Conquered By the Alien Prince

by Rebel West

  “So how did Dr. Jayya help?” I can’t think about Allik right now; it makes anxiety pulse hard in my chest.

  “She worked with the animal scientists who study the zebb, and was able to use their knowledge to craft an antidote for Maxxon specifically, to reduce the organisms in his body immediately. It worked. However, long-term it will need refining and testing before it can be used broadly on other citizens. But it will come.”

  “Good.” I don’t like Dr. Jayya personally, but I’m glad the alien was able to make the antidote.

  “She started suspecting something was strange with Dr. Amakka’s behavior recently. At first didn’t think he was engaged in sabotage, but she wondered if stress was leading him to make errors in his experimental techniques. She pulled some independent samples just to check. And that’s when you started putting things together.”

  “Lock, I know you respect her, and I do too, but she was not welcoming to me.”

  “I am aware.” His voice is dry. “At first, she said she honestly though having you here was a waste of time. Then, she had a bad feeling about Dr. Amakka, and she thought that if she got you to leave, you’d be safer.”

  “So she was being cruel to be kind, in a way?”

  He laughs. “I think if you give her another chance, this time with a new understanding between the two of you, things will be different. She is fierce when provoked, but very loyal to her friends. And right now, because of what you did, she sees you as a friend.”

  “Hmm.” It will take some time to process this. “So how did Allik get involved?” Even though the thought of him makes me physically ill, I need to know.

  “Dr. Amakka notified Allik that you were pulling his samples and asking about the spring water, and they knew you’d figure it out soon. I don’t think Dr. Amakka wanted to hurt you, but Allik was in charge.”

  I shudder. “It’s insane that someone was so against the current state of affairs on the planet that they wanted to take out Maxxon.”

  “Not just take him out,” corrects Lock, his voice harsh. “They didn’t want him to die. They wanted to cast shadows on the whole monarchy. It’s a plot far more sinister than outright murder. With deeper implications.”

  “Was Allik the mastermind?” I bite my lip, knowing his hard tone isn’t for me.

  “No. We decrypted Allik’s holo after his death, and found the ring of individuals who were in the conspiracy. And we believe we have them all.”

  I nod, feeling cold and hot at the same time. “Okay. Okay. His death? What...”

  “He’s dead. He committed suicide while in prison.”

  “How could he do that?”

  “He had a pill sewn into his cheek. He extracted it and crushed it. It was the same thing he wanted to give you.” His voice is hard. “It causes someone to go unconscious and then into immediate cardiac arrest. He’s gone.”

  “I see.” The relief that rushes through me brings more cold sweat to my forehead, and I breathe hard, willing my heartbeat to calm down.

  I turn my attention back to Lock, and ask, feeling my face redden, “So, I, when are we going to... see each other? In person?”

  “Do you want to see me in person?” Lock raises an eyebrow, and his voice is guarded.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Panic fills me. As horribly as it ended, my task here is technically complete. I helped figure out what was ailing Maxxon, and maybe Lock has no desire to see me further. “Do you want to see me?”

  “I want to definitely thank you formally, in a private guarded royal ceremony, with Maxxon,” Lock replies, looking away from my face. “He and I and the royal family will be forever grateful to you. But you are not obligated in any way to return to Luminar. I understand that after the attack, you may not wish to even speak to us again. But know that you are welcome here always, and have the promise of our protection should you ever need it, for any reason.”

  “I... that’s—thank you. I appreciate that.” My mind reels. “Why would I not wish to return?”

  He frowns. “You almost died at the hands of my trusted advisor and top doctor, Luminarians who should have been infallible. I wouldn’t blame you, or anyone, for not wishing to return. Nor would I ask it of you.” But his eyes have a question in them, and something else, too. I don’t want to hope that he feels the same emotion I do, but my heart races.

  “Allik is gone. You tested the others around you. Right?”

  “Yes.” He nods.

