But now she had to mend his leg, feed him…a million times she considered dumping him on the side of the street. They were on her planet, and she didn’t owe him anything, least of all help.
Every time Sydney considered leaving him however, she glanced over and caught him staring at her with kind, fearful, yet thankful eyes.
Crap! She was a sucker of monumental proportions.
A couple of hours later, they made it back to her home. It was a major feat just getting him down the steps, but he never complained or groaned, trying to make it as easy on her as possible. As soon as she helped him lie down on the couch, he immediately closed his eyes, the walk having taken most of his strength.
Sydney knew she normally would’ve collapsed from exhaustion too, but the adrenaline kept her going.
Grabbing the faded matchbook, she struck a match and lit the candle, getting her first good look at the alien.
His nose was almost flat, seated between high cheekbones and above a square jaw. Her overall impression of this man was that he was unusual, and he appeared young. Maybe the shaggy white hair made him look more like a teenager. Surely, they wouldn’t let kids fight! As Sydney continued visually inspecting him, the difference was astronomical. He had five fingers and a thumb on large hands. How had she not noticed this before?
Walking over to the far wall, she retrieved a battered first-aid kit, and strode back to the couch.
Kneeling, she noticed his uniform jumpsuit was made of a thin, black material that might double as a second skin.
“Okay, alien man, I need to examine your leg. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I worked as a trauma nurse before…before you and the other guys came and destroyed everything I loved.” His eyes popped open and she stumbled, almost falling.
Get a grip, Sydney!
Straightening back to her knees, she removed his boots, then grabbed a pair of scissors. Starting at his ankle, she cut along the seam of his pants. Every few seconds, her eyes would dart to his face, watching for signs of aggression. But he just lay there, blue eyes following the movements of her hands.
After cutting up the seam, she examined his leg right above the ankle; the bone needed to be set. Bile rose in her throat just looking at it. Not because it looked hideous, but years of experience told her how painful it would be to set this leg.
Her eyes inched up to his. “I’ll be right back.” Standing, she headed up the steps and searched in the rubble. All she needed was two straight pieces of wood to use as a brace.
Finding just that, she inspected both.
“These will do nicely.” Cradling them against her chest, she went back downstairs. “I’m back, alien man.”
His eyes trekked her every step, but he never said a word. She paused, assessing him and waiting.
“Nothing at all to say?” she said, sighing heavily as he continued staring in silence.
If he was going to stay for a bit, the least he could do is talk! It’d been forever since she’d had a conversation with someone.
Closing the distance, she asked, “What were you doing out there? How’d you break your leg and wind up in a dark alley?”
Glancing up, his eyes were glued to her hands, watching as she pulled string from the first aid kit.
“I’ve seen a lot of broken bones before, and I got to say, this is a bad one.”
Silence.
After readying all the supplies, Sydney knew this next part would hurt like the dickens.
“Okay alien…” Her hands stilled, eyes closed, and she blew out a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. “You know, I can’t call you alien man, it’s very formal and impersonal. And since you don’t seem to talk any, I think I’ll call you Mike. What do you think?”
She waited a beat, but when he never responded, she sighed again and went back to the task at hand.
Studying his leg, Sydney tried to use methodical movements, lest she startled him and he lashed out.
“Okay, Mike, this is going to be very painful, and I’m really sorry, but you should’ve been more careful.”
Using her hands, Sydney started at his ankle, carefully palpating up his leg until she felt the break. He flinched a little. Inhaling deeply, she hoped he wouldn’t think she was trying to purposely hurt him.
“This is going to hurt, so take a deep breath…and please don’t kill me. One…two…three.”
She pulled hard, grunting while she twisted until his leg looked and felt straight. Still, he made no sound. Blinking at him, she blew out a breath.
“That’s a lot harder without help.”
Gently lifting, Sydney slid a piece of wood underneath, then placed another one on the side of his leg. Using string, she did her best to immobilize the leg.
It looked okay; without a hospital, it was the best she could do. Hopefully it would heal well enough until he got back to his own people.
When her eyes inched up to his, her heart hurt at the pained expression that twisted his face.
“I’m sorry.” Sydney couldn’t imagine how agonizing that had been, and yet, he’d still never uttered a single sound. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Standing, she stalked over to the corner of the room and grabbed a bottle of water. Heading back, she unscrewed the lid and handed it to him. He hesitated, then carefully wrapped those odd fingers around the bottle.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you. I know the water won’t help, but sometimes it feels good to wet a dry mouth.”
As soon as he opened his mouth to take a drink, Sydney gasped, then jerked backwards, swallowing a scream.
Noticing his sad eyes, she felt bad for the automatic reaction.
What could he do? He’s injured, she thought, trying to make her shoulders relax.
Stepping forward, she pointed at his mouth and tried to lighten the mood. With a forced smile, she said, “My, what sharp teeth you have! Better to eat you with, my dear.” He must have realized she was talking about his teeth, so he opened wide. With two sharp, vampire-like teeth and cat eyes, he looked as much animal as man. These aliens had obviously traveled throughout space; Humans had only made it as far as Mars.
