Looch looked around the room and saw his brother, two healers, a female with babes and finally, Jessie. Zaw and Nopal automatically shielded the female and babes from danger.  His brother sat there looking at him with sympathy and Jessie immediately took a fighting stance, then looked angry. “Why did you not answer your comlink brother?” Looch barked.

   “As you can see, she’s fine. Calm, brother and see the wonderment of life. Monica just gave birth to not one, but two females. Are they not beautiful?” Leigh said.

Leigh was used to Looch’s outbursts, but everyone else in the room was still frozen in place. Looch looked at the tears in Monica’s eyes and knew he’d made a huge mistake. He bowed his head and took a deep breath then exhaled while squaring his shoulders. Looch then said, “Forgive me. I did not mean to startle you. Two females? The Goddess has truly blessed you.” Monica just nodded very slowly.

“Brother, I will speak to you privately,” Looch said in a stern tone.

Looch and Leigh moved to a back room, away from anyone listening. “The other ships have arrived. They have come with the absolute minimum crew, so we’re able to take as many females as possible. We will be redistributing the crew of the Solace and start transporting as many females on Earth between the five ships.”

“What is it you’re not telling me Looch?”

“There seems to be a large number of females who wish to stay. I can’t convince them to come to our planet. These females are impossible.” Looch spat. “How did these Earth males keep them under control?”

Leigh skipped over the last question and stated, “We will ask Jessie for help. She’ll know what to do.”

Sticking his head out the door, Leigh asked Jessie to join them. “Looch and I need your assistance Jessie.” When Jessies was finally situated in the small supply room, Leigh continued, “There seems to be several of the females who want to stay on Earth.”

“What? Why?” Jessie asked with shock.

“They’re exasperating females that’s why!” Looch shouted.

Jessie jumped a little at Looch’s outburst, then was instantly pissed. “Look here ass hat! These women have been through a lot, and now you’re asking them to leave the only home they have ever known. How would you feel?”

“My apologies Jessie. My only thought is to protect every last female on this planet. I can’t do that if they don’t come with us.”

“I understand what you’re saying Looch. I know you want to help, but you need to be more understanding. Earth women don’t follow orders blindly. We have a brain and free will which we exert on a regular basis.” Jessie said with a chuckle.

“What do you propose we do Jessie?”

“Is there a way I can talk to these women? Maybe I can explain what’s going on and why it’s necessary to get on the ship and leave Earth.”

Looch barked, “I’ve already told them they will be going with us. That’s when some women said they would rather stay. I don’t understand.”

“You can’t just bark out orders. We’re not your warriors. We want a choice in the matter. It may not be a choice we like, but at least we were given a choice. I’ll talk to the women, but I need to know exactly what your plan is to get us all to your home.”

Jessie was again guided down several halls flanked by Looch and Leigh to the communication room. After explaining to Jessie in detail how the women will be redistributed to five ships, Jessie felt very comfortable relaying the information to the females of Earth and did so with confidence. She was able to convince the women to come to Arenia and relayed some would remain until more ships could come back. Arenian warriors would of course stay and protect them. Looch was in awe. Leigh was right. Jessie will make a beautiful queen.

Looch kept numerous transports on Earth to secure the remaining females they may have missed. Some warriors would stay and protect the remaining females. It would take about three Earth weeks to get to Arenia and once the females were offloaded it would take another three weeks to get back to Earth. They would make several trips like this to secure every female possible. On the final trip, his team would harvest seeds to plant on Arenia and extract wildlife to try and cross breed for a more plentiful stock.   

For safety reasons Jessie suggested since Earth women were unfamiliar with space travel in general, each crew member would stay with five to ten women in each cabin. That way the crew member could help the women acclimate to all the gadgets aboard a spaceship without someone getting hurt.

