti-Migiuz league. The fiends! But they will see who rules. Of course, after the G'op qualifications, there may be some interest in the revised scoring procedure as proposed...”

  The prince rambled on about his favorite sport and the doctor breathed out. For now, he had kept the danger at bay. But he worried about the test. He really did. For more than one reason.

  The door to the prince's bedroom opened and an officer came in. He nodded briefly to Dr. A'Atk and withdrew.

  “Your Highness,” the doctor said. “Admiral Vun'Sic wonders if you'd honor him with your presence in another part of the ship. If you'd follow me, please.”

  It was usually hard to get the prince to do something that he had not decided himself, but in his weakened state he didn't even ask any questions, just followed passively in the doctor's wake. That worried the Chief Physician more than anything.

  He lead the prince through most of the ship, all the way down to the main hangar bay. It was the largest space in the ship, chosen for the test for that very reason.

  The Derigaz functionaries and doctors were all there, but they were hiding in and behind the many smaller spaceships. They were not going to miss this.

  It was a very dramatic test Dr. Mon'Toc had devised and insisted on. But it would be effective, everyone agreed. And there was always the chance that it would hurt Dr. Mon'Toc more than most, which all the other dignitaries found an interesting prospect.

  Chapter 12

  Jen had no idea what the aliens were doing when they gently draped some white fabric over her, and she didn't care much. She was only half present. She found her mind strangely preoccupied with the prince she had met only briefly. She remembered him in perfect clarity. How smooth his golden skin looked! How wonderful his scent! How erotic the play of muscles underneath his golden skin! How gentle his touch and how caring his manner, and at the same time, how dangerous to everyone who would show even the slightest disrespect! Such a complete man, so... divine!

  She was vaguely aware that she was being walked through the spaceship, down hallways and corridors, and that there were very many aliens behind her as she walked along in footwear that was much more comfortable than the high heels she had borrowed.

  She wondered what the prince was doing at that time. Very manly things, she had no doubt. Conquest and learning and house-building, certainly, preparation to rear the children she'd bear him. Would they have golden skin, too? She couldn't wait to show him their first offspring!

  One part of her was screaming that she was nuts, that the alien prince was not going to breed with her and that something very damn weird was going on, and would she just snap the hell out of it already!

  But she found that part of her mind very easy to ignore. So much more pleasant to think of the prince and recall his scent and his warmth and the hardness of his alien cock as it plunged into... Had that happened? Or was it still in the future? The very thought sent some hard barbs of delight to her girly parts, and she felt a pleasant chill going up her spine.

  There was suddenly another female alien in front of her, young and thin. She was also draped in white and was being held tightly by the same alien woman with silvery skin she'd seen before, the one who had sent Jen some very hard looks earlier. Now her alien eyes were shooting daggers.

  There was a lot of excited talk in the Derigaz language.

  Then one alien turned to Jen. “You must be tested. It's very important. Don't worry, we're confident you'll pass. If you don't, know that your family will be well provided for. It's a matter of honor.”

  Yes, honor. The prince was very honorable, Jen was sure. So important in a husband and father!

  Then she was positioned in a strange apparatus of metal and wires that took her over a ledge of some sort, and then downward. Someone took her hands and placed them on the edge of the ledge.

  And then the support structure was removed, she heard a scream and then realized that she was hanging from her fingertips high above a floor that looked very hard. She looked to the side. There was someone else there, the same thin young alien woman she had seen draped in white. She was also hanging by her fingers, and it was she who had screamed.

  They were both in mortal danger, she realized coolly. But she didn't panic, knowing in her heart that the prince would save her. Her own prince. Her One True Love.

  It was hard holding on, dangling in thin air. She was not the lightest girl in the universe.

  She felt her fingers slipping on the edge.

  Chapter 13

  Dr. A'Atk made sure he guided the prince to the right place, then stood back while the prince stood passively at a discreetly marked spot on the deck. Then the doctor quickly stepped out of sight behind a modern shuttle.

  Th
at was the sign. Suddenly there was a scream from behind the prince, and he turned around. Right in front of him, very high up from the hangar deck, two beings were hanging from a ledge by their fingers.

  They were seconds from falling to their deaths. The artificial gravity in the hangar bay could be turned down or off, but it would take several minutes. The only way to save them would be to somehow get up on the ledge and hoist them up. But even as the prince stood there, time was running out.

  The two beings were disguised so that they looked identical, and their sex was impossible to ascertain from a distance.

  They were both draped in white robes, and the lighting was such that it was impossible to see any difference between the skin tones of their hands. They both looked like bronze.

  But a feeling of dread pierced the prince's heart like an ice cold spear: One of those was his Hon'eekoh! He felt it with every fiber of his being. And she was in mortal danger!

  The rest of the world ceased to exist for the prince – only he and his One were real to him. It was up to him to save her from the fall that would undoubtedly kill her. And this was no time for elegance or creative solutions – he had to get up there and grab on to her!

  With a speed never rivaled by any Derigaz in the long history of their civilization, the prince ran across the hangar deck and started climbing the metal spiral stairs up to the ledge. It was high up, at least sixty feet, and not well suited for running. But the prince took three steps at a time, bouncing fluidly up the stairs with impossible speed, like a predatory animal hunting for prey on the plains.

  Once up on the ledge, he sprinted for his Hon'eekoh. Even if both the beings looked identical, he felt without a shadow of a doubt who his One was. Everything else in the world was a blur, a mist surrounding the only thing that mattered in the world, the only thing that existed for real: his One True Love.