by Maia Starr
“That’s bold,” I said quietly. I felt a sudden surge of pity for the females who would be forced into situations such as the one I was in with Lain. What a strange experience they must be having. And although Thressl’n men had certain physiological features and scents that would make the arrangement worth their while, it still seemed a bit crass. I hadn’t thought anything of it before meeting Lain.
“I know there will be problems. That’s why I’m assigning you. I’ll be busy attending to other, more private matters.”
The sickening smile creased his face for the last time before I turned my back and walked to the doorway of Aloitus’ office.
“Of course,” I said over my shoulder, unwilling to meet his eyes again.
***
I headed to the camps on the other side of Mount Zennith, my thoughts consumed by the night before. Why was it that I could feel so strongly for this human when no female of my own kind had ever kept my interest? More baffling of all, she was so volatile and defiant; these were features thought to be most unattractive in Thressl’n females. But somehow, in this tiny, serious human, they managed to be tolerable. Almost attractive.
And yet I was fairly certain that we were incompatible. There were things about her that made me feel more furious than I had ever felt before, defying my orders and doing whatever she felt like, and we had only known each other for such a short amount of time. And I was sure she couldn’t stand me. We had barely been able to look at each other during breakfast. I could only imagine how angry she must have been at me. At least as angry as I was at myself.
These thoughts were quickly rushed from my mind when I caught a glance of the campground from the sky above. Huge Thressl’n bodies were being swarmed by the tiny pink females. Through the thick glass of my hovercraft, I could hear the commotion. It was a mess, but despite it, I couldn’t hide a smile. Apparently, human females were all capable of more than even the males on their planet were aware of.
“Commander!” Jerd exclaimed, pushing through the crowd to meet me.
“What happened?” I asked, my eyes searching the crowd.
“The females want nothing to do with the Thressl’n men. Please tell me you came with orders for sedation.”
“I’m afraid not,” I said. “I’ll do my best to handle this without it.”
“Attention!” I exclaimed in our native Thressl’n tongue. The human females balked in fear. They couldn’t understand what I was saying, but I had a lot of practice with commanding the attention of large masses of people, and I was adorned in distinct armor bearing the Thressl’n crest. I’m sure I was an intimidating sight.
“The Earth females are going to require some patience on our parts,” I said. “If you cannot get your female to agree to come home with you using their native English, then you will just have to visit them in the camps until the mission is accomplished.”
The men in the crowd groaned collectively, clearly agitated by the lack of submission. They hadn’t had any personal experience with the humans the way I’d had with Lain. The perfection of her features as she gasped on top of me was a memory that had been following me all morning.
“There is a short courtship process that the humans require before they will be willing to come to your homes voluntarily. Otherwise, you risk having a volatile creature in your home that is difficult to control. I recommend coming to visit the humans at the camps as opposed to trying to bring them home; at least for now. Once they are ready to breed, they will let you know.”
“How will we know?” one man shouted.
“There will be signs,” I said, trying to keep my voice even as I thought back to the way Lain’s soft fingers had grazed my body. “You should be able to sense the shift of energy around them. And if you’re still not sure, consult the nurses. They should give you their pheromone readout.”
I hadn’t spoken to the Thressl’n females who had been charged with looking after the humans, but I already knew that they were going to be furious. They had been thinking that attending to the human camps was a temporary arrangement. I hadn’t even consulted Supreme Leader Aloitus yet.
But the path to success seemed obvious to me. Breeding with the humans couldn’t be done until they were in heat, but each human’s biological cycle was different. As their captors and caretakers, it was up to us to make sure they were physiologically and mentally prepared for the breeding process. And despite our press on time, that meant we would have to be patient.
Now, it was time to address the human females, who had been fighting impressively to avoid leaving with the elite Thressl’n men that had been given their choice of the first females. I would have been in this crowd myself, had I not already claimed Lain the night before.
“Females of Earth. This is Commander Zerk’k Arkti speaking.”
There were a few mumbles in the crowd, but nobody dared to move. My armor had been designed to strike fear in the hearts of all who laid eyes upon me. Why hadn’t it seemed to affect Lain?
“We have brought you here due to dire circumstances on the planet Jenal’k. If all goes well, your needs will be heard and attended to. For now, I’d like you to return to your beds in the camp. Give the Thressl’n men who request it your identification. That’s the card you received upon entry. It is either obey or face the consequences.”
The crowd dissolved into murmurs.
“Everybody line up!” I barked, first in Thressl’n, then in English. “One at a time. Go to your chosen female and request her information. The most we can do for now is to work out a good system. Breeding should commence within a few days.”
The Thressl’n men were obviously angered about having to wait, but they knew they had no choice but to follow the rules. It wasn’t in our nature to object to the orders of our superiors.
“You will have to make yourself available to visit your human and provide her with the stimulation required to put her into heat. Only then can you return to your homes with them; we will also set up a copulation area for breeding purposes right here in the camp in case of unforeseen circumstances.”
