His Human Subject

by Stella Rising

  “I love you, too,” I say at last.

  Prust smiles, reaching down to clutch my tender ass. “Say you love your big, handsome, Dominar master.”

  Laughing, I reply, “I love my big, handsome, Dominar master.”

  * * *

  Prust and I spend most of the week wandering the forests and hills of Piskiron, then coming back to his residence to share our love.

  On the first day following the attack drill, half the colony decides to return to Earth.

  “It’s too dangerous to stay,” Vincent Robinson tells everyone from the stage.

  The next day, another quarter of the population begins packing their belongings and collecting souvenirs from their time here. The day after that, my parents admit to wanting to return, though they’ll stay with me if I want.

  “We’re so proud of you,” says Dad. “And I’m sorry if... my ambitions for you got in the way of your dreams.”

  “Thank you,” I reply, giving him a hug. “That means a lot. And thanks to you, I’ll always be the first human to settle a colony on another planet.”

  The day before Prust’s ship arrives, only a dozen holdouts are left. Most everyone has a good reason for leaving, from their safety to just not wanting to be left behind, but a few of the loners like the idea of having nearly a whole planet to themselves.

  That night, Prust and I break into the last bottle of wine from our luxury rations.

  “Where’s Dani?” I ask. I haven’t seen her all day, and if this is her last night on New Earth, I may never see her again.

  “She’s out,” says Prust, bringing over glasses. “She’s been talking to the holdouts, on your behalf. She’s a true friend.”

  “Yeah,” I mumble, blinking away tears. “The best. Any idea how many are left to convince?”

  Prust sighs. “Just one: Tim.”

  Oh, shit. It wasn’t very long ago he wanted passage back to Earth, but I convinced him to stay here.

  For the last six years I’ve dreamed about being here with you all, and I’ll never give it up, no matter what, he told the colony, accepting the likelihood of limping for the rest of his life.

  “We should go find her,” I say.

  Shaking his head, Prust takes my hand. “She said not to wait up.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Prust and I watch as the colonists load their belongings onto the Bountiful Harvest. When I turn back to the colony, it already looks like a ghost town. It’s hard to believe we only arrived a few months ago. The time went by so quickly.

  Dani comes up to me as the last of the colonists finish boarding, a solemn look on her face.

  “It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” she says.

  I nod. “Yeah. I don’t know what I’ll do now.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.”

  “That’s true,” I laugh. “That might be the problem.”

  Dani chuckles too. Then she pulls me in for a hug. “Hey, you did the best you could.”

  It’s a small comfort. Our empty settlement will stand on Piskiron for centuries, a monument to my mistakes.

  As she pats my back, I spot Tim limping toward the ship with a brown box tucked under his arm. “Ladies!” he shouts. “What are you two waiting for?”

  Dani takes my hand. “Come on,” she says. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Prust holds my hand as the studio lights brighten. The audience cheers. I shift in my seat, self-conscious in a way-too-expensive black crepe couture dress. It’s the least practical outfit I’ve worn in years, but it matches the thin telerings around my wrists.

  “Our guests tonight need no introduction—because they were both here very recently!” jokes Avyria.

  Yeah, I guess I deserve that.

  “Please welcome back to Our Earth, both here in Los Angeles and in the Sol System, Alexis Miller and Councilor Prust!”

  We stand up, waving to the audience. They applaud enthusiastically—a much warmer reception than the one I got in New York. Avyria can poke fun at how little time has gone by, but a lot’s changed. I’m not the same person I was then.

  “Thank you,” I say. “It’s good to be back.”

  The Bountiful Harvest landed seventy-two hours ago. I’ve slept maybe six hours since then. If not for my nanites, I’d probably be passed out on the floor. And it’s not like Prust and I got much sleep on the trip here...

  “Is it surreal?” Avyria asks. “Or is this all still pretty familiar?”

  “Oh, it’s surreal. After what we experienced, it’s hard to go back to normal just like that.”

  Prust nods. “It was an adventure, for sure.”

  Smiling, Avyria says, “Please, tell us. Your colonists have been interviewed and we’ve heard their side of the story, but what was it like from your perspective, Ms. Miller? The floor is yours.”

  How could I possibly sum up the last three months in less than an hour?

  You’re gonna help me with this, right? I ask Prust via our nanites.

  Of course, pet. Just start from the beginning.

  * * *

  I tell as much as I can, both the good and the bad: the thrill of living on a new world, my struggles learning how to lead and falling for Prust despite our contradictory goals. While Prust and I speak, Avyria plays videos taken by the colonists that had been sent back home: everything from building homes to hunting t-dogs, from laughter around a campfire to Dr. Green treating scratches and scrapes. I used to dream the footage would draw more people to our colony, but that was before Vahree’s arrival, and the end of New Earth.

  “So when you were on the exile’s ship, even knowing Prust was aboard with you, were you scared?”

  “I think so, yeah. In that kind of situation, it’s hard not to be. But being able to rely on Prust helped me stay calm, that day and every day since.”

  “And I knew I could count on her to be brave and do what was right,” says Prust. “We make a good team.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Several thousand former fans of mine probably just threw something at their television. I’ve probably lost three-quarters of my social media followers in less time than it takes to bake a potato. I could have posted something to prepare them for this interview—I could have warned them everything they’ve heard so far has been true. Maybe someday I’ll wish I had, but I doubt it.

