The Space Opera
A ...well, space opera short by @elveloy.

“An opera is where someone shoots you in the back but instead of dying, you get up and sing!”  Prince Loren had been joking with his friends, ignoring the disapproving frown from his chief bodyguard.  Tayne had been quite vocal in his condemnation of the scheme - in his opinion, the risks of appearing in a public performance were simply not acceptable.  But the Prince had been adamant, he loved to sing, and the visiting opera company was willing to give him a star role.

The ironic words floated through Tayne’s head as he looked down at Prince Loren’s mangled body, his sky-blue robe covered in crimson blood and bits of white bone.  There was no way the prince was going to get up and sing, ever again.  Face down, he lay where he had fallen only moments ago, right in the middle of the best performance of his life.

Which to be honest, wasn’t saying much.  In Tayne’s opinion, Prince Loren had been a terrible singer - but who was going to refuse King Mykel’s youngest son?  Not the Starshine Event Opera company for one.  Vain and wilful, in Tayne’s opinion, it had only been a matter of time before something like this happened.

The body on the floor wasn’t the real Prince Loren of course, it was a top of the line simulated replica, practically undistinguishable from the real thing.  Tayne wasn’t that stupid, he valued his career too much to let the Prince use his own body in public.

The real Prince Loren was still lying on his bed in the palace, attached to various devices so that his brain could direct the replica’s performance.  Mentally linked to his double at the time of the attack, he would have felt shock, but no actual pain when it was shot in the back by a neuroblaster.  Tayne hoped he had been shaken into some sort of sense by what had just occurred.  As a member of Orion’s royal family, even if he was the youngest son, he had to accept that his life was not his own.

Tayne stepped back and gestured to his guards to take the body away.  It would go to the palace workshop to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.  He turned to the second body crumpled in the orchestra pit.  He shook his head wryly - he had to admit that had been rather a clever idea.  Who would have expected the orchestra’s conductor to be an assassin?  His baton, a sophisticated neuroblaster?

No matter how good the security, it was practically impossible to guard against a top class assassin.  Ever since the Orion Sovereignty  had been hovering on the Verge of War with the Eridanis, there had been no shortage of assassins.

Tayne nodded at the nearest guard, who had been waiting patiently for his signal to take that body to the crime laboratory.  Not that he expected the technicians to find anything useful, but they had to go through the motions.  One never knew when the enemy might make a mistake.

~~~

  Lying on his bed in the palace, Prince Loren felt a tear roll down his cheek.  He had been so excited - finally a chance do something he loved, to sing, and now it was over.  He would be compelled to return to the usual activities for a prince - studying diplomacy, protocol, and contract law, not to mention warcraft and martial arts.  When what he really wanted to do was the other kind of arts - singing, dancing, and music.  Restricted to the palace, unable to venture forth into the world, he had seized this opportunity as a chance for a brief escape, even if it was only virtual.

He waited while the technician disconnected him from the machines which had allowed him to link to his double, then stood up and went to the window, trying to master his disappointment.  The ‘window’ was a cleverly devised hologram, not an actual opening to the world - that would have presented far too easy a target for an assassin.  He gazed longingly at the view before him, the town winding through the streets below, the blue mountains in the distance, the aqua tinged sky.  Unless the Verge of War footing was revoked, he would never go there - at least not in person.  The best he could hope for was to order the technicians to recreate some scenes for him to explore in the holo-room.

If only he could escape, just for a week, a day, an hour.  He suppressed a sigh.

Hiding his frustration, Loren flicked the silky blond hair out of his eyes and plastered a meaningless smile on his lips.  He turned to face the servant who had silently entered the room, replacing the technician.

“So, weapons training, then?  Lead the way.”

As he followed the man along the corridor, he wondered if the Eridani Matriarch’s family was confined in the same way he was.

