Chapter 3
Second-in-Command Pax Curad
I was barely able to make it back to the ship before I needed another dose of Vari-X, so I was glad when I was finally able to secure the human in the small prison cell in the back of the ship. I slumped up against the wall once she was inside and, with shaking hands, took my next dose.
In order to stay on Earth long enough to retrieve the information I had needed, I’d been forced to cut each dose in half. It was just enough to keep me going, but I was at the end of my tolerance. My body was giving out on me, and if I didn’t get back to Helna soon, I didn’t know what might happen.
“I can’t believe you did this,” the human said, her fierce, ocean-colored eyes flashing in fury at me. “After I helped you. You didn’t have to abduct me. You could have let me go!”
I winced as I put the needle back in my pouch and sighed inwardly. I knew the human was right, but I hadn’t had a choice. Not only did she know I had been there, but she was from Zone 70. She would have information. Information I couldn’t find by snooping around on Earth until the bitter end. I had already stayed too long without the proper amount of Vari-X to supplement my health. If I didn’t get back now, I was going to die, and the whole thing would have been for nothing.
“I’d be risking too much allowing you to stay,” I said, tilting my head at her. “I think within a few months’ time, you’ll be thanking me for bringing you to Helna.”
“Helna is a dead planet. There is no way I will ever thank you for taking me from my home and forcing me to live in a world that reeks of decay.”
I was startled by the vehemence in the human’s voice, and she clamped her mouth shut quickly as if she were afraid of provoking me. And surely, she was. Verian men were impressive compared to humans. Taller, sturdier, and stronger. Even ill, I was a warrior in every way; stronger than the strongest of humans even on their weakest day. That was, unless the human-made disease had taken its toll on their bodies, the way that it had begun to on me. But getting back home would change that.
“Fortunately, your opinion on my home planet is not going to deter me from taking you there. Whether you like it or not, you are now officially at the mercy of the Verian people.”
We studied each other, my heart thudding heavily in my chest. As soon as I had laid eyes on the human, I had been in awe of her striking beauty. Never before had seeing a female from Earth had that effect on me, but somehow, every time I looked at her, I was reminded again of just how much I wanted to make her my own. It was not only strange, but it was entirely unethical. Humans hadn’t been abducted for breeding purposes in several years at that point. The army of supersoldiers was already growing strong, and the babies that were born to human females were unstoppable.
Any humans heading to Helna had to be cleared by those in the highest positions of the government. That meant the doyan or me and our appointed council. Being second-in-command, I knew I was entitled to a human if I wanted one. But I had never believed I would be the kind of man to take advantage of that option.
And now here I was, a female trapped in the cell across from me, her eyes full of fire as she studied me. I was gaining strength slowly with my half a dose of Vari-X, but it wasn’t enough that I felt confident in an altercation.
“I’m going to go deal with the ship’s coordinates, if that’s all right with you, female,” I said, standing up tall and fixing his most intimidating look upon her. The girl’s gaze held mine, clearly unimpressed.
“I don’t care what you do,” the human said, her beautiful face clouded over with anger. “So just leave me the hell out of it.”
For some reason, the words hurt more than any physical wound I had ever endured. I turned away before she could see the pain reach my face, and stalked to the command center of the ship, where I sat down in my seat, puzzled.
“Commander Curad, what is your location?”
I sighed and lifted my communications device to my lips.
“I am taking off for Helna now.”
“Was the mission a success?”
I pursed my lips, my thoughts lingering on the beautiful human within the confines of his prison. Things hadn’t gone according to plan, exactly. But I had managed to tap into the information on the crude human technology. That was a small victory that should overshadow the huge mistake of bringing the female to Helna. I couldn’t let my feelings about the situation get me down.
“Yes.”
“The Doyan will be pleased to hear that.”
“I’m bringing a female to Helna,” I said after a moment of hesitation. “I will perform all necessary ceremonies.”
The man on the other end seemed surprised to hear this and stammered for a moment. “Oh! Uh, all right, Commander. Safe travels to you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
The cabin went silent, and I took a deep breath. Whether I liked it or not, I would have to figure out what to do with the human. Some Verians used them for free labor around the house or on their oka farms, while others used them in the place of wives. The children born to Verian-human hybrids had a tendency to grow strong and quickly, which was why the children were raised to be the supersoldiers that my brother was going to use to storm Zone 70 and gain the advantage in the war between worlds.
I had no interest in breeding supersoldiers in my own likeness, but I would have to find some reason to justify keeping the human in my home. It seemed cruel to use her as a slave or send her to one of the farms. Perhaps she could tend to my plants while I was away, or clean my home…
If I told the others that I thought the human might have valuable information, she would be locked in one of the stern high-security facilities that caused many humans to succumb to illnesses and deep depression. The conditions there were less than ideal, and if I sent that beautiful female there, she would never be the same. The fire in her eyes that had so impressed me would be snuffed out forever, and I couldn’t think of a sadder fate than that.
