by Keri Kruspe
Except for Ki, who’d been ordered to stay behind.
Sherri and the group were confined in the cramped White House press briefing room. She sat in a typically uncomfortable chair as she watched the slimy little Friebbigh. They were disgusting little things with large bulbous heads and enormous almond-shaped black eyes. Not to mention they were creepy as hell. Their waxy gray skin and lanky arms, legs, and fingers gave her the willies. The Erkeks’ stench of rot made her gag whenever they got close.
Around the pressroom was a hodgepodge of personal groups. Various White House staff sat with their friends and colleagues, whispering in frightened tones as they huddled for comfort.
Being there under pretense didn’t give Sherri the luxury of friends. She found a seat at the back of the room.
You are never alone, child, whispered Cheithe.
At the calm tone of her dragon, the tense muscles squeezing her neck loosened. She kinda liked having the company. Still, she worried about Ki. Would she even know if something happened to him?
Sherri huddled in the hard, steel chair and wrapped her arms around her waist as she leaned her head down. A shuffling noise caught her attention just before feminine shoes came into her line of sight. They were a pretty pair of gray pumps with kitten heels.
With a nervous glance, she straightened to peer at the middle-aged woman in front of her.
Dark hair with strands of silver and white intertwined in a spiky cut above the famous face of the Secretary of State. The woman’s plain features were in a stern line, her gray eyes narrowed while hands rested on skinny hips. “And just who in the hell are you?” The world-famous raspy voice demanded an answer.
Several people around them stopped talking and gave her suspicious glares.
Sherri’s nerves stretched as some expressions became serious and hostile. “I, ah…” she began.
A loud scream interrupted. “Oh my God! They’ve got the President!” A woman in the front screeched as the TV screen behind the podium lit up.
At first, it was difficult for Sherri to see the image with a variety of heads blocking her way. The sea of humanity parted, and she got an unobstructed view of the President of the United States next to the Chancellor.
The alien’s beefy hand rested on the elderly leader’s shoulder. It looked like they were on the front lawn of the White House, standing in the bright sunshine with a light breeze causing the Zerin’s burgundy cloak to flap lazily behind him. The President’s comb-over flapped in the wind and exposed his age-spotted bare head. The massive height of the Chancellor dwarfed the human man who was cringing and whimpering.
A large palm settled on her shoulder. She jerked as she was pressed into a broad male chest. Ki’s sea-breeze scent caused her arms to pebble as her knees buckled in relief.
“We have to get to where they are,” Ki’s deep voice whispered in her ear. “Before it’s too late. Do you know where that is?”
Sherri nodded as her heart thudded. How in the world did he show up there so fast? Thank God he was okay! “Yes, just outside on the front lawn.”
“Excellent. Elemi, take us where the Chancellor is.” Ki put a warm arm around her. “Hold on.”
Before she could say anything, the familiar sensation of Elemi’s transport tingled through her. They stood on the lawn of the famous American building, behind the Chancellor and the President.
Sherri’s eyes widened as she took in the aliens with their backs to the Chancellor in front of her. The mixture of the little bulbous-headed gray aliens and khaki-green Erkeks in a protective circle around the Chancellor had obvious weapons pointed at the humans standing outside the iron fence.
Cries of fear and shouts of anger filled the air from those humans.
“I have to stop to this.” With a gentle push, Ki put Sherri behind him. He hadn’t taken two steps before the Chancellor began his tirade.
“Humans of the planet Earth.” The deep baritone voice boomed. “Your life is no longer your own. As of this moment, you belong to me to do with as I will.” He waved a large three-fingered hand as a huge monitor appeared behind him and split into multiple screens. Even though each visual was small, it wasn’t hard to determine the major rulers of Earth found themselves in the same precarious position as the American President. All were being held hostage either by a group of Erkeks or the slimy Friebbighs.
“Know this—there is no hope for you. Your leaders are no longer able to help you.” As soon as he spoke the last word, the Chancellor pointed a copper cylinder at the American President, who abruptly burst into a cloud of gray ash…which drifted away on a lazy breeze. At the same time, the other world leaders puffed into clouds of dust. Some had been indoors, where their ashes floated in wispy tendrils to the floor, while others had been outside, and their ashes floated away.
