He ran after the creature, which turned around to look at James. As soon as it saw him, the creature began to turn to vapor. James turned the phasinator on full blast and the creature froze in his current form.
“Stop right there and come with us!” James spoke into his dialector, transforming his speech into Karkastian. The device was attached to a headset with a tiny microphone attached. He pointed his laser cannon at the creature, which threw up his hands.
The creature looked panicked and didn’t seem to trust that James wouldn’t shoot it. It chose to try and run again, turning its back on James. James fired his laser cannon, filling the dark chamber with bright blue light. The creature screeched so loudly we had to clutch our ears. It was vaporized in the blink of an eye. James turned around to face us like a conquering hero.
“Well that will take care of that. One less terrorist that Earth will not have to worry about,” he said with a smile.
The captain was neither pleased nor disappointed. He simply said:
"Remember, we need to try and capture them if we can- those are our orders."
“Well you saw how willing he was to surrender,” James said.
“And your laser cannon doesn’t have a stun setting like mine?” I said angrily.
“I didn’t have time to think about that,” he said.
“Too bad you don’t take the time to think in most instances,” I darted back. Wendy looked back at me as if she said I should quit. James took a step towards me as if he might knock me down.
“Enough you two, let’s get out of here. We need to check the rest of this sector for signs of life,” the captain said.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” James mumbled under his breath. “It was just a Karkastian.”
I shot him an evil glare, but kept my mouth shut.
Chapter Two
Yahn
I was bereft with sorrow at the loss of my family, my home, and my friends when the Earthlings landed. The Sarceastians were swift and cruel with their assault, having nothing resembling compassion or love in their hearts. They were like phantoms that only lived to conquer and destroy others for their collective benefit. The seventh day after the onslaught, only a few others of my kind had survived. We had split up to look for others and gather what we could to nourish our famished bodies. I felt so weak, I wasn’t sure if I could transform if needed be, for that is one of the gifts that we Karkastians possessed. Once I heard the Earthlings land, I remained hidden in the bunker of my family's former dwelling place. I was the only Jollanot to have survived. We lived amongst the rocks as all the lesser off Karkastians did, unlike our overlords that lived in the hover dwellings above our heads. Now nothing remained of our social structure, something that I wasn't going to miss. I had no idea what the Earthlings wanted, but it couldn't be anything good. We had learned to be distrustful of them once our relationship with their government broke down. After the actions of a few distraught Karkastians, we were all labeled as dangerous and untrustworthy.
One night as I was looking through the last meager kerfol that I had gathered, (kerfol was what Earthlings called a ‘plant' that we Karkastians depended on as our main food source) I heard someone coming down the hatch into my bunker. I immediately hid as best as I could, peering out into the gloom to see who had invaded my home. I had no weapons to defend myself, so I tried my best to turn into a vapor. However, vaporization took strength and nourishment; and I hadn't had enough of either one to transform. Soon, I saw a female Earthling in some sort of protective suit coming towards me and there was little I could do as she was armed with a laser cannon.
Please don’t harm me I said using telepathy. From what I'd heard, Earthlings did not commonly communicate this way; but I was told that some of them were responsive to it. The female Earthling stopped and looked at me curiously. She turned around as if she were checking to see if anyone else was coming.
Don’t worry. I have no such desire she answered, much to my surprise. I emerged from my hiding place and revealed myself. It was a moment of mutual admiration. I had heard that humans were ugly and strange- that their skin was a strange peach tone, sometimes darker. When I saw this human, I felt something that I had not felt since my partner, Hellanot disappeared. This female human was beautiful. Her eyes were large, big and gorgeous and her lips were full and kind. I could tell by the way that she was looking at me that she was experiencing a similar of what Earthlings refer to as ‘emotion’.
Who are you I asked? Why are you here?
My name is Jessie. We are part of an expedition team that has been sent here to see if there are any survivors in the wake of the Sarceastian invasion, she said.
My name is Yahn.
I knew that there was something different about this Earthling than what I had always been told. I grew up hearing that Earthlings were cruel, hideous and selfish creatures, only slightly less heinous than the Sarceastians who were the scum of the universe. This creature did not fit the description one bit.
What do they want with the survivors? I asked, probing for more information.
They want us to take them prisoner so that they can’t pose a threat to the Earth.
I thought she could sense the anger in me when I heard this by her next statement.
Believe me, I know it’s ridiculous. I know that your kind is nothing like what I have heard.
What have you heard?
I’ve heard that all of you are terrorists that wish nothing but death and destruction for our kind.
That’s what Karkastians believe about you Earthlings.
Isn't it funny?
What is funny? I asked, not being familiar with this.
It’s hard to explain- it’s strange that we both have heard these things about the other and now that we have met one another, our impressions are quite the opposite from what I can tell.
Yes, you are not at all what I expected. You don’t seem cruel and you certainly aren’t hideous, I wondered if she minded how I looked at her with admiration and what her kind would call ‘lust’ or ‘attraction’, what we referred to as ‘musth’.