Once everyone was redistributed to the different ships they didn’t waste any time leaving Earth. For the first week, Jessie spent most of her time with Marie, Riley, and Teagan. They would all check in on Sloane from time to time. Looch and Leigh required Jessie to sleep in between them at night. The first night Jessie told them both she preferred to sleep on the couch or by herself. Looch said with no uncertain terms she could prefer all she wanted, but she’d sleep with them. She did end up sleeping with them, just fully clothed. Looch and Leigh didn’t give Jessie the opportunity to pull away from them emotionally or physically. Looch was exceptionally attentive to her but didn’t speak much. Jessie was in a constant state of confusion and arousal. She needed to blow off steam.

By day eight Jessie was going insane. She was never one to just sit around. “Looch? Can I ask you something?” Jessie asked.

“Of course Jessie.”

“What do you guys do for fun when you’re traveling?”

“Most of us have jobs aboard the ship which keeps us busy, but all Arenian males spar to hone their skills as warriors. Tell me, Jessie, what do Earth women do for fun?”

Jessie looked thoughtfully before answering, “A lot of things. Some women cook, some read. Others dance, crochet, fish, play sports, or just workout. It just depends on what she likes to do. For instance, did you know Marie is a ballerina?”

“What’s a ballerina?” Looch asked.

“It means I dance on my toes.” Marie bursts with a smile.

“Why would you endure such pain?”

“It hurt a little when I first started, but I’m used to it now. I have special shoes which help me dance on my toes. I brought all the pairs of shoes I have left, with me. Would you like to see?” Marie asked brightly.

Marie was usually so withdrawn that Looch was a little taken aback, but very interested to see what tiny little Marie was talking about. He finally said, “You’ll show me, Marie. We will all go to the commons room. This is where the males spar. In fact, it’s where Leigh is right now. You’ll have ample amount of room to show me how you dance on your toes.”

Marie was so excited she started jumping up and down. Before she knew it, she hugged Looch around the waist. Looch froze and looked to Jessie for help. Jessie looked at the sheer terror in Looch’s eyes and said with a chuckle. “It’s okay Looch. She hasn’t been able to dance in a long time. You have made her very happy.” 

Looch relaxed and straightened. “Then let us depart.”

When they all made it to one of the commons rooms, the men stopped what they were doing and stared at the women. Marie scooted past Looch, took a seat on a bench and started lacing up pink shoes with flat tips. The men cleared the training floor. Gade and Aryn locked eyes with Marie and Aryn audibly snarled at another male who was too close to Marie.

Gade and Aryn walked directly up to Commander Looch wanting to know what the odd shoes the tiny female was attaching to her feet were. Looch chuckled and said, “She’s to show me how she dances on her toes.”

“She’ll surely hurt herself. These females are frail. You can’t permit her to do this commander.” Said Aryn. Aryn and Gade are the captains of the royal guard. They report directly to Looch. Even for Arenian males, the two were extremely large and the best fighters. No warriors ever challenged them. Looch was thankful their allegiance was to him and his family.

“That’s what the special shoes are for. She assured me it did not hurt. She wouldn’t dance this way if it caused her pain.” Looch said.

Marie stood and smiled widely. In the short time, Jessie had known Marie she’d never seen her smile so brightly. Marie started to stretch. She was extremely flexible. When Marie was finally done warming up, she went up on her toes. Jessie saw the two hulking men who were talking to Looch take a step towards Marie making an audible gasp while Looch stopped them from going any further.

After many moments of Marie twirling and bowing Looch interjected, “That is unique Marie. In all my explorations, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a very delicate dance for a very delicate female.”

Marie smiled and continued with her toe dance. Aryn and Gade turned to Looch, and Aryn stated, “Since you and Leigh have been taking care of this group of females, you two would represent their protectors. We want to know if Marie is of breeding age? If so, Gade and I would respectfully ask the opportunity to court Marie. She’s our ayah. We must have her.”

“Yes, Marie is of breeding age. She’s twenty-one Earth years. Earth women do things differently than our kind. Although you realize the bond, she does not. The choice is hers alone to make. She’ll remain under my and Leigh’s protection until such time she feels comfortable to seek a bond. Please remember most of these females have had trauma in one way or another. She’s small even in Earth standards. You two are…well…extremely large even in Arenian standards. She may not welcome you at all. She may be too traumatized to accept you.”

