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Epilogue

The Forbidden Zone project has been a success in unprecedented ways. The discovery and destruction of Pathos, whom we never imagined lurked deep beneath Planet A-Z1, is a proud moment in the Empire's history. Pathos, being the far more emotional of the siblings, was far less successful in his attempts to terraform and create life than Logos, resulting in the chaotic environment on Planet A-Z1. Now that he's been disposed of, the climate is being altered greatly, but seems to be stabilizing as an inhabitable terrestrial planet.

Three cheers for the brave marines and researchers, who have seen this project to the end without any losses! Truly they were the bravest of us all!

Three cheers for our brave subjects, who have redeemed themselves through imprisonment! Perhaps one day, we'll formally incorporate A-Z1 as a declassified colony!

And three cheers for our Emperor!

-Official Claw Report on Forbidden Zones.

I opened the glass door. Sun and a light dusting of sand brushed against me as I stepped onto the balcony. I leaned against the stone railing, looking down upon the small city that Yaleen lorded over, with its square buildings made of white stone and it's narrow lanes. If it weren't for the occasional radio tower or extranet antenna sticking out of a building, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking you had traveled back in time to Medieval Arabia.

Ant-like Vulpeculans navigated the city in crowded mobs, giving way for the occasional vehicle, usually owned by the military or a particularly rich dandy, neither of which gave pedestrians the right of way.

Beyond the city walls, which were not far at all from the palace, stretched the endless sands of the Great Desert, which dominated Beta Vulpeculae. If you squinted hard enough, you could see one of the billions of nomads skulking around the dunes, trying to eke out a living. Everything, from the sands to the stone, had a light-blue tinge to it, thanks to the sun the planet orbited.

Vega. It would seem that humanity got a little excited when naming these aliens, having found their species match up with their constellation's name, that we presumed the Vulpeculans were the same and in doing so, ignored that their home was around one of the brightest stars in the sky. So bright that you could barely see the disk of dust orbiting it from the daytime sky of the planet.

“Master Lis? Duty calls."

Upon hearing Rely's voice, I turned around to find her and her sister helping Dondrae into his uniform. Both of them were sand-colored Vulpeculans, dressed in plain, white robes that stretched from their knees and up to their necks, just below the gold collars wrapped around their necks.

“Guardsman Dondrae!" I marched into our bedroom with a comical scowl on my face. “What kind of a soldier needs two slaves to dress him in the morning!"

Dondrae snarled as Rely's sister, Relya, struggled to get his left arm through the light blue sleeves of the uniform, the numerous metal buttons strapped to it tinkling like bells as they clanged together, “Don't you start! You had one custom tailored for yourself, the Princess just gave me a plus-sized Vulpeculan uniform!"

“No excuses!" I snarled back, snatching up the round cap, similar to a beret but with a flatter top, and placing it atop my shaved head. I brushed my palm across the chest of the uniform, making sure every button on the double-breasted jacket was fastened and pristine. “Report to the throne room in ten minutes! Dismissed!"

I grabbed my battle rifle, a semi-automatic number that looked not too dissimilar to an American M14, except with a ridiculously gaudy gold stock and a barrel that was encrusted with sapphires and emeralds. It was a fine rifle despite the aesthetics. Dondrae slapped me on the rear playfully as I walked out.

“Aren't you afraid of leaving me here with two attracting ladies?" he joked, causing Rely to giggle.

“Nope!" I smiled. “You're mine and you can't do anything about it!"

And even if I was the jealous type, I had accidentally stumbled on Rely and Relya servicing Yaleen in the palace baths in a most improper manner (But arousing enough to almost turn me bisexual!), so there was no questioning of where their loyalties lied.

I blew a kiss to Dondrae, who reached out to snatch it, tearing the armpit of his sleeve in the process.

“Oh no!" Relia cried out.

The tear was quite large and Dondrae made it even worse by removing his arm, until it was in shreds.

“I'll make an excuse for you, just take the day off!" I called out as I shut the door behind him.

