Gemini - Taken by the Alien Kings (Lords of Astria)

J
ane felt
something shift in the atmosphere. The crewman gasped, and bowed deeply from his waist. Revi dismissed him with a wave of the hand and turned his full attention to the Earthling in his arms. The door closed silently behind the feathered crewman, and Jane took in her surroundings, marveling at the industrial decor and Spartan interior.

Revi watched her warily, uncertain about what the expression on her face meant. He didn't understand the breadth of her emotions, and they confused him.

"I'm afraid that we didn't know we'd be bringing you on board in this manner. I had hoped to have better quarters readied by the time we chose our... Our..." He seemed utterly lost as to how he should explain the situation to her.

Revi set Jane down gently on a small bed that was at the corner of the room, positioned so that the head looked out the window at the field of stars that surrounded the ship.

"By the time you found your what?" Jane's wariness and fear were giving way and making room for her curiosity. She shrank away from him, her eyes like saucers.

The fear was still there, just below the surface, but never in her life would she again get the chance to converse with, well, what exactly was he? She gave voice to her question. "What are you?"

Revi seemed to expect the question, or at least he was not all that surprised by it. He fiddled with the buttons on his sleeve and reached a hand out to hers. Jane held herself still and allowed him to take her hand, though she did not return his gentle grasp.

His hand was strong and almost twice as large as hers. Jane shivered with the sudden sense of powerlessness she felt in his presence. She was acutely aware of the way he towered over her and that she was entirely alone with him in a place where no one would come to her rescue.

Jane trembled as Revi loomed over. She wanted to pull her hand away but hesitated, unsure if that would anger him. "Am I your—your—prisoner? What – what are you going to do with me?"

Revi looked at her sorrowfully, as if he were wounded that she would ask him such a question. "This is not how we would have wanted it. You should have been courted in a manner that would befit your future status."

Jane looked at him uncomprehendingly, her hand warmed by his. He squeezed it gently. "What does that mean 'courted?'" she asked as she looked down where his fingertips touched hers.

How was it possible for him to look so human, and yet so superhuman at the same time? On earth he had seemed larger, but somehow more approachable. Here on this ship, he exuded an air of regality in his posture and in his speech that would have marked him as someone special, even if she hadn't seen the other crew members making way for them as he carried her through the hallways.

She felt the heat of his body, so close to hers. Jane didn't know why, but even in her fear, being near Revi still felt safe somehow, comforting.

She repeated her question again, “What do you mean you intended to court me, Revi? We just met. I... you're... none of this makes sense.”

Revi ran his fingers through Jane's long, silky hair and peered deeply into her eyes. She trembled again, though not with fear this time.

“
I mean, Jane Jenkins, that you are meant to be our bride.”

W
ar had been brewing
for over 1000 years, but never had it been so close…

If humans knew the danger lurking in the shadows of Outer Space above them, not one would be able to sleep at night. The monsters of childish nightmares and ancient folklore were, in truth, only too real. Fortunately for the slumbering humans below, the guardians of the ancient peace—
The Lords of Astria—
protected the space not far from the little planet that spun blithely in its orbit, unaware of the danger so close at hand.

These Lords of the Great Houses of Astria were convening to ensure the continued fate of humanity.

The United Federation of Astria had ensured peace and tranquility for the 187 planets in their corners of the universe for hundreds of thousands of years. But now a new threat was emerging.

It was an old, ancient evil— one which had been defeated in the shadows that existed before time— and this evil was emerging from the Dark Nebula, threatening the little spiral galaxy that had been neutral space since the Treaty of Elyria over 2000 years ago had ended the Great War of Succession.

Two thousand years ago humans had been building the pyramids, and now, while modern humans were still bickering over whether or not the existence of life outside of Earth was even a possibility, aliens far more advanced than humanity could have imagined possible, were bickering over just what to do with the third rock from the sun.

It was inconvenient that the little planet, situated as it was directly in the middle of the neutral galaxy, was inhabited. The empty spiral galaxy was supposed to have been the buffer between the dark nebula and the citizens of Astria, but in the years since the treaty had been signed, the small blue dot had been discovered to be teeming with life— though some on the council argued whether or not such life could be deemed intelligent or not.