  “If not for your personal connection you two forged, what do you think would have happened on Piskiron?” asks Avyria.

  Prust smiles and pats my thigh. “I think you should field this one.”

  I sigh. “Honestly, it would have been a huge disaster. That’s not a knock on any one person who was there—it’s a testament to Prust’s wisdom and guidance. If someone had been in charge, either myself or someone else, who didn’t believe him about the Venai exiles, it could have gone very badly for us. I owe him a real debt; without him, I’d be haunted by the names of the lost. But we’re all here, safe on Earth.”

  “Everyone’s fortunate that you were willing to listen, eventually,” says Prust, eliciting some much-needed laughter from the audience. “I hope all of humanity will believe us now, that the Blight is a dangerous place. No one belongs out there—especially members of a well-meaning, young species.”

  Avyria turns to Prust. “Now that you’re back, Councilor, what are your plans?”

  He lifts his hand and mine into the air. “I’m going to reside here for now, with Alexis. Humanity has made great progress since our arrival six years ago. Earth has become a better place, and it’s not because aliens took over and forced it to—but because its people learned and grew, just like Alexis. So I’m going to stay here and help until the job is done. I’ll stay until Earth is the beautiful home for humanity it was always meant to be.”

  “Building a new home from scratch is a lot harder than fixing the one you have,” I add. “Trust me on that.”

  The audience chuckles, then claps. I smile at them, placing my ha
nd over my heart in gratitude.

  “Alexis, I have a question I think a lot of people at home are curious about,” says Avyria. “After everything you’ve experienced, what would you say to the people who have followed you and believed in your goals throughout the past few years?”

  I blow out my breath and nod sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s a good question. I’m sure right now they’re feeling betrayed and disappointed. I know they sincerely believe that they deserve to be free, and I’m the last person they want to hear tell them that their goals are misplaced. I’ve had lots of time to think about the mistakes I’ve made, and I think they all come from the same place. I refused to believe the Dominars could be good, and I assumed I knew better than everyone else. I was a bit blind to reality, and as a result I could have ruined the lives of a thousand people. Being willing to listen and learn, that’s what saved me. Both from the Venai and myself.”

  Avyria nods and claps along with the audience’s applause.

  Prust says, “I’d like to add, I think Alexis has grown so much in such a short time. Three months is nothing in a lifespan. At the same time, six years is nothing for a civilization, but in that time humanity has taken huge steps forward. I know that someday in the not distant future, humanity will no longer need guidance from the Dominars. I know you will be capable of coexisting peacefully with the planet, with us, and with yourselves—and that’s all we want.”

  I smile, the audience and me clapping for Prust.

  “Some people will say New Earth was a failure, but that’s not entirely true,” he continues. “Humanity simply wasn’t ready to colonize an unforgiving world in the Blight. But the colonists did a great job of banding together to make their new world their home. That singular focus on a shared goal made them a huge success, and everyone back here should take note. When people work together, dreams become possibilities.”

  “And if my mistakes can keep others from making them in the future,” I say, “then I’ll be happy to be called a failure.”

  “Thank you both,” says Avyria. She looks to the main camera and says, “We’ll be back in a moment.”

  The spotlights fade and the studio’s house lights brighten.

  That was a great interview, she says to Prust and me via nanite. I’d like to have some Q&A, if you’re up to it.

  Prust grins. Of course.

  Me too.

  There’s one way I haven’t changed: I’ve still got plenty to say.

  * * *

  After the show, Prust carries me to his bed and lets me sleep for a while, using his lap as a pillow. Most of the colonists are staying with relatives, like Dani, or in temporary housing. I’m staying with Prust in his VIP suite in the Beacon.

  “So, what now?” he asks when I come to.

  I laugh. “I guess the AAL’s going to have to find a new spokeswoman. So I don’t know.”

  “You could travel the world, tell people about your experience,” Prust suggests.

  “Yeah, maybe. Or I could write a book about it. Or both.”

  I’ve considered the latter a few times since we got back. I’m sure half the colonists have been approached for book deals by now. It’ll probably be a race to see who can write theirs first. At the moment, I’m too tired to even imagine such an undertaking.

  “I’m definitely not done talking to people,” I say. “They call me Rockstar for a reason.”

  Prust pulls off my dress and lays it out carefully on the dresser. “What are you going to tell them about us?” he asks, rubbing his thumbs over my telerings. “You going to be honest about my teaching methods?”

  I reach across his bed and toss a pillow at him. “I may gloss over those parts, sir.”

  “I don’t see why you’d do that,” he teases, throwing the pillow back.

  “It would detract from the part where I fall in love with a compassionate, handsome alien,” I say. “Who’s also a jerk sometimes.”

  He laughs. “Oh, is he? Well, that’s too bad. If all your legions of former fans knew you turned your back on them for some jerk...”

  I wrap my arms around him and stand on my toes to kiss him. “It’s okay, sir. You’re worth it.”

  He hugs me tight to him, breathing in traces of floral perfume on my skin. He uses his nanites to dim the lights in our room, allowing starlight to filter in through the windows.

  As we kiss, I say goodbye to New Earth and hello to an unpredictable, exciting new future. It’s one I never could have imagined—in love with and loved by an alien—but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

  The End

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