Savage Alien

by Stella Sky

  My heart leaped to my throat, and I froze, my eyes wildly seeking the space around us for danger. The last time that Kecha’s voice had spoken with such urgency, I had nearly been obliterated by a fireball hurled from one of the most horrifying creatures I had ever seen.

  “What is it?” I whispered hoarsely, unable to detect any immediate threats. I was frozen still though, unwilling to put myself in danger.

  “Come! Look!”

  My mind began to relax, but my body was still reeling from the adrenalizing promise of danger. I walked shakily to Kecha, who was kneeling in the dirt and peering down at the ground, his face stunned.

  “It’s a piece of metal,” I said frowning, crouching beside Kecha and reaching out to touch it. The surface was cool and smooth, and soon we were working together to dig it out.

  “Do you see this symbol?” Kecha asked, his voice nearly manic with excitement now. “This is a piece of my ship! The rest must be nearby somewhere! We’re saved!”

  My heart began to pound in excitement, and we began to dig faster, fueled by the hysteric giddiness that had somehow begun to consume us both. All this time we had been searching in the wrong direction, and now we were finally getting somewhere. This was proof. Proof that getting home was still an option. I could be safe. I could return to Earth.

  “This…this was the wing tip,” Kecha said once we had uncovered the majority of it. “But it has broken. The rest of it shouldn’t be too far off, but we will need to keep searching. It is something we can fix easily if we just find the rest of the ship!”

  Kecha laughed out loud, a pleasant sound that seemed to come from his entire body. It was mesmerizing to see him so happy; it was an emotion he hadn’t been prone to experiencing during our long journey together. But now, both of us were ecstatic, and we sat on the ground together laughing as if we were nearly about to lose our minds. I had never been so relieved in all of my life. There was the possibility of escape now. Everything I had been worried I would lose was going to be all right. And I had this amazing alien man to thank for it. He was incredible. I owed him my life.

  Suddenly, the thought that he was going to deposit me back on Earth and I was never going to see him again made me feel unbelievably sad. I looked at his handsome, happy face and wished for nothing more than the opportunity to stay by his side for as many days as we could possibly manage it. It seemed so cruel that we should have been born on separate planets, to different species, and that we would never see each other again after I was deposited back to my own planet. What was going to happen to the strange but powerful bond that we had shared? Where on Earth was I ever going to find a man who compared to him, either as a lover or as a protector?

  And yet, I knew there was no other option. I had to return to my home planet. Whether I liked it or not, no bond was stronger than the one I shared with the land where I had been created and had spent the most important and formative years of my life. But it would have been nice if maybe that bond could have been shared with someone like the man who had guarded my life so fiercely that for the first time, I felt like a truly important person…

  “Alice!”

  My heart leaped into my throat at the sound of Mary’s voice. She ran toward me and embraced me, and I looked around, shocked to see my entire Research team surrounding us. “We thought you had died! I could have sworn that…that thing caught you!”

  “The Jorgan,” I said, pulling away from Mary. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the physical attention, and although Mary and I had been friendly, the truth was that we had never actually been friends.

  “What?” Mary asked, tilting her head in confusion.

  “It’s called a Jorgan. I met someone who…”

  “Human. Who is this?”

  Suddenly, the group of women were pulling out makeshift weapons and getting themselves into a fighting stance, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

  “Stop, it’s okay!” I shouted, stepping between the mob and Kecha. The last thing I wanted to see was a lynching.

  “We have made it a rule not to associate with anybody on this planet!”

  Lauren’s voice grated on me instantly, and once again I remembered just how much I didn’t miss my peer group from Earth. Everything seemed to be a play for dominance, especially with Lauren.

  “Well, you can take your rules and shove it!” I exclaimed. “I wasn’t there with you, and I know who I can trust.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Lauren asked, narrowing her eyes at Kecha. “Nothing on this planet is trustworthy. Every single confrontation we have had has been a fight!”

  “Well, that’s bad for you, but I have my own life. And I don’t need to be a part of any group that follows your lead!” I exclaimed.

  Everyone seemed taken aback by this, even Kecha, who was clearly expecting me to join the human ranks once more. He seemed shocked that I would choose to stay with him over my own people, and to be honest, even I was a little bit surprised.

  “Alice, think about what you’re saying…” Mary whispered.

  But I was done listening. “I want you all to leave me alone and stay out of my life. I mean it!”

  Mary seemed hurt, which made me feel a little bit guilty, but there was no helping it now. The last thing I wanted now, or ever, was to take orders from Lauren or any other human for as long as I lived.

  “All right, human, let us go now then,” Kecha said, taking me by the arm. He gazed at each and every woman in my group, his multicolored eyes flashing menacingly. “And if any of you humans comes anywhere near my human, you will live to regret it.”

  And with that, he led me away, leading all of us to wonder what the implications of his words meant and what this might mean when it came to my relationship with my own kind.

  Chapter 6

  Commander Kecha Thornax

  “Those lousy, no good…”

  Alice kicked at the dirt, furious, and yet something about her behavior made me chuckle inwardly. She was fuming, angry at her people, but there was something more that contributed to my already incredible mood. She was implying that she didn’t want anything to do with her kind, and for some reason, that made my claim on her all the stronger. She had chosen me over them. And knowing that felt deeply satisfying.

