by Maia Starr
I was on this small transportation ship that would take me to the asteroid known as Crasis when the first bomb went off. I was startled to hear the Corillion warriors shout, “It's the humans! We are under attack by the humans!”
I was frozen in complete shock. Had my messages gotten through to Earth? Were they here to rescue Alexis and I? Would she want to go? There were so many questions running through my mind. Had I caused this siege through the communications I had sent? Now that it was happening I sort of regretted it because I did not know if it meant that Duron would die. But it was perfect timing. I had to figure out how to communicate with the Earth ships to let them know how to find me.
BOOM!
"The launch port has been hit! I repeat, the launch port has been hit!” the warrior shouted into the communication lines. This was good news. It meant that we could not depart to Crasis.
I quickly got up from my seat and ran towards the door and down the stairway of the ship. “Wait!” the warrior shouted.
“Let her go! It is not safe here!” another warrior shouted.
I ran down the stairs and onto the launch floor. Then I saw him, and I could not believe it. Duron was there! I was so relieved when I saw him I ran straight into his arms.
"Duron! You are here! You came back!” I cried into his arms.
"I am here, Shia. Come with me; we do not have much time. We are in a lot of trouble. The Earth vessels followed my ship from the battle we were in. We must get out of here; it is our only chance!”
"They followed you?” I asked him, realizing that perhaps it wasn't because I had signaled them. Maybe they didn't even know I was here.
"Yes, come with me; we must get off this moon base," he said.
I hesitated and stopped. “But it is humans, it is Earth. It is my chance to go home,” I said to him. He stopped and looked at me. There was sorrow on his face. We were both quiet for a few seconds as bombs exploded around us.
"I understand, Shia. If that is what you truly want, then I will help you to get on one of these Earth ships. I don't know how, but we can make it happen. You will be going back to Earth. It is what you want, yes?” he asked.
His willingness to sacrifice never seeing me again so that I could go home made my heart swell with joy. Suddenly the feeling of not being with him made me feel sick. Was it really what I wanted? I knew for sure that I did not want to be with Leader Xet Crasis, but that did not mean that I did not want to be with Duron. I had to make a decision, and I had to make it now.
"No. I will go with you."
"Shia, are you sure? This is your time to go home.”
"I am sure. I want to be with you Duron. Take me with you,” I said as I reached up and kissed him.
"It is what I want too. It is all that I want,” he said to me as he grabbed my hand and led me off into a small ship that reminded me of the escape pods from the space station.
“How could we possibly get out of this?” I said to him as the explosions continued around us. I did not see how we could get away from both Earth ships as well as Corillion ships.
"Come with me. I know a way,” he said to me as he continued to drag me through the launch port. He opened a patch on the ground. There was a ladder that led into the ground.
"Climb the ladder! Go down! I'm right behind you!” he shouted.
“All right! I’m going down the ladder! It’s so dark,” I shouted back.
I was terrified as I climbed down the steep ladder that went down into darkness. I could not see anything and I could still feel the vibrations of the attack. I looked up and saw Duron climbing down and closing the lid on top of him. I was relieved that at least he was with me. Then suddenly the entire tunnel of the ladder glowed with green light.
"I opened the panel with my hand print and turned on the light. It’s all right! Keep going; we are almost there, Shia!" he shouted at me.
I looked down and could see the ground now with the green light. I jumped off the last step of the ladder onto the ground. I looked around and could see that it was a very long tunnel. I could not see the end of it. It looked like it went on underground forever.
"Duron, where are we?” I asked him.
"Come on!" He grabbed my hand and led me down the tunnel as he said, “It is an escape tunnel from the moon base. It leads to a smaller launch pad on the other side. We will board a small ship there.”
This gave me hope. I ran faster with him. He was very smart and very skilled. He was a quick thinker. Finally, the tunnel gave way to a small launch port. I could barely hear the blast of the siege battle in the distance. I truly was giving up my chance at going back to Earth to be with Duron. It was a decision that I felt to no regrets over in this moment. It was astonishing how much had changed in such little time. Only a week or two before, I wanted to be on Earth at any cost. Now I felt completely bonded to this Corillion warrior. Maybe there was something to my theory about their kisses emitting spawn-like particles that bonded us to them. But at this point, I did not care; it was too late for me. I just wanted to be with him and it didn't matter where we were, where we went, or whose rules we broke: the Corillions’ or thehumans’. It only mattered that we were together.
"Here, climb in here!" he shouted as he moved around the outside of a small spaceship, removing the tethers that tied it to the launch pad. I climbed inside and quickly fastened myself into a seat. Duron was close behind as he moved in and began to flip switches and knobs and the ship came alive. The engine groaned a soft rumble.
