Married to the Alien Admiral of the Fleet

by Alma Nilsson

  “Yes, I’m sorry,” Jane caught herself, “I just wanted her to have a human life.”

  “This is a better life for her, don’t you see that?”

  Jane didn’t answer.

  Jei sighed. He had reckoned that when she saw their beautiful baby, she wouldn’t be so negative against the Alliance but now he worried if they would even make it that far. “You need to be grateful.”

  “I am. She could be dead,” Jane answered honestly. “Thank you.”

  “The Alliance is the best place for her, you are the Lost People. Say it.”

  “We are the Lost People.”

  “I am grateful, say it.”

  “I am grateful,” Jane said and then sat down crying.

  Jei sat next to her comforting her, making “Zzzz,” sounds.

  “Are you really going to kill me?”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “You’re considering it?”

  “I’ve no choice. What you did is terrible and I’m not just a regular man nor you a regular woman. All Alliance eyes are on us.”

  “How do we get out of this then? Is there a way out?”

  “First, you must promise me some things.”

  “What?”

  “You will marry me as soon as you are free to do so.”

  “Yes.”

  “You will have our baby and keep her onboard the Kzi with us. I don’t ever want to be apart from her or you. I spent a life not knowing my own children or wife. I won’t do that again given the choice.”

  “Yes.”

  “You will publically say that you were abducted.”

  “Yes.”

  “You will kill the Captain of the Marianne.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “You must. Human blood must be spilled and it’s better by your hand. This is the only thing that will keep the masses at bay. Otherwise they will demand I kill you to satisfy their bloodlust for humans now. So many people believe the propaganda that you are poisoning the Empire. Especially with what happened with Babette.”

  “But,”

  “A human life must be taken. Is hers more important than yours?”

  “No, we are equal.”

  Jei looked at Jane questioningly, “Are you really equals? You are Head of House Human and an officer in the Alliance Fleet, she is a pirate captain who chooses to break the laws.”

  “There must be another way.”

  “No. I’ll give you time to think about this. And know that I won’t be the only one seeing you today for demands. A lot of people will try to use this to use you to do their bidding.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “People who don’t want to have a public duel but want to have someone killed will come here today and ask you to name that person as guilty.”

  “What?”

  “Come on Jane, you know the Alliance law. Now is the time you make the best out of it. Make whatever deals you can to make sure you and your daughter come out of this alive and in good standing order with the Alliance people.”

  “How will I do that?” Jane asked nervously.

  “Well, number one, say you were abducted. Number two, kill that human captain. Number three, listen to whoever comes to see you today and take their claims if they can help you. Accuse and kill to save yourself. When that is done, marry me.” He looked at her confused face, “No one who is a stranger to you will ask for help. It must all look legitimate. Now may the gods keep you safe.”

  Jei left and Jane just stood there in shock watching him go.

  The next person to enter was James about 30 minutes later.

  “James,” Jane said as she walked in and they sat down.

  “I’m sure Admiral Jei has informed you how all of this works?”

  “Yes, what could you possibly want?”

  “A deal. You tell me exactly what Doctor Anu and you did with the new 1,000 human women and I won’t expose you. I’ll say she tricked you with mind-control.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jane lied.

  “Jane, I don’t want to have to hurt you. I could forcibly search your mind now. I’ve paid off the guards, they won’t help you. Now, are you going to tell me?”

  Jane considered her options and then began, “Doctor Anu came to me with a plan to keep more women from being taken from Earth. She wanted embryos from the human women. Human embryos but as not to anger the gods they needed to be created in utero.”

  “Where did you get the human men to participate in such a scheme?”

  “The Alliance Capital Planet and Space Ports,” Jane admitted.

  “Where are these embryos now?”

  “Growing somewhere in artificial wombs.”

  “And do you feel the least bit guilty about this Jane?”

  “Of course, I do, but it was a no-win situation. The idea was that we would say humanity offered these orphan babies to the Alliance. The idea being that it would be easier for them if they were brought up in Alliance families to integrate. And the children won’t know any difference and they would be brought up in loving homes.”

  “Loving? How can you be so sure?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “What about the male children?”

  Jane just looked at James, “I can’t remember.”

  “You must have asked,” Dru knew that Anu erased her memory.

  “I’m sure I did.”

  “I think Doctor Anu manipulated your memory. You must accuse her of these crimes which I helped you remember through the help of the goddess of home and she will be punished accordingly.”

  “Or?”

  “Or what? Jane, this is another crime to add to your list. To prove your loyalty to the Empire. Do you think Doctor Anu would sacrifice herself for you in this situation? If the situation was reversed, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.”

  Jane considered this. She didn’t know Doctor Anu all that well. She knew that James hated her though and that she had a personal vendetta against her ever since their first Alliance medical check. And she remembered then that she highly suspected that it was Doctor Anu not Rez that had tried to kill James with a Uli virus last year. “Fine. I will accuse her.”

  “Good,” Dru said taking out her IC. She already had the contract prepared. “Just put your fingerprint here and I will see you soon. May the goddess of home show you mercy.”