The human females all looked dubious, angry, and scared, but they cooperated remarkably well. I’m sure they realized that they had no other choice. I felt bad; I knew I was lying about getting them back to Earth. There really was no telling just how long the fragile little planet would last under human supervision. Especially with the Vellreq speeding things along. But still, there was a slight chance we would figure something out.
I wondered what Lain would have done if she had found herself in the line with the other females. I’m sure she would have been the loudest and most outspoken of them all. She had showed no fear of me, despite my armor.
And even with her big mouth going, it seemed impossible to me that any of the Thressl’n would be able to resist her. I felt a huge wave of relief knowing she was safe and sound with Trillis, away from this place. That was how it was going to stay.
Chapter 13
Dr. Lain Brosseau
“Perhaps it was a mistake to bring you here,” Trillis said with a sheepish laugh.
I glared at the ground as Trillis led me through a winding shop that was full of bright objects and clothing unlike anything I had ever seen. It was apparently the equivalent of a shopping mall on Earth. The Thressl’n in the shop couldn’t keep their eyes off me. I felt like an animal in a zoo.
“I told him I’d rather just wear my own clothes,” I mumbled. I hated the way he tried to throw his weight around. “That would have been good enough.”
“He is just doing what’s best,” Trillis said. I glowered. Why was she so blindly loyal to that man? Couldn’t she tell that he was just an asshole? I couldn’t believe I had allowed myself to sleep with him. What would happen if I ended up pregnant?
“Here, this one would look nice on you,” Trillis said, taking a gown off one of the shelves and holding it up for me to look at. I frowned. It looked a lot like the one I had worn the night before, when, for some reason bey
ond my comprehension, I had surrendered to a bizarre chemical desire that had driven me past the point of no return.
“I don’t like it,” I said, embarrassed by the memory of Zerk’k, finding himself so easily inside of me.
“You are going to have to settle on something, dear. Or I’ll just have to pick it myself. Your human clothing will not suit you for the weather here. Zerk’k is only trying to protect you. That’s how he has always been. It is why he was chosen as Second in Command.”
I didn’t want to be suited for the weather on Jenal’k. I wanted to go home. What made them think that any of this was okay? I had been at the height of my career when I’d been abducted. And now? I was just some breeding toy for a man who liked to order me around and expect perfect compliance.
“Look,” Trillis said when I didn’t reply to her. “We don’t know how long it’s going to be before the situation is in your favor. You might need to rely on a little bit of patience. At the very least you can make the best of the situation you’re in until you are given a chance to return to your home. Zerk’k is a reasonable man. I’m sure he’s working on a way to return the human females after the population crisis has been averted. But it really is safer on Jenal’k.”
I knew Trillis was trying to help, but somehow her words just seemed to make everything feel even worse. Yes, I could handle patience. I was a scientist for Christ’s sake. Patience was in my blood.
I gasped, suddenly realizing that I had been putting my personal feelings ahead of my real mission: gathering intel about this new planet so that once I could finally get back to Earth, I would have all the information anyone could possibly need about the Thressl’n. I’d better get back to taking notes.
“Can I try that one?” I asked, pointing at one of the shapeless gowns in the corner of the rack. Trillis beamed.
“Of course.”
As we were checking out, I noted the elaborate coins that Trillis handed to the overseer of the shop. They looked as though they were made of platinum, and were imprinted with a beautiful design. It appeared to be a representation of foliage, though I hadn’t seen much lush green space on this planet.
There was a hint of a forest of some type far away, but the settlements were in an area that struck me more like a red desert. Off in the distance was a mountain range where the camp of human women was located. I stared hard at the coins until the image was burnt into my head. I would make notes of them when I got home.
I was met with an unexpected wave of pure heat once we left the shops. It was almost enough to make me collapse; for a moment I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath at all.
“Are you all right?” Trillis asked.
I nodded.
“Those clothes you have on are far too heavy,” Trillis said, shaking her head. “You would be miserable in them. Let’s hurry into the hovercraft; we’ll get you home. You can change clothes there.”
This place was not my home. The confusing labyrinths of Zerk’k’s hovel would never be my home.
“Okay,” was all I said.
Trillis didn’t need to be let in by my internal monolog. For some reason, I was far less angry at her. I’m sure she had done all she could to keep the breeding crisis at bay. As far as I was concerned, the females of this planet were victimized just as much as the women on my own planet were, by our own men and the Thressl’n. Where in the universe could we find a planet where women were as highly valued as men were?!
“The Commander will be pleased,” Trillis said, beaming happily.
Although it annoyed me that her thoughts seemed only to lie with what Zerk’k thought, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. It seemed that her only role in this world was in serving Zerk’k and worrying and caring about Zerk’k. Where did she fit into the grand scheme of things? He was old enough not to need a caregiver anymore.
“The Commander can go to hell for all I care,” I grumbled.
Trillis was quiet for a moment. “The Commander adores you. He adores us both. You would do well to show him some respect.”