I marched through the halls near our quarters, passing countless windows that allowed some slightly cool air to breeze through, stopping occasionally to marvel at the lush jungle Yaleen and Aldor had growing in the palace courtyard. It was a miracle that they were able to grow a tree at all, let alone a pocket rainforest in this climate.

Occasionally, I would pass another member of the princely guard, dressed in the same light blue uniform and we would salute each other without fail. A few were a little nervous about a human and a Lupiad being given membership overnight, but the resentment had faded down to a quiet acceptance.

Yaleen was waiting for me, sitting proudly atop the carved, sandstone throne in the center of the room. A gold circlet dotted with emeralds, was atop her brow and she had a satisfied smile across her muzzle, a smile that rarely left her lips since she ascended to the throne.

“Guardsman, you're late!" Yaleen squinted her eyes coyly.

I bowed, “My apologies, my liege. Guardsman Dondrae will be likely not be able to make it today."

“No matter," she waved her paw, which was covered in countless gold and silver rings that it was a miracle that she was able to move her fingers at all, “you'll stand guard with a substitute."

A Vulpeculan, also dressed in the same uniform, stepped from a doorway behind the throne and took his place on the right side of the throne with his rifle at the ready. To someone unfamiliar with him, he would have looked like any other red-furred Vulpeculan, but his green eyes betrayed him as the Princesses' brother, Aldor.

After Planet, taking over the Yi-Pah Principality was almost comically easy. A series of cabinet deaths and poor economic decisions had caused Yaleen's Uncle to be deposed weeks before we left Planet in favor of a chancellor who was more than happy to serve Yaleen when she returned.

Provided Yaleen's father's last will and testament passed the throne to her.

The vault was not nearly as impressive as I expected. I had visions of a massive, towering slab that reached up several stories. In reality, it was a safety deposit box built into a room in the palace basement. A very sturdy one, mind you, I wasn't sure what it was made of, but Yaleen's Uncle had failed to even make a dent in it.

The two siblings lined up their eyes to the retinal scanner and it popped open, revealing a box with a note atop a padded surface.

My children,

Long has the curse of our species been our tendencies towards patricide, fratricide, infanticide.

I have been guilty of all of these. Were it not for my actions, you would have had several litters of siblings by your sides. The Lupiads would call that a pack, I believe. I wish you could have had one.

But I am proud that you have overcome these urges and I pray that you lead our Principality into a new and peaceful future.

I have nothing to offer you, but that dream. That is my final treasure to you.

His words seemed to have had a stilling effect even on the ambitious Princess, though I could see her tail begin to twitch, which was rarely a good sign. Thankfully though, Aldor saw fit to flip the page over.

I was just kidding. The crown is in a hidden compartment in the box. Run a knife along the corners.

Sure enough, the padded bottom popped up and revealed the crown that Yaleen now wore atop her brow. Aldor renounced any claims to the throne and swore fealty to his sister, being the first to bow when she sat atop the throne. It was possible for him to rule as a joint-ruler, but he felt that having been court-martialed and sentenced to a lifetime on a prison planet, from which he just escaped, would have attracted too much attention. Aldor kept a bug-out bag by his bed the entire time, just in case the Claw decided to investigate him.

It was not a difficult job, being Yaleen's guard. In fact, out of gratitude she essentially gave us the option of having unlimited vacation time. The position was more of a pretense of keeping us safe and secure, as we really had nowhere else to go. Taking residence at one of hundreds of Principalities dotting Beta Vulpeculae was the closest thing to a quiet backwater in the wartorn galaxy, the best way to ensure neither me or Dondrae encountered any reminders of our past lives.

Yaleen oversaw seemingly endless petitions that day, all of which were trivial. The only one that stood out was a scrawny Regulian bureaucrat, whom I admit to having been a little nervous of when he first showed up, who was there to take a tally of Yaleen's contribution to the Imperial military efforts and also the Vulpeculan slave trade. He left satisfied, which was the best outcome.

Finally, the audiences came to an end. Yaleen ordered me to escort her back to her room alone and I obliged, followed behind her closely through the wide hallways.

