Page 40 of My Alien Angel
“Yes?” I venture, unsure how to respond to an alien doorbell.
The door slides open with a quiet whoosh and the tiger guard from before peers inside. “Admiral Eldri would like to speak with you when you’re ready.”
I jump up so quickly I nearly topple the table. “I’m ready.” Touching my ear to make sure the translator is sitting securely in its place, I follow close behind the guard’s swaying tail. After asking several unanswered questions, I give up trying to pry information from him. Hopefully, the admiral will be more forthcoming.
“Human female, Infinity Young,” the guard announces loudly at the entrance of a large office. I’m not surprised they know my name, even though no one has asked for it. Considering their highly advanced technology, they probably have access to everything that goes through our satellites and more.
“Bring her in,” comes the rumbling response. Eldri doesn’t sound pissed anymore, but shivers still run up my spine as I remember how he snapped at that asshole Kevlok. Even if he hadn’t shouted earlier, the two rows of very prominent sharp teeth, scaly hide and claw-tipped fingers don’t exactly scream friendly. I’m not sure I feel completely comfortable with the idea of being alone with him. Which is an incredibly speciesist thought that I chide myself for. If I’m going to be living out here, I need to get used to all kinds of aliens. Besides, this is one of the good guys. Hopefully.
“Er, hi,” I greet awkwardly.
Pointing to a chair across from his desk, Eldri smiles a very predatory toothy grin. It doesn’t feel threatening, even though my mind is now humming that children’s song Never smile at a crocodile. Forcing myself to relax as much as possible, I sinkinto the plush seat clearly made for someone wider and taller. “Welcome, Miss Young. Is that the correct way to address you?”
His polite decorum is so at odds with his lizard-like appearance my brain has trouble reconciling the two. “Yes,” I finally manage to answer after pausing slightly too long to be considered appropriate. “I usually go by Fin, but Miss Young is good too. Have you captured Garesh and rescued the humans? And what happened to Omni?” I blurt out my questions, unable to keep them back any longer.
Although I’m no expert on the body language of whatever species Eldri is, I’d swear he looks amused. The small scales covering his oddly human-like face tighten as he smiles again. “Well, Fin, normally I wouldn’t be sharing such information with you, but I think we can both agree that these are special circumstances.”
“Definitely,” I say before realizing he probably wasn’t interested in my input.
“The Eclipse Raider, Garresh’s ship, was apprehended before it could leave the system. A few of the human captives were hurt during the battle, but all of them will recover. We’ve already begun the repatriation process with those who consented to having their memories removed.”
Air whooshes out of me on a relieved sigh. We made it. Got a slaver crew arrested and managed to save a whole bunch of innocent people in the process. “Thank you. Thank you so much. This is amazing news. What about that guy who was helping Garresh?”
Something menacing flashes through Eldri’s expression and even though I’m fairly certain I’m not the target of his rage, I still hunch down in an attempt to make myself as small as possible in my seat. “I cannot discuss an ongoing investigation with an outsider, but rest assured that the situation is being dealt with.” His thick tail swipes angrily behind him through a slit in themost oddly shaped office chair I’ve ever seen. Then again, I’ve never seen one designed for massive lizard people before.
“Okay. That’s, um, great. And…Omni?”
Sighing, Eldri leans back in his chair. “I would suggest you forget about him. His fate is sealed.”
Cold tendrils of panic slither around my stomach. “Sealed?! What does that mean?”
“He’s going to spend the rest of his life in one of the UGC prison colonies.”
“But…he did nothing wrong! And what about a trial? Don’t you guys believe in innocent until proven guilty?”
Eldri shakes his head. “As a former member of the UGC peacekeeping forces, Omni is exempt from civilian trials. Besides, the charges against him are of the most serious nature, and the evidence,” he indicates me, “is undeniable.”
“You mean you court-martialed him for kidnapping me?” Fear envelops me, icy dread filling my veins. “But he didn’t do it! I snuck onto that ship. He didn’t even know I was there until we’d already left Earth. You have to do something. He’s innocent.”
Eldri’s mouth curls up in the corner as he smiles apologetically. “I can assure you he is not innocent and, while he might not be at fault directly, the result remains the same. He removed a member of a primitive species from a planet protected by the Non-Interference Directive. There’s no defense against it. Had he not renounced his title, he would still have diplomatic immunity and could petition to be sent to his home planet, but since the Quintran royal family no longer recognizes him as a member, there’s no chance on that front.”
“Title?” I repeat, confusion briefly chasing away the overwhelming panic. “Wait, did you say royal family?”
“He didn’t tell you?” Eldri asks, quirking his scaly brow. “Ka’Omnireth was the crown prince back on his planet, set to take the throne from his mother until he decided that being apolitical figurehead was…unfulfilling. He renounced his title and fled the planet to join the UGC corps. In return, the Quintran royal family cut all ties with him, removing him from the list of people protected by diplomatic immunity.”
A prince? I fucked a prince? An alien fucking prince? Christ on a cracker!
Realizing none of this matters now, I reel my thoughts back in. “There must be something someone can do. How can he be charged with life in prison for a crime he didn’t actually commit? What kind of fucked-up justice system do you morons have out here?!” I probably shouldn’t be yelling at, or insulting the most powerful alien in the vicinity, especially not one that could snap me in half without breaking a sweat, but I just can’t help myself.
“There are no legal ways to free Omni,” Eldri says. Despite the finality of his words, he keeps watching me expectantly, his eyes boring into me as if trying to convey some hidden meaning. “The law must be upheld. You would do best to consent to the memory wipe. Forget all about him and return home to your regular life.”
“Never,” I shoot back without hesitation. I have nothing back on Earth to return to. I want Omni and I’m getting him back. Eldri said there were no legal ways to free Omni? Well, then I guess it’s time for an illegal one. I don’t have the slightest clue how to break someone out of prison but, a thought suddenly hits me, I know of people who do. Omni’s crew. They’re more than just his crew, they’re his friends, and since they’re all former special ops, surely, they’d be able to rescue him from wherever this stupidly unfair legal system lands him. But how do I find them without getting killed or kidnapped myself?
“It’s a good thing Omni’s captain isn’t around,” Eldri suddenly says. Confused, I stare at him. Can he read my mind? Or is he just thinking the same thing I am? Trying to warn me off contacting a bunch of people who, in his eyes, are criminals?“Zarkan and I go way back,” he continues fondly. “He would do anything to free a member of his crew, and we can’t have that now, can we?”
I blink. Then blink again as my mind recalibrates with the new revelation. Eldri isn’t warning me off. He’s…helping me? “Yes,” I agree slowly, “it’s a good thing Omni’s crew isn’t around. They sound like dangerous criminals, best to be avoided. You wouldn’t happen to know their whereabouts, would you? Just so I don’taccidentallyrun into them,” I throw out the bait, praying to all gods in existence that I read the admiral’s intentions correctly.
Eldri grins, relieved I caught up. “Yes, they are very dangerous,” he agrees, ostentatiously looking behind me. Turning, I follow his gaze to an inconspicuous segment of the wall, unsure what it means. Is there surveillance in this room? Is that why he has to talk in circles, so as not to implicate himself? With a shrug, I decide it doesn’t really matter. As long as he’s helping, he can be as weird as he wants. “Last reports claim the Supernova was at the Schloppe station. A seedy place outside of the UGC’s sphere of influence. It’s a good thing you won’t be traveling there because it’s extremely dangerous for a lone human. They’re more likely to be captured by slavers than enjoy the sights.”
