My Alien Prince: Claimed by the Atrexu (SciFi BBW Alien Romance) (8 page)

“Oh, the spray. Yes, I remember. Hope I didn't hurt you too bad.”

“I was not injured, except for some soreness in the eyes. You refrained from using deadly force. You are obviously a fierce warrior with a demanding code of conduct. And so I must ask once more: Why were you inside our ship?”

Fierce warrior? Well, she couldn't let them think it was on purpose. “It was an accident. Something had happened, and I needed time to myself to process it. It's hard to find privacy on a space station, so I went through that hatch. I had no idea there was a spaceship on the other side.”

“But you had armed yourself!” Ev'Ax protested. “Surely you knew what you were doing.”

“You mean the spray? I always carry that. It's part of my... uh... personal gear.” She pointed to her utility belt. “See? I always wear this belt. It holds the spray and this... um... assault rag and this little war brush. And of course here is a tactical bag for my attack stylus and strategic flashlight and a spare assault rag and a holder for my communications pad. For combat use. Everything a janito- umm, everything a fierce warrior needs.” She was not yet ready to say that she was not a warrior. Their fear of her fighting ability might be the only thing that prevented them from tying her up and throwing her out into space.

“I see,” Ar'Ric said. “You have an important function at the station, it seems.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” After all, without clean toilets, the whole space station would become chaotic in no time.

“I wonder,” Ar'Ric said, very seriously, “how do you feel about embroidery?”

Emily frowned. “
Embroidery?
I don't think I've ever done any. Not that I remember, anyway. But I guess it's the kind of thing you'd forget pretty fast because it just doesn't seem exciting. Why, you need some embroidery done? Here in space?”

“No, no,” the alien smiled with teeth that were so white they practically gave off light. “The less embroidery around me, the better. Never mind.”

“Uh-huh. So. Before we continue this: I know you're aliens and all, but you look pretty human to me. And a girl has needs, if you catch my drift. No? Okay, I'm not used to communicating with aliens. I'll try a more direct approach. What I'm saying is this: Is there a toilet on this spaceship?”

“W
ell, now we know what she's like,” Ev'Ax said. “She has good mental strength. This situation didn't shake her up too badly, even though it must all be a new experience. I think she must be of noble blood.”

Ar'Ric nodded. “She's very mysterious. She knows more than she's saying. And she intends to discover our planets and send 'conquistadors' and 'measles'. No doubt those are diplomats and traders specializing in alien commerce. Her civilization is plainly much more sophisticated than we suspected. It would be well for us to ally ourselves with their world. And what better way to do that than an alliance cemented by a royal marriage?”

Ber'Ain stiffened in his seat but didn't turn around or enter the conversation.

“You still see a potential princess in her?”

“More than ever. She answered our questions with great confidence. And, I think, with truth, as her code of honor certainly dictates. Yes, she will be a fine princess for the Empire. And her curvy shape is ideal for the purposes that we have discussed before. Indeed, she's rounder and softer than I'd ever dared hope. I think you're right, Ev'Ax. With her an Imperial Princess, the fashion is certain to turn in our favor and allow women to take any shape they wish. They will be happier, and our males will also be able to find a physical type they like. No longer are we limited to skeletal embroidery fanatics! It will be a new age for our empire, a glorious golden age.
If
she wants to marry me, that is. How does one court an Earth female?”

“Well, I don't know! I hadn't seen one until today. Surely they like the same things that Atrexu women enjoy, like serenading, poem writing, jumping from cliff to cliff to demonstrate your agility, gazing into one another's eyes, a display of your child-rearing qualities using puppies or other people's kids... I mean, if you would just tell her who you really are, then very little courting would be necessary, I think. She'd certainly be willing to marry a Crown Prince.”

“Yes... The deception is not to my liking, but I find it important to let her like or dislike me for who I am, not for my station in life. We'll see. I will reveal my true identity when the time is right.”

Ev'Ax was silent for a moment. “I wonder, how do you feel about her warrior calling?”

