by KD Jones
“I will, but most of them are similar in tone. I don’t want to only sing sad songs.”
“Then write new ones.”
“New ones?”
“Yes, write about your experiences here.”
“I could. It would go well with the videos of the Katieran nation and its people.”
“Good, I would love to hear those. Perhaps on our trip to Kiljor.”
“Yes.”
Chapter 4
Two days later
Melody left the garden with Priestess HonORa and, shortly afterward, started writing songs. The lyrics just poured out of her—her saying goodbye to her mother, traveling to Katiera, and still having no relationship to show for it all. Some of the songs were sad but most of them were more upbeat. She arranged music to some of them. She was ready to start filming music videos.
Today, she was leaving on the Kiljorn transport to go to Kiljor. She couldn’t wait. She went to the landing field where she had first arrived. It was a huge field the size of a football stadium,with landing pads. Silver shuttles were on the landing pads. These were used to travel from the surface of planets up to the huge transport ships.
“Miss Song!”
She looked up and smiled when she saw the priestess from the other day. “Hello, Priestess HonORa!”
“Please, call me HonORa. I’m just a normal female.”
“Only if you call me Melody.”
One of the warriors helped them step up into the shuttle. They took a seat and waited as other women were helped on board.
“Have you started writing again?”
“I have. I’ve written almost ten songs already.”
“I’m looking forward to hearing them.”
She glanced around at the other women who were excited. The warriors who helped them get on board were checking them out. One of them gave her the creeps. It was the way he looked through her. It was probably her imagination.
She turned to HonORa. “I used my digital tablet to look up Katieran history and beliefs. There were a few poems about the Goddess KatieRI. I am writing a song about your people, what you’ve had to go through, and where you are today.”
“I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions.”
“I appreciate that. May I ask you something personal?”
“Yes.”
“You’re young and beautiful. Why haven’t you found a mate?”
“Thank you for the compliment. The same could be asked of you.”
“For me, after that horrible break up, I put my career first. I always thought that I would have plenty of time to settle down and have children.”
“I guess I put my career first, too. Many have criticized me and other female priestesses for not doing what you say—settling down and having young. I lost a male that I cared for. He was a warrior but he was killed during a training accident.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s no one’s fault. WeIS was young and careless. He took risks that he should not have taken. We hadn’t mated, but he would have been the one I would have chosen.”
“Do you believe in bond mates?
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but I once lost faith in there being a true bond mate for our people. My own parents weren’t true bond mates. However, I have performed many ceremonies between my people and yours and my faith has been restored.”
“I’m not sure if I believe there’s one true mate, either. On Earth we call them soul mates. It’s a nice dream, though. Maybe it’s a dream for others to have, not me.”
“If you open yourself up to others, you may find what you’re looking for.”
“I don’t know.”
“I will pray to the Goddess that you will find your bond mate so that your faith is restored as well. You deserve to find happiness.”
Melody turned her thoughts inward. Maybe she hadn’t found anyone because she had closed off her heart. Sometimes men who had asked her out would call her a cold ice queen after she had refused them. How would she be able to let someone get close to her?
She looked up at the viewing screen and used her digital tablet to record their ascension to the stars. It was amazing to see and she would definitely want to show it in her videos. Something caught her attention to her right.
Melody looked behind her and watched as two of the warriors sitting in the back stood up, motioning toward the pilot and co-pilot. What was going on? She had this feeling inside that things were not right.
She leaned over to whisper in HonORa’s ear. “Something is wrong. Do you know the warriors in the back?”
HonORa glanced at the men but shook her head. “I don’t. They are acting suspicious.”
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. One of the warriors made his way up to the front. He shot the co-pilot point-blank in the back. All the women screamed in terror.
“Land the shuttle on the lower luna or I will start killing the females. Take us there now!”
The pilot had no choice but to follow his instructions and fly the shuttle down to the surface of the luna. They could hear as the Kiljorn transport commander tried to get their response. “Shuttle 547, why have you detoured off your path?”
“Tell them that you had engine problems and are landing to make minor repairs. You should be up in fifteen minutes.” The warrior standing over the pilot gave him directions.
The pilot complied and it seemed to ease the questions from the transport commander. A few minutes later, the shuttle landed on the nearby luna. The warrior turned to address the women.
“You will remain calm and follow our directions.”
“Where are you taking us?” One of the women asked.
The warrior in the back of the shuttle moved forward and slapped the woman across the face. “You will do what we say. No questions, alien!”
“DaAX, don’t injure them yet. Our leader wants them brought in alive. Go outside the shuttle and see if our transportation has arrived.”
The warrior DaAX grunted but left the shuttle.
Melody held HonORa’s hand. She had no idea who these men were or what they wanted with them.
The pilot stood to fight the warrior. The phaser went off and struck the pilot in the side.
