Page 97 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
“Primitive society?” I ask, having to concentrate to not raise my voice too much. “Yes, we may not have spaceships as nice as yours. But we have built ourselves up to an advanced civilization which will soon have space travel. And we didn’tneedany Syntrix. We were doing fine.”
Mareliux’s jaw is set. “Here is what will happen. I will leave and beat the Vyrpy. I will return in triumph, and nobody will utter another word about me not being married for real. Emperor or not, I will send spaceships to Earth and integrate the planet into the rest of the galaxy. It will be more than we agreed. Much more. Earth will use Khavgren ships, their crews will be trained. I will protect your world. And then you may not need to spend more time on Earth. You can stay with me, here, in anactualempire and help your own world that way.”
"And what if you don't return?" I ask quietly, the anger draining out of me and leaving only a hollow ache. "What if you die out there fighting the Vyrpy? Then I'll be trapped here, waiting for someone who will never come back. Or they will just kill me to get rid of me. Because Iwillbe blamed when they discover that we were never married. At least on Earth, I'd be free."
I’m itching to tell him to finish the paperwork and get us married for real. That would be one way out of this. But he clearly doesn’t think I’m worth it. Even now, he wants to keep his options open. I was never anything but a way to the throne for him. And I’d rather die than suggest it.
Mareliux's jaw tightens again, and for a moment I see something vulnerable flash in his eyes before his royal mask slides back into place. "There will be no time for them to discover that until I’m back or fallen in combat. I will leave specific instructions for the military to do everything to help you get back to Earth immediately if I don’t come back. Or if the Vyrpy get too close to Khav. That is in addition to the normal extraction plan, which will also be activated. That’s partly why this apartment is built inside an army facility. You'll be safe, Umbra. That's all that matters to me now."
“How safe will I be,” I persist, “when Preniat persuades the Emperor that our marriage is fake?”
He sighs. “If that happens, it activates the extraction plan. Sigise Grast and her people will get you out. You’ll be on the way to Earth that same day. I will take no risk with that. But the Emperor has invested too much prestige into you to be willing to take it back without serious proof. The lack of a signed document will not be enough. For all they know, it may still be on the way through space. Don’t be frightened by the Quaestor’s shenanigans, Umbra. He doesn’t have the Emperor’s ear as much as he wants you to think. He’s the Empress’s agent. But even if he somehow succeeds, you’ll be as safe as you are now. Nobody will dare oppose the Calanians while they get you out. And I sincerely feel pity for anyone who tries to stop Grast when she’s on a mission.”
“You’re counting on your loyal troops to defy orders given by the Emperor himself? Excuse me for not feeling reassured.”
“Calanians have disobeyed Imperial orders before,” he says. “Over much less than this. And anyway, it won’t be long. We will know the outcome of this battle in a few days.”
I turn my side to him, knowing I’ve lost. “And if the outcome is your death?”
“Then you’re extracted and go back to Earth immediately. Before anyone but the Calanians and Colonel Grast know about my fate. You’ll be safe, Umbra. I guarantee it.”
"Safe," I repeat bitterly. "But not free. And not happy. You have thought of everything." I turn away from him, looking out at the Chicago skyline, which is as fake as our marriage. For a while I thought there was something real behind it. And I think there was. Is, even. But this intense love affair with the alien prince is a luxurious fantasy I can’t afford to indulge in anymore. This is about something bigger. It’s about Earth. And about Ashlynn. I thought I could have it all, both safety for Earth and Mareliux for me. But that was only a mirage. It was never a real option, despite his smooth words. What was it the Emperor said to me? ‘He’s not always what he seems.’
I turn to look at him across the room. “I meant what I said. I love you, and I would prefer to stay with you. Now that you don’t want that, I must ask that you honor our deal and let me go back to Earth now. I have done my part.”
He strokes his hand along the top of the fancy, fake-suede couch. “I will not let you make that mistake. You will be comfortable here. And now I must leave. TheGladiuxis crewed and onlywaiting for me. Every moment counts. I will be back soon. And then you will see why I kept you here. Goodbye.”
He turns and walks out. Caret’ax puts his head in the door and probably sees that I’m not in the mood for anything other than brooding. He withdraws and closes the door firmly.
My face scrunches up all by itself. I was hoping for more than this.
“What do I do, Vera?” I ask, fighting tears.
“Your options are limited,”the AI says. “What you rationally should do is obvious. Earth stands to gain a great deal from your deal with the prince.”
I’m conflicted. Yes, it would be better if Mareliux returned victorious from the war and then sent a bunch of spaceships and engineers to Earth. And scientists, someone who understands the physics fully. It would be an incredible boon for Earth, no doubt about it. The planet would be under the Khavgren umbrella while building up its technology and space fleet. It would be like the whole of mankind stepping into a time machine and being taken a half millennium into the future. Any flying saucer coming to abduct girls would be blown into fine dust.
I also can’t help thinking that it would be much easier to look for Ashlynn if I had the resources to do it. And I’m not sure I’d ever want to be without the Syntrix again. It makes me feel powerful enough to hold my own in this alien society. To flourish, even.
And despite this situation he’s put me in, I know I don’t want to be without Mareliux. He’s uncovered parts of me that I didn’t even know I had, as well as seeing and appreciating things that I kind of like about myself. If he didn’t have to leave, and if ourmarriage was less of a sham, I would stay until I could return to Earth with the most incredible treasure of technology anyone has ever seen. And of course I wouldn’t mind coming there hand in hand with the most attractive and powerful male in the galaxy. I’m only human.
But it’s a gamble. If I stay here, I gamble on him coming home and having won, on the Khavgren Empire not collapsing, on nobody killing me here, on Mareliux keeping his word. If he let me go back to Earth with a single spaceship, that would be a much lesser reward than what he’s dangling in front of me now. It may prove impossible to make spaceships of our own. But it could be that I have to settle for it.
If I wait here, the possible upside is incredible. But the possible downside is death for me and nothing for Earth. That’s a really bad outcome. And while Space Force often does dangerous things, we never gamble outright.
38
- Mareliux-
I close the door behind me.
Caret’ax gives me a quizzical look. “Are you all right, sir?”
“Is it all right to lock a beautifulavietin a cage to keep it safe, Caret’ax?”
He opens the door again and checks on Umbra, then quickly closes it. He must have gotten a glimpse of Umbra’s face. “I would say it depends, sir. If the cage truly keeps the aviet safe, it may be theonlyright thing.”
I nod absentmindedly as we walk down the stairs. “Is everything ready? Colonel Grast knows her job?”
