Stolen by the Alien Raider: A Novel of the Silent Empire

by Chase, Leslie

  Servants approached as though that had been a signal, and for all I knew it had been. A pair of them placed a bowl of soup in front of each of us, moving silently. Xeraxis paid the servants absolutely no attention, even when I thanked mine.

  Tentatively, I tasted the soup. It was strange, a flavor I'd never tasted before — not really a surprise, out here in space and far from Earth. Something savory, with a delicate taste I kept trying to place but couldn't. Whatever it was, Xeraxis was right about his chefs. It was delicious beyond words, and before I knew it I'd finished the bowl.

  "You didn't answer my question," I said as I put down the spoon. The prince sighed.

  "Since you won't give up, I suppose we may as well talk over dinner. To start, then, let me ask a question. Do you want to go home?"

  A surge of hope flooded through me and I crushed it ruthlessly. Don't let him hook you that easy, I told myself. But I couldn't hide my reaction and lying about it would be pointless. "Yes, of course I do. But I can't, can I?"

  "Not with the ASP," Xeraxis agreed as his servants brought out the next course. Some kind of roast, finely sliced, with unrecognizable vegetables arrayed around it on the plate. Another servant poured wine, and I had no doubt that it would go perfectly with the dish. Their effortless competence was both intimidating and distracting, and I tried to focus on the conversation.

  "Are you saying that you can get me home?" I asked. Kadran had made it clear that he didn't want to take me back to Earth, and while I wasn't going to trust Xeraxis, if he could...

  A pang in my heart made me wonder if that was really what I wanted now. It would mean leaving Kadran behind, after all. But I had to at least hear Prince Xeraxis out, I owed myself that. Maybe he had an answer to my questions. Even if he didn't, I could hardly make a choice when I didn't know what my options were.

  "I can bring you back to your homeworld, certainly," the prince said, delicately sipping his wine. "Indeed, nothing would give me greater pleasure. The foolish rules of the ASP get in the way more than they help, I find. But they do require some careful thought to circumvent."

  I took a mouthful of the meat, and it was as delicious as I'd expected. God, I'd missed real food — not that I'd ever eaten anything so wonderful at home. Xeraxis smiled as he looked at me, and I caught a hint of the predator in his gaze.

  "Many of my family have turned against me, you see," he continued, the undertone of his anger growing stronger. "As well as the aliens outside the Empire's borders. The ASP may have lofty goals, but their allies wield them as a club against me. If I simply take you home, they will have all the excuse they need to finish destroying me."

  I knew a price was coming, but not what kind. Looking at him across the table, I motioned for him to continue. Let's hear it, then.

  Instead of speaking, he stood and stepped around the table, reaching for my hand. His grip was soft, gentle, and somehow unnerving in a way that Kadran's firm strength had never been.

  "If I try to return you as a simple kidnapping victim, I will have broken many laws," he said, and surprised me by bowing over my hand. "But no one can possibly object to me taking my wife back to her homeworld."

  17

  Kadran

  By the time I reached the shrine I was out of breath, charging heedlessly ahead with no concern for what I might blunder into. It didn't matter. By the time I reached it, the chamber was empty.

  I skidded to a halt at the feet of the statue of the Empress, glaring up at the silently watching face of the woman who ruled so much of the galaxy from her stasis-coffin. The woman whose descendants had caused me so much pain.

  "Where is she?" I whispered. The rage bubbled up inside me, pressing against my hard-learned defenses and threatening to overwhelm them. My next words came out as a roar. "Where is my Amy?"

  I slammed my fist into the statue's pedestal, using the pain to fight for control. Someone had taken her from me. Someone had stolen her away. Drezz? Perhaps, though if it was him I'd have expected an ambush to be waiting for me. Who else, though? Who else could even know that Amy was here to be looked for?

  The serene face of the Empress looked down at me and I snarled back. One thing was certain — I'd get no answers waiting around here.

  There was one place to look. Aside from myself and Amy, only one person had known where we were hiding. Even if the ship-priest hadn't betrayed us, she would be able to help me work out who had taken Amy.