Neither do you. The creature laughed, which was a new thing to me at the time. She could tell by my reaction. Do you know what laughter is?
No... Is it when you expel gas?
She laughed again. The joy in her voice caused me to do the same as she, like I had released something that had been bottled up. I laughed for the first time ever. It felt good.
There you go. Laughter is something you do when you feel joy or happiness or when something seems funny.
Funny? This was another concept I was uncertain about.
It’s hard to explain. Anyway, what is your story? Are there more of you alive?
At this point, I didn't know how much I should say to the Earthling. Although she seemed kind and trustworthy, I was hesitant. She could sense it.
Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others that I saw you. I didn’t even want to come on this stupid mission. I’m only here so that I can pay for my college.
College?
It’s where you go to learn what you need to know to get a job.
I probably looked like the most confused creature in the known universe.
Job? We Karkastians don’t go to college or have what you call jobs. We provide whatever talents we possess for the community and live in harmony.
Sounds like a much better system.
To answer your question, there are only a few of us left. There is only my friend Dentyan and a few others that remain alive.
I’m afraid one of our men killed one of yours just yesterday.
What did they look like?
It was a tall male. He had a pale blue color and very short hair.
That was Dentyan. I was distraught. Water began to pour from several pores in my body.
Why are you sweating?
What is sweating? I am upset can’t you see?
Oh, that must be the way your kind cries or feels sorrow.
Yes, sorrow. I do know what that is. That is what I’m feeling.
Yahn, I am so sorry for your loss. I scolded the man who killed your friend, telling him that he should have stunned him instead of killing him.
I guess I should be used to all of the loss by now.
“Private Hampton come in!” a voice said from the Earthling’s primitive radio.
“Go ahead Captain,” Jessie answered.
“Have you found anything in the eastern sector?”
“Negative captain. No survivors.”
“Hmm, in that case, come on back to base.”
"Yes, captain."
I had better get back Jessie said.
I understand. Will I see you again?
I don’t now but if I don’t, I wish you the best of luck.
What is luck?
I don’t have time to explain. I wish you happiness.
You too, I said. I was sorry to see her go. She was perhaps the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on and I wanted to see her again, as much as possible. I ate what was left of the kerfol I had, transformed into my mist form and went out to see what I could learn from the invading Earthlings.
They were gathered around a fire talking about their day.
“I'm telling you there aren't any more survivors; this is one desolate rock," one of the males said.
“There have to be more life forms, the radar keeps getting a reading for them,” Their captain said.
“James, I want you to go and explore the eastern sector tomorrow,” the captain said.
“But I already looked at the eastern sector,” Jessie said.
“Hmm, well let’s just say I want a second opinion,” The captain answered. I could tell that Jessie was upset. Her female friend patted her back in an attempt to comfort her.
"Yeah, if Jessie says there are no life forms there, there aren't any," The other female said.
"We can't afford to take any chances and leave any behind," The captain said.
"I don't' see why we have to take them prisoners. Why don't we just blast any living thing we see on this god-forsaken rock," a big, ugly male said.
“Because that’s not our orders, Private Perry,” The captain said angrily.
"Some of us actually don't want to hurt anybody or anything on this planet," Jessie said.
“That kind of soft attitude will get you killed in a place like this!” The ugly male fired back.
"Alright, that's enough. Private Perry has a point, Jessie. You had better toughen up. I guess basic training didn't harden your insides one bit," the captain said.
“Some of us can actually still maintain some humanity after military training,” the other female said. Jessie nodded in agreement with her.
“Enough of this. I need everyone to get some rest so that we can cover more ground in the morning. That’s an order!” The captain barked. The others got up from the fire and began to head back to their ship.
I waited until they were all asleep, knowing that there had to be some sort of food I could find in their camp. Once the last human left the campfire, I transformed and began to search the area. I found something that smelled like food that came in a rectangular container. It was foul compared with kerfol, but I needed nourishment. I also found a laser cannon that had been left propped up against a rock. I took that and one of the rectangles of food and headed back towards the direction of my bunker. Just as I began to leave, Jessie came out of the Earthlings' ship.
“Hey,” she said calling out to me.
I began to run away and she followed behind me. I ran until I was almost back to the bunker. I looked and she was still chasing me. I decided to stop and communicate with her some more, knowing that she wouldn't cause me any harm.
Sorry that I had to take these things but I’m starving and I have no way to defend myself.
Keep them. Look, like I said, I want to help you. I can bring you food while we’re here, at least until the expedition leaves again.
Would you do that for me?
Yes, of course. We are invaders here and we should be helping the survivors rather than taking them as prisoners.
I wondered at that point how many other Earthlings were actually compassionate and caring like this one.
That is very kind of you but I don’t want you to put yourself in danger.
Don’t worry. I will sneak the food to you while everyone is asleep. They will never know who took it.
We smiled at one another for a second until another human came walking up behind Jessie. I vanished into my mist form just in time.
