by Maia Starr
“What? What do you mean?” she asked.
“I did not say you could speak! Ask no questions and do what you are told. Or would you rather stay here with the commander to let him finish what he started?”
Her eyes grew wide once again and I watched her as she stood up before me. The sight of her nearly took my breath away and I shocked myself, as I had never met a human that made me feel this way. She looked soft and delicate, and I could not believe that this was the same, filthy human that had repulsed me before. Before it was a dirty, young, human female with stringy, knotted hair that stood before me, and now a beautiful, ample human female that was practically glowing stood before me.
I felt a stir deep within me and turned to walk out, as I could not look at her any longer. She followed quietly behind me and I suddenly felt rage that the commander was trying to take what was rightfully mine. This slave was mine by orders of the master, and no one would dare challenge the master on that account.
“Wait here. Keep her guarded,” I said to the guards as I stepped into a private communication room in order to tell the master what had happened with the commander. The master was not available, so I left him a projection recording with the reports and the commander’s behavior. As I stepped out, it was now time to launch to Kaethon, and it was a good thing because I could not leave this human behind here with the commander on the base. He would attack her as soon as I left.
“Ready for launch,” I said as I watched the human female named Silver climb into the launch pod and I climbed in beside her. “All systems go,” I said to the guard before the hatch was closed. Sitting beside her, she smelled of all the delicious, scented oils that the Kalazaron females wore and I wanted to pull her into my arms because of it. It was just a lustful thought and nothing more, for I could never really care for a human female, only lust after one like this.
“Launch at will,” I said once we were both buckled into our seats. Moments later, the engine revved and we were shot out into space. The female tensed up but she did not close her eyes. Instead she looked out the small window with her eyes wide in excitement. As we grew closer to the blue planet I called home, she sucked in a sharp breath and said, “Oh, it is so beautiful. I have never seen anything like it.”
I opened my mouth to tell her to shut up but the look on her face stopped me. She was showing pride and amazement toward my home and I would have to allow that.
Dring! Dring! The siren went off and the lights began to flash in chaos. Crap!
“Hold on. There seems to be a malfunction!” I shouted as I began to flip switches and call over the communication, “This is Sergeant Korin Hafah! Do you connect? We are going down! I repeat we are going down! Do you connect?” I shouted.
But there was no reply. It was as if our communication lines had been cut. I looked at the project screen for coordinates but it suddenly went blank. The automatic systems were offline somehow. I tried to turn them back on.
“Are we going to die?!” the human female shouted.
“Be quiet! Let me think! I have to turn on manual controls. We are freefalling into Kaethon! We will crash unless I gain control!”
“Oh God!” she shouted as she held on and began to cry.
The launch pod spiraled out of control as we fell to Kaethon. Suddenly the blue blur out the window was familiar and I knew that we were close to ground.
“Thank you,” the human female said.
“What?!” I shouted as I switched and pulled on levers, nothing seemed to be working.
“Thank you for saving me from that evil alien; he would have done things to me that I have not experienced in life, and I do not want it to be that way. Thank you for saving me.”
I finally pulled out the control panel and wired a few wires together and the manual controls came on, but it was too late. It only came on with enough time for me to kick the engines back on and give our crash landing a little less impact. Boom! We hit hard and the pod skidded across the ground, but it was better than I expected; we were alive. “Hold on! Just hold on!” I shouted.
The human female screamed and the pod finally came to a stop. I breathed out as I took control of the situation. “We are fine. Are you hurt?”
She simply shook her head no and then I kicked at the pod door to open it. It finally budged and I crawled out and sat on top of it. I looked around to see where we were. As I spotted the Blue Mountains in the distance, I knew where we were and it was dangerous territory.
“Come on, we must move, now,” I said as I placed my hand inside the pod to help the human female out of it. She grabbed my hand and it was soft and smooth. I felt a familiar stir as I held onto her and pulled her to me. I put my hands around her small waist and hoisted her up. Her face came within in inches of mine and she locked eyes with me. I don’t know what came over me, but I had an urge to kiss her trembling lips. It must be the adrenaline of almost dying that made me want her.
I pulled her away and set her down on the ground. I crawled back in and tried the communicator again, but nothing. I tried to find our coordinates, but nothing. I grabbed an emergency bag from the compartment and my weapon before moving out of the pod. I looked back at the Blue Mountains. I could only hope that the rebel base located there had not seen or detected us.
I jumped out of the pod onto the ground and inspected the pod. It was just as I suspected: someone had cut the communication lines and the control panel. I knew that it had to be the commander, out of spite. I would have no proof, but I knew it was he. He was trying to kill the human female and I. I’m sure he thought that if he couldn’t have her, then no one would, it was just like him to think such things. I moved from the pod and that is when I noticed that the human female was crying, again.
“Why do you cry? It is over. We are alive,” I said.