The prince sighed. “Yes... Ev'Ax, in truth, it does worry me. I'm not sure a warrior is my ideal wife. A marriage should be between two people who complete each other. When it comes to warfare, I'm not sure I need much completion. It would be like marrying another soldier. It could work, I suppose, but I'm around soldiers at almost all times. I'd rather have a non-warrior to come home to after battles, a woman with more feminine qualities. I'm happy that she doesn't do embroidery, but I do wish she had some other occupation, something more... useful.” 

W
ith a trained eye, Emily quickly assessed the state of the alien toilet. To her relief it had turned out to be a recognizable device that worked just about the same way as the ones she was used to, and her professional scan didn't show any uncleanliness.

She took some time to think. The aliens seemed harmless enough. And Ar'Ric, who was obviously the boss, did something to her, something she had never felt before. There was a certainty about him, a confidence that seemed to stem from something deep inside him. As if he had more power than he knew what to do with, but still retained so much decency that he would never abuse it.

They could easily have dumped her into space, she realized, because stowaways didn't have any rights. No one would have known. It would have no consequences for them. And still, she felt that it had never crossed their minds. Except maybe one of them, the pilot, who had only looked at her without any expression on his face, except something that looked to her like a sneer. Well, maybe it had really been a happy, welcoming smile. They
were
aliens, after all.

But not so alien that Ar'Ric didn't have a serious attractive force on her. Damn, what a man he was! Tall, strong, sensationally handsome, with a relaxed ease to his movements that betrayed both self-control and agility. What would it be like to make love to him? To an
alien?
The idea sent unmistakable tingles down below. There certainly was a pretty decent sized bulge in his pants... And no claws that she could see.

She shook her head to clear it of ridiculous thoughts. Time for a reality check. He would be like many other men brainwashed by the media, thinking that curvy women were somehow beneath them. It would take an pretty manly male to be able to handle her fluffiness, she knew; a real man, sure of himself, attracted to the female and never making apologies for what he liked.

Of course, Ar'Ric was the manliest man she'd seen. He might be interested, and his size and muscles made her feel small. Dammit, was she falling for this guy now? Well, why the fuck not? He was probably the best man she'd ever met. Why
not
fall for him? Why wouldn't an alien be just as much of a man as any Earth male she'd ever met?

She sighed. No, enough with the useless dreaming. She was on the way to an alien planet, and she was probably the first Earthling to see it. That could be her way out of Meller's grip. If she were able to make some contacts with the aliens, get to know their society and what they needed and wanted, it would give her a head start on every other Earthling when it came to this alien civilization. She would become a celebrity on Earth, no doubt about it, as the first person to ever go to the alien planet. Atrexu or something?

She'd write a book, make a documentary, set up some sort of trading company, go on talk shows and make enough money not to have to work for mean bosses and clueless superiors.

Of course she had never written a book or done any trading or any of those things. But it was kind of a plan, anyway. She had gambled everything on making a career on Tellus Station. It hadn't seemed like a gamble at the time, just a smart career move that was sure to work, but now that dream was crushed. So maybe a gamble that seemed like a crazy roll of the dice
would
work out? And if she lost... Well, things really couldn't get much worse. She had no life on Earth. Maybe this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance she should grab with both hands? And it
was
in space. Just the way she liked it.

She got to her feet and went back to the cockpit.

“T
hat's our planet.” Ar'Ric pointed. “The capital of the Atrexu empire.” The planet looked a lot like Earth, Emily thought, except the oceans seemed to be more green than blue.

“What will happen when we get there?”

Ar'Ric and Ev'Ax exchanged glances, and Emily got the impression that they hadn't thought that far ahead.

“We will go to my residence and make further plans. You are somewhat... uh... different than most Atrexu women. We can't let you go out in public without some sort of disguise.”

The spaceship had covered the distance from Earth to Atrexu in only a few hours, and Emily had spent most of the time talking to Ar'Ric and Ev'Ax about both Earth and their world. They'd given her food, too, but they didn't have anything that resembled coffee.

