Marriage for the Sake of the Alliance

With the arrival of aliens at the borders of the Earth Alliance, my life split into “before” and “after.” I was happy and loved, but the devirans who came flying out of the depths of space killed my beloved. Years have passed since then. The Alliance trades with the aliens, and I… it’s as if I don’t really live at all—I exist without joy or hope. Something has to change… And that’s why I agree to my best friend’s proposal to go to the station “Содружество,” where the Alliance cooperates with the devirans. But who would have thought I would witness a terrible murder—and then one of the aliens would claim me as his lawful wife? They told me it would be a marriage for the sake of the Alliance. And they handed me over to a deviran.