The Prince and Lex went through the Yautja Prime airport and headed towards the security center. Lex saw some of the signs that were in red symbols indicating arrivals and destinations. Upon reaching the security desk, the Prince took out a metal card. The Security Chief processed the card and gave it back to the Prince.
"Welcome back Prince," the Security Chief said pleasantly.
"I don't have one of those," Lex said when asked for hers.
"I can vouch for her," the Prince said authoritatively.
"We can process her identity by taking her fingerprints," the Security Chief said, and then directed Lex to a pad on the desk.
Lex placed her hand on the pad and immediately the computer processed her identity. The Security Chief reviewed her file briefly and frowned at what he saw. "There is a warrant out for the female in a civil suit," the Security Chief informed them.
"What does this suit contain?" the Prince asked.
"It is a wrongful death suit. I have no other details, but she is wanted by the Court for trial," the Security Chief said.
"She will come with me immediately to the court," the Prince promised.
The Security Chief cleared her, and the two of them exited the airport. "I'm being sued?" Lex wondered.
"We will determine the details of the case at the Court," the Prince said unconcerned, and then pointed to their vehicle.
The vehicle hovered above the ground like a hovercraft Lex had seen in science fiction movies. It was black in color and shaped like a jet so that it could easily cut through the air. The back doors of the craft opened, and the two went inside. The vehicle was fairly comfortable on the inside contrasting greatly with the metallic ships she had been on.
"The court," the Prince ordered the driver.
Lex felt a smooth acceleration, as the vehicle picked up speed on the magnetic highways. The vehicles around her were all connected to a magnetic grid making them accelerate at speeds similar to a bullet train. Magnetically repellant to each other, the vehicles would never hit each other. Looking around, Lex saw Yautja of both genders walking casually on the metallic sidewalks. They were wearing robes similar in style to what she had seen in India. For the first time, she saw Yautja children being accompanied by their parents.
Other than the modern style of the city, she noticed that everything was perfectly clean. There was no poverty or any kind of pollution. Everyone was dressed the same giving Lex the impression that the poor did not exist. She looked up at the sky and yet could not see the top of the skyscrapers. Eventually, they made it to the Court building, but it did not have the Roman style pillars she was accustomed to. The building was a large dome similar to what she saw on the outpost.
The vehicle came to an easy stop, and the Prince instructed the driver to stick around. The two of them entered the building and approached the clerk's desk. "I wish to inquire about the lawsuit against this female," the Prince said to the clerk.
"Place your hand on this pad," the clerk instructed Lex.
Lex placed her hand on the pad as before, and the clerk quickly read her file. "The case was filed soon after she was acquitted of criminal charges on one of our outposts. She was to come back to the Court after her mission was completed," the clerk said.
"That mission became complicated," the Prince explained.
"She is being sued in civil court for the wrongful death of a warrior on Earth. She is charged with aiding humans, engaging in unauthorized combat with the warrior, and directly leading to the warrior's untimely death," the clerk said.
The Prince looked over the file on a datapad and then gave it back to the clerk. "The female will be in my custody for the time being, and my lawyers will contact the Court on resolving this issue," the Prince said.
"We will notify the family of the deceased that she is here on Yautja Prime," the clerk said.
The Prince then placed a device on his ear hole that assembled into a small satellite dish. "I require your services on a legal matter. It is a wrongful death civil suit," the Prince said.
"No, it wasn't me this time," the Prince said amused.
"Good, I will see you soon," the Prince said, and then hung up.
The Prince took the device off his ear and placed it in his pocket. "That was a satellite receiver that allows me to communicate with anyone on the planet, and any of our ships," the Prince explained.
"So, what happens to me now?" Lex wondered feeling distressed. "I'm broke."
"This case gives us the opportunity to make new case law concerning alien species who have become Yautja citizens," the Prince said.
Lex wasn't too enthused about making new case law in Yautja courts. "Similar to your legal system, there are criminal and civil penalties for crimes. You were acquitted of criminal charges due to your ignorance, but now you are being sued by the family of the warrior for civil damages. Like your legal system, the burden of proof will be lower," the Prince explained.
"So, I'm fucked aren't I," Lex said hopelessly.
