Yes, we are the forgotten soldiers of a new tomorrow.
But love never forgets.
And I have him.
Sixteen
Turin
I have managed to get along with the humans as best I can.
For the first few months, it was difficult integrating with the males. I helped where I was needed. I kept out of the way when they seemed the most on-edge.
At the bottom of their hearts, they can’t stand that I’m here, walking about freely, as if I’m one of them.
But I have them on one thing. I defended them against Fassbender, and I made sure they didn’t die by the Captain’s mutilated hands.
I did the opposite of what I was supposed to do. I saved their lives, and I realized their worth.
It has been over eight months of flying in the darkness, and we can now see Earth now, faintly glowing blue. And, as I’ve been told over and over again for the last week and a half, today is something called Thanksgiving. For the first time since the day we escaped Avalon, we’re celebrating.
They’ve got everything set up. Dried pieces of meat, fruit, old space crackers, ice cream, and of course, a few bottles of champagne.
I can’t eat or drink these things, but I can absorb what they feel. The joy they collectively experience is an honor to feel.
“Hey, don’t eat all the ice cream. Save some for the pregnant lady,” Naomi says.
Roy pops the champagne, and suds spray high into the air. Everyone cheers and runs to grab a glass.
Well, everyone except Naomi and me. We hang back, calmly observing the party.
Naomi is drop dead gorgeous. The most beautiful woman that exists. She is due at any moment, which has been worrying her, but she will be fine.
The radiation, she claims, can hurt the baby. I tend to agree. Fortunately, Earth isn’t far off. If we keep traveling at this speed, we’ll get there on time.
That’s the plan.
Naomi grabs some dried ice cream, devouring it in one bite.
I chuckle to myself.
Cheeks full, she scowls. “Don’t you dare make fun of me.”
I kiss her plump cheeks, resting my hands around her belly. I roll the bottom of her shirt up and watch as our baby’s hands press against her flesh.
It strains my heart, in a good way.
“Still think it’s a girl?” I ask.
She bites her lower lip and shakes her head. “I think it’s a boy.”
“An alpha, huh,” I say, pondering. “What makes you so sure?”
“He’s fussy,” she says. “Boys are always fussy.”
I lower my head and listen to him. The subtle movements within her fluids create noises that are out of this world.
This baby is a part of us. It is connected to every experience we have ever owned. The importance of that didn’t hit me until now.
Hugh rolls forward with an extra glass of champagne. One eye hangs, half-shut, and as soon as he opens his mouth, he slurs his speech.
“Just take one sip. It’s Thanksgiving, Naomi,” he says.
Naomi takes the glass, winking in my direction. “Okay,” she says, playing with them. “One drink.”
Hugh’s eyes light up, and Roy stumbles over to watch. They’re both too drunk to know left from right.
Naomi starts the count down. “Three, two,” she says.
But she doesn’t finish.
Pausing, she holds her glass in the air. “Before I drink this bubbly, I want to make a toast,” she says.
Roy’s gravity wavers from side to side. “Boo,” he yells.
“Drink! Drink!” Hugh cheers.
Naomi ignores the buffoons. “Look, we’ve been through a lot.”
“That’s an understatement,” Roy mutters.
“You’re right. We lived a nightmare. All this time, we were traveling through space for nothing. We should be angry, but I want to point out something. We’re not angry anymore. We are ready. We’re celebrating a new day for us.”
“And for Earth,” Hugh says.
Emotional, she clears her throat and forces a smile. “I don’t know what we’ll find when we get back home. But I do know one thing. We were all leaders,” she says. “And maybe no one will recognize what we did, but we’ll always remember.”
“Cheers,” we all chant.
Hugh and Roy tip their glasses, and Naomi tosses the contents of her glass over her shoulder. “Mm,” she says. “Cheers.”
It’s something else to see this unfold. Camaraderie like this is not natural. It is something unique to humanity.
They hold the ability to understand what one goes through, to think about their actions. There are those that turn a blind eye to their own evil. But there is always the way of growth.
On this day, I feel blessed.
While the three get together, laughing about the absurdity of life, I stare through the window of Fassbender’s cot. I try to count the multitude of brilliantly shining stars.
The universe is endless, and light always finds a way. That is why love can never die.
Earth is wondrously blue, and the terrain is covered in small lights. Humans, signaling to the universe they are alive. They are here, and their stories will be heard.
Inside Earth’s orbit is one singular moon, innocent compared to the three that orbit Avalon.
I stare through the window, and a month passes me by.
Before I know it, we’ve made orbit.
We made it. Mission accomplished.
A glowing energy beam wraps around the planet.
Roy shifts from being to sleep to kneeling on both knees, staring at the planet he once knew as home. “What in God’s name? It’s so different.”
“We’ve gone intergalactic,” Hugh says, also stunned.
“Welcome to the future,” Naomi mutters.
Roy adjusts his headset. “Yeah, but what year is it?”
“Beats me,” I say.
Hugh keeps his head near the window. “Whatever year it is good with me, just as long as the beaches are still swimmable.”
