by Lexa Lumos
Apparently Taryk hadn't heard her escape over the klaxon wail. He didn't even turn around. He disappeared around a bend, and she smiled. Good. Now she could find a way out of... wherever this was. Escape that super-hot lunatic.
She figured going the same way as her captor was not a grand plan, so she went the other direction. She stayed close to the wall, which curved gently and was warm to the touch. She followed it until it branched. Which way to go?
She decided to the left, as there was a glow of some sort coming from that direction. She moved as quietly as possible, hoping there weren’t more aliens running around. They’d probably stuff her back in that windowless room.
The klaxon finally shut off, plunging her into eerie silence. The walls stopped flashing, turning from bright red to deep mauve. She wondered what that meant but didn't give it much thought. She kept moving.
With the alarm off, she could hear voices ahead. Female voices. She picked up her pace. She rounded a corner and came to a large open room filled with a number of tables and chairs. Two large men lounged near the entrance, and several women of various ages, sizes, and races sat at tables, eating and drinking.
One of the females jumped up as Anya entered. “Anya! Over here.”
She frowned, recognizing the voice and spiky haircut immediately. But the face was unlined, and the hair a rich brown. “Jane?”
“You bet.” Jane engulfed her in a smooshy hug.
“I don’t—how—”
“Oh, Miss Anya, I’m so glad you’re here.” It was Carla. Anya could tell by the rosary in her hands, but it was a much younger Carla.
Brea rushed forward and threw her arms around Anya’s neck. "I can't believe you're here. I'm so glad." Her words came out in an almost unintelligible rush. She was the one person who still looked like herself.
Anya glanced at Jane and Carla while trying to disentangle herself from Brea’s embrace. “You, uh, look different.”
Jane snorted. “Tell me about it. Have you looked in the mirror?”
She hadn’t. There hadn’t been any mirrors in her room. She swallowed and decided to change subjects to avoid a panic attack. "How did you get here?"
"I assume the same way you did," Jane said in her usual brash way. "We were abducted by them damn aliens.”
"Don't be ridiculous," Anya said, still willfully dwelling in Denialville. "They're not aliens. I saw one of them. He looked perfectly human." Except for the glowing gold eyes, of course.
"Well then," Carla said, waving at the wall across from them. "How do you explain that?"
She turned to look. “A blank wall?”
Jane rolled her eyes and shouted, “Hey, computer, viewscreen open.”
The wall slowly slid apart.
Anya’s jaw dropped. Spread across the entire wall was a vast window, on the other side of which was nothing but a sea of stars.
TARYK STRODE DOWN THE hall toward the bridge. The screaming alarm jangled his senses, urging him to move faster. He was reluctant to leave the human behind. She'd seemed so small, so scared. So angry. He’d wanted nothing more than to stay there to assure her he meant her no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact. That he and his triad—
The klaxon shrieked louder as he reached the bridge. The captain shouted, "Shut that thing off."
The alarm went silent, and the walls changed from pulsing red to deep mauve. A sign that danger was very much present, but things were more or less under control.
Taryk saw the reason for the alarm. On the viewscreen loomed a massive Krull ship.
"How did they find us?" he asked as he stopped near Vane's seat.
The captain shook his head. "No clue. Those bastards are sneaky as frell. No doubt they followed us all the way from Earth."
Taryk stiffened. "Please tell me that is not true. They cannot find that planet." It was imperative the planet’s location remain secret. It was the only way to ensure their mission was successful.
"I'm afraid it may already be too late," Vane said grimly.
"Then we must destroy them completely. No news of Earth can get back to the Krull homeworld."
"They've had plenty of time to relay their location," the captain muttered grimly, eyes on the viewscreen as his fingers tapped a number of buttons on the console built into the arm of his seat.
Taryk smiled. It was feral, the sharp tips of his teeth showing ever so slightly. "I doubt that. We've been using a jamming sequence ever since we left Kiyria."
The captain slid him a sideways glance. "I was not informed."
Taryk shrugged. "Need to know. It was a precaution. I didn't actually think we would be followed." More fool him. He should have known the Krull wouldn’t give up so easily. Not until the last Kiyrian was dead.
"So we destroy the ship, and we’re home free," Vane agreed. "It's the only way."
Tariq nodded. “Agreed.”
The captain was technically in charge of the ship, but Taryk was head of the mission to acquire women from Earth. Essentially, he was the boss on this trip. There was no way he was going to let the Krull destroy their one chance at survival.
"On my mark," the captain ordered his crew, "prepare to fire."
Choruses of “Aye aye, Captain,” came back from stations across the bridge.
"Fire!"
Streaks of light shot toward the Krull vessel. They exploded off the bow, but when the image cleared, the enemy ship remained undamaged.
"They've improved their shields since the war," the captain said grimly.
Taryk didn't need Vane to tell him that. "Try the streakers," he suggested. The streakers were a type of missile explosive that modulated its frequency, so it could punch through shields like that around the Krull ship. With luck, the Krull would be unable to change frequencies fast enough to stop all of them.
"Load the streakers” Vane ordered. “Fire!"
