by KD Jones
Definitions/Katieran Sayings/Proverbs
Asi: Yes
Bond Mate: a mate that was destined by the Gods
Comm Link: communication device that is usually worn around the ear; can be used similar to a cell phone
Digital Tablet: looks similar to an IPAD but works as a laptop with more capabilities
IHI: Instant hologram imaging; 3D imaging view
IHM: Instant hologram messaging
Katieran Juice: Similar to Earth’s wine
Key: Be
Kitana: hell
Kitasa: hell no
Mate: spouse
Mating ceremony: wedding
Medic: similar to a doctor
Medic Room: an exam room
Medical Scope: pencil shaped silver instrument that has many medical uses including administering medications and performing scans like x-rays and ultrasounds
Mile: Still
Nanos: biologically engineered nanotechnology used to help repair internal damage to the body and directs nutrients to where they are needed; cures the common cold
Sa: No
Sayer: Don’t
Scent marking: exchange of sexual fluids intending to mate
Stada: us/all of us
Talle: female
Token: Fear
Viewing Screens: used on space ships in place of windows; view of the surrounding area is shown through video feeds
Young: child or infant
Katieran Sayings
By the Fires of Kitana
By the Goddess
By the Lunas
The Goddess knows
Katieran Proverbs
“A Katieran that practices patience is greatly rewarded.”
“All wormholes do not lead to home.”
“Feeling is a part of living. If you are not feeling it then you are not living it.”
“Love the Goddess KatieRI with all your heart and your heart shall be filled with Joy.”
Common Questions and Answers on the Katierans and Their Culture
Q: If I have sex with a Katieran, does that mean we are mated?
A: No. You have to both agree to the mating. Most Katierans will withdraw at the last moment to prevent the exchanging of scent markings during intimacy.
Q: Why can’t I send out e-mails or purchase new applications on my digital tablet while on board the transport ship?
A: It is unsafe to have a communications trail that could lead enemies to your location while on the Katieran transport ship.
Q: Why do the Katierans grab each other’s arms?
A: Clasping of forearms is the Katieran form of hand shaking. To take someone’s hand is a sign of intimacy, forgiveness, and/or love.
Prologue
An explosion shook the entire ship, possibly the galaxy. What in Kitana? LarIS held onto his console.
“What is happening, lieutenant?”
“We are waiting for the readings to come back up. Standby.”
LarIS felt time was standing still as he waited for their computer systems to come back on line. He pretty much knew what happened but he had to wait with the rest of his crew before he could act. There was so much debris. Which ship was it from?
“Sir, one of the transports blew up.”
“Which one, Lieutenant?” his voice rose with anger and frustration.
“I still cannot determine that yet, sir.”
“Where are the other ships? Are they still here?”
“The debris has caused an electronic interference. We will have to wait a little longer for it to clear and dissipate before we know.”
“By then we could be under full attack.” LarIS closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. There were remnant thoughts of the dead screaming out. It made him waver on his feet trying to catch hold of his seat to steady himself. He had to pull himself back completely. Too much pain and screaming. He would go insane trying to filter through all of that.
“Sir, we are getting readings. The ship that was destroyed was a Morin transport.”
LarIS felt a relief, but it was short lived. “What about the other Morin transports?”
There was a long pause. LarIS felt something drop in the pit of his stomach. “Lieutenant!”
“Sir, it appears the other Morin ships may have gone through one of the wormholes.”
“Which wormhole?” He suspected the answer and dreaded the confirmation.
“The one leading to the Earth’s Galaxy.”
Oh Kitana! This was not good.
Chapter One
I wonder if he is sleeping with the Earth female. I don’t see what is so special about her. She can’t even hear. Does he prefer her dark eyes? …What if the Morins attack us like they did the Kiljorns? …I have to hurry if I am to make the next combat practice.
LarIS shook his head and pushed his mental wall up as high as he could. Some things still trickled through. It was all he could do when he was surrounded by people and their thoughts rushed at him all at one time. He tried to focus on the task at hand. He stood before the Colonial Council and a large number of the Colonists.
“What are you asking of us, Leader LarIS?” Councilman TrOY asked.
“The people of Kiljor need homes while they are rebuilding and repairing the damages done by the Morins’ attack. We have many unused buildings that can easily and quickly be converted into living spaces. I request the use of these buildings to temporarily house the homeless of Kiljor.”
The room filled with whispers both out loud and silent ones that only LarIS could hear. At least he was better now than when he had been a child. It had been pure torture for him. For the most part, he had to live with his mother on a mountainside, far away from others and their thoughts. His father would come and visit. During those visits he would teach LarIS how to erect mental walls to protect his sanity.
There had been times while he was still learning how to manage his abilities that he wished to give it all up. Those times usually followed moments like now when he was bombarded by other’s emotions and there were too many voices to fight off. Fatigue was also detrimental to him. When he got overly tired, he couldn't sustain the mental barrier.
