by Ashley West
"Well, yes," Luther admitted. "But she was injured and frightened. I couldn't just leave her there on her own."
“You were perfectly capable of leaving here there,” the queen said, no emotion in her voice. “You just chose not to.”
It wasn’t a question, but Luther felt the need to answer it all the same. “Maybe so, but she was in need of help, and I chose to help her. I do not regret that.” Instead of looking down in deference, Luther held Queen Varen’s gaze, letting her know that he was serious about this.
She held his gaze right back, not making any sort of expression to let him know if he was going to be in trouble for this or not, but then she smiled after a moment. It was just a small, slow smile, but it sent relief coursing through him.
“You are a good warrior and a good man,” she said, inclining her head. “And I do not fault you for what you did. But now we are involved in this, whether we like it or not.”
“What do you mean?” Luther wanted to know.
“I suppose that’s misleading,” Queen Varen continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. “We would have been involved regardless. We will need to prepare for some kind of attack, of course. Most likely not from the humans, that carrier was not of human make, and they couldn’t get all the way out here if they wanted to. But someone sent that ship to us for a reason.”
Luther blinked, surprised. “You don’t think it was just a coincidence? That maybe it crash landed here because we were nearby.”
“No, I do not,” she replied. “I do not believe in coincidence, Luther. There are no port planets nearby, and none of the planets in this quadrant do business with anyone with that make of ship. And then, of course, there’s the cargo.”
“The woman?”
“No. The other cargo.”
Luther frowned. The ship had crashed down less than two hours ago, and he had been under the impression that he’d been the one to inform the queen of what was happening. How did she already know what was on the ship?
As if seeing the question in his face, Varen smiled. “While you were seeing to the woman, I had Prinna examine the ship. She is quite efficient.”
Clearly, Luther thought to himself. What he said out loud was, “So it would seem. What did she find?”
“Troubling things. Contraband and things that were clearly stolen.”
“Contraband? What manner?”
“Comet Dust, for one,” the queen said. “Enough to bring down an entire city with a case of space head.”
Luther let out a low whistle. Comet Dust was a highly trafficked and highly illegal drug that no one could pinpoint the origin of. It had appeared one day on one of the Cael moons, and spread throughout the galaxy from there.
Over the years since it had appeared, Comet Dust was linked to more crimes and deaths than any other drug in recent memory. Which was troubling.
“It’s a good thing that carrier didn’t explode, then,” he said.
“Yes,” the queen agreed. “A very good thing. Aside from the drugs, there were all manner of stolen goods from who knows where.”
Luther frowned. None of that made sense to him. “If they meant to crash here,” he said, half really wondering and half just thinking out loud, “then why would they have all that with them? Why would they bring those things to our planet? What were they hoping to gain?”
“All good questions,” Varen said. “Unfortunately, we just do not have enough information at the moment to answer any of them. I will say this, I don’t think their arrival here was a coincidence or accident, but I do wonder if the crash was intentional. Prinna says the pilot was dead.”
“Yes,” Luther agreed. “He was.”
“Hm. Then if the crash wasn’t an accident…”
“Then there might be someone else we need to look out for,” Luther said, putting it all together. And wasn’t that just lovely? As if they didn’t already have enough to deal with.
The queen shook her head and sighed. “It is a mess,” she said. “But one we will handle. For the moment, I am leaving you in charge of the human woman. See to it that she is kept safe and kept contained. I don’t need her roaming around getting into more trouble before we’ve decided what to do with her.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Luther said, bowing. “Anything further?”
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” she instructed, her face set in serious lines. “This is not the first time odd things have happened here, and I cannot help but wonder if they are somehow connected.”
That was a frightening prospect, and one Luther hadn't even considered. It had been so long since the first incident, the one that had happened deep underwater and resulted in them killing two of the strangers who had been lurking in their ruins, that he sometimes forgot that it had happened at all. And he certainly wouldn't have assumed that that was connected to this in any real way, but now that the queen had said it, it was hard to think otherwise.
He let out a breath and glanced up at the queen. "That is...troubling."
"To say the least," she agreed. "You are dismissed. Come to me with any new developments."
"Of course, Your Majesty," he said and bowed his way out.
Prinna was near the door when he exited, because of course she was, and he prided himself on not visibly startling when he saw her.
"Luther," she said in her neutral tones.
"Prinna," he replied.
"The human will need food," she continued. "And to be kept safe."
"I'm aware," Luther said back, bristling a bit at the insinuation that he didn't know what he was doing here. Of course, he didn't, honestly, and the look that Prinna gave him proved that she knew it, too.
But no matter. It would be alright.
"Goodbye, Prinna," he said, resisting the urge to ask her about the things she had found in the carrier and what was to be done with it. He had his orders from the queen, and he was sure that leaving the human woman alone in his home for an extended amount of time was probably not the best idea.
Chapter Three: Sea Legs
'There's nothing to be afraid of'. Well, that was easy for him to say, wasn't it? He hadn't been snatched and stuffed into a...whatever that thing had been and then taken to god knows where and then crashed on a planet he had never even heard of, sure that he was going to die before he was found.
