“I just spoke to the Higher Order.” Zig was in shock. Privates were never granted access to directly speak to the Higher Order unless it was through punishment. When he was in military school in Mamugnar, Zig had heard war stories about warriors entering the office of the Higher Order and never returning. Seldom would a positive story arise regarding the Higher Order back home. Until now, he had his own story to share.
“You did? What did they say?” Kayla couldn’t hold back as much as she tried.
“Well,” Zig paused, still processing the previous events, “they have agreed to review my proposal to unify Earth and Mamugnar.” He was evidently still in shock.
“Does that mean you will be staying here? On Earth?” Kayla attempted to contain her excitement but her heart was overflowing with joy. She bounced up and down in amusement at the news.
“For now at least. I have been asked to gain further intelligence on ground. I believe that means that I have been reinstated through the agency in Mamugnar.” Zig scanned the ground in front of him.
Kayla threw herself into his arms with no intention of letting go. For the first time, in both of their lives, their future was bright. They had found one another and in each other’s arms, they had found home. The dust had finally settled.
THE END
THE CHOSEN WARRIOR
Chapter 1
“I don’t know what to tell you, Colleen. I have to be at this rally tonight and I won’t be here to take one of my shifts. I don’t think that it’s much of a hardship for you to fill in for me. You have done this before and people have always said that you should be the one that is on the radio. Why you took a job in management is beyond me. I am still trying to scratch my head over that one.” Jackson was a sought after commodity by any radio station in the area. He’s a little eccentric, but his delivery was bar none. “I’m the talent around here and it would be a good thing that you remember that. I don’t think that those that are higher than you will be the very happy with losing me over something, so trivial.” Jackson felt like he was all that and he deserved to have everything that he wanted on a silver platter.
“I can’t see any reason why we can’t accommodate your wishes.” What she didn’t wanna say was that she was getting tired of bending over backwards to please him. He was an aging artist and one that was slowly being put out to pasture by those young bucks that were making a name for themselves. It wouldn’t be long before he was passing on the baton to somebody that was youthful and didn’t ask for the world. “It’s only one night and I’m sure that I can juggle things around. I would suggest that you don’t make a habit of this. You may just find that somewhere down the road that your usefulness will come to an end.” “I’ve never liked Jackson and I would rather that he be replaced with a monkey. Everything today is becoming automated, but we are one of the rare ones that still offer a warm body to talk to in the middle of the night.”
“I think that was a bit of a threat. Do you know who you’re talking to?” He had stringy gray hair that cascaded down over his back. He was lanky and you could tell that his days of abusing recreational drugs had taken its toll. “I don’t need this constant abuse. I could easily go to any radio station in this city and find employment like that. I’m going to leave, before I say something that I regret.” Jackson had never loved the idea of a woman that had power over him. It was bad enough that when he went home he was constantly emasculated by the woman that claimed that she loved him. He would get drunk and fall asleep on the couch, waking to a headache that would beat the band.
“I appreciate your talents, but your attitude needs adjusting. One of these days, we’re going to have to have a frank discussion about your views on women. You think that you’re hiding it, but your contempt for me being in charge is evident by the way that you treat me on a daily basis.” They were in her office, her blond hair tight in a ponytail to be more professional and wearing a pantsuit that gave her the air of superiority over others. “I treat this like a business. I do not get caught up in relationships. I don’t make any snap decisions. I weigh things carefully and then I do what is best for business.” I think that what is best for business is that Jackson find himself another line of work. Once his contract is up in the next few months, I intend to talk to those that are, so high on him and convince them that his time has come and gone.
“I know that I’m going to get in trouble for this, but I don’t think that you have what it takes to do this job. You are on the radio for less than two months, before somehow you manage to climb the ladder of success.” Jackson believed that her sudden rise to the top was due to spreading her legs and giving it up to those that she felt could do the most good for her career. His opinion was low, even though he had no idea that he was dealing with a woman with a strong business acumen. She may have been only 5’5, 120 pounds, but her work ethic was unparalleled.
“I wouldn’t tread carefully if I were you, Jackson. That sounded remarkably like you were accusing me of something. I may be soft-spoken, but there are times that I will have to put my foot down. Get out of my office, before I decide that you are not worth the effort. You’re an aging relic that needs to be put down with one shot behind the barn. You think that you are inexpendable, but trust me nobody is.” She opened the door, seeing her secretary pretend to be working and knowing that she had likely over heard every single word that had been said inside the office. She had the ears of a bat.
Jackson walked down the hall with a frown on his face and a sense of tension that was surrounding him. The sun was barely behind the trees. If it wasn’t for the fact that Colleen didn’t have a life, she may have told Jackson where he could take his day off. It was short notice and 1 hour before air time was not professionally sound in her mind. She expected to have that respect and to give it back to those that deserved it.
