Starved and thirsty, Lex approached Tivan. "You won," she said weakly.
"Don't worry, my dear. I will display you near my work station," Tivan said pleasantly.
Lex was placed in a medical chair. "You will no longer need these," Tivan said taking her mask off. Tivan inserted a needle into her arm and immediately fluids entered her bloodstream. Lex was tired but nourished from the IV. Tivan then placed her in a glass cage. The air in the cage changed to reflect a Yautja environment. Lex could breathe and see normally in the cell.
"Forgive me, but while I can understand Yautja, I cannot speak it," Tivan said in English. "With your permission, I would prefer to speak to you in your human language."
"Yes," Lex answered lamely.
"Soon, I will insert into your body a chemical that will eliminate cellular degeneration. Every time a cell divides it copies itself. After so many times, these cells copy incorrectly. This is what causes aging and cancers. However, there are creatures throughout the universe that do not feature this degeneration. They are, for all intents and purposes, immortal," Tivan explained.
"You want to make me immortal?" Lex asked.
"You will be of no use to me as a corpse. Your living body must be preserved for all eternity," Tivan said.
"Why do you do this?" Lex asked curiously. "Who are you?"
"I was one of the first species to accomplish interstellar space flight billions of years ago. We were called "Engineers." With religious zeal, the Engineers spread their DNA throughout the galaxy seeding any planet capable of hosting life. However, there was one who worshiped death and saw life in the galaxy as an abomination. Not wanting life to perish, I collected every life-form I could find," Tivan said.
"Are you the only one that collects?" Lex asked.
"That is why they call me the Collector. Billions of years ago, I had a wife named Matani. Over the years, we accomplished everything that could be accomplished and said all that could be said. She became mad and destroyed herself. Not wanting to share the same fate, I decided to spend my eternity collecting," Tivan explained.
"You are like Noah's Arc," Lex muttered.
"I am quite fond of the story," Tivan smiled.
"You intend to keep me in this cell for eternity?" Lex questioned.
"Since you are a new addition, it is likely you will want to converse with me on the history and nature of the galaxy. It is in your nature to be curious. However, after decades and centuries everything that could be said will already have been said. There will be nothing left to say between us. When that happens, you will be placed in a cryogenic tube," Tivan said.
"You can't do this! This is false imprisonment," Lex objected.
"It must be done to preserve life in the galaxy. It is a necessary evil," Tivan said.
"What about your own soul?" Lex asked angrily.
"A soul? I have never seen a soul in the billions of years I have existed. Can I find it if I dissect your brain or perhaps your heart?" Tivan questioned.
"You believe yourself a god," Lex accused.
"I am very old, but I am not omniscient. That is why I continue to collect rare specimens such as yourself. I did not choose for you to become a genetic experiment," Tivan said.
"With all of this time and knowledge you could be helping people instead of just collecting," Lex said scornfully.
"If I help a race, they multiply until they exhaust the resources of their planet and then they all die. If I wage war against them they all die. There is no difference," Tivan said.
"The galaxy is a big place. Have civilizations move to another planet," Lex suggested.
"To what end? They will exhaust the resources of that planet as well. The end is the same. That is why I look upon the Yautja highly. They know that populations must be controlled to create balance. There must always be predator and prey," Tivan said.
Lex realized she couldn't reason her way out of Tivan's cell. He was simply entertaining her conversation out of boredom. The horror of being stuck in a cell for all eternity was starting to set in. She became anxious and panicked at the prospect. She started to bang her fists on the glass cell and scream at him.
Tivan pressed a remote at her cell. Lex's cell became sound proof, so he wouldn't have to hear any of the pounding and screaming.
Earth
The Prince's battleship was pulled from the ground using a tractor beam of several shuttles. The incident would have been significant if not for the fact that no one could record it. The Yautja warriors kept any humans away from the site. Back in space, the dirt and vegetation fell off the damaged battleship. Nahuel's larger battleship came into view on the Prince's bridge.
A shuttle exited the Prince's battleship to Nahuel's. The Prince, Makawee, and Wayra entered the bridge and stood at attention to Nahuel who was still sitting in his chair. "Brother," the Prince bowed his head respectfully.
"I suggest you take rest," Nahuel said amused.
"I must recover my seventh wife from the Yeerk," the Prince said.
"She is your newest wife correct? Find another," Nahuel said coldly.
"She is carrying my child," the Prince added.
Nahuel stood up. "Then you must go. Take one of my cruisers while your ship is being repaired."
"I must go alone," the Prince insisted.
"Do you know where the Yeerk has taken her?" Nahuel asked.
"I know the Yeerk's contingency plans. I know where he will go," the Prince replied.
"Very well. Your wife and son shall be guests on-board my ship," Nahuel promised.
