by Maia Starr
“Oh, Commander, I’m sorry,” Trillis said, touching his shoulder.
Why would she be sorry?
“It’s all right. But Aloitus wouldn’t be recommending this if he was the one trying to organize the camps. It’s a madhouse there. We’ve even had a few casualties.”
“Casualties?!” Trillis exclaimed.
“I’m just grateful to the gods that Lain is safe,” Zerk’k said. The casual way in which he said it spread warmth through my chest. Why was this man growing on me? “I have no choice but to return to space.”
Trillis shook her head and walked into the dining room.
“Food is ready,” she called.
I walked behind Zerk’k and sat down to the meal. They had gotten predictable and comfortable, and I had grown to enjoy Zerk’k’s banter with Trillis over the weeks that I had been there. I had been keeping track of the days in my journal. It was coming upon about two and a half months of captivity.
I wanted so badly to like Zerk’k as much as my body did. And in truth, maybe if he hadn’t kidnapped me from my home, I would have begun to develop real feelings for him. I’d never met a more protective, considerate man before, on Earth or otherwise. Even in bed, he always put my pleasure before his. His generosity seemed to know no bounds.
And yet there was something keeping me from getting too close to him. The fact that he had taken me from Earth, away from my career…
Before I could let anybody into my heart, I had to know that I was free. I wasn’t a captive.
“I’m going to bed,” I said, as I had every night after our fifth meal. Zerk’k nodded absently. He was still busy talking to Trillis about the upcoming mission to Earth.
News of the mission had gotten my mind working. I had accumulated a lot of information that would prove invaluable to Project Orion. My teammates would be beside themselves with joy to know about my experiences. That, or they would think I was making it up for attention.
Rage burned in my breast. Working on Earth was hard. Even when all I wanted to do was benefit humankind, people with fragile egos were always trying to claw up the ladder and find a way to cheapen my work. Other humans didn’t have the same courteous manner toward me as the Thressl’n had. Unlike the men on Earth, Zerk’k took me seriously. Maybe too seriously at times. And every once in a while he would make me shudder when we were making love by whispering into my ear, “You are mine.”
In the heat of the moment, I relished in it. I felt like it was true. But in my mind, I belonged nowhere but Earth. And now, I had a way.
The door to the bedroom hissed closed behind me, and I made a beeline for the closet. The safety training Zerk’k had given me had been very informative, and I was now confident that I’d be able to handle myself using the smaller of his blasters. I felt bad using the knowledge he had so caringly bestowed upon me to plan my escape, but if he hadn’t kidnapped me in the first place, I wouldn’t need to escape, right?
I jumped when I heard Zerk’k’s heavy footfalls outside the doorway, and ran out of the closet as quickly as I could. It usually took him longer during meals than it took me, so I hadn’t been expecting him to return to the bedroom so soon.
To my surprise, he barely registered me coming out of the closet and sat down on the bed heavily. Zerk’k put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. It was rare that he showed his emotions so openly.
“What’s the matter?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Something about his vulnerability stirred something in me. I didn’t want to see him hurt.
Zerk’k looked up and smiled at me tiredly.
“Do you want to know a secret?” he said, his handsome face creased with worry.
“I guess so,” I said, sitting down beside him.
“I really, really hate flying.”
“What?” I laughed quietly in disbelief. “You hate flying?”
“Nobody knows just how much. There’s nothing more desolate and lonely than flying through space in those small vessels. It’s just so…I despise it.”
I was waiting for the punchline. A capable, masculine person like Zerk’k was afraid to fly? A bright smile broke out on his handsome face, and I was trapped in the magic of his gaze.
“I guess it must sound ridiculous,” he said.
I looked down at the bed, unable to repress the compassion I felt for him.
“No,” I said, taking his hand and squeezing it. “We all have things we don’t like.”
“What don’t you like?” Zerk’k asked, his deep purple eyes boring into mine. Why did he care so much about me? What had I done to deserve that kind of devotion from someone like this?
“I…don’t like being told what to do,” I said carefully. “I don’t like having my freedom taken away. Love means nothing without freedom.”
“Love…” Zerk’k said quietly.
My cheeks grew hot. I was surprised by how easily I had said it. Did Zerk’k know what love was? What was the point in talking about it with him? I couldn’t let myself feel it. Not for him. Not now.
“Never mind,” I sighed.
“I understand,” Zerk’k said, standing abruptly. His hand was torn from mine, and I felt suddenly very alone as he stalked out the doorway. I was used to him coming in and out on a whim, but lately, it had begun to feel like a piece of myself was leaving with him. Why was this so complicated? Especially now that I finally had a chance to leave.
***
“Goodbye, Lain,” Zerk’k said. He planted a soft kiss on my forehead that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Was this how it felt to betray someone who trusted you?
“Goodbye,” I said.
Zerk’k left out the door. He had to leave early that morning; the ships were destined to take off in just a few hours.
