by T. S. Ryder
"I just said—" the blue alien turned his gun on the male–Chapec.
Before he could finish his sentence, the female did some sort of quick wrist movement. A flash of silver sped from her hand. In the next second, a spray of blood spurted from the blue alien's throat. His eyes bugged out and he staggered backward.
The gray alien jumped to his feet, but Chapec was quicker. In one fluid motion, he drew the sword strapped to his back. An arm snaked around Veronica's waist, pulling her in tight against him as the sword made a circle–she barely had time to turn her face away before she heard the slice of flesh and twin thumps hit the floor.
Bile choked her. She fought against the alien holding her. Her awareness was heightened tenfold. The heat of his skin against hers. The smell of blood in the air. The sound of her own ragged breath. Adrenaline pumped through her body.
Oh, God! This is real.
Chapec dropped his sword to hold her with both hands. "Calm down. We're not going to hurt you."
With two bodies lying on the floor, Veronica wasn't going to believe that. She threw her head forward, her skull crunching against his nose. But even as he grunted in surprise, a sharp prick stabbed into the back of Veronica's neck.
"That should calm her down," Chapec's sister said.
Veronica sagged against the alien.
"What did you just give her?"
"A sedative. She'll hurt herself if she doesn't stop struggling. Besides that, think about it. The whole situation has a lot of shock inherent in it–it's healthier for her to sleep and process some of this unconsciously, rather than being awake and going deeper and deeper into shock."
Waves of black passed over Veronica's eyes. She tried to fight against it, but it was too powerful. The last thing she noticed was that Chapec smelled nice–like vanilla and cloves. Odd for a devil to smell like that, rather than like brimstone.
Chapter Two – Chapec
Chapec frowned as Dievca carried the human out from the bathroom on their ship. They normally didn't waste the ship's energy on showers, preferring to wash planet-side whenever they landed, but the human had been so covered in the foul-smelling gunk from the ancient stasis chamber that they had to clean her up. His sister had dressed their new acquisition in one of her old var'kins as well. The flowing garment covered up the bounteous curves the human had displayed in her own clothing.
That wasn't what was making Chapec frown, though. He had carried the unconscious human back to their ship hours ago, and she hadn't woken up again. What had Dievca given her? What if it put her into a coma? Drugging someone out of stasis was usually a bad idea.
"Are you sure she's alright?"
"Yes. She should wake soon. Come on, Chippy. We have things to talk about."
His twin left the room. Chapec stayed for a moment longer, watching the human sleep. She was beautiful. Her body was all curves, with a perfectly round belly and hips and breasts to match. Soft hair fell about her shoulders, and she had a round nose and perfect fat lips. Just the sort of woman he'd like to hold all night while they…
He shook himself and followed Dievca to the center of the ship. Their vessel was a cozy, three bedroom rig with a spacious cargo bay, kitchen unit, and a reasonably efficient energy system as long as they were careful. Getting the ship made it so he and his sister didn't have to stoop to being full-blown mercenaries like many other T'shav like them.
It was the only home they had, though, and at times that got tiresome, especially for siblings.
"Well, the first step in our plan has now been fulfilled," Dievca said, pulling a package of bleki noodles from a nearby shelf. "We have a human. She's our ticket into Zon's Sanctuary. All we have to do is get her to claim you as her mate. And given those bedroom eyes she was making at you before things turned ugly, you're well on your way."
"Bedroom eyes?" Chapec stole the noodles from his sister. "She looked terrified. There were no bedroom eyes."
"Terror and lust aren't always mutually exclusive," Dievca shot back.
"There was still terror."
"So you just have to make her not be terrified. What's so hard about that?"
Chapec grunted. "It's just this whole plan. It makes me uneasy."
"I'm not overly fond of it, either."
"You're the one who thought it up!"
Dievca's eyes tapered to angry slits. She stabbed the pack of noodles through with a knife, narrowly missing Chapec's hand. He jumped back, reaching for the sword strapped to his back. The sword his father had made, the one bequeathed to his son upon his death. Chapec's throat constricted as emotion welled in him.
He never got along well with his father. That was always Dievca. They shared so many of the same ideas and sense of humor. Chapec was too similar, but in all the bad ways. He and his dad never saw eye to eye. That wasn't to say that their relationship was without its good points. His father never made him feel any lesser for not sharing his viewpoints. But it was never a close relationship.
And then one day he was gone. The United Species Corps had arrested him for an assassination he couldn't have possibly committed, and sentenced him to die. They said that he had chosen his method of execution to be in the gladiator games that the Rayne Five Network held.
Chapec swallowed hard. His gaze met Dievca's. He could see in her eyes that she was having the same memories.
Their father was not a violent man. He didn't stand a chance against the murderers in the gladiator games. His death had been broadcasted, to be cheered on by millions of viewers. The face of the man who killed him was burned in Chapec's mind. Eyes that were dead, a heart of coal. A T'shav gladiator by the name of Gylden–and now the only thing driving the twins forward was knowing that they had to find and kill their father's murderer.