Screams of terror filled the air.
Sherri stood there, frozen in shock. With a hard gulp, she stared at Ki’s broad back.
He never got close enough to stop the Chancellor. With a stiff posture, he resumed a purposeful stride toward the other Zerin.
“Humans of Earth, you will now…”
“HOLD!” Ki’s thundering bass reverberated without the aid of electronic devices. “I claim my Right of Acquisition for the planet Earth!” He stopped in front of the Chancellor, careful not to step on the small mound that used to be the President.
Sherri warmed at the outward sign of respect for her people. She reached down to tear off the stilettos in order to scramble around to watch what Ki was doing from a better angle. The grass was slick and cold under her feet. Damn it! She’d brought those Zerin slippers in her purse for a reason…but God only knew where she’d left the stupid thing.
Stopping at Ki’s side, Sherri witnessed the look of savage disgust on the Chancellor’s face.
“Human, you have no rights here, much less qualify for a Right of Acquisition.” He folded his massive arms and glared.
Even though she couldn’t observe Ki’s expression, she imagined a stern glower crossing his handsome features since the Chancellor’s cold appearance was plain to see.
The obsidian eyes hardened when Ki gave a mirthless chuckle.
“I am not a human, Chancellor U’unk,” Ki declared as he raised his arms. The image of a bland, boring human morphed and Ki turned back into his glorious natural state as an iridescent, three-fingered, pointy-eared, fanged Zerin.
Sherri sighed in pleasure. Was any other man in the universe as beautiful as her lover? Her statement caught her by surprise. Well, hell…when had she become someone who spouted poetry about a man in her life? Guess the answer was when she fell in love with the man. Whoa… Sherri’s palm covered her chest as her heart sputtered before it beat a hard rhythm. Her face and neck flushed with heat. With an internal focus, she tested the theory. Yes…yes, she did love him. Well, wasn’t her timing just perfect.
Ki’s deep baritone interrupted her internal reflection. “As the first Zerin to step on this planet, I claim the Right of Acquisition.” He mirrored the dominant stance of his adversary.
Chancellor U’unk’s face thundered into a dark shade of purple. With thick eyebrows drawn, he glared at Ki. “How dare you?”
The last came out in a whisper Sherri almost didn’t catch. She doubted Ki had any trouble hearing what the other man said.
“By the laws and bylaws of the Federation Consortium concerning protected planets, I can claim this right before you do.” Ki’s stance became loose with a bent head, a laser focus on the other male. “I demand you leave this planet immediately and take your illegal companions with you.”
U’unk straightened his impressive height and sneered. “I know you. You are the mercenary M’alalu E’eur, who has followed the shamed Prince Qay around like a good little sycophant.” The black hair of his Fu Manchu framed exposed fangs.
Ki threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh. “I am so glad you acknowledge who I am.”
Sherri moved to catch Ki’s expression.
A malicious frown crossed U’unk’s face. “Oh no, you traitorous imbecile. Nothing is ever that easy.” In one hand, he pointed the small, copper cylinder. Every gray alien and Erkek jerked their attention toward Ki and raised their weapons at him.
A primal scream ripped out of Sherri. She ran, her legs hardened with a strength she never had before. NO! She had to stop them…. An Erkek grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground to land with a painful thud on her tailbone. Not waiting for her brain to unscramble, she jumped and raced to Ki.
Lights sparkled and engulfed Ki’s body as he changed into the massive Grirryrth.
Sherri had just enough time to stop her momentum before she plowed into the enormous reptile. With an incredulous stare, she watched the stern features of the Chancellor change into one of astonishment.
He took a step back and tilted his head.
Grirryrth’s navy-blue scales shimmered and winked in the early afternoon light.
With morbid fascination, Sherri viewed the aliens scattering in every direction with piercing wails and nasal screams.