  Given that her sprite had led me away, though, I didn't hold out much hope that she was innocent. The question wasn't whether she'd betrayed my trust, but why.

  The market was bustling when I arrived, full of all kinds of traders making their illicit deals in the shadow of imperial law. The Lament for Battles Unfought provided security to half the smugglers in the sector, and the amount of money the ship must be siphoning off those trades would be staggering. Of course, none of that wealth was of any use to the humans who commanded the Lament. Not without the resources to repair the ship, and no amount of mere money could buy that kind of power.

  Watchful eyes kept the market under observation nonetheless, ready to step in if someone threatened the flow of cash. I bought a cloak at the first clothing stall I could find, huddling under it and trying to look less threatening and angry than I was. Not knowing who my enemies were, I didn't want to attract any attention. Not until I had no choice about it.

  The crowd gave me cover to approach the ship-priest's stall, and I fought down my impatience as I waited for a chance to speak with her in private. She had to be the leak, and that meant that she might be able to tell me who had paid her to sell me out. As much as my hands itched to grab her and damn the consequences, I needed a defter touch than that.

  At last her final customer left, sidling out of the stall and vanishing into the crowd. The ship-priest was alone. I dropped the skewer of meat I'd bought to cover my wait and slipped into the stall.

  "Kadran," she said, golden eyes showing no hint of surprise. "I expected you sooner, to tell the truth."

  Her acolyte stood behind her, looking a good deal more afraid. But the two of them were not alone after all. A pair of newly hired guards, uncomfortable in their novices' robes, slipped in through the opposite side of the stall to face me. Huge, with bulging muscles and armor plates, they looked like thugs more than warriors but dangerous for all that. Cochedren, I recognized the species. Powerful but not usually skilled fighters — they were large and strong enough that they rarely had to learn to fight well.

  Which is the same reputation we Dyran have, I reminded myself. There was no reason that these ones couldn't have learned to fight as well as I had, and I couldn't afford to be overconfident. Not when Amy was counting on me.

  "I need guidance, Mother," I said formally, though I didn't even try to hide my anger. "Someone has taken from me."

  "Oh Kadran," the ship priest said, her voice low and sad. "You could have lost so much more. Right now you are free, and healthy, and your enemies know nothing of you. Have you come to throw those advantages away?"

  I snarled, stepping forward. "No need for threats, Mother. Just tell me who you sold me out to and why, and I will leave you be."

  "You know I can't do that. Confidentiality rules here, Kadran."

  That was too much for me to take.

  "Confidentiality?" I snarled the word, lunging forward. The two guards stepped into my way, arms raised, and I stopped just in time to avoid a fight. I glared past them. "You told Amy's enemies where to find her and now you're going to hide behind that lie? No. I will have an answer, Mother, if I have to tear it from your circuits."

  "I was careful, Kadran. Careful to keep you safely out of it. I could have had you killed rather than maneuvering you out of the way, you realize? Instead I made certain that you'd be safe. Even now I'm protecting you — security could be here, if I wished it. Take these gifts and go, Kadran. I will even pay your passage on a ship to a safe port."

  My breathing came fast, heavy, angry. Muscles tigh
tened, my hands balled into fists. Barely controlled fury boiled inside me. Yet I couldn't deny that she had a point. If she wanted me out of the way, she could have killed me, or at least tried to. Was it guilt that stopped her?

  It doesn't matter. Who cares what she's feeling? All I need to know is who she betrayed Amy to, and how to get her back. The guards were watching warily, tension written in their muscles, and I took a deep breath.

  "Fine," I told the ship priest. "You win. Charter me a ship to—"

  Without warning I lashed out with a low kick, taking the legs out from under the first Cochedren guard. His companion was a split-second too slow to respond, and I was on him as he grabbed for a weapon.

  My fist met his face with a satisfying crunch and the guard howled. His arm came up in a block and my second punch glanced harmlessly off as he struggled to recover his footing. The first guard hit the floor hard, breath knocked out of him, and I only had a few moments before he recovered. I had to make them count.

