Captain Zerk’k Arkti
“We’ve arrived, Commander Arkti.”
I nodded, but said nothing. It was taking all I had to muster up the courage to venture off the ship. The Earthlings were a tricky race, and although most of their methodology was primitive, it didn’t mean we should discount the danger. Still, the others had managed to finish their jobs right on schedule. But they hadn’t been stuck with the assignment of clean up.
“With all due respect, sir, I think we should get this done as quickly as possible, before our craft is detected,” Jerd said, breaking into my thoughts. I hated that he was right. “Human technology advances at a snail’s pace, but they’re getting there. We should beat them to the punch and get out fast.”
“Agreed,” I said, standing up. “Take the men, full stealth mode, and abduct the women in peak physical form for breeding. I’ll check the premises to ensure that nothing traceable was left behind.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Leave no trace of our presence, Jerd,” I looked him hard in the eye. “I mean it.”
“Of course, Captain,” Jerd said, looking at me with his silver eyes as if I were stupid. Although most men I knew would have taken it as the beginning of a fight, I laughed despite myself. He was highly competent. One day, he would make a great commander in his own right.
“We’ll meet here again in 60 rotations,” I said, bowing deeply to him. Whether we were friends or simply men forced to work together, I respected Jerd a lot. He was very capable and had been indispensable to me throughout our time together. It was my own private way of separating from him during dangerous situations, in case something unforeseen happened to either of us. But such dark thoughts never left my mind, and it was going to stay that way.
“Yes, sir. Take care.”
I nodded stiffly. I wasn’t sure why, but despite my presentiment, I felt a strong urge to explore this dangerous planet. It was fascinating to be so near to a place so many species were claiming may be the downfall of the entire universe. It was probably important to see what sort of threat the humans were. I could end up as the Supreme Leader of Jenal’k someday, after all. I would kick myself later if I didn’t do it now, right?
Once Jerd had taken the men, I instructed the flight crew to keep watch and alert us if anything happened while we were away. My curiosity was impossible to keep at bay, and I followed my instincts.
I cloaked my body and hopped out of the ship, shocked at once by the heavy pull of Earth’s gravitational force. It was only slightly different, but I had been on my own planet so long, the beautiful and lavish Jenal’k, that any slight change was an unpleasant surprise. How surprised my crew would be to know that I was a homebody at heart.
A sudden roar filled my ears, and I looked around wildly for its source, shocked to find one of the most primitive transportation systems I had ever laid eyes on. Black smoke rolled out in waves, escaping the depths of dirty tubes as little metal boxes, on wheels of all things, sped past me one by one. There was little structure for these bizarre contraptions to follow – just a narrow path dug into the Earth and killing whatever life once lived there, preventing it from ever rising again. Who were these humans? Surely if their technology could send them to space, they could travel their own planet much more sustainably!
I found myself uncomfortable remaining on the ground and activated my hover gear. It would be a mistake to expend needless energy while exploring such a dangerous planet. The air was already beginning to make my lungs ache, and if I didn’t return to the ship at the same time as the crew, it could be perceived as a good chance for mutiny. Not that I didn’t trust the crew. It was just that my position was highly coveted, and a replacement for me had never been named. It was a secret, only to be uncovered should the worst case scenario befall us.
Once I had risen above the noise of the traffic, I felt a little bit better. The air was lighter, and I could almost see beauty in the scattered arrangements of buildings, lights, and structures unique to Earth’s surface, such as the trees and the hills. The colors were drab, but there was something comfortable about the way the leaves reached up toward the sky and streams of sparkling blue water threaded the surface.
The planet seemed doomed to suffer, but I couldn’t help but feel a small hint of warmth toward the oblivious humans. They tried so hard to build, to innovate. Surely there were good intentions there somewhere. There had to be more to humanity than their collective force of destruction. But even they wouldn’t know it if they saw it in each other. It was a bitter thought.
Suddenly, a human female emerged from a crude doorway (Hinges! They haven’t been used since my people were primitive!) and ventured bravely onto the rooftop of one of the tall, man-made structures. She was dazzling; the first human I had ever laid eyes on. Her shape was somewhat smaller than the typical Thressl’n figure, but her eyes carried a light and a depth that seemed otherwise lacking on my planet. Thressl’n had eyes that shone like heavy metals, while this human woman seemed to see the world through an orb of clear, beautiful water. I had never seen anybody quite so captivating in all my revolutions of life.
The woman looked toward me, and I froze in a panic, sure that somehow, those beautiful eyes had seen me. But instead of screaming in fear, she let out a soft sigh. The sound of her voice, even in that small little expression, made my hearts pound in a way they never had before. Without knowing how or why, I knew immediately that I wanted her with a ferocity I had never experienced for anybody before; not even females on my own planet.
But instead of rushing at her to complete my abduction, I lingered back for a few moments. She was fascinating. Her legs were long, and she strode along the edge of the building, her clear, beautiful eyes searching the sky as if for answers to a question I longed to hear her ask out loud. Her long hair was the color of gold, and tied neatly behind her head. She had a strange contraption on her face, over her eyes, held up on the bridge of her nose and secured with wire behind her ears. She soon pushed it up on top of her head, so that nothing was between her gaze and the stars.
Suddenly, I needed to know everything about this creature. What she was thinking. What she ate. What she was looking for. Who was this female? Whoever she was, one thing was certain: she was going to be mine.