More streams of light flew from the ship. Again, most of them glanced off the enemy’s shield, but a few made it through. Flashes of fire peppered the hull of the Krull vessel. A cheer went up from the crew.
The captain ignored it. "Again. Fire."
Another volley, and another, until the Krull ship was burning, small explosions peppering its hull.
"Helm, get us out of here," Vane ordered.
"Aye aye, sir," the helmsman, a dark-haired youth barely out of the youngling center, responded.
Taryk felt a shift as the ship increased speed. Just as it made it past Saturn, there was a percussive whump as the Krull ship exploded.
"Lightspeed," the captain ordered.
Taryk watched in trepidation as the shock wave sped toward them. A split second before it hit, space around them blurred and the ship went to lightspeed. Taryk breathed a sigh of relief. He clapped the captain on the shoulder. “I better go check on our guests. Stay on alert.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve got this.” Vane waved him off.
Taryk’s strides ate up the distance as he hurried back to the chamber where he’d put the woman. Our woman. Possessiveness was not a typical trait of his people, but he felt an odd surge of it. He’d grown up thinking that, while he might be matched with a triad, they’d never have their female. And now here she was. Not quite as expected, but a tickle of something like joy sparked deep inside him. If only he could make her understand just how important she was. Not just to him and his triad, but to their entire world.
The door to her chamber slid open at his approach. She’s wasn’t there. Fear tingled long his spine. He checked the bathing chamber. It, too, was empty. Panic set in, sending his heartrate into overdrive. Where could she be? Had she left them? Left him?
He’d fucked up. Gotten this all wrong.
He let out a roar that rattled the walls.
Chapter 5
Erys was sitting cross-legged in his pod, meditating, when he heard Taryk bellow. Normally he'd ignore it. Taryk had a tendency to be vocal, especially when frustrated. But there was something in the tone of his scream—something desperat
e, something haunted—that set Erys’s raised his hackles.
He uncoiled from the floor, wrapped a towel around his waist—meditation was best done naked—and strode to the door. It swooshed open on his approach, opening on the pale pink corridor. He didn't see Taryk, but there was light down the hall. Anya's pod.
A chill ran through him, and he broke into a run. His dragon form rose to the surface, twitching under his skin. Scales peppered the surface of his arms. He urged himself to settle, lest the beast break free. Now was not the time to go on a rampage.
He skidded to a stop at the open door and peered inside. Nothing seemed to be amiss. "What is it?"
Taryk turned anguished eyes to his. "She's gone."
Erys frowned, glancing about the empty room. Logic, as ever, rose to his aid. "Well, she can't have gone far. We’re surrounded by space, and it isn't like she's a prisoner. She could've left the pod at any time. Gone exploring, perhaps."
"She doesn't know anyone. She doesn't know where she is."
Erys shrugged. “Perhaps instead of freaking out," he said, borrowing the Earth phrase he’d discovered during his research, "we should do something logical."
"Such as?" Taryk’s voice had a sharp, dangerous edge.
"Seek her out. Find out where she is. I'm certain the ship has kept track of her."
Taryk frowned. "Computer, where is the human?"
"There are several humans aboard," the ship’s computer replied. "Specify."
"Anya," Erys clarified. "The human called Anya."
"The human called Anya is currently in the dining pod, along with several other humans."
"There you go," Erys said calmly. "She hasn't gone far."
Without a word Taryk stormed past him into the hall. He took a hard left and stomped along the corridor toward the dining pod.
With a smirk, Erys trailed after him. This was going to be good.
Erys hadn't had much contact with humans, though he’d watched a lot of Earth vids, and none with human women. The first time he'd seen one in person was when Anya had been brought to the restoration pod. The fact that she was theirs.... Well, it still gave him shivers.
Part of those shivers involved some pretty feverish dreams. He'd read about what males and females could do together. He looked forward to it and feared it at the same time, although he'd never admit that. He was supposed to be the calm, positive one. It was what made him a good vedic.
Part of what he felt was trepidation. The last female of his kind had died nearly three decades ago, the final victim of the Krull war. With her had died their hope as a species. Until they found Earth. Up until a turn ago, Erys thought he would never have a female in his life. Nothing but a hologram and a few vague memories from childhood. To face a real woman, and a human one at that, was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.
The entrance to the dining pod stood wide open. Inside, little groups huddled, chatting, drinking, crying. All of them were human women.
Taryk charged through the doorway, bellowing, “Anya!"
Erys stopped on the threshold. All eyes swiveled, not to the roaring Taryk but to Erys. Several eyebrows went up, a few lips were licked, and someone let out a low whistle. Baffled, Erys looked down and remembered he was wearing nothing but a towel. It took a moment to dawn on him that perhaps human women were not used to seeing their males run around nearly naked. Instead of getting embarrassed, he grinned and flexed his biceps to show off his House tattoo.
"Anya!" Taryk bellowed.
One of the human women detached herself from the others, turned around, and propped her hands on her hips. "What the hell do you want?" She tossed long, dark hair, her golden-brown eyes flashing with inner fire. His breath caught. She was, in a word, stunning.