"I have to make sure to take it off-line. No communications,” he said as he pulled on the communication switches, turning it off. We were going rogue. “I do not want to be tracked. We just need to get as far from here as possible.”
"Where will he go?” I asked him.
"Let's figure that out once we are out of range of Altid,” he said.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm fastened and ready,” I said to him.
In seconds, the ship shot out of the launch pad straight into deep space. We did it. No one noticed, and we did not have anyone trailing us.
"I'm trying to get us deeper into the astroid belt. It is easier to hide there. There are many space rocks and debris flying around. Earth ships would not dare try to maneuver there. It gives us a lot of cover."
"Is it dangerous?” I asked.
"Everything we have done together is dangerous; this is no different,” he smiled at me. It was good to see a little of the tension leave his face and I knew that we were far from the moon base Altid.
I looked over at him with his long dark hair messy and sweaty, stuck to his face. His blue eyes were focused and he maneuvered the ship expertly. I couldn't believe that this spawn now held my heart, he wasn't even human.
"I am glad you got my message. I am glad you came for me,” I said to him.
"When I got your message, something came over me. I was powered by rage and nothing was going to stop me until I knew that you were safe. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, Shia. It is very unfamiliar and confusing,” he said to me.
"I understand. It is not how you were programmed. It must be so very strange. I am happy and glad that you followed that feeling and came for me. I do not want to belong to any other Corillion than you,” I said, putting my hand on his.
"That is exactly how I feel as well,” he said to me.
Suddenly I noticed that the blackness of space in front of us was filled with many asteroid rocks. It was a minefield of dangerous debris and asteroids shooting by. I tensed up. Every angle that I looked out the window, there were dangerous things flying around us. I didn’t see how we would be able to get through it. I gasped at the sight.
"Do not worry yourself. I am skilled in this area. I have flown through here many times," Duron said.
"Where does this go?” I asked him.
"This is the way into the Corillion galaxy. The moon base known as Altid is the gateway to it. After passing it, this is the way to the Corillion worlds. This is the
way you would be going to get to Crasis.”
"Oh, Duron, we are not passing by there on our way?” I asked.
"No, but we are passing by a few of the other habitations of the Corillion warriors. It is the only way."
BEEP! BEEP!
The siren on the spaceship blared. I felt fear come over me. Duron flipped switches and went into a panic. “No!” he shouted.
"What is it?!” I shouted over the loud siren.
"Someone has a locked on to us! They have control of our ship!” he shouted.
"Is it an Earthship or Corillion ship?” I asked.
He turned to me and gave me a sorrowful look as he said, “Corillion."
Chapter 10
COMMANDER DURON SPAUNOK
I stood there in front of the Supreme Council of the Corillion on the planet base known as Pourock. This was the largest of the Corillion bases in the Corillion galaxy. I was in chains. Shia was at my side, but she was not tied up, and I was glad for it.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Commander Duron Spaunok?” the Supreme Leader Giut Thoen asked me.
"I say that I deserve a fair chance to claim the redheaded human female known as Shia Heton as a forever mate. As you know, we have already mated and it is very likely that she carries my offspring. In punishing me or punishing her, you are in fact stopping the Corillion race from the very thing that we have tried to do for years now: to survive.”
"Yes, but you are not a leader. You are but a warrior, a commander that is in charge of bringing human females to your leaders, not for your own indulgence. That is the way of things. Those are the rules. If we allow you to defy those rules, then what would stop other warriors from following in your footsteps?” he asked.
"I know that what I have done is wrong. But I have spent many years gathering human females for our leaders and have never touched one. It was my leader, Baradur Spaunok, that charged me with taking care of this human female in my own living quarters. I restrained myself from the temptation as much as I could. But it was whenever the human female came to me and offered herself to me that I could no longer hold back,” I said, looking over at Shia.
The council mumbled together in astonishment. Then they looked at Shia and asked, “Is this true human female? Are you the one that instigated mating with this commander known as Duron Spaunok?”
"Yes, Supreme Council. I am the one that wanted this commander. I was in his care for a very long time and we formed a bond. I am the one that mated with him. It is very possible that I am carrying his offspring, and I want to. But I want the commander at my side. I love him. I want him as my forever mate."
I turned to her quickly. Did she say that she loved me? Was this the truth or was she merely trying to spare my life? I wanted to rejoice if it was true. I also loved her in return. It was a very strong feeling that I had not been able to put into words until she did.
The council mumbled again quietly to themselves. I don't think that they were expecting Shia to speak on my behalf. This was the first time they were faced with such a unique situation.
