Page 64 of Swept By The Alien Pirate Prince

“In other words, my brothers, meet our new matchmakers. There will be no more delay in acquiring a bride for any of us,” I said solemnly, feeling the weight of the matter acutely myself. My emotions on the subject were still floating up in the air and up for debate.

A hush fell over the room as the moment sank in. It was true. We were each of us well-acquainted with our mission. The future of our race depended upon our success in locating human mates, who were, incredibly, immune to the virus which had devastated our race, and producing virally resistant offspring. We were out of resources, out of options.

“And what qualifies as a ‘perfect match’?” Darbnix inquired, popping the knuckles of his large dark hands, an expression of concern crossing his face. He frowned skeptically. The watch lizard on his arm had returned to its post at his shoulder, tensing nervously as it mimicked the apprehension of its master. Its huge glassy eyes harbored slits for pupils that dilated when the creature engaged in anxiety of any kind.

Lifiya chewed her lip for a moment before continuing. Perhaps it might have been a nervous habit. Perhaps it was the pressure of promoting the device.

“What we have concerned ourselves with in this endeavor was genetic compatibility—locating an individual with whom you’ll have the most success in producing healthy offspring. I understand that there are other factors involved in the mating process...” She trailed off as she assessed the response and reaction of the assembly in front of her.

Darbnix gave a humorless laugh that was laced with palpable cynical flair.

“However, such matters are certainly not the province of science,” she finished. I noticed how her throat moved as she took a hard swallow.

“So, you’re saying that this trifling gadget” —Rawklix gestured at the scanner, which was now on the glass-like surface of the table before us— “could match us with a warty, bearded pit-dweller and we’ll have no choice but to bed them?”

The unease rolled through each of my brothers at the notion that their choice of future bride was now left so blindly to science. The scenario didn’t sit well with any of us, and I mentally stewed in my seat, stoically adhering to serenity. I wanted to fully understand the device and how it worked before I made any knee-jerk conclusions.

Suddenly, Darbnix let loose a loud laugh, the force of it sending his lizard scrambling up to perch in Darbnix’s short brown hair. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, boy. As wet behind the ears as you are, Rawklix, you should be happy for any woman who will take you.” It was common for him to playfully tease his brother in a patronizing way.

“Perhaps I should stick to animals then, like you, Darbnix?” Rawklix sneered. He was always easily defensive. Quippy retorts came naturally to him, and I found them at the very least amusing as long as I wasn’t the one facing the backlash.

Darbnix barely registered the insult, but the little lizard on his arm shimmered to a brilliant fiery red and launched itself at Rawklix, hissing and biting as he struggled to shake free of it. The little creature was feisty and animated as it enthusiastically thrashed on top of Rawklix.

“Argh!Call off your vile little worm!” Rawklix shouted, spitting as his hair became askew and disheveled in the struggle. His cheeks burned bright red with fresh fury.

Laughing, Darbnix reached out and grabbed the lizard by the tail. “Come, Vigo, let the boy and his wounded ego alone. We wouldn’t want to scratch that pretty face, after all.” The lizard emitted a strange clicking, shimmering back to blue, and settled on Darbnix’s arm. It perched there with smug satisfaction.

I stood. “Enough squabbling. Rawklix—all of you—thisis our duty. It doesn’t matter what we sacrifice in the process. We must do what is right by our planet and by our people. The seven of us are the best chance of survival for Trilynia. If that means you must compromise your shallow standards, Rawklix, then you will do so without complaint, for there are far greater consequences at stake.” My voice left little room for debate. This was a somber subject, but I wasn’t going to stand idly by as I watched my planet deplete of living beings who no longer had the ability to procreate.

“And what is so wrong with satisfying my own standards in a mate as well as those demanded of me by Trilynia? I’m perfectly capable of finding a woman. Why must I obey some gadget?” Rileen was confrontational and morose. He always asked questions. He never took no for an answer.

“There are 14 billion humans on Earth, and roughly half of those are females. Divided evenly among us, that is still approximately one billion human women for each of us to weed through,” I answered patiently so that he would finally see the point. “Under ideal circumstances, we would all have the freedom to select the mate of our choice, but these are not those circumstances. We have had more than enough time to find brides in the typical way and none of us has done so. Results are due now, and it is our responsibility to deliver. Having the choice taken from you... well, I don’t expect any of you to be happy about the situation, but I do expect you to honor your duties,” I finished soberly.

No one contradicted me, even Rawklix, as we all thought back to the state of our home planet two dwarf stars away. I was the eldest brother. In the end, I was the established voice of reason. I had the final say in decisions made around this council table.

Life managed to continue on there, even with the looming threat of extinction, but we all knew that matters would not remain peaceful for long if we did not send word back soon of our success in locating mates. The people of this planet would be hunting for answers, and it was me and my brothers they would be looking to.

The Great Plan had been conceived by the Royal Council in one of the darkest hours of Trilynian history. The virus that had swept through our people had rendered the majority of our women infertile, and without the promise of a future, chaos had threatened to unravel the very fabric of our society. Panic rippled through the communities like a Tsunami wreaking havoc and flooding the areas around its destructive path.

Our expedition, the chance that we might be able to ensure the next generation of Trilyns, had reignited some small spark of hope. Hope might seem a trifling, sentimental notion, but without it, the worst of society emerged. Anger erupted in people’s minds. Chaos ensued. There were many protests.

“You are right, of course, Gardax,” Manzar, ever loyal, agreed. If I ever needed a right-hand man, he was the one I turned to. He was the one I could trust under any taxing situation.

“We’ll need some sort of system for this,” Lortnam added contemplatively. Among my brothers, his mind was the one most suited toward matters of organization and resource management. He was the type to always process and digest information and then carefully and measuredly come to the best solution.

“Agreed,” I answered. “We have already reached a diplomatic agreement with the Union of Terran Inhabitants. I think the matter should not be too complicated. Do any of you have suggestions?” I raised my eyebrows and scanned the room, tensing my muscles while I braced for impact.

“If I may interject, Your Highness,” Lifiya said, “It may clarify your plans to know that the scanners do have a significant range.”

“How significant?” I asked with intrigue.

She looked to her assistant, who meekly added, “Based upon the density of specimens in the environment, the range of accurate detection can fluctuate some, but approximate range is between 100 and 300 parcils, Your Highness.”

“Not bad.” I nodded. I was impressed with the measurements. A device so significant needed to be as precise and advanced as possible.

Akrawn, who had kept quiet until now, finally joined in. “I have been informed that excitement among the human females has begun to grow at the prospect of marriage to Trilyn Royalty.”

He folded his pale hands in front of him, coal-black hair falling around the harsh angles of his face. “Our society is wealthier, infinitely more technologically advanced, and we have none of the issues of political instability or resource mismanagement they do here on Earth. I say we have the upper hand. We should use it. Let them come to us. A contained space will also make detection easier.”

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