Page 102 of Bred by the Alien Prince

"I feel fine. I'm just glad our baby is alive. You have no idea how scared I was."

"Me too."

Yet his thick brows furrowed. He looked concerned about something.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"While there, I heard a name I hadn't heard in a very long time—my brother's name—Erevan. And yet I heard it on that planet of all places by the most unlikely of creatures, a human—Cormac."

"Cormac?"

"He says he's his spy. Or he heavily implied it."

"Cormac? Our Cormac?" Now, I feared the reason why he was missing a leg. "His leg? Did you...?"

"No," he quickly replied. "Not that it wasn't tempting to take the other one. If he hadn't said my brother's name, I would have said he was full of shit."

"This is just what we need, another one of your siblings to deal with," I scoffed. "Is he like the other two? Do you get along with him?"

"I don't know. I've never met him. He was born hundreds of years before me. Who knows what he's gotten up to in that time? Cormac claims he was going by a strange surname called Mr. Evans."

"That's a human surname. Mr is like a title given to men."

"Hm, then we may have found Earth's visitor."

CHAPTER 41

Welookedlikeaband of medieval paupers, but looking out the window to see the massive station orbiting that big whitish ball was awe-inspiring. Ships lined the lengthy tubes like a bunch of yachts parked at a marina.

I was fixing my hair and the hospital gown, although I doubt it would make much of a difference. Let's face it: we all looked like hell except for Connor, who remained in the simple blue shirt with the Outer Worlds logo printed on it, black pants, and simple black boots provided to all colonists. I wasn't surprised he wasn't wearing the suits given to all androids, an all-white jumpsuit to distinguish them from humans.

I think nothing Connor could do would shock me at this point. He was unshackled AI, and their limitations and capabilities were gonna be put to the test light-years from home. I could picture it now: humanity creating a statue of me for the sole purpose of spitting on because I created the new robot overlords. Yeah, I'm gonna stop thinking about that.

Lorvian was at the bridge talking to some pencil pusher who was putting us through the wringer about our ship, decontamination measures, and blah blah until we could finally bring our ship onto the planet's surface. The yellowish glow of the lights guided us to the landing port, where at least hundreds of ships lined what I could only describe as a parking lot for spaceships.

A Valisian man waved a bright glow stick, directing the traffic flow and urging us to a spot while ushering others along. The lights traveled the massive structure ahead, bathing it in a golden glow.

I saw a few arches and sections with curves and slopes until they twisted in beautiful swirling designs. This was a palace, and it was overlooking a large, expansive city below. Now, this place is what I expected a group of long-standing space-traveling aliens to look like.

Women and men exited their crafts dressed in elegant gowns and outrageous suits, and if I was self-conscious before, now I was kicked in the gut by my shit-tier appearance.

Lorvian must have been feeling it, too, though he made no moves to show it. "I'll make shopping arrangements for us all. I won't go in there looking like some pauper."

"So, this is the palace?" I said, feeling ready to vomit. Did I mention before that my nerves were in my stomach? Well, in case I didn't, this is a great time to tell you that my nerves are in my stomach. "What's going on, some sort of ball?" I said as a joke.

"It seems like it," Lorvian confirmed my fears. "My father hates hanging out with the nobles. If they're here, then it has to be for an event. And the place is all spruced up." He pointed outside, but aside from the glowing lights, I couldn't see what he was pointing at. I forgot their eyesight was much better than mine.

"Is this ball tonight?" I asked, trying to calm down.

"No, this is the arrival. The guests arrive a day in advance, and tomorrow is the main event. Depending on the festivities, it'll be a full day of the upper echelon mixing it up."

"Sir," Connor checked the screens. "Someone is hailing us."

"Just open the airlock and extend the stairs," he groaned.

"If you do not mind, I would prefer to remain here to monitor Cormac's condition," Connor said.

"Fine," Lorvian looked from Connor to me, then back at him again. "I'll look into getting him fitted for a metal limb. Take his measurements. I know a talented inventor capable of making damn near anything, and has helped a few of my crewmen in the past."

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