"I have in my employ the best lawyers on the planet. In any case, the results should be interesting," the Prince said.
The Prince and Lex entered the vehicle and took off towards the center of the city. "Go to the rehabilitation square," the Prince ordered. He then turned to Lex who gave a confused expression. "In our legal system, a citizen is punished by fines, physical discipline, psychological rehabilitation, exile, and execution."
"You don't have prisons?" Lex wondered.
"Prisons are inefficient and counter-productive. Our ways are more effective in reducing crime, as well as preserving the honor of the criminals," the Prince said.
"What if an innocent person is wrongfully convicted?" Lex questioned.
"That is highly improbable with our memory scanners and lie detectors," the Prince said. "Your legal system works to undermine the truth. Criminals are not required to testify against themselves, lawyers work to acquit their client at all costs, and ignorant people choose whether the criminal is guilty or not. And if the criminal is found guilty, he may appeal the ruling and become free on a technicality. Your system has little trust in your institutions," the Prince observed.
"Well, it is better that one hundred guilty people be free than one innocent person should be punished wrongfully," Lex quoted.
"Unless, of course, those one hundred guilty people kill, maim, rape, and rob several hundred innocent people during their lifetime," the Prince countered.
The vehicle came to a stop at the rehabilitation square. A crowd had already formed, as the two got out. The Prince easily made his way through the crowd to get a better view. The convicted criminal was escorted to a pillar and chained up. The criminal only had ragged shorts on exposing his back. The guards then hit the criminal to the back with rods counting each time they did. Lex watched, as the criminal was beaten on the shoulders, arms, and then his legs. The criminal fell to his knees while hanging from his arms. The guards continued to beat the criminal until their count was complete. When they were finished, they released the criminal.
The guards then assisted the criminal to his feet, and then lowered him underneath the floor out of sight by the crowd. "That's barbaric," Lex said disgustedly.
"It works for us," the Prince replied. "The criminal will then be released, and remain a productive citizen of society."
"And what was his crime?" Lex asked.
"He committed an assault," the Prince said vaguely.
"I still don't like it," Lex muttered.
"That is because you associate the punishment with periods in your history where justice was not fairly given," the Prince said.
"What would have been my fate if I had been convicted?" Lex asked.
"You would have been exiled and hunted down," the Prince said. "However, you were not convicted, because our system would not have allowed you to."
The Prince and Lex made their way through the dispersing crowd to their vehicle. "Take me to the residence," the Prince ordered.
The vehicle quickly sped through the magnetic highways, and then exited on a path that led towards the outside of the city up the hills towards the mountains. Although the planet received more heat from its star than the Earth, the planet also had fairly high mountain ranges. The temperature started to drop with higher elevation. The Prince's house came into view, and it was obvious to Lex that it was the size of a mansion. It was metallic in appearance that reflected sunlight off it. It was three stories with a large courtyard in front. The vehicle parked in front of the mansion, and the two exited the vehicle.
The Prince gave a few words to the driver, and then he disappeared down the street. The Prince then turned to Lex. "This is one of my homes," he introduced.
"Very nice," Lex said, and then stared at the fountain statue of a Yautja with a spear through a Xenomorph's head. Water came out of the Xenomorph's mouth into the fountain pool. Otherwise, there was nothing too disturbing about the outside of the house.
"Shall we go inside," the Prince invited.
Lex decided to trust the Prince once more. If he wanted to harm her, he had plenty of opportunities to do it already. The Prince invited her into his garage filled with vehicles of various designs. One of which was a Harley Davidson Fatboy, and there was also a number of sports cars. "How?" Lex wondered confused.
"I do compliment some of your vehicle designs. I feel great satisfaction driving a petroleum-fueled vehicle where the engine is designed by exploiting controlled explosions," the Prince said of his cars.
Lex considered asking the story behind his human car collection but thought better of it. The Prince motioned for her to go further inside the mansion. The doors electronically moved back once he placed his card in the door. Once inside, Lex saw a long hallway filled with Yautja statues on either side of her. The room slightly spooked her, as she saw them all with spears and plasma cannons aimed at them. The room was well lit and cool.