“It is just…I have never seen anything so beautiful. The blue mountains, the bluer sky, and the blue dirt, and the plants are lush and lovely. There is nothing like this on Merton Loy; it is just a barren rock. This is a living, beautiful planet and I am so happy to have seen it. I am so happy that I cry with joy. I never thought I would see such a thing so Earth like and now I am. It is unbelievable.”
Her words stunned me and hit me hard. I had never heard anyone speak in such a way about my home. We all took it for granted, yet as I looked around at what she had pointed out, I noticed that she was right. After being on the moon base of Tyla Wen for so long, I too could appreciate how beautiful it was here on Kaethon. I watched as her hands ran over the tall grass. I watched as she ran over to a tree and inhaled its scent. She was like a youngling Kalazaron with such wonder and excitement. Then she turned and looked at me and shock came over her face as she said, “I have never seen you smile like that, or at all. You are always so angry.”
I quickly shifted my stance and erased the smile from my face. “I am just happy to be alive is all. You see the Blue Mountains? The rebel base is there and it is my enemy. We need to get away from the pod in case they come for it. Come this way,” I said, leading her into the thickness of the trees. I could tell that she was smiling as she followed me and I was annoyed that I had let her see that part of me, the part that found her desirable and interesting.
I led her deeper into the thickness and looked overhead. It would be dark soon, and that was a good thing. The silver-white sun was setting on the horizon and the two moons were coming into view as they both rose on the opposite side. I looked at the moon of Tyla Wen and it angered me that I could not contact them and that the traitor Commander Yun was on it, trying to take over my post.
I knew that a search would be set out for us and I knew how to make myself known when that happened, but for now we needed to stay hidden. It would be hours before any of our Kalazaron pilots in speeders found our pod, and for now we needed to be far away from it. We needed to keep walking in the direction of the capital city of Konthos, and that was the only plan that we could have for now. We were deep in a ravine with cliffs on both our sides and this was good
cover. I was so deep in this thought of being unseen by the rebel enemies that I did not look behind me for some time. When I did look behind me, I saw that the human female was not there. I searched around me and could not see her.
“Human!” I shouted. Anger began to build up inside of me, for her and for myself for not being more careful. I did not know if she had fallen into a ditch or been snagged by a wild beast or enemy. I should have been more careful, and yet I was more concerned with keeping her from seeing my face after she had seen me smile, which kept me from turning around to look at her. Now she was out of my sight and I was angry, but I was also worried. I did not want anything to happen to her.
Chapter 3
SILVER BROOKS
I was still shaken up after the attack by the Kalazaron warrior known as Commander Yun. The look that I saw in his eyes was pure evil, and it scared me more than I had ever been scared in my life. I was a virgin, and I did not want to be taken in this way. So when the sergeant came in and rescued me, I was relieved, but I was not expecting the brutal fight that ensued. I had never seen anything like it. On Merton Loy, peace and calm was the way to resolve issues, and here with the Kalazaron, they seemed to use their fists and brute strength.
As I watched the two warriors fight, they both seemed to be a match for each other and I was terrified that Commander Yun would win. Then the sergeant spoke to him, whatever he said seemed to work because the commander left, but not before giving me a look that let me know that this was not over yet. It was the creepiest look.
When the commander was gone and the sergeant stood there with his guards, I felt a sense of thankfulness, but I was also turned on by him saving me. No one had ever stood up for me like that and it was an energizing feeling. But it was the way he looked at me that sent pulsations to the right places. When he turned to me as I cowered in the corner, the look on his face changed from anger to one of surprise—gentle surprise. He looked me over and I could see that he saw the same transformation that I had seen in the mirror. It hurt me before when he looked at me in a repulsive manner, so the fact that he was now looking at me without the look of disgust on his face made me happy.
Then he shocked me by stating, “Come with me. We are departing to Kaethon in minutes.”
Kaethon! Was he being serious? I was going to be separated from the crew that I came here with? I was going to be separated from the humans and taken to an unknown planet with this brute? I was a female slave and I knew that now. But I wanted to be put in the work camps with the male humans; at least there I knew that all I had to do was work, and not be the whore slave of a Kalazaron.
“What? What do you mean?” I asked, terrified and wanting more of an explanation. I had just begun to get used to the moon base they called Tyla Wen. For some reason, I felt like that if I stayed there, I would have a better chance of getting to Earth.
“I did not say you could speak! Ask no questions and do what you are told! Or would you rather stay here with the commander to let him finish what he started?”
When he ordered me about and I stood up, he took a few seconds to look at me, his eyes scanning over my body. I took this time to look over his as well. His Viking-like body with blond hair and blue eyes stood out in stark contrast to his blue-tinted skin, and his muscles were very evident from the fighting. He was sweating and breathing heavily, and I only saw him as my rescuer in that moment. But he was still mean on the inside, and I knew that from the way he had spoken to me during our brief interactions. He was probably no better than the Commander Yun and something to be feared, but for now he was the better of the two.
