Maddie noticed that Max seemed to pay more attention to Lucy and touch her more often as well. Zel did seem interested, Maddie watched him hug her and kiss her cheek many times during the evening. Although, it was Max who kissed her more intimately and paid more attention to her needs. Maddie considered for one moment what it would be like to have two men vying for her attention at the same time. And realized that was not for her. She could only focus on one man at a time.
Chapter 6
The next morning close to one hundred humans and aliens all met by the gate. She counted almost twenty-five couples and the rest looked to be their guards for the day. Those aliens had their game face on. Plus, they carried a lot of weapons. Most has swords strapped to their backs and at least three different hand guns, or phasers, as the humans had started to call them. They resembled weapons in some of the more popular Earth science fiction movies. Not that Maddie was into Sci-Fi, but she had seen the commercials.
Maddie could feel the excitement bubbling up in their group. For herself, tingles were going all up and down her spine and she couldn’t keep a giant grin off her face. She was practically jumping with eagerness to get outside of her fancy prison.
She looked around for anyone she knew, specifically Marcon. Normally, he would have come to get her, but he had to report in to the Commander before they met. So she went to the gate alone. Not too far from her she spied Lucy and Max getting cozy. Zel was nowhere in sight.
Maddie waved and called out, “Lucy!” She jogged over to her friend and gave her a quick hug.
“Maddie, are you as excited as I am? We get to go outside of these walls and actually see the planet! I can’t wait to see what swimming is like on another planet. Is their water the same color as our lakes?”
Maddie felt her heart rate increase as she thought about the adventure laid out before her. Would they see something truly alien? Some of the plant life resembled a jungle on Earth, but most of it was a bit different. Did that mean their lakes were going to be odd? “The drinking water is clear. It does have a different taste, but that’s most likely due to the minerals in the ground here. I suppose if the color of their water plants is different from anything we have on Earth, it would make the lakes a different color.” Both young women giggled like school girls getting ready for a Katy Perry concert.
“This is going to be one of the best experiences of our lives! I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think it might have been a good thing that we were abducted. Is that weird?” Lucy scrunched her nose and wondered what her friend thought.
Max interrupted them, “Where is Marcon? We are going to be leaving shortly. Surely he has not decided to let you go alone?”
“No, he’s on his way. He was called to the Commander’s office first.” Maddie turned her head when she sensed he was near her, then turned to look straight into the most gorgeous face she had ever seen.
Smiling, Marcon walked up to her and kissed her cheek lightly, and lingered a moment longer than necessary as he waited for his heart to slow down and his veins to stop pulsing so hard. He had missed her very much. During his entire meeting with the Commander, all he could think about was holding his mate. He ran the entire way here to see her. Not that it was far, but he couldn’t wait a moment longer.
Waiting for her to be ready for him was killing him. His entire body hummed with excitement for her. Once they were mated he wondered if this feeling of euphoria that passed over him every time he touched her would leave. He didn’t want it to.
She spoke first this time, “I missed you.” Then she kissed him on his neck and his earlobe, knowing what that did to him. She sensed his excitement and her heart rate increased with the adrenaline running through her body.
Someone near them cleared their throat.
Both Maddie and Marcon jumped. Marcon was thankful for the interruption as he felt his skin growing warm and knew his veins would flash red shortly. All it took was Maddie taking a small initiative with him and he was putty in her hands.
Maddie put her fingertips on her lips and tried to stifle a smile. “Sorry about that, Max.”
Max chuckled, “No worries. When are you two going to just bite the laser and mate? Most can’t stand to be around you right now. It is so distracting to see you two so, so, intimate.”
Marcon punched his friend’s shoulder. “Look who is talking! You and Lucy are just the same.”
Then someone who was up front started to open the gates and all chatter stopped. Captain Zelan addressed the group. “Alright everyone listen up. Today is really important for the whole settlement. We are not entirely convinced that we killed all of the Zateelians when we blew up their ship.” Several in the group started to whoop and holler at the mention of blowing up ships.
“Calm down. The Commander realizes that we cannot stay cooped up in this settlement forever. That is why we are taking so many warriors with us. They are not here to play, they are here to protect us in case something goes very wrong.” Everyone was so quiet and focused on the Captain you could hear a pin drop.
Maddie shivered and Marcon put his arms around her. She was at once excited and frightened at what they might found out there.
“You are all to follow the direction of the warriors here to protect you. No going off into the forest to be alone. Keep your eyes open and pay close attention to everything around you. For the humans, you will see landscape very different from what you are used to. There is an algae in our lakes here that you do not have on Earth. It makes our lake water a fantastic violet. Do NOT drink it! The resident humans have said that it won’t hurt you as long as you do not ingest it. A few of them have swallowed too much water and regretted it. One said it was similar to your ‘Montezuma Revenge,’ whatever that is.” The humans in the group smiled or laughed as they knew exactly what that was.
Marcon whispered into Maddie’s ear, “What is that?”
“Shh, I’ll tell you when he’s done.”
