by Lisa Lace
Speechless, I brushed past him and stormed forward, following the illumination rocks back to the outpost. I wouldn’t forgive him so easily. Family bonds were strong.
Though Captain Fore was a cruel bastard, I didn’t believe Kylu could turn away from his father so easily. One day, his father would test the loyalty of his son, and I didn’t want to be a pawn in the middle when it happened.
Kylu remained silent behind me. He followed me like a ghost, refusing to leave until I was safe at the outpost again.
“Our next mission is rescuing a group of slaves assigned to fields within the eastern grasslands,” Daniel told me. He sat on the cot opposite of me in the sleeping quarters.
Tonight, no one was sleeping. Everyone was awake, preparing for the battle to come. “It’s a little more than a rescue mission. They are slaves to a High Commander, who has claimed the land as his personal retreat. The slaves will be leaving. The High Commander and his men will not.”
“I’ll go with you,” I said quickly, before Daniel had a chance to assign me elsewhere or order me to stay behind.
“Of course you will,” he replied. “Just don’t get yourself killed. After this is over, we need to find our mother.”
“And what of our father?” I asked. I was afraid he had information he was not sharing with me.
“We believe it is likely our parents are in different locations. I don’t know what has happened to Dad. The best we can hope for is that they enslaved him instead of killing him outright. We know that Mom is alive. She is a warrior, like you, but she needs our help more.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “We’ll look for our mother first, after we rescue the slaves in the grasslands.”
Daniel shifted uncomfortably on the cot. “Kylu will be with us. I don’t expect you to get along with him, but I do expect you to refrain from murdering him.”
I scowled. “Can’t you order him away?”
“I’m not in charge here, Terra. I’m not a Commander, like you. But even if I was in command, I’d let him stay. I know he hasn’t proven himself to you, but I have seen him in action. Do you know why he was at the house the day you met?”
“Enlighten me,” I said cynically, folding my arms.
“That’s where he goes to think. Kylu is like my brother. He knows the pain his actions have brought. The house reminds him of the people he hurt, like our parents, and keeps him motivated to fight our cause.”
I wasn’t impressed. “As opposed to what? Rejoining his father?”
“He would never do that. He has no loyalty left to the Surtu. From what you’ve told me of Jidden, Kylu is nothing like your light bonded. Kylu does not care about saving his people. He detests them. He’s not part of the network; he’s part of the resistance.”
“He’s part of Captain Fore,” I insisted. “You may consider him your brother, but to me he is the enemy.”
In the grasslands, I crawled close to the ground, using the tall grass as camouflage. Twenty other people were around me. Our weapons were strapped tight against us. I glanced up, hoping the intelligence we received about the Surtu flight schedule was correct.
The skies were expected to be clear for the next four hours. That gave us plenty of time to free the slaves and escort them to a rescue ship located a few miles to the north.
Peering over the grass, I caught first sight of the slaves. It was just as Daniel had said. Older men and women as well as children picked strawberries within the confines of a large field. The Surtu had shackled their feet with the same weightless prism bonds I had seen wrapped around Kylu’s wrists days before.
Picking strawberries was not labor intensive, but they were still slaves. One of the men still wore the suit of a business person. All walks of life had been conscripted to reap the harvest of the High Commander.
I had nothing to do with the High Commander’s assassination. My brother was on that unit, but I was not. My responsibility was to see the slaves to safety.
Our efforts had to be synchronized. When the rescue ships landed, they only be on the ground briefly before taking off again. It was the only way to evade the Surtu military. Rescued slaves came from all directions, hoping for salvation. The didn’t know that salvation meant extraction to a different planet.
Only those who arrived in time were able to board the ship. The rest had to wait for the next arrival, which could be days later. Those days could make the difference between escape and recapture.
“There are twelve guards and about a hundred slaves,” Kylu informed me, crawling up beside me in the grass.