Because he had questioned me about who dressed me, I knew that he cared about it, that it affected him. I liked knowing that. He was such a hard and egotistical warrior and I liked knowing that there must be some human-like heart to him in there somewhere.
Minutes later, I was once again in space on my way to some unknown planet. I felt very strange sitting next to this alien. His scent was masculine. He still refused to pay much attention to me. He did not speak to me until…
Dring! Dring! A loud noise over took and I had no idea what it meant, but I knew that it was not good. I panicked.
“Hold on. There seems to be a malfunction!” Korin shouted, and then he tried to reach someone over communications; there was no response. I was so terrified. I did not want this to be the end for me. There was so much that I had not experienced. Not only would I never see Earth, but I would never feel the touch of a man that I wanted to touch me. I began to cry in pity of myself.
“Are we going to die?!”
“Be quiet! Let me think! I have to turn on manual controls. We are freefalling into Kaethon! We will crash unless I gain control!”
“Oh God!” I shouted as I cried harder; I knew this was going to be the end as we spiraled out of control and the blue planet below us became bigger and bigger, until I saw nothing but blue in the window. As I thought about everything, a sense of calm came over me and I looked at Korin beside me, desperately trying to fix the problem. I don’t know why I said it, but I did.
“Thank you.”
“What?!”
“Thank you for saving me from that evil alien; he would have done things to him that I have not experienced in life and I do not want it to be that way. Thank you for saving me.” I did not know if he was listening or if he cared, but I wanted my last moments to be of gratitude and kindness, not panic and fear. I closed my eyes and thought about images of Earth that I had seen in my school books. I became calm and waited for the end.
Boom! “Hold on! Just hold on!” he shouted as I screamed; I could not control the fear that came when I heard that loud sound.
“We are fine. Are you hurt?” he asked as we finally stopped.
I simply shook my head no and then he kicked at the pod door to open it.
After he crawled up and looked around, I could not believe that we were alive. I thought for sure we would have perished. Instead, he had managed to do something to save us. In less than an hour, this sergeant had saved me twice from peril.
“Come on, we must move, now.” I grabbed his hand and I felt something stir within me as he touched me. He pulled me up and close to him. I wanted him to kiss me. Even though he was a jerk, he had saved me twice now and I wanted to kiss him as a reward. He pushed me away and helped me down onto the blue dirt. It was then that I fully looked around and it took my breath away.
The planet surrounding me was absolutely stunning. I had never seen anything like it with my own eyes. I felt like it was almost like Earth, only almost everything was a shade of blue, and it was very calming and wonderful to look at. I could not help myself ; I began to cry tears of joy.
Korin questioned me about those tears and I told him what I thought in this moment and how beautiful this place was. He seemed to agree, as he grew silent. Then I took it upon myself to smell each plant around me and touch it. I had never touched plants growing in the wild. I only touched the crops in the greenhouses on Merton Loy, and that was only in school, as we were not allowed in their any other time.
I frolicked around like a child as I experienced as much as I could as quickly as I could. Then I turned to look at him, as I was sure that he would be scolding me as he had been since I first met him, but he was not. In fact, my knees grew weak when I saw a brilliant, pleasant smile on his face. I had never seen him smile before and it was captivating. I smiled in return as I said, “I have never seen you smile like that, or at all. You are always so angry.”
The smile fell from his face and I thought I caught a sense of embarrassment as he went back into sergeant mode. “I am just happy to be alive is all. You see the Blue Mountains? The rebel base is there, and it is my enemy. We need to get away from the pod in case they come for it. Come this way,” he said, leading me into the thickness of the trees.
I followed him, and as I did I wondered about this rebel base. Did they do things differently there? Did they take humans as slaves? If they were rebe
ls, then they must be different in some way. I thought about the rebels capturing us and me actually having a chance on this planet. I could live in these woods alone for years, just feeling fascinated and happy with these types of surroundings. It was later that I actually got a chance to make that thought a reality.
As we walked deeper into the lushness, I noticed that Korin was preoccupied. He was on a straight path, muttering to himself. I followed behind, but not too closely. Then I stopped. I was surprised that he kept going. After a few moments, I started following again, but with much greater distance between us. He did not notice when I had stopped walking, and that was a good thing.
As we entered into a ravine of sorts with high, rock walls, the beauty astounded me again. Then I noticed that in these high, rock walls were various caves and crevices. I wanted to hide in one and perhaps escape this jerk and make it to the rebels. Or perhaps try to make it on my own. Once again, I stopped walking and Korin did not turn around. I quietly walked toward the tall grass until it was over my head, and made my way toward the rock wall. Then I heard, “Human!”
I quickly squatted down and began to panic. If he caught me, he would be very angry that I tried to run away. I had to move. I got on all fours and began to crawl along the blue dirt, but it was hard in the muslin dress. I suddenly longed for my wool pants and not this beautiful gown that was not cut out for this type of experience.