  Elation had taken hold of me, and the human and I glided through the forest like soldiers on a mission, each of us carefully combing through the foliage to seek out the glittering fragments of my lost ship. It was exciting to work together alongside Alice. She had a quick, intelligent mind, and I felt sure that, should I bring her back to Yala with me, she would help to repopulate my declining race with quirky and intelligent beings that would ultimately help to make the universe a better place. With our genetics combined, everything was bound to be wonderful.

  In a way, it was a relief not to find too many clues because that meant that the whole thing might be lying somewhere mostly intact. However, every time one of us found something, it was a new reason to celebrate, and our giddy laughter would echo through the forest, sometimes attracting unwanted attention, and other times simply causing us immense relief.

  “Kecha! Come here! Quickly!”

  The human and I had been up uncharacteristically early that morning, and so I was feeling a little bit sluggish. Truth be told, I was sorely lacking in sleep, as it had been my duty to stay up and protect the human through the night. Although I managed to nap at times when we stopped for meal breaks, and occasionally allowed myself the chance to rest my eyes while acting as the lookout, it had still taken its toll on me, and I was feeling more uncoordinated than I had ever felt in my life.

  “What is it, human?”

  “He looks like you,” Alice whispered.

  Her voice sounded strange, and I stepped forward to peer over her shoulder (which wasn’t hard to do considering she was at least two heads shorter than I was). I gasped at the sight before me. A Raither man was lying on his stomach on the ground, his eyes closed and his skin pale. I knew at
first glance that he was dead.

  What killed him appeared to be the force of impact, and I crouched down, reaching out just short of touching his face. He was a man from my crew, one who had been relatively new. I let out a loud shout of anger and grief, then stood, storming through the forest to get away from the scene.

  “Kecha, wait! Where are you—”

  “Stay back, human! I need to be alone right now!”

  I felt bad when I looked back at the human, whose beautiful features now wore a wounded look, but her feelings were inconsequential now. the first and only Raither man I had found was dead. That meant that the others were probably nearby as well, probably just as dead as the man we had just found.

  “Good to see you again, Commander.”

  I froze, nearly afraid to turn around to face the source of the voice that had come from behind me in case I was suffering from a psychotic break.

  “Baarda…?” I whispered, my voice deep and grating on my own ears.

  “Yes,” Baarda said, stepping in front of me and gripping my shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “We have been waiting for you.”

  A sudden wave of relief crashed over my entire body, and I nearly fell to the ground, overcome by my exhaustion. But I had to keep up appearances in front of my crew, no matter how tired and drained by emotion I was.

  “Where are the others? How many have survived? And the ship?”

  Baarda smiled, his face kind and familiar and comforting.

  “The others are safe. All but poor Jorgan. He had suffered quite a terrible fall. Come. We must go before dark. That is when the Yegen come out to hunt.”

  My chest tightened. The Yegen were formidable foes to be certain, and it would be best for all of us to avoid their wrath.

  “Yes, let us go. Come: I must fetch the human.”

  Baarda looked surprised for a moment but knew better than to speak back to me, and we turned back toward the direction we had come from so that I could fetch Alice and take her back to wherever it was that my crew was waiting for my return.

  ***

  “Kecha…Kecha, it is time to wake up. Baarda asked me to come and fetch you. They are going to share an evening meal.”

  I opened my eyes reluctantly, but when I did, I found that my body was well rested and feeling stronger than it had been in all the time since we had arrived on this planet. The fruits and berries we had been eating were enough to keep us alive, but they had lacked the essential vitamins and minerals that were necessary for keeping Raithers like myself fit and agile.

  I gazed at the human, who now also had a healthy, ruddy glow on her cheeks, and smiled sleepily.

  “They really made themselves at home here, didn’t they?” I asked, sitting up and stretching widely. I could feel the human’s gaze upon my bare torso, and when I caught her eye, the flush that reddened her cheeks brought a deep heat to my loins. But this was neither the time nor the place to explore my confounding claim on this creature. I would have to do my best to hide my feelings for her, for her own safety. The crew already seemed suspicious of my interest in any being found on this planet, and the last thing I needed was mutiny on my hands.

  “They did. And it’s kind of creepy how they just left that poor Raither lying out there…”

  “It makes sense, though,” I said, pulling my shirt back on over my head and rousing myself out of the comfortable cot. “It deters any of these creatures with an aversion to the scent of death. It is a tactic we learned in training long ago; any man’s death can ultimately prove meaningful.”

  “I still think it’s creepy,” Alice said with a small shrug.

  I grinned despite myself, and before long we were sitting in front of a huge, billowing fire surrounded by most of the members of my crew. Only a few had disappeared entirely, which was good news. I had been fearing the worst, thinking everybody may have been scattered throughout the planet at the mercy of a disjointed fate. Fortunately, most of the crew had remained in the ship as it plummeted to the ground and survived.

