My lover cared about this blue planet – his birthplace, his heritage. A sense of destiny overcame me. “You have my promise.”
The Emperor watched me and nodded. I owed him the promise of my cooperation, my devotion to his son. He flicked his claws towards a nearby Tech working at a holovid display, my cue. The Tech clicked, indicating the comm was live.
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to find a sense of calm as I addressed billions of people. “Citizens of Earthside, Luna, and the colonies, my name is Angel. I come as Emissary to speak for the Emperor of the Allied Federation of the Gran.”
A global holovid display showed a series of bright dots across each of the continents – every places where our signal was received. The DC fleet and all of Earthside heard my words.
“The Defense Council attacked the colonies of the Gran without provocation or warning, wreaking death and chaos on unshielded space stations of civilian populations. Now humanity faces the consequences of their actions. The Emperor commands fleets of warships capable of annihilation and enslavement of the entire human race. He wishes to know why humans broke the treaty and demands recompense for the forty thousand lives lost among the mining asteroids and colonies of the Gran. Those who died were workers, citizens, whole families – non-combatants. All murdered by the stealth warships of the DC.”
Several of the Techs worked frantically, clicking and cursing as they fought to maintain signal integrity. The DC attempted to scramble our broadcast and block us from communicating directly with Earthside.
The Emperor growled for me to continue.
“The Emperor is wise and merciful. He offers humanity the opportunity for parlay, to negotiate an agreement and reinstate the treaty they violated. If negotiations fail, he will have no choice but to assume humanity is a threat to the empire … and he will meet that threat with the full might of the fleets of warships at his command.”
I waited a moment, holding my pirate lover’s eyes, wishing there was someplace else we could be in this fucked up universe. I wished there was another way, but I knew I had to do what must be done, to say the words that might make a difference to xenophobic humans who had never experienced what I had.
“I have lived among the Gran, in the Royal palace. I know these Cats well. The Emperor is honorable. The Gran abide by any new agreements. For the sake of both species, humanity and the Gran, I beg the DC to consider an alternative to war. The galaxy is a very large place. I am living proof that humanity and the Gran can coexist peacefully … I am mated to the Prince of the Allied Federation of the Gran.”
Cesar closed his eyes in pained acceptance of the dire consequences bound to follow my words.
* * * *
We waited quietly in the command center of the Imperial flagship and monitored hundreds of transmissions between the DC command ship and DC command on Earthside. Cesar showed the Cat Techs how to interface with Earthside media, which was mostly afire with speculation of who I was, the potential of a hoax, and the DC’s ability to defend against the overwhelming threat of Gran warships poised around the planet.
I recognized one media group, ladies from a popular talk show – The Verge. I had watched them many times surfing Earthside media at Nugene. Two sharply dressed women debated rumors that the DC had been involved in illicit cloning operations of soldiers and workers. The blonde woman argued emphatically that holovids existed proving the DC had sold human clones to the Gran for over two decades – the true basis of the treaty.
As I stood beside my lover and watched Earthside media chatter, something occurred to me and chilled my guts. “Cesar, how did the media learn about the clones from Nugene? Who leaked the truth?”
My pirate’s sharp eyes looked away from me and his heart rate increased. Gradually he faced my scrutiny. “I told you about Jason’s research, how he claimed he had government contacts who supplied him with Intel. His employers wanted Nugene’s operations revealed.”
I nodded, and the twist in my stomach became a hard wrench.
“My brother gave his life for what he believed, for the pursuit of truth. I finished his work. I traced some of the last calls he made from my ship, and contacted someone. They wouldn’t identify themselves, but they admitted Jason worked for them. I met with a man who claimed he was employed by a secret committee from the United Nations and they needed solid evidence to expose Nugene’s crimes with the DC. They sent Jason to find that evidence. In honor of my brother’s memory, I told them everything I knew about the Cats and Nugene. It’s what Jason would have wanted.”
