by Ashley West
The rules of the fight were simple. If the male defeated the female in combat, she was his, and the rest of the marriage ceremony began immediately. If the woman prevailed, or the man fled the arena, the marriage was considered void, and any treaties based on the union were invalid.
A hot midday breeze whipped up the sides of a tent in the middle of the arena, revealing a pensive warrior pacing around the interior of his symbolic home. Hanton knew the importance of successfully defeating his bride in combat, but rumors around the palace suggested the man was besotted with the exotic princess from Shinalor, and might be wary of hurting her. Kai had spotted the princess in the gym yesterday, furiously working with a sparring partner. This bride wasn't going to submit without a fight. Her face showed pride, and the princess would do anything to win her freedom.
He didn't blame her. Kai possessed no desire to get married. When he entered the military, he decided marriage wasn't part of his immediate future. Constant rotations to new posts would make it impossible for him to attend to his husbandly duties. He could find a bride to propagate his line when he was older and retired from the service.
Kai shifted uncomfortably, trying to adjust his uniform. Even though he was in the shade of a tented stadium box, the midday sun reflected lots of heat onto his outfit. His breastplate consisted of a lightweight, sturdy metal from one of the Empire's conquests. It was best suited to deflect the blasts from energy weapons. The armor came with a matching sword that was more than a costume piece. Its edge was permanently sharp and could easily sever the head from an opponent.
He was proud to wear the uniform of a highly-ranked military officer, no matter how hot it was.
In the morning, his valet had put out the new clothing without commenting. Kai hoped it meant he was getting to command a spaceship. He felt like he deserved that honor, but promotions in the military were slow because of his father.
It was difficult being the stepson of the Emperor and the son of an unpopular wife. The Emperor was careful to avoid rumors of favoritism and never showed any influence on Kai's career. In fact, some commanders delighted in abusing Kai and intimidating him. The struggles only drove Kai to excellence. He had recently earned him a post as the youngest instructor in the Anquera Battle Academy.
His mother glided to his side. She usually appeared radiant, and today the Crown Princess Andeleth wore an embroidered silk gown. The blue dress glowed faintly in graduated hues from the hem to the bodice.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You're looking well."
She hummed as she took a center seat. "Come here. Sit next to me."
"It's too hot," Kai said with a small groan.
"You're too old to complain about things you cannot change."
"I've heard rumors of other planets where they can cool the air with machines," Kai said.
"Have you been listening to reports about our enemy again?" sniffed the princess. "You shouldn't envy or admire humans. Their technology comes at a price. They have polluted their planet. Only a fraction of their land is arable. It's better to focus research on ways to defeat your enemy, like we do."
"But they manage to feed billions of people on that portion. We'd be fortunate to do half as well."
"Make sure you don't let your stepfather hear you say those things. Every resource in our empire goes to fighting Earth. He is upset about the situation."
"They are a formidable foe," Kai agreed. "I read the intelligence reports, mother, and learned from those studies. The humans match up well with us. They're lacking in physical strength, but they make up for it with superior tactics and technology. I've reviewed their strategic maneuvers. They are adaptive and responsive. They make plans within plans."
"Your teaching at the Academy has drawn a lot of praise."
"Has it?" said Kai slyly. "How? No one's said anything to me."
"It's not for me to say, my son. Your stepfather wants to make the announcement."
"At his brother's marriage ceremony?"
His mother shrugged. "A successful marriage and a new appointment are both good for the morale of the nation. There's no need to hide our successes from the people and every reason to share them."
"Only if Hanton wins the fair Tatania." Kai smiled wickedly. "Did you know the bookies give her a forty percent chance of winning her way out of the marriage?"
Andeleth made a small derisive noise for Kai's benefit. "If she puts up a good fight, it only adds to our house's honor."
Kai cocked an eyebrow. "If you believe that superstition, why did you submit to the Emperor without a fight on your wedding day?" When others had asked her the same question, the princess always replied with a mysterious smile. Today's response was different.
"I knew he was my sindare, and he knew I was his. We didn't need to battle each other at all."
The admission was surprising to Kai. It confirmed the rumors titillating the court at the time - people said that Emperor Kanton and Andeleth did more than hold hands before the wedding. There were only two ways to confirm if a prospective mate was also a fated love: either battle or the bedroom. Most Anquesh women would rather submit to the pressure of the first than the scandal of the second.
Apparently his mother was an exception.
"I knew the moment he took my hand during our introduction." Her eyes twinkled. "Of course, being a male, it took a little more for your stepfather to recognize the evidence in front of his eyes."
"Mother, I'm shocked at your wanton ways," Kai said with a chuckle.
The loud steps of the Emperor's retinue preceded the man himself. They spread out in chairs lined up behind the royal family's seats. As usual, the Emperor looked grim-faced until he saw his sindare. The sight made him break out into a bright smile.
"Light of my life," he said, taking her hand. "The morning dragged until now."
Andeleth took his hand. If they were alone, she might have given the Emperor an intimate greeting, but in public, it was inappropriate to do more than squeeze his hand lightly.