"You honor me brother," the Prince said graciously.
"You allowed me to escape the boredom of running the capital. For that I thank you," Nahuel replied.
The Prince took a fighter craft and sped off at faster than light to the Collector's space station. Once he arrived, the fighter craft landed in the docking bay. The Prince was greeted by Tivan's servant girl. "Who shall I say is greeting my master?" she asked.
"He will recognize me," the Prince replied.
He walked into the collection hall not wearing his mask or holding any of his weapons. They would be useless against Tivan. As the Prince came upon Tivan's workstation, Lex sat in her cell bored. Tivan was going to inject her with the immortal serum soon and then her life would be an eternal hell. The Prince glanced at Lex and then greeted Tivan.
"You have come to provide me another specimen, I hope," Tivan smiled.
"This time, I must ask that you release one of yours. The Yautja here belongs to me," the Prince said.
"Indeed, I had no idea," Tivan said remorsefully. "Which wife is she?" Tivan asked curiously.
"The seventh," the Prince answered.
"I recall you having only six wives," Tivan said casually.
Lex stared at their conversation unable to communicate to either one of them. "She is my newest. She is pregnant with my child," the Prince said.
"If I may," Tivan said taking a blood sample from the Prince. His computer then showed a genetic match between the Prince and the twins.
"She's carrying female twins," Tivan revealed. "Congratulations are in order."
"If only she could produce male offspring," the Prince replied.
"Ah, but you only need one male to impregnate many females," Tivan said.
"True, I have come to know this from personal experience," the Prince said.
"The usual?" Tivan asked giving the Prince a drink.
The Prince smelled the green drink and then drank it down quickly. "It is true that you have brought me specimens for my collection, of which I am eternally grateful," Tivan began.
The Prince finished his second drink. "However, this wife of yours is a rare find," Tivan said.
The Prince waved his hand dismissively. "She's a lab experiment. She can be replicated easily."
"Not legally, of course," Tivan smiled.
"At my level, legality is less necessary than power," the Prince said.
"Still, I doubt you could find me another," Tivan said.
"Our first child had Yautja and human genetic traits that visibly showed themselves. She will soon have two more and in the future even more. But if you she remains here...," the Prince let it hang.
"You would sacrifice royal blood for her?" Tivan asked skeptically.
"I like to consider the present rather than the distant future," the Prince said.
"I do not think this way, but of course, I am not young and mortal like you," Tivan said.
"In addition, I will find the one you are looking for. I will kill or capture him and his cult," the Prince promised.
"Ambitious as always," Tivan noted.
Tivan and the Prince then walked into a chamber filled with ancient alien artifacts. In the center displayed a large glove gauntlet. "How many more do you require?" the Prince asked.
"One down, five to go."
The glass cage opened allowing Lex to step out. "We're leaving," the Prince told her.
"It was a pleasure making your acquaintance," Tivan said bowing his head to her.
Lex felt like cursing him but instead kept her thoughts to herself. She followed the Prince to the docking bay while Tivan looked on.
"Back to work, Karina," Tivan told the servant girl.
"Get in the ship," the Prince said roughly to her.
Lex did as she was told entering the cramped fighter craft. Their backs were against each other facing opposite inside the ship. Lex was placed in the rear gunner seat. The Prince quickly moved the fighter out of the docking bay and into space. The fighter then went faster than light away from the space station.
"You knew who that was?" Lex asked after a long pause.
"Of course, I handed him rare specimens and artifacts in return for favors," the Prince said.
"What kind of favors?" Lex asked. She felt irritable that the Prince and Tivan worked together. The two of them were responsible for imprisoning many races.
"Favors such as your release," the Prince pointed out.
Lex decided not to ask what the other "favors" may have been. The Prince decided to change the subject. "The Yeerk may have told you things about me. The Yeerks are deceptive. That is how they are able to blend in. Do not trust anything it may have said to you," the Prince advised.
"Even if it was positive?" Lex asked hoping to pry more from him.
"Yes," the Prince replied.
The fighter approached Nahuel's fleet and docked inside. The two of them came to the bridge to report to Nahuel their arrival. "You have returned to us," Nahuel said pleased of Lex's appearance.
"Were the remains of the cyborg recovered?" the Prince asked coldly.
"I am certain it was stored on-board," Nahuel said unconcerned. "You may have it." Nahuel then turned to everyone on the bridge. "I invite you all to a meal before we descend to the surface."
The Prince turned to Lex. "You should take rest."
Lex nodded. She was tired from the ordeal and didn't feel like acting official in front of Nahuel. She turned to leave as Makawee and Wayra came to the bridge. She watched as Makawee and Wayra bowed their heads to the Prince and joined him to the dinning room.