“Jessie who are you talking to?” the other female asked her.
"No one, I was just thinking out loud to myself. I couldn't sleep."
“Oh, ok, you had better come on back to the ship before the captain realizes we’re missing,” the other female earth creature said.
Chapter Three
Jessie
When the morning came bright and early - Karkast had three suns so the morning was indeed very bright - the captain came into our barracks.
“Wake up ladies, time to begin your duties,” Captain Hanson yelled.
We got ready as quickly as we could and met with the others just outside of the ship. I had to immediately put my sunglasses on to combat the bright light from the three suns. Two of them were larger, more yellow in color and higher in the sky than the third one, which had a more orange tint. My thoughts immediately returned to Yahn. I hoped that he was keeping himself hidden well enough so that no one would find him on a patrol. Once I had gotten over the ‘otherness’ of his appearance, I realized just how attracted I was to him. I knew that if circumstances were different, I would want to take the opportunity to get to know Yahn a little better.
"Alright everyone, I have your assignments for today. We have just a few days left to wrap up this operation, so we need to work fast. Our superiors want us to comb this entire region. Ok, let's start with James. I want you to cover the eastern sector."
I tuned out what the captain was saying after this because I was so angry. It was obvious that he didn't trust my judgment and I knew in my heart that it was because I was a woman. Crazy that we had come so far as the human race only to have the same old sexist problems rear their ugly head again.
“As for you, Private Hampton, you need to get your head in the game. I need someone to stay around here and clean up the ship, including the latrine. I want this ship to be shining when I return from my patrol. While you’re on cleaning detail, I want you to think about how you can focus your attention on the matter at hand,” he said.
"Yes, sir," making my lack of enthusiasm pretty obvious. Captain Henson glared at me for a second and then disappeared towards the south.
“I’m so sorry he did that,” Wendy said. “I’m going to report the sexism going on in this unit when we get back to Earth.”
“Thanks for being a friend,” I said.
“We girls have to stick together. We can’t let them walk all over us,” Wendy said.
“Agreed,” I said.
After everyone else in the unit had left for their patrols, I decided to walk towards the east where Yahn’s bunker was located. I felt compelled to protect Yahn because I knew how hotheaded and trigger happy James could be. I found James just outside of the rock-dwelling where Yahn's family used to reside. It was modest in size and rectangular in shape. Like the others, its rocky roof had been blown off and the floors were littered with boulders. I hid behind the rocks so that he wouldn't see me. Once he'd gone down the stairs into the dwelling, I crept up behind him. I wasn't sure what I intended to do if Yahn was there and James found him. I thought about causing some sort of distraction that would enable Yahn to escape, but I knew that there would be grave consequences for that once the captain understood what had happened. I began to wonder if I could actually shoot James if it came down to it. In my heart of hearts, I knew I would rather shoot James than let him harm Yahn. Then, there was the option of helping Yahn to esc
ape once he was captured. All of these thoughts filled my mind as I crept along behind James.
James rifled through the belongings of Yahn's family, looking puzzled at all of the various objects there that were foreign to us Earthlings. I hid behind a device that looked to be some sort of transmission device, akin to a radio of sort. I accidentally stumbled over a metal box on the floor. James whirled around to see what was behind him.
“Who’s there?” he shouted. I was as still as possible in my hiding place. Just when he was about to discover me, I heard a sound coming from the bunker.
Yahn I thought.
James turned his attention towards this new sound. He took out his laser cannon and crept forward towards the entrance to the bunker. I did my best to follow him, staying behind the various pieces of furniture and unidentified devices in the room. Luckily there was a conveyor belt-type device that led down to the bunker. Karkastians used these instead of stairs. I had to wait until James turned the corner and was out of sight before I could descend into the chamber.
Once I was in the bunker, I hurried as quietly as I could into the room where I had met Yahn the previous day. There was no sound coming from the room, so I assumed that Yahn knew of our presence and was hiding. James crept forward, looking behind the objects in the room, his laser cannon still in front of him.
“I know there’s someone down here. If you’re still here and you can understand me, come out with your hands up. I am a soldier with the United States Earth Federation Army and you are under my arrest!”
My eyes darted around the room looking for any sign of Yahn. Then, I saw him hiding behind some octagon-shaped storage containers in a far corner of the room. James was slowly making his way towards Yahn. My mind began to race as I thought about what I should do. I knew I could yell out or make a noise to draw James away from Yahn, but I didn't have time to do so. I saw James get out his phasinator to prevent Yahn from turning into vapor.
James had made his way to the corner of the room where Yahn was hidden. Suddenly, James kicked the box out of the way revealing Yahn. Yahn had a laser cannon pointed right at James. James had a laser cannon too, but he hadn't had a chance to activate it before Yahn pulled his gun. Laser cannons had to be activated until they were glowing red, quite much the same way that a regular gun had to be cocked before it would fire.
Yahn: Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Alien Mates Book 4) Page 2