by Maia Starr
I rolled my eyes and then begin to eat. It was a simple meal of an oatmeal type of grain with a sweet syrup in it. Standard spaceship food I thought. There weren’t a lot of fresh vegetables growing on a spaceship. I noticed that my utensil was a spoon. I guessed he didn't want to give me a fork and knife. It sort of made me smile. At least he was sort of weary of me.
“I must say that I am impressed with you. I saw the damage you did to the door panel in the room you were in. You are very clever,” he said after a few moments of silence.
“I don't care what you think of me. I don't care if you think I'm clever. I don't care if you are impressed by my actions. You mean nothing; you are a monster.”
He laughed. This seemed to amuse him, which only made me angry.
“What you call a monster, I call a path to a better position in the Order of the Ition Domain. Don't take it personally, human; it is all just a game. You will see. The outcome is to win.”
“You disgust me. You think of lives as merely a game.”
“Disgust you? That was not the feeling I got from you when I kissed you. You kissed me back. You opened your mouth and let me explore it. Your body pressed against mine, or have you forgotten, Gina?”
My eyes widened. He was right. He described it perfectly, and now there was no escaping what I had done. I had let myself enjoy his touch for a moment, and now I would regret it forever.
“Yes, that is what I thought. Now finish your food. Speaking to you only results in arguments,” he said as he continued eating. I looked down at my bowl of food. My mouth was failing me. I had nothing clever to throw back at him. Thinking of his kiss had caught me off guard.
I finished the meal, and drank water. I was quiet the whole time. He was right: every time we spoke we argued, and what was the point? He would never see things my way. He was the dark alien, and nothing was going to change that. It was better to save my energy. Finally, he got up from the table. He took the two trays to the other side table. Then he moved the table from the bed, pushing it far away. He grabbed the trays, ready to walk out.
“Wait! I need to use the washroom,” I said. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, suspiciously.
“I really do. This is not a trick.”
“Fine.”
He put the trays down and came over to me. But he didn't get close. Instead, he looked at the cuff on my wrist. He looked at it long and hard suddenly it came undone. I realized that he was using Ition strength. It was incredible. I wished that I had that power.
“It is just through here,” he said pointing.
It went inside the washroom. I wasn't lying; I really did just have to use the toilet. Then I washed my hands and face. I looked at my wrist; there was a red mark where the cuff had been. I rubbed it, massaging it. Then I walked back out, not wanting to give him reason to come barging in on me. And I had to build my trust with him; not that I cared that he trusted me, but I did care to have more alone time or possibly be unchained.
“Thank you,” I said walking back out.
“A kind word from you? I never thought I would hear it. Now get back into position by the chain.”
I walked back to the chain and picked up the cuff holding it in my hand. Suddenly it moved out of my hand and went around my wrist. The metal clamped together.
He looked at me up and down, then he picked up the trays and walked out without a word. I didn't want to spend time with him but being alone was frustrating. I went back to walking back and forth in my small space. All I could do was wait and wait.
The rest of the day went on like this. I couldn't do anything but wait. But then after a while, the door opened. I hated to say that I was relieved for him to come back to his room, but I did need some company, even if it was constant arguing. I looked at the door. A black uniform figure walked in, but it wasn't Lieutenant Draxel. It was a different Ition soldier.
“Who are you? Have you come to take me to the lieutenant?” I asked. I was confused. He must be wanting to move me somewhere else, I thought. Or he was summoning me to him so that I could watch him do another cruel act.
“There you are. Don't you remember me? I was the one that grabbed you out of that sand hole after you escaped,” the soldier said. He looked me up and down. I suddenly felt like I was naked rather than wearing a flight suit. I began to panic.
“No, I do not remember. I didn't see your face when I was trying to kick and scream my way out of your grip,” I said.
“Of course not. Why would you look at me? I am just a foot soldier, no one to be noticed. But not today, not anymore. I'm tired of the lieutenant getting all of the fun. When I held you in my arms, I felt something. A heat I have not felt in a long time. You are a tasty-looking creature: a tasty female,” he said as he began to take slow steps towards me. I stepped back. I held the chain in my hand; it was the only weapon I had.
“The lieutenant will be back any second. He went to get water for me,” I lied.
“No, he won't. He just started a communication with the Commander Reiq Jos. He is occupied. Which is good for me. Look at you. I am wondering what has caused Dorian to take one of you in as his wife. It has made me very curious. In fact, it is made a lot of the Ition at soldiers very curious. Dorian is ruthless, but for some reason, he gives this human female anything that she wants. We soldiers have come to the assumption that it must be the way the human female warms the bed of an Ition. I am anxious to find that out myself.”