I grasped Cesar by the arm hard enough to hurt him. “Words are meaningless, Cesar.” I jabbed my finger at the women in the holovid arguing over illegal cloning operations. “They are debating holovid evidence. What holovids?”
Cesar held my eyes with the severity of his gaze. “Jason’s recordings.”
My heart seized in my chest, stuttering double-time with the bombshell. “Of what? Of Captain Cronin’s ship? Of the worker drones?”
He nodded. “Yes. I never knew Jason had a retinal implant, Angel. You must believe me. When they asked me for his body, I thought they wanted an autopsy! They must have extracted the data from his corpse. A few days after I handed Jason over to the man, three holovids went viral across Earthside and Luna. That’s when I left system for the Gran, for you. I stole a convoy of DC ore freighters and jumped for the far side of the galaxy.”
I had to sit down before I fell on my face. “How many hours of holovid?” All the things that happened between Jason and I flitted through my mind. All the things Jason saw, everything we’d shared together … our escape. How I slaughtered half a dozen Warriors …
If Jason recorded everything, every minute of every day I spent with him, there was enough evidence to destroy my relations with both the Gran and humanity. I would truly have no place in the galaxy to call my own, no home, no safe harbor.
Cesar kneeled down to take my hands. “All I’ve seen is a few minutes holovid of worker drones milling around in cells in their blue jumpsuits, and Warrior Cats feeding them slop. Jason narrated a few minutes with a summary of what he’d discovered about the clones. There’s no mention of your name. Nothing in the media about you, not a single image or holovid of you. If they know of your connection to Jason they’re keeping it quiet.”
The unraveling threads of my life were put on hold when the Emperor barked to gain my attention. “The humans are hailing us, they have a translator, but I do not trust them. I need you, Angel.”
I tried to clear my mind of fear and panic, the overpowering anxiety. The Emperor needed me. I focused on him, his needs, and shoved all else aside. I stepped past Cesar and moved beside the Emperor to face a holovid display of two officers, one a high-ranking Admiral, the other a lowly man with a yellow line and a star on his shoulder.
The Admiral looked directly at me. “Angel, I presume? You are the woman who claims to be mated to a Cat … the Prince.” His eyes held a mocking tone.
I nodded and waited.
He looked me up and down, checking out my skimpy princess outfit which hid very little of my body from his gaze. “I am Admiral Ackerman of the Defense Council. I am in direct command of the stealth fleets of gunships with weapons pointed at you.” He gestured towards the officer at his side. “This is Ensign Collins, a DC authorized translator. We have recordings from your conversations with Admiral Michael Benjamin of the Outer Rim Fleet. Though you demonstrate amazing fluency, your translations left something to be desired. Ensign Collins will convey clarity of communications.”
I recalled when I first met Admiral Benjamin, many months ago, while enslaved to Captain Cronin. I’d manipulated the flow of information between the DC and Cronin, keeping everyone fed on half-truths. “The Emperor trusts my judgment, but you may use your translator, if he is capable.”
The Ensign blushed and began clicking and growling in a mockery of the Gran’s eloquent language. “Admiral Ackerman say he no trust the Gran. Admiral say t
he Gran want enslave humans.”
The Emperor squinted at me, then at the translator, confused by the Ensign’s mangled speech patterns. I repeated what he’d said, with all the proper inflection and click-growl intonations.
The Emperor nodded. “It is true the Gran desire human workers, this will be negotiated. We do not need to enslave humanity. The arrangement with Nugene was sufficient to please the Traders Guild … before this attack. Now, negotiations will address reparations for losses and damages.”
The Ensign opened his mouth to speak, but I rolled over the top of him as I translated the Emperor’s words. The Admiral looked to the Ensign, who blushed again. “That’s what he said.”
The Admiral glared at me and the Emperor. “If you must repeat every damn word from my translator, then I’ll let you handle it, but he’s keeping tabs on you.”
I nodded, still too deeply shocked to take it all in. My mind reeled from the idea that Jason might have recorded our time together, and the devastating implications.
