Urim paced his quarters in the Milisarian spaceship. His muscular chest heaved with fury. His long, black hair shone with sweat. Dark brown eyes glared with hate when he thought about the deliberate destruction of valuable equipment. The little blue creatures were getting in his way. He had ignored them when they landed, believing it was a short stop on a long journey. Then they had begun spreading over the planet like little bugs and using huge machines to dig into the mountains. Once more, he had given them a fair chance to leave. He had explained that the planet was under Milisarian rulership and they were terraforming it. Not only had they declared the planet as their property, they had used one of their digging machines to destroy expensive terraforming equipment. Urim had not meant to harm the deluded little creatures. He had only wished to knock the controllers from their hands. At least, they had gone back to their ship and taken the machines with them. Perhaps they would leave now.

King Siefer had made Urim the leader of this expedition. It was an honor for one so young. He carried the responsibility for making this planet useful to Milisaria. With all the changes that had happened in the last several years, there were thousands more who needed to be fed. This empty planet was to be their salvation. Urim had brought a large contingent of knights and colonists to terraform the land, making it capable of sustaining enough food growth to feed all the colonies. Now these little maggots were getting in his way. He had to make this assignment work, or he would become a laughingstock among the knights.

Milisaria was changing from the warrior world of his childhood. The dictatorship of King Shene was gone. He was replaced by one of their own knights, King Siefer. The king was married to a human, and together they had united the colonies. All species shared in their technology and food. The Milisarian's intelligence was increasing thanks to the human wives of the king, their commander, and a few knights. They had better food and medications, along with technology. It made for fewer battles. That was a downside for Urim. He was a warrior. There was no desire in his heart for another profession. He enjoyed the feel of a sword in his hand. The knights now had new, more advanced weaponry, but Urim would always prefer his sword. He was confused about the changes. As long as they did not force him to give up his sword, he would remain optimistic.

Urim wanted to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, the knight's commander Nabvan. The commander trained the young warriors and personally chose those who became the king's proud Milisarian Knights. Nabvan was the most powerful knight his planet had ever known. He had killed the evil King Shene, though he had been tortured to the point of death. He was a tough taskmaster when he trained the warriors, yet he was also caring and fair. Urim hoped he was half as good at being a knight as Nabvan was. He practiced with the less experienced warriors and sought to train them as well as his mentor had trained him. He needed to work on the patient attitude some more.

To calm his anger, Urim searched out some of his warriors to spar with. The colonists were busy repairing the damaged equipment, and the knights were free to practice. He chose his strongest warrior to fight against. He had no intention of holding back for a less experienced man today. The aggression needed to be forced from his body so he could deal with the little blue creatures without exploding.

Swords clashed in the morning light. Urim had the advantage of anger, while his opponent used clear-headed logic. It was an even match. Shouts of encouragement came from the audience of warriors. The winner would be treated to a rare bottle of the Earth drink known as whisky. A single case had been among the items traded in their last trip to the civilized planet. The warriors took the side of their favorite challenger in hopes of sharing a swig of the intoxicating drink.

The contest had been going on for hours, each warrior tireless. The joy of hefting a sword against a worthy opponent sustained them. The slight buzzing of an approaching hovercraft finally called a halt to the battle, without a clear winner. The warriors were disappointed. The whisky would not be served today. The creature in the hovercraft was to blame and would suffer their wrath. They lined up in battle formation, raised their swords, and waited for the craft to land.

Urim stepped up to encounter the occupant as the craft's roof retracted. His body quivered with shock upon seeing a human female inside. He had expected another of the delicate blue creatures who spoke with their minds. He could not allow the knights or the female to sense his shock. As the leader of this expedition, Urim had to appear stoic and in full control of every situation. It became more difficult to keep an unsmiling expression when the beautiful human climbed out of the hovercraft. Her hair was red and fell to her tiny waist in waves. The only red hair Urim had ever seen was that of his commander, Nabvan. It was an odd anomaly on Milisaria. The rubber suit she wore left little to the imagination. It followed every curve of her magnificent body. He wondered what the tube leading from the suit into her nose was for. Perhaps she had an illness. He could hear the appreciative murmurs coming from behind him. It would seem the warriors were as intrigued by the human's beauty as well.

Urim greeted the female. "Good day. I am Urim of Milisaria. What is the nature of this visit? Do you seek aid? I see the tube attached to your face. Are you ill?"

Josephine's eyes had nearly popped out of her head at the sight of so many huge, gorgeous men. One such as Ohber was intoxicating, but an entire army of them was overwhelming. Their leader was over-the-top stunning. His powerful muscles bulged when his hands drew into fists at his side. His face was sculpted to perfection. She had to shake her head to clear it. What had he asked? It took a moment to process the questions. Eventually, she replied, "You ask a lot of questions. No, I am not ill. In fact, I am a nurse. My name is Josephine. I have come to negotiate a truce between you and the Pura."

"So that is the name of the little blue creatures." The knights laughed at Urim's description of the aliens.

Josephine huffed, "That's as rude as them referring to you as giants. Can't you be a little more sensitive?"