"My lord." Andeleth gave a smile of her own.
Kanton looked around. "Where is my son?"
"Right here, father." Crown Prince Warrel entered with his retainers, taking up the remaining chairs in the box.
Warrel wore a dress uniform without battle accouterments. As the heir to the throne, he was forbidden to serve in the military. Even though Warrel needed to be ready in case the Emperor died unexpectedly, the inability to serve was a blow to the psyche of any Anquesh male. It was important to fight and win honors in battle.
Kai understood Warrel's dilemma and tried to look deferential to his stepbrother. But Warrel made things difficult with jibes and insults when he thought no one was looking.
The Prince's eyes widened when he saw Kai's new dress uniform. They narrowed again when he realized Kai was about to receive another military honor. He looked away, distinctly unhappy.
"Son," said Kanton sharply, "I'm certain the Emperor is supposed to enter last."
Ouch, thought Kai. A public reprimand must have hurt the Prince's pride.
"Yes, honored father," said Warrel with a small bow. "Please forgive my breach of protocol."
"Well, let's not think about it too much. I've had you working hard scheduling troop deployments. You were thinking about matters of state, no doubt. Now that Kai's finished his assignment at the Academy, he can assist with that task."
Kai felt Warrel's cold gaze sweep his body. He didn't want Kai's help.
"Of course." The voice sounded even and controlled. But a hateful glance at Kai revealed the Prince's feelings for his stepbrother. Kai held back a sigh.
Things would never change with Warrel.
Chapter 2
After a long day at work, all Jennifer Carden wanted to do was lie down on her couch and think about nothing. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV, which displayed a news channel.
That was a mistake.
All the news focused on the war with the Anquesh. Today
an enterprising paparazzo had managed to get a clear shot of an Anquesh warrior. Jenn wondered if the photographer got a bonus for making the alien soldier look as frightening as possible.
The Anquesh in the video was huge, perhaps seven feet tall with bulging muscles. With his dark hair twirled in dreadlocks, a scowling face, arms covered in tattoos and fearsome armor, he looked like a killing machine.
The alien soldier leered at the screen, then raised his hand and batted away the camera, making the picture go dark. Jenn heard metal clattering on the floor. The cameraman screamed, begging for his life. Even in a war movie, she'd never seen or heard anything that gruesome.
Earth first encountered the Anquesh during a deep space expedition. No one knew what had happened during that first contact incident, but in the end, the Earth had found a new enemy alien race that wanted to conquer the planet.
Jenn shivered. She couldn't imagine getting so close to an Anquesh warrior that they could touch her.
Besides their intimidating physical experience, another thing contributing to her fear was that the Anquesh killed her father. He was an infantry soldier fighting on the front lines of a planet so far away from Earth that Jenn would be an old woman if he ever came back home. Her mother died of a heart attack soon after they received the news of his death.
At the time, faster-than-light travel was a one-way trip. Since her father's service, scientists had discovered a way to bend the law of relativity which let flights return to Earth faster.
Her phone rang, showing a video of her friend Nayla tapping restlessly on the phone. Jenn chuckled. Nayla never liked to wait for anything.
"Hey, girl," said Jenn.
"Damn. What were you doing? Kissing your boyfriend's ass again?"
Jenn laughed. "Anton's not here right now."
"Good. Let's go to Nardones for pizza."
"Nope."
"What? Tai Chi class again?"
Jenn had increased her Tai Chi participation. One of the responsibilities of her stressful job was dealing with battered and severely injured soldiers. She tried to find relief for herself in the ancient exercise.
"I wish. I can't afford it."
"Didn't you just get a raise?"
Jenn sighed. "Yes, but it pushed me into the next tax bracket. I'm not making as much as you might expect." The problem wasn't only taxes. The trust fund created from her mother's insurance money placed her in a high tax bracket anyway, but Nayla didn't know that. All she knew was that her best friend had a great paying job.
"That sucks. People aren't going to stand for that much longer."
"What are we going to do? We all need to pay our share for the war effort."
"Yup, just like we are supposed to support our local businesses. Let's support Nardones!"
The thought of pizza made Jenn's mouth water. She hadn't eaten out for a few months. Anton never seemed to have any credits, and ever since her roommate left to get married, money had been tight. Sure, the trust fund existed in an emergency, but she didn't like to use it. She associated the fund with feelings of loss and her mother's death. Jenn couldn't bear to spend a cent of that chunk of cash.
"You know what would help me support our merchants? If you moved in with me and helped with the rent, we could eat out all the time."
In the beginning, the war was good for the Earth's economy, in particular for any company supplying the military. But as the fighting drew out, Earth's resources diminished and military budgets increased. Taxes all over the world were at an all-time high. Businesses that weren't part of the war effort had two problems: competing with the government for the diminishing discretionary cash of the people, and keeping prices down so people could buy goods and services. The government encouraged people to spend money as much as possible. The world banks said everyone would get richer.
Nayla wrinkled her nose. "No thanks. When you ditch Anton, then we'll talk about it."
"You could come over here, at least. I have chili leftovers from last night."
