by Maia Starr
“Yes,” Baarda said, stepping in front of me and gripping my shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “We have been waiting for you.”
A sudden wave of relief crashed over my entire body, and I nearly fell to the ground, overcome by my exhaustion. But I had to keep up appearances in front of my crew, no matter how tired and drained by emotion I was.
“Where are the others? How many have survived? And the ship?”
Baarda smiled, his face kind and familiar and comforting.
“The others are safe. All but poor Jorgan. He had suffered quite a terrible fall. Come. We must go before dark. That is when the Yegen come out to hunt.”
My chest tightened. The Yegen were formidable foes to be certain, and it would be best for all of us to avoid their wrath.
“Yes, let us go. Come: I must fetch the human.”
Baarda looked surprised for a moment but knew better than to speak back to me, and we turned back toward the direction we had come from so that I could fetch Alice and take her back to wherever it was that my crew was waiting for my return.
***
“Kecha…Kecha, it is time to wake up. Baarda asked me to come and fetch you. They are going to share an evening meal.”
I opened my eyes reluctantly, but when I did, I found that my body was well rested and feeling stronger than it had been in all the time since we had arrived on this planet. The fruits and berries we had been eating were enough to keep us alive, but they had lacked the essential vitamins and minerals that were necessary for keeping Raithers like myself fit and agile.
I gazed at the human, who now also had a healthy, ruddy glow on her cheeks, and smiled sleepily.
“They really made themselves at home here, didn’t they?” I asked, sitting up and stretching widely. I could feel the human’s gaze upon my bare torso, and when I caught her eye, the flush that reddened her cheeks brought a deep heat to my loins. But this was neither the time nor the place to explore my confounding claim on this creature. I would have to do my best to hide my feelings for her, for her own safety. The crew already seemed suspicious of my interest in any being found on this planet, and the last thing I needed was mutiny on my hands.
“They did. And it’s kind of creepy how they just left that poor Raither lying out there…”
“It makes sense, though,” I said, pulling my shirt back on over my head and rousing myself out of the comfortable cot. “It deters any of these creatures with an aversion to the scent of death. It is a tactic we learned in training long ago; any man’s death can ultimately prove meaningful.”
“I still think it’s creepy,” Alice said with a small shrug.
I grinned despite myself, and before long we were sitting in front of a huge, billowing fire surrounded by most of the members of my crew. Only a few had disappeared entirely, which was good news. I had been fearing the worst, thinking everybody may have been scattered throughout the planet at the mercy of a disjointed fate. Fortunately, most of the crew had remained in the ship as it plummeted to the ground and survived.
The ship itself had survived the impact surprisingly well, though no matter how hard the men tried they were not able to repair it. Our supplies were still there, providing luxurious sleeping arrangements and a meal selection that nearly made me wrought with emotion upon indulging. It felt like home in a way, and the men had made a kind of base out of the ship, putting together a highly fortified encampment around the ship to keep it safe and provide the crew with shelter and security.
I hadn’t slept so soundly and woken up so rested since I had been a child. But now that I was rested, the pull to get ourselves off this planet was stronger than ever before. We could not live here, and I was the commander. It was up to me to make sure my men were able to find a way back to our home planet. It was time to take charge.
“All right, listen up,” I said, setting my food aside and standing before the fire. The crew all looked up from where they were eating; probably about thirty-five Raithers in all, each of them staring at me as if they had been waiting all this time for me to assume the lead once more. “Although the ship has not been able to be repaired as of yet, I still want a group of twelve men working on the engine, six men working on the skeleton, and the rest of you need to make your primary concern the radio. If we can’t make the ship work, we can at least contact our planet for help.”
“With all due respect, Commander,” Baarva said, “But we have already made the radio a priority. It doesn’t work. The frequencies are stunted by the atmosphere of the planet. The Federation made sure that no communication could be made in or out.”
I frowned, my mind racing for any possible way to overcome this barrier. Surely there was a way.
“Did you try the code?” I asked.
“What code?”
“Oh gred. The code,” I growled, hurrying into the ship and running to the control panel. Baarva and a handful of other Raithers followed me inside, where I typed the code to the Federation’s mainframe into the dashboard. The radio crackled, the static interference making me anxious. It didn’t work.
I growled in frustration and pounded the code in once again, determined to reach someone who might be able to send for help. Anyone.
After another few moments of silence, I sighed. It was futile.
“What code is that, Commander?” Baarva asked once it became painfully clear that my plan had failed.
“I was entrusted with a direct link to the Resha Federation. But clearly, it is useless here.”
The disappointment on their faces was palpable, and made me, once again, feel like a terrible leader.
“We will find a way out of here. Don’t worry. This is a planet that is meant for those who deserve punishment. We are noble warriors of Yala, and we will return in the favor of our superiors.”
“Yes,” Barvaa agreed. The others nodded their heads, and we began to make our way out of the control room.