  Jane didn’t reply and just watched her go. She was going to have to kill two women now with her sword. Great, she thought, I’m becoming a regular executioner.

  Five other women visited Jane that day and she only took one other person’s issue. It was Kes, Kara’s mother in-law’s case against a woman at the High Council. This woman was named Sah and thought that the human women would serve the men better as breeders in their own separate class. Jane didn’t need the long story that Kes was giving her about why Sah should be killed. Jane had raised her hand and said, “Stop. I’ve hated that woman for a long time. I’ll do it.”

  By the end of the day, Jane was now scheduled to kill three women to set herself free. She went to bed that night thinking that she would never be the same after this and that she was truly going to cross some lines she would never be able to come back from. That by the end of the next day, she thought with a heavy heart, she would be a full-blown Alliance woman, a killer for her own interests. A true Alliance barbarian. Jane wondered then if she would sit and tell her hybrid daughter with pride how she killed all these women to stay alive herself so that her daughter’s father would not have executed her himself? It gave her the chills to think about it. Tears escaped her eyes as she tried to sleep.

  The next morning, Babette of all people woke her up.

  “Shh, don’t speak,” Babette said.

  “But what are you doing here,” Jane whispered.

  “It’s an illusion, I’m not really here.”

  “How?”

  “I can’t explain now but listen, I have a proposition for you.”
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br />   “I must be dreaming,” Jane said sarcastically.

  “If you choose to allow Jei to kill you, you will be made immortal. The human goddess you spoke of to the High Priestess, that is you.”

  “What nonsense is this?”

  “Listen, if you choose life, you will suffer in the Underworld as one of the dark god’s servants for all time.”

  “I don’t believe in the gods Babette.”

  “Become a god Jane. Become the god of humanity as you suggested. Save your people.”

  Jane sat up suddenly, but Babette was gone. She looked around the room and then said out loud to herself, “What a terrible dream,” but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t a dream at all, but that it was real.

  An hour later, breakfast was brought to her, it was Alliance porridge. A few minutes later a formal uniform was delivered. She had never had one for the Kzi. She almost began to cry when she saw the handwritten note from Jei,

  Don’t let this be the last time you wear this, my pet.

  She put on the uniform and felt naked without any of her ranking jewelry. It had all been taken from her. She didn’t know why, but she hadn’t had the energy to ask. When the guards opened her door, she was ready.

  Jane was escorted into a large stone room she’d never seen before, a bit like a cross between an Alliance gymnasium and a temple. The walls were all made of dark yellow stone with no windows and lit by candlelight. The room was shaped like a square amphitheater with places for spectators all around the main stone square. Jane was led to the middle of the square arena floor and waited with guards on either side of her as High Council officials, officers from the fleet and many other people she didn’t recognize were let in and sat according to their rank. Then the humans from House Human were let in and put in the front row on the side. Jane noticed that Ellie was among them, dressed in an Alliance dress and James was right next to her. Jane knew this was a threat from James. If she didn’t kill Anu, James would kill Ellie.

  Ellie yelled out to her mother, “Mom!” Ellie had missed her mother so much. She began to cry seeing her there. They were so close, but yet she still couldn’t touch her. Tears were welling up in her eyes again.

  Dru leaned over and touched Ellie’s arm to use her influence to make her quiet down, “Hush now, Ellie. You can’t distract your mother; she has to focus.”

  Jane gave her daughter what she hoped was a comforting look. She wanted more than anything to run to Ellie and hold her tight, but there would be time for that later she told herself. Then she reflected that this was possibly the worst day of her life. She had wanted to keep her human family ignorant of everything she had done in the Alliance and now her daughter was going to be front and center for one of the most brutal aspects of this whole culture.

  Jane had very little time to dwell on that though, soon a High Court judge entered with Admiral Jei and Captain Ota. The High Court Judge began, “Lieutenant Commander Jane of House Human, you were abducted and held for ransom by your own people. Now is the time to seek your justice and punish those who have wronged you. Will you do this under the gods’ watchful eyes and the witnesses here today?”

  “By the gods’ grace I will,” Jane answered and bowed.

  “The gods will guide your hands. Let the punishments commence. Your lover will provide you with the means.”

  Jei walked over to Jane and handed her a short sword. He said quietly, “This is a new sword I had made especially for you. It’s a good one. Remember, strike vertically down the back from the neck.”

  Jane nodded and looked into his concerned grey eyes. She wanted to tell him that it was going to be fine, but she couldn’t because she didn’t know if that was really true. She wanted to carry this out and walk out of this room after these proceedings, but she honestly didn’t know if she could kill three people for her own life.

  Jane looked at the sword he had given her. It was a much better one than she had had before, and she was grateful for it as she didn’t think she could do this again with her other one. She noticed this sword had a strange gleam to it in the light, but she didn’t have time to think about that as the judge was talking again.

  “Call the first to be accused.”

