by Maia Starr
There was so much we could learn from the alien races out in the universe that I was shocked and outraged by the way the male scientists on Earth were given an exclusive allowance to travel the galaxy. Then again, after being abducted from Earth and dumped on this hellish prison planet because human females were incompatible with Petchuvian males, to the point where the male that had attempted to mate with one of us had been killed by it, and we were left here to rot. Females were highly valued throughout the galaxy, and even I had to admit that we were safer on our own home planet, no matter how intriguing the rest of the universe happened to be.
I was hard at work, happily putting a piece of the engine back into the place where it belonged, when I froze, the sound of heavy metallic footsteps startling me out of my trance.
“What are you doing, human?”
I sighed in frustration, knowing that now that I had been caught, I was probably never going to get another chance to finish my task with free reign of this burly alien man’s tools at my disposal.
“I’m doing exactly what I told you I would do and fixing up the engine of this ship. That isn’t obvious to you?”
“I see what you are doing, human,” the Raither growled. “But I also see what it is that you are doing so with. Those are my tools! I did not give you permission to touch my tools!”
For the first time, I found myself considering just how dangerous it was for me to be willing to provoke the temper of one of the mighty Raithers. They were a powerful warrior race, and I had been learning more and more about them since living on their spacecraft. I hadn’t really taken the threat of living with Zern seriously, but now that I could see his multicolored eyes flashing in fury at me, I felt suddenly very nervous.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would mind,” I lied, stepping forward cautiously and holding the tool out to him. He snatched it gruffly out of my hand, and I winced, half expecting him to go off on me. I was surprised when he went calmly to his tool pouch and placed it in its rightful place.
“I had read that humans were dense, especially when it comes to the laws of respect and space, so I will take the fault for this myself this time and explain to you the ways of my people so there are no other misunderstandings. What belongs to a Raither stays with that Raither. It is not to be touched or tampered with by anybody else. That applies to everything: from my tools to this ship.
“If anybody knew about you being here, we would both be in trouble. So you need to heed my warnings and understand my kind. I am not trying to harm you. I am simply going to have to release you out into the wild of this planet. It is where you belong now. That is nothing I have to do with, nor can I help you out of this sad fate.”
I felt a sad, agonized tremor in my chest at the mention of being kicked off of the ship. I hadn’t even finished making progress on the engine, though at this point it was really more something I was doing on principle: a puzzle to keep my tired, terrified mind from absolutely losing all touch with reality.
“I never asked you for your help,” I spat, stalking past the Raither and heading back to the room I had claimed as my own. It was shocking how much his words hurt, as if maybe I had been hoping that this alien would be my way off this horrible planet. I could feel his gaze heavy on my back as I marched down the corridor and found myself back in my bedroom.
I sank down onto the cot and sighed heavily. I should never have messed with his tools. I was giving him a terrible interpretation of humanity for one thing. But more than that, it was just painful to be reminded that this comfortable little situation I had found myself in with him was going to come to an end sooner rather than later. I wasn’t ready for that.
The engine I had been wasting so much time fantasizing about finishing so I could get the hell off this planet was going to be disassembled and taken back to Yala on a different ship—not repaired and flown all the way to Earth, where I would finally be able to get my life back and share all of the amazing information I had learned from the planet Hexa with the people of Earth.
I was startled out of my thoughts by the sound of Zern coming back toward my room. I heard him hesitate outside the door before punching in an override code that let him open the doorway.
“That’s pretty rude of you, you know,” I said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. His handsome face was drawn and concerned, and he sighed, lowering himself beside me onto the cot.
“Rude?”
“Yeah. You talk about how humans have issues with boundaries and space, but you just come into my sleeping quarters without even asking. That’s rude. Humans wouldn’t do that.”
“But it is my ship now. You have no right to be here in the first place. You have no space on this ship. None of it belongs to you.”
I gaped at him, shocked by the nerve of this Raither, and yet when I met his eyes, he was being completely sincere. He wasn’t trying to upset me or make me angry or be an asshole. He legitimately did not understand my claim to privacy on his ship. I sighed.
“Whatever, Zern,” I said with a sigh. “I guess we will never really understand each other.”
He looked at me then, a piercing look that held me captive and nearly gave away the forbidden burning feeling this bizarre Raither always seemed to stir within me. I was trapped in the intensity of his shimmering, multicolored eyes, captivated as he stared me down, his expression impossible for me to read.
“It is not necessary for a Raither and a human to understand each other,” he said finally, though there was a heaviness to his voice that nearly made me want to hold him close to me and reassure him. Over what, I had no idea. “The important thing here is for me to get this ship disassembled and get back to my planet before I am persecuted for not doing my job properly.”
“Why would they persecute you? None of the other Raithers are brave enough to do what you are doing,” I said.
