Free Starship Desolation by Tripp Ellis Page A

are going to marry the prince and ascend to the throne, if I have to imprison you and ship you to Saarkturia in a cage.”
    “It’s so dry there. My skin is going to flake and crack.”
    “Kyva!”
    “I have a life here. You can’t make me leave it.”
    “Is this about that boy?”
    “He has a name, father. Sivaan.”
    “Whatever.”
    “I love him.”
    “You don’t know what love is.”
    “According to mother, neither do you.”
    Tyvelon scowled at her. “I’m going to make this very simple for you. Do as I say, or life is going to get very difficult for Sivaan.”
    Kyva glared at the Emperor. “You wouldn’t dare.”
    “I’ve already had him arrested. I’ll release him when you’re in Saarkturia.”
    Kyva’s big eyes filled with tears. She beat her father’s chest. “I hate you.”
    “One day you’ll learn, a leader makes sacrifices for the good of the people.” Tyvelon marched out of her chamber.
    Kyva crumpled to the floor, sobbing.
    Tyvelon returned to his chambers and activated a 3D communication device. A few moments later, a holographic image of Rylon appeared before him in the room.
    “Emperor, it’s so great to see you. Have you given consideration to my proposal?”
    “It is acceptable to me. My daughter is enthusiastic. She will be on the Royal Transport to Saarkturia tomorrow.”
    “Excellent,” Rylon said, grinning. “Valinok is eagerly awaiting her arrival. It seems we have a deal.”
    “My legion will crush the humans. And our agreement will produce an heir to the throne of Saarkturia, unifying both our species.”
    Rylon smiled. “I look forward to the day.”

19

Slade
    “ P robably shouldn’t have done that,” Marlow said.
    “I’m not really known for doing what I should do,” Slade said. “I tend to follow my gut.”
    “Seems like your gut landed you in this place. May want to reevaluate.”
    “What’s Tiny’s story?”
    “Does he need one? He’s trouble. That’s all you need to know. I’d tell you to keep your head down and steer clear, but you’re already on his radar.”
    “His real name is Beauford T. Jackson,” Kirby said. “He’s in for murder, aggravated sexual assault, drug trafficking, and conspiracy.”
    “How do you know all this?” Marlow asked, surprised.
    “I hacked the correctional system database. I wanted to find out as much information about this place as possible.”
    “What else do you know about this place?” Slade asked.
    “Lots of stuff. Daily operations. Maintenance and delivery schedules, annual revenue. I know this place is probably cooking the books.”
    “How so?”
    “They’re claiming more inmates than they have. By my count there’s 2037 inmates in the mess hall, give or take. There’s 2354 on the official roster. Where are the other 300?”
    “People go missing around here all the time,” Marlow said. “Or worse.”
    “What do you mean, worse?” Slade asked.
    One of the guards strolled past the table.
    “Some other time,” Marlow said, keeping an eye on the guard.
    The guard thwacked his stun baton on the table, then pointed it at Marlow. The cups of breakfast slop bounced and fell over.
    “You eyeballing me, old-timer?”
    “No, sir,” Marlow said.
    “Clean that mess up. Now!”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Marlow grabbed a napkin and started mopping up the spilled slop. He wiped it off the edge of the table and shovel it back into the cup. Then he gulped it down.
    Slade looked at him with wide eyes.
    “You gotta take what food you can get around here. Trust me, you’ll do even more degrading things in order to survive.”
    This was the kind of place that broke you down mentally, until you just gave up and complied. But Slade had never been one to comply. She wasn’t going to start now.
    “Just watch yourself,” Marlow said. “They’ll come at you in the bathrooms, the showers, they can even get to you in your cell after lockdown.”
    Kirby was rattled. His face went pale and his big eyes stared at