I shook the thoughts away. It didn’t matter what happened with the human. As long as I was able to get the Vari-X that I needed, then everything was going to become a lot easier to figure out. Maybe I hadn’t been thinking clearly when I had abducted her.
The combination of the illness and the pressure to annihilate Earth had caused me to panic a little bit upon seeing her for the first time. That, and something else had been nagging at me about her. I hadn’t been able or willing to let her go. The idea of spending the rest of my life without her near me was unfathomable. But there was no logical reason for me to feel that way.
Still, it seemed impossible that I should let the girl go back to the base after saving my life, only to be wiped out of existence just a few months later when Grod launched the attack that would change everything.
Not only that, but because of my illness, in a way, I was afraid of making the trip back to Helna alone. It was a slight comfort knowing that the girl was present on the ship and that I had somebody to protect besides myself. I could find it within myself to stay strong. I would do it for the human, and I would do it for myself. No matter what it took.
***
“What’s that smell?”
I cringed at the question, posed innocently enough by the human as I led her off the ship and into the loading dock. We had learned long ago that exposing humans, particularly females, to the harshness of Helna’s climate could cause them to grow extremely sick. I had chosen to take her in through the dock and get a hazmat suit for her to wear on the way back to my home.
“That, Yula, is the scent of a dying planet.”
The human’s cheeks reddened, and she looked down at her hands, as if ashamed of the things she had said about Helna. But she didn’t apologize. Instead, she looked straight ahead, her beautiful eyes stormy as she took in all of the activity around her.
“My name isn’t ‘Yula,’” she said quietly. “It’s Ali.”
I was briefly startled by the revelation and then couldn’t help but smile. “All right.”
She didn’t seem to like this. In fact, it was becoming more and more clear that the human didn’t care for me at all. I could hardly blame her. We hadn’t gotten off to a very good start. And she would never really understand the brutality of what my brother was planning for Zone 70. That was the sad truth. I needed to protect her, and the Verian race, at all costs.
“Have the Yula step into the suit before she goes through, Commander,” Rence said, gesturing toward a case on the wall full of hazmat suits. “Make sure she goes through the ceremony soon. Helna is more polluted these days than it has ever been before.”
“I know,” I replied with a stern glare.
Rence took the situation in stride and grinned casually. “How are you feeling, Commander? Did the meds work out for you?”
“As much as they could on half a dose,” I said, leading Ali to the row of suits. I watched her closely as she put it on over her clothing. When she turned to face me again, I couldn’t help but laugh. She was dwarfed by the huge helmet, and the arms and legs hung down much too far. She was small, even by human standards, while I and the rest of the Verian men were large by nature.
“What are you laughing at?” Ali asked.
Her voice was serious, but when I peered into the mask to look at her face, I could tell that she knew just how ridiculous she must have looked. She had a good sense of humor, but as soon as I smiled, the lightness in the human’s face disappeared, and her expression grew cold.
“Let’s get out of here. I have to cleanse you to protect you from the dangers of Helna’s atmosphere,” I said, sighing heavily and pushing through the huge double doors that led from the landing docks to the kitchen of the palace.
“Brother!” Grod exclaimed. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon!”
I cringed as Grod made his way toward me, his stomach knotting.
“The army is 700 strong,” I said, hoping that with the report in hand, Grod would let me go.
That was all I wanted to say to Grod, who had allowed me to go to Earth and nearly lose my life because of his drunken stupor. I shouldn’t have gone at all. That would have been easier. I could deal with Grod’s temper tantrums. At least if I had stood up for myself against my big bully of an older brother, I wouldn’t have to worry about what I was supposed to be doing with the human.
“An army of 700? That’s nothing,” Grod said, clearly heartened by the news. “The supersoldiers will wipe them out in no time at all.”
“They’ve been trained in the standard fighting style.”
Grod nodded. “And this must be your human.”
I winced at the implication of ownership, but before I could speak, Ali, not recognizing Grod as the doyan, spoke for me.
“I don’t belong to anybody,” she said, staring at Grod with eyes narrowed behind the glass of her hazmat helmet.
“And listen to that. She thinks she can just talk to me like we’re equals or something. You sure have terrible taste, brother.”
Grod cackled in laughter, clearly expecting me to follow suit. I managed to crack a smile, but frankly, I didn’t see any humor in the situation whatsoever. It was more dangerous having the girl there with Grod than it would have been to leave her in Zone 70. I would have to be on high alert.
“All right, well, you ought to get her cleansed. You know what this place can do to a human. What did you bring her around for anyway? They didn’t say.”
“I just get lonely in that big house sometimes. And I’m so busy I can hardly keep up with the housework.”
“Whatever. If you spawn any supersoldiers, they’re mine.”
