SERENA SWANDS
I saw it. I saw Prana in a completely new light. He had a dark side and it was scary. After Jaylin and I had returned from space, everything had altered. I now had deep feelings for the commander and I did not want to be sexual with Prana anymore. He had seemed like such a nice and understanding warrior. But the first time I told him that I no longer wanted to bed him, he became angry and aggressive.
The first time I told him was when I was leaving the living quarters of Maria and Elizabeth. He had run into me and said, "There you are. I've been expecting you to find me to run off for one of our sessions. I was afraid after I would never see you again after seeing you try to escape. I'm glad that you're safe."
"Thank you, Prana. But I can no longer run off for our sessions. It was fun while it lasted, but I truly belong to the commander now in every way. I can be with no one else."
He laughed for a second until he realized that I was being serious. Then his face took on an angry look as he said, "You will not reject me. No one rejects me, especially not for that commander."
"I do not think you understand. I am not going to bed you anymore. Leave me be," I said as I walked away from him. I heard him let out a snarl as I walked away and it frightened me. But I was a strong woman that knew how to defend myself if it came to that. But what frightened me was how easily he switched from kind and fun to this dark creature. Could this have been him all along and I did not see it? I let my spite for the commander blind me to the sweet words of Prana, when he could've been playing me all along.
After that moment, I became the commander’s in all ways. We continued to make love on a daily basis. I was falling for him. Then one morning, I woke up and I was feeling ill. I assumed that something that I ate was not working with me since it was foreign food to me. I thought nothing of it. But then the next morning I had the same feeling, and then again and again I was feeling nauseous. Then I had a completely different feeling. I knew it. I was pregnant! But how?
Everyone knew it was impossible for a human female to become pregnant from a Kalazaron male. It had never happened before as far as we knew. It was outrageous. I thought perhaps it could be Mason’s, but so much time had passed and I would have received the morning sickness on the journey to Kaethon from the Madera. And I did not have the feeling that I had now, that feeling that something was inside of me.
I made my way to the reconstructionist, Pentor. I remembered that when I had arrived he scanned my body, and if I had been pregnant at that time, he would have noticed. Now I knew for sure that I did not become pregnant by Mason. It happened after I arrived on this planet. I felt sick to my stomach knowing that I would have no way of knowing who the father was. Was it Prana's baby? Or was it Jaylin's?
"This is unbelievable," Pentor said as he scanned my body with a projector tool. "You are correct. You are with child."
I gasped in shock. "What do you see, Pentor? Is it human?"
"It is reading both human and Kalazaron. It has DNA from both. This is extraordinary. This has never happened before."
"Listen, Pentor. You must keep this a secret for now. I will come to you for checkups and visits, but you must keep it to yourself. Is there a way to know who the father is, as there are two Kalazarons that might be the father?"
"Yes, there is away. But not for a few more weeks. We must wait until it has grown a bit. Then I can do the test."
"Thank you. Remember: Keep it a secret for now until those test can be run. Promise?"
"Yes. It is a secret. I will tell you which foods to eat and only drink water, not the Icannet."
I left the reconstructionist and was now carrying a big secret. I had a secret, alien baby inside of me. I did not know who the father was. The timing couldn't be worse because the raid on Belvenreed was happening the following day. Jaylin was the only warrior that could hit the target. It was all up to him, so I could not tell him about this, even if I wanted to. There was too much at stake.
The next day the warriors gathered in the landing point and the raiding party was preparing.
"Let me go with you. I can take out the electrical box. I can do it," I said to Jaylin.
"No, it is too dangerous. You must stay here," he said to me. He gave me a deep, long kiss and hugged me. When he pulled away, I saw Prana across the room with anger on his face. He jumped on top of a ship and began to address the crowd with some shocking news.
"Warriors! Listen before we raid! There is a spy among us! This spy has made sure that this attack will fail! There is your spy! The human female!"
He pointed at me and the crowd grumbled and gathered closer around me. Warriors surrounded Jaylin and I was completely confused as to why he was saying this. Was he simply that bitter about being rejected? There had to be more to it.
Then he continued shouting, "She had planned to be the target shooter. She was going to pretend to shoot the electrical box and instead shoot at the tower guards to let the Belvenreed outpost know they were being attacked. She has been in communication with the Belvenreed outpost. They have promised her freedom in exchange for information from the base. She told me she did not want to be here and would do whatever she had to in order to get out. I did not know what she meant until I followed her and secretly put it together! There is your spy! She threatens to ruin this for all of us!"
My mouth fell open at his lies. He must be very angry indeed that I rejected him to go to such lengths in order to separate me from Jaylin. Jaylin was shouting at the warriors that were coming toward me trying to defend me. But it was too late. They had already sided with Prana and were putting me in cuffs and leading me away.
"Let her go! He lies!" Jaylin shouted.
"If that is so, it will be sorted after the raid. To be safe, she will be put into prison until the raid is over and her fate and innocence can be decided," another commander said. I was helpless against the majority.
"Do not worry, Serena! I will come for you after the raid!" he shouted to me. I believed him. But I was afraid that he would not return to the base after the raid. Not because I did not think he was a skilled warrior or that it would not go well, but because of Prana. There would be lots of chaos in battle, and I felt that Prana may take it upon himself to use this time to kill Jaylin.
I quietly went along with the warriors that were escorting me. I had to figure out a way to get out of this. I was a strong, female soldier, but I could not find my way out like I had done so many times before. I had a child in my belly now and it made things more complicated. I could not use my physical strength as I had always relied on. I would have to use my wits.
They pushed me into a room and locked it behind me. I could hear the sounds of speed pod racers leaving the mountain base. I had to be on one. I had to go to the cliff side and shoot the target.
"What are you doing in here, Serena?" a voice said to me. I turned to see that it was the human female Lisa. She had become a friend and someone I talked too often about my situation.
"Lisa, I am so glad you're here. You must get me out of here. I have to help with the raid. I was put in here falsely by Prana when I no longer allowed him to touch me."
"Prana. He has treated me badly as well. He is a dark Kalazaron. I believe you. But if I help you, you must not tell anyone that it was I who released you."
"I will tell no one," I said to her. She quickly unlocked the door from the outside.
"Thank you." I quietly left the building and made my way to the landing port. I snuck into a speed racer pod and clumsily flew behind a fleet of them. I followed them to a flat plateau along a ridge. In the distance, I could see the Belvenreed outpost. I watched as a large group of speed racer pods were approaching the fence of the Belvenreed outpost. They must have already shot at the electrical box and brought the fence down. I landed the speed racer pad on the flat plateau and ran towards the edge. Then I heard shouting over the radio.
"The fence field is still up! The shot did not take it down!"
"Impossible! I hit the box myself!" I heard Jaylin's voice over the radio.
"The fence is up!"
I ran to the edge of the cliff and grabbed a gun. I peered through the scope. I could see the damaged electrical control panel on the fence. He was right; he had made the target.
"What are you doing here?!” a voice shouted at me. It was a warrior stationed on the plateau.
"Official Treen let me go. I told him I was needed, as I was the only one that can make the long distant shot besides Jaylin. It seems like I am needed now," I lied.
"Commander Jaylin shot the control panel and he took it out. I saw it myself. But it did not bring down the fence."
"There must be another control panel. Do you see one? I can take it out!" I shouted.
I carefully got on all fours and then lay gently down on my belly. I took the gun in my hand and scanned the fence line. Then I saw it. There was another control box. "I see it! I see the control box! Firing!" I shouted as I fired at the box. It was a direct hit. We could see the energy field go down.
The warrior ran to the radio and shouted, "The fence is down! The fence is down! "