  Bracing himself, my opponent charged shoulder-first at me. My reflexes, honed by years of practice, took me out of his path and I slammed the heel of my palm into his side as he went by. His ribs bent but didn't break — Cochedren are tough. The impact changed his course, though, and he slammed into one of the stall's supports. Before he could recover, I was on him.

  Grabbing a length of cable I looped it around his neck and hauled back on it. Unfortunately, while he wasn't well trained there was nothing wrong with his instincts. One of his hands came up just in time, grabbing the cable and protecting his windpipe. I swore, pulling harder, choking him slowly.

  His companion was getting up, and against the two of them together I'd be in trouble. I had to finish this one quickly to stand a chance of victory. Driving a kick into the back of his knee, I forced him down. All my weight landed on his back and I wrenched on the cable. The guard slammed an elbow back into my ribs, bruising me painfully, but I didn't let that distract me. Grabbing the back of his head, I pushed it down, slamming him into the floor. Again. He thrashed under me. Again. He went still.

  I turned to face the other guard, just in time as he leaped at me. No time to dodge, his arms were around me before I could move. Squeezing with a terrible strength, the man lifted me off the floor with ease.

  "You killed my brother," he roared, squeezing harder. I couldn't breathe, couldn't fight. My arms were pinned to my sides and I could feel my ribs creaking.

  But strong as he was, he didn't know what he was doing. I slammed my head forward, connecting with his nose and snapping it. Gasping in pain, his grip loosened and I twisted free.

  He stumbled after me, hands grasping. Trained or not, he was no coward and a bit of pain wouldn't stop him. But he was slow, and clumsy. Another sweeping kick to the leg sent him to the floor, hard. It took him a second to get his bearings, and before he could recover I kicked him in the side of the head.

  Unconscious, he dropped beside his brother, and I turned back to the ship priest.

  "You will need to hire better guards than that if you want to keep a warrior away from you," I said, advancing towards her. For the first time she looked worried.

  "They should have been enough." She seemed almost offended that her bodyguards had only slowed me down. I snarled and took another step towards her. The acolyte stepped between us, brandishing a tiny knife as though that would stop me.

  "Put that down or I'll make you," I growled. She whimpered and dropped the knife, stepping aside.

  "All I want to know is who has Amy," I continued, addressing the priest. "Tell me that and I'll be no further trouble to you."

  "I cannot betray the ship," she answered, her calm cracking a little. "Take the money and your safety and go."

  "You know I will not. Do not make me prove it." My heart pounded, fists tightening, and I took another step forward. I towered over the priest and her acolyte and her golden eyes looked up at me. Challenging me to do something.

  "Stop!" It was the acolyte who spoke, voice desperate. "Don't — don't hurt her. It was the Prince. Lament for Battles Unfought wanted your Amy to go to Prince Xeraxis."

  I swore, red clouding my vision. That would do it. A ship-priest's first loyalty was to the ship they served, and if it was the Prince-Captain who wanted my Amy, then... damn it. Of course the ship-priest would sell us out as soon as she knew the ship had a direct interest. I should have thought of that possibility. But why? Why would an Imperial Prince want a random girl from an uncontacted planet?

  Of course, she hadn't been chosen at random. The bioscanner had picked her out, and Drezz's test had confirmed that she was who he'd been looking for. But what had he tested for?

  "What's the prince's interest in her?" I asked the acolyte. She opened her mouth to answer but the priest hissed at her and she fell silent.

  "You've already got the answer you came here for, Kadran," the ship-priest said, vibrating with anger and fear. "Now go. Go, please, or you will be the death of us all."

  I growled. What did I care for their lives after they'd sold out Amy? But I could see I would get no more from them and the fight had attracted too much attention. It wouldn't be long before the ship's security forces arrived.

  "I'll go," I told them. "But this isn't over. Not by a long shot."