“Thank you for the guidance commander. We will be pursuing her and will take things slow no matter how painful it may be for us.” Gade said.

Marie yelled across the floor, “Jessie let’s see what you can do?”

“I don’t have anyone to spar with.” Jessie said.

Looch’s voice boomed, “You will NOT spar with anyone ayah. Leigh and I are your protectors now. Females don’t fight. It’s forbidden.”

At Looch’s outburst, Jessie’s eyes shot to him. “How dare he?” thought Jessie. By this time, several other men and women had made their way to the commons room to watch Marie dance. Leigh cleared his throat, “What my bother means to say is Arenian females don’t fight. No male will spar with you. We all respect women too much to spar with any of them.” 

One of the women in the small crowd shouted, “I’ll spar with you.”

Jessie smiled the sweetest smile she could muster at Looch and not taking her eyes from him, replied, “I would love to. What’s your name?”

“My name is Dawn, and I used to be a boxer out of the Bronx, and I finally got into MMA fighting a year ago. I’m a little rusty. Who does this guy think he is?” Hitching her thumb towards Looch.

“I don’t know, but he’s about to get smacked with a bo staff again,” Jessie said while staring down Looch. Leigh moved next to Looch’s side and was quietly trying to advise Looch to calm down and let Jessie do this.

Dawn wasted no time and made the first advance. Dawn was quick, but Jessie was prepared. She blocked Dawn’s advances and countered. Jessie finally saw her opening and took Dawn down to the floor. All the men in the room couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The women, on the other hand, were cheering for their respective athlete. Jessie could tell Dawn was perfect on her feet but not a great grappler. Over the course of sparring, Jessie tried to keep Dawn on the floor as much as possible. Dawn finally tapped out knowing Jessie wouldn’t release her from her hold. By the end of the sparring session, even the warriors were cheering.

Dawn shook Jessie’s hand and gave her a quick one arm hug. “Thank you, Jessie. I’ve wanted to let loose since I got here. It has been a long time since I’ve had the opportunity to spar with a woman if you know what I mean.”

Sadly, Jessie did know what Dawn meant. “I know Dawn, I know. Thank you. We’ll do this again.”

While watching Jessie, Looch could tell she was holding back. He could tell Jessie wanted to make sure the other female wasn’t discouraged. Looch was impressed – very impressed. His Jessie was a true warrior. It made his cock hard just watching her spar with Dawn. Who was he kidding? His cock hadn’t gone down since she first struck him with the anook. She was so breathtaking. Her movements were as feral as an orax and as fluid as water.

“Leave us!” Looch barked out.

Everyone at first was shocked over the commander’s order. Slowly, everyone started to file out of the commons one by one, Leigh included. He wanted Looch to spend more alone time with Jessie. There on the floor, Jessie stood with her shoulders squared and chin defiantly turned up. Looch slowly circled her like she was prey.

“It seems you like to defy me. More importantly, you seem to enjoy it.” Looch purred in Jessie’s ear while brushing the hair away from her the side of her neck.

“I…I…don’t. I’m not…I mean…” Jessie stammered.

Jessie felt overwhelmed. Maybe overwhelmed wasn’t the word for it. Maybe confused, flustered, and aroused were better words. On one hand Looch scared the crap out of her, but on the other hand, she was drawn to him for some unknown reason.  Maybe Jessie’s experience on Earth with Mac was clouding her judgment. Men were the enemy for a while. The way Looch’s low timbre of his voice rasped in her ear excited her. It sent a shiver of lust straight to her pussy. As Looch came around Jessie and faced her, she started to say something but Looch cut her off with his finger gently placed over her lips.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I assure you, you are safe with Leigh and I. We will protect you. It’s our duty and honor to do so.”