It was too late to keep back the words, and he turned to me slowly.
“My work is my own business, as are the dealings of my planet and the Raithers. You would do well to stay out of it.”
Zern stood, his powerful body crowding the room, and then he glanced at me from over his shoulder as he turned to leave.
“You have only two days left before you must leave this ship. Are you prepared for that?”
My heart sank at the news. The gleam in his eye showed me that he was serious, and there was going to be no changing his mind this time. No matter how much I wanted to cling to the safety of this ship as my shelter, those days were soon going to pass, and I was going to have no choice but to find somewhere else to live, whether it cost me my life or not.
Chapter 3
Captain Zern Krechan
“You mean you don’t like it? This one is my favorite,” Lila said to me, her beautiful green eyes studying me closely. “I thought for sure you’d enjoy it this time.”
I shook my head firmly. “Raither foods are best left prepared by Raithers,” I told her, taking another bite of her concoction. I had to admit that she had a skill when it came to preparing these impromptu meals, but it was nothing like I was used to enjoying at home, on my own planet. It was the food and the food alone that I enjoyed about Yala at this point. I could never rely on my company or other fellow Raithers to make my presence there worthwhile. Still, the human didn’t need to know that.
“Fine, Mr. Picky,” Lila said, grabbing my plate from me quickly. “Try this then.”
I was surprised when my food was replaced with a helping of leftovers from the night before. She had remembered that I liked them, apparently, and had saved them just for me in case I didn’t like her effort at cooking that evening.
“Thank you,” I said, without meeting her eye.
“You’re welcome,” she said, her tone slightly mocking.
And yet there was a hint of laughter in her voice. We continued to eat quietly. It was strange how comfortable this little domestic routine had become between us, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly. I liked this human, against
all of my better instincts. We had always heard about how greedy and selfish that race had been, and although a few had made themselves at home on my planet, they were still viewed with suspicion. And for a good reason, as far as I was concerned.
And yet, spending time with this human seemed to inspire feelings of pleasure with me, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was hard to hold my happiness back, but that was what I was meant to do. I was a Raither. A Raither was not meant to bond in that way.
“What is it, Zern?”
I looked at the human, who was staring at me pensively. Raither men rarely showed their emotion on their face, all but the most confident and arrogant of them, and even then, all they showed was their mirth. I had been raised to keep my emotions to myself: not to speak or express them. And yet somehow everybody seemed to sense what I was thinking or feeling without my ever saying so. It was a part of what had made me an outcast.
“It is nothing. I am just thinking about how I am going to make sure you are off this ship in time for me to do my job properly.”
I knew that it was a cold thing to say, especially when we had been enjoying ourselves so much during the meal. The crestfallen look on her face nearly made me hate myself. But it was my duty to make sure that everything was going according to plan. The sooner I got my job done, the sooner I could leave.
“You really want me gone that badly, huh?” Lila asked, frowning down at her food. I wanted to say no, that I had enjoyed having her company with me throughout this time, and in a way, I was actually looking forward to seeing her succeed when it came to fixing the engine of the ship. If she fixed it, then my people would probably find my mission to be even more successful than they had originally hoped for it to be. Perhaps it would help me get back in good standing with the Raither army.
“You already know that it is my duty and my goal to complete this task as quickly as possible. I don’t see why you are surprised about this. It is just the way that it is.”
Again, I cringed at my own coldness, knowing that humans were delicate and sensitive creatures, whether they like to pretend they weren’t or not. This human was going to be very upset, if she wasn’t already. I was only making it worse. And to make matters worse, she was going to be cast out of the safety of the ship and left on this planet to fend for herself forever. There was no point in getting to know her or allowing myself to develop any type of fondness. She was doomed, and getting attached to her would only be a huge mistake.
“Well, if you want me gone so badly, then I’m going to go now. You are the biggest asshole of ever met, Zern. I hope you get eaten by a Jorgan! That’s what you deserve.”
Lila stood hastily from where she had been set to eat her meal with me and took off running down the long corridor of the ship. Her footsteps echoed from the walls and into the control panel, where I recoiled at the sound. She had made things much easier for me, as far as getting her out of the ship was concerned. But somehow, it didn’t make me feel very good. She wasn’t the only one who had been enjoying herself, and yet I had driven her away. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was an asshole.
I wasn’t sure what to do. When I heard her finally exit the ship, my heart turned to ice. Just because she couldn’t stick around while I was trying to disassemble the ship didn’t mean that she should be so reckless and run right out into danger with her emotions at their peak. She was going to get herself killed. That wasn’t what I wanted. All I had really wanted was some peace and quiet and the opportunity to do my job and salvage my position within the Raither military.
I hung back in hesitation, unsure of whether or not I should go after her. Was she going to come back on her own, or could I count on the fact that she had given up on the comforts of the ship as her place of habitation? That would really mean that she had done my job for me, and yet instead of feeling relieved, all I could feel was nausea.
