Veiled Vixen: Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Harem Station Book 6)

by JA Huss

  “We have to do something. This war has just started, you guys. You don’t understand. Booty, Tray, Asshole… they’re still out there beyond the gate. The Cygnians are still out there. The Akeelians are still out there. That’s the real us versus them. Not this.” I pan my arms wide. “ALCOR brought everyone here so we could stick together. Not fight each other. Because all those people who have been waiting patiently for all these years—this is their grand moment. Don’t you get it?”

  Crux just stares at me with narrow eyes. Then he nods his head towards Veila. “And now you’re going to tell us that she’s on our side?”

  “I am,” Veila says. “You don’t understand what they were doing to me to make me—”

  “Evil?” Lyra sneers. “You’re sick, Veila. You’re the reason we’re here in the first place. Using Tycho to get to Delphi?” Lyra makes a grunt of disgust. “I don’t know why Valor hasn’t killed you yet, since he was so sure that was his only purpose in life just a few spins ago, but trust me on this.” Lyra clenches her jaw. “You. Are not. One of us. And you will not live through this.”

  “I don’t even care anymore,” Veila says. “If you think I wanted to be a psychotic silver princess, then… fuck you. I didn’t get a choice.” Then she looks straight at Crux. “You.” She points at him, takes a few steps forward. “You are the one who ruined my life when you helped Corla escape. Then you all just took off to hide behind the skirts of an insane AI. Safe. No worries at all. And you left me behind on Wayward Station to be used up and turned into this!”

  She turns to Serpint. Points at him next. “And you! You stole her. Again! I had just gotten her back. I was this close to finally freeing myself—by myself—from the hell they had locked me into. And what did you assholes do? Shuttled her to safety. Again. And left me there. Again. To deal with the consequences of that. So if you want to know why I am the way I am, look at yourselves. You did this to me. You made me this person when you left me behind.”

  “She never said anything about you,” Crux says. “She never even mentioned you, Veila. So how do we even know you’re telling the truth? You could’ve taken our side when you first brought Jimmy to Lair Station and you didn’t. You…” He shakes his head at her. “You did unspeakable things to him, just like you were doing unspeakable things to all those Akeelian boys! Would someone please, for the love of the fucking sun, turn off those fucking alarms?”

  The room goes silent. But far off in the distant levels and corridors of the station, the alarms continue to blare.

  “Of course she never mentioned me,” Veila snaps, her voice too loud in the relative silence. “Why should she have ever thought about me? I was just her older sister. Not the seventh. Not in line for the goddamned crown! I was no one. Just one more pink girl in her entourage. You were there, Crux. You saw me. I was nobody. Until she was gone and then… then I was all they had left.”

  “We don’t have time for this,” I say. “Luck is already invading. He’s going to go through the spin node and leave the rest of us behind. And fuck it. Fine. He needs to save Nyleena and his kids, so whatever. But if he’s not here to accept our surrender and negotiate terms—”

  “Negotiate terms?” Serpint guffaws up at the ceiling.

  “We’re surrendering,” I say.

  “We’re not surrendering,” Serpint growls back. “Luck isn’t interested in negotiations. He’s got almost everything he needs down there. And once he gets to level one twenty-two and reaches the spin node, he’s going to leave us behind.”

  “He might,” I admit. “But we’re going to entice Delphi and Jimmy over to our side with Tycho.”

  “Just another pawn,” Lyra sneers at Veila.

  “He’ll be fine once they are reunited,” Veila says. “Trust me.”

  “How could anyone trust you, Veila?” Lyra asks. “You’ve done nothing but lie—”

  “I’ve done nothing but survive! Just like you have! Only I had to do it alone!” Veila snaps her fingers at a borg. “Bring Tycho here. Now. We’re going to take him down to Delphi. That should at least buy us some time to put the rest of the plan into motion.”

  Half of her borg guard leaves, the other half remains behind.

  “Listen to me,” I say, aiming my words at Crux. “We need to make an announcement and we need a way to do that so everyone can see us and hear us. We’re going to tell them that we surrender and that we’re still Harem Station. Period. End of story. We stand together or fall together. Once everyone understands that there’s bigger problems heading our way, they will get on board!”

  Both Crux and Serpint are shaking their heads.

  “The memorial service announcement system,” Baby says, before they can object again. “We could put everyone on the memorial service platform, but instead of flying upward to the top of the station, we go down. Talk to them directly. And we blast it on all the screens.”

  “The screens aren’t even working,” Crux says. “Nothing’s actually working right now. We don’t even know how much air we have left.”

  “I can patch them up long enough to get the message out. And if we get things back under control and the Succubus stops fighting me, we can fix it. All of it is fixable. We just don’t have access. But she’s very close now. She and Flicka will fully infiltrate me in less than thirty minutes. And Crux… I understand your hesitation based on my past actions. But do you really want to hand over this entire station to an outsider?”

  Crux turns his back to us and takes a deep breath. He spends several precious seconds trying to think things through.

  But he has to know. This is the only way to stop the internal war between us.

  “Crux,” I say. “Come on. We have to stick together. Bigger threats are on the way. Do you really want the Akeelians and Cygnians to take over Harem Station?”