“What of the Katieran Nation? Can they not see to the people of Kiljor?” Councilman RitEN commented. He was the most outspoken.
LarIS shook his head. “They are still housing the Earth females.”
“Why would they not halt transport of these females until the Morin threat is eradicated?” Councilman TrOY asked with concern.
“They have a contract with the Earth World Government that stipulates a certain number of refugees must be shipped off the planet. Earth’s natural resources have deteriorated at a rapid rate. Their planet will not be able to sustain life soon.”
“Why do we not get the females then. There are many of our males who are not yet mated. Why should the Katierans have first rights to these females?” Councilman RitEN grouched.
“The EWG signed the agreement with the Katieran Nation. We do not have the authority to interfere. If we wish to be a part of this agreement, we have to extend ourselves and show our willingness to support them,” LarIS explained. He reached out and read some of RitEN’s thoughts. They were filled with hate and disgust for the Katierans, the Kiljorns, and even for Earth. LarIS pulled his mind back before he began to get a headache.
“Why do we have to show our support when they have not shown support to us?” Councilman RitEN asked.
“Let me remind the council and all those present, the Katierans have been instrumental in helping our females give birth successfully. If not for Prima Medic Kat we would have lost over half of those that are now born and doing quite well.”
RitEN snorted. “Our medics would have figured it out.”
LarIS scanned the crowd. Most of them disagreed with RitEN. They all knew the truth. The Colonial medics had been failing at helping their females carry the young to term. If it had not been for Kat’s help, they still would have lost half of their
young.
“I don’t agree with the councilman. Our medics hit a block and the Katierans were there to help us. Now we need to be there to help our kinsmen.” LarIS heard many of the crowd call out their agreement.
“Very well. We grant permission for the unused buildings here on the colony to be converted into temporary living spaces for the Kiljorn homeless.”
Thank the Goddess KatieRI it was over. He needed to get as far from the crowd so he could clear his mind. Not only had his abilities made it difficult for him as the Leader of the Colony, but it had made it hard on him to have normal relationships with others, especially females.
He was an attractive male. The few females that were on the colony always sought him out for a night or two. But they shied away whenever things could lead to something more serious. They couldn't handle the fact that he could read their thoughts. He tried to teach some of them how to erect mental walls to help keep their privacy, but either they were not capable or they were not truly interested.
The councilmen called an end to the meeting. LarIS headed out of the meeting hall. As soon as he was away from the crowd the pressure bearing down on his mind eased. He reached out automatically for the one person that gave him peace, the one person that could naturally block herself from him, and the one person he wanted to merge fully with, the stunning Lola Marquesa.
'How are you doing today?' he asked her telepathically.
At first she didn’t respond, then she sent a message back to him. 'I have finished my therapy session for today. It went well.'
'Would you share the next meal with me?' he asked with hope.
'No. I will eat in my suite.'
'You should be out enjoying the sights, not hiding in your room.' He knew he made a mistake as soon as he got the wall pushed up between their minds. It was as effective as if she had kicked him physically out of a room. He was disappointed but at the same time awed that she had such strong mental abilities. He just wished she would spend time out among other people, especially with him. Lola had the loveliest face. He could spend hours staring at her. But after what she had experienced, she was determined to keep him and everyone else at a distance.
He would never forget that day when he was helping the Katierans rescue their Prima. He had connected telepathically with not just one female on board the enemy transport ship, but he connected with two females. One was a female warrior from a strange distant planet called Earth, the other was an Earth female prisoner who was being abused at the hands of the Morins—Lola.
He stopped right outside her suite and touched the door. The Goddess knew he longed to knock on it and be welcomed inside. But that was not going to happen any time soon, if ever. The damage the Morins had inflicted on the delicate female probably ensured that she would never let a male near her again.
Lola was a special female. She couldn't hear and rarely spoke out loud. She was delicate and beautiful. She should have been protected at all costs. For someone like Lola to have been mistreated so badly was a travesty. It made it hard for her to open up and trust other people.
On top of all that, LarIS had unintentionally scared her when he rescued her from the Morins. She had seen him at his worst even though it was on her behalf. He balled his hand into a fist. Kitana! He stormed away heading to his own suite to get his emotions under control.
*****
Lola stood on the other side of her door. She leaned her shoulder against it and held her breath. He was there, on the other side. He came often to her door but never knocked. She had been deaf since she was a little girl so she didn’t hear approach audibly, but she could actually feel his thoughts. She felt his thoughts even when she blocked her mind to his telepathy. It was something so strange she never would have imagined people could have such abilities. Her own mental abilities had somehow expanded the moment LarIS had connected with her. It was amazing, unexpected, and unwanted.