~~~

Light years away, a huge fleet of black starships winked into normal space, halfway between Bellatrix and Mu.

~~~

Xanthe D’Achernar ducked, and thrust an armoured fist up into the air.  The titanium dagger fell harmlessly to the ground and she spun around, searching for the perpetrator even as her guards rushed forward to protect her. 

“That was too close for comfort, Matris,” murmured Janna.  Her chief guard gave Xanthe her proper title.  Xanthe watched dispassionately as two of her women wrestled another to the ground.  She was wriggling like an eel-fish in their grasp, but that wasn’t going to save her as one of the guards shot a needle into her neck.

“At least they didn’t send a male this time,” Xanthe remarked in dry tones.  “The Orionists have learnt something, after all these years.”  Her guards picked up the now unconscious woman between them, and took her away to be interrogated.

Xanthe examined the armour on her left wrist, checking for damage.  Her sky-red hair was tied back in a long plait down her back, tucked inside the golden suit which covered her from head to toe.  Only her face was open to the air for this short walk to the Senate.  She should have been safe enough, in the middle of the Ruling Sector, but she was too experienced to take even the slightest risk.  There was a price to pay for being the Matriarch’s eldest daughter and heir.  She didn’t leave her personal quarters without her body armour.

“I suppose these assassination attempts are a small price to pay.  Better than whole planets going to war at any rate.”  Xanthe shuddered as she remembered her visit to the molten ruins of what had one been the most populated planet of Acamar.

She had also seen the ruined worlds of Saiph, in Orion, before their two constellations had been on this current Verge of War.  The visits were a rite of passage for all leaders -   Orionist and Eridani alike - intended to impress upon them the devastating consequences of uncontolled war, in graphic detail.

Janna snorted. “It’s barbaric, if you ask me!  I thought we were supposed to be a civilised society?  Surely we have advanced beyond these physical attacks on each other after all these years?”

“On the plus side,” smiled Xanthe, “At least this current conflict has stopped Mother trying to marry me off to Prince Argos.  He might be King Mykel’s heir, but he’s too much of an arrogant chauvinist for my liking.  When we first met, he had the nerve to say I looked bigger than he had expected from the holo-vids.”  She looked down with pride at her well-toned body, almost two metres of it.  She was all muscle, painfully acquired through years of combat training and physical exercise. 

Bethe, Xanthe’s youngest sister, suppressed a sigh of envy.  No matter how hard she applied herself, she was still going to be the smallest in the family.

“He’s handsome enough, though,” murmured Bethe, a trifle wistfully.  She rather liked big, strong men, with black hair and dark eyes.

“Handsome is as handsome speaks,” retorted Xanthe drily.  “In any case, as long as we are on the Verge of War, the whole issue is immaterial.”

A small dot flashed in the upper right quadrant of her vision.  Xanthe straightened. “Something’s happened,”  she said, already striding forward.  “We’re wanted in the Senate, now.  Both of us.”

~~~

General Shu'Tok smiled in grim satisfaction as he watched the silver specks on his display converge on their unsuspecting targets.  Each speck represented a Warstar Ship, carrying weapons and seasoned fighters, fresh from their conquest of the Pleiades . 

An hour later, the primary planets of both Bellatrix and Mu were under attack.  Loud explosions took out key installations and fighters streamed down from the skies.

~~~

After the initial shock, Orion and Eridanus reacted swiftly, activating defence procedures and putting their battle fleets on the highest alert.  Their first instinct was to blame each  other.  Urgent councils were called, and top military strategists from both Constellations discussed the previously unthinkable possibility of full scale war between them.

In Rigella, the King brought his family together in the communication chamber, presenting a united front to their people.  He made a stirring speech, assuring all Orionists that Eridanus would pay dearly for their treacherous attack.

In Achernar, the Matriarch addressed the Senate, her daughters at her side, reassuring the Eridanis that they were well prepared to defend themselves against the Orionists’ aggression.

Then the first detailed reports of the attacks came in.  The report described ships that no-one had seen before in this part of the galaxy.  Huge black spaceships that were twice the size of anything either Orion or Eridanus possessed.

Disbelieving, the King and Matriarch watched and listened as the data streamed in.  It appeared they were both under attack by a third party.  Could they trust the evidence before them?  Or was it a clever trick?   The air was thick with theories and strategies as their advisors considered the new facts.   Although more than one person was unconvinced that the ships came from outside their quadrant, they were soon over-ruled as the first images of the invaders came in.  They were not quite human.  Their fighters were half machine.

~~~

The Orionists on Bellatrix lost nearly all their ships in the first surprise attack.  Only three ships, which had been on a training run instead of in orbit around the planet, survived. 

“We don’t have the weapons capacity to target those huge space ships,” decided Captain Miro, the senior officer, making an instant assessment.  “Target the flyers instead.”  The black ships were spewing out streams of small flyers, each carrying fighters and weapons down to the planet’s surface.  The Bellatrix ships darted back and forth, taking out as many of them as they could before they were destroyed themselves.

In their first sweep, the invaders wiped out key installations, which they identified by the simple means of measuring the amount of energy they were using and targeting those which used the most.  Much of Bella, the capital city, was annihilated.  Then the ground troops descended.  Approval was quickly given for the issue of neuroblasters, usually confined to the elite forces, but there weren’t enough for everyone.  The humans soon found they were fighting with anything they could get their hands on. 

On Mu, in the Eridanus system, the situation was not much better.  Taken by surprise, the Eridani forces found themselves on the back foot from the first moment. 