"No, I had my heart set on pizza tonight." She paused thoughtfully. "Besides, your boy is due to come home soon, isn't he?"
Jenn shrugged. "I never know. He works irregular hours."
"Please, girl. The one thing we can count on is Anton showing up for a free meal. He'll be there."
As if Nayla were psychic, the lock turned in Jenn's door.
"Speak of the devil. Your predictions are eerily accurate. If we could package that ability and sell it to the military, our money troubles would be over."
Nayla scoffed. "Our money troubles? Sweetie, if I scored a military contract, I wouldn't be sharing it with you."
Although her friend pretended to be joking, Jenn knew she was telling the truth. Nayla had a part-time job. She'd been up against the wall trying to meet expenses and still lived with her grandmother. Nayla had only asked Jenn out because she knew that as soft-hearted as Jenn was, she would end up paying the bill.
Jenn didn't mind. Nayla had been her best friend ever since they found themselves in the same foster home. Nayla always had Jenn's back.
At least Jenn had a full-time job. Many employers had cut expenses to the bone, so jobs were scarce. Fortunately for Jenn, in a war economy, one thing was always in demand: medical services. Jenn was a licensed physical therapist. She spent her days helping wounded soldiers train their bodies how to move again. For some of them, it was a long, hard struggle. From what Jenn saw working with her patients, she knew the Anquesh were murdering bastards.
Anton walked in. A scarf and fedora covered his handsome face to protect against the cold. He took the hat and scarf off, as well as his wool coat, and put them on a side chair next to the couch. Jenn smiled when she saw him.
"I've got to go. Tell you what. Let's catch a movie tomorrow night instead. There's a special at the Metro and we can get free popcorn."
"You've got a date."
Anton bent over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Was that Nayla?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Anton and Nayla had never gotten along. "Why are you making plans for a Friday night? I thought that was our special time together."
"Is that chintzy little kiss all you have for me?" she pouted.
"It is until you have an answer."
Jenn scoffed. "I don't have any answers. It's not like you're my husband or anything."
He sighed heavily. "Not this again. If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. I need to get my finances in order before I get married to anyone."
"It doesn't seem like you ever will," she muttered. Her happiness at seeing Anton vanished under the cloud of their old argument.
"I won't be as long if you keep pressuring me," he snapped. The disapproving expression on Anton's face and something about the way he stood over her caused a wave of anger to wash over Jenn. She suddenly stood up from the couch.
"I don't think two years is pressuring you." Jenn's tone of voice was frosty.
"I just need a little time, Jenn." Panic was showing on his face now, and she liked that. How long did she need to keep being the nice girl? How long did she need to keep making meals and watching movies on the television because he didn't have money to take them out? How long did she have to keep dishing out money because he 'forgot' to go the bank?
"You know what? I think I've had enough. It's better to be alone than having you string me along."
"Jenn, I never did that to you. We can figure this out. Let's not mess up a good thing." He was pleading now, but the years of frustration and disappointment built up in her heart were finally erupting. Jenn held up her hands.
"You know what? I'm done. Give me your key and get out of here."
"Don't do this. I'm sorry. You're right. I've put things off, but only because I had something special planned."
Jenn's eyes narrowed. "That sounds convenient. What's your big surprise?"
"I wanted to present something more elaborate, but I guess I don't have a lot of time." He went to his coat and took out a sm
all box and handed it to her.
Jenn's heart leaped, but she didn't want to be disappointed. She cautiously opened the box to discover a sparkling engagement ring. She stared at it without speaking.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
She swallowed hard and felt ashamed. "But you said you wanted to wait."
"I was stalling, but I guess I was doing it in the worst possible way. Let me make it up to you. This weekend we'll go to Vegas and get married. Just you, me and Elvis. We'll do the whole deal. Vows, cake, dinner at the fanciest restaurant we can go to without reservations, and a honeymoon suite in one of the hotels. What do you think?"
"This weekend?" Her voice rose. Jenn couldn't believe what was happening. She had waited her entire life to get married, and suddenly it was going to happen.
"Of course, babe. That's why I didn't want you to go out with Nayla tomorrow night. I was going to take you for a drive and go straight to Vegas."
"You were going to surprise me?" Random gestures were uncharacteristic of Anton, but at the moment, she was so surprised and happy that she didn't want to overthink her good fortune.
Anton lifted her chin up so he could look Jenn in the eyes. "It won't be the best wedding in the world, but we'll be married. What do you say?"
Jenn bounced on her toes and wrapped her arms around Anton's neck. "Yes!"
Chapter 3
The voice of Kai's tactical officer, Jod, screamed out of his headset. "Ten more ships have joined the alien fleet."
"Only ten," growled Kai. "It might as well be fifty. What does our firepower look like?"
"No ships have any long-range cannons remaining. The bastards targeted each one after their first volleys. Only short-range lasers are left."
The Anquesh long-range pulse cannons were effective mechanisms for destruction. It was why the Earth spaceships prioritized those weapons as a target.
Kai shook his head. He couldn't possibly engage the enemy with short-range weapons, not with ten fresh enemy ships waiting to destroy them.