Exiting the hallway, they found themselves in a large living room that was shaped like a dome. Royal Guards then decloaked surrounding them. Then six female Yautjas came down the stairs to greet the Prince. They were dressed in robes of different colors; the oldest of them was dressed in black. The first two who appeared to be the youngest knelt down low bowing their heads to the Prince. They then looked up and walked to the side of the room. The next two approached the Prince, and they too knelt down to the Prince. Once they had left, one of the wives came forth and knelt down to the Prince. He in turn lifted her head allowing her to rise to his level. The two nodded to each other, and then she departed from him to the side of the room. Finally, the last wife slowly approached the Prince and bowed her head to him. He in turn bowed his head to her. Unlike the other wives, she stayed with the Prince. Lex could tell that she was the first wife of the six by her appearance and expression.
"You brought another one?" she asked amused.
"She is merely a student," the Prince downplayed.
The first wife circled Lex as if examining her. After inspecting her, she realized something was off. "Your skin pattern is a combination of different clans. She is a genetic experiment?" the wife guessed.
"Very good," the Prince complimented.
The wife held Lex's chin, and moved her head from side to side, as she examined her. "What were you once called?" she asked.
"Alexa, Lex for short," Lex answered.
"The feminine form of Alexander, like the one mentioned in the classics," the wife said intrigued. "You must have an interesting story to tell human."
"She does indeed," the Prince agreed.
"What is your wish my Prince?" she asked turning away from Lex.
"She shall remain here until she can properly assimilate into our society. As for me, I have been in the field for months and desire rest," the Prince said.
"You shall have your rest after you have completed your duty to me," the wife said suggestively but with mock authority.
Lex stared as the two interacted with each other; the first wife seemed to have a unique power over the Prince. "I shall comply of course," he said to her.
The Prince then turned to his other wives and then motioned for some to come to him. His fifth and sixth wives bowed to the Prince, as they approached him. "Take her to a prepared room," the Prince ordered them. He then turned to Lex. "Get some rest, and my servants will make sure you make all of your appointments."
The two wives gave Lex curious looks and then motioned for her to follow. Lex didn't know enough about the Yautjas to make an accurate guess, but she figured these two wives were younger than her by a few years. They walked up a number of stairs to the second floor, and then more stairs to the third floor. They then walked down a hallway and then opened one of the doors by punching in the combination on the door. Opening the door, Lex saw a comfortable looking room. The room itself was the size of her apartment back on Earth with a large bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. The only thing that detracted from the room were some of the skull trophies of wild beasts on the wall. Thankfully none of the skulls were human or else she would have to remove them.
"Do you approve?" Talutah asked.
"It's very nice," Lex said, as she looked through all the rooms.
Talutah sat on a couch while Kachina toured the house with Lex. "The water temperature is voice command, so if you desire it hotter or cooler you merely have to say it," she said to Lex.
"On," Lex said to the shower, and immediately water started pouring. "Off," Lex commanded, and the water stopped.
"If you need to increase or decrease the temperature in the room, you can change the settings here," Kachina pointed out the device.
Lex fiddled with the red symbols on the device, and then put the temperature at the equivalent temperature of 70F. Princess (6) eyed Talutah as Lex worked the thermostat to her liking. "Earth must be colder than here," Kachina speculated.
"It depends. In some places, ice covers the surface permanently, and in other places, deserts can extend for thousands of miles with no rainfall for years. This place reminds me of the tropics," Lex commented.
"Activate hologram of Earth," Talutah ordered a projector on a table.
The projector showed an image of the Earth with the moon rotating around it. "With the oceans so large, the weather must be more extreme than here," Talutah speculated.
Lex shrugged and then opened a closet filled with dresses. She wondered if t-shirts and pants were too radical for the Prince's tastes. She opened the second closet and found her armor, but her weapons were missing. "You have killed?" Kachina asked.
"Yes, quite a few," Lex said softly.
Her lack of enthusiasm for killing was easily detected by the two wives. "We will need to get some rest," Talutah excused herself.
"Thank you for everything," Lex said graciously.
