Part 1 - Discovering the Time Travel

Doctor Kamal studied the woman before him. ‘She must be a teenager. Twenty years at the most. But there was an arrogance of being used to commanding others. She may have been born in a rich family or was or perhaps still is the daughter of an officer. She has a divine beauty and grace that is far above her age. People would kill for her. Kingdoms would be lost if she put her mind to it. A dangerous beauty! What was such a divine beauty doing here on earth? She seems very composed. Very difficult to read! Hmmm! An interesting Challenge! It would be very satisfying to unravel the secrets of this woman.’

“Hello. I am Doctor Kamal, the Psychiatrist. I have been asked to speak with you and put you at ease, solving any issues you may be facing. What happens in this room is confidential and will remain between you and me. It need not go beyond the walls of this room if all is well. The government wants to know what I think about you. Let me tell you, we don’t usually find lonely women claiming to be princesses of alien worlds. It means two things; either the person is speaking the truth, or the person is light in the head. In the first case the person would be handed over to the Space Affairs Department for debriefing and further processing. In the second case, the person will be sent to the local Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre for treatment. It is my job to decide where to send you.

I will be asking you a few questions and you will be answering those questions truthfully. If, at any point of time, I feel you are hiding something, I will recommend a truth test. After that your fate will be decided by the authorities. Let me warn you, it won’t be this pleasant if that happens. So, shall we start?” he stared at face trying to gauge her reactions. She had shown no visible reaction to his words. She must either be a very good actor or really innocent. He couldn’t decide which.

“Yes. You may proceed.” Was she trying to mock him? Why did he feel as if she was patronizing him? He shook off the uneasy feeling and started his interrogation.

“What is your name?”

“Mounika, Daughter of the Great Galactic Emperor Manoj Bhupathi, of the Shakti Clan, of the Great Galactic Empire of Amba Puram, in the Garuda System of the Athreya Galaxy."

“Do you always speak in such long sentences Princess Mounika?” he stressed the word princess implying his disbelief. The use of the plural pronouns to indicate a single person did not escape him. 'Interesting!' he thought. 'She does talk like a princess.'

“No. Most of the times we (royal we) do not speak at all!” she replied in a tone dripping with sarcasm. Kamal raised his right eyebrow a bit and resumed his questions.

“So, Princess Mounika, assuming you are a princess, where are your attendants? A princess does not go travelling alone to unknown worlds. Where are your guards?”

There was an extreme sadness in the face of the woman. All that arrogance and sense of entitlement was lost and was replaced by a deep gloom that was heartbreaking.

“We (royal we) were banished from our (royal our used in singular) empire for something we (royal we) never did.”

“What was that, if I may ask? Please remember, I may not be able to change what happened to you. But I can decide what is going to happen to you. Please trust me. I am the key to your future.”

The woman took a deep sigh and was silent as if debating whether she should speak the truth or whether she should lie. Kamal leaned back in his chair allowing the woman more time to decide. Some things were better if they were not rushed.

“We (royal we) -we (royal we) -we (royal we) don’t know if you will believe it, but we (royal we) were accused of treason and was banished by a trial court.” Her face looked determined to speak the truth and face the consequences. “They presented fabricated evidence to prove we (royal we) were guilty. We (royal we) can never go back to our (royal our used in the singular) home world.”

“Are they placed on the official records on your planet?”

“Yes.”

“When did this happen?”

“In the year 9271.”

“Are you a time traveler?”

“No. Why?”

“Does your nation possess any device enabling time travel?”

“Perhaps. We (royal we) do not know.”

“What do you intend to do here?”

“We (royal we) wish to seek honorable employment and earn an honest living.”

“What skills do you have?”

“The heir apparent to the throne is trained in martial arts and all forms of combat. Additionally, if the heir apparent is a woman, she is trained in fine arts like dance, music, painting etc. This is in addition to training in basic healing, cooking, and house-keeping. We are taught everything that would help us survive behind the enemy lines if we were captured during a war.” She said with a pride in her voice that was too genuine to fake.

“Do you have battle experience?”

“Yes. we (royal we) fought in the wars of Al Sadr and Felusia as a Captain of the Special Task Forces. We (royal we) were tasked with capturing the most vital and fiercely defended enemy strongholds.”

“Did you take up any civilian jobs?”

“Well, the heir apparent doesn’t need to do anything. But we (royal we) have supervised charity work, overseen construction of healing centers for the public, etc.”

“So, who taught you all this?”

“The Chief Royal Teacher trained us (royal us used in the singular) in these things.”

“And in lying too, I suppose.”

“How dare you accuse us (royal us used in singular) of lying!” her nostrils flared in anger as her face became red as a tomato. Her body became stiff, ready to pounce on him and beat him to death for the offence. The anger seemed genuine. Only a gifted actor could portray such perfectly displayed anger. He watched her in silence trying to decide whether she was faking. Such anger could not be sustained for long if it was faked. He waited patiently watching for a reaction. The anger didn’t seem to fade. It had to be genuine. There was a possibility this girl was speaking the truth.

“There is one flaw in your argument.”

“And, Pray what is that?” her voice rang with anger at the insult on her clan, her family, her nation and her values. “We do not lie like the lowly humans! We do not treat our word lightly. Cheating and lying is prohibited in our culture. We might die but we will never speak an untruth!” her eyes blazed at him as if challenging him to refute her statement. No actor, no matter how gifted they might be, could fake that expression.

“I am sorry if I offended you Princess.” He spoke sincerely putting all his regret in his voice. “It is the year 8672 here on our planet.” There was a shock on the lady’s face which was quickly replaced by hope.

“That’s wonderful news! Perhaps, we (royal we) can go back to our (royal our used in the singular) empire after all. This opens a lot of possibilities.” She said excited.