Page 55 of The Alien I Fell in Love with on Walpurgis Night

“No, the Empress let me go,” I say.

The officers proceed to take me off the Hio. I can hear the crew protesting and Captain Ace saying that he will pay for me. But the only reply he gets is that, “She’s already been bought with a higher offer.”

“I’m sorry. May the god’s light your path, Georgiana,” are Captain Ace’s last words as I’m transferred onto the military vessel. There I’m led silently into a room and left alone. Although unlike my room in the Imperial Palace, this one does look like proper guest quarters and there’s even a little window and computer. I open the computer and find out that I’m on an alpha warship, however I can’t find out anything more about the ship or where we are heading. Looking out the window, I can’t even tell if we are moving or not.

I use the computer to see if I can access any information about myself and there’s nothing. I then look up Axl and there’s nothing new. It’s just the same videos I saw before. I must be blocked from seeing myself because everyone else knew we had been to the Grand City Temple and what happened there. I wonder if everyone is blocked from seeing themselves in the newspapers in the Empire? That would make a lot of sense. It would keep people sane with this high level of personal invasion. And you would have to talk to another person to find out what was being said about you. That would change how much you really wanted to know. I decide to look up Lia next. There’s news about her latest accomplishments in the High Council but nothing else that concerns me.

A young man enters my quarters, he is carrying a tray of food. He stays and watches me eat. “Where are you taking me?”

I’m relieved when he answers me, “I don’t know.”

“Are you going to sell me? I want to go back to Earth.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know much. I don’t think you are going to be sold. It’s my duty to make sure you are fed and taken care of. Is there anything else I can bring you?”

“Do you know how long I’ll be here?”

“I don’t know.”

He looks sincere so I can’t help but believe him. “I’m bored. Is there anything I can do to pass the time in this room?”

The young man brings up the computer and shows me a section called ‘the boards’ that I had dismissed before, but now I realize it’s entertainment. In this section there are talks, books, all nonfiction, religious myths, and educational shows. I thank the young man.

“There’s also the bed.”

“The bed?”

He looks embarrassed. “Yes, it has holographic functions for your health.” He touches a button and the menu appears. “It’s self-explanatory.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

The young man bows and leaves. He’s treating me with more respect than I was given in the palace so perhaps this is better?

I look at the computer and begin reading about imperial rule in the Empire. I want to know how powerful the Empress is. Can she really keep Axl from being with me? Maybe Axl doesn’t want the hassle of being with a human? Or maybe this is the end of our journey together and that he really just needed me to get back to the Empire and it was bad luck that he couldn’t say ‘goodbye.’

25

Axl

This is exactly the position I didn’t want to be in. The admiral has one of his ships holding Georgiana and wants me to execute all his tasks before he gives her to me. He gave me three tasks and I’ve done two of them. The third is to kill the captain of the imperial guards so that he can be replaced with someone sympathetic to the men’s cause. The only way I can kill him is by entering the palace and secretly doing it. I’ve killed for less. And the captain of the guards and I have never been on friendly terms. But it’s who the captain of the guards is and his powerful family that I’m worried about.

Despite this, I message the admiral that it’ll be done in the next few days.

He promises me that Georgiana will be kept safe.

I know though if I fail, he will either give her to one of his men or return her to Alliance Force in the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is that he’ll sell her at Gala. But he has a human wife himself, so I don’t believe he would do that.

I contact the Empress and ask for an audience. She obliges me for the day after tomorrow.

There’s little I need to do to prepare. Treachery in the shadows has been my occupation for decades and I know the palace as well as anyone.

I bow before the Empress. We are in her private rooms. I’ve been here many times before. “Imperial Fleet Reserve Commander Axl, I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”

“What do you mean?” I know exactly what she means.

“Allowing that human to go. I understand she was lovely and interesting but…”

“Not good enough to be my wife?”

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