“Truthfully," she said, picking at the hem of her trailing, amber gown, “I prefer the jumpsuit."

“I do too," I nodded.

“But I've received what I wanted, what I was owed," she sighed with a smile, “so I'm satisfied."

“I sense a bit of ennui in your voice, my lady."

“Nothing of the sort!" she snorted, raising her nose haughtily. “Planet was a challenge. Every day was a challenge and ever since we left it, things have been easy."

The same fears made me ache with worry as well. We ran into no issues once the Claw Agent was dealt with. Not a single inspection fleet or docking procedure got in our way. We were able to do a controlled crash land on Beta Vulpeculae and despite there being countless anti-ship cannons in place to deal with both illegal landings and the countless meteorites that strayed from the belt not far from the Planet, we didn't so much as get a finger-wag from the authorities. Perhaps they were more concerned with the Lacertans that a rogue ship was beneath their notice?

“I'm glad you're not treating Dondrae different," she suddenly whispered.

I swallowed, “What do you mean?"

“You did, for a bit. During the voyage. You seemed uncomfortable, as if you didn't know him," she sighed, “that's when I knew. You looked, didn't you?"

Yaleen knew both Dondrae's true name and mine. Of course she did, after all, there was no risk for her, looking at the wrong side of the vials.

“I threw it away."

“It's for the better. You two are good for each other," Yaleen laughed, “even if having a Lupiad-Sirian pretender as my consort might have had some political advantages!"

“Let's..." I swallowed, “lets not talk about that. It doesn't even matter now, it's gone."

“I apologize," Yaleen sighed as we stopped by the entrance to her bedroom, “that was impolite of me."

I cracked open the door for her and spotted a flash of movement. I shouldered my rifle and pushed Yaleen to the side for cover.

“Pawel Lis," a cheery Regulian voice sang out from the darkness, “it's been too long! Do come in!"

I slapped the flashlight mounted on the underside of the barrel and it revealed a long-forgotten face: a muscular Regulian with orange fur with black stripes. He was dressed in the jet black uniform of the Claw, its heart dotted with a silver icon depicting a Regulian's paw wrapped around a sphere with its claws drawn.

Agent Gretho. The very same who chased after us after leaving Planet. Not only did I recognize his voice, but I knew his face. I should have recognized his name back when I heard it on the comms, he didn't even make an attempt to lie about it. He was the same Regulian that had sat with us that one night we shared stories. The same one who dragged that dead Vulpeculan off with him into the forest.

“I would lower that gun if I were you! Come, come in! I don't bite!"

I kept the sights trained on his chest, my finger twitching on the trigger.

“Fine, fine!" his smile, so unnatural for a Regulian, grew twisted and his fangs peeked through. “We'll play this the hard way. You have a history of shooting Regulian Officers after all, don't you, Dawid?"

Dawid.

Dawid. Dawid. Dawid. Dawid.

I was on the floor. The pain was too much to bear. Shards of glass were flying through my brain and blood was spilling out of my nostrils.

There was a flash of red that flew past me. Fwip-fwip-fwip…

Crack!

Thump!

“Nice try, vixen! Now get your boyfriend in here if you want him to live"

I was in Yaleen's room. The convulsions were getting worse. I couldn't move.

I couldn't breathe.

I was stabbed in the back of the skull. I couldn't scream. Something went inside me, something that dulled the pain.

I could breathe.

But I couldn't move, not much.

Gretho was sitting on a chair, peering down at me while casually pulling a needle out of his shoulder and tossing it to the side. Gretho began fiddling with Yaleen's golden needler, while she began dabbing at my mouth with a cloth that quickly turned as red as her fur. She wiped at a droplet of blood that trailed down her black nose. The skin under her fur around her right eye was darkened, bruised.

“Did you really think you could just escape the Claw, just like that? We made you, Pawel, and we can destroy you whenever we want," Gretho purred. “You ever done any programming? The mind alteration is a lot like that, but with chemicals. We have the source code to the human brain and we can rewrite yours in so many ways: want to think you've been a war hero? We can do that. To you, it might seem like magic, but really, it's quite simple."