“I told you to stay away from me,” I hissed, struggling to keep my voice level.
“Where’s the fun in that?” he answered. Before I could respond, he pressed his wristwatch, projecting a miniature hologram of the field. “The guards mostly patrol the outer borders. That works in favor of the unit storming the retreat, but not for us. If we want to get all the slaves out alive, we’ll have to kill the guards simultaneously. We outnumber the guards two-to-one. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’ll take the guard closest to the retreat. I can kill him without calling attention to myself. He’ll be dead before even he knows it.”
“Sounds sexy,” Kylu said, “But completely unnecessary. Our unit leader has already assigned us the trio of guards here,” he said, pointing at his hologram.
“Us?” I asked unenthusiastically. “I’m assuming you had something to do with that.”
“I told you, you’re my redemption. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Crawling behind you also gives me a fantastic view of your ass.”
I slapped my hand over his wrist, making the hologram disappear. “Listen, and listen well. I’ll work with you only because these people need our help, but the last thing I need is another Surtu man thinking he knows what’s best for me. I don’t need your protection.”
Kylu pointed his blaster in the direction of the trio. “Lead the way, cupcake. Just remember, I can heal. You can’t.”
“I won’t need healing. Like I said, they’ll be dead before they know it.”
I navigated through the grass, stopping within the range of our targets at the border of the strawberry field. Kylu crawled beside me again, and we waited silently for the unit leader to give us the signal to attack.
It came in the form of a howl. Instantly, I stood up, and I aimed for the heads of the guards. I only had seconds to fire before they realized what was happening.
Those seconds were lost when my blaster jammed.
“Damn it!” I cried.
“Don’t move,” a guard yelled, pointing his blaster at me. “Move, and I’ll shoot that lovely little arm of yours off your body.”
Women don’t need arms to bear children, I thought angrily, wishing I had the ability to move objects with my mind like the Surtu did. I would make the guard point his blaster somewhere he’d truly regret.
“Walk towards them,” Kylu whispered, still hidden in the grass. “Distract them.”
Unable to respond without giving him away, I stepped forward, my arms raised in the air.
“Good girl,” the guard said. “You know to listen to your masters.”
“Wait,” another guard called, looking around the field. “Something’s wrong.”
Suddenly, hundreds of strawberries around us lifted off their stems and floated in the air, distracting the guards and blocking their view of the invasion happening in the field. Moving with the agility of a mercenary, Kylu stormed at the guards through the strawberries, taking each of them out. When they were dead on the ground, the strawberries returned to the earth, like flowers falling on a grave.
“You killed your people,” I stammered.
His face showed a combination of rage and remorse. Kylu charged towards the rest of the field, determined to rescue the slaves. “Of course I did. My people have not earned the right to survival. Yours have.”
“Why?”
“Because you allow yourselves to love,” he replied, and h
e kept walking.
I felt my feelings towards Kylu begin to shift. I saw what my brother saw – a man with a carefree spirit who was repulsed by his people. I watched as Kylu tenderly removed the shackles from the ankles of the slaves, cracking jokes to put them at ease. He put two children on his back as we ran for the rescue ship, holding them tightly so they did not fall.
He cared about humanity in a way I had not seen in the Surtu before, not even in Jidden.
We arrived at the rescue ship just as it landed. The children cried as Kylu set them down. “We want to stay with you,” they pleaded.
“Trust me, you want to go to your new home. You will see dinosaurs there.”
“There are no dinosaurs!” I exclaimed, slapping Kylu on the arm. “But there are treehouses. Lots of them.”
We calmed the kids down, but any sense of victory I felt vanished the moment I saw Godfrey step off the rescue ship. “I should have known,” I muttered.
“Hello, traitor,” she said smoothly, sauntering my way. “Do you plan on returning Jidden’s ship anytime soon?”
“If he wants it, he can come and get it,” I said. “He doesn’t need you to speak for him.”