Naomi stares in wonder.
I wonder if the crew will reconnect. After what happened, it makes sense to move on for a while. This was our tragedy. But it was a tragedy we could learn and grow from.
I feel ready. I know Naomi does too.
Our relay interceptor buzzes. “Earth Federation coming into Starship Tera-Earth 373. You are in a no-fly zone. Do you copy?”
Naomi grabs the interceptor and juggles it between her hands.
Suddenly, my own heart racing a million beats per second.
Naomi coughs. “Hello? Houston? This is Starship Tera-Earth 373. Preparing to head into orbit before landing.”
“Your ship is an ancient model, but I see no record of it in our database. Are you sure you were authorized to land at this time? You cannot orbit without proper clearance.”
This is different. They’re answering as Earth Federation. That means…
My heart sinks.
Mind scrambles.
I think of a way out of this.
“Please,” Naomi pleads. “We’re with...”
I interrupt. “We’re with Fassbender, Identification #382713,” I say.
I can hear typing. He groans, lightly. “I’m sorry, but that badge number has expired two hundred and twenty years prior,” he says. “And without any voice or visual identification, I can’t approve your landing.”
“He died,” Naomi says, raising her voice. “He was killed on a mission led by your team. We just want to get back home.”
More typing. “Please hold,” he says.
Two hundred and twenty years prior. This isn’t their home anymore. When we land, everything will be different.
We wait, slowly approaching Earth’s atmosphere. Whether they like it or not, we’re going to enter.
The voice comes back on the intercom. “Proceed to coordinates issued on your mapping systems. We’ll process you there.”
My throat t
ightens as Naomi steers the starship into Earth’s atmosphere. Before we know it, we’re headed down, flying through the air.
We’re getting closer to the ground. I see the ocean where we’re supposed to land. Small, white waves crash against the shore.
Naomi pulls up on the thrusters. We jerk forward as the back parachutes slow us down. Naomi makes a clean landing.
All of us cheer. Roy rips off his belts and jumps out of his chair, heading toward the sleeping area. When he comes back, he’s holding the last bottle of champagne.
Hugh grins. “This one is special. Don Perignon. One thousand dollars, cash. I was going to open it up when we landed on Avalon,” he says. “I know you can’t drink, but Roy and I can help finish it.”
“Customs officials are bound to give us a hard time. If you’re going to have a landing drink, now’s a good a time as any,” Naomi replies.
As Hugh pops it open, I step back from the group. I can’t stop glancing over at the entrance bay doors, wondering who will be the one to open it, and how they will treat me once they see that I am not human.
Naomi notices that I’m tense. She kisses my bicep and whispers, “What’s wrong?”
I try to smile. I try to remain optimistic because I know how long they’ve been waiting for this moment. But at this time, I’m waiting to face the men that might try to kill me.
I’m in full predator mode, ready to defend the second chance I’ve been given.
I groan. “This is no time to celebrate. Earth Federation will check the interior. They will take me from you.”
They’ll test on all of us. Me, her, and our baby.
Hugh pours me a glass, but the contents taste sour.
Lost in their happiness, Hugh and Roy laugh and congratulate each other.
She holds me, vowing never to let go again, but it’s not enough consolation. We are facing an army. No – we are facing an entire planet.
Everything we have gone through led us to this moment. I just can’t bear to lose her now.
The starship’s entrance bay opens. Standing on the edge is Earth Federation Customs officials. Their suits are dark black, and they wield strange weapons I’ve never seen before.
The officials step aside allowing for a tall, dark figure to walk through.
He is not human. He’s an… alien?
He peers at us through small slits.
“Wait a second,” I whisper.
“I need everyone’s papers,” the alien calls out.
Naomi digs through the interior, scrambling to find the old identification cards. “They’re in here somewhere,” she says. “Just one-second.”
The men surround her, watching carefully as she pushes aside a box of old documents. Finally, she finds the five badges.
She hands all five to the dark alien and stare at his glistening scales, avoiding all eye contact.
For a moment, he is silent as he scans them into a small tablet. After a few minutes pass, he hands them back.
“There are five badges, but there are only four of you,” he says.
“Our computer guy, Fassbender went missing,” she tells him. “We believe he lost his life.”
He looks at us with pleasured disbelief. “What mission was this specifically? We have no record in our database,” he replies.
Naomi gulps and stutters. “We were sent on behalf of Earth Federation in the year 2093. We were on a mission to find life,” I say. “We landed on our destination, but everyone was dead.”
Finally, the alien stares at me. Cautiously, he steps forward, mystified. “And this is your prisoner?”
This time, Roy raises his voice. “No, sir.”
“Then who is he? I have never seen his race before,” he says.
I keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to change his mind about any preconceived notions.
One of the other men groans. “Sir, let’s just take them into processing before it gets dark out. I’m ready to go home.”
The general puts up his hand. “Who is the alien, then?”
“He saved our life on behalf of Earth Federation,” Naomi says.