“As to this negotiation business, it won’t get far if it involves human slave labor. That’s off the table. Nugene’s cloning operation is officially decommissioned.”
The Emperor answered my translation curtly. “They prefer war to a profitable trade arrangement?”
The Admiral snapped right back, “We did not make the treaty for profit, we made it to stop the Traders Guild from raiding human colonies. During the course of the thirty-year war the Traders Guild stole hundreds and killed thousands in their attacks. The DC agreed to sell the Gran human clones as an act of desperation, for survival. Now the Gran must decide if their profits are worth war. Our attack on the Gran was nothing compared to the destruction they visited on us for three decades of endless raids.”
The Emperor answered my translation after a moment of thought. “For many cycles we traded peacefully. War between us is a thing of the past. Why now?”
It occurred to me then, the reason … the catalyst. Jason.
One man’s sacrifice to reveal the unpleasant truth of Nugene had sparked intergalactic war and put everyone I loved in jeopardy. I felt certain the controversy of Jason’s holovid recordings had something to do with the timing of this attack from the DC.
The Admiral replied to my translation with spite. “This dirty business has come full circle, and humanity will no longer tolerate slavery of any kind … not even clones.” His eyes pierced me as I translated to the Emperor.
I stopped the conversation with a hand of warning on the Emperor’s arm. I addressed my father-in-law directly. “Allow me access to Earth. There is more to the politics of this moment than we understand. I wish to visit the planet and seek the truth.”
The Emperor watched me, and looked back over his shoulder to the Traders Guild and Miners Guild Cats who scrutinized this exchange with sour looks on their faces. “If you believe you can find the truth, go with my blessing. Take your prisoners with you, as a gesture of compassion. I have no more use for them. The Warriors complain of their stench.”
Smirking from the Emperor’s strange sense of humor, I stared down the Admiral, returning his knowing glare. “The Emperor has authorized me to visit Earthside and learn more of the political climate. We must better understand this issue.”
The Ensign cleared his throat. “Sir, they spoke of prisoners too.”
The Admiral’s attention snapped back to me. “What prisoners?”
“Your invasion against the Gran failed miserably. We saved a handful of survivors as witness.”
The Admiral’s face made plain what I had suspected all along. His eyes narrowed on me and the Emperor. “The Gran would return these prisoners with nothing in exchange?”
I knew then the DC never intended anyone to survive the attack. They’d sent Admiral Benjamin and his forces to die, simply to gauge the Gran’s response to an invasive attack. I almost felt sorry for Secora and the possible consequences of her survival. Then I remembered what she’d seen, my crimes against the DC … the Admiral’s death at my hands.
“The prisoners will be returned when I conclude my visit to Earthside to speak with the leaders of humanity.”
The Admiral shook his head. “You cannot pass our blockade. The only leader you should be concerned with is the one holding the trigger … Me.”
“Unless you want these negotiations to fail and prefer a horrendous war, you will let me pass. I am only a simple human woman. What threat do I present?”
An officer interrupted the Admiral, and they stepped away from the holovid display to argue in muted sounds. I barely caught something about the United Nations. The sound of curt orders being issued. The Ensign’s face squished up like he was about to shit himself as the Admiral stepped back into view.
The Admiral’s ice blue eyes carried a vicious glare, but he held his face in check. This man wore his control with rigid care, yet he couldn’t hide his fury. “You’ll have your visit – with an armed DC escort. The United Nations has convened a special session to hear you speak. Forty-eight hours, and not a minute more.”
The Emperor’s flagship broadcast our entire exchange across Earthside media, and the UN took full advantage of the situation. The Admiral was no longer in control of this war.
* * * *
Chapter 12
After reassuring Cesar I’d be safe, with promises I’d return in forty eight hours, no matter what, I visited the armory Cat for a special request.
The Tech mewled and snarled in frustration. “Too small. No power source! Imperial armaments require full power! No time for experimental designs.” He tried to dismiss me and continue his business but I stood in his face and refused to be ignored.