Dievca drew her weapon and swung it at him, but not so fast that Chapec couldn't block the blow. It was aimed past his head, with no danger of hitting him. His sister sliced the noodles down the middle and flicked half of them in his face. Chapec grabbed her arm and dragged her across the table. She kicked him in the knee, and he responded by flicking his sword towards her. She blocked. He stepped back and turned his sword downwards.
"I don't feel like fighting."
Dievca scowled. "Fine."
Chapec put his sword back into its sheath. "So how do I go about wooing a woman who is terrified of me?"
"And like I said, she might be terrified, but she also desires you. You just have to lessen the terror and play up the lust." Dievca returned to the table and cleared off the noodles before grabbing two more packs, tossing one to her brother. "And you'll have to figure that one out yourself. I'm not getting involved in my brother's love life."
Chapec rolled his eyes. "I don't see why I have to woo her anyway. We have her, shouldn’t that be enough to get access into the Sanctuary?"
"It gets her in, but not necessarily us. Zon is most accepting of T'shav with human mates. Our best chance to gain free access is if the human claims you as her mate. You know that. We can't take any chances with this."
"I know."
Dievca slurped up some of her food, a frown heavy on her face. "So. How are you going woo her?"
"You just said that you weren't getting involved."
"I know. But I don't have a mate and I'm bored. So. How? You shouldn't make it too hard for yourself. Probably start by emphasizing how much you wanted to help her, and how killing the Wlobq and Aphrosian was a necessary evil. Maybe make up some evil crimes—"
"I think it's best to stick as close to the truth as possible. I'll think of something."
"Good. Just don't get too involved."
Chapec rolled his eyes. Sometimes it was really difficult to figure out what sort of things were going on inside of his sister's head. She always had a plan behind a plan and he always felt like he was ten steps behind in her little schemes. It was annoying, but that was his sister.
A groan from down the hall made him turn in time to the human leaving her room. She staggered, running f
ace-first into the wall. Chapec jumped to his feet. As the human slumped to the floor, he ran forward and gathered her into his arms. She pushed a little against him before sagging against his shoulder and giggling.
"You're hot. You're Mr. Hottie McHottie Hotpants."
Chapec's brow narrowed. What was she talking about?
"Wait." She straightened. "You're not allowed to be hot. You killed people!"
A sluggish fist tapped him on his nose. Chapec had to smile at the weak attempt. He carried her to the table, where he set her down. She pushed at him, but as soon as he loosened his grip, she swayed, so he kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright.
"You killed people," she repeated accusingly.
"Those men were dangerous criminals," Dievca said. "They would have done terrible things to you. We had to kill them."
"I want to go home. Take me back to Earth." The human rubbed her eyes. "Take me back to Earth this instant."
Chapec frowned as he considered the human. She had just been taken out of the stasis pod. How terribly disorienting must all this be? Dievca may have thought that sedating her was the best way to get her slowly introduced into the new world that she found herself in, but did it really help?
"Earth is gone. I know it's hard to think about, but it is," Dievca said. Her voice was low and soothing. "But there are other humans. Thousands of them have been found and taken to a sanctuary. That's where we're headed. You'll be safe there."
The human glared at her. "Take me to Earth!"
"What's your name?"
"Take me to Earth!"
Would seeing the dust bowl that had been confirmed as Earth help, or hurt her more? If he was in her situation, would he want to see the desolated places he had known as home? All of the ancient Earth structures were buried under rock and dirt. These days, only archaeologists and people who worshiped humans as the first ancestors dared venture towards that planet. Well, them and tourists.
"My name is Dievca, and this is my brother Chapec. What's your name?"
The human swallowed hard. "Veronica. Veronica Benson."
Veronica leaned against him again. His hand slipped down, accidently brushing against her breast. She gasped, jerking, and he moved his hand. They looked at each other, and Chapec saw what Dievca had been talking about. Even though there was fear in her eyes, there was also undeniable desire.
Chapec's own eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know how to react to that… Terror and lust were two very different things. He didn't think it was possible for them to reside in a person at the same time, yet there they both were. And he had to woo her into claiming him as his mate.
It was that that made him most uncomfortable.
Yes, he liked the idea of her desiring him, and he couldn't deny that he'd love to seduce her–with that body, no man wouldn't want her in his bed! But in the end, why make it worse for her than it was already going to be?
Her fingers curled around his bicep. "Please take me back to Earth."
"Yes." Chapec was surprised by his own answer. Dievca shot him a warning glance, but he ignored it. "We can take you to Earth. But it's not what you remember. It's a dead world—"
"I want to go back."
"Okay. Okay, we'll take you back."
"Chippy, we'll lose a lot of time. And as soon as word is out that we have a human—"
"We'll get there as quick as possible and then head to the Sanctuary." Chapec put his arm around Veronica, supporting her as she slumped again. "No big deal."
Dievca frowned but nodded. "Fine. We go to Earth. I just hope we don't get our butts bitten off because of it."