  The captain from the Marianne was brought into the square, kicking and screaming like a wild animal. She looked at Jane holding the sword and began roaring at her, “You traitor to humanity.” She spit on the stone floor, “You’ll be forever remembered as the woman who really betrayed her people again and again to the Alliance! Traitor! Whore!”

  Jane stepped closer to the young red-haired woman who was bound before her and on her knees trying to escape even now. “Do you have any last words for human ears? Any messages for your loved ones on Earth?” Jane asked trying not to let her emotions betray her.

  The young red head spit at Jane and it landed on her tunic.

  “By the gods I punish you for myself and for the Empire,” Jane raised her sword with both hands on the blade and aimed downward as Jei had told her to do. She struck the back of the red headed Captain’s neck. A slow fountain of blood followed. After she was sure the woman was dead, Jane looked up at her daughter who was horrified. She wanted to mouth the words, ‘This isn’t me.’ But that was a lie too. Then she looked at Jei, he nodded to her confidently that she had done this right. Then he motioned with his hand just a bit and she knew she must say something. Jane tried to remember if she had said anything after she had killed Nun, but she had blocked most of that from her memory, so she finally just said, “The gods have granted their justice.”

  The High Priestess spoke again, “The gods are with us here now to pass judgement. Jane you act as their executioner. Is there anyone else who stands accused whose time has come to an end?”

  Jane looked for Doctor Anu and she immediately tried to leave then but was held back by guards. “Chief Medical Officer Anu.”

  “Let the accused be brought down,” said the High Priestess.

  Anu was brought down and bound just as the Captain of the Marianne had been. Anu’s dress began to become wet with the blood from the other slain woman.

  Anu knew better than to speak yet though.

  “Announce Doctor Anu’s guilt,” commanded the High Court judge.

  Jane took a deep breath and mentally told Anu she was sorry. “Doctor Anu coerced the new 1,000 human women into breeding human babies to give to the Empire. She coerced me too. Doctor James of the City Hospital undid the memory alteration to uncover the truth. She goes against the gods manipulating the production of children for the Empire.”

  The whole arena was in shock and people began screaming at Anu that she went against the gods and deserved to die.

  Anu began to scream back, “I did it all so that we could live more peacefully and figure out why we’re having this demographics issue. Now all my work will be lost, and we will never know. But hear me now and question how this started? It began from the inside. Our problem is here.”

  “Where are the babies?” the High Court judge asked Anu.

  “I’ll die first.”

  The judge looked to James and she came down next to Anu.

  Dru whispered in Anu’s ear, “I know it was you who tried to kill me, but now I’m killing you first. I hope your soul roams the skies forever, never finding peace.”

  Anu said nothing to James but tried to avoid her touch. It was pointless as James was able to grab her easily and find the information by raping her thoughts for them.

  After a few minutes, Dru pushed Anu away from her roughly and announced, “I know where the unborn children are. She has no more useful knowledge. She’s ready for punishment. To explain herself before the gods themselves.”

  James moved back and Jane held her sword and tried to kill Anu in the same manner, but she missed because her hands were shaking so much. She only managed to put the sword through her back. It was not a killing blow. Then it was difficult to get the sword out again. Jane had to stand on Anu’s leg as she s
creamed to remove it, then she tried again and it wasn’t exactly right but Jane could not try again so she watched a woman she had worked with for the last year slowly die by her hand, with a crowd of people yelling that Anu was a sinner to the last. Jane couldn’t help but touch Anu’s head after she had died and think, Forgive me. One of us had to go.

  The whole thing was repeated again with Sah. Jane was even more tired now, so it took much longer for Jane to kill her. By the end of it, Jane was covered in the three women’s blood. She knew she must look like a monster so did not even look at her daughter. She felt ashamed of what she had done, but it was all for Ellie. All so that they could be together. Now she was finished. She stood there and waited for the High Court judge to say she was innocent.

  The judge then announced, “The gods have shown us their justice today. Now there is only one more task you must complete Jane to prove to us that you are truly Alliance and that your heart will always be with the Empire.”

  Jane was so tired, emotionally and physically. She looked at the judge and hoped it would not involve killing anyone else, “I am ready to prove myself to the Empire.”

  “Let the gods rejoice. We will all bear witness to Admiral Jei of House Rega and Lieutenant Commander Head of House Human Jane’s marriage ceremony now.”

  Jane made eye contact with Jei and shook her head a little.

  Jei walked over to her and took her left hand , covered in blood, in his and pulled out the marriage bracelets. He whispered in her ear, “This is happening. You can do it. It’s the last thing you must do, then you and I walk out of here together.”

  Jane looked into his grey eyes, pleading with him. She couldn’t do this.

  He looked back at her lovingly, “I don’t want to have to kill you, my pet.”

  Jane said quietly, “My daughter is here. I can’t let her see this. I can’t.”

  “You’re doing this for her.”

  Jane shook her head. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She looked at her bloody hands and wondered who she was.

  “She just saw you kill three people. This is just sex,” Jei tried to make her feel better.

  “Make her leave and I will marry you in front of all of these people.”