“Hold, you fools!” U’unk bellowed. His voice was thunderous enough for the panicked horde to hear. He stopped moving backward and aimed the copper cylinder at Ki/Grirryrth. “I will kill it!”
Sherri’s vision clouded with black spots. She couldn’t breathe. Between one blink and the next, Sherri was once again a traveler in the enormous silver body of a dragon.
Thundering around Ki to confront the Chancellor, Cheithe reached down to grab the now-tiny Zerin within her massive gray claws.
Instead of screaming in terror, the Chancellor roared his anger. He raged and shook his fists with threats and commands toward the other aliens to kill. At least he was smart enough not to discharge his weapon in the dragon's crystal claws.
Sherri stood mesmerized as Cheithe ignored the aliens who ran and bumped into each other in their mad stampede to get out from under her enormous feet. She chucked as they ran as fast as their spindly legs carried them.
Some took aim in her direction, but her dragon had more than brute strength to rely on.
A shimmering wave appeared, covering her large body in a clear bubble.
The beams aimed at them bounced off and struck the individual who shot it, with unerring precision.
Wow, that’s a neat trick! Sherri commented to Cheithe.
Thank you, the female dragon replied. In a previous life, my nickname was Karma. What evil is done returns threefold to the sender.
That startled Sherri. Really? I thought Karma was an Earth idea.
Well, we called it something different in my language, but the concept is universal.
Sherri chuckled. What are you going to do with him? To help the dragon figure out who she meant, she envisioned the still-screaming Chancellor.
I do not have enough experience in this reality to make that decision. She shared a vision of clear lavender skies dotted with pink, yellow, and pearl-white clouds. The air was crisp and cool above a blue grassland. This was my home before it was destroyed a thousand millennia ago.
The sad tone filled Sherri with a profound sense of sorrow.
Everything here is different. I must rely on my mate to guide me until I can grow in this environment. I will wait and ask him.
Cheithe rested on her haunches, which caused several small aliens to scramble out of the way before they became a dragon pancake.
Their high-pitched squeals made Sherri laugh. With glee, she and Cheithe relaxed as their mates took care of the disgusting aliens.
Instead of blowing fire on the scrambling aliens, Grirryrth dug a deep pit with a hind leg, scooped them up, and dropped them inside. Apparently, he didn’t care if any of them got hurt. He must be holding them for the Imperial Forces to deal with.
Cheering and clapping from her fellow humans outside the gates caught Sherri’s attention as the aliens went into the dark hole. After a bow with a massive swing of his wide snout, Grirryrth dissolved in a burst of starlight.
Ki stood there dressed in his black battlesuit and faced the large TV screen behind him.
“To every Erkek and Friebbigh remaining on Earth, the Chancellor of the Federation Consortium is under arrest. As a citizen of Zerin, I claim Right of Acquisition of the planet Earth. All species not indigenous to this planet are hereby ordered to vacate immediately or suffer the wrath of the Imperial Forces.”
On cue, a boom vibrated in the air. A small triangle-shaped ship lowered on the grass of the lawn inside the famous black iron fence surrounding the White House. It touched ground without a sound, lifting loose debris and dirt. Once settled, one side disappeared as four Zerin guards marched in front of a single figure heading to Ki.
It was the Zerin prince in the flesh. Shorter than Ki’s seven feet, he stood about six foot six, with midnight-black hair that reflected blue highlights in the sun. The small braid at his temple was a shocking white that swayed and curled above his crotch as he moved. The rest of his long strands twined in a loose thick ponytail down his back. The bright emerald of his dual-colored eyes twinkled in his iridescent russet-brown skin.
As she shared Cheithe’s superior eyesight, it was easy for Sherri to make out minute details of his Zerin appearance. What surprised her was the small gold hoop at the tip of his pointy left ear she hadn’t noticed before. That tiny piece of gold came off as a bit of whimsy that didn’t match his stern and serious expression.
His physique was slighter than Ki’s, but his trim figure was hard-packed with muscles in tight black pants tucked into calf-high dark boots. His tan open-collar shirt had sleeves that reached midway on his forearms.
The younger man went up to Ki and clasped his forearms.
