Savior (The Inteli)

by Hazel Gower

  Opal had given up on trying to understand how the ship worked. She was sick of the looks she kept getting for some of her questions, one like, “Can I have a look at the power crystals? Can I touch one of the crystals? Could I have a go at pressing some of the buttons, or could I have a go at the screen that steers the ship?” At the last one the Inteli had looked at her like she was crazy. So right now she sat and took everything in, watching.

  Danickra sat in a large chair in the middle of command. It had a hole in the back so that his tail-hand came out of it and helped work the computers. She noticed all the chairs were like this and that most of the crew-members were yellow Inteli.

  Heather sat next to her, and she, too, studied their surroundings. They hadn’t been back to the command room since they were told why they were taken. Thinking of that day Opal wondered what had happened to Uvinya and Dannina. She couldn’t see them in this room.

  “Danickra, where are Uvinya and Dannina? I haven’t seen them since they explained everything?”

  He turned to her and reached over, stroking her hair. “They thought it best they stay away while you were upset with them.”

  She nodded. It was a smart idea because Opal had been angry. “But it’s been a while. Surely they don’t think Heather and I are still upset?”

  Danickra lifted his massive shoulders. “They probably haven’t realized it’s been so long. They’re scientists and get lost in their work sometimes.”

  “Do they have a lab? Can I visit them and see what they do?” Danickra seemed reluctant to answer her. He kept looking behind her to Salamanda, who had Heather on his lap.

  Finally, he cleared his throat, and his eyes looked her up and down, hardening. “Opal, you will never go to their labs. And, if they invite you, you will say no. Actually I forbid you to go anywhere with Uvinya and Dannina without me.”

  Shocked at the steel in his voice, she shot a glance at Heather. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung opened in an O shape. Heather’s face mirrored what her own must look like. Biting her lip, a voice in her head told her to leave it at that and not argue with the big alien, to tell him when they were alone that he wouldn’t get to forbid her to do anything. It didn’t work.

  “May I ask why?”

  Opal could see his jaw move in a grinding motion. His eyes narrowed. “Unless you want to be one of their experiments I’d stay way. They deal with dangerous stuff, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re so little and fragile.”

  Opal rolled her eyes. She was anything but little and fragile. She’d been teased her whole life for being chubby. In primary school, when they started to get into fights over the kids teasing her and Heather, they had both gotten hurt. They had decided to learn karate to help defend themselves, but since they were foster kids, they didn’t have money to pay. So they negotiated that they would tidy up before and after class and do some odd chores if they could be taught. Heather and she were both black belts, and as soon as they got a job they joined other classes. It kept them away from whatever home they were in and out of trouble.

  “I’m not little, or as fragile as you think. However, since you feel so strongly about me not going anywhere alone with them I’ll stay away. I would like to see them again and have a talk now I’ve had time to think.” She smiled as innocently as possible.

  He let out a loud breath. “Fine. I will organize for them to come in a day or two to meet here.”

  Opal grinned, and told herself she would have to find a pen and paper so she can write down her questions for the women, because there were some questions a woman couldn’t ask a man.

  Turning back to watch the men’s tail-hands and claws fly over the screens, she stood and got closer to two men with a big screen between them charting the dots. She wanted to learn something, do something to help. Opal looked up and stared out at the universe. She was going to earn learn something so she could have a job.

  ****

  Okay, she needed to talk to someone besides Heather. It had been almost a week since Cavlar had become her guard, and he was driving her insane. All he did was follow her about. He never spoke. No matter what she did to him or what she said, he said nothing.

  Most Inteli were scared to come near her. She had once snuck away and was talking to a nice green Inteli about records being put into the computer about Earth, or fixing something so her iPod would work. He was telling her the best person to talk to is Trecno their technology guy. The green Inteli had started giving her directions but froze when he saw a furious Cavlar coming towards her.