  “That’s not gonna happen,” he says, turning back to us. “The gates are locked. They can’t get in.”

  “Uh…” We all look at Serpint. “That’s not entirely true. There’s a back door, remember?”

  “No one knows how to get through the second gate.”

  “Wrong again,” Serpint says. “I know how. ALCOR showed me the way when I was coming home from Cetus Station with Corla.”

  “And you’re here.”

  “But Asshole’s not here. We don’t know where he is. And he has to know about the back door. There’s just no way he doesn’t. So Valor is right. We’re not really safe here. They are coming. And we can’t be in the middle of a civil war when they arrive.” Serpint eyes Veila with suspicion. “I don’t trust her.” Then he eyes me. “And I’m not sure I trust you either, all things considered. For all I know, we’re surrendering so Veila can get access to the spin node, get Luck and Nyleena to take her to Earth, and leave us all behind to clean up her mess. Again.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Veila sneers.

  “Why not?” Serpint grunts.

  Veila sucks in a long, tired breath and when she lets it out, she says, “Because I no longer need to go to Earth.”

  Everyone in the room, except for me and Veila, narrows their eyes in confusion.

  “I’m no longer pregnant. There is nothing for me on Earth. In fact, I wish I had never even heard of that place.”

  Crux looks at me. I nod. “It’s true. She… she lost the babies yesterday. That’s why I didn’t come back right away. She almost died. And there are no humans on her ship. It’s nothing but borgs and bots. She’s all alone, you guys. Just doing the best she can.” Then I look at Lyra, hoping that she, at least, will understand. “That’s how they turned her silver. They got her pregnant.”

  “What?” Lyra says, looking at Veila.

  “It’s true,” Veila admits. “They’ve been keeping me pregnant all this time. Ever since Corla went into that spin node twenty-one years ago.”

  “But…”

  “No,” Veila tells Lyra. “No. I don’t bring them to term. They all… end up the same way. And th
en I go back to pink, and the Akeelians start the process all over again to make me silver.”

  “Shit,” Lyra says. “Fuck. I didn’t know, Veila. I’m… sorry. That sucks.”

  Veila nods, but takes a deep breath and says, “I hate them as much as you do. I never asked for this life. Just like you guys. I was just a pawn. Just a means to an end. And I’m done. I don’t even care if I die here, or there, or wherever. It would be a relief to die. At least then it would be over. But if they come through that gate, if they find me here… they’ll just keep going. And trust me, if they figure out that Nyleena is here and Luck is her soulmate and that he has access to the flowers… well. Let’s just say what they did to me will pale in comparison to what they will do to her. They will get her pregnant and—”

  “She’s already pregnant,” I whisper.

  “Oh,” Veila says. Pauses. “Well, then if they come and find her she will never see the light of the sun again. She will be locked up and turned into… me. And those children will just be the next generation in their sick scheme.”

  “Set up the platform,” Crux tells Baby. “We’re going to surrender. It’s the only thing we can do.”

  “It’s done,” Baby says in a somber voice. “But we must hurry now. Flicka and Succubus are very close to succeeding.”

  “We need to get Luck and Nyleena through that spin node,” I say. “At least they can be safe.”

  “I agree,” Crux says.

  “Me too,” Serpint adds. “If they’re the only ones who live through this then even if we lose… we win.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - VALOR

  The alarms are still blaring loudly outside in the hallway outside the harem room. Baby turns them off as we move forward towards the memorial service platform, which is stationary and located at the top of the station when not in use for a ceremony. But the alarms are on an automatic backup circuit and cannot be turned off as long as the emergency is still in progress.

  We have since learned that the alarms are due to the loss of breathable air at the top of the station and by the time we are all situated on the platform and ready for the announcement, we are breathing heavy with exertion and lack of oxygen.

  “We need to go down,” Lyra pants. “I can’t breathe!”

  “Just take slow, shallow breaths,” Serpint says, holding her hand. “We’re going now.”

  Crux looks at us. “Are we ready for this?”

  We all nod, even though I’m not sure we could ever be ready for what’s coming. We barely understand what’s happening.

  “OK,” Crux says. He stands in the center of the platform facing the direction we’ll be traveling and the rest of us stand shoulder to shoulder so we make a circle. Lyra on his right, then Serpint, then Veila, then me.

  It occurs to me in this moment. Just as the platform begins to descend, that we—all of us here on this platform—we are the most hated people on this station right now.

  And as we lower down and Crux begins to talk—

  “Attention,” he says. “Please. I need your attention.”

  —even the people on our side begin to jeer and boo.

  “We are going to surrender to Luck. We will be—”

  But the collective yelling—all the millions of people on this station in unison—all but drowns him out.

  “Listen!” Crux says, his voice amplified through the various sound systems, his face—all our faces—on every screen that’s still working. “We have to stand together! This war between us must end so we can prepare—”

  Something comes hurtling through the air at us. Serpint shoots it mid-air with a plasma pistol, and it shatters, raining hot, flaming debris down on our heads. I cover Veila, and Serpint does the same for Lyra.