“Colleen, he is a little rough around the edges, but he does know how to bring in the demographics. His opinions on the radio are not of management, but it does wonders for the ratings. I know that you and Jackson will never be friends, but maybe you can meet him in the middle. He’s stuck in his old ways. I doubt that he will ever accept a woman in your position.” Victoria was a woman that knew how to read certain signals in any sex. She was notorious for flirting shamelessly with the staff, but never going any further than that, except for one unforgettable Christmas retreat in the mountains. It still made her smile to think of how she had spent most of that time going from one man to the other in her inebriated state.
“I know that you’re right. It galls me to think that he has these attitudes about women being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I’ve met his wife and she is nothing like that, which leads me to believe that he needs to insert some of his own authority to make himself feel better for what’s happening at home.” I feel sorry for him, but I’m more sorry for his wife Michelle. One look at Victoria and I want to tell her to wear something more appropriate for the office. She likes to flaunt what makes her special. The balloons on her chest certainly do wonders for the morale around here with the male staff finding every opportunity to stop by and say hello.
Colleen had a few moments to collect her thoughts, going into her office and sitting down to contemplate what tonight’s program was going to be about. She needed to find something to get on her soapbox about and maybe the attitude of men towards women was exactly what she was looking for. It might not be good for her career and those that listened might feel like she was getting too carried away. It might cost her this job, but she really didn’t care. It was time for a resurgence of the battle of the sexes.
30 minutes later and she was gathering up her papers. She was looking at the notes that she had accumulated from sources on the Internet about men’s attitudes. It was all very fascinating and she had to wonder what kind of reaction she was going to get from the listeners.
She walked out to find that her secretary Victoria was bending over provocatively in front of her program director Mark Bellamy. They though
t that they were fooling everybody, but it was a known fact that they were sleeping with each other on the sly. He wasn’t the only one that Victoria coveted, but he was the only one that she felt powerless not to give in to. She really didn’t consider Mark to be part of the staff, as he was never there in the first place. He was the son of the owner and he only showed up when it was absolutely necessary. He had the equipment at home that he could program the music and be able to enjoy many hours of playing video games, instead of doing his job.
Colleen had to shake her head, going into the booth and sitting down with the pair of headphones over her ears. She waited for the news break to end, when her delivery was made with the seductive drawl of a woman that was fed up with today’s society of what men wanted from women. “Recently, I’ve begun to realize that women in the workplace have a hard time trying to adjust to those dinosaurs that run roughshod over a woman in a higher position than them. Bullying is not just in high school and if you think otherwise, I want to hear from you.” She continued her tirade, getting various calls from female listeners that were ready to hear her point of view.
Colleen was an only child and her parents were living in Las Vegas playing games of chance and losing her inheritance $1.00 at a time. She was not foolish to think that they would have anything left over in her twilight years. It was the reason why she dedicated herself to building a reputation for knowing what was best for business. She had tried in vain to find a man to settle down with, but sex was fleeting at best. She wanted somebody that could go the distance and so far there were only those that said they could and turned out to be disappointments.
There was a conveyor belt of lovelorn males feeling her footprints over their back, as she ran for exit, as fast as she could. Two months and she had celibate and feeling that itch like never before. She took a break from men, knowing that the toys in her collection were going to get one hell of a workout. Batteries were used in abundance and she was thankful that she had the kind that could be recharged while she was at work. She had a pair of panties that had a vibrator built right into the crotch and she had them on right now.
Every so often, she would move a certain way and let the vibration take her into her own little world. The lights were flashing on the dashboard and she grabbed for one that said for once that it was a man calling in. “I really don’t know where you get off on making these kinds of statements on the air. Women are only good when they’re lying down with their legs in the air. If you women out there think that I care about what you want, then you really don’t understand anything. Most guys are only after one thing and then they will tune you out the rest of the time. Make us happy by making us smile and getting us a beer once in awhile and maybe we might listen to you prattle on about your daily lives.” I hated him from the moment that he opened up his mouth. It was time to whip this boy into shape.
“There is no room for men like you. I sense that you are alone and I think that there might be a reason for that. Look into the mirror and tell me if you are truly respectful of women. If not, then there has to be an underlying reason and until you find it, relationships are never going to work out in the end.” Colleen didn’t give him a chance to make some kind rebuttal. She disconnected him, feeling a sense of relief from knowing that she had that power in the palm of her hand.
She was starting to get into a groove, when the lights began to flicker and then outside her window, she saw a man standing there completely naked. She stared at the object between his legs and then suddenly he disappeared like he wasn’t even there to begin with. She shook her head and closed her eyes, wishing for that man to materialize once more. It was like he was there one second and in the blink of an eye gone the next.
The entire room began to shake and then she had this terrible pain that shot up her arms and legs. She thought for sure that she was having some sort of heart attack. She was only 30, but it was not unheard of for women in stressful situations to feel it physically.
