Captain Zern Krechan
I couldn’t help but be angry. And I was unhappy about the fear in my voice. I knew that she had only been trying to help me. And yet, the thought of her putting herself in danger, especially for me, really rubbed me the wrong way. I had risked so much just to help her. She shouldn’t have come for me. She should have gone for the exit and gotten herself the hell out of this underground prison.
“Excuse me for trying to save your ungrateful life,” Lila growled, her gorgeous emerald eyes flashing even in the darkness. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest as I studied this fierce human from across the room. There was something so different about her. I had never encountered a being like her in all of my life, and although it had been nothing but trouble, I still couldn’t help but feel gratified to have known her. “I didn’t know that helping someone I care about was against the rules. I’ll remember that next time and leave your ass behind.”
“Good!” I shouted. “You should have. Now look at us. Both of those are trapped, and there is no way out this time.”
“Don’t be such a negative Nelly,” the human said, waving her hand dismissively. “There’s always a way out. I know that it doesn’t seem very likely right now, but I’m sure something will happen.”
This kind of careless attitude was one of my greatest annoyances, even back on my own home planet. I hated to find that anybody was casual and dismissive when it came to making bad decisions. You couldn’t just prance your way through life and expect everything to work out. My past had taught me that much.
“You are only saying that because so far, someone has always been there to get you out of trouble. But if you were ever left to be responsible for yourself, what would happen to you then? You would be dead. The magma worms would have eaten you by now, and there would have been nothing left. Your decisions are brash and stupid, and I will not abide them!”
The human looked at me, her face startled at first, and then angry. I just about backed away from her, even though I didn’t know why. She was feeble and weak, just as all humans were. There was no way that she would be able to be a match for me physically, whether she had other weapons stashed away in her clothing or not. And yet, there was something very commanding about this human. Although she was small and female, she had stubbornness and ferocity that made me think twice about going up against her. Especially after seeing the way she had handled herself in the fight.
“If it wasn’t for me, they probably would have killed you tonight. What would I have done then? I would have to live with the ghost of your memory in my heart for the rest of my life,” Lila yelled, her voice rife with pain. “So you would rather I live on the rest of my life being a coward and thinking only of myself and leaving you here to die in this hell hole?”
“If it meant that you would be safe, then yes,” I said, stepping toward her and gripping her wrists in my large hand. She gasped softly at the contact and then looked away, her face changing shade. “I would do anything to protect you. I wish I knew why. All you are is a big pain in my ass. But I want to be able to know that you are not going to be hurt. If that means that I die during an interrogation while you run off into freedom, then to me that is worthwhile.”
“But why?”
The question came out in a cracking voice, the heartbreaking sound of her pain filling the room as she began to sob. The strength in her legs seems to have given out on her, and she slumped to the ground and covered her face as much as she was able to with my hands still around them.
“Why would you sacrifice so much for me? I have never done anything for you, and I will never do anything useful. I can’t help you here. All I can do is try and fix an engine of a ship that is going to leave this place anyway. I will always be stuck here. We have no future together whatsoever. You’ll go your way, and I’ll stay here. I might as well be with the other humans, trapped in this prison for the rest of my life. At least the boss likes me.”
Both of us laughed at the last statement, and I shook my head. “He probably won’t like you very much after being stabbed in the back the way he was. I have a feeling that we are going to have to get out of here. And if we don’t, the next time they deal with us, it might not end so well. One or both of us may not be intact at that point.”
“But you’re so strong,” the human said, looking at me with wide glimmering eyes. I was relieved to see that she had stopped crying now, but it was clear that she was still wrought with emotion.
I smiled down at her, conjuring the most soothing voice that I possibly could.
“I will do what I can. But when the Bardans are involved, the attacks are much sneakier than you would guess. They have something in those pellets of theirs that they shoot out. It sucks my strength away. But as long as I can avoid the pellets, then yes, I could probably wipe out every single one of them by myself. That is why the Raither army sent me to this planet. I can withstand the dangers here. That, and it was kind of a punishment.”