As soon as he was out the door, I ran to the bedroom and grabbed the bundle I had been preparing all week. Inside, I had my journal, a change of clothes, and food I had pilfered from several meals with Zerk’k and Trillis. I had been haunted all night thinking about how it was the last time I would eat with them and sleep in Zerk’k’s bed. He had wanted to make love, but I just felt too guilty.
Trillis had returned to her apartment, and I was left alone. I stuffed the weapon into the strap wrapped around my waist and proceeded to sneak out the front door. It was impossible to miss the area of the desolate red desert where the three ships were preparing for launch, and I jumped into Trillis’ hovercraft. I was relieved when it started up right away, thankfully my scientific mind was sharp enough to remember what it took to get the machines started.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I headed toward the airfield. It took me about twenty minutes to get there, and I landed about half a mile away. I crept out of the ship and walked on foot as crew members busily came in and out checking fluids and packing the ships with food.
I stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for my chance to make a move. Finally, a large crate was left open as the Thressl’n workers took a meal break. I was able to climb inside and hide. Before long, I felt the crate being hoisted into the air. It was set down heavily who knows where in the ship. All I had to do now was wait.
***
The launch into space was terrifying, but I soon grew used to the feeling of the ship. I could see why Zerk’k hated it so much though, and was nearly brought to tears imagining how he must be feeling.
My communications transplant had gathered enough to understand everything the Thressl’n said, so I was nauseated by anticipation when the ship began to quake and a deep voice over the speakers announced, “Now arriving on Earth.”
It was quiet for a few moments as I thought about everything I was giving up by returning back to Earth. Long, steamy nights with a gorgeous man who was utterly devoted to me, only to return to a career where nothing I did was given enough credit.
Sure, I got an award and a promotion, but we were working under the Vellreq. Zerk’k told me they were partly to blame for the terrible fate of Earth. The worst part was that at th
is point, I fully believed him. Did I really want to go back?
Suddenly, from deep inside the box, I heard a voice that electrified my whole body. It was Zerk’k.
“No, don’t send anybody out,” he was saying to the tinny voice on his communications device. “We have enough women on Jenal’k. We’ve done this irresponsibly. If the women of Earth want saved, they should choose their saviors.”
The room fell quiet again, and I could hear Zerk’k’s densely muscled body sit heavily onto the bed. He sighed, a vulnerable, sad sound that made me ache for him.
Carefully, I climbed out of the box and realized that I was inside the dark closet of Zerk’k’s bedroom on the ship; the same place I had first laid eyes on the mysterious man. Since that day, he hadn’t left my thoughts from the moment I began this bizarre adventure.
“Lain!” Zerk’k gasped when I stepped outside the closet. “What are you doing here?”
I sat down beside him and handed him the gun I had strapped to my waist. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I had planned to betray him.
“You were going home whether I liked it or not,” Zerk’k said, his handsome face lighting up in amusement. “Why did you come out? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I looked deeply into his beautiful purple eyes and took his strong hands in mine.
“I was kidding myself,” I whispered. “There’s nothing for me on Earth.”
“What do you mean?” Zerk’k asked frowning. “I thought…”
“I thought so too,” I said. I hadn’t known just how much it would hurt me to be away from him. The thought of spending the rest of my life without being in his arms again had been devastating. “But the truth is, you’ve given me something the men on Earth never could. And I want to keep that.”
Zerk’k’s face lit up as if he had been given the greatest gift in the universe.
“You mean you want to stay with me?” he whispered, his dark eyes intent as he stared into mine.
I glanced out the window of the ship, at the dirty, bustling city below us. I had no family or friends to go back to. All I had was a career trying to unravel mysteries that I could easily uncover myself by Zerk’k’s side.
“Yes,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. “But on one condition.”
Zerk’k tilted his head inquisitively. “What is it?”
“Take me everywhere with you,” I said, smiling up at him. “I’ll keep you company, and learn everything I’ve ever wanted to know.”
Zerk’k beamed, taking me into his strong arms. My breath left my body as his soft lips pressed passionately against mine.
“As you wish,” he said, his dark eyes flashing sensually.
This time, I didn’t try to hold back my true feelings as Zerk’k lifted me up. I laughed, feeling the tension in my shoulders melt away now that I had made peace with what I truly wanted. Zerk’k grinned broadly, and we made love for the first and last time on Earth.
Book 2: Laike
(Aliens Of Jenalk)
By Maia Starr
Chapter 1
Emily Hart (Director of Engineering)
I turned off the television set, agitated by the voices of the Vellreq. These monsters had invaded the Earth about three years ago, right when the automotive industry had reached an environmental crisis. The Vellreq had offered solutions, but I was an engineer; I knew that most of what they were proposing were half-baked ideas at best.
But real solutions weren’t what our governments was after. I had been working in my field for long enough to know that much. In fact, real solutions seemed to be a real turn off. What the government seemed to want these days were ideas that would leave humanity stalled and line their pockets. And there was no shortage of such ideas from the Vellreq.
Suddenly the apartment door slammed open and shut, and the rustle of bags filled the room.