It was the day she thought she would finally die. She had longed for it and prayed that it would happen. The Morins were hurting her yet again. She had endured their abuse over and over. Their medics felt she was not viable and gave her to the other Morins who were no longer functioning as males. But those males showed her a cruelty she had never thought possible. The Morins were irrational and blamed her for their inability to perform and got pleasure from torturing her. That’s what they had been doing to her to the point of near death. But then he stopped them before death took her. LarIS, Leader of the Colonial Planet.
Her mind traveled back to that fateful day. Two Morins were holding her down on the floor. She was naked. They had destroyed her clothes and kept her this way for…she had no idea how long. It seemed like a lifetime she had been there, in Hell. Her body was beaten and weak, her throat hurt from screaming from pain so she stopped screaming completely. All her screams were inside her head. That had been all that she did in her mind until she felt him, then she heard him.
'Where are you?' A strong male’s voice asked within her mind.
Was she going crazy? She was hearing voices now. No, just the one voice.
'I am coming for you. Where are you?” he demanded again.
She didn’t want to answer him, but she felt too tired to resist him. 'Most of the prisoners are on the lower levels, but I am on the same level as their command center.'
'I am coming for you. Hang on.'
She didn’t care. All she wanted was to put an end to all the pain. She didn’t turn when the door was broken down. She didn’t move when weapons were fired and Morin bodies fell all around her. She moved only when a laser gun slid across the floor close to her. She reached for the gun and pulled it to her head. It would be all over soon.
“No!” The stranger’s voice yelled out loud and in her head.
She had literally frozen. She tried with all her might but she could not pull the trigger. She found herself throwing the weapon across the room. It was not by her doing. This strange man with the red hair, he could control her with his mind. No…no…no. The Morins took over her body with brute strength but it was ten times worse to have someone control her mind. She screamed then until she passed out in the stranger’s arms.
Lola shook her head trying to make the memories of that horrible day go away. She wanted to forget everything, all of it. But her mind wouldn’t let her. Those torturous weeks would remain with her for all time. The only peace she would have found from any of it was ripped from her by LarIS, the red-haired handsome Leader of the Colony. Her savior and the one man that she feared the most.
Chapter Two
"What are you doing standing there?" a short strawberry blond-haired woman asked using sign language.
"Nothing," Lola signed back. She was embarrassed her friend caught her staring at the door. She gave her friend a smile. Dr. Elizabeth Connell, Lizzie, had become her good friend quickly when they were onboard the Katieran transport prior to the Morin attack. Lizzie was one of the few people she could communicate freely with. As a specialist in languages, Lizzie even knew fluent sign language. She was also the only person from Earth who refused to get the translator implanted. She had insisted that it would prevent her from learning the Katieran language the proper way.
Lola walked past her friend. She was actually a little bit taller than Lizzie, which wasn’t saying much since she was five feet two, meaning Lizzie had to be right at five feet. Lizzie was short but she was a pistol. She didn’t take crap from anyone. Lola admired that in her.
Until Lizzie came to the Colonial Planet, the only person Lola had been able to communicate with was LarIS. She refused to let him have further access to her mind. Though he had done nothing to show he meant her harm, she just couldn't get herself to trust him. She felt that way about all men. She hated that she became what she never thought she would be—a fearful person.
Lizzie put her hand on Lola’s shoulder making her stop and turn to face her. She spoke out loud because Lola could read lips too if the person was looking directly at her. “Are you sure y
ou don't want to come to the Evening Meal with me?”
Lola nodded her head and signed back. "I am not that hungry and want to stay here."
“Okay then. I shouldn’t be gone too long. I am eating with Lt. Lucy Daniels. I had some ideas I wanted to go over with her.”
Lola frowned. They hadn’t spent much time with the other woman from Earth. She was part of a military group. It would have nothing to do with Lizzie’s work. "What matters?" Lola signed and spoke.
Lizzie walked toward the balcony and turned back facing Lola so she could read her lips. “I want to ask the Lt. if she could give some of the women here on the Colony self-defense classes.”
"Why?" Lola sat on the sofa but kept her gaze on Lizzie. She felt a little lightheaded at the thought they may not be safe on the Colonial Planet.
“I think it will be a good thing if the women here learned how to protect themselves just in case. I want lessons too and I think you should take some.”
"What? I don’t know about that," Lola said then looked down at her hands. She was too small, too weak to do anything.
Lizzie waited until Lola looked back up at her. “I’m not saying we train to be soldiers, but simple moves to help us escape the enemy would be invaluable.”
Lola nodded reluctantly. If she had known something basic, she might have been able to get away from the Morins when they had grabbed her on the Katieran transport. They wouldn’t have expected her to fight back. Maybe she needed this, to empower her or something.
"I’ll do it if she agrees to teach us," Lola signed to her. She never wanted to be caught off guard again. Once was enough.
*****