Chapter Three – Veronica
There was a little plaque at the entrance to the museum that orbited the grey-brown orb that had once been Earth. The plaque read that the displays were being updated based on new information about humans. Veronica didn't know what that meant, nor did she much care. She didn't know how long she'd been in the ship with the two T'shav twins, but it was enough time for her to finally accept that this was real.
She had been abducted by aliens and was now billions of years in what she had known as the future. There was no going back home because home was long dead. Along with everything and everyone she knew.
Her lip wobbled as she walked through the museum halls. Images of humans with skin every color of the rainbow were everywhere, along with small bits of pieces of technology and garbage that were crusted over and in various states of decomposition.
Veronica stared at what might have once been a plastic bag, a hand pressed to her mouth. Chapec put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him unconsciously.
"My family is all gone."
The T'shav held her a little tighter.
"My parents. My brothers." A lump choked her as tears burned her eyes. "Everything I knew is gone. My friends. My job. My home. My parents had just got remarried. They divorced when I was little, but they remained friends and a few years ago, they decided to try dating again. Their wedding was just last month. They looked so happy…."
"T'shav don't marry, at least not usually," Chapec said, squeezing her gently. "We take mates, and stay with each other for as long as what seems right. It's quite common to be monogamous. But our culture isn't one where some elaborate display of commitment is required."
"Yeah, I was never a huge fan of the big white wedding." It helped a little, to learn more about his people. It made him less alien. "But my parents had only this simple ceremony, just close family and friends. There were only about twenty people there. They didn't want fanfare, they wanted to share a special moment with those they loved the most."
Her voice cracked and the next thing she knew, she was crying. She almost pulled away from Chapec, but when he put his other arm around her as well, she couldn't help but give into his strength. She usually wasn't the type of girl to lean on others, but this was a unique situation.
"I need to go make sure we have time left at the docking port," Dievca whispered. "We can't afford another fine."
She slipped away, but Veronica hardly noticed. Everything was crashing down on her and she clung to Chapec, sobbing. What was she going to do now? Even if there was a colony of humans out there, what was she going to find? Well, at least they'd be familiar… At least she would have help to navigate this alien world she had been thrust into.
The T'shav twins might look like the old cartoon devils on Earth, but as far as she was concerned, they were angels. They'd saved her from the aliens that pulled her from her stasis pod and were taking her to a place she'd be safe. What more than that could she ask for?
"I lost my parents, too," Chapec said, stroking her hair. "My father was murdered when I was young, and my mother died just five standard years ago."
So he had an idea of what she was going through. Veronica sniffed. "I'm sorry."
"She was sick, but we couldn't afford the treatments. We sold off all our land, our home, everything, and took her to the corporations begging for help, but they all turned us away. If my father was alive, he would have been able to save her. But they're both gone. I know it's not the same, but I want you to know you're not alone."
Veronica felt a surge of gratitude towards this massive alien. Even if the sight of him killing those first two aliens haunted her, she now knew that Chapec and Dievca were on her side. And as she looked up at the T'shav warrior, feeling a kinship with him through their shared grief, she felt an almost overwhelming desire to kiss him.
Whoa, what are you doing?
She pulled away from him, ducking her head. Here they were in a museum dedicated to the long-extinct human species, and she was wanting to kiss not only a complete stranger, but an alien? There had to be something wrong with her. Maybe it was the treatments she had been undergoing to increase her fertility, so it would be more likely for her to conceive with the artificial insemination… that had to be it. It was just her hormones going crazy.
Still, she couldn’t stop a well of guilt rising in her. This
was wrong, wasn't it? It was disrespectful to her family, her friends. Or was it just a coping mechanism?
"I think I'm ready to go now." She looked at the floor to avoid seeing the wrecks of what had been her culture–or at least, the culture of her species from some time and some place on Earth.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If there's a place with living humans I can go to, that's a better place to be, isn't it? Rather than here among the long-dead memories of Earth."
Chapec nodded. He took her hand in his as they headed back towards the ship. They had only gone little ways before Dievca ran around the corner. Her face was lit up with a mischievous expression, her sword drawn. Several tiny-sounding voices came from the corridor behind her, calling her to stop.
Chapec pushed Veronica behind himself and drew his own weapon. "What did you do?"
"I decided since we needed to refuel soon, we might as well borrow some funds from the donation box. I may have a couple guards on my tail."
Veronica's jaw dropped. Had she just robbed the museum?
Chapec growled. "Dievca!"
"They're robotic, it's not like we're going to hurt anybody! Besides this place won't miss a few double helixes."
Chapec grunted. "Veronica, I need you to—"
Half a dozen robots wheeled around the corner. They all had gun-shaped attachments pressed to their bodies, and small silver orbs attached to their chests. One of them started to say something, but before Veronica could even process the sight, Chapec had jumped forward. He drove his sword clean through the robot's body.
Dievca quickly joined him. She sliced a robot in half, laughing as she did so. There was no place to hide, so Veronica threw herself onto the floor, her hands covering her face as she curled into a ball. Loud blasts of energy ricocheted down the corridor. The screech of metal tearing drowned out Dievca's laughter and Chapec's grunts. Veronica curled as tightly as she could, wishing that she was anywhere but here.