The human seemed surprised by this, and she opened her mouth as if to question it. But I shook my head. “I would rather not talk about that right now. Come on, get off the floor. It’s cold down there.”
I lifted her up, using a little bit more force than I needed to. She flew up, her chest pressed against mine and our faces inches away from each other. A sudden, desperate longing consumed me, and I held the human tightly and stared deeply into her eyes. My heart was racing, in a way that it had only raced in battle before. Hers seemed to be doing the same, and she inhaled sharply, her beautiful face becoming tense with an emotion that was difficult for me to pinpoint.
“I was so scared,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around my torso and staring into my eyes. “I thought that I was never going to see you again. First, when that worm nearly ate you. And then, when you were dragged away that way, by those Raithers who seemed like they wanted nothing more than to see you dead. They knew who you were, Zern. Why?”
I swallowed hard. It was difficult for me to talk about my past. Even with the human, who would never have the same strong opinions on the dogmatic aspects of living on my home planet. I knew that she would not judge me quite as harshly as my own kind had seemed to, but it was little consolation. My past was mine and mine alone, and no matter how close I became with the human, I would not be likely to share that with her. Especially not here.
“Please, we should not speak about this right now. Especially not with so many Raithers and Bardans around. It is not safe for me. And it is especially not safe for you.”
The human frowned, her perfect lips jutting into a pout that brought the fire back into my loins. Before I could help myself, I dropped my lips upon hers. She admitted a soft cry that was muffled by my lips, startled by the suddenness of my advance. But instead of fighting it, she seemed to melt into my body, tilting her head up as my tongue explored the moist crevices of her mouth.
Lila sighed as I sampled the sweetness of her lips again and again. I had never enjoyed such a bounty, and I could feel a strong surge of arousal awakening deep within my body until the physical testament to my lust was pressed firmly against Lila’s thigh.
She shuddered at the sudden awareness of my longing, and I could feel her surrendering even further to my desires. She seemed to share them, and probably had as long as I had. Whether we had gotten along at the ship or not, one thing we had in common was our inappropriate desire. And now, with the likelihood of our deaths heavy upon us, there was no reason to hold back. I wanted her more than anything I had ever wanted before, and I was going to take her for my own.
I buried my face in Lila’s breasts, moving her clothes off her body swiftly. She was gorgeous, and I gaped at the strange paleness of her skin; it was nothing like the pale blue complexions of my fellow Raithers. Her features were small and gentle. Even though she was fit and muscular, she was still soft. It was deeply arousing, and I became acutely aware of the heat of her body pressed against me.
When we were both undressed, I gripped the human by the waist, and we held one another’s gaze after hungrily devouring each other’s bodies with our eyes. The human pursed her lips; her cheeks flushed a deep red color that nearly made me want to take her right then. But I would have to be delicate with this human. She was something special, and the thought of being too rough with her was abhorrent. She deserved tenderness, especially after all that we had gone through.
I seized the human and kissed her again, holding her tightly as she sighed against my lips. I lifted her gently and backed her against the wall of the room. She gasped softly when she felt my member press against her thighs and parted her legs slightly to make way for me to come closer. The gesture was small, but it filled me with an inextinguishable fire. I growled into her ear, and she shuddered against me as I pressed the length of myself against her middle, preparing us both for what was about to happen.
We both let out a deep groan of appreciation as I began to slip myself inside. The human was incredibly firm against my body, and the heat that engulfed my member sent a deep thrill coursing through me. She sighed once the length of me was fully inside, and we locked eyes for a moment.
I thrust hard, and she gasped in pleasure, the sound filling me with heat. I began to feel myself losing control of my impulses and soon, the human was crying out as the speed of my hips increased, and I began to let my body take charge.