“It is true though, that the body is a far greater programmer than us. And we can't remove memories, just...lock them away. But if for whatever reason the brain tries to access those memories...well, think of it as a computer crashing, but for your brain. Doesn't end well."

I gasped, finally able to wrestle out some words, “Why are you...telling me this?"

“I want to make it very clear that if you ever try to leave Beta Vulpeculae, there will be an Agent who will come up to you and say, 'Hey Dawid! How's the wife doing?'!"

“Stop!" Yaleen yelled.

My body began to spasm and my head hit the floor with a heavy thump.

Dawid, married to the girl with the raven hair. Dawid, who killed the lion who hurt her.

Dawid. Dawid. Dawid. Dawid.

Another sharp object was inserted into the back of my skull and I began to control myself once again, as much as I could, at least.

“We can even make you attracted to males. Just a few lines of code and you'll get all the endorphins you can dream of when you look at a muscular Lupiad male," Gretho laughed, “I repeat myself, we made you, Pawel. The very fact that you're in love with that mutt is all thanks to us!"

Vomit welled up in my throat and I spat up onto the expensive rug that laid under Yaleen's bed.

“And just as I said before, we can take all of that away."

It was only now that I noticed a large datapad that was atop Yaleen's dresser, leaning up against the wall. Gretho gave it a quick tap to wake it up and I saw Dondrae, dressed in his casual clothes: a pair of green pants with a matching tank-top. He was talking with a short-furred Vulpeculan meat merchant who was proudly showing off his wares.

“No..." I whispered, spitting out another glob of puke. I began reaching for my rifle.

“I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Gretho wagged his finger, “I've given my team instructions that if I don't report back, one of them goes up to your precious mutt and gives him a little dose of the truth."

My eyes burned. I wanted to kill him. Shoot him while his back was turned, I didn't care anymore. He didn't deserve to live. Yaleen was burning hot with suppressed rage, I might have been a human, but even I could smell it on her.

But I couldn't. Not if it meant losing Dondrae. Even with my mind racing with all of this new (old?) information, my mind was clear on one thing: Dondrae was the only good thing to have ever happened to me.

“Pawel, my boy," Gretho patted me on the shoulder, “I'm not here to harm you or your mutt! Both of you, before or after we altered you, you're no harm to the Empire! But you could be useful to us alive, hm?"

Dondrae is a Prince of the dead Lupiad-Sirian Empire. How can that not be a threat?

“Delivering Pathos to us on a silver platter? It's taken us centuries to find that rogue AI! You did what the entire Empire failed to do and you did it as a prisoner! A mere clown we set loose on the strangest planet in the Empire! Never in a million years did we expect this little psychological study to bear fruit, but when you took out my ship with nothing more than a grenade, I knew! I knew you were the one!"

“That's why I'm here to offer you, and I know you'll accept: a job," Gretho bared all of his sharp teeth, “care to join us?"

Gretho pulled out a thin headset from a pouch strapped to his hip and attached it to his right ear, “Strike Team, do you copy?"

A gloved paw waved in front of the camera that was watching Dondrae.

“The initiate has been given the choice. Standby for his answer."

Gretho tapped the side of his headset and leered down at me, “I think you know what the consequences are if you refuse."

I crawled on my back to the wall, using it to help prop myself up, “I don't have a choice," I rasped.

“I need you to say it."

I closed my eyes.

“Pawel..." Yaleen whispered, but she failed to say anything more.

“SAY IT!" Gretho roared.

“I'll join," I whispered.

Never before now have I ever wanted to cry this much. I thought we were free, but there's no escaping fate.

“Excellent!" Gretho beamed and tapped the side of his headset. “Initiate has accepted! Standby just in case though!"

Gretho shut the screen off and proudly started pacing around the room, keeping his eyes locked on me as if I were wounded prey, “It's quite simple, we want you to remain in your current position here on Beta Vulpeculae. Report back any funny business you observe and that's it! Pretty sweet gig, huh? You should be grateful!"

