The Worker Prince by Bryan Thomas Schmidt Page A

Tell me everything,” Davi said, leaning back in his chair and doing his best to relax his face and sound reassuring.
    “Twenty-one years ago, there was a decree ordering all first-born sons to be killed. The High Lord Councilor had a dream a worker child would arise to overthrow him,” Lura explained. “The Death Squads began killing all first-born males among our people, on every planet of the solar system.”
    Davi searched his mind. His recollection of the history of the Borali Alliance brought back no recollection of such an incident.
    “My husband and I only had one child, a baby boy born right before the decree. We couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, after so many years of waiting and hoping,” Lura continued. “My husband worked at the depot, repairing starcraft. He was able to modify a small courier to transport our child to another planet in the solar system. We hoped he would be found by someone who would raise him as their own and give him a good life.”
    Courier craft. A child sent to the stars. My gods!
    “The courier malfunctioned sometime soon after its launch. Its tracking device failed, so we had no idea where it ended up or if it even finished the journey,” Lura said.
    “So you think I’m the son you sent to the stars?” Davi asked.
    Mistaking his question for total disbelief, Lura shrugged and looked away. “I know it must sound crazy to you. Like a fairy tale or something.”
    “My mother is a good woman. I’ve never known her to lie to me,” Davi said, thinking out loud.
    “I’m sure she’s a wonderful woman,” Lura smiled, a bit puzzled by his second sentence. “May I ask you how you came to be called Davi?”
    “I don’t really know. It’s like a nickname my mother gave me at birth. Everyone except for my Uncle and a few instructors has always called me by it,” Davi said.
    Lura looked away, deliberating a moment, before her hazel eyes found his again. “My husband placed a letter to whoever might find our child. It contained his name and a note asking them to take care of him and raise him as their own. Our child’s name was Davi,” she said.
    My gods! It has to be true! He didn’t see how there could be any more doubt. But why would mother have lied to me? “How would my mother have come by the necklace?”
    “Moments before the courier launched, I placed my necklace next to our child, hoping whoever found him would give it to him,” she said.
    “I don’t know what to say,” Davi responded, his mind racing along with his heart. He swallowed hard, possessed of both excitement and a sudden urge to get away. He had to talk to his mother about this! He dreaded hurting her, but it couldn’t be a mere coincidence. What motive would Lura have for making up such a story? She’d had no idea he was a Royal before he told her—it seemed obvious from her reaction when she learned his identity. “Do you live here with your husband?”
    Lura’s face turned sad and she looked at the photograph. “The Special Police took him away after we launched the courier. I don’t know what happened to him.”
    No wonder she reacted that way to Xalivar’s name! Could my uncle really be so different from the man I thought I knew? “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Davi said, taking a deep breath and straightening as he placed his hands atop hers on the table again.
    She smiled. “You are such a kind soul. We’re not used to finding such kindness in Boralian officers.”
    “I’m not like most Alliance officers,” Davi said.
    “No, you’re not,” she said with a laugh. “You’re special!”
    Davi pulled his hand away, finishing off the gixi juice. “Please don’t be offended if I take some time to think about all this.”
    “I’m just happy to have had the chance to meet you,” Lura said, with a reassuring smile as he scooted the chair back and stood. “I hope I’ll see you again.”
    “I’m sure you will,” Davi said. He moved around the table, standing next