She moaned deeply into my ear, and I lost what little self-control I had left: delighting in the small sounds of pleasure she made as I gratified us both with the power of my body. Suddenly, the muscles within her began to constrict around me, and I moaned, my orgasm erupting with an abrupt force that brought the human to quaking against me. I held her close as we climaxed together, our bodies one for a brief span of time that felt like an eternity.
When we parted, I gazed upon her. Even in the dark, she was the loveliest creature that I had ever seen. I had never before believed that I would have this type of connection was another being, let alone one that was outside of my own species. And yet, here we were. And all of our connections had been made official.
“Now,” I said, backing away and clearing my throat. “I suppose that it is time for us to figure out a way to get out of this mess.”
She nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. If there was one thing that I knew for sure, it was that the human and I had been brought together for a reason, whether I knew what that reason was or not. We probably would never make it off of this planet, not unless I was able to force my way out of this room and protect her. But, even if we were trapped in this prison together for the rest of our lives, I knew that I would be happy just to be by her side.
***
We spent the rest of the evening trying to brainstorm a way to escape our present. However, there were barriers on the doorway that prevented any thought of escape. Perhaps we could dig our way out, but even if we did, they would probably come in to check on us and see what we were doing. That would only lead to further punishment. I had to protect the human. If they took her away from me, there was no way of knowing what might happen. In fact, knowing that Parra had already claimed her as his own was terrifying enough.
What the human didn’t know about Parra was that he was one of the most rambunctious and evil Raithers that had ever existed. Most of the time, our alignment generally fell somewhere in a gray area. We were loyal to our cause and our kind, and we would go to any means necessary to protect our planet. However, there were the occasional bad eggs among us, and Parra was the worst.
I had personally encountered him a few times before, back when we were young and in the Academy together. He was not the kind of Raither that I enjoyed spending my time with. Both of us had troubled pasts. My parents had deserted me long ago, and so had Parra’s. We were in a special class together, the two of us and a handful of other Raither children. The teachers had been appointed to act as our sole guardians and make an effort to replace the parental guidance that we were so sorely lacking.
I had found a way to thrive within the program, by focusing on physical training and doing everything that I could in order to make my body of living weapon. However, Parra was not doing quite as well. He resented all of the authority figures in our class, and also resented his classmates. Nobody got along with them, and he didn’t make any effort to make himself more approachable or easy to get along with either. It was almost as if he wanted to be our enemy. And that attitude only solidified and hardened the older that we got.
I was having a hard time figuring out whether or not to tell the human about Parra. I had encountered him back in our school days when we were young men, nearly adults. The fight that had ultimately erupted between us had been the first in a long line of offenses that had condemned Parra to this planet. Some small part of me always wondered how responsible I was for his downfall. What if I had never agreed to fight with him? What if I had never confessed all of the details of our fight to the teachers at the school? Maybe it could’ve been dropped, and the military academy would have given him a chance to prove himself in a different setting.
Instead, what happened between us became the cornerstone for the rest of Parra’s life. He was interrogated endlessly about his motivations and his alignment. I felt guilty enough about it that even I started to go down a path of destructive behavior. I ended up graduating and getting a great position in the military, but one night I got incredibly drunk and wandered over to our old school with Parra heavy on my mind. I was there for a reason, at least so I thought, and ended up getting into a fight with one of the headmasters, and because of it, I had been punished and lost my rank.
I hated the planet Yala. It was something that I tried not to think about very much, but ever since my parents had left and were not charged with any penalties for abandoning me, I had begun to be very critical about the way business was conducted on my home planet. Everything had gone downhill from there, especially after the fight. Everything that I had worked for, my strength and my position as one of the lead fighters in the squad, was taken away from me after that incident at the Academy.
And now, they had practically condemned me to death on this prison planet as a way of making me believe that if I succeeded at this mission, I might be able to improve my rank and regain some of my former glory. And as much as I wanted things to be normal, the fact was that on my planet, they had never been normal to begin with. I hated it. I hated my planet, and I hated many of the other Raithers. It was a corrupt and materialistic society. We had managed to become one of the main economic ports in the universe, and our society seems to suffer for it rather than grow enriched.