  “Then I would like to come back, to see you, at least once. That is, if you want me to. If it’s not too much trouble. I mean, keeping a human safe now might not be your top priority, and I understand if—”

  “I want you back.”

  The words mean everything, and my heart swells.

  “But first you will need to meet with an Earth lawyer and your representative,” he says, meeting my eyes. “Your government insists that you may not return to Luminar unless you sign new contracts and paperwork first.”

  “A lawyer? One got here already?” I shift, batting at my IV. “Why?”

  “Via satellite video, in the EVTS.” He blinks. “They wish for you to sign certain documents.” His voice is taut. “A... contract, of sorts. Not to talk about what happened. To make plans for your future back on Earth.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Your government is convinced that if word gets out that a human was harmed on Luminar, it will jeopardize the entire mission. They are going to ask you to keep silent.” His mouth twists. “They have asked us to keep the event silent, as well. For now, I have agreed.”

  “I see. Oh.” I look at him. “And how do you feel? Do you think I need to keep silent?”

  “I prefer to do what keeps you safe,” he says eventually, after a short silence, and the look in his eye worries me. “And keeping this whole thing quiet is the best way to do that.”

  “Am I not safe right now?” I glance around me.

  “In the EVTS, yes,” he agrees. “Certainly you are.”

  “But…” I draw out the word.

  He shakes his head. “Talk to your lawyer, make your own decisions, and then we will meet. I don’t want to influence you. It’s important that you do what’s best for you. But if you are not satisfied with what you hear, please…talk to me again.” His eyes are full of emotion.

  * * *

  A day later, when the doctor clears me to speak with a lawyer, I dress in my Earth clothes and wait in a meeting room down the hallway from the hospital room. The sat call flickers into life, and on the other end is a human, probably in her early thirties, with a sleek blonde bob and a suit that must have cost a week of my typical salary. Beside her is a senator I recognize from the N-USA Joint Senatorial Union, and another person, neither of whom introduce themselves.

  “I’m Michelle Barton.” The woman’s voice is clipped, her expression stern, not flinching at all at my bruises or bandages. “I’m a lawyer for the IPC. This is the agreement that the US government has asked me to bring to you for your signature regarding the events that recently transpired on Luminar.” She taps a tablet in front of her. “A copy will be provided to you now.”

  I touch the waiting device on my table. “The events? You mean how I almost died? That event?”

  Michelle purses her lips. “The document lists out the expectations for you starting immediately.”

  “Who’s with you?” I gesture to the two men. “I recognize Senator D’agrosso, but I don’t know the other person.”

  “He’s with the CIA.” Michelle trains her eyes on me.

  “Does he have a name?”

  The man coughs and pulls Michelle aside, and whispers something into her ear.

  The lawyer tilts her head. “It’s important that you review this document, Cali. Now we’re all sympathetic about what happened, and certainly glad that you’re fine. And great job on your task, of course. But what’s important now, is that we ensure that our future interactions with Luminar keep running smoothly without any glitch
es or gaps. Do you understand?

  “We need to you sign this legally binding agreement that ensures you will not speak to anyone on Earth, ever, about what happened to you on Luminar. If you do, you can be stripped of your medical license and jailed for up to twenty years. Of course, we are willing to provide some monetary recompense for your pain and suffering, at a rate of three million dollars.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m still waiting to learn that gentleman’s name.” I smile, the anger rising in my gut. “Then we can talk about glitches and gaps.”

  “His name is John Smith,” Michelle says smoothly. “Now, if you will…”

  “I’m sorry, may I see ID from all of you?” I touch a bandage. “As you can imagine, I’m feeling a certain lack of personal safety at the moment. I’d like to know that I can trust each of you.”

  My heart pounds, but I keep my head high.

  The man, the supposed John Smith, gets up and leaves the room.

  Michelle coughs again. “That’s not protocol, Dr. Taylor.”

