Chapter 4

It had been four days since the crash, and the Princess Nanissa still had not awakened. If the condition of her crown when the humans had found it in the shuttle's wreckage was anything to go by, her head wound had been severe, though it seemed to be healed now. Two of the Princess' young ladies-in-waiting, Annima and Camilkoita, stood silent vigil, their blond and white hair cut in identical styles--straight, with bangs and ends so square they could have been cut with a die-cutter.

"Scat, you two." the human called Howard said. "You're still recovering, don't forget. I'll watch her for a while."

"One of us should be here..." Annima said.

"You won't be any use to her if you kill yourselves disobeying the doctors' orders." Howard said, pointing toward the exit and inserting compulsions in each of their minds to go and rest. He pulled up a stool and began the massage therapy that had been prescribed. An hour into it, he had done her feet, legs, hands and arms and was working on her abdomen when his hand slipped and brushed her right nipple. Her EEG showed a spike where there had only been a shallow parable before.

"Do that again!" the chief medic called from his office.

"That's supposed to be her line!" Howard responded. Despite thoughts of being executed by the Hthulman Royal Guard for his presumption, he complied, massaging her breasts. The erogenous stimulation seemed to be doing the trick, as some of the almost-dormant lines on the display began to move more animatedly. He withdrew one hand from a breast and tried her crotch. Her breathing and heart-rate quickened, and she began to moan. Howard used his telekinetic ability to mirror the stimulation of one breast on the other. The Princess' eyes snapped open and she shuddered through an orgasm, staring directly into Howard's eyes.

Who am I? she thought just before losing consciousness again. Her graphs showed a normal sleep pattern, so Howard desisted the stimulation therapy--and "therapy" was what he was going to call it if anyone asked.

"Good job, Howard!" the medic said, emerging from his office. "I guess all she needed was incentive."

"I heard her thoughts just before she passed out again." Howard said. "She thought 'Who am I?'"

"Well, maybe her memory will come back on its own. Maybe she'll need help. Maybe it was written on the brain cells you had to regenerate entirely. Who's to say?"

She awoke the second time when Howard returned with lunch. She gave him a tremulous smile, to which he responded by gently grasping her hand. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Lost." she responded. "Who am I?"

"I'm told that your name is Nanissa, and that you are Princess of Hthulma."

"Na ... nissa? H ... thul ... ma?" she asked. "I'm sorry, it doesn't seem familiar."

"Well, if the others are lying, then they're very good at hiding that fact from a telepathic scan." Howard quipped.

"Others?"

"The other survivors." He caressed her face, brushing her short, pink hair out of her eyes. "I'll fill you in as best I can. Let me know if I jog anything loose, OK?" He took a deep breath and released it before he began. "As I understand it, your planet was attacked and conquered by a race known by other species as the Despicable--we have some experience with them, by the way. The royal family tried to escape, but you were pursued and attacked. In hyperspace, you were put into a shuttle and launched separately so that your parents could buy time for you to get away. The shuttle was attacked in hyperspace and emerged near Earth, where we cushioned your crash and rescued the survivors, yourself included, and brought you and the remains of the shuttle here."

"They ... fired weapons in hyperspace?" the Princess asked. "That doesn't seem very smart."

"Apparently the Despicable have weapons that can be used effectively and safely--for them--in hyperspace." Howard said. He stood up. Nanissa clung to his hand. Fear was prominent in her mind. Howard scooted the stool closer to the bed and put the food on her tray. He'd get more food for himself later. Right now, the princess needed it more than he. She tasted the meat and mashed potatoes and, radiating pleasure, dug in ravenously. Now that she was eating on her own, Howard deftly removed the nutrient IV and healed the puncture from the needle.

Nanissa sighed happily and sank back against the pillows as she finished the meal. The medic came in and introduced himself. After a few routine medical questions, during which she confirmed she still didn't remember anything before she had awakened under Howard's skillful fingers. The medic left them alone for a while, then Howard sensed the other Hthulmans approaching.