I wanted to find somewhere else for myself, somewhere that I truly belonged. But if I didn’t survive the planet Hexa, then that would be impossible. And now, with the human to worry about, that seemed even more impossible. What the gred was I going to do?
“Zern, I think somebody’s coming,” the human exclaimed, her beautiful voice hushed and concerned. I froze, broken from my thoughts, and listened. Sure enough, there was a great number of footsteps heading toward our cell.
“You are going to be fine, human. They need the humans to work for them, so nothing will happen to you. Just do your best to keep your head down. Don’t look anybody in the eye unless you are prepared to be perceived as a threat. Allow me to handle this.”
The human looked down at the floor just as the door crashed open and two Bardans and a Raither stepped inside.
“The master would like to see you, Commander Zern,” the Raither said, glaring at me with menacing eyes. Suddenly, I felt sure that they knew what the human and I had done. There were dire consequences on our planet for messing with a female that had already been claimed by another Raither, so I could only imagine what someone as messed up as Parra might decide to do, especially considering my history with him.
They had gotten all the information out of me that they wanted to get, so I knew that I was probably going to be all right for a while. Still, that didn’t mean that I was in the clear. It was highly likely that I would be tortured further for answers. And although I had a high threshold for pain and was unfazed by most of their tactics so far, I wasn’t looking forward to what else the corrupted Raither might dish out.
“All right,” I said. “I will go peacefully.”
The Bardans laughed and shook their heads, and pointed their weapons at me. I grimaced, remembering the immense pain that had been inflicted upon my body the last time I had been struck by those pellets.
“I don’t think that we can trust that you will do anything peacefully, Commander Zern. You are going to have to do things our way. Restrain him.”
I tried not to let the irritation show in my face as the Raither stepped forward and found my hands and feet together with one of the sturdy ropes that had been made from the fibers of the plants on the planet Hexa. If I wanted to, I would be able to break out of these confines with no problem, but I knew that it would only serve to prolong my captivity and probably enhance whatever torture they might have planned for me. So instead of fighting, I resisted the urge and allowed them to lead me down the dark corridors, until we reached a room with only Parra sitting inside.
He quickly dismissed the group that had escorted me to what appeared to be his office and then motioned for me to take a seat on a wooden stool that was across the block of wood he seemed to be using as a desk. It was crude, but impressive, considering the lack of tools and resources on this planet. But Raithers were innovative so it shouldn’t have come as any sort of surprise.
“Commander Zern.”
“Parra Herglan.”
“It’s quite a surprise to see you down here,” Parra said, studying me closely. His eyes were cold, and I felt uncomfortable under their gaze.
“I suppose it is a smaller universe than one might think.”
“Or maybe the fates have conspired in my favor so that I can have my revenge!”
I cringed inwardly but did my best to keep my composure. The last thing Parra needed to know was that I was concerned about my situation. Confidence was one of the key factors in gaining the advantage in any situation.
“Revenge? Nothing like a petty pastime. Why not focus on your little operation down here?”
“That’s what I brought you here to talk to you about,” Parra said, folding his hands on top of the wooden block that served as his desk. He smiled sternly at me, and another wave of presentiment washed over me. “To be honest, I feel like I should thank you. Without that little altercation of ours, the Raither military might never have taken me very seriously. But since they do, I was able to truly find my calling and understand my passions. I may never have found peace within myself if I hadn’t gone down the path I was truly meant to travel.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Do not pin the evil of your deeds onto me,” I growled. “The fight may have been a catalyst, but it was your choices that killed those Raither soldiers. It had nothing to do with me!”
Parra chuckled and shook his head slowly. “I am not interested in arguing semantics with you, Commander. I am here to ask you to join my cause. It is your only chance of survival. I could use a Raither with your talents on my team. The ones I managed to recruit are close to useless. You surely know that.”
