Alien Indiscretions by Tracy St. John Page A

rushing past them.
    “You ass,” Cissy said, shoving her cousin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Royal Guards stiffen, coming to alert attention.
    Oops. I didn’t think of how Jessica’s security would take an ‘attack’ on her royal person. It’s a good thing she’s laughing at me or I might be a spot on the non-existent floor.
    Lindsey wasn’t worried about the Royal Guards either, aiming a kick at Jessica’s shin. “You are such a brat. I think Tasha wet herself.”
    “No, it was a good trick.” Agreeable as always, Tasha smiled at Jessica. “It’s amazing to see everything like this.”
    Jessica blew a raspberry at her. “Damn it, I forgot how good you are at making me feel guilty. When are you going to get an ugly side like Cissy?”
    Cissy had heard enough. “That’s it. Hold her down, Lindsey. I’m going to tickle her until she pees her royal panties.”
    Before she could make a move towards her chortling cousin, they flew out of the tunnel. Cissy froze and stared all around at the scenery.
    They’d told her the underground area didn’t look like it was underground, but she was in no way prepared for the brilliant blue sky overhead and the distant sun streaming from it. There were walls of craggy rock in the distance, showing the immense size of the now defunct mine, but there was also a rich landscape of trees and shrubs leading up to those walls.
    The ceiling of the former mine was one vast vid screen, programmed to show the sky outside. Today was a gorgeous early spring day, the weather warming nicely after yesterday’s brutally cold blast. It looked as if they were within a small, verdant canyon. Cissy had the impression that if she was to stand outside, she’d even feel the sun on her shoulders, left bare by the tank top she wore. She wondered if the Kalquorians manufactured breezes down here to further fool the senses.
    Beyond the tunnel were two wide paths, just large enough for a medium-sized shuttle to navigate. One went to the left and was bordered by newly blooming flowers and colorful shrubs. With spring arriving at the Eastern Seaboard Territory, the underground’s landscapers had wasted no time in celebrating that fact. Cissy appreciated that they’d managed to make the foliage seem like naturally occurring growth as in the wild. Kalquorians loved nature and abhorred anything that appeared too planned.
    The shuttle took the right hand path, the way that was more wooded. The shuttle flew well off the gravel-packed ground, over the heads of pedestrians traveling the trail. They looked up in interest as the vessel passed; after all, Jessica had said only emergency vehicles were allowed in the habitat.
    “I love the trees on this planet,” Tasha murmured, looking at the forest on either side. The foliage was splendid, with the trees sporting rainbow-hued colors like a crazy quilt. Blue, red, gold, and green leaves against branches as white as ivory made the landscape seem almost magical.
    Jessica and Lindsey looked too. “It sucks to get used to it,” the young empress said. “I forget how stunning this planet is until someone new shows up and reminds me of it.”
    “It’s amazing all over again when you get to see it through someone else’s eyes,” Lindsey agreed.
    Cissy frowned to see something not so natural on one side of the path. A utilitarian building, metal and somehow forbidding, sat there. Three Kalquorians in black armored formsuits stood outside its door, watching the shuttle pass overhead. Cissy noticed they had percussion blasters on their belts, as well as sheathed knives. One man had a laser rifle slung over one shoulder.
    “Do you get much trouble out here?” she asked.
    Jessica frowned when she followed Cissy’s gaze. “Not lately. We had a serial killer run amok who targeted Earth women about a year ago. It was the same Nobek who instigated the Slaughter of the Innocents on New Bethlehem.”
    “No shit.” Cissy was suddenly glad to have the