“Can you understand me?” Sydney asked, toying with the hem of her shirt. “Can you say something?” He blinked, and she deflated, knowing that he didn’t. It was the only logical conclusion. “Okay, Mike, get some rest.”
Sydney shimmed down to the floor to sit, leaning against the couch where his feet were propped. So much had happened tonight. Dragging him those ten feet had taken nearly all her strength, not that she was in shape or anything. His body weight was much heavier than it should have been, which left her exhausted. Before she knew it, she was out like a light.
Chapter 3
Jakke
Sitting at the desk, Jakke shook with rage. He fought the need to pound his fist into someone…whoever had taken Takkeo to the surface. Takkeo, his youngest brother, was too young and inexperienced to deal with the Tureis. And yet someone took him without permission…
Jakke gritted his teeth, needing to find who had committed this outrage!
Jakke felt responsible. It was he who had decided to bring Takkeo along, and this occurred on his ship!
When the door chimed, he mentally relaxed his fist. For extra measure, he rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath.
“Enter,” he said smoothly.
Jakke’s 1st officer and friend Kavvan stopped in front of the desk, hands clasped behind his back, chin up. “You wish to see me, Commander?”
Kavvan waited. It didn’t matter now, the only thing Jakke cared about was getting his brother back in one piece.
“Report!” Jakke demanded, his tone unbending like steel. He needed to know who to direct his anger at.
“Commander, I’ve gone over all the computer entries, and Takkeo made the decision to deliver a med kit to one of the males. He never made it to his intended destination.”
“Takkeo is not equipped to make such decisions! Who transported him to the p
lanet?”
“That would be Sagge, Commander.”
“Bring him to me.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Takkeo had not completed his training and could not withstand the torture he would endure at the hands of the Tureis. Jakke had seen firsthand how ruthless they could be, and that was the only reason they were there; he wanted to destroy them, kill them all! He didn’t care about this little ball of blue or the primitive people who occupied it; Jakke wanted to kill as many Tureis as possible.
Two years ago, they had attacked Azziar, his home planet, thinking they could strip it of everything valuable. It was a long, hard-fought battle. Many people died in the process, including his mother.
Father had retreated into himself, leaving Jakke in charge. With his other brothers off-planet, and after insistent persuasion, he had hesitantly agreed to allow Takkeo to join him on this (supposedly!) peaceful mission. It was Takkeo’s first, after all. A simple trade agreement with the Sugonians, and then they were to return home. Nothing dangerous.
Everything went according to plan and they were heading home when they intercepted a panicked transmission. The little blue planet had satellites, but the technology was primitive, and their cries for help flooded space. Now Jakke’s brother was missing and possibly killed by the Tureis, and it would be his fault for bringing him along.
Just thinking about it made his fist clench before he pounded the desk again.
At one hundred and five, he was the eldest, with five brothers and one sister. In Earth years, he would be considered thirty, and Takkeo sixteen. If anything happened to Takkeo, Jakke would never forgive himself.
Busy internally berating himself, he almost missed the door alert.
“Enter!” he barked, his tone harsher than he had intended.
Kavvan appeared, a tense Sagge in tow. Jakke narrowed laser sharp eyes at Sagge as he leaned back in his chair, glad to finally have someone to focus his anger on. He steepled his fingers and sucked in a deep breath, staring as both men stood at attention. They were clearly on edge.
Good, he thought in bitter satisfaction. They should be.
“Sagge, report!”
“Commander, I took Takkeo to his requested location. He asked that I return for him in one standard hour, which I did, but he wasn’t there. I searched and found that he never made it to his intended destination. It was as though he had just disappeared,” Sagge replied, then bowed his head, waiting for his punishment.
“HE HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE!” Jakke’s rage surged again and he pounded the desk with his fist.
Sagge flinched, though Kavvan did not.
“I’m sorry, Commander.”
“He was not supposed to leave this ship. I’m the Commander, and you take orders from me…not him.” Sagge kept his head bowed low. “I want every available soldier on the ground searching for Takkeo. Sagge, do not return until he is found. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”
“Yes, Commander.”
Both males saluted before turning to leave.
Leaning forward with elbows on the desk, Jakke rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the worry and tension that now consumed every fiber of his body. As far as he knew, Takkeo hadn’t even had the universal translator implanted yet, which would cause even greater problems if he were lost on that little blue planet.
When they found him, Jakke would take him home immediately, and then he and his trained brothers would return to destroy the Tureis once and for all.
Unable to remain still any longer, he pushed up from the chair and stalked to the bridge.
Kavvan had everything under control; the crew was organized and efficient. Standing with arms crossed, Jakke watched as soldiers transported to the surface via shuttlecraft. It was a show of force and provided extra eyes and ears on the ground. He just had to trust in their training, knowing that they would search for his brother until all hope was lost.
Jakke commanded the military starship Victory, which held a crew of 1037—all males. Females were forbidden to serve and remained on the planet where they would be protected at all cost, especially after the last Tureis invasion.
Walking over to the navigational officer, Jakke peered over his shoulder and scanned the console. It showed concentrated areas of both Azziarins and Tureis.