Gretho slapped me lightly across the cheek, “But occasionally we might call you to engage in some, hm, wet-work. No guarantees, mind you! If you're lucky, we'll never call you for the rest of your life and you can quietly retire here with your mate! Isn't that grand?"

Yaleen grunted as Gretho pinched the tip of her ear, “That goes for you too, as well, Princess. Be a good little puppet and perhaps the Emperor will bestow favors upon you."

“Now then," Gretho walked away from us, crossing his arms behind his back. His striped tail was twitching strangely, “you both did commit several crimes and the law is quite clear that you'll have to be punished! But I will be merciful..."

Gretho fiddled with his trousers.

“One of you will volunteer, while the other will be spared."

“I'll do it," I said without hesitation.

“Pawel, no!" Yaleen growled and jumped to her feet, about to charge Gretho. I grabbed her by the tail, forcing her to turn and came damned close to scratching my face off.

“I said I'll do it!" I snapped.

“There's that Pawel Lis bravery! Or should I call you Dawid?" Gretho sneered as he put his paw down his pants. The name no longer hurt me, but there was a strange itch in the back of my brain whenever he said it. “Princess, leave us be, unless you'd prefer to join us?"

I spat up a mouthful of water into the sink and watched it slowly drain down the hole. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the taste out and I reeked with shame.

My eyes were red and running with tears. I never wanted to be this weak, never again. At least when the Lupiads assaulted me, I wasn't forced to gleefully say, “Yes!"

Breathing deeply, I shut off the water main and opened up the cupboard below. I stared at the L-shaped pipe that snaked around in the cupboard and thought about what laid hidden within it.

I lied to Yaleen. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. This was another weakness of mine, I could throw away my past without issue, but I couldn't throw away Dondrae's, no matter what he wished. Lurking inside the pipe, in a water-proof baggie and taped to the inside was Dondrae's vial.

I had the remains of the stabilizer hidden in the apartment as well. I could have an heir to the Regulian's first rival. Dondrae could rally the Lupiads and the Sirians, hell, even the Vulpeculans with our Princely connections! Sign a non-aggression pact with the Lacertans and raze the Regulian Empire to the ground! Purge the royal family! No slaves, no prisoners! Kill them all, along with the Claw! Then...then…

I sobbed. It was all a stupid fantasy and even if it could happen, it would mean losing Dondrae forever. I could try and partially restore them, but there was no telling just how little could write over his memories of me. I was finding myself forgetting some small details of Planet after getting the injection and I couldn't bear to think of Dondrae forgetting me. No matter how brave I might be, I couldn't lose that.

And that was what the Claw made me into. I was Pawel Lis, chemically controlled to be attracted to men and to fall head over heels in love with one. Their experiment was a resounding success, I couldn't sacrifice Dondrae even if I wanted to, and now they had me eternally within their clutches.

The door to our suite clicked and squeaked open, “I'm home, love!"

I wiped away my tears and tried to keep my voice under control, bright and cheerful, “Welcome home! I'm just in the bathroom!"

“No problem! I'll get dinner in the pot!" I heard a clatter of pans along with the hum of the television turning on.

Dondrae's cooking brought a smile to my lips. It was unpretentious fare, mostly a lot of meat and some vegetables thrown into a pressure cooker. He said it was the height of Lupiad cuisine, but he had a cheeky grin on his face whenever he said that. It was greasy, hearty fare, and it did the trick.

I made a decision not to let the Regulians ruin what I had. God may have made me one way and the Regulians made me another, but agonizing over it would lead to nothing but heartbreak.

I felt sorry for the raven-haired girl, but there was nothing I could do for her. I hoped she found some happiness elsewhere and there was no doubt that Dawid would have been reported to her as a casualty. Even if I came back with my old memories, it might be too painful for her to bear.

Dondrae was my love and I would stick with him no matter what. To hell with the Regulians! I might be their puppet, but I'd stretch out my strings as long as possible!

“...and now we return to Predatory Princes of the Lupiad-Sirian Empire!"

My body went still as the TV announcer spoke.

“For numerous years, this self-proclaimed pretender to the throne used extranet social media to press his claims, much to the derision of the Empire!"