“Well, you won't be finding that out with me, Soldier,” I shouted at him. I was shouting to try to get the attention of anyone passing in the hall, but I didn't know if that would be a good thing either considering what he had just told me.
“Oh, yes it will, human.” Then he took quick steps toward me. He grabbed me. I had the chain and tried to hit him with it, but there wasn't enough a chain to do so. I tried hard. He had both hands on my upper arms holding me down. He grabbed me and threw me on the bed. I screamed, loud.
“Ah! Get off me! Help! Ah! Get off me!” I shouted over and over. But his mouth came down on top of my mouth, trying to silence me. I bit his lip. He pulled back. But it didn't stop him. He just growled like an animal and started to kiss my neck, pressing kisses down my clothes over my breast. I hit at him with the cuff on my wrist, trying to make a blow on his head, but he had my hands pinned down.
Suddenly he hovered above me and was thrown across the room, hitting the wall hard. I sat up. I looked in the doorway; Lieutenant Draxel was standing there. There was a murderous look in his eyes. The soldier stood up, trying to get to his feet.
“You dare touch her!” Draxel screamed. Then the soldier raised up in the air again. He slammed against one wall, and then another, and then another, until his body was limp. Then he fell to the floor, dead.
Dyzon was breathing hard as he stood over him.
Chapter Six
Lieutenant Dyzon Draxel
I heard her screams from the hallway. Why was she screaming? Was she having a nightmare? Then I heard her shout for help and for someone to get off of her. Rage boiled inside of me, I only saw red. Someone was in my living quarters.
I opened the door and saw a mere foot soldier whose name I did not know on top of her trying to take off her clothes.
Without a word, I used Ition strength to pull his body off of her and threw him against the wall. I didn't think. How could this soldier be in my living quarters? He had stepped over a line that no one dared cross. He would be punished for coming into my quarters, and for trying to assault this human female. His punishment...death.
I hit him against one wall and then another using Ition strength. There was no time to use my hands. He violently hit his head from one wall to another until his body went limp.
I wanted to continue beating him. I wanted to take my sword and drive it through him. I had never felt so much anger in my life, and I was not shy about using violence. But this... Hearing her scream... It was too much. It dug deep inside of me. Somewhere inside of me I wanted
to protect this human. Somewhere inside of me, I thought that she belonged to me. Somewhere deep inside of me, this human female was mine. No one was going to touch her.
“Dyzon?” she whispered. “Is he dead?”
I turned to look at her as her voice pulled me out of the rage that I was feeling. I looked at her while she trembled. She was in the corner of the bed, with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She was obviously shaking; this warrior human female that spit in the face of fear was trembling. It made me angry that he had done that to her. I walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed.
“Did he hurt you? Are you all right, Gina? I can bring in the ship doctor.”
“No. I am not hurt. Just shaken. I tried to fight back, but…” She didn’t finish. Tears fell down her cheeks. I wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her. I did not know why. That was not who I was. I never cared for the comfort of anyone that was frightened. In fact, I lived to induce fright in others; that was how I got what I wanted. But seeing this small, fragile human shaking in front of me and crying made me want to have a different reaction, one completely opposite of who I was. I didn't quite understand that; not yet anyway.
“I owe you an apology, human. My living quarters are not locked the way the other room is. Soldiers are able to access it in order to bring me food and reports and such. There is a lock, but I did not engage it the way that I should. This is my fault. I know the hearts of the Ition that are on this ship; they have not been with females of any sort in a few months. I should have known better. I take full responsibility for your injuries.”
“No need. I will be fine; I am fine.” She suddenly wiped the tears from her cheeks and stopped crying. She sat up straight and put her chin in the air. She was bouncing back, and quickly. I admired her strength. Who was this human? Where was the source of her strength? She did not have access to Ition strength like I did, so where was her power coming from?
“And he mentioned that he specifically wanted a human female. He said because Dorian has one, he wanted to know why. I assume all your soldiers think this and that it is not simply because they have not been with females of any kind,” she said.
The anger inside of me grew larger. Now that I understood the motive behind the soldiers’ attack, this human was not safe. Not only was she valuable to the Commander Reiq Jos because she was immune to Ition strength, but she was now a valuable commodity to the soldiers on this ship because they wanted to know what Dorian saw in the human female. They wanted a taste of it. No, they would not get it. I would take matters into my own hands.
I stood up and walked over to the console. I pressed the button to the Communication Center. “Call an assembly for all soldiers to attend in the mess hall right now. Those that cannot escape their duties will have the message delivered to them personally.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
“I also need two soldiers to come to my living quarters right now.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
I looked back at Gina. She was getting up from the bed and standing up, rearranging her clothes that he tried to pull off. I was glad that she was wearing a one-piece flight suit, one that is hard to get off.