"Here come some of your loyal subjects." he told her. Annima and Camilkoita entered first, followed by the advisor, Lekisam, who bore more than a passing resemblance to Exedore from Robotech. The next to enter was Nanissa's body-servant, Sarit, a female with robin's-egg blue hair in a top knot growing from her otherwise clean-shaven head, so long that it almost brushed the floor as she walked. Sarit wore a loincloth by tradition and a bikini top to avoid offending or tempting her human hosts. The last to enter was General Ronnik, the only military man to survive. He was eight feet tall if he was an inch, with short, silver hair in a stripe from his forehead to the nape of his neck, and a musculature that would put many bodybuilders to shame. All of them crossed their arms over their chests and genuflected, but there was no recognition in Nanissa's eyes. The princess clung to Howard's hand as they tried to explain about her past. Sarit remained silent until everyone else but Howard was gone, murmuring worriedly among themselves.

"Mistress, the person they described may not seem like you, because they only knew the public you." she said. She placed her hand on Nanissa's free hand. She swore Howard to silence since it was obvious the princess wasn't going to let him go, then seated herself on a spare stool and began to tell the story about a realistic young woman, with flaws, foibles and anxieties, who got into mischief and got frustrated with her parents. The story seemed to amuse Nanissa, but she still didn't connect the person described with herself. The medic came and shooed Howard and Sarit out of the infirmary so Nanissa could rest. Howard sent mental assurances that she would be safe, and instructions on accessing the infirmary's voice-address system. She waved a sad farewell to Howard, and ordered some music to stave off the silence.

Mandy met Howard at the door to their room, kissing him fiercely and drawing him inside. She pulled his clothes off--hers were already gone--and pushed him to the bed, passion burning in her eyes. She lowered herself onto his cock and moaned, shivering with a minor orgasm the moment he was fully engulfed. She began to ride him like a cowgirl on a bronco. She climaxed again when he stiffened in preparation for ejaculation, and screamed his name to the ceiling before going limp on top of him.

"I'm happy to see you too, Mandy." he quipped as he ran his fingers through her lava-flow hair. She laughed softly and began to kiss him lovingly on his chest, neck and face. He felt the warmth of her psychically as well as physically, and also her desire to simply be with him for a while, before someone else came along to interrupt them. He took her hand and planted a kiss in her palm, closing her fingers over it and delighting in the soft moan she gave him in return. With the other women involved in their own routines for the next few hours at least, he figured he had time to indulge Mandy's desires.

Damon had brought his report to Victor in person, rather than transmitting it to his terminal and hurrying on to the welcoming arms of his girls, so Victor put aside the IRS hate-letter he had been reading and turned his full attention to the report, which showed the increased activity in the system since the Princess' crash--almost all of the new traffic from known Despicable designs, and incoming. The ships were quick to hide themselves, but the Foundation's secret probes, shuttled into orbit and released to take up positions around the solar system, had caught them as they came out of hyperspace. He reached into his desk and pulled out a CD, which he handed to Damon.

"What's this, sir?"

"A present for our visitors from Penelope." Victor said. "Bounce it off Scout Drone 061 to the enemy flagship on a tight beam relay. It should distract them nicely for the next few days." He caught Damon's smile as he took off for the communications and monitoring room.

The Despicable knew their prey was here. Ships jumping into and out of hyperspace left a signature that could linger detectably for months, unlike the races who used "space-fold" technology, where the entry and exit points were detectable for a scant few hours before fading away entirely. His mind worked on ways to make them go away without an open space war that would be visible from the ground.