“If all goes well today, we will do this excursion again soon for those who were not able to make it today. So be sure you do not do anything that will ruin it for others.”
Maddie looked around as she noticed most heads bobbing and a few whispers were heard as well. She was excited and wanted to explore the entire planet. But she was also smart enough to know that the planet was not safe. Even if the Zateelians were gone, there was still a lot of wildlife on this planet that resided a step above her in the food chain.
Surviving the Zateelians only to be swallowed up by some wild, angry bear or lion was not what she had planned for her future. Images of prey being chased on the Saharan Desert by carnivores larger than she was, flooded her memory. As a child she had a penchant for PBS and the documentaries of the wild animals on safari were her favorite. Not anymore. Now, she wished she could get those images out of her head. Her imagination was working overtime now. She pictured herself between a lion and an alligator. They were pulling on her body like it was a rope. Back and forth they went until she was split down the middle and each animal ran away with a large piece of Maddie to consume.
Chapter 7
“Hey, relax. I won’t leave your side. No need to panic.” Maddie’s excitement had started to turn to terror as she heard the growling of a wild animal. She had never heard such a loud roar. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that it was a lion.
“Marcon, what was that sound?” Her voice was low and she grabbed on tight to his arm. Several of the new human women grabbed the biceps of the alien men closest to them, whether it was their mate or not.
He kissed her hand and smiled. Marcon loved it when she needed him. “That is a Z’Girguan. I believe they are similar to your lions, but not as hairy. Our animal is much larger and fiercer. However, they do tend to stay away from this part of the planet as our warriors enjoy hunting them.” He looked around and scrunched up his forehead and he wondered why they were so close to the settlement.
“Aysiaer!” Marcon yelled. “Isn’t
that Z’Girguan a bit close to the settlement?”
“Normally, I would say yes. But we haven’t been out here much in the past few weeks. They could be trying to reclaim this part of the planet since we left it alone.” Aysiaer shrugged.
Maddie nodded her head in understanding. “That makes sense. It’s typical of animals who are territorial. If the insectoids are gone, we need to make sure that they leave the area again. I would love to be able to go swimming on a regular basis.”
No one paid much attention to the sounds coming from the Z’Girguans and kept moving. Chatter resumed and many of the unmated males and females took up their flirting. Maddie thought it was a perfect day. The sun was shining on her face, and her man was holding her hand while they walked to an alien lake that was purple. She couldn’t imagine a nicer day.
***
The lead warriors slowed and Maddie watched as they pointed to the water ahead and slightly on the left. To the right was a beautiful meadow. It had multiple flowers blooming in purples, blue, pinks, and yellows. Maddie pulled Marcon to the meadow thinking she wanted to smell the flowers before they got caught up with swimming.
Three warriors who were behind them followed to make sure that they didn’t go too far. The meadow wasn’t off limits, but they didn’t want anyone going any further because that would split the group up too much.
Maddie and Marcon were laughing and almost skipping with joy as they walked through what appeared to be an innocuous meadow. All of a sudden Maddie stopped and started screaming, “NO, NO, NO!!! Not here!”
Marcon immediately noticed the partially concealed skeletons she was looking at. He pulled her to his chest and held her tight as the nearest warriors ran to catch up to them. “Shh, it’s alright. I am here. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
She buried her head in his chest and took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. “How…how long have they been…When did this happen to them?” She stuttered.
Marcon turned toward the remains of what appeared to be human males. “Looks to be at least a couple of weeks old. These could be more of the original humans who escaped our ship when we crashed.”
“I thought you accounted for them all? Could those be the men missing over the last two weeks from the settlement?”
Marcon moved them closer to the water where the rest of the couples were waiting to find out what happened. “I hope not.” He knew that if they were the missing men from the settlement, then the Zateelians weren’t gone. They were only biding their time, waiting until they had a large enough force to attack again.
When they rejoined the group, Lucy asked, “What happened? Why were you screaming?”
Maddie looked up to the expectant eyes of her friend and those around her. “I found, well, human remains.”
The warriors standing guard of the larger group immediately turned out and scanned the distance for signs of any enemies. The women all gasped and grabbed onto their alien males and Lucy sighed, then gave her friend a hug. “Oh Maddie, I’m so sorry you had to be the one to find them. I know how much you were looking forward to this outing.”
Max patted her shoulder, “Maddie, don’t let this ruin this place for you. Look out at the water! I bet you have never seen anything as pretty at that, have you?”
Maddie knew her friends were just trying to cheer her up, but she wasn’t ready to put the experience behind her yet. Not when it might mean that the Zateelians were rebuilding their army, at the expense of her own people.
“Marcon, did you see any animal carcasses? If there were only a few human bodies, then there is a chance the Zateelians have not increased their army much, yet. This could be the perfect time to go on a hunt.”
“I agree. There was only one Z’Girguan body, that I noticed. We should all head back to the settlement where it is safe and plan a hunt.” Marcon left his friends to go speak with the lead warrior.
“Lucy, do you think it will ever be safe here?” Maddie wrapped her arms around her stomach and swallowed hard.