I scoffed inwardly, but I knew a battle with Trillis would land me nowhere. She had been groomed to believe she could only rest easily if Zerk’k had everything he needed. She would feel like she had done a good job in life if she served him to the fullest. But what did Trillis want to do with her life? Did it matter? It probably didn’t matter to Zerk’k any more than it mattered what I wanted to do with my life. Why was he such an asshole?!
We were quiet for a while before my guilt for lashing out at Trillis welled up inside of me. She was just another victim of a cruel system, but she tried to see the positive aspects of the world she was raised in.
“I’m sorry, Trillis,” I said. “This is all really strange for me.”
Trillis beamed.
“Really, don’t apologize. I just want you to know that Commander Arkti isn’t a bad man. He is only doing what he thinks is necessary under the circumstances. And I respect his mind; he consistently makes good decisions.”
I held my tongue for the rest of the ride. It seemed like forever until we finally made it back to Zerk’k’s house, and once again I nearly fell to my knees as a strong wave of heat crushed me. I was beginning to see why they were so worried about my clothes.
“It gets like this every afternoon and lasts well into the evening,” Trillis said. “The Commander thought it best to keep the humans in the mountains as our climate is far different from Earth. The mountains are relatively similar to some areas on Earth and your comfort is guaranteed there.”
“And yet he thought it would be a good idea to bring me here,” I said, pointing out what I thought was perfectly good evidence of the fact that he didn’t give a damn what was best for me.
“Yes,” Trillis said, unlocking the door and stepping inside. She paused and waited for me to follow. The cool atmosphere of the house immediately made me feel better. “I have a feeling that he didn’t want the other Thressl’n men to come and treat you with disrespect. He thought it best to hide you away as quickly as possible, before inquiries were made about you.”
The information gave me mixed feelings. Trillis seemed so convinced that Zerk’k put everybody’s best interests at heart. It would take a lot more than that to convince me that she was right. If he cared so much about respect, he wouldn’t have abducted so many women against their will. I was fairly certain there were groups of women on Earth who would line up for the chance to breed with an unknown alien species. Hell, I may have gone voluntarily just to experience their world. But this? I couldn’t accept it.
Once inside, Trillis immediately got to work on serving yet more food. I was surprised; we had already eaten just a couple of hours ago, and there was no way I was ready for another meal as elaborate as the one we’d had for breakfast.
“Why don’t you put your things away for now, dear, and I’ll call you when the food is ready.”
I nodded, grateful for the chance to escape by myself and write about my adventure to the Thressl’n’s downtown area. I walked into the bedroom, stricken suddenly by how much it smelled like Zerk’k. I felt oddly comforted by the fact, though I couldn’t help but fight a twinge of nausea as my mind made its way guiltily to the night before, when all of my inhibitions had somehow blown out the window.
Sure, Zerk’k was a gorgeous man in his own right, but that wasn’t enough to make me happy about being his captor. What did he expect from me? Total obedience? I wasn’t a slave to anybody; least of all some arrogant extraterrestrial who disguised his controlling behavior as a concern for my best interest.
Now that I was alone in the bedroom and Zerk’k wasn’t due home anytime soon, I realized that I had a good chance to do some snooping. Trillis had been given strict instructions not to interfere with me or my relationship with Zerk’k. Knowing that made it possible to relax for the first time since I had been abducted.
The bedroom was big. Really big. It was clear that Zerk’k was given a position of power and was compensated genero
usly for it. There was plush carpet, softer than the carpet on Earth. The fabrics were different somehow. Everything was a pure white color, but it seemed deeper than the whites on Earth. At the far end of the room, across a vast space of carpet, was a door.
I crept close and examined the electronic mechanism that served as door handles in this place. I had watched Zerk’k and Trillis enough to have figured it out, despite being automatically allowed into the bedroom space. With trembling hands, I tried a few different button combinations before the door hissed open.
I gasped softly when the open doorway revealed a closet bigger than the living room of my apartment on Earth. In the back were rows of shelves full of brutal looking machines that I was positive were weapons. To the side was a long row of intricately designed outfits, and a replica of the black armor that Zerk’k had been wearing the first time I’d seen him on the ship.
I couldn’t help myself from venturing further into the closet. On the opposite side was an empty row with one outfit hanging up; it was the gown I had worn the night before. The rest was empty. I cast a glance back at the full bags of clothes I had carried into the bedroom. Half of this closet was intended to be mine.
My heart raced as I ventured deeper inside. I fingered the soft, light material of Zerk’k’s outfits, once again stricken by his scent. I felt an unwelcome surge of longing as my mind involuntarily returned to the rapture I had felt the last time I had smelled Zerk’k’s body in person.
Suddenly, a blinking light caught my eye. It was coming from the shelves in the back. I felt suddenly uneasy, but couldn’t keep myself from moving toward the shelves.
The object that was blinking was long and cylindrical. I touched it, and it was ice cold. A few lights became illuminated from my touch, and a strange whirring sound filled the small space. I realized with a start that it was charging, and the cold metal was heating up rapidly.