“What makes you think I would help you?” I asked. There had to be some sort of catch to his proposal.
“Only the fact that you have no other choice. That, and you and I are a lot alike. I know that you despise the other Raithers. I can see it in your eyes. I always knew that. That’s why I never held you responsible for the way that the Raither army treated me. And I don’t think that you should either. They had a choice. They could have shown compassion for young and lost souls, but they didn’t. Not to either one of us. And that is on them.”
“Well, what good is it to join you anyway? I could just as easily escape your dungeon and find my way back to Yala. Why would I stay trapped on this hell planet just to help you? What good would that do?”
“I see that you aren’t thinking ahead,” Parra said, grinning at me. “You are always such a brash and impulsive creature. It’s shocking that they gave you the honors that they did. But I suppose that having your brute strength and stubborn nature was an asset to the Army. But I see that you are not at the rank I left you in. What happened there?”
I glowered and looked away. It was true. I hated everything about my planet and my race. As much as I wanted to find myself in a position where I could actually be happy, it was impossible. Even if I was given my rank back, the darkness of the attack I had made on the others would always loom over my head. I would never be one of them again. And I have never felt like one of them to begin with.
“It is just as I thought,” Parra said, chuckling to himself. “You despise the Raithers just as I do. And you have just as much reason as I do to want to take them out.”
“And how do you plan to do that being stuck on Hexa?” I scoffed. “You know that the Raithers have the most impressive army known in the universe. They aren’t just going to roll over and let you win. You will be destroyed, along with anybody stupid enough to join your forsaken cause.”
Parra’s face hardened now, and I felt another chill surge through me. I knew that it was playing with fire to challenge him, but what else was I supposed to do? I wasn’t going to agree to join a lost cause. Especially not with someone as ruthless as Parra had turned out to be.
“Actually, that isn’t true. We have an entire planet full of the most fearsome monsters known throughout the galaxy. Even throughout the universe. Everybody on this planet wants their revenge against the Resha Federation. All we have to do is recruit them and promise them their freedom. With that freedom, we will do wonderful things.”
I snorted. Wonderful things, indeed. The creatures that were imprisoned here were total monsters. There was no way that contributing to their freedom was going to do any good. And although I despised the planet Yala, I did not want to have anything to do with its downfall either. Sure, they were disgusting and materialistic in their ways, but that did not mean that they deserved a death sentence. They rarely harmed anybody who was not directly threatening them. They might not know very much about how to deal with the trauma associated with abandonment and losing one’s parents, but it was not a sin enough to condemn them.
“I honestly do not believe that the powers of your army, even combined with the forces of others throughout the universe that want to take Yala down, will be enough to destroy them. Even if you come close, the Resha Federation will surely bring their own allies into the fight, and you will find yourselves right back in this prison. And there will be nobody to help you this time. It is possible that you will even be executed. I am not going to throw myself in the line of fire, even if you want me to believe that I have no other choice.”
Parra stared at me, his eyes round and hateful. “So that is the way it is,” he said with a low nod. I had a feeling that I had done the wrong thing. Perhaps just pretending to be part of his vision would have allowed me more freedom and the opportunity to help the human escape.
And yet, I could not allow myself to compromise my values for escape. Parra had never been a friend to me, and I could not fathom allowing him to believe that friendship, or even a simple alliance, would ever be possible.
“I am sorry that it has to be this way,” Parra said. But his eyes betrayed the truth. He had been anticipating my answer. “But it is not you who is going to suffer for this. It is going to be the human. And she will have you to thank.”
And with that, Parra summoned the guards, and I was removed from the office. My heart sank as I considered what it meant that the human was going to be suffering all on my account. Though I hated the thought of it, there was nothing I could do as I was marched down the dark corridor, my mind reeling from the altercation. I had to find a way out of this mess. And fast.