by Cher Hollis
“My head,” Bo groaned. “The pounding.”
Cassie wiped away her tears and she moved to massage Bo’s temples, while whispering calming sounds, until they both fell back to sleep.
A long time later, something woke Cassie. She was still cradled in Bo’s arms, but there was a loud thumping sound, which was coming from outside in the corridor. It was so loud it woke Bo too, making them both jump.
It sounded as if it could be footsteps, and Bo tried to rise, but he slumped back.
“Where did you put the IR, Cassie?” he asked sharply.
Fear filled Cassie as the hatch door to the captain’s quarters burst open. She cried out, cringing back against Bo, as blinding lights flashed into their eyes.
“We found two more in here, sir!”
The voice sounded human and came from beyond the brilliant lights.
“I’m Colonel Wyatt. UED! State your presence,” Bo commanded, still lying flat on his back.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to sound threatening,” a voice said, from behind the lights. “Medic and stretchers in here on the double,” the man ordered.
Approaching the bed, they could finally see him. He was young and wearing a blue uniform with a bold GS emblem over the left pocket. And he held an IR.
“You are, ma’am?” he asked.
“I-I,” Cassie stammered.
Bo stopped her by saying, “This is Private Ramona, also of UED. Just who are you?”
The last of Bo’s statement was forced out with military resolve, hiding his weak condition. The young man continued to ignore Bo’s question, and everything became a jumble of people and stretchers.
In the melee of people, they were pulled apart, and Bo was lifted onto a stretcher. Two men firmly grabbed Cassie’s arms as she tried to tell them she could walk. But they insisted she lay down on a stretcher, and then they set about strapping her in.
Realizing they were restraining her arms and legs, her confusion turned into alarm. Something was wrong, very wrong. She tried to turn her head to see where Bo was, but she couldn’t see him, while she kept trying to explain to them that she was all right.
None of them were listening as they carried her stretcher down the ship’s corridor.
Bo was too weak to do anything but let them have their way. He knew who they were; it was the Global Syndicate. GS was a powerful and mettlesome conglomerate of international base corporations. They’d always had their long arms into anything where they could realize a profit.
The counter intelligence branch of GS had always been an irritating disruption in any war where Bo was involved. Unfortunately, the current UED military relied heavily on the Global Syndicate for equipment and fuel. It was a tenuous political relationship.
What they were doing, trying to cart off Cassie and him, was bold even for the GS. When they transferred from the miner, Bo realized they were on an outdated military transport, probably part of the GS’s confiscated contraband.
Raising his head, he could barely see Cassie. A medic was preparing a pneumatic injection, and Bo knew it would be useless to struggle against taking it. They had them strapped down tight, and he was in no shape for a fight, where his normal Variant strength could break the bonds.
Bo heard Cassie pleading with them not to inject her as he felt the sting of pressurized air prick his neck.
“No. I’ll be quiet, I swear. No!”
It was the last words Bo heard before unconsciousness overtook him.
To be continued....
This story is an over 220,000 word science fiction romance Serial space opera, with a definite ending. If you would like notice of each part as it is released, please join Cher Hollis’ newsletter
Read exciting excerpts! (Unedited)
Alien Forces Of Affinity: Episode Three (Alien Forces Serial)
By Cher Hollis
It had not been hard for Khan to act as if he was angry. He’d only made himself think of the strap hitting Balice’s helpless body, while Korpal had stood over her and laughed. That had worked, and all in the command center had thought he was raging, until he’d stomped out.
Khan glanced back to make sure the Variants were following him. He’d even replaced his black armband to make it easier for them not lose him.
He’d considered many ways to deal with the plots, which he knew were made by Korpal and his lesser Dante. Because he knew Korpal would tried to find Balice through him.
That would never happen.
So Khan used Ramon’s patience, added to his basic Esa instincts, to make a plan to stop the tactics against him.
As he stomped away, Khan kept leading the Variants tracking him on a long and winding march. But he never came close to where Balice was hidden. At the end, Khan steered all the wardens where he wanted them. He pushed Dante into his plan—until the wardens, led by Dante, were crowded into one small oddly shaped cave.
“Where did he go?” Dante yelled. He was the last one to enter the dead-end cave.
“There is no way out of here,” one of the wardens exclaimed. They were standing in the middle of the small cave.
“Correct,” Khan clicked sharply, from the shadows behind the group.
Khan stepped out from the tunnel entrance with a mighty stomp of his red boot-shaped lower limbs— he had successfully blocked any escape. Seven Variant wardens turned to face him. Dante, who was closest to Khan, backed up while putting his palms forward as if to stop Khan from attacking.
“Why are you following me?” Khan demanded.
He took another hostile step forward, while he pulled his longest sword from the sheath across his back. It made a high-pitched threatening sound.