By the end of the first day, both Bellatrix and Mu had fallen to the enemy, apart from isolated pockets of resistance.

~~~

Still reeling from the shock, the governments of Orion and Eridanus examined their options.  Someone suggested tentatively that perhaps it was time to challenge two centuries of mutual suspicion and consider an alliance.

Varied opinions flew around the council room on Rigella.

 “Sire!  We can look after ourselves, we can’t trust those man-haters.”

“Only this week, they tried to assassinate Prince Loren!”

“These invaders are targeting both of us. We must unite with the Eridanis to defend ourselves.”

Similar opinions were being expressed in the Senate on Achernar.

“Matriarch!  Those damn chauvinists would stab us in the back as soon as look at us!”

“I’d trust them for as long as I could hold an eel-fish.”

“It seems we have a common foe.  We must put aside our differences and forge a treaty with the Orionists immediately!”

The Matriarch raised a hand for silence.  “We have lost Mu, and I understand our fleet is struggling to defend Nan, the neighbouring star system,” she said.  “I believe it is in our best interests to consider an alliance with the Orion Sovereignty.”

The Matriarch saw that the majority of the Senate was nodding, albeit reluctantly, and she requested an immediate holo-vid conference with the King on Rigella.  Somewhat to her relief, her request was granted instantly and the two families found themselves virtually face to face.

“King Mykel, it appears that we are both under attack by alien forces.  I propose that we consider an alliance between our two Constellations.  Naturally there will be many details to negotiate before a formal treaty can be readied, but in the interim, I suggest we exchange hostages as a sign of good faith.”

King Mykel nodded gravely.  “I agree, Matriarch.”  He turned to look at Argos, but before he could speak, Loren stepped forward. 

“I’ll go, Sire,” he volunteered eagerly. “You will need Argos with you, here at your side.”  He knew he would be little better than a prisoner on Achernar, but at least it would be a different prison from the palace on Rigella.  A new planet, new people - it would be a wonderful opportunity.  Maybe he could even practice his singing.

Behind the Matriarch, Xanthe’s three sisters exchanged looks.  None of them were particularly eager to go to Rigella, the arse-end of the galaxy as far as they were concerned, but one of them had to volunteer.  The two middle daughters glanced meaningfully at their youngest sister.

“I’ll go,” Bethe volunteered hastily, and earned a nod of approval from her mother.

Xanthe kept her expression neutral, hoping she wasn’t going to be pushed into marrying Prince Argos as part of the treaty.

“Our people have much to organise,” the Matriarch spoke to the King again.  “We will be in contact again, as soon as we have the first draft ready for consideration.”

The King agreed, and after an exchange of farewells, he signed off, to escort his son and his bodyguard to the teleport chamber.  The Queen followed, ready to give Loren a hug goodbye and welcome the Matriarch’s daughter, Bethe.  While the advisors and councillors on both sides worked frantically to develop the terms of the proposed treaty.

~~~

Loren opened his eyes to find himself being greeted by the Matriarch in person.  He knew it wasn’t necessary to close your eyes during teleportation, but he couldn’t help it. 

He stepped off the low teleport platform onto the floor.  The Matriarch was bigger than she had seemed on the vid-link - more imposing.  Grey haired and dignified, she was accompanied by the most magnificent creature he had ever seen.  Nearly two metres tall, the younger woman topped him by a good head.  She had sky-red hair and golden eyes the same colour as the full body armour she was wearing.  Dazzled for a moment, he had to tear his eyes away to make the proper bow and greetings to the Matriarch, with his right fist over his heart.

“My honour, Matriarch.”

“Welcome, Prince Loren,” the Matriarch smiled, politely.   “My daughter, Xanthe, will see you and your bodyguard to your quarters.  You may go where you wish in this building, but I request that you don’t venture outside.  This new state of alliance between our two Constellations is yet to be accepted by some of our people, as I am sure you can understand.”

Prince Loren bowed.  He had expected as much.  In fact, he had been fully prepared to be restricted to his quarters, at least until the treaty was signed.

“I am yours to command, Matriarch,” he promised. 

With Tayne on his heels, Loren followed Xanthe out of the teleport chamber.

 “I don’t suppose you would know where I could get my hands on a lute?” asked Loren, struggling unaccountably for something to say to this wonderful being.  “Or an oud? That would be even better.  I couldn’t bring mine with me and I’d like to keep up my practice, if possible.”

“A lute, hmm?  I’ll see what I can do.  Are you a good player?” 

“I’ll play for you, if you like.  Then you can judge for yourself,” offered Loren, greatly daring.  

“All right!  You’re on,” Xanthe smiled at him, a little more warmly than politeness dictated.

Tarne cleared his throat loudly.  What was his foolish charge doing now?  Making eel-fish eyes at the Matriarch’s heir - didn’t he know she was as good as promised to his brother?  As if any woman would be interested in him, after she had seen Prince Argos!  She had to be playing with him.  If he didn’t step in, Loren was going to make a fool of himself - again.

