Free Alien Hostage by Tracy St. John Page B

will be returned unharmed only when the Imperial Clan steps down and the Royal Council is disbanded.
    “Make no mistake; all Earther blood will be erased from the Empire whether by willing exile or force. We stand for the true Kalquorian, the real Kalquorian. The infestation that has elevated the usurpers over the common man will be eliminated. No Earther or hybrid will be allowed to sit on the thrones! Only Kalquorians shall rule over Kalquorians! Follow me, my brothers and sisters, to glorious victory!”
    All over the Empire, people were in shock. Many decried the victimization of a small child for political gain. Others said extreme times called for extreme measures. As long as Princess Noelle was safe and well-treated, the Basma had done no real harm. He had promised to show the people of Kalquor within the week proof that Noelle was all right. However, he was adamant that she, her mother, brother, and all who carried Earther blood must be removed from the Empire.
    With the home planet in so much turmoil, the Royal Council led by Councilman Terbal passed a resolution to keep the Imperial Family under heavy guard. Under Terbal’s leadership, several members of the council also tried to keep the Imperial Clan sequestered in their home ‘for their own safety’. That particular resolution was struck down when all three emperors and the empress made speeches against it.
    A grim-faced Dramok Emperor Clajak faced the council and the vid-connected Empire and said, “My clan does not bow to terrorism. That is what Kalquor faces, pure and simple. What we have is a man too cowardly to come out of the shadows, with followers as gutless and craven as he. Only weak, spineless cowards would kidnap a helpless child and the young woman looking after her. I spit at your so-called revolution because you dare not face us on an even battlefield. You victimize the helpless and call that a blow for your cause. You are no revolutionary. You are nothing but a frightened bully.
    “Let me make one thing clear, Basma. You will pay in blood for this attack on my daughter. We will hunt you down, and we will rip the flesh from your living bones as you scream for mercy.”
    The one major concession the Imperial Clan did make was to pull Crown Prince Wayne from training camp. He was kept under close guard at all times. For the first time during Clan Clajak’s rule, guards stayed within their apartments around the clock.
    The Royal Guard did not provide that service. The entire force was under investigation. It had been during their watch that the princess and her cousin had disappeared. The disgrace was a huge blow to the organization. To be a member of the Royal Guard was among the greatest honors a Kalquorian could aspire to. That a member of their number had tried to abduct Empress Jessica a couple years prior was discussed at great length among Kalquorians. Had they been completely infiltrated? Were they under the exclusive command of the Basma? The rumors flew as investigators and interrogators began the work of discovering those who were no longer loyal.
    Global Security stepped in, providing personal security for the royals. Imperial Father Yuder had so recently been among their number that they were judged to be still loyal to the rulers. The heads of departments and Global Security’s executive administration were ruthless in their mission to guarantee that fidelity. They went as far as to record their officers’ every movement even when they were off duty.
    It was discovered that Matara Tasha had been served a drink laced with drugs. The Imdiko stylist who’d given it to her alerted investigators that he’d been put up to offering it by another stylist, Dramok Cral. Cral had disappeared the night of the princess’s abduction and no one had found the first trace of him.
    Another stunning development came when experts, looking for evidence of a cloaking device that may have been used to sneak the abductees away, found instead signs of