18
ARIX
I woke in darkness.
Darkness was anathema to the Karak. We existed and thrived in light, the brilliant beams from distant stars spread wide across the universe. The photons that made up our bodies left us in perpetual glow, a constant, reassuring presence that was more Karak than anything else in the universe.
Darkness was truly alien. Terrifying. A place without stars, a black hole sucking up all light and matter. Or the forbidden caves on Karak, where the dishonorable were banished for life, never to be seen again.
Where I will be sent for breaking my vows.
The thought drifted across my mind lazily, as if concrete thoughts were too difficult in that strange, dark place. I had forsaken my vows, ignored my primary scout directive and interacted with an alien species without consent from my superiors.
I made love to a human woman.
The thought terrified me, a deeper realization of my actions that I'd been trying to ignore. It went against everything a Karak scout believed in, a lifetime of training and preparation tossed aside for the fleeting physical pleasure of a moment.
But it wasn't merely physical. The pleasure I felt when I thought of Joanna from Elijah, Wyoming was omnipresent, a warmth that spread in my chest with thought alone. It was in my consciousness, a connection with this woman that could not be severed.
And that feeling, that overwhelming desire and love and even the ache of loving her so desperately, made the guilt of my Karak duties diminish. A minor thought not worth considering.
I love Jo.
Love was new. The Karak Dominion had spread far and wide across galaxies, discovered and studied and tamed tens of thousands of alien species. Yet humans were the first to experience love, an emotional desire too powerful to ignore.
It was dangerous. It was foreign.
And it was wonderful.
Karak knew a fondness for one another, but it was a familiarity more than anything close to what could be called love. Arrangements of photons in close proximity, recognized and safe. How could I explain human love to my fellow Karak? I doubted telepathic communication could convey the full truth of such an emotion.
The scout in me knew such knowledge was important. It was vital that I notify my superiors, and anyone else on Karak, of what I'd found. Of what these humans possessed.
But that was a concern for a later time.
The darkness disappeared, and the light that invaded was so bright it stung my human eyes. I squinted against it, then slowly opened one eye to look around.
The human Max Jones stood before me, a black cloth in one hand. The black cloth that had been over my head. He grinned at me like I was the prized buck he'd shot in a hunting competition.
"Hi," I said.
Max spit on the floor at my feet. I was sitting in a chair with my hands tied behind me, in a square room only ten feet to a side. The sour smell of dust and mildew stung my nose.
"Don't fucken talk to us like there ain't nothin' wrong," Liam said, behind me and to my left. I twisted but couldn't see him.
"Is there something wrong?" I said, keeping my voice calm and curious.
A foot kicked me in the ribs, sending white-hot pain across my body. The chair rocked back and forth but didn't tip over.
"You're gunna answer all our questions." Liam came into view, carrying an old video recorder on a tripod. He placed it five feet away, fiddled with the back, then turned toward me. Excitement shone in his bloodshot eyes.
"I already offered to answer all your questions," I said.
"Good," Max said, spitting again. "Cause you're gunna make us famous."
"And rich," Liam added.
And as I sat there, my calmness began to waver. It was time to be realistic: I'd been captured by two humans on a distant planet, who possessed some electronic device that could manipulate my Karak photons. I was unable to shift away, or reach out with my consciousness to control them. And these men intended me cold harm, as emotionless as a child smashing beetles on the sidewalk.
The human metaphors felt strange in my brain, but they made sense, too.
And then something swirled around in my mind. It was so powerful that I wondered if it was something Max or Liam was doing to me. The warmth spread until it was all I felt, a comfort and confidence that should have been impossible.
"She will come for me," I found myself saying.
Max flinched. "The fuck you say?"
"Joanna will come for me. She loves me. And I love her."
Fury painted Liam's face as he regarded me. He grabbed the strange electronic device from a nearby stool, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"You're a monster. You don't love nothin'. And you're gunna regret ever coming here."
He twisted the dial slowly. I felt my atoms stretching, pulling apart one by one, each tear a lifetime of unbearable agony.
I opened my mouth, and screamed.