Chapter 4

 

 

A tall male with red hair greeted them at the entrance of the Colonial prime building. “Welcome to the Colony. I’m Leader LarIS.” He offered an arm.

Zander had learned the greeting months ago, and clasped the other male’s forearm. “I’m Zander Bardo, leader of the Norads.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I heard what happened to your people from Commander AshOR, and I offer my sincerest condolences.”

“I appreciate that.” Zander released the grip and turned to motion for his sister to come forward.

“This is my sister, Lizetta.”

Leader LarIS nodded his head but didn’t make a move toward touching the young girl. He frowned for a minute, then gave her a reassuring smile. “Welcome, Miss Bardo. I want to reassure you that you are safe here.”

“Thank you, Leader LarIS,” Lizetta said with a soft voice.

Leader LarIS stepped to the side and made room for a short dark-haired female to come and stand by his side. “This is my mate, Lola. She is unable to hear well and doesn’t normally speak with her voice, but uses the silent language with her hands.”

Lola smiled and did a motion with her hands while trying to say verbally, “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Zander and Lizetta said at the same time. Zander had never met anyone who couldn’t hear or speak. He wondered if she had been attacked, or if it was a type of mutation caused by the virus that the Morins had once used.

“Allow my Lola and Priestess HonORa to escort your sister to your quarters to rest while I get you updated on the situation with the Morinians,” Leader LarIS suggested.

Zander looked at his sister, who gave him an encouraging smile and said, “I’ll be fine.” HonORa also gave him a nod letting him know she would look after Lizetta for him. He appreciated that greatly.

He reluctantly turned to follow Leader LarIS. He had quite a few questions for the male and until he was satisfied with the answers he got, there was no way he would risk his sister’s life.

*****

“I’m sorry, my brother can be quite overprotective,” Lizetta said to HonORa apologetically.

“All brothers are protective of their sisters as they should be,” HonORa reassured her.

“Do you have brothers?”

“Yes, three older brothers, but I haven’t seen them since I dedicated my life to the goddess.” Thinking about how close she had once been to her brothers made her feel a longing to reach out to them. Previous attempts had always ended with either arguments from them or no response at all. It was a shame.

Lola motioned for them to follow her down a corridor. She used her hands to speak and HonORa translated for her.

“Lola wants to know how your trip to the Colony was.”

“How do I answer if she can’t hear me?”

“She is watching your lips and can understand what you say. Just make sure to be facing her when you talk so she can see your lips. I’m learning the silent language and can help translate for you as well.”

She watched as Lizetta answered Lola’s questions, making sure to keep her face turned toward Lola so that she could answer her. The girl was shy but really sweet. When she got the girl to look her in the eyes, there was such pain there it ripped at HonORa’s heart. This must be why she was here with the Colonists. The goddess must have sent her here to help this slip of a girl with the pain killing her soul.

Lola stopped to open a door and let them enter into a large living space. She motioned with her hands and HonORa translated for her.

“She says there are two bedrooms and a bathing area to the left, and the kitchenette is to the right. You have a balcony that overlooks the stream. There will be a banquet in three hours welcoming you and your brother to Colony. Is there anything else that you need?”

Lizetta shook her head. “No, thank you. This is all so lovely.”

“One of the warriors will bring your traveling bags and leave them right outside the room. They will not come in without permission,” Lola reassured her.

“Thank you. I might rest for a bit before the banquet.”

“Of course, I’ll leave you to rest,” Lola nodded but hesitated leaving.

HonORa didn’t want to leave just yet, but she didn’t think the girl would open up to her—a stranger—so soon. “I can stay with you until your brother arrives.”

“I’ll be fine here on my own,” the girl said. HonORa could see that there was a little fear in her eyes. What happened to cause such fear?

Reluctantly, she made her way to the door. “Very well, I’ll see you at the banquet tonight.”

“HonORa?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of my brother?”

She was slightly taken aback. “I…I just met him, but he seems to be a good male.” He was gorgeous but didn’t want to say that. She was fascinated by him and she had never felt such and instant draw to a person before.

“He is, don’t let his rough exterior put you off. Get to know him. He is the kindest, most-loyal male. He would make any female a good mate.”

That was so sweet, she was trying to play matchmaker for her brother. She gave the girl a smile. “I’m sure there will be plenty of females interested in him then. He should have no problem finding one.” It just won’t be me. That thought made her sad for some reason.

“See you later, Lizetta.” She closed the door and headed down the hallway to her own quarters, which were not too far away. She felt sticky from the jungle heat and looked forward to a nice hot shower. Tomorrow they will be traveling up through the mountains to the hidden village. She may not have another chance to have such luxuries. Maybe a cold shower would help clear her mind of the distracting Zander.

*****

“I hope the trip from Kiljor wasn’t too unpleasant.”

“Not at all, but I must say I’m grateful to be on solid land once more.” He looked around the room used for LarIS’s private office. It had a few chairs and a round table in the center of the room. He could picture the leader using this space to hold debriefings or meetings with his commanders. Currently, it was just Leader LarIS and one other warrior.