“Commander Thornax.”
I froze, my chest growing tight at the quiet but commanding female’s voice coming from the dash. I rushed back to it.
“Yes!”
“Why are your coordinates in the Black Zone? Is everything all right?”
“No, no. Nothing is all right. Our ship crashed on the planet Hexa. We’ve lost a few crew members, and the ship is out of commission. We need someone from Yala to come retrieve us before it is too late. Can you please pass the message along to the Heatham?”
“Of course, Commander Thornax. How drastic is your situation?”
“We are surviving,” I said, unable to keep the relief out of my voice. “But it would be best for my crew to be able to leave as soon as possible.”
“What are your coordinates?”
I glanced down at the device on my wrist and read the coordinates out to the dispatch, all in a daze. I could hardly believe that I had actually located my crew, and my ship, and that help was on the way. I had never given up hope, but the truth was that the odds had been stacked against us. Thankfully, there was a chance for the survivors to thrive back on our home planet.
“All right, Commander. We will be in touch. Take care out there.”
The radio cut out and we were left in silence in the control room. I took a deep breath and beamed out at the small crowd that had followed me in. They were looking at me as if I had just performed some kind of miracle, and I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit caught up in the magic of what had just happened.
“Well,” I said, finally, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice as I addressed the men. “It looks like we have some celebrating to do.”
***
The next day went by quickly. The crew, including myself, was still working hard on repairing the ship, but it seemed impossible. The radio was manned by Baarva, who was adamant about keeping in close contact with the Resha Federation. A ship had been deployed as soon as my message had been received and processed by the board, and we had been informed that a small carrier vessel was on the way.
This meant that the majority of my crew would have to be left behind on the cruel prison planet while I instructed the Federation on how best to proceed with the rescue. It was going to be a delicate mission if ever there was one. The most dangerous and vicious creatures in the universe found themselves on Hexa, and it was shocking that any of us had survived even this long. Fortunately, my race had a vast knowledge of the life present in the universe, and that was the only thing we had to keep the monsters at bay.
“So, you guys are going home?” Alice asked me, once I had returned for the night to the small bunk we had been sharing. The crew had reluctantly welcomed her, though she was treated with suspicion and kept at arm’s length. She had been spending most of her time in our cabin, avoiding the glares and whispers. I was going to have to talk to the crew about what she was doing there with me, but first I was going to have to figure it out myself.
“Yes.”
“Does that mean Earth is out of the question?” Alice asked, leaning against the wall and staring at me with eyes that did not tolerate any dishonesty whatsoever.
“No. I will take you to Earth.”
“How are you going to do that if you are leaving me behind?” Alice demanded.
“I will have the Federation rescue all humans,” I said, not knowing whether or not this was even possible. “And I will take you with me so that you aren’t stuck on this planet another moment longer. All right?”
Alice seemed stunned by this and nodded slowly. “You’re going to take me to Earth?”
“It’s right on the way to Yala,” I lied, kicking myself for doing so. Why was I still so reluctant to let her go?
“You would really do this for me?” she whispered.
Again, she looked so sincere at the moment that I nearly wanted to tell her the truth. No, I did not want to take her to Earth. No, I was going to take her to Yala and see to it that she had the life she deserved with me as her mate for all of time. Nothing was on my mind more than this human. I could still feel the trace of her fingertips against my skin when I closed my eyes at times, and the thought of never smelling the sweetness of her breath again filled me with anguish. She would see one day that I had done the right thing. And when that day came, we would be one.
“You are going with me when the first ship arrives. I don’t care who says otherwise.”
“Thank you!” Alice exclaimed, running up to me and throwing her arms around my neck.
I held her close, my mind at odds with my body. I knew I did not deserve this affection, but I also knew that leaving the human here was not an option. She was going to love the planet Yala. Some creatures just couldn’t make a home in the place where they were born, and she didn’t seem to understand that life could be better for her somewhere else.
She was not going to like what I was doing. Not by a long shot. But I was going to make sure that she was able to have the perfect life. It was my duty. She was my human. I had claimed her, and in that mind-blowing night of passion, she had surrendered herself to me, body and soul, and my kind took that kind of vow seriously. She was going to listen to my wisdom and hear the truth in my words one day. Even if it meant that, until then, she was going to hate me.
***
“What the hell is this?”
“Lauren! What are you doing here?” Alice asked, her beautiful face perplexed.
The ship had finally arrived, and with it came the obnoxious group of human women once again. Apparently, they had followed us all the way through the forest until we had come upon my crew and ship, and had been keeping an eye on us from a distance.
“These people have to take us home. We don’t belong here!” Lauren shouted, running forward to try to get close to the ship. A Raither gripped her shoulder and prevented her from moving any further, and Alice pursed her lips.
“You belong here more than these guys do!” Alice said. “They crashed. They never killed anyone!”