  With that I ducked out of the side of the stall, hurrying out of the market and trying to work out the mystery. But that wasn't the most important thing. What really mattered was that I knew where she was.

  Now all I had to do was break into the household of an Imperial Prince and rescue her. It would be difficult, it might be impossible, but I knew where I needed to go.

  18

  Amy

  I looked at the prince, stunned. Food forgotten. Servants took the plates away as smoothly and silently as they'd brought them, and I barely noticed.

  "You can't be serious," I managed eventually, feeling a tremor run through my body. "You're asking me to marry you?"

  The prince smiled at me and nodded, straightening up but not releasing my hand. His face remained a picture of perfection. Untroubled by my shock, though there was a faint hint of concern in his eyes.

  Is that genuine, or is it just as artfully crafted as the rest of him? I couldn't tell. There was no way to read him.

  I stood abruptly, the chair overturning behind me. The whole room seemed to spin around me and I felt faint.

  "This is ridiculous, we don't even know each other," I said.

  "Do we need to?" he asked, as though it was a reasonable question. "You want to return to your homeworld. I can take you there, but only if we are wed. And I promise you, it will be a perfect wedding. The kind of thing that you could never have imagined."

  His voice was deep and calm, almost hypnotic, and I couldn't help imagining the ceremony he could be offering. This man was richer than anyone I'd ever met, possibly richer than anyone on Earth could be — his wedding would be a spectacle beyond my wildest dreams. The fanciest celebrity weddings I'd read about would pale by comparison.

  None of that mattered, of course. All I could think about was Kadran and the powerful intensity of his gaze. The way he made me feel. Did Xeraxis really think I'd just jump at him because he offered me a fancy wedding? Because he was rich?

  "You kidnapped me and you expect me to marry you?" I asked. "Do you think I'm so petty, so vain?"

  He raised an eyebrow, contriving to look amused with just a hint of hurt. That expression was as handsome and artificial as the rest of him. Looking around, I tried to spot a way out. Stupid. There was nowhere to run, not from Xeraxis. He owned the whole spaceship, and his security guards were the ones that had kidnapped me.

  "You don't understand, Amy," he said soothingly, as though he was talking to a skittish animal. That didn't make me like him any better. "I want to help you. To take you home. I promise you that this is the only way there, and that Kadran will not help you. His organization is dedicated to keeping uncontacted planets pure, untouched. They will not allow a woman w
ho has been to space return."

  I felt the conflict tear at me. Not a conflict between Xeraxis and Kadran — for all I cared Xeraxis could jump into the sun. But Earth, now that was a different matter. Could I leave my life, my friends, behind for Kadran? Could I count on Kadran to look after me? Without him I'd be helpless out here in space.

  If Xeraxis could take me home... wasn't that worth considering? A part of me said yes.

  But he wants to marry me. That thought would not leave my mind and looking at him I knew that he was used to getting what he wanted. This wasn't a man who heard 'no' very often, and I doubted he knew how to take it gracefully. I tried to buy time to think by asking more questions as I backed away towards the great window full of stars.

  "Why? Why would you do this for me?" I looked into his eyes, trying to get a grip on what he was really feeling. There was nothing there. "You don't have to help me, and there must be a lot of others you could help out with less trouble than getting married."

  He laughed, a gentle and soothing sound. "What do my motives matter, Amy? I am offering you what you want, and I promise I will do you no harm. Simply say yes and we will go to your homeworld together."

  "I thought your ship couldn't leave the system?" That got a reaction, though it was carefully controlled. Xeraxis's eyes narrowed a fraction and he took in a sharp breath.

  "The Lament for Battles Unfought is damaged, yes," he conceded after a second's pause. "She cannot travel to your homeworld until the repairs are complete, and that will take... a long time, no matter what happens. But she is not the only ship in my fleet, only the greatest. The rest will provide a quite adequate escort on our journey, I assure you. While we may not travel in the style to which I am accustomed, I will make that sacrifice for you."

  The smile that followed was sharp-edged and reminded me of nothing so much as a shark. I swallowed and shook my head.