Page 10 of Captured By The Alien (Starbound #2)

She assumed the palace prison would be housed in the basement, perhaps deep underground where inmates never saw the light of day. Instead, she was taken to a wing which was surprisingly airy. One wall was spanned by five spacious cells, none of them occupied. When Kara saw them, her jaw dropped.

They looked like hotel rooms, all glass and chrome with comfortable seating and a large bed. A table held a bowl of fruit and a vase of flowers. There was even a separate bathroom.

“This seems a bit upmarket,” she ventured as Ela removed the restraints. “I was expecting something dingier. Perhaps with dripping water and spiders.”

Ela looked at her with disdain.

“Level two is reserved for high-ranking prisoners. Diplomats and nobility.”

“I’m flattered.”

“You should be. If I had my way, you would be chained to the wall in our city’s top-security facility. That is far less comfortable, I assure you.”

She pressed a button. The glass wall in front of the nearest cell, which Kara had assumed was solid, shimmered and disappeared.

Huh. A transparent energy field. She walked in.

“Tell me something,” she said, turning to face the Vraxian. “Just between us two women. Why do you hate me so much?”

“You have to ask me that? After all the lives the war has cost us?”

“I understand why you hate humans. I’m asking why you hate me. All I want is an end to the war too. We’re on the same side.”

Ela stepped closer.

“The Zhaal may think that by allowing you to enter shaa’baara he is opening the door to peace. But I see the divisions it will cause. And I see the lifetime of pain it will bring him.”

“Pain? What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You don’t understand, do you?” Ela’s eyes were cold. “That he would forfeit his happiness to marry a nedek human, an enemy species, means nothing to you. He would be mocked and ridiculed, pitied even. You do not comprehend the enormity of his sacrifice.”

Kara swallowed.

“I’d be marrying the enemy too. I’d be open to the same criticisms from my people.”

“I don’t give a drek’aa zift about your people,” Ela said scornfully. “I only care about my Zhaal.”

“So are you going to try to dissuade him?”

She might be able to, Kara thought. Vahn cares what she thinks. If she really pushes against it, he might listen.

But Ela shook her head.

“I will respect his decision. But make no mistake, I will not actively support the plan. Or you. So don’t look to me for help during shaa’baara. ”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“And make no mistake, human.” Ela’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “When you fail, I will be the first person to rejoice.”

Anger coiled like a whip in Kara’s stomach.

“It’s funny. Everyone in the SDF talks about you, did you know that? General Elaryx Solarun, renowned military bad-ass. Our officers respect you even though you’re the enemy.” She saw Ela’s eyes widen in surprise. “But now I know better. You’re nothing but a whiny little bitch. You want to win the war through force instead of diplomacy, and that makes you as bad as that bastard Baelon.”

Ela’s jaw tightened.

“Shut your mouth, vermin.”

“But even Baelon is more tolerable than you. You know why?” Kara’s face hardened. “Because you killed my dog.”

“I… what?”

“On Minerva-6. You shot Rocky. My friend. You killed a defenceless animal that was just trying to protect me.” Her voice shook. “So I don’t actually give a fuck what you think, general. Your opinion means less than nothing to me.”

Ela’s expression was unfathomable. She pressed the button that restored the barrier, shutting Kara inside the cell.

“The prison is run by mechbots,” she said curtly. “They will provide your meals and you may converse with them if you desire. You will be collected when it is time to start shaa’baara. ”

She stalked to the door. As she reached it, she hesitated.

“I apologize about your dog. I did not know.”

Her voice was so low, Kara thought she’d misheard. And then the general was gone, leaving her alone in her prison.

The next two days passed slowly but not uncomfortably. The cells were a huge step up from the brig on the warship. And the food was better. There were also no prison guards to contend with, only the mechbots who brought her meals whenever she asked.

They seemed to be more sophisticated than the mechanoids Earth used in labor-intensive industries, such as construction. Vraxian mechbots were dome-shaped robots equipped with mechanical arms and a high level of artificial intelligence.

As an experiment during a moment of boredom, she explained the concept of chess to one of them. It promptly went away and came back with a 3-D printed chessboard. And proceeded to checkmate her in twenty moves.

The bots also freely gave her information, as long as it wasn’t sensitive or classified. On the second day, she asked about Vahn’s coronation, curious to learn a little of Vraxian culture. A mechbot brought her a vis-screen and she watched the ceremony live as it happened.

He looked regal, she thought, studying the pictures. But also tired. And worried. Maybe no-one else could see it as he formally accepted the role of Zhaal, but she knew every line of his face. She knew he was anxious about ruling.

For a moment she wished she was there to give him support. Then she remembered he’d betrayed her. Still, she couldn’t help the pride that welled up inside her as he made his planet-wide speech.

He promised to pursue peace with Earth and outlined the plan for a ceasefire. He also spoke of the presence of a ‘Terran envoy’ on Vraxos, though he didn’t mention she was currently locked up in a prison cell.

That last bit of information caused something of a stir and she imagined people across Vraxos dissecting it with either horror or excitement, depending on their mindset. Either way, there was no going back. For better or for worse, Vahn had put the plan into motion. He’d kept his word.

She bit her lip, wondering if she would have been so brave had their positions been reversed, and Vahn had been taken to Earth. She hoped so. And she hoped she had the courage now for what lay ahead.

On the third day, the palace guards came to get her for shaa’baara .

They didn’t cuff her, which she took as a good sign. She stretched her arms over her head, affecting a confidence she didn’t remotely feel.

“Okay. Let the games begin.”