by Luna Hunter
“What happened, back at the mansion? How did you escape?”
Romulus avoids my gaze.
“Magnus Bruttius took me out with a well-placed hit. I’d like to say I rose back up and rallied the troops to a victory, but no, I… I crawled away. I hid. After the Bruttius troops left, on their way to sack a new House, I snuck back in and looked for any sign of you. I found Gaius, and his documents, and I pieced together that he developed some kind of wormhole, capable of transporting entire ships across the entire universe. I followed the trail, and I’m glad to say it followed me here, to you.”
He looks up, and for the first time in my life, I see that there are tears burning in Romulus’s eyes.
“This ship, the skeleton crew… it’s all that is left of House Octavius. I am sorry. I have failed… again.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I say. “You did all you could. None of us could have anticipated this attack, this betrayal.”
The room is silent.
It’s up to me to formulate a new plan, a new course of action… but the problems we’re facing seem insurmountable. I wish Gaius was still here.
He always knew what to do. He had experience, cunning, the intellect and the wit to outmaneuver anyone… and even he didn’t see Magnus Bruttius’s betrayal coming.
Even he couldn’t save himself.
What chance do I have?
“Magnus Bruttius said some things,” I say, clearing my throat. My gaze is fixed on Romulus, watching him like a hawk. I need to know the truth.
“He says Emperor Decimus is my real father. Is that true?”
Romulus’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second, but that’s more than enough for me to know that yes, it is true, and yes, he knew.
He knew.
I fly up out of my seat.
“How come you never told me?!” I bellow, swiping the documents off the table. “How could you keep this from me?!”
“It wasn’t my place,” he growls. “I wasn’t supposed to know. I overheard Gaius speaking to Marcius Livius one night years ago, when I was sneaking around the mansion, poking my nose where it didn’t belong.”
He shrugs those massive shoulders of his.
“I figured Gaius had a reason for not telling you. The old man always had a plan. It wasn’t my place to tell you. Gaius told me that if you go sneaking around, you just might find something you wish you didn’t… and he was damn right.”
He sighs deeply.
“Feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been carrying that secret for years. You had no idea, all this time?”
“None,” I say, falling back into my seat.
“And Gaius never told you?”
“No… well, in the last moments, right before Magnus showed up, he did say something about… being the master of my own fate. And that only I can decide who I am. I wish I could remember everything he said but… I panicked.”
I stare into nothingness.
“So everything that happened is my fault.”
“It’s not,” Victoria speaks up.
We both turn to her.
“It’s not your fault if you don’t know who your biological father is. All of this is Magnus’s fault. Don’t blame yourself for his evil.”
She’s right, of course.
Yet it doesn’t feel that way.
I would trade my life for those of my people in a heartbeat… before I met Victoria.
Now, I’m not certain I could make that same promise, and that fills me with shame.
“Either way, there’s the matter of the wormhole,” Romulus says. “It’s still active. We could destroy it with a torpedo, but Magnus could simply open a new one, now that he has Gaius’s research. It’s only a matter of time before he returns.”
“Yes, and I fear he’ll want to add Earth to his empire,” I say.
“You can’t let that happen!” Victoria says.
“I don’t want that to happen either,” I reply. “Romulus, what can we do to stop it?”
“There’s only one thing we can do… return to Elba and destroy Gaius’s research.”
“That’s a suicide mission.”
Romulus nods. “It is. It’s either that, or spend our life on the run.”
Then the choice has already been made.
We must face our destiny.
“Please, give us a moment, Romulus.”
My best friend gets up and nods.
“The wormhole is unstable,” he says. “Whatever your choice is… make it soon.”
Chapter Eleven
Victoria
We walk through the halls of the Classis Octavius while silent. I’m still awe-struck by the marble floors, the archways, the intricate designs, the sheer love put in every inch of this ship.
It feels more like a palace than a ship. By comparison, human ships are focussed solely on functionality. Everything is gray, sleek, with no fanfare.
I have to look through the archways, out at the stars, to remind myself that yes, I am in fact still in space.
We encounter a few Elban warriors on the way. Each one snaps to attention, saluting Nero by banging their chest with a balled fist. I can tell that his people have nothing but respect for him.
Nero is brooding on something. I don’t want to rush him, but there’s a million questions I want to ask him. Finally, one pops out.
“Who is this ‘Emperor Decimus’?”
Nero sighs and looks away.
“I wish you hadn’t asked that.”
“I need to know, Nero. I need to know your past, your history. I need to know everything about you.”
“I don’t want to scare you away.”
“After all I’ve seen, nothing is going to be able to scare me anymore. You are not your father, Nero. How many times do I have to repeat myself?”
“A million more times,” Nero says. “Decimus was a monster… but a hero to most Elbans. It was he who, five centuries ago, united the warring families and founded the empire. We stopped fighting each other, and focused on our attention on the other species in our galaxy… who never stood a chance.”
