Page 64 of Married to the All Hallows' Eve Alien

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I can't get back to base fast enough. As soon as we dock, I begin running through the corridors. However, I'm met with orders to see Commander Fox first. I hurry to Commander Fox's office. A million things are running through my mind, and none of them are good. I enter and bow. "May the goddesses guide your choices."

"May you always walk in their light."

"Is Ivy dead?"

"No. She's perfectly healthy," Caroline informs me.

"But," Commander Fox adds, "you failed to mention you were practically married."

My hands are sweaty. How do I explain this?

"In a legal limbo," Commander Fox continues, "you married in secret on Earth, enough to live like wife and husband, but not enough to perform the Alliance marriage ceremony and satisfy your obligations to the Empire."

"How did this all come about?" Caroline asks me with a gentler tone.

I close my eyes and collect my thoughts. Ivy is safe. And that's all that matters now. "Have you sent Ivy back to Earth?"

"No. She is your wife for all intents and purposes. You'll perform the Alliance marriage ceremony, and she'll remain here." Commander Fox says.

Relief washes over me. And then I vow silently that I’m never letting her off the base ever again, no matter what punishments and fines I face from the commander, High Council, or High Priestess.

"Sem, tell us how this happened," Caroline asks me again.

I clear my throat, that’s hoarse from fighting Octopods and screaming for Ivy. "When we were in Greece, I wanted to marry her, but she said I was moving too fast. Then we saw an advertisement for a service at the hotel to get married but without any legal obligations."

Commander Fox interrupts me. "It doesn't matter what human paperwork you didn't do. You vowed to be her husband in front of the goddesses, and then you had sex, yes?"

"Yes, but I didn’t mention the goddesses in my vows."

Commander Fox narrows his eyes. "And you didn't consider that in the eyes of the goddesses, your marriage would still be valid whether you mentioned them out loud or not?"

"I came back to the base and begged the goddesses' forgiveness with a blood sacrifice."

"And then what happened?" Commander Fox asks rhetorically. "I'll tell you what happened: the goddesses allowed her to be trafficked again, and the High Priestesses disciples and the High Council pages didn't miss her name twice or fail to notice that you bought her a house where they could put you too many times over the last few months, which then led to a further investigation of what you both did in Greece. Did you honestly think you'd get away with this?"

I want to say 'yes' because a lot of people get away with a lot more in the Empire, but I have to say "No."

"Do better. You’ve made the whole base look bad. And you will right this, Sem. Publicly."

"I will," I agree. "Whatever needs to be done. Just don't erase her memory or take her away from me again." I don’t add, ‘I can’t bear it.’ Everyone in this room knows that I can’t, not after Ash’s death.

"You're lucky that I was able to convince the High Priestess to let you stay. She wanted you and Ivy to be sent back to the Empire for a formal public punishment."

"I'm indebted to you," I reply and bow. Which I truly am. It’s a known fact that one of the requirements to become High Priestess is that you’re also a sadist. Last month, she had an adultress couple paraded around the Capital City naked on a rough piece of wood, their ankles tied down to the base so that their genitals were constantly and minutely cut by the wood a thousand times. Not only is it a humiliating punishment, but painful. "I'm ready to accept any punishment here on the base."

"You and Ivy both," Commander Fox says. "She's just as guilty as you are, and ignorance is no excuse."

"Ignorance in this matter is a valid excuse," Caroline interjects calmly. "This young human woman had no way of knowing about Alliance customs."

"She married a man and lived in a house he bought. They lived like a married couple. They exchanged jewelry. She wasn't that innocent. Even on Earth, that carries some societal weight."

"I'll take both of our punishments," I say. "I don't want Ivy to be hurt."

"No. The High Priestess and High Council want their blood payment, and we will give it to them. That's after you have a proper Alliance marriage ceremony. Now, do you have anything more to say for yourself?"

"I have no regrets about marrying Ivy. It's what I wanted and what she wanted retrospectively. I only wish I could've found the right time to tell her … everything before it got messy."

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