“No, he doesn’t, but let me tell you something. He is miserable without you. I hate to say it, but he needs you. You should come back with us.”
Instead of waiting for an answer, she moved on to help the people we rescued onto the ship. They were slaves no longer. I stood guard, making sure our perimeter were clear as more civilians arrived. When the time came to depart, the loading doors immediately began to close.
“Last chance,” Godfrey called. “Are you coming with us?”
I wanted to, but I couldn’t, not with my family still to find. “Not this time,” I told her.
She seemed happy with my decision. “Your loss. I’ll take care of Jidden for you.”
After the ship left, disappearing in light, Kylu rested his arm casually around me, as if I were a tree holding him up. “I know that must have been hard, but you did the right thing.”
“It was the right thing for my family,” I said, closing my eyes. “I’m not sure if it was right for my relationship.”
With Kylu close to me, I realized something. “When we kissed at my family home, could Jidden sense it?” I asked. I was appalled.
“Nah,” he said. “It didn’t mean anything. There was no emotion to transmit.” Then, with his eyes sparkling, he asked, “But if I kissed you now, would it mean something? We can test it out if you want.”
Playfully, I shoved him away. “No point. The result would be the same. You’re getting nothing from me.”
“Whatever you say, cupcake. I think differently but – Get down!” he shouted.
“What?” I asked, not understanding the joke. When I looked down, I saw a small hole in my stomach. My hand filled with blood when I touched it.
“I don’t feel so well,” I said, the world spinning around me.
Instantly, Kylu picked me up in his arms and we ran, following the rest of our unit to the glider waiting to take us back to the outpost.
The glider wasn’t there. It was in the air, firing at the band of Surtu soldiers who ran at us, blasters drawn.
“At least they didn’t see the ship leave,” I said, struggling to breathe.
“Hush,” Kylu instructed, setting me on the ground. He put his hands over my stomach, and I felt the familiar warmth of Surtu light as it stitched my insides back together and healed me. When he was finished, I felt refreshed. I was ready to fight once more.
We were unnecessary. The glider took care of the soldiers for us, then looped around to pick us up. We got on the ship. I was ready to return to the outpost, but it was not meant to be.
“We can’t risk being followed,” the pilot announced as we lifted back into the air. “We’ll have to take the long way home. I hope you all like sleeping in the mountains.”
“I would rather take the desert heat,” I murmured to myself.
Kylu chuckled. “Don’t worry, cupcake. I’ll keep you warm.”
The mountains were cold, but they were beautiful. As the day turned to night, the land beneath us filled with starlight. The glider sat concealed within a high cave, but unlike the caves of the outpost, this one was small and cramped. It felt like a birdhouse, and the glider was a plump bird, leaving no room for others. Many of our squad chose to sit on the wide ledge outside that overlooked the shadows of the valley.
“Is Surt anything like this?” I asked Kylu as he set a blanket over my shoulders. “Do you have mountains and valleys?”
“Yes, we do. The universe is pretty uniform. A star is a star, no matter what galaxy it’s from.”
“Great science lesson,” I teased.
“I’m a great guy,” he replied.
“Yes, you are,” I said. “Thank you for saving me. I probably didn’t deserve it after the way I treated you, but I appreciate it.”
“Life is worth more than a few strong words. If I let everyone who hated me die, we’d all be facing extinction. Plus, I knew I’d win you over.”
I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t been won over yet.”
“No?” he asked, adjusting the blanket and wrapping it tightly around me. “Maybe we should put it to the test after all, now that you’re all rolled up like a burrito with legs.”
He was joking, but this time, I took him up on his offer. “Fine,” I said confidently, needing to prove it to myself as much as I did to him. “Kiss me.”
“Don’t tempt me, cupcake,” he warned. “You look good enough to eat.”
“I’m serious. Kiss me.”
He kissed me on the nose. “See, no emotions. You’re safe.”