Word had reached the High Council, the elite ruling body of Astria whose membership was made up of the Lords of the ruling families of the planets in the Federation, of atrocities being committed at the border of the Milky Way, the neutral territory between Astria and the Dark Nebula.

Not without precedent, the leaders of the 187 planets found themselves divided as to how to proceed. The Lord High Commander, His Excellence Apollodorus of Titianos, was insistent that the little blue planet be protected and seized preemptively by the Federation of Astria.

Lady Charisa of House Projota, his archival on the Council, felt that such an act would give the army of the Dark Nebula all the excuse they needed in order to declare all out war on the Federation of Astria.

Just when things seemed at an impasse, a clever solution was proposed by Lord Beckaet of Staephania. He reminded the Council of the ancient rights granted by
Privilege of Consanguinity.

These rights had been the foundation upon which the alliances governing the Federation of Astria had been built hundreds of thousands of years ago. So far in the mists of history had the privilege of consanguinity receded to, that it had become part of the origin legends of the planets, almost forgotten to time itself.

These rights, which not even the aliens of the Dark Nebula could contest, stated that once two peoples were united by blood and marriage, they became, in effect, one people— and any treaties which bound one people, bound all of them.

This understanding had cemented the alliances of the planets made up the United Federation of Astria. It would now be the way in which the Astrians could bring Earth under the protection of the Federation without breaking the treaty which had set aside Earth beyond their territory of guardianship.

It was decided that a member of the ruling house of each planet would take an earthling as a spouse, and so bring Earth under the protection of its house and planet. The High Council further admonished its representatives that all of this must be done with the utmost secrecy; for if Thanatos, the Supreme Kazair the Dark Nebula, were to learn of the plan, there would be nothing to stop him from also enacting the Privilege of Consanguinity and thereby claiming Earth as under the rule and command of the Dark Nebula.

The plan must be kept secret so that when the Dark Nebula made further moves to encroach upon the Milky Way, the High Council would be able to, with full impunity, having insured the ancient blood right, protect its territory with full, and lethal force.

With some reservations, the High Council members took this information back to their home planets and laid the plan before the members of their great houses. The representatives informed them that a member of each of their houses would have to wed, and procreate with, an Earthling in order to assure the continued survival and safety of the United Federation of Astria.

And so, while these cosmic decisions played out in the heavens above them, the ignorant Earthlings slept blissfully, and peacefully, in their beds, never knowing that the swiftly titling planet they called home held the fate of the universe within its little solar system…

“
I
t's not like a rich
, handsome, desirable man, who also happens to be madly attracted to me, is just going to fall out of the sky and land at my feet, now is he?"

Jane Jenkins was sick of having the same conversation with her mother every Sunday night.

"Why aren’t you married yet? Why don't you have a boyfriend? Why aren't you bringing someone to Thanksgiving?" It was always a variation on the same theme with her.

It wasn't that she hadn’t tried to meet Mr. Right; it was just that Mr. Wrong liked to disguise himself as Mr. Right. Jane had been on ten blind dates in the past five weeks and she couldn't take it anymore. There had to be a better way to meet someone than by trolling the Internet want ads.

Jane wouldn't have minded so much – after all, she was a modern girl – and it didn't really matter to her whether or not she had a man by her side. The truth was, she had a good job, she had a nice apartment, she paid her own bills; for all intents and purposes, she had a nice life.

No, she definitely didn't need a man by her side, however she wouldn't have minded man under her.

Over her.

Behind her.

But she would never tell her mother that.

"
J
ane
, I think this one is all yours," Gavin said with a smirk in his voice. Jane looked up at him to see him give her a wink.

Gavin was a skirt-chasing womanizer, so Jane wasn't surprised when she looked towards the door and she saw a man standing there. Gavin always left her to guys, and he took the single women as clients for himself.

Jane was surprised to see anyone at the real estate office on a Monday evening; it was usually a very slow shift, waiting for walk – ins.

“Oh never mind..." said Gavin. "Looks like they’re with each other." He said that last part with a whisper. His additional lascivious wink was not lost on Jane.