“I understand that Commander AshOR was supposed to be traveling with you but was called back to Kiljor because of his brother’s mate going into into labor as you were departing,” Leader LarIS commented.

“Yes that’s right. Commander AshOR and his mate Ava took a transport back to the surface so that they could be there for the birth. We haven’t heard any updates. Have you had news from them?”

“Yes, Commander TylOR has a healthy daughter…and a son.”

“Twins?” Zander asked in surprise.

“It’s rare for our people to have twins, so this is a true blessing by the goddess.”

“When will Commander AshOR and Ava make their journey here?”

“In a few more days. They wish to spend a little time with the newest members of their family before leaving.”

Zander nodded his head and looked at the leader of the Colony. These people were rumored to be some of the most-mutated beings, even to the point of creating fear from those around them, which was the reason they had to have their own planet. Even the leader had abilities.

“It’s true, our people are the most mutated, but also the most gifted,” LarIS told him.

He blinked in surprise. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“My ability allows me to read minds, I’m even able to talk to someone telepathically and hear them answer back.”

“That is an amazing gift.”

“Yes, but it is one not without its consequences. Some gifts take great effort to control. My own father wasn’t able to keep his abilities in check all the time and he suffered greatly for it. Growing up with the same ability was difficult to say the least.”

Zander couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a young that had the ability to read others thoughts with no control over it. It would drive him insane.

“It nearly did for both me and my father at one point,” LarIS answered having read his thoughts.

He wondered what other abilities his people possessed but would have to ask him more about the abilities later. Right now, he had bigger concerns. “Why was it necessary to have so many warriors escorting us from the landing site? They were fully armed and intense.”

“We have worked hard to keep the information about the Morinians coming here temporarily a secret. Unfortunately, someone leaked that information. It’s partly why the Morinians have not been brought here yet. We’re trying to bring them when no one would expect it.”

“Will there be an uprising among your people because of these Morinians arriving?”

“I can’t say yes or no definitively. It is a real possibility. There was an uprising against the Earth females being brought to Katiera. That movement spread to Kiljor and even here.”

“I don’t understand that. The Earth females I have met are no threat.”

“Yes but they are different. People fear what is different. Fear makes them act irrationally and sometimes violently. That’s why the Colony was established in the first place. It is meant to be a safe refuge for those who are different, a home where they can be accepted for who they are and what they are without judgement or punishment.”

“That sounds like a perfect place then for the Morinians to relocate. Your people should understand that and embrace them.”

“They would…if they weren’t related to the Morins, who you know as well as I do are evil, sick bastards.”

“But these Morinians are supposed to be different, good. Why not just explain this to your people?”

LarIS shook his head. “If your planet and most of your people had survived, would they be as willing to let a group of people related to the Morins come live there?”

Zander hesitated in answering. “No, they would not.”

“It’s the same way on Katiera and Kiljor. It is the reason that the Morinians will only stay here a few months until a suitable, unoccupied, new home world can be found for them.”

“How many habitable planets are in your solar system?” Zander asked.

“A few, there are also a few habitable mining colonies. We just have to find the right place for them and keep them safe until we do so. Now, let me have one of my warriors escort you to your quarters so that you can get refreshed before the banquet this evening.”

Zander noted that LarIS didn’t give him an option of not attending this banquet. He didn’t like to be told what to do or where to go, but he wasn’t on his own planet. He had to follow the rules of others to survive.

The males stood up and Zander followed them out of the room. He wondered how his sister was doing. Was HonORa still with her? His bags were sitting outside of his quarters when he was led there by one of the warriors. Opening the door, he carried the bags inside.

“Lizetta?” he called out.

His sister answered from the balcony. “I’m out here!”

Placing their bags down, he walked over to the glass doors that had been left open and stepped through the opening onto the balcony. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m watching the sunset. Isn’t it beautiful here?”

He stood next to her and looked over the grounds below. The area closest to the buildings were well kept with stone pathways and potted foliage with colorful flowers of red, purple and blue. The further out he looked the more the terrain changed. The jungles surrounding the city about a mile out were not as cultivated, growing wildly much like his home world. “It does resemble Norad.”

“That’s what I was thinking too. The air is clean and fresh. I can smell the stream below us and the warmth of the sun has me feeling relaxed and at ease. I love it here. It almost feels like home.”

“We’ve only been here for about an hour.”

“I don’t care if it’s been hours or days. I think this is the best place for our people to settle.”

He looked around and had to admit that this seemed more like their home than the other planets they had visited. “I just don’t know if shipping our people around again is the best thing.”

“Katiera is nice but it’s got too many restrictions. Our people don’t feel comfortable there. After spending time on Kiljor, I think it, too, doesn’t fit our lifestyle. We need open spaces, communion with nature, and the freedom to run through the jungles.”

“I’ll think about it. We only just arrived. Give it a few days it may not seem so perfect.”

“We’ll see,” she said, but her voice sounded way too sure. It made him wonder if he wasn’t in a world of trouble. Would he really be willing to tear her away if this was where she wanted to live?