Ki relaxed enough to offer a small smile that his friend mirrored.
“Goddess damn it, Ki!” Qay released his hold, stepped back, and crossed his arms. “You left nothing for us to do.”
“Yeah, especially since we had to haul ass to get here and save your cranky carcass.”
Sherri’s eyes widened when Lora’s TrueBond, D’zia, came out of the ship.
He walked over to the duo and clapped a hand on both of their shoulders. A wide smile was bracketed by two magnificent deep dimples. His dual-colored irises were a startling turquoise while his skin tone was a lighter pearlescent tan. He wore a similar outfit to the prince’s, except his shirt was a vivid blue/green that matched his eyes. His MalDerVon scroll still had a clear diamond facet that winked in the sunlight.
Sherri glanced at the ship’s opening. Was Lora coming out?
“Holy maggoty hell, Ki! What’cha got here?” The younger Zerin turned in her direction and sized her up with a wide stare.
What, he didn’t remember her? Oh, wait… she was still in dragon form.
The Chancellor had grown quiet and unmoving within Cheithe’s prison. He stood defiantly in her clasped claws, grabbing them like the bars of a cell. His glare dared anyone to approach.
“This is Cheithe.” Ki waved at them. “And she has something for you, Qay.”
“Oh? She’s with you?” One of Qay’s dark eyebrows raised as he peered at her. How odd he didn’t seem surprised to see a two-ton dragon.
“Yes, I’ll tell you about her later.” He gave a nod in her direction. “Let him go, Cheithe.” The female dragon blew a small breath of smoke in his direction as she loosened her claw and tossed the prisoner out. The motion must have caught him by surprise as he rolled before he stopped facedown with his ass high in the air.
The deliberate action caused Sherri to snicker.
Cheithe joined in the amusement with a dragon chuff.
Ha! The asshole deserved it.
Qay motioned for two of the Zerin guards to grab the downed politician. With quick efficiency, the guards searched the Chancellor and took away the weapon he held.
Once in front of the crown prince, with a narrow-eyed glare the Chancellor jerked out of the hold the gua
rds had on him.
Ki and D’zia moved closer to Qay as the other two guards followed close behind.
Weapons remained steady at the bald Zerin, who dropped his arms with a blank stare. Well, not really. Blazing hatred darkened his already black eyes as he brushed the dirt and grass from his torso and arms. The piercing glare never wavered.
“So, U’unk.” Qay inspected the taller Zerin with a smirk. “You’ve been caught in a treasonous action against the Federation Consortium. By the laws of the constitution of the nine systems, I place you under arrest until you are tried by the judging body.”
The full lips of the Chancellor pulled into a responding sneer. “You have no authority to proclaim such a case.” The disdainful expression included everyone watching.
Undeterred, the prince of Zerin smiled as he gave an exaggerated blink.
Immediately a 3-D holographic image of three different aliens came into focus for all to see.
Even from Cheithe’s advanced height, Sherri could tell one was an elderly Zerin male, one a winged female humanoid covered in light-blue and orange feathers, and the last was another male, this one taller than either Ki or the Chancellor, with skin so dark, several shades of the spectrum reflected with each movement.
The Chancellor maintained his stony expression. The man had nerves of steel or lacked any sort of emotional bone in his body. Hard to tell.
“I’m sure you’ve met the current Special Triad Council.” Qay crooned with obvious pleasure. “They have been with us during this journey and bear witness to the recent proceedings conducted here on Earth.”
The elderly Zerin’s holographic figure stepped forward. “That is so.” A regal nod at Qay. “As the Lead Councilman of this Triad, you, Chancellor Shon T’terlok U’unk, are hereby stripped of your titles and assets and placed in protective custody until a trial by your peers from the nine systems is conducted.”
The Chancellor narrowed his eyes and stood straight as he rested his hands on the lapel of his dark merlot-colored cloak. “It is you who is mistaken, Councilman Aine. I am not only taking over this Goddess forsaken planet, but I will completely dissolve the Federation Consortium. Then I will take my rightful place as Emperor of the Milky Way Galaxy.”