Chapter 35: Dentra

I stared at the princess, incredulous.

“And you think I’m a suitable consort??”

“Yes! You have a title and you’re popular here. Your image is in the news vids. With you as consort, my position would be secure.”

“You know this happened before and it didn’t end well.”

“Yes, and no. The Gobers tried to force you, whereas I’m asking you as a friend and ally.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had no positive family experiences. The thought of being tied to anyone wasn’t appealing to me.

“Look, I’m happy with my life. I don’t plan to marry anyone.”

“I’m not taking that away from you, Brian. Once married, you can continue your life as it is now.”

“So, this is a marriage of convenience?”

“Yes. You’re placing me under your protection. My opponents would know not to mess with us.”

“I could put out a statement, warning them off.”

“It wouldn’t be enough. Only a royal marriage would convince them to stop.”

“And once I leave again, they won’t go after you?”

“They won’t risk crossing you.”

I remembered the recent attempt on my life. There were beings unafraid of me.

“What if you abdicated your title of princess?” I asked.

“Then I’d lose all protection. Marriage to you is the only viable option. I know it’s asking a lot of you.”

“I can offer you protection on one of the Baglogi alliance worlds.”

“That destabilizes Dentra, which I’m keen to avoid. It’s not just my safety, but the safety of all Dentra.”

“What if I have affections or commitments for someone else?”

“This is a contractual agreement, not a romantic one. I have no objection to your having ‘affections’ with others, as long as you don’t drag it out in public, which could harm the monarchy.”

“I must discuss this with the Commodore.”

“Understood. Also consider that once you’re off the market, the Gobers might leave you alone. You also get Dentra citizenship, and a home here on Dentra should you ever decide to stop travelling.”

We got up and left the room.

“Captain, I’ll leave you to talk with your crew. We can all meet for dinner this evening.”

She escorted me back to the room where the others were waiting.

When I entered the room alone, everyone stood and approached me.

“What does she want?” asked Jem.

“Please sit, and I’ll tell you,” I said.

Once we were all seated, I begun.

“The princess asked me to marry her. It seems her position is less stable than I thought. With me as a consort, my popularity would bolster her position.

“It would be a marriage of convenience. After the ceremony, I’d be free to resume my duties as Captain. I’d have to show my face here occasionally.”

I paused, waiting for a response.

“Well, it’s better than the Gobers, no offence, Yuhi. She asks rather than takes what she wants,” said Jem.

Yuhi blinked and nodded.

“She said that too,” I said.

“What if you don’t marry her?” asked Jem.

“She expects a coup, or she might have to abdicate. The government could destabilize.”

“We could offer her sanctuary on one of our planets,” said Jem.

“I told her that. But the government still might destabilize. It could cause injury to all of Dentra.”

Suddenly Laine spoke. “No, Captain! Don’t do it. You don’t care for her.”

I looked at Laine.

“Huh?”

“You belong with us, aboard Ship.”

“Agreed. I don’t have feelings for her or anyone. I have a life.”

“As head of state, she is Dentra. They’re an ally and they asked for our help. As allies, we’re duty bound to do what we can,” said Jem.

I looked at Jem. It was strange, but she seemed in favour of doing something.

“Yuhi, can you reach out and tell me if the princess has any deception?” I asked.

Yuhi blinked and nodded.

“Cathy, you’ve said nothing. What are your thoughts?”

“Captain, it’s nice to be travelling with the galaxy’s most eligible bachelor,” she said, grinning.

“Oh, that’s helpful.”

“The question for me is can we function at diminished capacity? Without Saria and Brian, can we still function?” asked Jem.

Laine nodded. “We can’t. We need Brian with us,” she said.

“Laine, you underestimate your ability. You’ve done a lot recently. I think we could manage. Captain, what do you think?” asked Jem.

“Commodore, If it helps Dentra, I’ll do it. The princess suggested the Gobers might leave me alone once I’m married. They have a treaty with Dentra, and wouldn’t want an upset.”