“Is that true?” the alien asks.
I nod. “Yes, sir. They were thrown into a trap. I fought and saved them from another alien race.”
The alien puts away his tablet and stands tall. “Are you aware of what year it is?” he asks.
Naomi shakes her head. “No, sir. But we were prepared to expect some changes.”
The alien smirks. “It’s the year 2313.”
My jaw drops. I don’t know what to say.
“We were gone for that long?” Roy asks.
The alien nods. “I’m sorry,” he says, turning to his crew.
“I know of your mission. You were one of the early terraform cases, correct?” he asks.
“Correct,” Hugh says.
He walks in the opposite direction. “You’re lucky you survived,” he says. “I’m allowing clearance into Earth on one condition.”
I step forward. “Anything.”
“Promise me that your story will never get out,” he says.
I’m shocked. “Um...”
The general pauses. “Fassbender’s record isn’t something we want the press to find out about. Before you go, my men will lead you to my office. You will sign an agreement, and then I never want to see you again. Do you understand?”
“What about our stipend from the government?” Hugh asks.
The general chuckles. “This never happened.”
I’m stunned. Shocked to my core.
Naomi shakes me, smiling bigger than I’ve ever seen her smile. “We did it it, Turin,” she says, starting to cry. “We’re going to make a home together. Right here, on Earth.”
There are no words. I lower to the ground and kneel, clenching my fist. I’ve been waiting for this moment since they created me. Now that it’s finally here, I’m left with a strange feeling of hope and possibility.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says.
Somehow, I believe it.
I grab her hips, wide and ready to burst with child. I lean forward and kiss her. “You’re forever mine,” I growl.
Playfully, she bites my lip and cocks her chin back. “I like the sound of that.”
I hold no grudges. Regrets are for beings in need of an excuse for failing.
I only carry the love I have inside my heart.
Together, we walk onto Earth’s soil, and I have to say, the weather isn’t all that bad.
Seventeen
Epilogue: Naomi
My kid stares at me, glowing a peculiar magenta color.
“What?” I ask.
“I don’t want to go to summer camp,” he growls, glowing brighter.
He’s angry. More than likely, he’s scared. I had a different upbringing, but all the books tell me this is a normal reaction.
Turin rounds the corner. “Hey, guy,” he says, voice booming. “Settle. Your mom has a lot on her plate today at the VA office. Give her a break, okay?”
“I promise you will have so much fun, Dax,” she says.
He scowls. “Mom, it’s school. There’s a math class.”
“There’s also paintball,” Turin says.
I groan. Why on Earth did I think this was a good idea?
“Look, I know you don’t want to go, but you have to understand, your father and I need some alone time, too,” I protest. “And if you’re good, maybe you’ll come home to a new game.”
Turin grimaces. “Naomi, the kid needs no more bribing.”
When you become a mom, you don’t expect to make deals with your kids, but sometimes they’re tougher to crack than some adults.
“Is Drake going?” Dax asks.
“Everyone is going,” I tell him. “Drake, Arkanin, Holliana...”
His face turns red almost immediately, and his nose scrunches. “Holliana? They let girls go to this thing?”
Turin drops to the couch and chuckles. “Son, you’d be a fool not to go,�
�� he says.
The doorbell rings. It’s Jessica, Drake’s mother.
No one knows about what we went through. Not even Dax. Most people think we met on an intergalactic holiday trip.
It’s completely crazy.
After briefly catching up with Jessica, I lead her into the living room to collect my morbid son.
“So,” he says. “Drake agreed to this? He knows about the math course?”
Jessica snorts. “He’s excited about the paintball,” she says.
A paintball course is always a deal-breaker.
“All right. I’ll go. But I’m not doing it for you.” Dax huffs, but when he grabs his bag, he’s smiling.
“Great,” I say. “Go take the bull by the horns.”
I used to get teary-eyed when our son left for any period of time. Watching him take the school bus used to shatter me for at least half of the day. Now that I’m used to it, words can’t explain how fast I ushered that boy out of the house.
It’s time for a little one-on-one action with the husband…
As soon as the door shuts, he grabs my waist. “I finally have you,” he says.
I smile and kiss him. “You told him I had a busy day at the VA office. He knows I’m off work today,” I say.
He grins dumbly and lifts me off my feet, swinging my body into his arms. “I think we put up with enough. He can deal with it.”
He caresses my neck. “I just hope he has a fun time. These are good experiences to have,” I say.
Nodding, he says, “I swear, sometimes it feels like time has gone by so fast.”
I curl against him. “It has,” I say, wistfully thinking about all we’ve been through together.
There was Avalon, of course. Then there was Dax’s birth. We had no money, but we got through that tough period by sticking by one another.
Five years ago, there was an announcement by the President. We were to engage in four different planetary invasions, a series strategic strikes by Earth Federation to claim new territory and begin galactic expansion.
That was a hard pill to swallow. It brought back some old memories. But we got through that, too.
I signed up for the VA. I wanted to help others like me.
Alien Breed: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Page 14