  Opal needed women with power, women who knew how to handle Inteli men, because Opal wasn’t getting anywhere with any Inteli men. She’d tried talking to Danickra again, but he got within arm’s length of her and all he wanted to do was make love. She’d had it. She was going to make Danickra listen to her. Opal needed to talk to those women she’d first met, Dannina and Uvinya.

  Chapter Ten

  His little human had guts. It had been a week since she gained Cavlar as a protector. The only time she spent in their quarters now was when she slept, or when he went in search of her and carried her into their room for some love-making.

  This morning she’d been in one of her moods. Humans, he was learning, were very moody beings. He’d awoken to Opal pacing.

  “What is wrong?” Danickra got out of bed and wrapped his arms around her stopping her pacing.

  “No more stalling, Danickra. I need to see Dannina and Uvinya.”

  Danickra had known he couldn’t hold her off talking to Dannina and Uvinya any longer. He worried they would experiment on Opal or tell her things he wasn’t ready for Opal to know yet about their bond. Nodding, he turned her and kissed her. “Fine. After lunch came to command and they will be there.”

  She’d smiled up at him and showed him how happy she was with him by making love to him. Now though she and Heather sat on either side of him staring at Dannina and Uvinya, who sat across the table as they had when Opal had first meet them.

  “We have so many questions to ask you.” Opal said. “I would have liked to have talked in private, but Danickra thinks as soon as you get Heather and me alone, you’ll try to dissect us.”

  Danickra watched as Uvinya and Dannina grinned and eyed Opal and Heather. “We couldn’t dissect you, as we need you whole to conceive young.”

  Opal gasped, and her eyes widened. Her hand sought his and she squeezed. “Oh, um, have you taken a human before and studied them, or are we the first experiment?”

  “You are our first for a good century or so,” Dannina said as she eyed Opal. “Humans have evolved a bit from what I’ve seen, and we’ve learnt from your satellites. I have watched the ships’ archives and see you are still very moody creatures.”

  “You had no right to look at the archives. I did not give you permission,” he snarled at Dannina.

  “Boy, you need to watch how you speak to me. You may be the most feared Inteli with your control and brutality, but you cannot command me. I have a good three hundred years on you.”

  “Oh my God,” Opal whispered.

  “Holy fucking shit,” Heather mumbled.

  Opal let go of his hand and stood facing him. “How old are you?

  He debated what to say. He knew from the information they had humans only lived, if they were lucky, to ninety. “I am two hundred, still very young.”

  Opal went white and turned to Dannina. “And you?”

  Dannina sat tall and proud. “Five hundred and thirty-three.”

  Salamanda walking to their table, and Heather stood and asked him the same question, joining Opal as he answered. Together they backed up towards the exit of the room.

  “We don’t live that long. Do you plan in fifty or so years to get new humans? What will happens when we can’t produce babies anymore? God, if we can do it at all,” Opal murmured. She shut her eyes, and Danickra stood.

  “We have a way for you to live as long as us. We hope it works on you. It should, your anatomy is sim
ilar to ours. From the information we got you have a lot more eggs than we do. So the Nanos will keep you in peak condition, including your precious eggs and young-making skills.”

  “Shit,” Heather swore again. “And here you were embarrassed about asking about pads and tampons, Opal, as we’re due for our period soon. So the Nanos will keep us alive longer and keep us in peak condition?”

  Uvinya came and stood next him. She grabbed the girls and dragged them back to their seats. “Sit. We will answer all your questions, but you must sit and listen. And yes, this is what the Nanos should do.”

  They both nodded, and Opal this time sat next to Heather and moved her body away from Danickra’s.

  “Why won’t the Nanos fix you and your women so you can have children?” Heather asked.

  Dannina sighed. “We’ve messed with them too much, and they think what we are now is our peak.”

  “Then why take them?” Opal looked between Uvinya and Dannina.

  “Because our species would die out before we could find a cure or repopulate.” Danickra could hear the hopelessness in Dannina’s voice.

