Technology had advanced, but Ellis and Cristine still waited for the day when they could travel to their timelines and see their parents for one last time. To ensure them that they weren’t in a hopeless state, dead or have run away from home.
But the technology never allowed it. There were basic rules of the planet that couldn’t be breached.
So, they plotted.
Cristine had used all her free time to learn how to operate Zothean ships. She was adept at aeronautics and engineering and negotiation, so Ellis and Logan had leaned heavily on her in their negotiations. It could be said that the Empire was in a time of peace under their rule.
One day, Cristine came up with the idea.
“These jumpers travel to the universes all the time without breaking the fragment of the universe. The only rule is to not meet yourself or members of your own family after you have been pronounced dead, right?” she asked.
Ellis nodded. “Yes,
Ellis sat under the blistering heat of the sun, basking in its glow, and wondered why she felt that way. She had set out her supplies.An unsent message to her parents telling them she was moving far away.Check.Her suitcase filled with all the stuff she had in her room.Check.A backpack filled with food for the journey.Check.All her identification and paperwork.Check.The beauty of the sun shining over the sea had always comforted her soul. She drew her knees to her chest and hugged them. On the horizon, the sun was setting, painting the sky red. The purple filtered through, making the clouds dance in the fiery sky above. Closing her eye, she savored the sound of the waves and the cries of the seagulls, the scent of salt permeating through her senses. She felt mildly sticky but didn't pay much attention to it.She had felt the happiest here since she was bo
"Ah, alien abduction. I would laugh but my head is killing me." She waited for the other to reply."It's not a joke," Nadia deadpanned.A small smile cracked on Ellis's lips and she nodded. "So, what happens next? Do I get anally probed and my chest cut open to see what is inside? Is a lobotomy due?" Well, this is what the people who were kidnapped by aliens said, right? Not that she believed in it. "Can I leave after that?"Nadia's smile didn't falter as she shook her head. "Sorry. You can't leave." At that point, Ellis was sure that the smile was plastered on the woman's face. If she truly were an alien, it would be comparable to the white-faced monsters people often fantasized about."So, what do I do after the probing?" Ellis asked blandly. This joke was getting sour quickly."We've retrieved you because you are a perfect genetic match for the Emperor of EN-4396. Therefore, you are going to become the new Empress."Sure, little old
The first thing she saw when she awoke again was Nadia's face. Another round of palpitations plagued her. Her senses seemed to be drowned underneath water and she was staring at this other human's face who had little sympathy for her."Deep breaths," Nadia commanded. "Come on, breathe through it!"Though the voice sounded faraway, Ellis followed it. After a few minutes, she felt her racing heartbeat slow to a near-normal pace."Why me?" she asked finally. "Out of all other people in these universes, why was I picked to be the Empress? Surely, the Emperor would prefer to marry someone of his own race."As awkward as it sounded coming out of her mouth, she knew it was not derogatory. Marrying another species wasn't the norm when she was on Earth, so she couldn't see why it would be so anywhere else."Well, Zothea, the planet you will be living in most of the year, is actually much more advanced than humans. They found species that are gen
Nadia shook her head. "No, he's a Zothean. And Nin is not biologically compatible with Zotheans," she informed, her voice filled with sarcasm.'Sorry, Miss Attitude. You look old enough to know none of this makes sense. Don't give me shit for not knowing the reproductive compatibility of aliens.'"I'll show you what he looks like." She tapped on the pad and a man's image projected into the room."He has anthropomorphic features," Ellis evaluated. Not too shabby. The man had wild hair on top of his head, looking like he had rolled on the ground prior to taking this picture. Moreover, it was an odd shade of yellow. If she were an art major, she could have pointed out the exact shade. It didn't look bleached, though. It seemed to be naturally silky."The quality of these pictures is great," she commented with great awe. Then she noticed the golden spots on his pale skin. And his skin was rather pale."Yeah, they look very human. A few mino
"Well, what about you? Did you have a husband?" Ellis asked. This time she was polite. She started to sympathize."I did. They call them mates here. Mine died so I went back into the pool. It will take a long time to find someone new, though." Nadia's voice was tight as she replied.Ellis quieted down. "I'm sorry to hear that. But can I ask why it will take a long time?"Nadia's jaws tightened visibly. "I'm not a high priority. You, on the other hand, would be. Don't ask me why. I don't make the rules. If you refuse the Emperor, you'll be quickly matched with someone else."Ellis nodded. She'll find some way around it when she reached Zothea. For now, she needed only that information. She could deal with everything else as it came to her."How long will it take for us to get to the Emperor's planet?"There was silence. "We reached when you fainted. We transferred you to another room." She looked around and explained. "They
Laurel pointed to the man flanking on the left of the emperor. His hair was grey instead of yellow with golden eyes. Through the tight suit that the men wore, she could see that they were muscular."That one is my mate, Dorian. He's cute, isn't he?" she exclaimed. Ellis gave the man a glance and wondered which part of him was cute. He looked like a cat, a terribly scarred and abused cat. Well, she thought. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder."And the one on the other side is Leo, Logan's younger brother."Seeing her distracted, Logan inched closer. Ellis saw the movement and her eyes snapped towards him. Behind him, something moved and she stared to make sense of it. The shock hit her like a punch to her gut.A very long tail danced behind his head, the visible bits showing the color of his hair and the golden spots on his skin on it. A tail... the man she was supposed to marry had a tail.This was definitely not a smal
Ellis wanted to retreat but Logan and the two others stood behind her, effectively cutting off her escape route. The room had gone eerily silent as if they were waiting for something to happen.Without warning, she felt two firm arms grasp her and suspend her in the air. She closed her eyes, mortification coloring her cheeks as she hoped the ground would open up and swallow her.Why was she being treated like Simba from The Lion King? Sorry, she hadn't signed up for this. She'd long been an adult and being cradled and shown off like a newborn was the last thing she wanted with her life.Apart from being the Empress of an alien solar system, that is.She clutched at the arms that held her by her ribcage to make sure she wouldn't fall."Empress Ellis has arrived!" Logan's voice boomed. The room erupted into noise, the creatures banging the tables and shouting her name in unison.When Logan set her back on he
"They're carnivores," Laurel whispered. "I tried feeding Dorian a vegetable and he gagged and puked for the next three days. I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you want revenge for something." Laurel looked very pleased."Was your attempt an experiment or petty revenge?" Ellis asked, just to be sure."A bit of both," Laurel admitted honestly. "Of course, Dorian wouldn't reprimand me. He ate it willingly." She had an evil smirk on her face. Ellis nodded, suddenly enlightened about this woman sitting beside her.Logan's eyes remained on Ellis as did the eyes of some of the other men in the room. Ellis found it hard to eat while she was stared at. Finally, she knew how animals in the zoo felt. The men couldn't use her fingers as deftly as the human females could because of their claws, so they poked holes into the pieces of meat and popped them into their mouths.It seemed those claws could double as toothpicks, how fascinating.