“Em! Wanna hear a joke?”
“Not really,” I said, grinning despite myself.
My roommate, Therese, was always trying to make me laugh, but all of her jokes were about electrical engineering. We had met at a seminar, and she had found it all but impossible to believe that I had mastered three fields of engineering, none of them being electrical.
“Tough,” she said. “This is a good one! Three guys in Vegas get locked up in jail. The first one—”
“Therese…”
“Fine, fine,” she said, a goofy grin lighting her face. “But I swear, this is one you’d get.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked, changing the subject. I was a practical type of person, and to be honest, jokes seemed like a waste of my time. I was always trying to solve one problem or another, and jokes, not to mention other people in general, usually posed an unwelcome distraction.
“Starved,” Therese replied. “I’m going to put these groceries away.”
“All right,” I said. “I made spaghetti.”
“Yesss!”
Therese’s voice echoed excitedly from the kitchen, and again, I couldn’t help but grin. She was one of a kind.
When she returned from the kitchen, she had a plate heaped full of spaghetti and plopped down on the couch behind me.
“You know, there was a woman today working on Project Orion—you know I’ve been following them since the Vellreq arrived—and she saw a ship leave a planet they thought was mostly dormant. Weird, huh?”
I cringed. “Is it anything to be worried about?”
“No, it’s mostly just scientific curiosity at this point. But she got an award and stuff for it.”
“Cool,” I murmured. It was always nice to hear about other scientifically inclined women succeeding. “Speaking of scientific curiosity, how was work?”
Therese exhaled and threw her head back dramatically. Her red curls bounced off her shoulders, and she frowned at me. “Hard. I thought it would be cool that we’d have a new project to work on, but the designs aren’t…Earth designs. If you know what I mean. I’m worried they have me working on the next A bomb or something.”
This news chilled me, and confirmed my already rampant mistrust of the beings visiting our world. “You can refuse any project that makes you uncomfortable, you know.”
Therese sucked her breath in and looked down at the floor. “Not if I signed a contract…”
“Therese!”
“I thought it was union work! I’m basically stuck working for this shady company until this project is done! And then, if I blab to anybody about it, the government will be knocking on our door to cart me away.”
“But you just told me,” I reminded her.
“Shit,” Therese said. Thankfully she laughed. “I was just being dramatic about the bomb stuff. But I just don’t know what I’m doing, and it’s making me nervous. I don’t want my powers to be used for evil!”
I couldn’t blame her there. I had declined several promising job prospects because I didn’t trust where they had come from. I was highly coveted in my field, but the job opportunities were limited to those with a lot of power and resources. And unfortunately, all too often that power had come as a result of shady dealings. You could never be too careful. I guess Therese had been blinded by her unfailing optimism.
“Well anyway, the benefits are top notch,” she said, as if trying to remember why she was working there in the first place. “I can afford all the junk food I want!”
I grinned and shook my head. “Glad to see you have your priorities straight.”
We spent the rest of the evening watching cheesy movies that both of us were surprised by my willingness to watch. Sometimes the world just seemed too bleak, and it was nice to get my mind off of it once in a while. Not everybody could be eternally optimistic like Therese.
Doom and gloom, now there was something I was good at. If only there was a man out there who wasn’t put off by my unfailing pessimism. It did no good to lie to yourself about the state of things. If you avoided the truth about the world, how would it ever get better?
“Very impressiv
e, Ms. Hart.”
I couldn’t help but beam with pride. I had been working for a long time on my latest invention: an unlimited energy machine that I hoped might rival the gadgets created by the greatest minds of our time, but most people implied that it was a waste of time. My mentor and ally, however, understood my drive and invention’s uses immediately. As he turned the small machine over in his hands, his handsome face lit up with a smile. Too bad he was gay.
“Thank you, Professor Winston,” I said.
“Do you have a patent?”
“Of course,” I said. “But you know that nobody would ever buy this. I don’t think I would ever turn a profit.”
“But profit isn’t what this device is about, is it?” Professor Winston reminded me. “It’s about doing a service to mankind when we need it the most.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Who needs to pay rent?”
Professor Winston laughed good-naturedly. “You could always teach here if you’re worried about a paycheck. It may not be the most glamorous career, but it’s reliable.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said. I couldn’t think of anything more bleak than trying to explain my ideas to a bunch of rich kids who would rather make fun of them than try to understand them. I’d had enough of that when I was in school.
“Understandable,” Professor Winston replied. “If you won’t teach them, would you mind terribly if I did a lecture on your device?”
“Of course not,” I said. “The more people who utilize it the better. Or else we’re going to be in a bad way.”
“They may demonize your work,” Professor Winston warned. “Or steal it and give it a new name so that it can serve darker purposes.”
“I’m already registered. The patent is in the databases. If they really wanted to, it wouldn’t take much for them to take what they wanted of my work and think nothing of it. Just doing work like this in the first place poses a risk. I trust you to reveal it at your discretion.”