  “Oh, that’s good to know. Please remind me, what is protocol for working with a top US doctor who’s just been brutalized on another planet? How does it go? I must have forgotten to read that in the intro packet.” I brush my bandages again. “And I apologize if I’m getting it wrong, but your document makes me sound like the criminal.”

  “You are not considered a threat.” Michelle crosses her legs. “We value your contributions to medicine over the past decade. This document is merely to ensure that you can continue to do what you love best without any... interruptions. You clearly care about contributions to society and medicine. Don’t put us in the position of denying you the opportunity to continue your work, or forcing us to deprive the world of your talents.”

  “So let me understand.” Pain travels along my skull. “I was able to save the crown prince of Luminar with my expertise, and was nearly killed in the process. And instead of rewarding me, you’re treating me like a potential loose-lipped traitor who might tank the IRT, and you’re threatening me not to talk about it, ever. Am I right?”

  “Incorrect.” Michelle’s voice is calm. “As a reward, you are receiving three million dollars. We can’t express how much we value your contributions to Luminar, and certainly, you’ve won favor for Earth with the royal family. And as someone who wants Earth to continue to advance and win in any negotiations, you surely recognize that your silence on this matter will only help the Earth delegations.”

  Under normal circumstances, or back on Earth, I would be scared of her barely veiled threats, but the tone of Lock’s voice and the look in his eye? That reassures me. But if you are not satisfied with what you hear, please…talk to me again.

  “Unbelievable.” I shake my head and cross my arms. “I’m not signing it until I talk to Prince Lock.”

  “That’s not part of the agreement.” Michelle’s eyes narrow.

  “Make it part of it.” I lean forward. “I was the one who was attacked. I’m the one who came up with the solution to Maxxon’s disease. I deserve a few minutes of his majesty’s time. Then I’ll sign.”

  “You’re not the one in control here.” Michelle’s voice is markedly colder. “I don’t think you really have much of a choice.” She taps her tablet. “We can have you extradited back to Earth even if you refuse to go.”

  “The way I see it, I do have a choice.” I stick up my chin. “What are you going to do? I’m under medical care and protection.” I glance down the hallway, to the doctor, who is waiting outside the door. “I highly doubt that a doctor would violate his Hippocratic Oath to forcibly make me undergo a medical procedure I refuse, like drugging me to go into the hypersleep pod against my will. Look. I’m not saying I won’t sign it. Just that I want to see the prince first.”

  I hold my breath.

  The senator speaks with Michelle in an undertone for a moment.

  Michelle shakes her head. “Fine. You may visit with Prince Lock if he accepts. In fact, he requested to see you, as well. It will be arranged.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that immediately?” I can feel my face getting hotter.

  She sniffs. “It did not seem pertinent.”

  “I’ll be in touch.” I end the transmission, and start shaking.

  Dr. Fuller enters. “Come back to your room,” he urges. “You’re still not healed.”

  “Did you know what they were going to tell me?” I glower. “Are you on their side?”

  “There are no sides in medicine,” he says. “Look, I just want to help you heal.”

  “Was I right?” I force myself to take deep breaths. “Are you the kind of person who would refuse to medicate me against my will and drug me and put me in the pod against my will? Like Dr. Amakka, the traitor?”

  “I’m an army doctor. But I won’t violate my oath.” His voice rings out firmly. “And I don’t think it needs to even get to that point. Look, they’re offering you money not to talk about something you probably would agree is best kept a top-level secret, am I right?”

  “But it’s the way they’re doing it. It’s so ugly.” Tears prick at my eyelids.

  “You got what you wanted.” He gestures toward my room. “Please rest, because if you truly intend to travel to Luminar to see Prince Lock in the near future, you’ll need to adjust gravity and oxygen, and you’re already compromised. You need to allow yourself time to relax. Okay?”

  I nod and sigh. “Okay.”

  Chapter Thirty One

  “Cali.” At the sound of his voice, I swing around.