“I don’t need a full power weapon, just enough power for a few minutes. An emergency weapon. It must be hidden, like a piece of jewelry.”
The Cat finally stopped whining and looked at me, at my arms and wrists. He hissed, but then began working to craft what looked like a small bracelet, something easily mistaken as ornamental…
* * * *
“No Rollick, you cannot accompany me.” The Prince held my arms in his grip, drawing blood in his attempt to keep me from boarding the DC shuttle without him. “I will be fine, trust me. I do not die easily my Prince.” I kissed his nose and rubbed his shoulders.
Looking past Rollick, I noticed the Traders Guild fatcat and his buddy the Miner kept glancing at me from the other side of the shuttle bay as they stood in murmured conversation. They’d already expressed their displeasure at the Emperor allowing this short term reprieve so I could visit Earthside. I suspected those wily Cats were up to something. I watched them with a sinking feeling in my stomach. Even if I figured out what the hell was going on with the DC and the United Nations, these greedy Cats could mangle any peace deal I might negotiate. Outnumbered and outgunned two to one, I feared the Emperor was losing control of the situation.
Rollick licked at my face and drew my attention back to his needs. He released his punishing grip on my arm and ran his hands down my body to cup my ass. I leaned into his powerful body and accepted his embarrassing public fondle and affections with a smile. I didn’t care anymore what anyone thought of me and my Prince, or our intimacy.
“You have my vow, Prince, I will come back to you. If I don’t make it back on time, you have my permission to rescue me.”
He growled and held me in a crushing squeeze of Cat love. As he reluctantly let me go, I turned and found Cesar waiting with a gift. My quiet, patient pirate placed a simple white box in my hands.
“I intended this gift for the day when I freed you from your slave collar.” He looked to Rollick standing behind me – the Cat had stolen Cesar’s moment with his gracious removal of my collar at our mating ceremony. Cesar caressed my face with his callused fingers. “You need this now more than ever. Open it.”
I opened the box to find a stunning purple silk dress with a pair of black slip-on shoes. It was the nicest human clothing I’d ever owned. Tears blurred my vision. Tho
ugh I’d never said a word, I’d been worried about my reception on Earth, especially considering my skimpy Gran Princess clothing. Somehow he knew and took care of it. My pirate was always taking care of me in small, subtle ways.
I looked my lover in the eyes with a smile that wouldn’t quit. He knew I mated the Prince and served Rollick in all ways – in the biblical sense. Yet Cesar accepted me despite the complications I brought into his life. Always there when I needed him. I loved him so much, secrets and all.
“Thank you, Cesar. This means so much to me.”
He kissed me with lip-bruising force and wrapped me in a warm hug. I basked in his love for a moment before reassuring him. “I promise I will return. But I’ll tell you the same thing I told Rollick. If I’m not back on time, you have my permission to come and get me. In the meantime, please stay clear of the DC. Keep your ship cloaked. The DC can’t know you’re here. We may need your ship before this is over.”
The Imperial fleet had towed Cesar’s stolen Shadow Class cruiser across the galaxy by magnetic tether. The rest of his crew, ten men in total, had been living aboard the cruiser the whole time Cesar enjoyed the Emperor’s hospitality – at my beck and call.
Cesar nodded. “I’ll be here waiting, Angel. Where would I go without you?” His sly grin spoke of humor, but his words carried the barb of truth. Our fates were bound together, for better or worse.
I appreciated the loyalty of Cesar’s men, their willingness to hang tight in a dire situation, but the course of this war could destroy that. Cesar’s men hated the DC as much as any pirate, but they wouldn’t join in if the Cats attacked Earthside. Cesar stood to lose everything, including his men, if he stuck with me to the end.
* * * *
I disembarked from the DC shuttle with three armed Marines surrounding me and the full weight of planetary gravity pulling me down. I’d experienced varying components of artificial gravity, grav-spin, and the massive G’s of acceleration-deceleration in space vessels, but I’d never felt the solid force of Earthside under my feet and in my bones … until now.