The two wives exited the room, gave Lex a curious glance, and then closed the door. Lex was alone to consider her thoughts. She looked out the window and saw the sun still high. She wondered why the two wives would need rest, and then it hit her. No doubt each wife would take her turn with the Prince during the night. Lex was sure she was against polygamy and feminine submission, but it seemed to work for these people. Considering all the things the Prince had done, polygamy was not much of a big deal.
Lex took off her robes and took a nice bath in the tub. Unlike the ship, not everything in the bathroom was metallic. Resting in her bubble bath, she tried to forget about her troubles.
The next morning, a guard awoke Lex by knocking on her door. "Be right there!" she shouted at the door. She put on red robes from her closet and was escorted down to the first floor. The Prince was not there to greet her, which concerned her. "After your breakfast, you will be transported to the city," the guard told her.
"I see," she replied.
Breakfast was not the typical orange juice and cereal. Instead, it was an assortment of meats, and milk from some creature she had no idea about. "Our bodies require protein to remain strong," the guard told her upon seeing her dismay.
Lex sat down and looked for a fork. Seeing none, she reached for the meat. Tasting and chewing it, the meat reminded her of fish. The guard watched, as she ate the meat and milk to make her full. "Okay, I'm good," she said.
"This way," the guard led her outside.
Walking outside, she saw a larger than usual sun appear just over the horizon. She went inside the hovercraft and accelerated down the mountain towards the city. Once she got to her lawyer's office, she approached the clerk at the front desk.
"I'm here for an appointment," Lex said, uncertain of herself.
"Place your hand on the pad," the clerk instructed her.
Lex placed her palm on the pad, and the clerk immediately knew her identity. "He is expecting you," the clerk said. The clerk then led her to the lawyer's office where she waited for attention. The lawyer eventually opened the door for her. "Come in," he said.
Lex went inside the room and noticed how normal it appeared. She didn't see any skull trophies; the room reminded her of the captain's quarters on a ship. It was entirely metallic including the desk and chairs. "Take a seat, Miss Woods," the lawyer smiled at her.
Lex simply stared at him. "I have reviewed your case, and I have contacted the family of the deceased. They are willing to settle for 100 lbs of gold or equivalent currency," the lawyer said.
Lex did some calculations in her head. Gold was around $1000 an oz, so 100 lbs would be $1,600,000. "That's 1.6 million dollars!" Lex expressed her dismay.
The lawyer simply stared at her, as he had no idea what she was talking about. "It is on the high side, but that might have something to do with my employment in this case. Due to my involvement, the family assumes the Prince will pay up on your behalf."
"Yeah right," Lex said scornfully. "I can't afford that kind of money."
"A female of your skill level may possibly receive two lbs of gold a year in this economy. You would work for the family until the debt is paid off," the lawyer explained.
"I would be a slave…for fifty years!" Lex said incredulously.
"Yautja life spans are longer than humans. You will have many more years to live after your debt has been paid off. The family may even forgive your debt for loyal service," the lawyer said.
"There is no way I am going to be an indentured servant for that creature's family for fifty years," Lex refused.
"Our other option is to take it to trial. Of course, if we lose you may have to pay even more in damages at the judge's discretion."
"I think a judge would be fairer than that," Lex said.
"Settlements of this amount are not uncommon, and indentured servants are treated well in our society. That being said, the Prince wishes you to take this case to trial. If taken to trial, it will create new case law that will establish a precedent for your unique situation."
"Are you on his side or mine?" Lex asked annoyed.
"I follow the Prince's instruction to defend you in court. The Prince and I both support your interests," the lawyer said defensively.
"Then I want to take this to trial," Lex decided.
"Very well. The trial will begin in a few week's time. During that time, we will review the events of what happened that led to the warrior's death. I have a strategy in mind that may work in our favor."
"What strategy?"
"I will bring up the biological data collected on the Prince's ship indicating your lack of mental development in several areas of your brain. Despite your transformation, you still have the mental capacity of a human. We will work to prove that you were mentally incapable of knowing the consequences of your actions, as well as being incapable of having empathy for your species."
"You're going to argue that I am retarded?"