Sighing, I untucked myself from the blanket and let it drop. Before he could resist, I reached up and pulled Kylu down and kissed him, reenacting the scene from the day we had met.
I didn’t expect anything to happen. My love for Jidden was indestructible.
As we kissed, I felt my heart leap.
Immediately, I jerked away and set a hand to my lips.
The kiss meant something.
JIDDEN
I stood in the waters of the lagoon without a shirt, holding a fishing spear. The water here was fresh, not like the ocean waters. The fish were edible without needing any special treatment. These fish were our best source of meat without risking the dangers of the jungle.
There were more modern ways of catching fish, but I enjoyed the victory of catching the elusive creatures with my spear. Technology was useful, but hands made the man.
With a fish in sight through the clear waters, I aimed my spear carefully. Before I had a chance to strike, a pain like I had never known before ripped through me. A vision of Terra kissing another man infiltrated my mind. She stood on the ledge of a mountainside cave, her arms wrapped around him.
When the vision finally ended, I furiously threw down my spear. Breathing angrily, I ran my hands through my hair, unable to understand what I had seen. I tried to ignore the willingness of the kiss, but it burned inside me, fueling my rage.
On impulse, I looked up into the treetops to Godfrey’s newly constructed hut.
If you ever want to put that stamina to good use, my door is always open.
If Terra could find comfort with another while we were apart, then so could I.
My mind was a red haze as I left the lagoon to find Godfrey.
Part 4: Hunger
JIDDEN
I burned inside. The feeling was not pleasurable, and I had not felt this way for a long time.
The emotion pulsing through my body was rage.
I possessed no desire for Godfrey. I did not feel lust. My need was more primal than fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. I had the urge to hurt Terra exactly the way she hurt me.
Our light bond allowed me to feel and experience everything she had when she kissed that animal. I saw it happening in my head. I relived the memories, and they fueled my anger.
Even if I didn
’t want Godfrey at this precise moment, I knew once I entered her cabin I would have her naked and squirming beneath me in moments. I was a Surtu. I knew how to pleasure a woman. I had fought off her advances for months, trying to stay faithful to my beloved. Looking back, that was foolish and weak. I was sent here to breed with the humans, not act like one myself.
The thought of our bond sent a wave of different emotions coursing through me and slowed my advance. I loved Terra. Didn’t I? Could I cheat on her with Godfrey? Unbidden, my thoughts replayed an image in my mind of Terra in another man’s arms. I sensed her desire to kiss him.
After that, it was easy to make a decision.
I would fuck Godfrey, I would enjoy it, and Terra would know how betrayal felt.
I climbed on the hover lift, taking hold of the safety rail. It rose like the mist after a torrential downpour on this tropical planet. I wondered if it was taking me to my salvation or my doom. I stepped on to Godfrey’s balcony and stared at the door. Should I knock? I shook my head. What was the matter with me? I forced the door open and stormed into the room.
I knew Godfrey would be home now because she followed a strict schedule. Without fail, she took a siesta at this time every day. Everyone knew when to leave Godfrey alone.
I wasn’t going to leave her alone. I was going to bother her, and I was going to enjoy it.
Godfrey lay on her bed as I entered the room. She was dressed seductively for a siesta. I wondered how many days she had waited on her bed for me. She wore a nightdress that left nothing to the imagination. The material shimmered and was transparent, revealing dark, large nipples and proof she was a natural blonde.
Her hair was down. I had never seen her looking soft and vulnerable before. She was a good military general, but right now it was easy to forget her rank. She was all woman, and I couldn’t look away from her nipples, which had hardened into tight buds.
She wanted me.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to come here. I take it you’ve decided to show me your stamina?” Godfrey said, her voice sounding as seductive as her body looked. I had suppressed my attraction to her before, but now I let it rise, and felt my cock do the same. I was going to fuck her hard. It had been too long since Terra left, and my body needed a woman.