“No!” HonORa got up and went to catch the pilot as he started to slide to the floor.
The warrior grabbed HonORa’s arm and was pulling her up. Melody began to get up, but her friend motioned for her to stay seated. HonORa turned on the warrior.
“You would dare to hurt a priestess of the Goddess KatieRI?”
The warrior finally realized who she was and released her. “I was told the shuttle was full of Earth females. Why is a Katieran priestess on board?”
She knelt down to try to stop the bleeding of the pilot. “I was on my way to Kiljor to help them open a new temple.”
The warrior ran a hand through his hair. “I did not know you weren’t an Earth female. I would never hit a Katieran female.”
“You should never hit a female—any female!” HonORa leaned down to the pilot. “Are you okay?”
Melody watched as the pilot whispered something in the priestess’s ear, and then he passed out. She prayed he wasn’t dead.
“Back to your seat, priestess.” The warrior made HonORa stand up and come back over to her seat. Then he went to check on his friend outside the shuttle.
When HonORa was sitting next to her once more, Melody leaned over and asked, “What did the pilot say to you?”
“He said that if we get a chance, to hit the blue button. It’s an emergency switch to autopilot that will return the shuttle back to Katiera.”
“Great, we just need the perfect opportunity, when the warriors are distracted.”
“I also grabbed his phaser.” HonORa opened her hand and showed Melody the weapon.
Melody took the weapon. She had to help save these women. “I’ll distract them while you make your way to the pilot’s seat.”
HonORa shook her head. “No, i
t’s too dangerous. Give me the phaser. I’ll handle it.”
“Out of the two of us I bet I’m the only one who knows how to use a weapon. HonORa, you know we have to save these women. Whatever it takes, we have to save them.”
“Not without you.”
She squeezed the other woman’s hand. Somehow, in just days, she had become closer to HonORa than to any of the women she had been living with for months. “I’ll be fine. I’m tough.”
Melody stood up and walked to the door of the shuttle. One warrior was outside while the other stood in the opening. He saw her and frowned.
“Get back to your seat.”
“I’ve just got a few questions. Who are you? Where are you taking us?”
“I said get back to your seat!” He went to grab her but she rushed him, hitting him square in the chest. They both fell out of the shuttle and rolled onto the ground.
She looked up from the place she landed. “Go HonORa! Now!” She watched as the shuttle door closed and started to lift off. The two warriors panicked, firing their weapons toward the shuttle but it had a type of force field protecting it. She felt relief that the others had gotten away. She was in a shit load of trouble, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
“Female! I am going to kill you!” The warrior she had attacked got to his feet and rushed at her furiously.
She scrambled to her feet and pulled the phaser out. She didn’t know what to push to make it work but she jabbed at everything. Then it let out several laser shots. Most of them missed him, then one shot got him in the head. He went down.
“Female, you are crazy!” The warrior named DaAX knocked the phaser out of her hand. He punched her in the face. She fell to the ground and he was on her before she could move. He began hitting her over and over. Melody thought she would die now, any minute. She wished she could have spent more time with her mother. She hoped that whatever afterlife there was, she would be reunited with her father. Daddy, I’ll see you soon.
*****
Purist Headquarters
StrykER came back from one of OrIN’s many pep rallies. OrIN was very influential and he played on people’s fears. Every time he tried to get into OrIN’s head, the male would turn the tables and throw something at him he didn’t expect. He had to admit he was a worthy adversary.
The people who came to the rallies surprised him. They weren’t anything like what he expected rebels to look like. They varied from the lowest class level of the minors to prestigious citizens of Kiljor and Katiera. There were a few he suspected came from the Colony. Mostly males came, but there were some females too. MarIK played on the female population.
“Your males are being taken over and controlled by the aliens that call themselves Earthlings. Your numbers are dying out because of them. These aliens want us to give them young so that they can take over our world. Are we going to let them do that?”
“No!” the crowd had roared.
From images he was receiving when he was close to the people from the mining community, he realized that most of them were at the rallies against their wills. OrIN had explained how he easily had taken over the community and how a few threats here and there kept the residents in place. He used the profits from the mining community to help fund his campaign.
StrykER locked the door to his room and dimmed the lights. Then he headed to the bathing room and removed his clothes. He turned on the shower and stepped inside the stall. He knelt down and removed a loose tile from the wall of the shower and pulled out his small digital tablet. He entered an encoded text message updating Commander TylOR on the information he had gained from OrIN’s supporters. He still didn’t know where the headquarters was located.
‘Message received.’
He was about to put his tablet away when he got an alert. He typed a response. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Shuttle of Earth females was attacked. One warrior dead and a female, Melody Song, was taken by the Purists.’
Oh Kitana! He hadn’t heard anything at the rally tonight so it must have just happened. The thought of what these Purists might do to a defenseless Earth female made him cringe. She might wish she was dead instead. He received a picture of the female.