  Crux continues to talk.

  But no one is listening.

  We are several levels below where we started and moving forward to make a long journey around the ring so everyone can hear and see Crux deliver his message at least for a moment. It’s easier to breathe now, but it’s clear that people above us are gasping for breath and beginning to panic. They start rushing the various non-moving escalators, desperate for air.

  But news of the air issue travels fast and within seconds the upper levels are mass panic and confusion. A riot of fearful people who want to get down to a lower level.

  People at the top start jumping over the side, maybe assuming the safety bots will catch them, but they’re not working right. Baby is barely in control of the announcement system.

  And as soon as everyone realizes this, the screaming becomes louder and the rush to the escalators turns into a riot for survival.

  Then, because the bodies that fell—and continue to fall as we descend—hit the bottom of the station, another wave of panic comes up from down below.

  This is not going well.

  “Oh, my God!” Lyra says. “What do we do?”

  “Keep going!” I yell. “We have to get it under control or everyone will die! Just keep talking, Crux! Make them hear you!”

  “Please,” Crux yells. But the lights—which were already low and near emergency levels—are flickering and suddenly his voice is no longer being amplified and the screens blank out into meaningless static.

  That’s when I notice fingertips gripping the side of the platform. We are still descending and moving forward through the ring of the station. But somehow people are underneath us. Clawing their way up and over the ledge of the platform.

  And then I see forearms. And a foot comes over the side. Then another and another and then…

  Heads.

  People on the platform with us.

  And every single one of them is a princess.

  An angry Cygnian princess aiming their weapons as they rush the center of the platform where we’re standing.

  Serpint fires first and a girl in tactical gear with long golden hair and blazing yellow eyes is hit in the chest. She goes careening backwards, stumbling.

  My hand goes out automatically to pull her back, even though I’m not anywhere close to her.

  And then she falls over the edge.

  There’s an audible gasp in the station. Then screaming. And finally, once her body hits the bottom, a roar of anger from below. A battle call.

  More and more princesses rush us.

  We all have our weapons out now. Even Veila has pulled a SEAR knife from some hidden place on her body and dialed it up to sword length.

  Lyra has a rifle and she’s shooting them, two and three at a time. Just dragging the line of plasma across their bodies. Thick, black scorch marks penetrate their chests.

  She will hate herself later for this. But not now.

  Now the only thing on our minds is living long enough to feel that guilt.

  Crux is screaming now. “Stop! Stop! We’re all on the same side!”

  But no one hears him.

  This is the heat of battle. Who is on what side doesn’t matter anymore. Everyone in the station is fighting. Everyone.

  Each level is nothing but a riot of anger and killing. Bodies packed together twenty, thirty deep. Blood, and screaming, and the smell of plasma fire and burning flesh.

  People from above are still throwing themselves over the side. It’s either that or suffocate from the lack of air, and that only sparks more anger and heat from below as the bodies fall past. A reminder to anyone with any wits about them that this is it.

  It’s over.

  Their life on Harem Station is over.

  And what did we expect, really? How could this end any other way?

  Millions of violent outlaws on one secluded station? Are you kidding me? We all knew what ALCOR was doing when he made the decision to bring in the most dangerous people in the galaxy and offer them sanctuary.

  He was building an army.

  The most ruthless army imaginable. One that had no banner to stand under. One that had no loyalties beyond the all-powerful AI who left them to die here in the middle of some desolate sector of space with
no hope of rescue. Cut off from everyone and everything like prisoners.

  We did this. We built this place.

  And now that army of prisoners has turned against us.

  Turned against each other too.

  I look around. Lyra’s eyes are lit up bright pink. Twin beams of light shooting through the darkness with anger and fear. And Veila’s eyes are the same, only they are white now. Just pure uncolored white. Her mouth open in a scream as a group of princesses rush toward us.

  Crux and Serpint are back to back. Circling and shooting. The light within them makes a violet bubble around their bodies.

  And then I look down and realize that I’m doing it too.

  I am a bubble of purple light.

  I look up again and the pack of princesses are almost upon me. Then Veila is there, her SEAR sword cutting three of them clean in half. And the others go down in a mass of burning flesh as Lyra’s plasma rifle burns them black.

  I turn, find Veila’s eyes. She’s afraid, I realize. That is the face of fear. Not the evil silver princess I’ve seen in the past.

  She is suddenly small. So small.

  But the light from her eyes glows brighter. And I feel it.

  Maybe for the first time ever.

  I feel the power inside her.

  I know what she is and it’s about to cut loose.

  Then a flash of red hair.

  I turn and everything is in slow motion. Captain Red is flying through the air at Veila like a fucking winged beast. And in her hand is a SEAR sword too. Her arm is in mid-arc as she swipes it towards Veila’s neck, fully intending on beheading the one girl in this sun-fucked universe who belongs to me.

  I reach for Veila just as she sees the attack.

  I take her hand, pull her hard, and then—

  —white light.

  Nothing but brilliant white light.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - VALOR

  Her hand is still in mine. I squeeze it and she squeezes back. That’s the only clue I have that I’m still alive. Still real. Still…somewhere.