"No, that would be disrespectful towards them," the lawyer said. "We will also prove that the warrior went to Earth of his own volition, and took many risks while present there. We can thus establish the argument that he was literally asking the gods to strike him down due to the risks he took. We will also attempt to downplay your actions in his demise. We will also hope to shame the family by implying their son or husband was defeated by the likes of you," the lawyer continued.
"You're making me look bad here," Lex said annoyed.
"Exactly. The more pathetic, ignorant, and foolish we can make you, the more sympathy we will be able to get from the judge and public opinion."
Lex left the lawyer's office not too enthused with his services. She was then taken by the driver to conduct a number of tasks. Her first objective was to get her hair treated by a salon. She went inside, and a number of female Yautja's chatting. Upon her entering the room, they stopped talking and stared at her. The driver talked with the salon owner on her behalf.
"Come with me," the salon owner said to her.
Lex was sat down, and immediately they began to work on her. "A male must have done this," the beautician remarked upon seeing her hair. Her locks were unbraided, and then her hair was placed in a liquid solution. After a few moments of that, the beauticians cut her damaged hair and began the process of tightly braiding her hair. Using a tool, they twisted her hair as tight as they could. Lex tensed up, as she felt a painful sensation from her scalp. She felt like they were ripping the hair from her head. Once they were done twisting, they carefully placed golden locks to keep her hair in place. After they were done, Lex looked in the mirror.
Lex wasn't so sure about this hairstyle all Yautjas seemed to have. She wondered if she could experiment with her hair by having it flow down her shoulders, tie it in a bun, or cut it short. "It is acceptable," the driver said.
After leaving the salon, Lex was driven to a clinic. As before on the outpost, a doctor checked her vitals and gave her a detailed analysis. Another brain scan was done on her, but unlike before the doctor noticed a few changes in her brain activity. "There is increased activity here," the doctor pointed out.
"What does that part do?" Lex asked.
"It is the part of the brain that desires to mate," the doctor answered.
The doctor then conducted blood tests. He showed her a visual image of her DNA on a hologram. "Your DNA still has human genes, but they have all been turned off. Your replacement genes are all functioning correctly," the doctor pointed out.
"What would happen if I had conceived?" Lex wondered.
"The male's genes would be dominant against the human genes, but there is the possibility of mutation. I would not advise it," the doctor said.
"What could happen?"
"The child could have serious birth defects. For example, it may not grow its mandibles," the doctor warned.
With her tasks completed, Lex went back to the mansion. The Prince awaited her return as the driver came up to the garage. Once Lex exited the vehicle, the Prince circled her as if inspecting her. Nodding, he allowed the driver to leave.
"Your hair looks civilized," he complimented.
"Thanks, I guess," Lex said awkwardly.
"Come inside," he invited.
"How was last night?" Lex asked mischievously.
"As could be expected," the Prince replied.
Lex decided to drop the issue. "So, how do I address your wives?"
"You do not even address me properly," the Prince reminded her.
"Your wives don't go around killing people, and unleashing monsters," Lex pointed out.
"That you know of. Don't underestimate my wives," the Prince warned.
The Prince took a seat on a couch, and Lex was obliged to sit across from him on the floor. "How did you meet your first wife?" Lex asked boldly.
"We were arranged to be married when we were young. Her parents were favored by the King, my father. So, it was made certain that we were at social functions during my childhood years. Seeing as how our marriage was inevitable, we decided to make the most of our relationship. Our attempt was successful, and we discovered we have great compatibility."
"Are all marriages arranged?" Lex asked.
"It is very common, but not always the case. My second wife was the result of an affair I had. Once she became pregnant, our marriage was required," the Prince reflected.
"You cheated and your wife didn't dump you?" Lex asked rudely.
"Dump a Prince? I do regret the decisions I made in my youth but this is very common in the nobility. After the marriage of my second wife, I always asked my first wife's permission on all of my affairs. My third wife was a true love affair. She wasn't aware I was a Prince, at the time, but she accepted me none-the-less. With my first wife's blessing, I married her a few years ago," the Prince continued.
"And the fourth, fifth, and sixth?" Lex listed off.
"The fourth was an abandoned orphan I took in. The fifth was a political arrangement between myself and a noble on one of our moons. The sixth was a dancer at a popular club my friends and I would often visit," the Prince concluded.
