Page 27 of Pandora: Alien Games

“Wait, Pandora. You must change clothes. You can’t go like this.”

I looked down at my body. I was almost naked. Three bands that stuck to me covered my body.

“Let me help you.” May offered me her hand and I took it. At least her hand would help me get up and stay up. Falling on my face was low on my wish list.

I looked around and realized how big and gorgeous the room was. There was not much furniture, but I could see the golden city that surrounded us. Paintings that looked like images from ancient human Egypt covered the walls. Everything appeared so expensive, but who was I to judge. All I knew was the space station, and that was dirty, crowded, and dark. There was no luxury available, not for most of us, at least. But not even the Commander had this type of luxury.

We walked toward a huge mirror and May brought me a robe-like garment that was golden.

“Put it on. It’ll adjust.” May laid it on my shoulders and the robe moved, the golden fabric acting like a living creature that covered my body. It was pleasant. The fabric flew and covered my body.

“You can focus on a shape that you like and it’ll listen.”

I closed my eyes and remembered a movie where the actress wore a beautiful dress that made her body look incredible. The fabric slipped over me and offered me that look.

“Wow, this is incredible. Thank you, May.”

“You are most welcome. This is beautiful. The Princess will be delighted to see you. How is your headache?”

“My headache is better. Is it the tea?”

“Yes, and because your body got used to the chip. It’s organic and grows with your neural paths. You’ll be able to talk to any species in the entire universe.”

“That’s amazing. Now let’s go. I have to find my friends.”

I hoped this Kya person would help me understand the shit that was going on. I walked next to May. The corridor was empty and I could hear my own footsteps as I walked. May moved perfectly silent. I envied her elegance and was curious about her long tail. I couldn’t ask her. It somehow sounded weird to ask someone about their tail.

We walked down the beautiful corridor with light shining not only from the windows on the left, which showed an exotic garden, but also from above that allowed in the rays of the three suns. I would have loved to stop and study the drawings.

Suddenly, I realized I’ll be able to talk to the guys. Only not to Ashok, but will he be able to understand me?

“Are my friends going to understand me now? The Anubis?”

“Yes. Princess Kya gifted them with a universal translation chip. You saw this as us arresting you, but Princess Kya only wants to keep you safe. If someone saw you, they would have tried to capture you.”

I shrugged.

12

Ashok

My brain has a universal translation chip implanted in it. I could feel it taking over my neural pathways. It grew like a weed inside me, connecting itself to the darkness that ruled the inside of my mind. I didn’t care about the headache and the nausea. I’d be able to understand Pandora for the first time after so many days in which all I could do was guess, draw, and try to pick up things from her frown.

I was the first to enter Princess Kya’s rooms, but I can’t say I was excited about it. Seeing the princess left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not that she wasn’t beautiful. She is one of the most gorgeous Bastet, with her silky skin and slippery walk. It’s just that, to her, I’m a way to her means. More than anything else, Kya desires power, more power than she currently has as part of the imperial trio. She believed that having me as a consort would bring her the support of the Anubis, but I had no taste for politics.

As a young, strong, and crazy Anubis, I wanted to become part of the Games, to find the access to the ship that our ancestors had hidden under the seven forbidden pyramids, and to become great. But I grew disgusted by the death and the traps and the killing all around me. Competitors don’t have to fight each other. They can and should work together but, sadly, that was not the case. The Pyramids do something to you. They bring the wild, feral part closer to the surface and make one want to kill first and ask questions later. By the end of the game, I was the last one standing, the only one who made it to the other side. Sadly, I didn’t find the Pyramid of the ancestors, nor could I retrace the way they took through the stars. Since we lost flight and space travel in the big catastrophic event thousands of years ago, our planet never recovered. In my opinion, it’s because we are too obsessed by what was instead of focusing on creating new tech.

Pandora is part of a prophecy and I’m enraged. There’s no way that the sweet, soft, little female will make it through the Pyramid. I give it to her, she’s brave. But she lacks experience in fighting and the knowledge of things that will kill her in the first hours. Now, I stand in front of Kya who watches me the way she would watch prey.

Kya lay on a chaise, her head propped on her hand, watching me watching her. I haven’t said a word since the Games. It was a promise I made to myself, that I will forever give up my voice as payment for the lives I took and for the darkness that has hidden inside me since that day. A young Ashok entered the seven-pyramid complex and he had a pure heart. I remember that Anubis. He died in there. He died when his knife sank into the chest of his adversary, not because they had a fight, but because he needed that person out of his way.

Young Ashok died and made room for this monster I am now.

“You find the most interesting things,” said Kya.

I didn’t say anything, Kya isn’t worthy for me to break my vow of silence because of her blabbering. I shrugged, aware that her big Bastet eyes focused on my loin cloth. She hoped to get a reaction from my two cocks, but there was nothing, not even the slightest twitch. I felt nothing for Kya. But I’ll play her games to keep Pandora safe.

“Your little out of space find matches the prophecy. We’re going to send her into the Games.”

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