Ali took a step forward, probably nearly ready to bite Grod’s head off with that sharp tongue of hers, but I intercepted her.
“Goodbye, Grod.”
“Doyan Grod!” my brother exclaimed, clearly flustered. “There are others present!”
I nodded. “Dershalga. Farewell, Doyan.”
This was good enough for Grod, and soon we were heading outside the palace, to my thuse.
“All right, human,” I said, sighing heavily. “Let’s go.”
***
“There’s no way.”
I rolled my eyes. “You must. It is ritual.”
“Not my ritual,” Ali exclaimed. “I’m not taking my clothes off in front of you, or anyone else for that matter. Human or alien. You and your rituals can go to hell.”
I leaned back against the wall and pinched the bridge of my nose. If I had known just how difficult it would be to have brought the human to Helna with me, I probably would have just let her return back to Zone 70, whether it was doomed or not.
“You are going to regret speaking that way,” I growled. The human jumped, startled by the sudden rage of my temper, but she held her ground.
“I’m not participating in any of your rituals. I am a human, not a Verian. I will never conform to your customs.”
“Well, you are at least going to take that ridiculous suit off.”
“All right,” the human said, the good nature briefly back in her voice. But it didn’t last long, and soon she sighed, removing the helmet.
I was startled by the round, sincere eyes that met mine; the innocence of her features, the strength and sensuality of her expression. A sudden longing to claim her consumed me; I wanted to make her mine. After all, I had abducted her and brought her to my world. Technically, according to all the laws and customs, she was mine now. I was responsible for her, and I wanted to be the one to keep her safe.
But a claim like this also had other implications. Things I was entitled to, according to the laws of my people. Ali’s beauty was staggering, and I was curious to the depths of my being about what hidden treasures getting to know this human would reveal.
Frankly, I had never been so close to a female that stirred these kinds of desires within me, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. It seemed in bad taste to act on my impulses when she was so clearly unhappy. It dampened my spirits, watered down my desire for her. Wasn’t there a way for me to get her to change her mind?
I couldn’t let myself give into my feelings. Not yet. And besides, there was so much left for me to do to further the cause against Earth that dwelling in this inappropriate desire would just get in the way. I had to stay focused. We were living in crucial times, and if I wasn’t going to be able to focus, then there was no way I would be fit to lead. And ensuring a Verian victory was much more important than the human I had so thoughtlessly brought to my planet and my home.
“Yul Curad! Welcome home!”
“Kera, greetings.”
“Who is this?” Kera asked, eyeing the human suspiciously from behind the long brown hair that covered the faces of all Pelin.
“You can talk to me yourself, you know,” the human said huffily. “My name is Dr. Ali Monroe.”
“She’s from Zone 70. She saved my life.”
Both Ali and the Pelin shot me strange looks. Ali seemed surprised at my candidness, while the Pelin was probably more astonished that I had been in a position of vulnerability in the first place.
“Is that so?” Kera asked, looking from me to the human.
Ali refused to speak anymore, and I nodded. “Doyan Grod sent me to Earth without enough Vari-X. It nearly killed me.”
“What nearly killed you was stumbling into a giant hole,” the human muttered.
I frowned, partly embarrassed but mostly angry.
“I was weak because I didn’t have a proper dosage of my medicine. And while I appreciate your helping me, I would watch the way you speak to me from now on. Especially in my own house.”
The human held my gaze, unintimidated, but she also held her tongue. I doubted whether she was doing so out of respect or fear, because the steel in her eyes told a story that the rest of her appearance could not.
“Well then,” the Pelin said, sensing the tension between us and smiling nervously. “Shall we get on with the cleansing so that she may enter the home uninhibited by the contaminants of space?”
I glared at the human and turned my eyes to the Pelin. “Yes. You take care of that. I have other matters to attend to.”
“Are you sure about that?” the Pelin asked, his eyes wide. “I’ve never dealt with a human before.”
“I trust you, Kera. You will deal with the human much more kindly than I would right now.”
A look creased the female’s face, one I almost dared to perceive as hurt, but what she was feeling didn’t matter. Not now. I had other things to worry about.
The Pelin nodded, wringing his hands nervously, and I turned my back on them and left the room.
The human had a special way of trying my patience. I was a little bit nervous about spending any time alone with her, considering just how close I was to losing my temper. The combination of her bad attitude with my unprecedented lust was making me feel agitated. I wanted nothing to do with the vile human race. They were responsible for so much pain; including, but not limited to, the disease that had nearly cost me my life on more than one occasion.
No, I wasn’t going to let myself grow weak. The feelings I had were insubstantial; just simple feelings. They meant nothing. I would have to focus on the mission at hand or risk losing everything. I may not have agreed with everything my brother did, but he was the leader of my race, and we were going to work together for the good of our people, snarky human females be damned.