  “When we turn thirty we drink the Nanos down, and they help keep us young and alive. They do die, but we keep them active by drinking from our mates and swapping blood.” Uvinya flashed her sharp teeth at Opal and Heather.

  Danickra glanced at Opal to see her touching her neck and shoulder, and then her fingertips rested on her lips. “You’ve bitten me before, Danickra, and you forced something for me to drink. Was that your blood?”

  He clenched his fist unsure if he should tell her what he’d done. This was why he didn’t want Opal to talk to Dannina and Uvinya. For the first time in his life he was truly terrified, and he didn’t like the feeling. Straightening his shoulders, he unclenched his fist, reached over and pulled Opal onto his lap, and held her to him. She struggled for a moment trying to get off him, but he wasn’t letting her go.

  “Yes. I did give you my blood, and I took yours. It changed your smell. That’s how everyone knew we were mated, as you call it on Earth, married. The mate bond we have is stronger than your marriage. We have no divorce. The exchange of blood also helps me to know where you are.” He cupped her face. “You are special, my Opal. We are not just mates but true mates. This gives us extra advantages, like not only can I tell where you are but I should feel if you are in danger, or lost. My planet may be a lot like yours in some ways, but in others it’s a lot different. There are more dangers as everything is larger. We—”

  Tarik, his second in command, interrupted him. “We have an enemy ship approaching.”

  Danickra told everyone to get back to their posts. The other eight clan leaders rushed in and to their sections.

  A buzzing sounded around them as the ship shook. Danickra held Opal tight to him and turned in his seat to yell at his men to divert everything to their shields.

  He turned back to see Salamanda moving Heather to sit on his lap, second and third in command on either side of him.

  Zinoro came up to him, leaned over and whispered. “The Doomickro are hailing us. We need to get the women out of sight.”

  “Why are they over this far in the galaxy?” Danickra asked, not expecting an answer.

  Zinoro shook his head. “I don’t know, and I don’t like it. They are ready for a fight. We are not within the treaty zone. I’m really worried that if they find out about the women we will have a lot more problems.”

  Danickra nodded. “We need to get the women to a safe place. Olrica is in the laboratory, and I hate to say this, but it is the safest place.”

  Zinoro’s eyes widened, and he glanced at the women. “You are willing to let your youmnda be with that….” His voice became so low Danickra strained to hear it “dicks-head, crazy Inteli. She might not survive what he will do to her.”

  “I have to trust that this is the safest place to hide her from the Doomickros.”

  Opal groaned in his arms. “I can hear you. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for twenty something years. I’m not as breakable or defenseless as you think. I can help y-”

  Tarik yelled, cutting Opal off. “Shields up. Impact in three, two, one.”

  Danickra’s tail flew forward to help keep his balance. This time the Earth women screamed. Danickra kept a hold of Opal, noticing her looking around and her skin turning white.

  Danickra looked around him at the chaos and knew he had to stop stalling, but he was scared. He’d never had anything worth losing. The woman in his arms was too important to him and the whole Inteli race.

  Feeling like he was going soft, he growled, “I have no time to baby any of you.” He turned with Opal still in his arms to Heather, Uvinya, and Dannina. “We need to get you out of here. I don’t want the enemy to know we have women onboard.”

  He stood and placed Opal on the floor next to him. “Dannina, I don’t want Heather and Opal to go to the laboratory near Olrica. We’ll take them to your cabin and brace for light speed. I am going to try to lose them in warp.”

  Two more blasts hit the ship causing it to shake. Sirens went off around him, and Salamanda picked up a screaming Heather and ran to the exit. Danickra followed suit grabbing Opal and yelling, “We need to get them secure in case gravity gives out. We will put them in your room, Salamanda, instead of the labs as it is closest to central command.”

  Cavlar came through the doors and straight to him. Danickra eyed him, knowing his loyalty would be put to the test. “I trust I don’t have to ask you if you are willing to still do this Cavlar.”