They were still under the impression that she was a fierce warrior, and that was okay for now. And was there really any reason to tell them the truth? She doubted that toilet cleaners, no matter how good at their craft, were held in any higher esteem on the alien world than on Earth.

T
he ship landed on the night side of the planet. It briefly hovered over the landing pad, then Ber'Ain set it down with a mild shudder. The engine sound gradually weakened and everyone loosened their safety harnesses and stood up.

The prince was caught up in thinking and planning his future moves with Emily, excited and delighted that he might soon have a wife that was exactly to his preferences. He didn't realize what was happening until it was too late.

Ber'Ain moved fast towards Ev'Ax, who was suddenly lying limp in his seat, and then the pilot suddenly had a small, but very deadly gun in his hand.

It was pointed straight at the prince's face.

Surprised, Ar'Ric looked into the pilot's eyes to try to discern his meaning. But the pilot only stared right back, his jaw clenched.

For a second no one spoke while the tension in the cabin rose.

“You can still get out of this, Ber'Ain,” Ar'Ric said, very calmly. “A momentary lapse of reason can happen to anyone. Put the gun away and we can talk. But soon, the moment will have passed. Then it will be too late.”

“Your Highness, this is too big for me,” Ber'Ain said, his voice trembling with tension. “I must let others decide what to do, people with experience. All I know is that bringing this alien to our home world and planning to make her a princess is disastrous for the Empire.” His hand holding the gun was very steady.

There was something about the words he used... “I see. You work for Duke Hyp, do you? He was always trying to supplant me. What did my cousin promise you?”

“I only work for the Imperial Navy, sir. But the duke has been kind to me and my family. I think he will support me in this desperate act. It's not with a light heart I point a gun at my Crown Prince, fully prepared to shoot him dead.”

“Mixed loyalties are not honorable, Ber'Ain. You must have been Hyp's spy in my surroundings for quite a while. It explains some things.”

Ber'Ain didn't answer, just came closer to Emily and kept his gun aimed at Ar'Ric.

“If she comes to any harm, you will lose all honor,” the prince warned.

“I think not,” Ber'Ain responded, getting close to the alien woman and grasping her shoulder. “It was you who insisted that she be brought here. Everything that happens now is on your shoulders. You can't blame a patriot for being concerned about this grave threat to the Empire and trying to make it right.”

Emily yelped when the pilot grabbed her.

“I warn you, Ber'Ain. If you go through with this, I will hunt down both you and Duke Hyp, cousin or not.”

“I expect no less from you, Your Highness. And I'm prepared to face my destiny. I will do my best to make sure that this alien female is not harmed, but sent home to her own world. Meanwhile, sir, please give yourself a sleeping potion like I gave to Ev'Ax.”

“And if I don't?”

“Then I will burn an arm off this alien, who should never have been on this sacred world in the first place.”

The Prince trembled with outrage, but he suspected that the traitor wasn't bluffing. “Again I warn you, Ber'Ain. She had better not come to any harm, or you're a dead man. Drop your gun now, and I will make sure that you will receive fair treatment.”

“The future of the Empire, with a fully Atrexu royal family, far supersedes any concern I might have for my own safety, sir. Now I must insist that you administer the sleeping potion to yourself.”

The cabin of the ship lit up in a bright flash as the pilot shot the ray gun at the control panel, making the shuttle useless. He then turned the gun towards Emily, pushing the barrel into her side, making her gasp. “I'm not leaving until you do as I say. I need you to be unconscious for a few minutes while I escape with this alien, that's all.”

The prince looked at Emily. Her beautiful face was full of fear and concern, and it angered him that the treacherous pilot had made that wonderful woman feel those emotions. “Emily, you can see that this man is a traitor. He now intends to abduct you. But he has made a mistake: He has no support anywhere. Don't worry. I have huge resources and I will find you very soon. Use your warrior capabilities to defend yourself. Feel free to kill or injure this man or any of his associates at any opportunity. It will save them being killed by me. I will see you soon, my love.”

Then he took the injector with hypnotic drug and placed it against his own neck. It would put him to sleep, but he would only be out for a few minutes.