"We have never heard a human female speak in such away. At least not about a warrior that was not a leader. This does bring hope to the race of Corillion. If this human female is capable of falling in love on her own with a Corillion warrior, perhaps there will be many others that follow in her footsteps. She was not forced to love this Corillion warrior; she chose on her own. That is important to our survival."
"It is the truth, Supreme Council,” I said to them. “I know that I defied the rules because I am not a leader. This human female mated with me on her own accord. She has given me a longer life, and possibly a hybrid offspring. But I understand the Supreme Council's words about other warriors following in my footsteps. I do not wish to insight such defiance, and that was not my intention.”
"And yet it is what will happen. If we let you live in peace with a human female that was already promised to a Corillion leader, then other warriors will want to do the same. It will cause chaos in the entire system, and it is something that we cannot afford at this moment. We are under siege by the Earthlings on the moon base. How long before they reach us? We must deal with you and the human female quickly; we have a war to win.”
"I understand, Supreme Council. What is to be my punishment?” I asked, tired of dancing around the topic. I needed to know now, and I needed to know soon so that I could plan our escape once more. I was not giving up on her.
"Where is she?!” a booming voice shouted. I turned to see a Corillion that I feared: it was Xet Crasis coming in the massive doors of the hall with his entourage of Crasis warriors.
"Where is the human redheaded female that is promised to me? Where is the human female that has caused so much trouble and disobedience that the entire Corillion galaxy speaks her name on their lips?" Xet Crasis asked as he walked in.
Great. All of her defiance and my act of defiance and stealing her away had created a word-of-mouth chaos about the redheaded known as Shia Heton. Now every Corillion would want her because of this. We had never experienced anything like it since we started taking human females. Now she was a prize. Now all would want her. Now I would have to kill everyone.
"Xet Crasis, we the Supreme Council apologize for the chaos and the delayed delivery of your human female that was promised to you by leader Baradur Spaunok," Giut Thoen said.
"She is not Baradur’s's to give,” I growled the words.
Xet Crasis moved over to me and stared me in the eyes and said, “So this is the defiant commander warrior. You should kill him before more follow in his steps. You must make an example of him."
I narrowed my eyes at him in hate. I could kill him right then and there with my bare hands. Then he moved over to Shia beside me and looked at her over. Now I really had to restrain myself not to jump on top of him and take his life from him. “This is the redhead. I can see why she has caused so much trouble. I would be happy to make her my forever mate."
"Do that and I will kill you the second that your back is turned,” she spat out the words. There was a hushed silence and shock over the hall. I smiled. This was why I loved her so much.
"How dare you speak to me in such a way, human female. I will have you killed for such a thing,” Xet Crasis growled.
"Touch her and die,” I said to him.
"Enough!” Giut Thoen shouted. “There is only one way to settle this. Commander Duron Spaunok must fight Xet Crasis for the ownership of the human female known as Shia Heton. The winner takes the female as a forever mate."
"No,” I heard Shia whisper.
"I accept,” I said.
"She will be mine,” Xet Crasis said.
"Then it is settled. Let us not waste any time. Clear the floor. We must make an example for other warriors to know that they simply cannot take human females. Commander Duron Spaunok will not simply be given this human female; he must fight one of our greatest warriors and leaders in the Corillion galaxy, Xet Crasis!” Giut Thoen shouted.
Shia was removed from the floor and I could see just how anxious she was. But I needed to focus now. I needed to focus all of my attention on Xet Crasis. I was thrown a long staff weapon. Xet was given the same.
“Fight!” Giut Thoen shouted.
Xet Crasis growled as he came toward me. Bam! Bam! Our weapons met in the air as we hit over and over trying to get a good hit at each other. He was quick. He was more skilled than I was when it came to hand-to-hand combat. I was the commander of ships, and my skills were in air battle.
Whoosh! His staff aimed at my legs and I jumped over it. Then I twirled and my staff almost made contact with his head, but he blocked it with his staff.
"You will lose. You will die,” Xet Crasis growled at me.
I said nothing. He was simply trying to distract me with his words and I was too focused to even hear them. Boom! Bam! The staffs in our hands were knocked out of our hands as we both gave hard blows. They flew across the room.
"Swords!” Giut Tho
en shouted. A sword was thrown at me and at Xet Crasis. Cling! Clank! We were crashing swords together as soon as they landed in our hands. We were of equal match, so it seemed. Suddenly all the rumors I had heard about his fierce skills seemed to be lies. I was just as good as he was and that amount of confidence allowed me to charge him. His eyes grew wide at my sudden confidence and skill. I caught him off guard and my sword dug deep into the left side of his body, the side that did not have the protection of our blue scales.