“We never did either!” Lauren exclaimed. “Just what are you thinking? Did these freaks brainwash you or something?”
Alice glared.
“It just so happens that they are wonderful. And they’re taking me to Earth.”
“You can’t be serious. We all deserve a chance to go home.”
“Maybe if you back off a little, I will put in a good word with the Committee to get you girls back home,” Alice said.
She was playing with fire, burning the bridges she had left remaining with the humans on Hexa, but I admired her for it. I had never been prouder to have claimed her.
“No,” Lauren said, shaking her head and struggling against the force of the Raither who was constraining her. “What you’re going to do is tell these guys to let us on that ship!”
But Alice stood her ground, her hands folded over her chest.
“That is not an option,” she said firmly. “You can wait here patiently for the next ship out of here. I’m done waiting. I helped to make this happen. Don’t you get that? I deserve a way out.”
Lauren opened her mouth to reply again, but the pilot of the ship stepped out, silencing us all.
“We are ready to board,” he said, casting a cold, steely look out over us, clearly unimpressed with the scene. “Those of you who are leaving today, stand in a single file line. You will be seated one by one, starting with Commander Kecha Thornax.”
Hearing my name being spoken from the pilot’s lips snapped me into action, and I quickly rounded up the crew members I had chosen to bring back to Yala with me. When they were ready, I walked up to Alice, who was still exchanging an electric hot glare with the other, more disagreeable human.
“Come,” I said, touching her shoulder gently. “It is time for us to leave.”
As I led her toward the ship, I could hear the shouts and protests of the other human females, and the crowd of Raithers who stepped in to keep them at bay. My men were strong, much stronger than a few pesky humans, and soon we were all boarding the ship, leaving the noise of the planet Hexa behind us.
***
“I can’t believe this is really happening!” Alice exclaimed, taking her seat beside me in the small ship. It had been able to enter Hexa’s atmosphere undetected, but we had to leave quickly lest that change.
Every once in a while, huge Federation ships would come in. They employed a brawny race known as the Urgs to maintain the planet and orchards, and man the vessels that deposited the most brutish creatures onto the planet Hexa. The Urgs were virtually featureless, like large, mechanical beings made of terracotta clay. They had square heads, with no discernable eyes or mouths, and a broad torso with huge rectangular arms that were strong enough to pick up one of the terrible red Jorgans where they stood and place them carefully into the habitat on Hexa that might best suit them.
They were a surprisingly gentle breed, prone to landscaping and other forms of botany, and as such made the perfect candidates to man the savage planet and ensure that it was able to maintain its purpose effectively.
I had expected an Urg to be manning the ship, quite frankly, but the Federation’s resources were limited. Urgs wouldn’t be available for a mission for another few weeks; they were all required to be back on their home planet to observe their Veshna ceremony, apparently a time-honored and family-oriented tradition that happened only once every third generation.
“Let’s go,” I ordered. The ship’s engines rumbled to life, and I gazed out at the group of Raithers that I was leaving behind. They all looked happy and hopeful, except for the ones who were still fighting with the mob of humans, but I couldn’t help but f
eel nervous on their behalf. It would be another week at least before they were rescued, and yet the hope and trust on their faces was unmistakable. They all believed that fate was on their side, and I didn’t have the heart to tell them that without tenacity and pure willpower, none of this would have been possible.
I had brought along a few other crew members, as many as we could fit in the ship with us, most of which were young and homesick, or malnourished from trying to conserve the food on the ship by sticking to a diet of fruit and berries. Fortunately, they would be all right with a little bit of time and medical attention on Yala. The entire ship was all of two rooms: a cabin and an engine room. We were all crowded inside behind the pilot’s seat in a circle, making it nearly impossible not to touch somebody else no matter which way we moved.
And yet, the human was happier than I had ever seen her before, her beautiful eyes shimmering in excitement as we prepared to launch.
“I’ve never been able to see out the window before,” Alice said, sitting beside me. We were intimately close to one another, as the ship was crowded, and I turned to her to smile. I loved the way her face glowed with excitement, even if that excitement was soon going to be bitter disappointment. But she was going to understand that I had her best interests at heart. I had to believe that.
“It is going to be beautiful beyond words,” I told her. “Make sure that you close your eyes during lightspeed, though. You may end up feeling sick, and I don’t need you losing your stomach’s contents all over me. This is a small ship, and the smell would affect everybody.”
She laughed lightly and gripped my hand in hers, bringing a hot, thunderous desire throughout my body. It was hard for me to keep from acting upon it. All I did was close my hand around hers and allow myself to appreciate the closeness of her body and the warmth it brought to me on the last legs of the voyage.
The idea of returning to my planet was extremely satisfying, as well as knowing that I had found my crew and had provided them with an avenue of escape. However, most satisfying of all was knowing that I was returning home with a prize: a human with whom I could spend the rest of my days.