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The subtle but steady knocking on Blaen’s door was enough to jar him from his slumber. Lacey’s rhythms were definitely stronger than ever for him as his erect shaft practically held the sheets up like a pitched tent. Groaning in frustration, he tried his best to nudge it down before answering the door. He opted not to open it fully.
The hall was quiet and the only person standing there was Equa. His rhythms were off again, full of fear. He held out a small headset to Blaen, telling him, “It’s Miss Stern. Please, I cannot stay. Take this.”
Blaen took it and watched the concierge practically run down the empty hallway. No one was supposed to know he and the Prince were still in the hotel. With everything going on, it made him nervous how scared Equa was.
Putting the device to his ear, he could barely wait to hear her voice. “Is that you, Lacey?”
“Blaen?”
“Yes,” he whispered with a smile. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
It didn’t take long for Korun to enter the suite through the door their rooms shared. He was just as excited as they were.
“I’m fine for now,” she told him.
“Hold on a second,” Blaen told her as he moved toward the communicator in the room. Hooking the headset up to the device, he put her on speaker so that they could all talk at once.
“Are you sure you are not hurt?” Korun asked again.
“Korun?” her voice whispered dreamily.
“Yes, we are both here. I sent Blaen to retrieve you from Radiance but you were never taken there. What can you tell us about what’s going on over there?”
“It’s Arganock,” she told him. “He was the guard who was supposed to take me to Radiance and he’s the one running things while Briegrot is off making plans to meet with you father. It isn’t true that you’re not handling the negotiations anymore, is it?”
“It’s complicated,” Korun answered with a sharpness in his voice, “but that information serves us well.”
“How did you get away from your captors? Are there many guards?” Blaen asked shifting the topic.
“I snuck out to a room not too far from where they’re keeping me. Emily is alive too. There’s a weird terrestrial here as well, he’s from Tummet.”
“That explains a lot,” Blaen chuckled. “I was wondering why your rhythms have been magnified to us lately. He doesn’t think you’re any danger to him, right?”
“No, not that I know of. Why?”
“The inhabitants of Tummet are very mild mannered and non-combative. They do not engage in intergalactic warfare and maintain themselves as a neutral planet of the cosmos. They don’t take in refugees. They don’t harbor fugitives,” Korun began to explain. “However, with all that said, if they feel threatened their power is far more catastrophic than tampering with the pleasure centers of the creatures around it. It’s the same as your species overdosing on opioids. He floods the pleasure chamber until death occurs. Please stay in his good graces.”
“I’ll be sure to do that. I can’t stay on much longer. I’m not sure how many guards are left and how many are actually on patrol. Arganock killed all the guards who opposed him and Briegrot. Briegrot left the station already leaving him in charge. But he’s been out of sight for the most part. I just wanted to see if I could get in contact with you. Especially after the dream I had,” she sighed.
“Yeah, that was some dream,” Blaen glanced down to his erection. It was nearly flaccid by now, but he refocused on the call. “But don’t worry so much. Dreams aren’t necessary predictions of the future.”
“Yes,” Korun interrupted. “Sometimes they’re simply mirrors of what our hearts may desire. But perhaps you should get back before anyone notices you’re gone. We’re going to figure this out and as soon as we do we’ll get word to you somehow. Or at least, by the next time you’re able to get away we should have something more concrete to tell you. Stay safe. This will be over soon and then we can continue to move our lives forward in a way that’s best for everyone.”
Lacey hung up the call, leaving Blaen and Korun to themselves. Neither one of them could go back to sleep after speaking to her. The need to get her off of that space station became their top priority. Briegrot’s plans were of the utmost importance as well. After hours of strategizing, they came up with a solution. Korun called his guards into the room.
With only five trustworthy guards by his side, Korun was uncertain about how well his plan would work, but the only way to find out was to put it into action. Staring at the guards he leaned in, “I know that there’s been an uprising amongst the Royal Guard. I need to know how bad it is.”