  The ship itself had survived the impact surprisingly well, though no matter how hard the men tried they were not able to repair it. Our supplies were still there, providing luxurious sleeping arrangements and a meal selection that nearly made me wrought with emotion upon indulging. It felt like home in a way, and the men had made a kind of base out of the ship, putting together a highly fortified encampment around the ship to keep it safe and provide the crew with shelter and security.

  I hadn’t slept so soundly and woken up so rested since I had been a child. But now that I was rested, the pull to get ourselves off this planet was stronger than ever before. We could not live here, and I was the commander. It was up to me to make sure my men were able to find a way back to our home planet. It was time to take charge.

  “All right, listen up,” I said, setting my food aside and standing before the fire. The crew all looked up from where they were eating; probably about thirty-five Raithers in all, each of them staring at me as if they had been waiting all this time for me to assume the lead once more. “Although the ship has not been able to be repaired as of yet, I still want a group of twelve men working on the engine, six men working on the skeleton, and the rest of you need to make your primary concern the radio. If we can’t make the ship work, we can at least contact our planet for help.”

  “With all due respect, Commander,” Baarva said, “But we have already made the radio a priority. It doesn’t work. The frequencies are stunted by the atmosphere of the planet. The Federation made sure that no communication could be made in or out.”

  I frowned, my mind racing for any possible way to overcome this barrier. Surely there was a way.

  “Did you try the code?” I asked.

  “What code?”

  “Oh gred. The code,” I growled, hurrying into the ship and running to the control panel. Baarva and a handful of other Raithers followed me inside, where I typed the code to the Federation’s mainframe into the dashboard. The radio crackled, the static interference making me anxious. It didn’t work.

  I growled in frustration and pounded the code in once again, determined to reach someone who might be able to send for help. Anyone.

  After another few moments of silence, I sighed. It was futile.

  “What code is that, Commander?” Baarva asked once it became painfully clear that my plan had failed.

  “I was entrusted with a direct link to the Resha Federation. But clearly, it is useless here.”

  The disappointment on their faces was palpable, and made me, once again, feel like a terrible leader.

  “We will find a way out of here. Don’t worry. This is a planet that is meant for those who deserve punishment. We are noble warriors of Yala, and we will return in the favor of our superiors.”

  “Yes,” Barvaa agreed. The others nodded their heads, and we began to make our way out of the control room.

  “Commander Thornax.”

  I froze, my chest growing tight at the quiet but commanding female’s voice coming from the dash. I rushed back to it.

  “Yes!”

  “Why are your coordinates in the Black Zone? Is everything all right?”

  “No, no. Nothing is all right. Our ship crashed on the planet Hexa. We’ve lost a few crew members, and the ship is out of commission. We need someone from Yala to come retrieve us before it is too late. Can you please pass the message along to the Heatham?”

  “Of course, Commander Thornax. How drastic is your situation?”

  “We are surviving,” I said, unable to keep the relief out of my voice. “But it would be best for my crew to be able to leave as soon as possible.”

  “What are your coordinates?”

  I glanced down at the device on my wrist and read the coordinates out to the dispatch, all in a daze. I could hardly believe that I had actually located my crew, and my ship, and that help was on the way. I had never given up hope, but the truth was that the odds had been stacked against us. Thankfully, there was a ch
ance for the survivors to thrive back on our home planet.

  “All right, Commander. We will be in touch. Take care out there.”

  The radio cut out and we were left in silence in the control room. I took a deep breath and beamed out at the small crowd that had followed me in. They were looking at me as if I had just performed some kind of miracle, and I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit caught up in the magic of what had just happened.

  “Well,” I said, finally, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice as I addressed the men. “It looks like we have some celebrating to do.”

  ***

  The next day went by quickly. The crew, including myself, was still working hard on repairing the ship, but it seemed impossible. The radio was manned by Baarva, who was adamant about keeping in close contact with the Resha Federation. A ship had been deployed as soon as my message had been received and processed by the board, and we had been informed that a small carrier vessel was on the way.

  The larger ships took longer to prepare for launch, and the Raithers, though fierce and powerful when need be, preferred to proceed in delicate matters with caution. They wanted to know my impressions of the planet and the best way to go about a rescue mission without rousing the suspicion of thousands of bloodthirsty alien criminals who might attempt to sabotage our mission and hijack our crafts into space to use for the purpose of utter destruction.

  This meant that the majority of my crew would have to be left behind on the cruel prison planet while I instructed the Federation on how best to proceed with the rescue. It was going to be a delicate mission if ever there was one. The most dangerous and vicious creatures in the universe found themselves on Hexa, and it was shocking that any of us had survived even this long. Fortunately, my race had a vast knowledge of the life present in the universe, and that was the only thing we had to keep the monsters at bay.

  “So, you guys are going home?” Alice asked me, once I had returned for the night to the small bunk we had been sharing. The crew had reluctantly welcomed her, though she was treated with suspicion and kept at arm’s length. She had been spending most of her time in our cabin, avoiding the glares and whispers. I was going to have to talk to the crew about what she was doing there with me, but first I was going to have to figure it out myself.