One more problem for the pile. he thought with a mental sigh, picking up the IRS letter again. They were angry at him for pouring all his assets and income into the Foundation, out of their reach. The action didn't set well with him, but all the taxes he'd paid when he'd married Inet and gained control of her considerable assets had been earmarked for classified projects in that year's budget--specifically, the various agencies that acted as the eyes, ears, legs and fists of the Supernatural Threat Department. That was why he had structured the Foundation the way he had--as a kind of charitable commune, where members pooled their earnings in the Foundation, and in turn were free to use what they needed, within reason.

The Foundation was growing. The early graduates of the training program had gone into space for further study, so there was room for new trainees, but that wasn't going to keep. He hoped it would work long enough for construction to be finished on the new Tower.

A scratch at the door alerted Victor to the arrival of one of the other guests. He opened the door with his mind, and K'chktktk scuttled in, with wool sweaters and heating pads strapped to its body. Victor reached into his desk again and pulled out a couple of plastic spoons to converse with the insectoid in its own language.

"Message from hive. This one leaving soon. Much gratitude." it said. Victor clacked the spoons together rapidly to form his reply.

"This one hopes new home planet found soon. Also, predator-caution. No-good swarm near."

"No-good?" K'chktktk asked--No-good being its kind's name for the Despicable. "Where it?" Victor opened his laptop, accessing the main computer system and calling up a solar-system map, with many red dots indicating the positions of the Despicable ships. Even as K'chktktk watched, four more flag-class vessels jumped out of hyperspace. The insectoid clenched and unclenched its four three-clawed palps as its vestigial wings buzzed aggressively under the wool and its six legs drummed an instinctive warning against the floor. The spray nozzles at the back of its abdomen emerged, though it held that in check. The last thing Victor needed was to have his laptop melted. It repeated the sounds for "bad" almost twenty times. "Why it here?"

"No-good stole planet. Queen, queen's mate, queen's offspring, queen's special workers and soldiers escaped. Queen's offspring crashed here with some workers and one soldier." Though K'chktktk's species had a word for princess, it was far more complex than he could manage with the spoons.

"No-good's prey fly away with this one." K'chktktk suggested.

"This one will speak with them, tell them of K'chktktk's generous offer."

"Big honor, depriving No-good." it replied with amusement. "This one return to warm room now." It posed its claws in a farewell gesture and left. Victor's watch beeped, reminding him that it was time for him to head down to the station. He emailed Lekisam a quick message about the offer before heading out.

Kanna Kazuki huffed. She could swear she'd passed the same copier at least twice before. Her boss--her real one--had assigned her to dig up some dirt on Victor Phillips in order to garner some ratings. The cute little foundation he ran from the top three floors of his space-ship motel was a ripe little target.

Kanna personally would have preferred to topple only bad giants--corrupt corporations, or a high-profile pedophile priest--but her boss was jaded, stating that everyone had something to hide, and with a little effort, a real newsperson could simply pick a target and destroy.

The implication was that if she couldn't find the dirt on Victor Phillips, she wasn't good enough to work there. Now, she was lost in the cubicle farm, staring at the copier like some little lost bimbo and wallowing in self-disgust.

"First day?" a friendly voice asked. She turned in its direction and found herself unable to pick her jaw up off the floor. There, in the flesh, was Victor Phillips himself! He seemed shorter in person, but there was an unmistakable charisma that she couldn't quite pin down or define. His gaze bored into hers, as if he were reading her very soul. She felt guilty, but imagined she saw some unspoken forgiveness in his eyes. She shivered as her body responded to his nearness. He reached out and gently closed her mouth with one finger. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, and she managed to shake off the spell.

"Uh ... yeah ... first day, I mean." she stammered. D'oh! Stupid! "Uh ... I could have sworn I passed that copier already."

"Probably, we only have one on this floor." he said. "Somebody threw the other one out the window when it choked on one last-minute project too many." She laughed a little--too much and she would have looked like a giggly airhead. He escorted her through the maze until they were on the other side.

"I think it'd be easier if I went around next time." she admitted.