Alanna supposed that as things went, it could have been worse. These...aliens, whoever they were, didn't seem hostile. They didn't look like they wanted to eat her flesh or wear her skin or probe her or any of the things aliens always seemed to be doing in the books and movies that Alex liked on the subject.
So that was alright. That was fine.
She was safe, or so the one who'd gotten her out had said. He'd pulled her free of the wreckage and then shielded her from the prying eyes of the rest of his people. And then he'd brought her here and disappeared, muttering something about needing to see the queen.
Alanna didn't know who the queen was or what she had to do with what was happening to her, but she could only hope that the woman would have some insight because Alanna was drawing a blank.
She knew what the...creatures who had grabbed her had said, but she didn’t even understand most of that, and it didn’t make sense for them to have brought her to another planet. Who even did something like that?
The more she thought about it, the more freaked out she became. This wasn't something that just...happened to people. Not people in real life. Sure, in the books and movies there were all kinds of damsels in all kinds of distress, who woke up tied to railroad tracks and in the trunks of cars or dusty warehouses. Being ransomed because their boyfriends were involved in shady business.
But Alanna wasn't like those women. For one thing she wasn't fictional, and for another, Alex didn't get into shady stuff. At least, not to her knowledge, he didn't, but when she got back home, she was going to question him within an inch of his life to find out what was going on here.
Because there had to be an explanation. There had t
o be. Things like this didn't just randomly happen. It wasn't possible.
Thinking of Alex made her heart sink a bit, and she sighed. She’d been on her way to try and resolve things with him when she’d been taken, and now she had to wonder if there was a chance that it would never happen. Maybe she’d die here on this strange planet, surrounded by strange people and Alex would never know how sorry she was or how much she hadn’t meant for things to get that out of control between them.
Time seemed to be passing slower than usual as she waited for the man who saved her and then stashed her here to come back. He'd told her to stay put, warned her that it wasn't safe to go wandering around (which, in her opinion counteracted the whole 'there's nothing to be afraid of' thing, but what did she know?). Considering she still had no idea where she was, she wasn't exactly about to go gallivanting off looking for trouble to get into.
She hadn't seen much of the planet anyway, but obviously it supported life. And Alanna realized, belatedly, that she could breathe just fine here. The air was wetter and more humid than she was used to, like the South in summer, but it wasn't unpleasant. There was no oppressive heat, and from what she could see out the window, it looked like a pleasant breeze had kicked up.
The sun was setting, the trees were stirring, and she could hear the sound of waves in the distance. This place was clearly some kind of paradise.
"Well," she mumbled to herself as she stepped back from the window. "Not the worst place I could have ended up, I guess."
She roamed around the place she'd been stuck in and realized that it was someone's home. Probably the home of the man who had saved her. There was a large screen set into one wall of the main room, a group of identical grey and boxy chairs pointed towards it. The living room, then. There were no pictures, but there were plenty of personal affects, shells and colored and polished stones that lined the shelves.
There was small room just off the living room where it seemed like a kitchen should go, but there were no appliances that she could make out, just an elaborately carved basin made out of some sort of light pink stone and, and a tall machine next to it that looked like some sort of vending machine.
Before she could find her way through the rest of the house, she heard the sound of footsteps.
Finally.
The front door opened, and the man who had saved her stepped through, looking perplexed. He glanced around, and his eyes widened, and Alanna stepped into his line of sight before he started to panic.
Honestly, it was strange how handsome this man was. Not that she believed that all aliens had to be ugly and fearsome, but this man was...one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen in her life.
He was tall, much taller than any human man she'd ever met, and muscular. Not in that overdone way that body builders preferred, but in a way that seemed functional. Like he used those muscles every day in one way or another. His eyes were the sort of blue that she associated with the cool, clear water in those commercials for various islands, the kind where you could see all the way down to the bottom.
"Are you alright?" he asked, voice slow and careful, and she shook herself from her staring.
"I'm fine," she said. "Except for the little thing where I have no idea where I am or what I'm doing here or how I'm going to get home. But you know, other than that, no problems."
He sighed softly and with feeling. "I know, and I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" she demanded. "Did you stuff me onto a space ship and bring me here?"
"No," he said hurriedly. "I've never even been to Earth before. That is where you are from, isn't it?"
"Of course it is. Where else would I be from? Jupiter?"
"Jupiter cannot sustain life," he pointed out.
Alanna gave him a flat look. "Thanks for the lesson. That's exactly what I need, a lecture from an alien."
He arched a dark eyebrow at her. "You're as much an alien to me as I am to you," he said. Which was...a fair point, she had to admit.
"Alright, fine." Alanna folded her arms, looking at him. "That's fair."
"Good. I imagine you have questions."
"Of course I have questions."
"I can try to answer them. I don't know how you got here or why, so I can't answer that."
Well, those were the big two, so she supposed she'd have to start somewhere smaller. "What's your name?"