Lex gave a flustered look, as she felt disagreeable to the whole notion. "Before you make judgments, why don't you talk to my wives about how they feel about our arrangement?"
Lex toured the house while the Prince relaxed with his second wife. She entered the basement of the mansion and found a workshop of a sort. An unfinished vehicle was being constructed; Lex could see the inner workings of the engine. She then saw a wall filled with different tools, some of which were heavy-duty saws designed to cut through metal. On the worktable were some unfinished blades and armor parts.
Lex continued her tour of the room and saw a wall hosting a number of different masks. Some of them were smaller indicating a feminine face. She saw one in particular with acid marks edged into the forehead of one of the masks. She reached out for the mask and looked it over. It appeared similar to the mask Scar wore. She placed the mask back and looked over the weapons. There were different kinds of spears, shurikens, blades, bows and arrows, and knives. She also saw a wall filled with human-constructed swords featuring English broadswords and Japanese katana blades.
She then looked over at the more technical equipment. This wall was filled with plasma cannons, plasma rifles, net guns, and to her surprise a collection of human weapons including an M-16 rifle, an AK-47 rifle, 45 Cal pistol, an MP5 machine gun, and an old mini-gun. There were other devices Lex believed to be grenades, traps, and a metal Frisbee. Lex picked up the strange weapon and immediately it became active in her hand. She carefully placed it down and walked away from the table.
In the corner was a plasma television with a spear through it. Lex wondered about it and then felt something off about the room. She turned around and saw a masked female Yautja appear in front of her. "Hello," Lex said lamely.
She extended her blades and charged her at a fast speed. Lex took the spear in the television and used it to defend herself. The Yautja clashed with her spear with her blades creating sparks. Lex had some practice while on the ship on the trip back home after her last failure with the Prince. She went on the offensive pushing the female back. She whirled the spear forcing the female to move from side to side. The female then hooked her blades around the edge of the spear stopping Lex's advance. The two struggled, but Lex could tell the female was weaker than the Prince. She pushed the female to the ground with her spear. But the female immediately kicked her spear up out of her hands. The spear fell to the ground out of each other's reach.
The female then retracted her blades and charged her. She expertly moved from side to side making her unpredictable. She raised her leg and balanced it on her hand to kick her. Lex barely blocked the kick that was directed at her head. The female quickly rotated her hips and kicked Lex back with her other foot. Lex lowered herself, as she tried to block the more flexible female. The female quickly rotated on her foot and kicked Lex's ankle tripping her up. The female pointed to the spear, and immediately the spear flew through the air into her hand. She stabbed down on Lex, but she moved out of the way just in time.
Lex grabbed the spear and then hit the female hard with her shoulder with the force of a football player. The female fell to the ground with a thud on the metal floor. Lex readied her spear but did not advance on her. The female quickly got to her feet and started to laugh eerily. She pointed her hand at the spear, and it immediately ripped out of Lex's hands into her hands. She then took off her mask revealing she was one of the Prince's wives.
"Not bad," Urikia said exhilarated, and then placed her mask and spear to their proper places.
"What was that all about?" Lex asked peeved.
"Just a little sparing. I haven't had one in a good while. Unlike the other females, you actually thought I was going to kill you. That makes the fight interesting," she said. She then took off her gloves and placed them on the table. "These have powerful magnets inside them," she revealed.
"I'll be sure to return the favor," Lex said irritably.
"Or maybe I should kill you now and avoid the competition for my husband's affections," she said darkly and then reached for a Japanese katana blade.
Lex tensed up ready for another fight. "No, I would lose favor with him if I did that," she said casually. She brought the sword over to Lex. "What do you think? Is it authentic?" she asked.
Lex reluctantly took the sword and looked it over. "I am not expert in swords. It looks similar enough," she said and slowly gave the sword back.
"I forged it myself. Everything you see was built by me. I build his armor, masks, weapons, and vehicles. Some of the vehicles he took from Earth were challenging to fix. I spent a month fixing his motorcycle," she said.
"You are a mechanic?" Lex wondered.