“Are you sure that you are alright?”
“Yes, although I wish I had a drink.”
I laughed. She was strong. I walked across the living quarters to my office. I grabbed a bottle of the finest liquor and brought out two glasses. I brought it over to her. I poured one for her and one for me. “Here. It is very strong.”
“Thank you,” she said and then took down a big swig.
I poured her another one. Then there was a knock on my door. I went to open it and the two soldiers filed in.
“Take this soldier to the mess hall.”
The soldiers walked to the dead soldier and picked him up and carried him out.
“The mess hall? Don't tell me you were going to eat him?” she asked with wide eyes.
I laughed. “No. I'm going to make an example of him. Everyone needs to see what will happen to them if they touch you.”
“Oh, I understand.”
“Here,” I gave her the bottle of liquor. “I am only leaving this with you because I am trusting you will not use it as a weapon against me.”
She laughed. “I cannot make any promises, but I wouldn't waste good liquor.”
I laughed and walked out. I made sure to lock the door using my palm print. Now no one could open that door except me.
I walked down the hall, making my way to the mess hall. The soldiers were gathered.
“Attention! Hear this and hear this now: no one shall try to touch the human female. No one should be in my living quarters without my permission! If I find you trying to touch the human female, seduce her, or even speak to her, this will be your fate!” I used Ition strength to raise the dead soldier in the air. “He attacked the human; this is his punishment. I want you all to see this so that you know this will be your fate if you try anything on her. You won't look at her, you won't touch her, you won't speak to her, unless I give you the order to. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Lieutenant!”
“Now, I know that General Xun has had you working straight for almost six months now, not leaving the fleet. I know what this can do to a soldier. Because of that, I am ordering a twenty-four-hour stop on the planet Alox.”
The soldiers erupted into cheers.
“Yes, I thought you would like that. Twenty-four hours only. Get your release so that you are not tempted to do something that would result in the same fate as this soldier.” I dropped the soldier to the ground.
“You are now dismissed. Lieutenant, I want you to go around and give everything that I said to the pilots and the communication room attendance as well as anyone else that could not leave their post.”
“Yes. I know it is appreciated all around. Should I set course for Alox straight away?”
“Yes, change course immediately. It is not too far out of the way from Brokl, so it will only put us a day behind or so. It will be worth it.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
I left the mess hall and went inside the kitchens. I gathered a tray of hot soup and bread. I did not know why I thought this would comfort the human after her attack, but something told me it would. I set it on a tray with a large jug of water and then went back to my room. I opened the door and walked in. She was still drinking.
“That smells good.”
“Yes, it is a hot exotic soup, good for you. With fresh bread. I thought that it would help since you refuse to see a doctor.”
“I have told you, I am not physically hurt, except maybe bruised here on my arms,” she said holding her shoulders. “But this is helping.” She lifted the bottle of liquor. She had drunk an enormous amount. Again, I was impressed by her small physical presence and the strength she had. She stood up from the bed and stumbled a bit. I restrained a laugh. I used Ition strength and unlocked the cuff around her wrist. She looked at me surprised.
“Since I am in the room with you, I see no harm in undoing your chain, for now. Come, sit,” I said putting the tray on the table. She walked over and sat down.
“Thank you.”
“It is just food. You have to eat.”
“Not for this. I mean, thank you for saving me. You rescued me, what he wanted to do to me…” She didn't finish. I saw the fear in her eyes again. I realize that she did not fear death or being physically hurt in a fight, but she feared greatly what that soldier wanted to do to her. I understood. It was indeed a violation.
“If I could kill him again for doing that to you, I would.”
Her blue eyes looked up at me. They watered over. She was looking at me differently. The repulsive thoughts that she had of me were now covered by admiration. Just for a moment, I locked eyes with her. I felt the heat rush through my body. I wanted to grab her and kiss her again, but I wouldn't do that. Then she looked away, seemingly remembering that I was indeed a monst
er.
Hours later, we were on a course for Alox. This would be good for the soldiers. And it was what they needed, and in truth, it was what I needed as well. Being near this human female was making me aroused at all times. I couldn't concentrate, and I needed a good release.
Especially now, because it was time for sleeping. I grabbed a long cloth and a pillow and set it on the long sitting bench.
“You are going to sleep in here?” she asked.
“Yes, and so are you. If you will sit down on the bed, it is time to put the cuff back on your wrist.”
She sighed and sat down. It floated onto her wrist and closed. “I am tempted to sleep next to you in bed; it is my bad after all. But I am sure that you would try to strangle me with that chain.”
She laughed. “You are not wrong, Lieutenant.” I was glad to see that her feisty behavior had returned to her.