  “Lock.” I start to cry.

  “Are you all right?” He rushes over and looks into my face. He touches my cheek. “Why are you crying? Are you still injured?” His eyes search mine and he take my arms, running his fingers over the black and blue marks. “Your bruises. Is that from IVs?”

  “They took them out this morning. I’m mostly healed. I mean, I know I’m all ugly with swelling, and my eyes…”

  “You’re beautiful.” His voice is harsh. “Always beautiful.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that.” I shift and wipe one eye.

  “Give us privacy.” Lock turns to glare at the guards, and we watch as the aliens leave the room and the wall reforms.

  In the sudden silence, Lock touches my face. “God, I wanted to see you so badly.”

  “Why didn’t you?” I can hear the plea in my voice. “Why didn’t you come to the EVTS to visit?”

  He squeezes my hands. “Cali, I wanted every day to see you, talk to you, hold you.” His voice sounds desperate. “But your doctors and the Earth lawyer said no, and it’s a sovereign space, the human side of the EVTS. We Luminarians do not enter without permission. Not even the monarchy. It would be considered an act of aggression, really, to do so. Do you see that?”

  I shake my head. “Lock, I have no idea how the rules and politics work.”

  “On Earth, embassies are safe places, even within another country. It’s like a patch of native soil, transplanted. That is your human side of the EVTS.”

  “So you did want to see me?” My voice quivers.

  He pulls me closer. “Can you look at me and doubt it, Cali?” He touches my lips. “Can you see my eyes and not realize how I care for you? I want…” He trails off. “What I want is probably not something—the point is that I did want to see you, but I would never force you.”

  “I wish…” I bite my lip, then force out the words. “I wish I didn’t have to go back. I want to spend more time with you. And if I’m forced to go back to Earth, then fuck, I’ll go there. But I’ll be thinking of you, and wanting to return.” A tear rolls down my cheek. “I want to stay here and see what we could be.”

  “I can’t ask that of you.” His voice is strained, and he turns away, running his hands through his hair. “Cali—it would be so difficult, don’t you see? What happened with Allik—there are other citizens who feel the same way about the monarchy, and will stop at nothing to take us down. Right now we have the upp
er hand... again. But there will be more attempts. I will not have you in the way, not for a minute.” His voice is low. “You must go back to Earth where you are safe.”

  “Am I really safer there?” I look out the window at the lavender sky. “They’re worried I’ll talk about what happened. I don’t want to live in fear that I’m being watched or stalked or on someone’s maybe we’ll take her out if we need to list.” I struggle with sudden anxiety. “That’s the last thing I need.”

  “I think you will be safer there than here. I love you too much—” He breaks off.

  “What did you say?” My heart pounds.

  He swears in Luminarian and clenches his hands into fists. “I should not have said that.”

  “But it’s true?” I touch his arm. “Lock?”

  “By Sirene, Cali—I don’t know how or if this could work, but I do. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I whisper, burying my face in his chest.

  He squeezes my shoulders. “I fell for you the moment I met you, I think. There was something about you that called to me. Your belief that Earth and Luminar were destined to share with each other. Your spirit. Your intellect. The way you wanted to create improvements for both humans and Luminarians, medical fixes for everyone. I love that about you. It’s what I want as well, for our futures. I think we belong together, a way to show everyone that our cultures should embrace each other.”

  “I fell for you the moment I saw you, too,” I confess. “But it was on a video, long ago. Then, when I met you in person, the chemistry…”

  He touches my face. “It’s real, Cali.”

  “So how can we just... leave each other?” My voice breaks and a tear trickles down my cheek.

  “There is one way. If you really want this.” His voice is uncertain; it’s the first time I have ever heard that in his tone.

  “Lock, I do. Tell me.” My voice is fierce and plaintive at the same time.

  He looks into my eyes for a long time, then nods. “All right.” He blinks up something on his holo screen, a legal document.