Erys’s grin widened. For a moment he’d been afraid that humans might not be up to the task of dealing with his species. Especially one as aggressive as Taryk. It appeared he’d been wrong.
Ignoring his brother, he strode forward, arm outstretched. "Anya, I am Erys. Part of your triad."
A frown creased her brow. "Part of my what now?"
He grasped her hand and shook it as he'd seen on Earth vids. "We met before, but you were a little out of it. I am pleased to meet you in truth this time."
Her frown deepened. "We met before?"
“In the rejuvenation pod." There was a stab of disappointment she didn’t remember, though she’d been under the influence of some heavy meds at the time.
Her brow unfurled. "I... I think I remember. What did you do to me? To us?" She gestured at the others, all of whom had spent time in the rejuvenation pods.
"I'm sure you have many questions," he said soothingly. "I am happy to answer all of them. Perhaps we could sit down, have a cup of... what do you call it? Kayfa?"
"Coffee." She grinned, and it lit up her hazel eyes with sparks of gold. "I guess so. As long as you promise to answer my questions. And take me back to Earth."
Something inside him went cold, but he shook it off. He’d just have to work harder to convince her this was the right thing. The only thing. That she belonged with them. "I'll do my best."
ANYA ALLOWED ERYS TO lead her to a shining silver wall covered in a bank of what looked like computer screens. She eyed him carefully. He appeared slightly younger than Taryk, with pale blond hair and the same gold eyes. He was just as handsome, but with more boyish features. A similar tattoo swirled around his arm. He also had a very impressive backside in that towel.
He turned to her with a cheeky grin. "What do you like?"
You. The thought rose in her mind, unbidden, but she shook it off, embarrassed that a mere boy in a towel could turn her on so thoroughly. "Black Forest mocha," she said, wondering if he could somehow come up with such a thing. "Grande. Lots of whipped cream.” Did they even have whipped cream in space?
A panel in front of her lit up, and several symbols danced across the screen. A chime sounded, and the panel slid up. Erys reached in and pulled out....
"Black Forest mocha, Grande, extra whipped cream." He presented to it to her like he was presenting a gold medal to an Olympic champion.
She took it from him cautiously and sipped. Sure enough, it was a Black Forest mocha. It tasted just like the one from her favorite coffee shop on Main Street. She tentatively took another sip. Better actually.
"How did you do that? Are those some kind of Star Trek food replicators?"
"Something like that," he said. He waved her to a nearby table. “Let us sit.”
The chairs were a little too big. Her feet dangled above the floor, which was unusual. She was reasonably tall for a woman—five foot seven.
"I think we need to adjust these chairs," he muttered, noticing.
"I'm not worried about the chairs. What's going on? Why did you kidnap me?"
"It's a little difficult to explain." He seemed to be struggling for words.
"Give it a try,” she said dryly. "I'm pretty smart."
He grinned again. "I don't doubt that."
She drank more coffee. The stuff was really good. Surprising that they could come up with something so delicious from a food replicator on a spaceship. God, that sounded insane. Maybe the support group nut jobs had finally rubbed off on her. Maybe she’d had a brain aneurysm and was in a coma on Earth, dreaming. Yeah, that was it.
She glanced out the window at the stars. Some dream.
"We are from the planet Kiyria," he began, leaning back. "It's, well, it's a long way from here. Our people aren't that different from yours. We read books, fall in love, argue over politics and sporting events. But about thirty years ago something happened. Something really bad." His eyes darkened, the gold dulling slightly. He looked, for lack of a better word, haunted.
"What happened?" She wasn't sure this guy was really an alien, but she wanted to hear the whole story. Natural curiosity coupled with her training as a therapist.
"For centuries, our people were at war with another species called the Krull," he explained. "T
hey're an insectoid race who wanted our planet for its resources."
This sounded like every bad sci-fi movie ever. "I take it you didn't want to give it up," she said dryly.
"No, and they weren't taking no for an answer. The Krull consider themselves a superior race to all others. We are no more than rodents to them."
"Of course they do." She took another sip. “Go on.”
"The Krull attacked our planet several times over the centuries. Each time with better technology, sneakier tactics, more ruthlessness. But every time we beat them off. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse. They would attack, we would defeat them, they would retreat to lick their wounds for a few decades." He shrugged. "Then the dance would start all over again. Until one day we didn't win."
A chill danced up her spine. This was getting interesting. "What happened?"
"They didn't try to win by brute force this time," he explained. "They sent a single ship with a single Krull to our planet. A bio weapon was released."
Her stomach turned. She'd heard about what bio weapons did to people. She watched enough History Channel to know that her own government had played with bio weapons in the past. They were supposed to be illegal now, but she was no fool. Governments didn’t give up that kind of power so easily. "What did it do?" Because obviously it hadn't killed all of them, regardless of what these Krull had intended.
"They targeted the one demographic of our population they knew would destroy our civilization."
"Who?"
"The women."
She swallowed. “What happened to them?”
“They died.” He said it simply, without emotion.
“All of them?” She felt sick.
“Yes.”
It all became clear. “That’s why you took us.”
“Yes. Humans are the only species we’ve found that are compatible with our DNA. Without you, our entire race is doomed.”