Page 8 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
“Stranger things have happened, sir,” Caret’ax mutters. “The women of this world can be quite capable.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to marry a woman with a death wish,” I muse. “Tell you what, Caret’ax. If that craft is piloted by a woman, I will give you a month off with full pay.”
“I don’t want that,” the bodyguard growls. “Certainly not when the Emperor is as sick as he is now. Every assassin in the galaxy could be coming for you. Every third nobleman on Khav is plotting to take you out of the equation. And I have grave suspicions about the Empress, too.”
“A month to take a vacation at a time you find appropriate, then,” I offer. “You decide the time. Deal?”
“If you wish, sir,” Caret’ax sighs. “I enjoy making bets when I don’t care if I win or lose.”
I lean forward, intrigued by the small craft. “Oh, get into the spirit of this, would you? It’s exciting! All right, let’s find out if that’s a man or a woman in that thing. Whoever it is must be a courageous soul indeed.”
4
- Umbra-
At first it looks like just a part of space where there’s no stars.
Then sunlight hits it, I see what it is, and my stomach goes icy cold. “Flight control, Shadow. Are you seeing this?”
“We see that alien craft, Shadow. Stand by for orders.”The capcom’s voice is tense, but it doesn’t tremble the way mine does.
“Fuck,”I seethe.Of coursethis would happen.Of coursean alien spaceship would appear just when I’m in the middle of the most important test of my life.
It’s dark and shiny, as if carved out of obsidian. It’s not a saucer like the UFOs that stole Ashlynn. I’m too close to see the actual shape, but the prow is sleek and curved, with a long battering ram protruding like a spear as thick as a church tower. There are intricate swirling patterns all along the sides, shining in some bronze-like alloy. Right under the battering ram there’s the head of an animal of some kind, an alien predator, crafted in gold. Itseyes shine with a piercing, white light. Big, alien weapons jut out of the hull, some pointing right at me, some to the sides. No, this thing looks nothing like the flying saucers. But it’s a UFO either way.
With hands that shake, I maneuver the shuttle so it’s facing the ship head-on. That means the laser gun is aimed at it, too.
The radio is silent. But I’m in no doubt about what my orders are going to be. They’ll tell me to retreat, to fly the shuttle back and dock with the station. But that’s not going to help much. The station is unarmed. If these guys have something bad in mind, they can do whatever they want, and we won’t be able to fight back. Only this shuttle has a weapon, a high-power laser gun that’s fully charged and ready to be tested.
I have a very short window to act. The moment I’m ordered to return to base, that’s it. I have to follow orders. But right now, I can do as I see fit. And I can act on the very purpose of Space Force — defending Earth from alien intrusion.
I change the radio frequency to the emergency one. Of course aliens can’t possibly know about Earth radio frequencies, but that’s on them. I’ll be going by the book.
“Unknown spacecraft, this is Space Force WarshipShadow,” I exaggerate. “You are in Earth space. You are ordered to power down and submit to be searched by a boarding party.”
It won’t work, I know that. The alien ship is the size of a football arena. But I’m thinking ahead.Ifthese guys leave without causing any harm, then my radio transmission will be released and played all over Earth. That might raise morale a bit, showing that Space Force chased away a UFO. And if they’re here to wage war, at least I’ll go down fighting.
I know a good few stories like that from Earth’s own history, and those heroic battles of a tiny force against overwhelming enemy might are some of the coolest I know. The underdogs usually lose. But not always.
Still no orders from the station. Are our communications being blocked by that alien ship? There’s no static. Well, a decision like this has to be made by a high authority. Maybe even the President. And she was never a peaceful woman, having spent her life in the army. This confrontation might be exactly what she wants.
Of course these guyscouldbe friendly. They could be here to help mankind get out into space, to give us all kinds of marvelous tech and generally take us under their wing.
But I don’t think they are. That black spaceship is bristling with weapons, not with colorful flags or friendly messages. They’re not talking to us. I think they’re trouble.
The alien ship is still moving, coming straight towards me. And towards the station.
At what point do I consider them an enemy force?
“Unknown spacecraft, you will power down and submit to a search,” I repeat, keeping my voice steady. “If you do not do as ordered, you will be fired upon. This is your last warning.”
I check that the laser is powered up. All capacitors are showing a full charge. I can give that UFO forty thousand watts of laser beam bursts. At close range, that could cut through steel. And if they don’t stop in twenty seconds, I’m absolutely going to bore a hole in that ship.
“I’ll chase them out of the solar system,” I mutter.
If nothing else, it’s going to be great footage to show at my funeral.
5