Jane didn't much care who her clients were, as long as they had cold hard cash to buy a house. However, as she looked up and saw the two men standing in the doorway of the real estate office, her pulse jumped, and she thought she just might have to reevaluate her stance.

Before her stood two of the most unearthly handsome men she had ever seen in her life. They were both tall, almost unnaturally so, broad-shouldered with narrow tapered waists, and she could see the muscles of their legs flexing through the skin tight trousers they wore.

One of the men had light hair, and the other had dark, but other than that, they both had very similar features: long straight noses and luscious, full mouths set in square jawed faces.

Jane sat slack-jawed in her chair, the pause awkwardly long. The two men were looking around the office curiously and conversing with each other in quiet tones.

Gavin gestured toward the door and whispered, "Well?"

Jane stood up and dusted off her smart skirt suit, and quickly grabbed a couple of her business cards. She approached the men, and held out her hand.

"Hi! I'm Jane, how can I help you today?"

The blonde man looked at her curiously, before answering.

"We have come to find The Great House here." He looked at the man beside him, who nodded in agreement.

The Great House?
,
thought Jane with some hint of amusement. Foreigners. The man's accent was subtle, but his grammar and choice of clothing in addition to that, clearly marked him as from elsewhere.

"Well," said Jane brightly, "you've come to the right place. I can certainly help you find
a
great house."

The relief both men felt was palpable. Their broad shoulders relaxed considerably, and they both smiled easily for the first time since they had entered the real estate agency.

"That is good, that is very good." This time it was the dark-haired one who answered. "I am Revi, and this is Gaelan."

"Those are very unusual names," said Jane. "Where are you all from?"

Revi and Gaelan looked at each other uneasily. Gaelan finally answered, "We come from far away. You would never have heard of it."

Annoyed, Jane inwardly rolled her eyes. Who did these guys think she was? Some uneducated bumpkin? She had gotten straight A's in geography and social studies in high school and college. She kept a smile plastered firmly to her face though; customer service was paramount above all else.

Jane couldn't help but get a little dig in for herself, as she brightly said, "Isn't that just
so
mysterious? Well, shall we go find some great houses for you?" The two men nodded enthusiastically. "Let me grab my things,” she said, "and we can be on our way."

T
he drive
to the neighborhood where the majority of the high-end real estate in town was centered was strangely quiet. Jane was used to being able to talk to anybody about anything, but these two guys seemed reluctant to talk about much, saying only that they wanted to go to "The Great House.”

They were oddly vague about what the great house should be like, they didn't seem to understand her when she asked them how many bedrooms they wanted or how many bathrooms, or which features they would want in a kitchen or in a neighborhood. When she had asked them about money, they had only responded that money was not a concern of theirs.

Must be nice
, she had thought to herself. And so she had taken them to the highest end houses in her listing directory.

As they pulled up the long winding drives to the McAllister Estates, a forty-three acre property with views of mountains and lakes, a stable for horses, three guest houses, and a palatial main house, she glanced over at them to gauge their reaction. Gaelan, who was sitting in the front seat, looked stoically unimpressed. Jane lifted her head and looked at the rear view mirror to suss out Revi's response. He was not even looking up or taking in the extraordinary view. His attention was entirely focused on the small device in his hands, one that she did not even recognize.

"What line of business are you two in?" said Jane, trying once more to make conversation. "Do you work in electronics or something?"

Revi looked up at her uncomfortably, with his large frame scrunched in the back of her Honda Civic, his long legs taking up the foot space behind both seats. "Electronics?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yeah,” she said. "What you've got in your hand there, is that some new phone? I haven't seen anything like before."

He watched her curiously, his gaze running over her delicate features and following the slope of her breasts in the mirror, but he didn’t answer her; only held his eyes on her form as he slipped the device back in his pocket. She blushed as she felt his scrutiny.

O
kay… no small talk then… jerks,
Jane thought as turned onto Green Meadow Road, flicking her blinker as she did so.

Both men looked at her sharply and she suddenly wondered if she had spoken out-loud.

But no, of course she hadn’t.

Had she?