Jessie looked at Looch, “Looch, I never thanked you for saving me. I know you felt it was your duty, but I want to thank you. If you hadn’t come for me, I would be dead. In fact, if you didn’t come, these women would be dead. Thank you.” With that, Jessie reached up with both hands and gently pulled Looch’s face down to her height to place a kiss on his cheek.  

Looch looked at Jessie in astonishment. She’d kissed him. He couldn’t believe his fortune. “Jessie, I…”

It was Jessie’s turn to place a single finger to Looch’s lips to stop him from continuing. “I understand Arenian females don’t fight. I haven’t asked you or Leigh a lot about your planet or your culture. I’ve been a little self-absorbed. I just needed to work things out in my head. I’m sorry I haven’t tried to get to know you and Leigh. You seem like very nice guys.”

Looch was dumbfounded. The females of his planet would never apologize for anything. Due to the short supply of females, males had become desperate to find their ayah. If they thought they wouldn’t find her, they would have their marks artificially duplicated on a willing female for procreation purposes. They gave the female anything her heart desired, to at least bond with them, so they were not alone. A loveless bond was better than nothing at all. Although they would all learn to tolerate each other, it was never a bond like they would have with their ayah.

In Looch’s opinion, the females of Arenia had become spoiled. They were never wrong and always received what they wanted which was most likely material things. Being one of the Princes, they were expected to bond no matter if love was involved or not. Leigh and Looch’s mother was very loving and was trying hard to keep their fathers at bay with an arranged bonding, but this exploration was their last trip before they were to be fated to a predestined female. In fact, one of their intended’s fathers was on the Solace. The Kings had promised Looch and Leigh bond with Zara when they returned from this last mission. Councilman Heloc wasn’t pleased with Looch’s declaration in which he and Leigh had found their ayah on Earth. They had argued in depth about what this meant for Councilman Heloc and Cerin’s daughter, Zara. Both councilmen were Looch and Leigh’s parent’s trusted advisors. Zara was raised in the palace alongside Looch and Leigh and had become more like a sister than a lover. Looch in no uncertain terms told his fathers and both councilmen, he and his brother wouldn’t bond with Zara. They had found their ayah, and it was meant to be. After all, why would the Goddess lead them to a planet where their males were sick, if not to find their one true mate? Looch explained if they were already bonded to Zara they would honor their contract, but since they were not, Zara was free to find her true mate. Jessie broke through Looch’s thoughts.  

“Can I tell you some things about myself Looch?”

“Of course ayah. I would love to know more about you. I know we have not spoken much. My apologies for that.”

Jessie bolstered on. “Things seem to be different on Earth than on your planet. Some women work, some stay home with children or do whatever it is they do. I would like to think every female was protected and cherished as they are on your planet, but the fact is…we weren’t. I was lucky. I had both a mother and father who loved me dearly. My father was very adamant I know how to protect myself because in our culture women are on their own for some portion or all her life. I went to school to be a healer as you call it, I worked at Mac’s bar serving food and beer to people and other odd jobs to pay my way in the world. I started martial arts lessons when I was five. When I was younger and well into my teenage years, I won many competitions fighting. I was very good at it. I did it for pleasure and the right to be called the best until I pretty much had to give it up and get on with my real life. My fighting helped me become a healer in a sense.  At first, I wanted to become a nurse because even though I was in pain at the time, I always found it fascinating when the trainer had to put my shoulder back into the socket or tend to some scrapes I might have had after a brutal competition. After considering it a little more, I found other types of healing to be a better fit for me. Unfortunately, for the last four months, my fighting has been for survival. I’m so glad my dad insisted on me being self-sufficient. It helped me hold on until…you came.” Jessie swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I don’t know what to say, Jessie. It’s not our way, but I’m also thankful your father insisted on you learning how to fight. To think, if he had not, I might not have ever found you.”

Looch lightly caressed Jessie’s cheek with his thumb, looked deeply into her blue eyes and whispered. “You are so intoxicating my ayah.”