He turns to me, a determined look in his eyes.
“We subjugated them, Victoria. We enslaved them. Elban society is based on ownership, on hierarchy, on violence. That is why I haven’t told you about my world yet. Why I don’t want to take you there. I can tell that your world is not like mine. You have a good heart. A pure one. Anything you see will only make you hate me.”
I listen attentively, while having trouble believing what I’m hearing.
“You are not like that at all,” I say.
“No,” he answers. “I take after my father, my real father, Gaius Octavius. He wasn’t a typical Elban, to say the least.”
Nero chuckles. Whenever he talks about Gaius his eyes light up, and a hint of a smile forms on his lips. I like it.
“You have a good heart, too, Nero,” I say.
He shakes his head.
“There is a darkness inside of me, Victoria.”
Nero’s eyes are filled with a world of hurt. He’s so damn hard on himself, like he has to carry the whole world on his shoulders… which, I suppose, is true in a sense.
The future of Earth itself might just depend on him.
I hug Nero tightly and squeeze him as hard I can.
“I love you, Nero Octavius, darkness and all.”
“You can’t say that.”
“I just did.”
He wraps his arms around me and holds me for a few moments. I wish all moments were like this. Calm. Quiet. Just me and him. No world-shattering problems.
“I have to go,” he says.
Damn it.
“It’s not safe for you on Elba.”
“If you think I’m letting you go, you’ve got another thing coming. Where you go, I go. I thought we established that.”
“I’m serious, Victoria.”
“So am I, Nero.”
I place my hands in my sides. This is
why I promised myself I wouldn’t fall for a soldier. I don’t want to wait at home, alone, for months, waiting for him to come back from the front.
And worrying he might not.
That’s not my role. No, if he goes, I go.
After all, I’m the one who elbowed that Magnus Bruttius fellow in the crotch. If he has a bone to pick with humanity, I suppose I’m at fault.
So I’m going to go and clear up the mess I helped made, and that’s final.
I give Nero the best frown I can muster, and the tall alien warrior finally cracks a smile.
“There’s no talking you out of this, huh?” he quips.
“None whatsoever.”
“You have nothing keeping you here on Earth?”
“Nothing as important as you, no.”
My neighbor’s puppy will be fine without me.
“You realize we might not be able to return.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “All the more reason to travel along with you then.”
“Okay. You can come. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re not going to like what you find.”
“I think I can handle it.”
Nero
Victoria has no idea what she just signed up for. She is brave, I’ll give her that — foolishly so.
On Elba, her life is worth nothing. Only the sign of their Houses give slaves protection, and as far as the public knows, House Octavius is destroyed.
It’ll be a rude awakening for her… I just pray she won’t hold my kind’s actions against me.
I show Victoria to my personal quarters so she can get some much-needed rest. I then make my way towards the ship’s command center, where Romulus is waiting for me. On the monitors I can see the wormhole, the reason why I’m here.
A giant, purple, swirling vortex.
“I have made my decision. Set course for Elba.”
“What about the local? Shouldn’t we drop her off first?”
“No, she is coming with us.”
Romulus stiffens. He gestures for the other Elbans to clear out of the room, which they do without question.
“Nero,” he says. “Think about it.”
“I have thought about it, and I’ve made my decision.”
“You can’t be serious—“
“Do I have to remind you of your place, again, Romulus?!” I say, agitated.
“Fuck my place,” he bites. “Fuck ranks and fuck houses for a moment. You’re talking about taking a, a — what is she even called?”
“A human.”
“You’re talking about taking a human to Elba, in this situation? It’ll be hard enough for us to avoid detection, and you want to bring a female alien along?!”
“She is my mate,” I bellow. “Where I go, she goes. That is final.”
“You are growing too attached, Nero, and I say that as a friend. She can only hurt you.”
“How would you know? Have you had a fatum?”
“No, but I know the pain of losing someone.”
Ah, Freesia. In my anger, I had forgotten all about her. She was an alien priestess, whom Romulus swore to protect… she was killed in a pogrom.
“You are right,” I say. “You do know the pain. But this is not your decision to make. Respect mine, Romulus.”
He roars out of frustration. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. You are making a mistake.”
Maybe I am.
But it is my mistake to make.
Chapter Twelve
Victoria
When Nero returns to his private quarters that evening I can tell he’s filled with frustration. I reach out to him, half-asleep, but he shrugs my hand away.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
The only reply I get is a grunt.
I curl up against him and dream of a life together with him. I know I’m leaving behind a lot of people for him. I hope they’ll be able to forgive me.
Sometime there’s simply no time to say goodbye.
When I open my eyes again the room is empty and the place next to me cold. For a second I fear the worst, but then Nero steps into the room, freshly showered, a few stray drops of water sliding down his naked body.
“We’re almost there,” he says. “Ready to see your first alien world?”
