Page 78 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

“Just to right some wrongs,” I say. “And maybe change everything you think you know about this planet.” I glance at Volan, who still holds the guard securely but hasn’t harmed him. “We won’t hurt you. But we are going to need to restrain you for a while. Melvall, can you do the honors?”

“Why not me?” Zoran asks, lips downturned.

“Because you’ll forget to hold him, and next thing you’ll know you’ll be chasing him,” Melvall replies.

“Chasing is more fun…”

Melvall sighs heavily, and takes hold of the guard from Volan. His grip is firm, but not unkind.

Thankfully the guard, despite how terrified he looks, isn’t particularly fighting back against us. If anything, he looks closer to fainting. Even Melvall realizes this, holding onto his arm like he expects the man to just collapse at our feet.

“They lied to us,” I tell green-tips, hoping that if I keep talking to him he’s not going to have a full meltdown and start screaming for help. “Everyone at the colony, including you, deserves to know what’s really going on. After today, everything’s going to change. For the best.”

Inside the communications tower, I pull my beloved tablet from my pocket. The screen is a spiderweb of cracks from where it struck the Tangler’s teeth. For a moment, my fingers hesitate over the damaged surface. This device has been my constant companion, my safety net through everything.

“Damn it,” I mutter as the screen flickers, refusing to respond to my touch in several places. “This is going to be trickier than I thought.”

“Can you still make it work?” Volan asks, his presence warm and solid beside me.

I glance up at him, at the steady pulse of his luminae, and suddenly the broken screen doesn’t seem so important anymore. I’ve spent so long relying on machines because I couldn’t trust people. Now I have something – someone – far more reliable.

“It only needs to do one last job,” I tell him, already connecting my tablet to the tower’s systems. “It’s served its purpose.”

My fingers fly over the working portions of the screen, muscle memory taking over as I access the colony’s communication network. Every resident’s personal device will receive this broadcast – every piece of evidence I’ve collected, every secret file I’ve uncovered. The truth about Walter, about the council’s lies, about the aliens who call this planet home.

And the medicine. They need to know that’s the reason why Earth came to this planet. Not to colonize and live in peace, but to dominate and control.

Green-tips watches the screens with growing horror as the evidence fills them – documents proving Walter’s deception, footage of the underground city, proof of the nanite medicine’s existence.

“This whole time...” he whispers. “They knew? About all of this? I thought… I thought we were just starting a new life.”

“They knew,” I confirm, watching his face. His shock mirrors what the rest of the colony will feel. “They lied to all of us. But now everyone will know the truth.”

I look back at the screen, momentarily staring at the images that flash before me, eyes unseeing.

“It’s done,” I whisper. “My quest is done.”

I’ve completed what I set out to do. I’m the heroine in my own story, and now it’s completed.

The computer before me beeping snaps me out of my daze. The broadcast has been completed, sent to every single person. Knowing that our time is running short, I quickly type in Stacy’s personal communication code. My heart pounds as I wait for her response.

“Maya?” Stacy’s voice crackles through the speakers. “Where are you? I just… you sent so much? What’s going on?”

“I need you to listen carefully,” I tell her. “The colony isn’t safe anymore. You need to get out.”

“And go where?” Stacy asks. I know she’s got a million questions, but she’s practical. Always has been. She can probably hear the urgency in my voice, suspecting we don’t have much time… very soon the colony’s guards and Hunters will be flooding this area, looking for me.

“To the river,” Melvall suddenly offers. “I know the area well. I can watch for her arrival, make sure she’s safe. Bring her to you.”

“Perfect. Stacy, Melvall will meet you there. You can trust him. Just get to the river, okay?”

“I… okay.”

I can’t help but smile as I disconnect from the systems. There’s no going back now.

And honestly? I wouldn’t want to. I did exactly what I set out to do, and it feels amazing.

I nod, taking one last look at my damaged tablet before leaving it behind. I don’t need it anymore. Its purpose, like my quest, is complete. We’ve given him – given everyone – the truth. Now they have to choose what to do with it.

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