"The Prince didn't just select me, because he felt sorry for me. I scored well on the understanding of mechanics. This whole room is my domain. I build him weapons, and he uses them," she said. "So, why did he select you?" she asked curiously.
"He hasn't selected me to do anything. But I think he's interested in me because of my connection to humanity and Earth," Lex assumed.
"That would be useful to him. He likes to visit Earth frequently for his hunts. I had to adapt to human weapons when I constructed his armor and masks. Want to assist me?" she asked.
"I'll pass," Lex replied.
She gave Lex a bored look and then walked towards her unfinished vehicle. Lex looked over her shoulder curiously as she worked on the vehicle. "Can you give me some of those tools?" Urikia asked.
Lex lifted a toolbox filled with tools; a weight she would never be able to pick up as a human, and placed in next to her. The princess considered the collection of tools and took one of them out. She pointed the device at a piece of equipment, and immediately a laser pierced the air. Lex watched, as she expertly welded metal pieces together. She then reached for another tool that stripped wires similar to what was on Earth only they looked silver.
"Silver?" Lex wondered.
"It has the best electrical conductivity, and he wants the best," she said.
Lex was hit with the realization of how rich the Prince was if he was using silver as wiring in his floating cars. "Does this vehicle have a cloak?" Lex asked.
"That is illegal…but yes," she said amused.
"Tell me what vehicles are like on Earth," she requested.
"Most cars run on gasoline and use four wheels on a street," Lex began.
"Gasoline is a fossil fuel, a refined flammable liquid that is used for combustion?" she asked.
"Something like that," Lex confirmed.
"And there isn't a grid that regulates the vehicles on the streets?" she asked, as she continued to install more equipment into the vehicle.
"No, everyone drives as safe as they can. Sometimes there are wrecks and people get killed," Lex answered.
"So, humans drive vehicles that are operated by the combustion of flammable liquid and drive on streets of continuous peril. It sounds primitive, but I like it," she said.
The princess and Lex finished their work on the Prince's vehicle and then took their leave. Urikia was covered in metallic ash so she went back to her own quarters. Lex wandered about the palace until she discovered another princess looking at a hologram globe of the planet. Talutah noticed her presence and gestured for her to come forth.
"This is Yautja Prime, the home planet of the empire," she said.
Lex stared at the hologram globe and saw distinct lines on the surface. "These are the borders for the individual districts. At one time they were kingdoms, but now the planet is united under one sovereign. Still, the Princes rule over these districts like the Kings of old," the Princess said.
"How do these princes rule?" Lex wondered.
"Their rule is indirect and symbolic. The districts are controlled by councils elected by people eligible to vote."
"Like a democracy?"
"No, only those who purchase stock in the government may vote. Those with more stock have more voting power and the princes tend to have the most wealth. In some districts, a prince may have 51% of all the wealth in the government pool," she explained.
"So, the poor don't get to vote?" Lex asked; the thought seemed horrifying.
"Not if they do not buy stock. Only those who have a stake in the success of the government are allowed to play a part as a political actor. Why should those who have no stake be allowed to make decisions that affect us all?" she said.
"They do have a stake. Without the government they won't be able to advance or feed their families," Lex said.
"The government has never provided for such things. Those who do not work will not be paid," she said.
"What about the elderly and the disabled?" Lex asked.
"Before they become destitute and dishonored by their family, these individuals go on a last hunt they know they cannot succeed. And they never return alive," the princess revealed.
"That's wrong," Lex objected.
"The Prince has told me about your political system. The strong support the weak and, in return, the weak demand more and they reproduce at a faster rate. So, the strong pay more and more until finally, they refuse to give any more. And then the weak rise up in superior numbers, and they take from the strong all that they have, and then everyone becomes weak. Your species has no sense of honor. It is better to die with respect than to become a parasite," she said cruelly.
"The strong manipulate the weak. They force them to fight in their wars for profit," Lex shot back.
"You assume that I have any compliments for the strong among humans," she replied.
"Well, you're one of the strong, but you never earned it," Lex accused.
Talutah was on her in a flash with blades at her throat. Royal Guards then appeared out of cloak surrounding them. The princess eyed them and then retracted her blades. "Another time, perhaps," she said and then stalked off.