"Calling us giants is not rude. It is accurate. For your information, Milisarians are not known for their sensitivity. We are warriors." The knights nodded in approval and Urim continued, "What do you have to do with these Pura? Why is a human female on an uncivilized planet?"

"The Pura asked Earth for help. They needed someone with medical training to care for them while they readied this planet for habitation. I volunteered. It would be best for both species if you left the planet. You have already wounded two of the Pura." Josephine stood tall in front of the huge man.

Urim replied, "I can see and understand your concern for the delicate species, but it is they who must depart. Milisaria is in control of this planet, not the Pura. We will be using its resources to feed our colonies. The terraforming started weeks ago. We were already here when they landed."

Josephine argued, "You have a safe home and other worlds on which to grow food. The Pura need this world to survive. Their planet is out of the energy they require. It is a matter of who needs it the most."

"Actually, it is a matter of ownership. We claimed this planet in the name of Milisaria long ago. It is only now that we find a need to use it. Your loyalty to these aliens is to be commended; however, I doubt it will be rewarded. Most species that deplete a planet's energies will also use other species to gain whatever they need. Once they have what they want, the helper is expendable." Urim found the human female amusing in her allegiance to the Pura, yet he thought it best to warn her of the possibility of being used.

"They will not harm me. Earth would seek revenge and destroy them. They have a tentative relationship with Earth and would not jeopardize it so easily. I am not afraid of the Pura. It's you who should be afraid. They have battlebots to fight for them." Josephine crossed her arms and tapped her foot in defiance.

Urim laughed aloud along with his warriors. "Your naivety is rather funny. We have been trained all our lives for war. Mechanical, unthinking battlebots do not concern us. Our swords and strategy would prevail."

Josephine replied, "I don't see anything funny about war. Both sides would lose precious lives. The battlebots are built with weapons that can be used at a distance. Your swords would be useless in that scenario."

"Our swords are never useless, but they are not our only weapons. Milisaria has changed over the years. We have guns and explosives. Strategy is our greatest weapon. It represents our intellectual growth. It is our right to defend our territory. I am truly sorry that the little Puras were injured. It was accidental. I was just trying to knock the controllers from their hands. If they agree to find another home, we will not go to war."

Josephine tried one more time. "Can't there be a compromise? The Pura don't have time to find another world. They are almost out of energy on their old one. Maybe they would agree to share this planet with Milisaria, at least until you find a better place to farm."

Urim sighed. The human was tenacious. He answered, "Our species cannot inhabit the same planet. It is large, but not so big that we would never meet. Our lifestyles would eventually clash. War is inevitable. You must explain to them that we will not go away. Once we take over a planet, we do not let it go. We do not wish to hurt them, but we will if it becomes necessary. Compromise is not in our nature."

"I don't think it's in their nature either. I will speak to them about this discussion. I hope they listen better than you have. You are a stubborn man, just like Ohber was. I hope he is doing well." Josephine needed to know that he had survived.

Urim's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You knew Ohber? How did you meet him?"

She hated to admit her part in the experiments, but she had no choice. She shouldn't have brought up the subject. "I was a nurse in the lab where the experiments were done. I am ashamed of my part in the program, though I did my best to care for the aliens. I volunteered for this mission as penance for not realizing the depth of evilness in the experiments. It is a way to forgive myself. I pray that Ohber is well and happy on Milisaria."

Urim held back his emotions. Ohber had suffered greatly at the hands of the scientists, yet he did not hold a grudge. He was a very good man and showed forgiveness. Urim must follow his example. "Ohber is indeed happy. He has been retired due to his internal injuries, which will never completely heal. He is strong in spite of it. He trains warriors along with our commander, Nabvan. He is honored among our species. If it soothes you in any way, he does not blame the nurses for the cruel treatment. He believes they were used as pawns in the program and wishes them well. His mate, Valeri, and he have three children. They have the first set of twins on our planet, both are male, and an infant daughter. My sister, Rixi, is mentored by Valeri. She wishes to become a nurse, just like you."

Josephine's relief was dramatic. Ohber had a new life and was happy. If he could forgive Valeri and choose her as his mate, then surely, she was forgiven as well. This news went a long way in getting Josephine to forgive herself. It made her decision to come to this planet well worth the price of leaving her family behind. She replied, "Thank you for sharing this news. It has lifted a great weight from my shoulders. I have been worried about him for a very long time. It is also nice to know that Valeri is well and happy. She is the one who brought the atrocities to light, even fighting against her own father. It was good of the Milisarian king to allow her sanctuary on your planet."

"It is not just sanctuary. She is now a true citizen of Milisaria and accepted by all. Her skills have helped us make advances, and we appreciate her strength in protecting Ohber and the other aliens. She says they have been returned to their proper planets and the lab is no more. We honor loyalty and kindness,” Urim stated.

"She is correct. The lab has been dismantled, the building condemned, and the perpetrators imprisoned. The government has new laws in place to prevent such experiments from happening again." Josephine began backing toward the hovercraft. "I will deliver your message to the Pura. Thank you for allowing me to speak on their behalf. Tell Valeri and Ohber that Josephine wishes them much happiness."