He looked taken aback, as if he couldn't believe he'd forgotten to introduce himself. "I am called Luther," he said. "And you?"
"Alanna."
It felt oddly personal, giving her name to this alien, but it seemed like he was set on helping her and not hurting her, which she supposed she should cultivate if she wanted to survive this, let alone get back home.
“Alanna,” he said, repeating it slowly. “That’s an interesting name.”
“Thanks. Where am I?”
“You are on Lin-Vayel,” Luther explained. “The glory and splendor of the galaxy.”
Okay, then. She arched an eyebrow at that. “Says who?”
“Excuse me?”
“Who says it’s the glory and splendor of the galaxy?” she asked, trying not to outright mock his tone.
“Everyone,” he replied sharply. “Lin-Vayel is a paradise.”
“Okay,” she said slowly.
She was unconvinced, but she knew better than to start an argument about it with a stranger on a strange planet who might be the only one who could help her get home. Assuming, of course, that they were even interested in helping her get home.
Panic rose in her, swift and strong. What if they didn't care that she was lost here? What if they just wanted her to stay because getting her back was too much trouble? Or worse, what if they were going to decide to kill her?
It didn't seem like they were that sort of people, but Alanna supposed that she couldn't actually make that judgement just based on Luther.
"So," she said, going for a casual tone. "What did your queen say?"
He seemed to snap to attention at that, and he inclined his head. "You are to stay here," he said.
"What? For how long?"
"I do not know. Until we come up with some kind of a plan," he said. "There is a possibility that we're being attacked, and you could be caught in the middle of it."
It was a daunting thought, and she understood their logic, but her heart was pounding all the same. Already she missed Earth. She missed familiar ground under her feet, and she missed her friends. She missed Pebbles and Saturdays with Keith. What would people think if she just stopped showing up?
"You don't need to panic," Luther said, clearly going for a soothing tone, even though it did nothing to actually soothe her. "You will be safe here."
"I don't want to be safe here," she snapped, tone going a bit hysterical. "I want to be safe back where I belong."
"I understand."
"How could you understand!?" Alanna demanded. "Lin-Vayel is a paradise or so you say."
"Exactly. And if someone took me from it, I would be anxious to return. The queen will have to decide what happens from here, but I will push for you to be able to return to where you belong."
"Oh." She blinked, surprised. That was unexpected, him wanting to defend her right to go home like that. She had half expected him to break into some speech about how she should just stay here and learn to be happy. "Thank you."
He inclined his head again. "And now I must ask you how this happened. We need to know."
Alanna sighed softly. That question was inevitable, she knew, but she didn't think she had any real information for him. After all, she didn't really remember much of what had happened.
"Alright," she said. "I can tell you what I remember, but it all happened so fast, and I was unconscious for some of it."
"Anything will help," Luther said, and he gestured for her to have a seat.
She did, and she watched as he took the seat across from her, folding his large body into it with a sort of awkward grace that didn't seem to have anything
to do with his size. He folded his hands in his lap and then looked at her, sort of like an eager puppy.
The thought made her smile, and she took a deep breath and then let it out messily, thinking back so she could recall what had happened that day.
"Alright," she said again. "I was leaving the studio, and it was kind of late, I guess. Probably around eight or so. It wasn't completely dark yet, but getting there, and even though Pebbles is in a nice area, I didn't want to be walking in the dark by myself for that long."
"What is Pebbles?" Luther asked, head tilted in confusion.
"Oh, it's the artists' studio where I do my work."
Luther blinked. "You are an artist?"
"Yes. A sculptor. And a potter, I guess. I make cups and vases and stuff when I need the money. Do you guys have sculptors here?"
He nodded. "Yes. Or we did. It is an old art."
"It's not that widely done on my planet, either, but I love it. Anyway, I was leaving Pebbles, and it was nearly dark. My car was parked in the lot, but it was a good walk to get to it, so I was hurrying. I heard this noise from the other side of the building, like someone had dropped something metallic on the ground, but that wasn't weird because there's a metal working station over there, but it did startle me. I kept walking, and then I heard footsteps."
She snorted at the memory of the thoughts she'd had as she had made her way to her car. It was like every horror movie cliché ever to try to keep walking and not turn around. The sequence in her mind was her speeding up and then the footsteps speeding up, too, and then it turning into an all-out chase. She would try to get to her car, but she'd fumble her keys and drop them, and that would be her downfall. So she'd kept her pace normal and looked over her shoulder, expecting to see one of the others who used the studio.
"It wasn't one of them, though," she said to Luther. "It was someone wearing a dark cloak with the hood up, which was bizarre because we don't live in the nineteenth century, and because it was June. Warm night, and no need for a cloak, you know? So then I was freaked out. We were heading in the same direction, but I couldn't tell if the person was following me or not. There were other cars in the parking lot. But I didn't really want to try to find out and end up in some dark corner with them. So I did one of those, you know, motions like I had forgotten something, and I turned to head back into the building. And then someone else just kind of...melted out of the shadows and grabbed me."