“Very good, Captain. The decision is yours, and I’ll support you either way.”

“I’d need a brief leave of absence. Once the dust settles, you can pick me up later.”

“Understood. Inform me or Yuhi when you’re ready to be picked up.”

That was it. I’d decided. Jem agreed.

Cathy approached me. “Captain, on Earth there’s a custom. You need to give a ring to the princess.”

“A ring?” I asked.

She pointed to a specific finger.

“For this finger. On Earth, that’s the ring finger.”

“What type of ring?”

“It’s usually made of gold, with diamond or other precious gems.”

“Understood. I’ll have to get one here on Dentra.”

Once conversation dropped, I took a moment alone and called Ship on my communicator.

“Ship, I’ll be staying on Dentra for a while. Please deploy a cloaked shuttle into a high orbit for my use.”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. “We still have a manufacturing facility in the asteroid belt. It can build a vessel if you need one.”

I closed the call. It was important to be prepared. I’d forgotten the manufacturing facility.

Later, a palace steward arrived to escort us to dinner.

“Please come with me,” he said.

We followed the steward along corridors and through double doors into an ornate dining room. The princess stood, waiting for our arrival.

The steward made a formal announcement.

“May I present Captain Brian, most special friend of the monarchy, and his crew, the true friends and honoured guests of the Baglogi vessel, Your royal highness,” he said.

“I kept tonight’s dinner to just us,” said the princess.

The large dinner table had six places set around one end. We walked over and took our seats.

“I assume Brian has told you the details?” asked the princess.

“Yes, your highness. We discussed it together,” replied Jem.

“In such close company, we don’t need to use formal titles.”

“Thank you. We discussed it.”

“And have you decided?” she asked.

“Yes, I will marry you,” I said.

The princess smiled. I wondered what I was signing up for.

After dinner, Jem stood up.

“Brian, we’re returning to Ship. Contact me when you’re ready to leave.”

Everyone stood.

“Have a safe journey, Commodore,” said the princess.

Soon, Jem, Yuhi, Laine, and Cathy left the room.

The princess faced me with a smile on her face.

“Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to me. All of Dentra would thank you, if they understood.”

“We rescued you from a stasis pod long ago. I also saved you from an assassination attempt. After all that, I can’t let you fail.”

“I’ve assigned you a suite in the palace. Also, you have a staff, including a security detail.”

She gestured and two security forces arrived through the double door.

“Brian, these are your security detail. They’ll escort you to your suite. Tomorrow is a busy day, and I’ll meet you for breakfast.”

“Understood. Sleep well, your highness,” I said.

She smiled at me.

I followed my security detail out of the room. They showed me to my suite, which was extravagant.

“Thank you.”

They left me to myself. The suite was ground level, with a terrace facing a garden. It reminded me of my suite on Gober prime. Another bad memory I didn’t want to remember.

I awoke early the next morning, partly because I was adapting to local time and partly from being in an unfamiliar place. My valet arrived soon after, to inform me my bath was ready and waiting.

Briefly I considered checking in with Yuhi, then decided not to. I had nothing to report, and I didn’t want to bother them.

The valet stood patiently waiting, so I followed him to my bath.

After, the valet had placed a set of fancy-looking clothes out for me. He offered to help me dress, but I declined his help.

Once dressed, he gestured out toward the terrace. I walked outside.

Standing nearby were a couple of serving staff. They’d set out a table with two chairs.

“Good morning, Brian.”

I turned around to see the princess. She wore a beautiful gown, not something we wore aboard Ship.

“Do you normally dress like this for breakfast?”

“When I eat breakfast with my betrothed, I do,” she said.

I smiled.

“Right. Would you care to have a seat?”

Soon, we were both seated at the table. The staff served us with breakfast, including cups of coffee.

“You remembered!”

“Your favourite beverage, especially in the morning.”

I took a sip and smiled. I think this was my previous favourite brew. We’d recently gained some new ones after visiting Mina.