“Human, wait,” I heard myself saying, and rose from my seated position to follow her outside.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to get snatched right up by somebody who definitely did not have her best interests at heart. This planet was full of dangerous monsters, and in fact, I had been noticing that the ship we were in was under constant surveillance. Although the creatures who were observing us were not making themselves known, it was clear that they were there and probably attempting to determine whether or not we were a threat that they could take on, or if they wanted to wait until we were vulnerable before they struck.
As soon as I reached the doorway of the ship that led to the striking outside world of the planet Hexa, I heard a piercing scream that made my blood turn to ice. It was unmistakably the human’s voice, and just as I had worried, it sounded as if she had run right into danger. Without a second thought, I threw the door of the ship closed and locked it and then took off toward the sound of the irrational human’s terror, terrified myself that I might never see her or hear her voice again.
***
“Stop squirming human! You are going to regret this.”
I halted at the sound of my native tongue and furrowed my brow, confused. What was a Raither doing kidnapping a human? I could understand if it were horrible creature, such as a Yeshaa, but why would one of my own people abduct a human?
I crept through the tall, deep green foliage and peered out, spotting movement. There was definitely a Raither man with Lila in tow. He had wrapped a dirty cloth around her face that was preventing her from speaking, and her hands were bound and tied behind her back with one of the thick vines that grew around the powerful tree trunks of Hexa.
Standing behind her was the broad back of the Raither. I could not see his face, but there was something about his voice that seemed familiar somehow. I had to shake the thought away. All Raither males probably sounded similar in a sense. It had been a long time since I had regularly contacted my own kind. It was probably just because this Raither sounded much like those I was used to spending the most time with, especially compared to the high, musical voice of the human female.
“I told you to stop squirming!” The Raither shoved the human, and she stumbled forward. I had to stop myself from attacking. I had a bad feeling about the whole situation. The entire time I was following them, I could sense that we were not alone. If I attacked now and gave away my position, there was a likelihood that I would also be captured. Neither of us would have a chance to escape that way.
“Oh, you got another one!”
I froze, disgust washing over my body. It was a Raither that had abducted the human, but he was not alone. Just as I had feared, he was working with a group. And that group consisted of the mortal enemies of the Raithers—the Bardans.
The Bardans were a slimy bunch: quite literally. They were lizard-like and exceptionally intelligent. Their scaly green skin excreted an ooze that made those around them all compliant, unless they had been given a vaccination the Raithers had concocted before contact. They had used their quick minds and unfair biological advantage to conquer many worlds, and apparently, they had been working to conquer Hexa as well. I should have known. Bardans had a strong taste for domination, despite their small size. They reached about the height of the human’s shoulder, and apparently had something to prove to the universe because of it.
“Yes, these humans are all over the place. But they will make a fine army.”
The Raither’s voice disturbed me. Surely they couldn’t be considering training these women for combat? Humans were notoriously vulnerable. Whether they had sharp minds or not, the monsters of Hexa would be far too powerful for them to overcome. Sure, they could survive for a while, but humans were no match for these vile creatures. And why would they need an army anyway? Unless their plan was to escape…
“How long does it take for a human child to be born anyway? I am excited to view my spawn. We are definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with, and soon this planet will be ours.”
Of all the places for a Bardan to want to take over, why would they wa
nt a planet where it was impossible to even use a weapon? Unless they believed that with their combined brainpower, they would be able to overcome that obstacle? Or maybe they were all just insane and had been stuck on this horrible planet for far too long. Either way, Lila was struggling ahead of them as the Raither shoved her ahead, and the sight was enough to make my blood boil and my soul ache for vengeance.
“Human children take nine months in the womb before they are ready to greet the world. But even then, they are relatively useless. I doubt that any child that you might have conceived with the human would be ready for battle right away. It would be a hybrid, so either it would take after you or the human, or it would be a combination of the two. I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
“And yet,” the Bardan said, his lips twisting into an evil, chilling smile. “If the child does take after me, and all children after that, then within this next nine to ten months, we will have quite an army.”
The Raither sighed and shook his head. “It is a crazy plan, but at least it’s something to work toward. But you know that you have to keep this one to yourself. At least until we are sure that the master will agree.”
The Bardan scoffed and shook his head. “Screw the master. We are going to do this whether he wants it or not. How could he object to something so powerful?”
“Because he did not come up with it himself,” the Raither said. “You know how he is.”
Finally, they stopped speaking and looked around slyly as if trying to make sure that nobody would see what they were about to do. They gripped the human’s arms tightly, and she lost her balance, falling to her knees briefly as the Bardan began to sniff around at the ground. He stopped suddenly, the sinister smile returning to his lips.