“Now see here, Khan,” Dante said, with a whining sound as he cowered backward. “The laws … you pledged, and it states you cannot kill Variants, unless they wear the UED uniform!”
Khan’s alien sword had a long curve and it flashed brilliantly as he skillfully swung it through the air in front of Dante’s human nose.
“I don’t need to kill you. But without your puny human legs, it will be harder to follow me, when I should not be followed!” Khan bellowed, with his attention centered on Dante.
Dante paled and started shuddering with his voice quaking in fear. “We’re only following Korpal’s orders, Khan!”
Khan turned slightly, swinging his sword under the noses of all the wardens.
Then he snarled, “I will not be followed! Next time you won’t have a warning, only the edge of my weapon cutting through your soft human bodies. Now go, before I change my thoughts on this!”
All of the wardens began falling over each other, in their speed to leave.
“Except you,” Khan ordered, with the tip of the sword coming to rest on Dante’s chest. “It is known to be a wise battle tactic to make an example of the leader.” Khan snapped each human word, while backing Dante up against the cave wall with the pressure of his sword.
“Definitely a prisoner,” Bo thought.
His eyes had spotted the telltale holo-security scanner in the upper left-hand corner of the ceiling. Bo walked over to the hatch door thinking he wasn’t surprised he was being watched. The hatch was solid with no way to see out. He examined the computerized locking mechanism, then went back to sit down on the cot.
Bo knew the authority the Global Syndicate had in this particular situation was tenuous. They were executing a type of cat and mouse game. Always trying to realize a profit from information without getting caught. It would be one of the reasons they wouldn’t attempt to question him. They would not cross that line with a Colonel from UED. Bo figured their peak of interest would be the intact alien ship at the crash site.
The fact that he and Cassie had been so close to that ship would be the Syndicate’s justification for detaining them. That was where the GS snoops real motivation was. No one from Earth Forces had gotten close to an alien or their ship. The information to be gathered from that find would be priceless. And money was the sole motivation
of the Syndicate.
Bo actually hoped the invasive GS snoops didn’t screw things up. UED desperately needed the type of information that alien ship could give them. But what really worried him was Cassie. He had to assume they would be trying to question her. Cassie, undercover as a lowly private in UED, would be considered by them as easy prey.
“She is totally untrained in these things,” he muttered with hard concern. He started thinking about the methods they could be using on her, and immediately wished he hadn’t. “Thinking that will do her no good,” he grumbled.
He knew he would be better served to prepare. Waiting to take any opportunity that arose to escape the GS station.
So, Bo dropped down to the deck and balanced on his fingertips and toes. Then he began an aggressive campaign of push-ups that continued into a rigorous workout.
Khan entered a Korpal’s quarters and came to a sudden stop when he saw that Korpal was not alone—there was an unfamiliar human male standing to one side of Korpal’s command chair. The unknown male was wearing an unidentified blue uniform, and Khan that the human was a skilled and dangerous warrior.
Khan snarled with warning, while stalking toward the light haired male.
“This man is my guest, Khan!” Korpal snapped.
Khan stopped, but he remained coiled. “Esa kill human males!”
But Korpal did something surprising and he stood from his command chair to step down and walk over in front of Khan, instead of ordering Khan to him. “I do not like having to look up at you, beast,” Korpal complained in a voice that did not carry to the unknown man.
Khan looked down at Korpal and snarled, “You will have to end my existence. I will not kneel in sight of that male.”
“You are right, I suppose,” Korpal muttered, then with warning, he said, “I will introduce you, but he has my full protection. The man is an ambassador from the Global Syndicate. He will not be harmed, is that understood?”
“Esa kill human men,” Khan growled sharply. “He is dangerous.”
“You won’t kill this one!” Korpal ordered, with his voice rising as he demanded, “Your pledge, beast.”
Khan shook his oblong head, and he clicked out sharply. “That human is not mild; he is a skilled warrior. He is not as he seems. I see that he could have ended your existence by now. If you do command me, I will vow not to end him, except when he attacks first.”
Korpal turned to look Jacquard over, and Khan could see that the mighty Korpal still thought Jacquard looked mild.
“He has been fitted with a location explosive,” Korpal said. Khan shrugged his broad shoulders, he knew a warrior, but he was impressed that Korpal had trapped the human male with the device. “I except your pledge, Khan, now come meet the man, we have important business to discuss,” Korpal ordered, turning and strutting back to his chair.
Khan followed, and then he stopped, two meters from the platform as Korpal sat down, and said, “Jacquard of the Global Syndicate, meet Khan second in command of all Esa forces.”
Khan tightly nodded his head; Jacquard was smart enough not to offer’s his hand, but said, “It is an honor to meet you, sir. You are the first I’ve seen… alive. Magnificent race.”
Khan did not miss the male’s barb as he stood stiffly silent, waiting for Korpal to explain more.