"Maybe, but you've got to learn it eventually." Victor said. "Don't worry, Kanna, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"Oh, Kanna, there you are!" a female voice called.

"Oh, Desiree, is this yours?" Victor asked. Kanna turned and found herself looking into the eyes of her supervisor, the station's daytime female anchor Desiree Cooper-Leonov, whose wealthy husband was even more mysterious than the seldom-seen Zak Starborn. The woman looked good for a mother of twins.

"Well, that's what the big boss told me." Desiree said. She then turned her full attention to Kanna, who felt as if someone were running fingers through her head. The sensation was disconcerting, but Victor put his hand on her shoulder, and it went away.

"Let's not try to frighten her, okay, Dez?" Victor asked.

"Sure, Vic." Desiree responded. "Come on, Kanna, let's get some work done. And don't worry, everyone gets lost in the cubicles on their first day."

"Really?" Kanna asked, doubtfully.

"Well, everyone who works on this floor and decides to try cutting through them, anyway." Desiree amended. Kanna didn't have much time for further reflection. Desiree put her to work immediately, warning her that the "higher-ups" had installed keychecks to keep people from surfing for porn on company time.

How had Victor known her name? The thought came unbidden to her mind as she walked to her car at the end of her shift. She saw Victor pull out of his own space and decided to follow him. Not too surprisingly, they ended up at his spaceship hotel. She didn't see what code he entered when he went inside via the employee entrance. She parked across the street and pulled out her binoculars. She saw two more employees enter their codes ... codes, not code. Each one was unique, which probably meant that even if she found one out, the system would notice the duplication and sound the alarm. Well, there were other ways to get into a building. Kanna had a feeling that the Pan-Galactic Hotel would hold more of Victor's secrets than the television station.

Nanissa's hand sleepily crept toward Howard's place in the bed. Finding it empty and cold, she let out a soft whimper before opening her eyes. He'd been gone a while, from the feel of things. How much time would they have left before she was forced to leave him? A pang of regret stabbed her heart, and she hugged his pillow against her, clinging tightly to the feel of his body against hers, the feel of him inside her, body and mind, sharing as equally as they could of each other. Some memories, she realized, could bolster one in the lonely moments.

Don't fret, sweetheart, I'm on my way home. his voice said into her mind, warming her from within and giving her the strength of will to get out of bed. She showered, shaved her legs and brushed her hair. Would he like it if she grew it longer? She wasn't expecting him to come home with yet another girl in tow. There was something eerily familiar about this girl, however.

"Hello." she said, emerging into the living room with a robe on.

"Hello back." the girl said.

"Nanissa, this is Roberta Sawyer, a professional impersonator." Howard said.

"Impersonator?" Nanissa asked. "What does she impersonate?"

"What does she impersonate?" Roberta mocked, in an almost dead-on mimicry of Nanissa's voice and tone.

"Well, until the last election, she used to impersonate a certain state senator's daughter. Basically, a decoy for kidnappers and terrorists."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Some jobs are worth the danger." Roberta said.

"You're both the same body type, and you have roughly similar facial features, so I think with her talent for mimicry, my talents can do the rest." So saying, he seated the two females side-by-side, placing one hand on Nanissa's head and one on Roberta's.

Nanissa regained consciousness alongside a girl whose face and body were identical to her own, but the hair was still different. For that, Teddy took over, using scissors to clip Roberta's hair to match Nanissa's style. Then Howard's other women were doing something in the sink. Howard took Nanissa to the cafeteria for something to eat.

"Your Highness!" Ronnik called. Nanissa plastered a smile on her lips for appearances' sake. "Isn't it wonderful that we'll be leaving soon?" Nanissa stopped trying to smile.

"I like it here." she said. "Besides, isn't the enemy up there?"

"Not to worry, our newfound allies are bringing their entire species with them. Well, what's left of it after the Despicable blew up their planet, anyway. But it's a lot of ships, with lots of firepower."