Chapter 2
Colleen woke up and felt like she had been on all weekend bender that had ended by landing in somebody’s bed that she didn’t know. She didn’t remember drinking, but sometimes liquor does get the best of her. When it’s flowing freely and she wants to lose herself, then she finds a reason to find the answers to life at the bottom of a bottle. Her head was pounding. Her eyes were trying to adjust to the lights that were now flashing in her eyes.
“I would suggest that you settle down. These things go a lot better when the candidate is more cooperative. We’ll be sending in one of our best to make sure that you are compatible to his physical needs.” To the scientist on board this vessel, she was only a specimen to be used and then tossed away after they were done with her. “Normally, we would give you the treatment by a less evasive procedure. It’s unfortunate that your DNA makes it necessary to inject the main substance in a more unsavory course of action.”
Colleen noticed that this man was also naked and was eerily similar to the one that was standing outside the window of her booth. She remembered the static on the radio and the way that the room seemed to gyrate on its axis like some kind of earthquake was happening below. “I want to say something, but I have no idea what’s going on around here. It feels like I am not here, but I know that I am. I must be on some sort of drug or maybe this has something to do with what happened at the radio station. What did he mean by injecting the substance and why does that give me this funny feeling in my gizzard?”
The scientist opened up the door and North, a very prominent member of the royal Guardians was standing at the ready. He had gone down to survey the area and had found Colleen to be something like a draw. It was a magnetic force that made him stand there for a little too long, before being discovered by the woman in question. “I’m ready. Please leave us and let me do this quickly and with no fuss. The emperor is ready to receive her when we arrive back at our planet. We should be there shortly and by then I might have something of a surprise for him.” He was tall, a fierce competitor and somebody that was always on the battlefield first in any excursion.
He weighed more than 250 pounds of pure muscle and that was before putting on his uniform. He felt a little out of sorts standing here with nothing on. It was meant to be sterile. They couldn’t allow anything to interfere in what needed to be done. This was a means to an end and he had already been subjected to one experiment by the emperor himself. His DNA was mixed with his own and being the most virile and potent of his species made him the perfect tool to assist in getting this girl pregnant with one of their own.
“I don’t know what’s going on around here, but I’m not going to be used like some kind of whore. I just got through telling the world that women deserve more than just to be used, as physical objects of pleasure.” Colleen tried to get up, but something was keeping her down. There was nothing there, but still she felt like something was strapped over her arms and her legs. “They should feel ashamed of themselves for treating anybody like they were some kind of cattle. I don’t condone animal cruelty in any way, but that is the way that life is for them. As the female of our species, we have evolved into productive members of society. I’m not going to say that I’m not enjoying the view. This man is built to make a woman scream for hours on end. I doubt that he will be able to connect the dots, because guys in his position usually only want their own pleasure and be damned the woman.
“I’m not very happy about this myself. I find all of this distasteful and I’d rather that the emperor does his own dirty work. With that being said, I do have a duty to perform. They believe that I am better suited to performing this task and like you I feel like I’m being used. Let’s not make more of it than it has to be. I’m here, you’re here and I’m really just waiting to get this over with.” What north didn’t tell her was that he was enjoying the way that she squirmed. It wasn’t her fear, but the way that her legs slightly spread to allow him to see the object of his desire.
He felt the shift in the floor and he kn
ew that they had arrived at his home planet. Outside was perpetual night and seeing sunshine on another planet had given him hope for the future of his people. The emperor would use this new heir to lord over others. It was to make them think that the rule of the Guardians would always be prevalent in any situation.
Colleen stared unabashedly at his crotch. It was a marvel of male technology at its best. The thing was not even hard and had to be at least 7 inches. She wondered what kind of stimulation he would need to rise and become known for his sexual prowess. “I would say that you should buy me dinner first, but I don’t think that you would understand what I meant by that.” He looked puzzled. She could almost taste the lobster that she had ordered on those given dates to make them think that they were going to get something. There were never any times that she was willing to take one for the team.
Colleen was very selective in choosing a man, even though her instincts didn’t exactly pan out. She knew almost 20 minutes into the date, if the man was vying for love or just what was between her legs. Looking at North, she thought that maybe this man was different. He was licking his lips and that jerk below his waist had certainly opened up her eyes to the possibilities. She wanted to run over to him, to touch his skin and to see if there was any real comparison between her and him. There was no way that she could do that in her immobile state.
“I really don’t have time for these guessing games. You and I both feel the same way, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to go through with it. You think that you have a choice, but you really don’t. I’m willing to let you out of your bonds, but only if you promise that you won’t become a problem. It would be better if you were willing, but don’t think that that will stop me from completing what my emperor has ordered me to do.” North had always known that those in high command would never sully their good name by getting nasty in this way. They would always turn that duty over to somebody that was lower on the actual echelon of command.
ROMANCE: HIGHLANDER ROMANCE: Seduced by highlander (Historical Mail Order Bride Time Travel Romance) (Military Fantasy Romance Short Stories) Page 93