This Prince was much cuter than his brother, thought Xanthe, as she led the way to the guest quarters.  Even better, she could swear that look in his eyes was one of admiration, not dismay - it made a nice change.  In her experience, most men found her intimidating.  They weren’t used to a woman who was taller than they were, and, in most cases, a better fighter.  And they didn’t like it.

 ~~~

General Shu'Tok was pleased with his campaign so far.  The first two planets had been scarcely any trouble at all, and his forces were already making inroads into the defences of the next two.  Like taking eggs from a nest. 

He was still smiling, when the report from the second star system in Eridanus came in.  And then he frowned.

~~~

A week later, Xanthe was without her golden armour when she strode across the courtyard to the Senate.  She had been listening to Prince Loren play the lute in his reception room, when a small dot appeared in the upper right quadrant of her vision, summoning her to the Senate.  She hoped it was good news.  The last reports from Nan had been promising, it appeared that the Eridani forces had finally succeeded in damaging one of the giant black space ships.  She was hoping this summons was to announce its complete destruction.  Lost in her thoughts, she relaxed her usual hyper-vigilance.

“No!”

The sudden shout had her spinning around, crouching low to the ground.  The whine from a neuroblaster shot past her right ear, missing her by millimetres.  The next second, Janna stood over her, shielding her from further threat with her own body.  People screamed.  Guards shouted, and Xanthe straightened, staring at the bodies of Prince Loren and his bodyguard.  Both of them had needles sticking out of their necks.

“He tried to kill you, Matris!” whispered Janna in shocked tones.

Unspeaking, Xanthe strode forward.  “Are they still alive?” she demanded curtly.  One of her guards looked up from where she had been kneeling, next to the bodies. 

“Yes, Matris.”  The guard frowned.  She pointed to an object which looked exactly like a conductor’s baton, lying just beyond Tayne’s outstretched hand.  “There’s the weapon.  A neuroblaster.”

Prince Loren was lying half on top of his bodyguard, with a fist still clutching a handful of the man’s uniform.

“I think Loren tried to help me,” murmured Xanthe.  She was almost certain it had been Loren’s voice with that warning shout.

“Hmm,” Janna pursed her lips, unconvinced.  Her heart was still racing at her charge’s narrow escape.  A millimetre to the left - and it could have been Xanthe on the ground, dead and bleeding at her feet.

“In any case, he will have to be confined until we find out exactly what happened here.  Take the Prince to his quarters,” she told two of her guards, “and hold him there until the Matriarch decides what to do with him.  The other can go straight to the Patrol House for interrogation.” 

She looked around at the crowd of onlookers which was gathering, drawn by the commotion. 

“Quickly!” she snapped. 

Much as she wanted to go with Loren, Xanthe couldn’t - she needed to talk to the Matriarch immediately.  Whether Loren had been involved or not, it was clearly evident that his bodyguard, Tayne, had tried to kill her.  She found it hard to believe that he had been working under orders from the Orion Sovereignty, but even if he had gone off on his own like a chaotic comet, this event had put the entire alliance at risk.

~~~

“He what?” asked King Mykel, blinking.  He felt as if he had fallen backwards through a wormhole.

“Bodyguard Tayne tried to kill Xanthe.  He fired a neuroblaster at her,” repeated the Matriarch coolly.

“Is she all right?” 

The King’s quick concern caused the Matriarch to relax a fraction.  “The Matris was unharmed,” she replied. 

“I can only apologise on his behalf,” said the King stiffly.  “I give you my personal assurance that there was no such order given by me or my council.  Tayne was acting completely on his own.”   The King was furious and worried at the same time.  What in Rigel’s name had possessed the man?  He must have gone mad, to risk the future of the entire Constellation on some personal vendetta.

“From what we have been able to establish,” continued the Matriarch, “Tayne was one of those who refused to believe the attacks on your planets come from an outside, invading force.  He honestly believed he was helping to defend Orion.  Unfortunately, that won’t save him from compulsory Rehabilitation.”

“Of course not,” agreed the King, swallowing.  Damn the man - his dangerous stupidity had placed the whole alliance in jeopardy.  How could the Eridanis and the Matriarch possibly forgive this?   

“You will be relieved to hear that Tayne has cleared Prince Loren of any involvement,” said the Matriarch, tactfully.  No need to tell the King that Tayne had laughed aloud at the suggestion.  “That pathetic little - little opera singer?” he had sneered.

“In fact, it appears Prince Loren may have saved Matris Xanthe’s life.”

“Loren did?” gasped the King, not so tactfully.

The Matriarch smiled significantly and gestured to someone out of sight, to come forward.   “I think we may have found a solution to our current problem.”

King Mykel watched bemusedly as Loren and Xanthe came forward hand in hand, both with smiles on their faces although Loren had one eyebrow raised.

“I suggest a symbolic alliance, to pre-empt the strategic one.  A marriage between your son, Prince Loren, and my daughter, Matris Xanthe.  I have their agreement.  What do you say?”