Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 87050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Sala sat up, the silken sheets pooling around her waist. I tried not to stare at her bare breasts, but found my eyes drawn to them nonetheless. She reached out, taking my hand in hers once more.
“Tessara, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you,” she began, her voice gentle. “I’m fairly certain you’ll qualify for asylum on Prosperia. Your experiences aboard the Conqueror of Bresla and your status as a rescued concubine should make you eligible.”
I felt a surge of hope at her words, quickly followed by a wave of anxiety. “Really? But… what do I need to do?”
Sala smiled reassuringly. “There will be some bureaucracy to satisfy, of course. We’ll need to take you to the refugee center on the surface of Prosperia. They’ll process your application and help you adjust to your new life. The most important part will be that you’ll be asked to commit to accepting the Prosperian social order, and you’ll be checked to make sure your needs are compatible with that commitment.”
I nodded, trying to take in this information. The idea of a new life, free from the cruelty I had known, was both exhilarating and terrifying, but the mysterious question of my needs brought some unease to my mind.
“We’ll be taking a shuttle to an orbital station,” Sala continued, her thumb tracing soothing circles on the back of my hand. “From there, we’ll board a space elevator that will take us down to the surface. The refugee center is located in the heart of Prosperia City.”
I tried to picture it in my mind—a journey from the stars to the surface of an alien world. It seemed like something out of a dream I might have had during my endless confinement on the Conqueror.
“Alpha will be accompanying us,” Sala added, glancing at her husband with a smile.
My eyes widened in surprise. “The captain is coming too?” I couldn’t keep the shock from my voice.
Alpha chuckled, the sound deep and resonant. “Indeed I am, little one. I have some business to attend to on the surface, and I want to ensure you’re safely settled.”
I felt a blush creep up my cheeks at his use of the endearment ‘little one.’ It stirred something within me, a longing I didn’t quite understand.
“But… won’t the ship need its captain?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Alpha’s lips curved into a smile. “The Prince Hend is quite capable of managing without me for a short time. My first officer, Mero, will be in command during our absence. I want to see my brother.”
I blinked at him, then looked over at Sala, my eyes wide.
“Your brother?” I whispered.
CHAPTER 13
Gamma
I awoke to the soft chime of my handheld, alerting me that the Prince Hend had entered high orbit around Prosperia. Blinking away the last vestiges of sleep, I reached for the device and scanned its surface.
As I read the message from Alpha, inviting me to see through his eyes, I felt a surge of anticipation. It had been some time since I had last connected with my brother in this way, and I was eager to see what was transpiring on the Prince Hend.
Closing my eyes, I allowed my consciousness to drift, reaching out across the vast distances of space to connect with Alpha’s mind. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus, as if I were opening my own eyes to a new scene.
I took in the opulence of Alpha’s quarters, the room bathed in soft, ambient light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. My gaze, through Alpha’s eyes, went to the massive bed that dominated the space. There, nestled among silken sheets, I saw two women—one familiar, one new.
Sala, Alpha’s wife, sat up in the bed, the sheets pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts bare. Her long black hair looked tousled from sleep, and her blue eyes shone with warmth as she looked at the woman beside her.
She, the other woman, captured my attention and held it. Small and delicate, with long, dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders in wild waves. Her skin was pale, almost luminescent in the soft light of the cabin. But her eyes struck me even harder—large and green, seeming to hold their own cosmos of emotions within their depths.
I watched through Alpha’s eyes, as the young woman—Tessara, I realized from Alpha’s thoughts—asked about me. “Your brother?” she whispered, her voice soft and tinged with curiosity.
And then, she blushed.
The sight of that rosy flush spreading across her cheeks hit me like a physical blow. I felt a jolt of… something… course through me. As a breakout entity from the omniscient Collective, I wasn’t inclined to pronounce anything the most remarkable thing ever to happen to me. I worried, too, that I was fooling myself, that it didn’t have anything to do with Tessara. But I also had the clarity of memory necessary to feel certain I had never experienced this sensation before—not in all my years of exploring the galaxy and indulging in its pleasures.