I understand what he means. He’s threatening to conquer Earth and sell people as slaves if I don’t go along with his scheme.
An icy coldness settles in my stomach. I don’t know how much of that is a bluff. But not all of it can be. Those ships look terrifyingly capable and scary. This huge ship I’m on right now could be more than a match for Earth’s total military, all by itself. The artificial gravity alone speaks of a level of tech that Earth can’t even dream about right now. Our only spaceship with a weapon now lies broken in the other hangar, a sad heap of aluminum, copper, and plastics.
“You’re threatening me,” I state calmly. “You’re threatening a lone female held captive in your ship. Is that princely behavior?”
“It’s not a threat so much as a description of what will happen if I don’t soon pretend to be married,” Mareliux says coldly. “I have given you a choice, Ambassador Umbra. One choice leads to a fun adventure, rewarded with significant riches you can take home with you. The other leads to… well…” He glances at the row of dull, black gunships.
I wish I had a gun.“If I agree to fake marry you… how do I know you won’t conquer Earth anyway?”
“I give you my word of honor that I won’t.”
I manage to not laugh out loud. From what he’s shown me, I’m not sure he’s the most honorable man in the universe. But saying that might be unwise. And the real answer is obvious: There’s nothing he can say to make me sure that he won’t break his promise. “Will I be required to… be intimate with you? Again, I mean?”
“There will be no such requirement, as I have already made clear,” Mareliux says coldly. “You will be expected to play a role in public. In private, we will be strangers to each other. If that’s what you prefer.”
“Oh, it is,” I assure him, despite not being at all that sure. My lower regions are still tingling from that climax.
“Then it’s settled,” the prince says, a little smile playing on his lips. “Ambassador Umbra Hadley, Second Lieutenant, will you agree to not marry me?”
I think fast. I’m not interested in a reward that will make me rich. But if this is going to happen, I have to make it a good deal for Earth.
“I will need you to share technology with Earth,” I state firmly. “Spacecraft and such. The tech that makes it possible to make a ship like this. And warships like those.” I point at the gunships. “Help Earth become a seriously space-faring species that can defend itself against an aggressive empire like yours. That’s the price.”
Bellatriz translates what I said, but then she and the prince have a short, but intense argument. I think the prince wins, judging from the satisfied look on his face.
“I’m not sure if you know what you’re asking for, but I agree. When I am in a position to do so, I will drag Earth into the spaceage. As a friend, not as a conqueror. Earth shall be free to make its own way among the other civilizations of the galaxy. That may be tougher than you think, Umbra. I predict that your world will look back on its pre-space time as ‘the good old days’. Most other worlds do.”
I think I can spot the weak part of that. “When will you be in a position to do so? If you’re a prince, don’t you have that power now?”
He raises his golden eyebrows. “The power to give away high-level technology for nothing? To a barbarian planet like Earth? That kind of thing will need the backing of the emperor. Which you will help me become by not marrying me.”
“But until then, you can protect Earth?” I persist. “From a distance, I mean. With all these great warships that you’re so proud of?”
He stares me down with his laser eyes. His jaw works as he thinks about it, and his tendrils stand out from his head, their color pulsating between orange and red. It’s a fearsome display, and I half expect him to draw his sword and kill me. But it’s also a good indication that he’s actually going to follow through on his promises. If he wasn’t, he would agree to anything much more easily.
“That would mean diverting a full squadron from the navy to Earth,”Bellatriz says, “while there’s still a lot of vital fighting for them to do elsewhere. We sorely need all our warships. There is such a thing as being too demanding, Umbra.”
“Don’t back down,”Vera says quickly.“It’s a fair request.”
I think she’s right. This opens the very real possibility that Earth can be protected against those damned flying saucers well beforeSpace Force can become a fighting navy worth the name. In a sense, Mareliux’s forces could keep Earth under its wing until we’re strong enough to not need it. “You just made a big show of how big the Imperial forces are. Now show me that it’s true. In a way that’snice.”
Mareliux smiles tightly. “You drive a hard bargain, Ambassador. You’re more of a diplomat than you ever thought. Very well, Umbra, you have a deal. You will not marry me on Grefve as soon as we can get there. Then we’ll go on to Khav, and we will pretend to be a married couple.” His face goes scary and he bends down, putting his face close to mine, predator laser eyes piercing me and tendrils pointing straight at me with silvery, dagger-like tips. “And at this price, I expect you to play your part toperfection.”
His deep growl makes my lungs tremble. I swallow from both fear and sudden arousal. What is it with this guy and making me horny? It’s not helping that I know what those lips, that tongue and those tendrils feel like.
“I’ll do my best,” I promise. “After we’re not married.”
11
- Mareliux-
“Then we’re now not betrothed,” I declare. “Will you send a dispatch to the Emperor, Bellatriz? I think he should know. Don’t tell him the ‘not’ part. It must look genuine.”
“Shall I tell him,”the sword AI asks, “that your fiancee only agreed to marry you after you threatened to invade her homeworld and enslave everyone there? Or that you have now committed to sending a squadron to protect a planet that’s not even a part of the Empire and which has no particular value?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snort. “You know we hate slavery and fight it wherever we find it. Earth is not a planet we want, now that we’re battling for the very survival of the Empire. As for the gunships, it can be a reward for work well done. We’ll rotate the squadron every ten days. Watching over Earth should be a very relaxed assignment for deserving crews. Now, Umbra, I think it’s time for those refreshments I keep promising. Send a serving robot to the officer’s mess, Bellatriz.”
Umbra is staring at the gunships, and I stare at Umbra. In that jumpsuit, her shape is almost outrageously female. I’ve never seen a Khavgren woman fill out a garment in quite that way.