They all looked to each other without uttering a word. Blaen stepped in. “We know you have an idea of what’s going on. I’m not in quite like I used to be, and we need some help trying to get an idea of how to dissolve this situation before it gets worse. If Briegrot is able to meet our Imperial Lord, the entire Ubosian Empire will be at risk. We need to find out exactly what he wants and how to get those hostages out of Terra 5. In order to do that, we need to know what does Arganock have to do with all of this and how long has this coup been in the works.”
Finally, one spoke up, “Arganock has been in charge of incoming fleets for some time now. We know that he’s been talking about reorganizing the Corps, but the way he moves around the camps isn’t exactly the easiest to interpret. There’s more Guards on his side than not, but the Corps itself still remains loyal to our Imperial Lord. It will be difficult for anyone to overthrow the crown but it can be done. There are talks of a weapon of some sort that could render the Corps useless.”
“And you didn’t find this information pertinent for us to know?” Korun growled.
“We didn’t know how viable it was,” another guard spoke up. “Most of it is rumors. Every hardened general has rumors circulating about them. We couldn’t bring such treasonous information without proof which is what we don’t have. All we know is that Terra 5 was taken hostage by one of our ships and that Arganock joined them soon after. There are guards that remain loyal to you and your father, but they fear what Arganock could do if he finds them in communication with you or Lord Kryz’uhr.”
“Fear is a well-placed emotion, for when my father finds out what traitorous behavior has occurred he will surely obliterate the entire Guard and start from scratch. But that is a problem for a different day. What we will tackle now is the rescue of hostages from Terra 5. Find out from your guards on board if Briegrot has anyone heading back to Ecury or if he is the only one dealing with this situation. Blaen and I will take a trip to Ecury to find out what Briegrot’s true plans are for Ubos. Three of you are with us. The other two are to rescue the hostages aboard Terra 5. Bring Lacey here first, but we will offer them all safe passage to Earth for sanctuary. Be mindful there is a Tummetan with them. Do not scare him or you will pay for it with your lives.”
The guards left to prepare for the mission ahead while Korun sat down next to Blaen.
“Do you think we are moving too hastily in rescuing Lacey?” Korun asked Blaen with a hushed tone.
Blaen turned to him, “You know what happens when we find a connected rhythm together, and you know what happens when we don’t. Lacey is the only one after Dardania to connect with the both of us, and instantaneously at that. Do not ruin this connection like you did that one.”
“Dardania wasn’t right for us,” Korun assured him.
“You never explained that to me either. She simply stopped reaching out to us.”
“I thought you knew,” he chuckled.
“What?”
“Our Imperial Empress had her arranged in a union with the Piqurians. According to her, the only union between a Prince and his mate should join two empires. Dardania’s Ubosian roots did nothing. It was only for our sheer happiness and delight. Therefore, she was useless,” Korun spoke flatly.
“Do you still think about her?” Blaen asked him.
Korun knew he was referring to his mother, but it was a topic they rarely discussed. Memories of their time danced around in his head. He was uncertain if it was because they were headed into a mission where the outcome was unknown, or if it was simply the mention of Dardania. It was vivid. It was painful. It was a monumental moment in his life:
The planet of Ubos was the picture of perfection from young Korun’s balcony. The palace never sealed an opening that led to the outside. Doors and windows were nonexistent to the place as it floated above the surface of the planet. The building itself was situated on a large chunk of galactic matter, encompassed in a cloud. It was in constant rotation. The palace appeared to rise and set like the sun.
Korun didn’t have any siblings and his mother, Imperial Empress Prantcha, spent more of her time with their son then Kryz’uhr himself. They were extremely close when he was younger, but as Korun came of age to join the Corps of Ubos, he drifted closer and closer to his father.
On the cusp of his blossoming into the Prince and future ruler of Ubos, Korun was assigned a bodyguard. An Ubosian warrior, close to him in age so that it wouldn’t be completely obvious. Blaen was the epitome of Ubosian loyalty, gaining Kryz’uhr’s trust time and time again. He risked his life several times to save Korun from attacks on his life and attempted kidnappings; not to mention his own adolescent hijinks. The more time they spent together, the closer they became until their relationship evolved into friendship.