“Johhan, show me Takkeo’s last known coordinates.”
With the push of a few buttons, a 3-D holographic image appeared.
“Now show me the area with the largest concentration of Tureis,” Jakke ordered, pushing concern to the back of his mind as he studied the projection. He needed to think strategically on the best course of action before addressing the security officer.
After a few silent beats, he straightened. “Oberron, have the search teams concentrate on this area here,” he pointed, “and here.”
“Yes, Commander.” Oberron picked up his comm unit and relayed the orders.
Walking to the captain’s chair, he dropped down and crossed an ankle on his knee, propping his cheek on his knuckles. His mind drifted to Takkeo and what the Tureis could be doing to him at that moment. It made Jakke anxious, but he needed to stay calm and allow his men to do the job they trained for.
Watching the viewscreen, shuttles transported in rapid succession. His mind swam with ideas. The more ships they had to help, the better their chances at finding one Azziarin on a small planet.
Jakke needed to alert his brothers. He knew they would do anything within their power to come and help with the search. Pushing up from the chair, he addressed Kavvan. “I’ll be in my ready room.”
Sitting behind the desk, Jakke drummed his fingers on the top nervously. Not that his brothers would be angry, but he would have to admit that he lost their younger brother.
Leaning back, he decided he might as well get it over with, admit his mistake.
“Computer, send a subspace message to the Conqueror, the Defender and the Triumph. Send it as follows: ‘This is the Commander of the starship Victory. I request your assistance in the Dreama Sector, location 2563.168. The Tureis have attacked a small unknown planet, and Takkeo is now missing. I will send another transmission when more information is available.’ Transmission complete.”
Jakke had no doubt that once his brothers received the message, they would change course at once.
Sydney
After a restless night of sleep, Sydney stretched her arms over her head. Her back hurt, shoulders were stiff, even turning her head proved difficult. Sleeping in a sitting position was nothing like sleeping on the comfortable old couch.
She didn’t fool herself into thinking all this discomfort came solely from sleeping on the floor, however. Much of it was due to helping Mike. Dragging him ten feet had strained every muscle in her body, and taking the bulk of his weight when they limped home emphasized that.
Maybe I should take to working out? Nah.
Yawning, she stretched her neck from side to side before she noticed Mike staring.
Nothing like being watched when you’re at your weakest.
“Morning,” she muttered, slowly rising.
His wordless stares still made her a little uncomfortable. He was the injured one in her home, yet he made her feel like the one invading his space.
Smacking dry lips together, her tongue felt like sandpaper. What she wouldn’t give for a toothbrush right now.
“Are you ready for some breakfast?” she asked, and blinked.
Still nothing. Tired of the silent treatment and just weary in general, she opted for humor. In a deep voice, she pretended to be Mike. “Yes, I think I will have something to eat, thank you for asking.” Smiling approvingly, she finished the imaginary conversation with, “Good, I would love the company!”
Her smile firmly in place—because what good did it do to dwell too much on the negative?—she hefted the backpack over and opened the flap.
Digging one can out, Sydney squinted, trying to read the label in the dimness.
“I should have lit the candle,” s
he mumbled. Holding the can inches from her face, she said, “These are original Beanie Weenies.” Then she picked out another one. “Oh, these are barbecued Beanie Weenies.” Reaching into the backpack and inspecting a few more cans, she added, “And we have baked Beanie Weenies. Wow, three different kinds that probably all taste the same.” Glancing at Mike, she asked, “Which one do you want?”
He stared in confusion, eyes darting from her face to the can in her hands. He might think she was a bit crazy, and she probably was a tad. No Human contact in months would do that to a person. “Okay, original it is.”
Mike took the can from her outstretched hand and turned it over and over, inspecting it.
When his eyebrows drew down in a question, she chuckled. “Like this.” Then she pulled the top lever, peeling back the metal lid. He followed her example, sniffed the contents, and grimaced.
For some strange reason, her heart sunk a little. Maybe because she was feeding him her prized food, and he didn’t seem to appreciate it.
Trying not to let it get to her, she handed him a spoon, keeping the fork for herself. “Sorry, buddy, this is all we have, so you either eat or starve.”
Not that she would let his can of Beanie Weenies go to waste. If he didn’t eat it, she would. Because when it came to food, she had no qualms about eating anything that would keep her alive for another day.
So win-win for me.
His eyes drifted from her fork to his spoon. Maybe he didn’t know how to use it. Sydney held up the fork, smiled, then scooped some on the end and shoved it into her mouth.
Her eyes closed in delight, the way it always did when she got to savor any type of food, no matter how cheap. She chewed slowly, trying to make it last while enjoying the flavor. He slowly followed her lead, making a face as he chewed and swallowed. Watching him closely, she scoffed. He obviously didn’t like it but ate anyway.
“I guess I wasn’t the only one that was hungry.” She grabbed two bottles of water. “Here, wash it down with this.”
He devoured his can, but after taking his size and injury into consideration, Sydney reluctantly handed him two more. The food needed to be rationed and three cans for one person was a lot to consume in one meal.
Jakke (The Azziarin Series Book 1) Page 2