With a jolt I realize that I’ll be the first human being to ever set foot on an alien planet. I haven’t even had time to think about the momentousness of the occasion.
Perhaps I ought to keep a journal, just to make sure I don’t forget anything. Future historians would probably be glad if I did.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time. First we have a murderous Elban noble to stop. My memoirs will have to wait.
I take the quickest shower I’ve ever taken. When I return to the room, to my surprise, there’s a white dress waiting for me — along with a black collar.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Your outfit,” Nero says apologetically.
I eye the collar suspiciously. It’s more fit for a dog than a human.
“On Elba, you are the alien. And aliens don’t walk around freely. They are chained.”
The dress is low-cut, and it’s a bit small for my curves.
“Do I have a choice?”
One look at Nero is more than enough to answer that question.
No, I do not.
He did warn me that I wasn’t going to like this…
I slip into the dress as best I can.
“How do I look? Do I even want to know?”
“You look gorgeous,” Nero says. “Like always.”
And then he slips the collar around my neck.
“It’s best if you pretend to not understand a single word anyone speaks,” Nero says. He leans down and kisses me.
“I might have to call you terrible names to sell our cover… know that it brings me no pleasure to do so.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Sure,” I say. “You know, if you’re into BDSM you could have just told me, you know.”
“BDSM?”
“Never mind,” I laugh. “That’s a bit of human culture we might get into in the future. I’m ready if you are.”
Nero leads me towards the helm of the ship, my collar connecting to chains he holds in the palm of his hands.
It feels strange being led around like this. Paraded around like a piece of meat. Like Nero owns me. The low-cut dress accentuating every curve in my body. If I’m perfectly honest with myself…
I kinda like it.
I suppose that’s easy to say that when I know Nero is a good guy. When I know he loves me, that he cares for me, that he’d never hurt me.
Still, I find myself growing wet at the thought of serving Nero, my master… like a good, obedient pet.
The doors to the control room whizz open, and all the Elbans inside fall silent as their eyes land on me.
My cheeks grow red with embarrassment, my eyes cast towards the ground, but my arousal grows.
I’ve never had a room of men fall silent because of me before.
“We’re getting close,” Nero says, “look.”
I look up, and I’m both glad and disappointed to see not all eyes are fixed on me anymore. Maybe they’re afraid of incurring Nero’s wrath.
On the screen I see a massive planet grow ever closer. It’s so much bigger than Earth that it boggles my mind.
“Is that…?”
“Elba,” Nero answers. “In all its glory.”
“I am taking the Classis down towards the city of Massa right now,” Romulus says. “We should be able to touch down in the docks district without raising any eyebrows. With the chaos Bruttius is still causing I expect to be able to slip through the cracks fairly easily.”
“Have you scrambled the ship’s code?”
“Of course,” Romulus says. “I’m not a rookie anymore. According to any logs, this is a simple merchant’s vessel.
“We’re pirates now,” Nero chuckles.
“What am I then? The booty?” I say.
“You most definitely are,” Nero growls, and the brooding look in his eyes makes my heart thump a tad bit louder.
Romulus pulls out several oversized fur-lined cloaks, the kind you’d wear in the arctic.
“Here,” he says as he hands one to Nero. “Try this on.”
My mate slips the coat on. It looks damn good on him.
“Pull the cloak over your head, don’t look at anyone, don’t try to draw any attention,” Romulus says. “If anyone asks, we’re traders from the planet Mika.”
“Got it,” Nero answers.
“I’m going to scout out the Octavius mansion, see if there’s any sign of Gaius’s research still there, and if not, follow the trail,” Romulus says.
Nero nods. “I’ll ask around for Marcius Livius. I have some unanswered questions for him.”
“Let’s meet back at the ship in twelve hours then,” Romulus says.
“Agreed.”
Meanwhile, I’m plastered against the window, my eyes fixed on the alien city as it rises up to greet us.
I’m about to set foot on an alien world.
Nero
The streets of the docks districts are busy as usual. Peddlers hawk their wares, ships come and go, and Elbans and servant-species rub elbows.
In this chaos, Victoria doesn’t even stand out all that much. That would change drastically in the Noble district — she’d stick out like a sore thumb.
That is why Romulus is headed there, scouting out the ruins of House Octavius, while I’m looking for an old friend: Marcius Livius.
He was a good friend of Gaius Octavius, and according to Romulus, he knows more of my heritage.
“It’s so busy here,” Victoria whispers to me. “Look at all the people.”
“Yeah, this is the commercial hub of the entire planet,” I answer. “Try to avoid making eye-contact. We don’t want to any trouble.”
We shuffle our way through the crowd, keeping both our heads down, when a lecher jumps in front of me, barring the way.
“Look at that,” he says, running a finger across Victoria’s cheek. “I haven’t seen one of those before! How much?”
“She’s not for sale,” I growl.