  Cavlar looked at Opal, and he smiled. “Clan leader, I will protect her with my life.”

  Danickra nodded and stood in front of Opal knowing Cavlar was at her back.

  Salamanda, already ahead of him, was sliding the panel doors open and running down the halls towards his quarters. Once there he opened his door. Danickra watched as Heather was placed in the middle of the bed and strapped in. He did the same with Opal setting her next to her friend.

  Cupping Opal’s face in his hands, he wiped the water leaking from her eyes. “I will never let anything happen to you. You will be safe here. Cavlar will be guarding the door.” Kissing both cheeks and lingering on her mouth he made sure there was a gravity system around the bed and checked the spare oxygen just in case they needed it.

  Uvinya and Dannina came in and sat next to them telling the women that they would stay and answer their questions and keep them company.

  Catching Opal’s gaze he narrowed his eyes on her. “Stay where you are. If something does go wrong, stay out of sight no matter what happens and don’t leave this room.”

  Opal nodded in jerky movements, and Danickra backed out of the room focusing his attention on her. She seemed caught in his stare, unable to move or blink. He had never seen eyes that showed so much emotion, scared, confused, and frustrated, all at once. He wondered if all humans were like this. Shaking his head he told himself he had to focus on the problem at hand. He could ask Opal about her people after they were safe.

  The ship shook with another hit as he ran back to the command. Everyone was getting ready in battle gear, helmets, and belts so they could add the different light-swords. Danickra went to Zinoro to find out what he’d missed. “What is going on?”

  Zinoro grinned, and Danickra noted that his eyes were filled with mischief and excitement. “Finally I’m going to do something fun on this trip. We are going to beam on board the Doomickro ship and kill as many as we can.” Chuckling, Zinoro punched him on the arm. “You will be the one missing out on all of the fun.” Zinoro pulled out from behind his back his light-sword. “I feel sorry for you. You have to stay here whilst I get to go aboard the ship and have all of the fun. But not to worry. We all know you are still number one leader and the best fighter, so we’re not worried you’ll go soft.”

  Danickra snarled at Zinoro, who grinned as he continued.

  “Don’t want to put any pressure on you, but the big thing is you do have a youmnda,
and you are the first male to mate in over forty years.”

  Danickra was speechless. He didn’t know how to respond. He watched the first Green Clan beam out and so on. It wasn’t until he was alone with his own clan and crew that he realized the significance of what Zinoro had said. Not only was he the first Inteli to mate with a human, he was also the first Inteli to mate in the last forty years. He stood shocked until another shot rocked the ship. Turning, he growled out his instructions.

  ****

  Opal sat stunned on the bed afraid to move. Maybe she should be screaming, but something was different. She didn’t feel like a kidnapped victim abducted by aliens and now about to be abducted by different aliens. She felt the ship shake again as the lights went out, and Heather squealed and grabbed her hand holding it tight.

  “Gravity has gone, so make sure you keep hold of the bed.” Dannina patted them. “It’s not always like this. This is the first attack in about—oh what do you know? Oh no I remember, years, yes years. They haven’t attacked in a century since the treaty was signed.”

  Uvinya growled. “Don’t worry about your planet. It is safe in the universe. It is too far away from the Doomickro. And they don’t bother about our planet anymore thanks to our special force field. We also have better weapons. Now I think about it, you, my dear girl,” Uvinya pointed at her. “Will be one of the most pampered and safest women in the universe. Danickra’s clan owns the weapons company, and he builds our ships.”

  She paused and seemed to freeze and then spoke again, but it was so slow and Opal could barely hear it. She caught snippets. “Ambush … down … shields sixty percent … boarding … fight.” The last had Opal the most worried as she had seen what the Doomickro that were attacking the ship looked like.

  Leaning over to Heather Opal whispered in her ear. “Something is going on. I can’t hear what they’re saying, can you?”