I slowly cracked the door open. Dondrae was sitting on the sofa, watching the TV intently. He didn't even tilt his ears back to listen to me sneaking out of the bathroom.

“Before his untimely death of LIV, 'Prince' Dondio gained a reputation for being a public laughingstock! A symbol of everything wrong with the descendants of the elected monarchs!"

Dondrae was watching a picture of himself float across the screen. Despite being the same person, he looked vastly different in both posture and dress. He was slouched over, wearing about five thick, golden chains hanging down to his chest, and he was making the Lupiad gesture for, “Bitch," at the camera, two thumb and forefinger circles, with one inside the other. Text floated next to the picture, showing that it was an extranet post:

What I'm gonna do to the Regulian Emperor! Prep him for the knot! #LMA #King #heirtothefuckingthronebitch #fuckregulus

I was too afraid to even show any fear. Dondrae was laughing, not showing any signs of pain. I thought about the vial and the stabilizer.

“Despite claiming to be associated with the Lupiad Monarchist Army, or LMA, the organization denied any connection."

The screen cut to a low-quality recording of two Lupiads with cloth masks covering their faces, which had a crown sewn into the forehead.

“This degenerate has no connection with us. We fight for the freedom of all Lupiads and Sirians, and he has done nothing but act against our cause."

Another social media post flashed, this time showing a video along with accompanying text. Dondio was mugging for the camera with a shit-eating grin before turning the camera to show a scrawny human with a leather collar around his neck and deep lash-marks across his pack, bobbing his head as he sucked at Dondio's cock.

Purchased a new toy! Breaking him in! 100th comment gets to name him! #LMA #imthefuckingking #slave #bestsuck #human

Dondrae slapped his knee, roaring with laughter.

Another image flashed, surprisingly tame compared to the previous one, of Dondio sitting at a shoulder press machine and lifting weights_._ His bare feet were resting on the back of his human slave, who was kneeling on the ground. Dondio was shirtless, except for the gold chains across his muscular body.

Lifting and keeping my bod ready for the coup! #LMA #King #Slave #human #getoutregulianscum

Dondrae's ear twitched and finally noticed me, but he kept staring at the screen, “Hey Pawel, doesn't this guy look like me? What a fucking tool!"

A small ray of hope shone inside me. Dondrae came face to face with something that should have killed him, but he didn't even think for a moment that it was the truth.

“He looks kind of handsome though," I giggled.

“What? Ew!" Dondrae stuck his tongue out in disgust. “I thought I was your type! This guys just trash!"

Without warning, I vaulted the back of the sofa and pinned Dondrae to the cushions.

“You are my type. No one else," I whispered.

“You sure?" Dondrae grinned. “I don't mind doing a bit of roleplaying!"

Dondrae cleared his throat and put on a cocky tone. He grabbed me by the neck, digging his claws in, “Do you know who I am, slave? I'm Prince Dondio! Heir to the fucking throne! Now suck my cock!"

“Prince Dondio..." I whispered bravely. Dondrae smiled lustily and tightened his grip, forcing me to gasp.

I was so happy that I couldn't help but cry, which confused Dondrae, who immediately cut out the act and started gently rubbing me on the back.

The Claw was wrong. Their programming was not as strong as they had thought. One television special and a misunderstanding from my mate and he was now inoculated. If someone were to come up to him and call him Prince Dondio, there's a good chance Dondrae would just laugh and say, “I get that all the time!"

As long as Dondrae continued believing Dondio was dead, the chances of a random passerby triggering his killswitch lessened. He was a recognizable figure, but one that he and everyone else presumed was dead. One day, one day we could leave Beta Vulpeculae and hide somewhere else.

“I'm just..." Dondrae wiped tears away from my eyes, “...I'm so happy."

I fell atop Dondrae and buried my head into his chest. I felt his arms wrap around me.

I'd be the Claw's puppet for now. Play their little games and write their reports. But I had something that they didn't know about. Something that I knew would grow the longer they thought they had me under their thumb.

Hope.