“Well yes… Jacquard, they are also a quiet race,” Korpal said. “Now, Khan, Jacquard has been sent as a goodwill emissary from our brothers at the GSI. He has brought me invaluable information to show this ah, goodwill,” Korpal said, looking back and forth between them.
“What is the price?” Khan asked.
Korpal leaned back looking impressed, and said, “I forget your qualities, beast. But the price is fair and it has no loss of advantage for us.” He lifted his hand with a slight wave. “I have already agreed to it. The terms are this; the Esa will not attack Global Syndicate mining colonies,” Korpal said a hard voice of authority.
Khan clicked in outright anger, until Korpal added, “Except for Tribet, of course.”
Khan relaxed slightly at Korpal’s last words, then he thought in aggravation: “Now the male knows we plan to take Tribet.” Khan asked, “And he gives us?”
Korpal showed pleasure, as he exclaimed, “The location of Ramon’s daughter Ela Cassandra. She is aboard the UED carrier Constitution right now.”
Khan shrugged his massive shoulders again; that information meant little to him. He knew Korpal searched for Ela Cassandra. He’d never been told why she was important, or why Korpal was holding Ramon prisoner. Khan had thought it was revenge from Korpal, but why Korpal did not just end Ramon’s existence to settle it, Khan did not know.
“You will make immediate plans to capture the space carrier Constitution, and immediately bring me the woman alive,” Korpal ordered.
Khan stiffened as if he’d been hit, while Jacquard boldly said, “I will give you the coordinates for Constitution’s location. And I offer my assistance. I have good tactical knowledge of warfare and the space carriers’ weaknesses. It will be a very easy victory for the mighty forces of Korpal’s Esa.”
Jacquard was glaring straight at Khan with a slash of his human lips that Khan knew showed a challenge.
Khan’s shock moved swiftly to fury, as he snapped, “It cannot happen.”
Korpal turned his angry gaze to him, “It is an order, beast!”
Khan answered with sharp clicking growls, “I would speak to you now. Alone!”
Khan saw his sharp command had made Korpal turn red with anger, then Korpal recklessly ordered, “Anything you have to say will be said here and now. Jacquard has a ready offered his help, which we will use.”
Khan was alarmed and he tried another way, not willing to let the human male learn of the coming offensive. “Why do you need Ela Cassandra, which kills all other plans? It is not wise at this cycle and threatens all your battle positions,” Khan said sharply.
Korpal exclaimed, “She is important to my master plan!” Korpal eyes grew wide, and Khan read the human expression that told him Korpal had let something secret out.
Khan snapped in disbelief, “The master plan?”
Korpal’s head jerked up with his face red and his voice furious. “This male shows more courage than you, beast. Balice has taken your strength!”
Khan stomped forward, rising in height to tower over Jacquard, who stood unflinching. Khan shouted, “I challenge this puny human to fight for courage. A fight to the end of existence!”
“No!” Korpal bellowed, slamming his fist into the arms of his command chair. Then he yelled, “There will be no fight. And, you—” Korpal pointed angrily at Khan and then shouted, “You will do exactly as I have ordered. We will attack the Constitution. You will use Jacquard. And, you will bring me the plans tonight.”
Korpal sat back at the end of his ranting with beads of liquid forming on his brow as his black eyes challenge Khan to defy him.
I should kill them both, end this now, Khan thought.
Vytor’s initial panic at believing he was dying had subsided once he gained his ship and the pieces of himself that he’d left behind. He was still unsure if he could or even would continue to exist after his joining with the Variant male, Bo Wyatt. But he thought perhaps, it really didn’t matter.
He did not have enough energy left to propel his vessel in any predetermined direction, so he allowed the ship to follow a course on the solar winds, aimlessly sailing in the fathomless blackness of space.
His only thoughts were centered on Ela Cassandra and the new life forms she carried. These two lives were a part of her, a part of Bo, and most especially, they were a part of him.
To him they were the sons of Vytor.
Now he knew he could end his existence with contentment. He had created life, and no matter how much he had evolved in the last quarter cycle of his existence, that would always remain his most important desire.
To be continued...
About the Author
I
am hoping you have enjoyed the story so far, this epic science fiction romance space opera is my rather large “trunk novel.” It is one of the first things I ever wrote, and I am working my way through it, piece by piece, to arrange and revise it all. There are 6 to 7 serial episodes to it (still deciding how to break down the last of it) and the ending has been written.
If you will stick with me to the end, as I work to publish it all, I think you could enjoy the adventure.
Yours, Cher Hollis
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Alien Forces Of Affinity Episode 1 (published)
Alien Forces Of Affinity Episode 2 (published)
Alien Forces Of Affinity Episode 3 (coming next)
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Table of Contents
Copyright
Untitled
Event Four: Cassie (Space)
Event Five: Khan (Allies)
Event Six: Bo (Invasion)
Read exciting excerpts! (Unedited)
About the Author