Prantcha couldn’t be happier that her son had found a friend in Blaen and soon even she began a friendship with Blaen’s family, his mother especially. The women worked side by side, grooming their sons to become far more compassionate beings than the rulers and military force around them. It was their hope to change the militant regime of Ubos to one that all planets could come to in crisis. Kryz’uhr was emphatic about the law of the land and followed it to the letter without sway or consideration to varying circumstances. It was a rarity for him to exercise leniency of any kind, except when it came to his son. However, with Blaen by his side, moments such as those were few and far in between with Korun.
The years would go on and it would be noticed that the boys often shared many things in their life, from the very food they ate, to those they dated. She knew her son and Blaen would take on a wife sooner or later, and she wanted a hand who was to take her place as Queen.
She did her best and even visited other planets in order to procure them the perfect mate, a mate they’d both bond to infinitely. But that was a test that failed over and over again. While it was excellent for diplomatic relationships, time and again her son would reject whomever she’d chosen. It often came down to Blaen liked her and he didn't or Blaen despised the mate and Korun was okay. They could rarely agree on anyone and it drove their mothers crazy. They wished their bond wasn’t so intrinsically intertwined, but they loved better together than they did as individuals.
After one of her trips, Empress Prantcha returned to the Palace looking far less blue than when she’d left. She was certain that she’d be fine, but that was a lie that faded quickly as she got sicker with every passing day. Korun hated to see his mother in so much pain with nothing he could do to help her. He and Blaen began to take diplomatic trips across the galaxy in search of cures and beings who could help her, but it was all for naught. It came to a point where Prantcha asked her son to stop. The same way he asked her to stop searching for a wife, was the same way she was asking him to stop searching for a way to save her life.
Blaen’s mother rushed to Prantcha’s side to care for her, but whatever sickness she’d contracted was foreign to their planet and to her body. It clung to her until every ounce of her life had been sucked dry. The brilliant cerulean shade, her skin once glowed, was reduced to a dull violet. Her teal eyes went completely dark. Her beige hair shed and turned black. As she took her last breaths, she instructed Blaen’s mother to ensure that Korun be nurtured. He was still in need of a mother’s love and care that she was certain his father would not provide. His age was of no concern to her. She only wished that Korun turn into the ruler she knew he could be.
The death of his wife sent Kryz’uhr into a state of tyranny. There was no more negotiating with the ruler. Whatever was the law, was the law, and he enforced it with an iron fist. Blaen’s mother, Kerlina did her best trying to fill Prantcha’s dying wish, and for the most part she succeeded. Korun grew to be a compassionate Prince who’d managed to convince his father, on more than one occasion, to exercise leniency.
***
BLAEN WATCHED KORUN as he moved through the suite, suiting up getting ready to head to Ecury. They hadn’t been on a mission like this since their younger days and he was excited. There was a hint of fear in him, but that was only because of Lacey being involved. He wished that she’d just gone home instead of screaming at Lord Kryz’uhr. The only benefit to that happening was watching her stand up for what she thought was right. It made him excited to see how she would do, ruling at Korun’s side, while he protected them both.
Anxiety was taking over as his thoughts went to Lacey and her rhythms. The more she crossed his mind the more he thought of her role with them on Ubos. Becoming concerned with her comforts seemed to overwhelm him until Korun came back into the room. His Uborium plated armor seemed off for what they had planned.
“I think you should go with the diplomatic politician look, not Ubosian warrior,” Blaen suggested. “Remember that we’re trying to get information out of the inhabitants of Ecury. I highly doubt that they’ll be forthcoming when you’re dressed ready to overthrow their planet.”
Korun unbuckled one of armored plates shielding his forearms, “Perhaps you’re right. But at least you should wear some form of your armor. I need them to be nice and respectful but I don’t want them to think the visit is too cordial.”
“It will be done,” Blaen bowed his head slightly, excited to get their mission underway.