“I don’t know. But we can’t let those stupid cockroaches take over this planet! It’s ours now and I intend to fight for it!” Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and looked out to the peaceful water.
Lucy started to relax and leaned into Max. She sighed and hoped that these aliens she had come to trust, and even love, would be able to keep them safe.
Ten of the warriors dug up the remains of the humans as well as the animal. They never left a carcass without burning it. That was the only way to ensure there weren’t any more eggs left that hadn’t hatched, or even small hatchlings still hanging around.
Another dozen soldiers worked to clear an area in the meadow so they could set up a funeral pyre and not have to worry about a fire getting out of control. The human women looked around and tried not to watch the warriors in their duty, but they couldn’t keep their eyes off the death that seemed to creep up on them wherever they looked.
Chapter 8
The warriors had piled up the bodies on top of each other and set them on fire using some of the dryer brush nearby to kindle the flames. The planet’s weather was very temperate year round and they only really experienced two seasons. They were currently in what most humans would call summer. Then they had a rainy season for about one quarter of their solar year. Summer was in full swing so there were a few dry bushes here and there, but even during the summer they received rain.
Maddie could hear the sizzle of burning fat accompanied by a thick smoky smell that stuck in the throat and seemed to cause a hitch in her breathing. She coughed a few times and moved closer to the water. Lucy and a few others followed.
Maddie could hear Aysiaer speaking with someone back at the settlement. “Yes, sir. As soon as the fire is out, we are all heading back.” Then there was a lull and, “Of course, sending Haver with the shuttle would be safer. I agree, send the civilians back in the shuttle.”
Aysiaer yelled out, “Listen up everyone!” All of those who had been chatting or merely staring at the funeral Pyre turned their attention to him. “The Commander has sent the shuttle to pick up the women and any warrior who isn’t needed here. He feels it best to make sure that the non-combatants make it safely back to New Hope as quickly as possible. Since there are so many, it will take a couple of trips. Do we have anyone who wants to volunteer for the first shuttle? We can safely get twenty women on board. The warriors will stay here and guard the fire until it is put out.”
Over half of the women raised their hands to volunteer, Maddie and Lucy were not amongst them. “Maddie, please go in the first group. I would feel better knowing you were back home safe and sound.” Marcon pleaded with his future mate.
“Marcon, I can’t cower each time there is something evil. It’s time I took a stand. Lucy was right, this is our home now and we must stand with you to defend it.” She lightly touched his cheek before standing in her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
“I knew you were perfect for me, and I really do appreciate that you recognize this as your home, but you don’t have any training. Have you even used one of our weapons before?”
“When we were first transferred to the settlement, we had a class on how to use your phasers. Besides, I was married to a warrior on Earth once. Do you really think I don’t know anything about weapons?” She quirked an eye at him and put her hands on her hips.
He smiled and drew her into a tight hug. “Of course you are a warrior’s mate! When this is over, I want to get you into a training class. It’s important that you learn how to fight against all of our enemies as well as be able to use any of our weapons.” He ran his hand down her hair and along her back. “Just know, no matter how much training you have, I will always worry about your safety.” He kissed the top of her head and pulled back to hand her his phaser.
“Thank you. I look forward to learning more, with you.” She took the weapon and checked its sight and double checked to make sure the safety was still on before pointing it toward the tree line of t
he forest behind them. Holding the powerful weapon gave her more confidence and confirmed her feelings of home and belonging here.
The few women who stayed by the lake while the first group left in the shuttle, all held a phaser and stood with their backs to the water. Aysiaer told them that the insectoids didn’t like getting wet so if they were overrun they should all do their best to swim to the other side of the lake. Both Lucy and Maddie shook their heads and decided they would make a stand with their mates or die defending their home if need be. “No one is going to take this away from me.” Maddie mumbled as she tightened her grip on the handle and looked out to the forest to watch for anything that might be an enemy.
Everyone stood tight and kept their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Not ten minutes after the shuttle left, a noise could be heard from across the meadow. The hair on Maddie’s arms stood at attention and her breath hitched as she waited to see what it was.
The warriors in the front line started firing their weapons before the girls could see what was coming toward them. A high pitched screeching sound was heard and then dozens of insectoids came out of the woods. A moment of fear came over Maddie, until her mate touched her back and said, “No fear. We will squash those bugs. But remember, if this goes badly swim across the lake to the other side.” He kissed her hard on the lips and then moved forward to engage the enemy.
These were all fully mature Zateelians who came out into the open. Maddie lost track of how many after counting to fifty. She decided to engage as well and moved forward to start shooting them. In her class over a month ago, she learned that their tough exoskeleton was difficult to penetrate, but not impossible. Multiple shots to their cockroach like body could kill them, but the best shot was their neck. It was their most vulnerable spot.
Back on Earth, Maddie spent many days at the shooting range with her husband, even before they married. She was an expert marksman with any weapon he gave her, including grenades. She noticed a few of the warriors were wearing bandoliers full of what appeared to be a type of grenade. There was one warrior only a few paces in front of her. She went up to him and grabbed two off the backside of his bandolier.
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