‘Will keep a look out for her.’ He ended communications.
He stared at the female’s image. She was beautiful with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a face of a goddess. She was holding an instrument and singing. The expression on her face showed pain, which made him wonder what she was singing about.
He turned it off locking it so that only his code would open it, and then he hid his tablet back inside the wall. StrykER finished his shower, then went to bed knowing he would not sleep that night. He wouldn’t rest completely until he found out what happened to the female.
Chapter 5
She hurt all over. At least she was still alive. She listened to her captors argue over whether to treat her for her injuries. A breeze over her let her know two things. One was that she was outside somewhere. The second was that she was only wearing her underwear.
Melody tried to reach for her inner thighs to see if she had been taken advantage of while she was unconscious. It was a violation that was unforgivable. She knew of plenty of girls who had gone to bars and were slipped a rape date drug. It was one of the reasons she always brought bottled water with her from home. She never accepted any alcohol beverage from strangers.
She couldn’t tell if anything was different. Maybe she escaped that injustice. She took a peek to see where she was. Damn, it was too dark for her to see anything. All she knew was it wasn’t Katiera or Kiljor. She listened to the two males talking. One of them she recognized from the shuttle.
“Where are we supposed to take her?” DaAX asked.
“Leader OrIN ordered her taken directly to the medic room.”
DaAX snorted. “This female doesn’t deserve to be treated for injuries. She killed my friend.”
The other male chuckled. “I don’t think they have healing in mind for what they want to do to her. Maybe they’ll let you watch.”
“If she’s still living after they are done, maybe they’ll give her to me and I can exact my own vengeance on her for GerAL.”
“I’ll help you with that vengeance. She’s got an attractive body.”
Her relief at not being abused would be short lived if these two had anything to say about it. She had to find a way to free herself. She just needed an opportunity. She felt herself being lowered and then bright lights made her squint. She was being taken underground, but instead of the dim lighting she expected, she found it was well lit. Where the hell was she?
*****
StrykER walked into the small medic room and felt eyes following him. He was not fully accepted yet. They were watching his every move. He moved forward and did his best not to glance over at the female bound to the hard table. She had a sheet over her and she was shaking. Everything male in him demanded that he free her and protect her. If he did that right now, both of them would be dead in seconds. He had to bide his time until he could get the information that he needed. Then he would find a way to free the female.
He pretended to be bored. “Why do you keep the creature, Leader OrIN?”
“We’re going to prove to our people that these aliens that RendEL and his family brought here are dangerous to our people. Once they see that, I will have the support of the Katieran Nation to be able to remove RendEL from power.”
“What then?”
“We’ll purify our people by eradicating these Earth creatures. Then I will take my rightful place as Prime Leader.”
Goddess, this male was insane. He glanced over at MarIK, the commander for the Purist rebels. He looked unhappy with what was happening. When their eyes met, he quickly masked his dislike. There might be someone who didn’t believe everything that OrIN was preaching.
“What does your medic say?”
“Other than her eyes and senses, she is anatomically similar to our females.”
“She killed one of our warriors,” MarIK commented.
That surprised StrykER. “How?”
“She surprised one our warriors and shot him with a phaser.”
“I’m sorry about your warrior, but she couldn’t do that again. What do you plan to do with her?”
OrIN rubbed his chin. “I need to know everything. I told my lead medic he had free rein to perform whatever experiments he needed.”
“I could interrogate her first, if you like.”
OrIN didn’t look convinced.
MarIK spoke up. “Once she’s dead, she’ll be useless. She might have information we can use against the Katierans. Let him try, then give her over to the medics.”
OrIN turned to StrykER. “You have twenty-four hours to find out what she knows.”
“Yes, sir.” He knew OrIN liked his warriors to treat him with respect. It worked as a distraction.
The male puffed out his chest. “Let me know what you find out.” He turned to leave.
MarIK paused but didn’t look at StrykER. “When you go to medical, you should know that there are medical scopes in the drawer. Also, the cameras will be view only, no sound.”
StrykER didn’t respond to him but watched him and thought about what he said. He wasn’t sure if MarIK had a problem with OrIN’s views or he just didn’t like how the female was being treated. There was definitely dissension here that they might be able to use to their advantage. Whatever weakness they had, it was his job to find it and use it against them. First, he had to see about this female.
*****
Melody had never been so scared in her whole life, not even when she had a car wreck in high school and had to be rushed to the hospital. She was hurt but not scared because her mother had been there with her, holding her hand. What she wouldn’t give to have her mother with her now. No, no, she was glad her mother was safe back on Earth. No one should have to face what she was about to have to face.
The guy who looked like the medic kept poking and prodding her. When she wouldn’t answer his questions, he became even more intrusive.