by Jade Waltz
As he entered the hangar bay, Xylo sensed the excitement in the air.
Spotting a crowd surrounding the ship’s Circuli commanders—Prince Z’fir of Wudox and Prince V’dim of Ulax—Xylo hurried over. He saluted his princes and settled into parade rest, curious to learn what the excitement was all about.
The landing pad was empty.
He got his answer when he glanced beyond the hangar bay’s shield gel. Their ship had two tractor beams on an escape pod unlike any he had seen or studied. It was dark, metallic green, windowless, and the language written on the sides was nothing he had seen before. The pod was small, looking as though it could only fit one person comfortably.
“Routine scans happened across this escape pod. Our systems read one lifeform aboard, yet there has been no communication from the pod. The emergency beacon is off, and the only system active is life support. We do not know who or what is inside—or what condition they are in,” Prince Z’fir reported, facing away from the group as he watched the escape pod approach the hangar entrance.
Prince V’dim turned to face the crewmen, then glanced at Prince Z’fir. “What Prince Z’fir is trying to say is neither of us can get any readings from the being inside. Nor do we know if it is dangerous. It could be a trap. Something could have happened. We do not know if we are too late or...” Prince V’dim’s voice trailed off as one of Z’fir’s vines wrapped around his shoulder in comfort.
Prince V’dim straightened and turned back around to watch the pod’s approach, one of his tentacles entangled with Prince Z’fir’s vines.
The surprising admission silenced the chattering crew members.
Xylo, of course, knew their story, knew why they were seeking each other for comfort and guidance. They had grown up together, inseparable. Both of their Queen mothers had tried to separate them, fostering assorted females as they attempted to force a courting bond with their sons. Only princesses were of value to the Queens. Sons were of little use other than as political capital to build a connection with another clan known to produce powerful females.
Xylo could tell the princes were taking their inability to connect with the being on the small pod personally. As the strongest telepath and empath on the ship, they considered it a failure.
The escape pod was almost to the hangar’s shield gel when Xylo had an idea. Maybe he could finally put his research about other life forms to use. He closed his eyes and focused on the being inside the pod.
He sucked in a deep breath at what he felt.
“Sires,” he whispered as he opened his eyes.
The princes turned to face him, attracting the attention of the rest of the gathered crew.
“What is it, Master Scholar Xylo?” Prince Z’fir questioned.
“Its mind feels shielded. Perhaps it is unconscious? Some species have shields as a failsafe to protect their unconscious minds.”
“Is that what you felt?” Prince V’dim asked, his color sliding from its usual cobalt to the yellowish-green of nervous excitement.
“I believe so, Sire,” Xylo replied, hoping he was correct. Failure to be accurate here could cause trouble or lead to others doubting him in the future.
“We will soon see,” Prince V’dim said as the tractor beams settled the escape pod on the landing strip about twenty-five tiqs away from them. “I want to be prepared for anything. Medical staff, prepare to assist Senior Healer Chyox and Master Scholar Xylo. We want to transport whoever is inside as quickly as possible to the infirmary. Am I clear?”
A chorus of “Yes, Sires” sounded as Chyox and Xylo nodded to one another. Both were professional enough to put aside any differences they had when they needed to work together. The older Ulax Senior Healer did not agree with the decision to place Xylo among the Senior Staff, nor did he like being forced to work with Xylo.
But Prince Z’fir had personally requested Xylo’s presence on the colony ship as they searched for a habitable planet for both species, so they made it work.
In addition to facilitating communication with all lifeforms—whether registered or unregistered with CEG—Xylo’s job included supporting both species' Warrior Class. Xylo believed this dual role was more important than the purely medical positions. After all, it was rare for medical assistance to be required. Both the Ulax and the Wudox regenerated quickly as long as there wasn’t a foreign object preventing the body from self-healing.
There had not been any serious fighting since they boarded the ship—it had been a while since either race had been involved in a war—so there hadn’t been much call for significant medical treatment. To date, even the females aboard had not neared the fertile phase of their reproductive cycle. Conflict was more likely to arise if they came across species other than the Aldawi, who owned the territory they were currently exploring.
The hangar bay crew cut through the last of the escape pod door, interrupting Xylo’s thoughts. He watched as they pried it open, and the medical staff approached with a portable hover stretcher, generic IVs, and other medical equipment. The princes stood to the side with the Head of Security, K’dyth, and Head of the Hangar Bay Security, M’nto. Their assistants positioned themselves around the pod.
A cloud of white gas rolled out of the pod.
Xylo jerked his scanner up and aimed it at the smoke—some type of sedative to put subjects into a deep sleep. When the gas cleared, Xylo and Chyox peered into the escape pod door, their scanners trained on the interior.
Xylo sucked in a breath, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“My Princes…”
“What is it?” Prince V’dim demanded.
“Oh, Stars. I cannot be sure because our database on them is incomplete, but I believe we have ourselves a human.” Xylo double- and triple-checked his scanner’s readings, certain his eyes were deceiving him.
“Why is that noteworthy?” Prince V’dim questioned, his skin—along with that of all the other Ulax in the hangar bay—wavering between the yellow of anxiety and the orange of hope.
It was considered a great responsibility to learn more about a species with an incomplete file within CEG. All CEG members—including the Aldawi—knew CEG rewarded those who aided new species and helped complete their files. If this were indeed a human, it could be their opening to request assistance finding a place to settle in Aldawi territory.
“They were reported extinct about sixty years ago—their planet reduced to nothing by the Yaarkins. CEG was too late to stop them by the time they found out,” Xylo replied, still shaking his head in disbelief.
“What Master Scholar Xylo is failing to mention—the human is a severely injured female... and pregnant,” Chyox corrected.
“Oh Stars, indeed,” Prince Z’fir murmured.
Chapter Three
5313-3F
A moan escaped me as I woke.
The first thing I noticed was I was surrounded by soft warmth. It was the most comfortable I could ever remember being.
Peeling my eyes open, I grimaced at the brightness of the room and winced at the slight tenderness on the right side of my face. I squinted, trying to bring my surroundings into focus, then closed my eyes again as a sharp headache formed.
I felt vibrations from the engine of a large ship through my bed, and the soft sounds of a nearby machine filled the room. Taking mental inventory, I tested my limbs to see if I could move everything. Nothing was tied down. Everything seemed to work, but not without some stiffness and residual pain. My wrists were enclosed in heavy metallic bracelets, but I was glad I wasn’t tied down.
Carefully, I reopened my eyes, this time pausing to allow them to adjust to the brightness of the room. I wasn’t in either an infirmary or a lab, but a plain, bare bedroom.
Where was I? Had I gone from the hands of one master to another? If so, the Fates had a cruel sense of humor. I’d rather be dead than go back to the loneliness and pain of that life. I hoped he had found me or at least some group that was friendly.
I became aware of the so
und of movement.
Footsteps approached, gradually growing louder until one of the doors in the room opened, revealing a stunningly hued alien carrying a tray of food.
Pupilless teal eyes locked with mine, and I shuddered out a breath, pulling the white blanket up to cover the blush I could feel burning my cheeks. I allowed my eyes to wander over the plant-like alien, tracing the vibrant blue and purple “V”-shaped markings that bordered his eyes and emphasized the sharp ridges of his cheeks. His lips were the same vibrant blue color, covered in what looked like purple downy fuzz. They looked incredibly soft, and I wondered what they would feel like against mine.
That thought shocked me. I shook my head to clear my wandering and disturbing thoughts. I hadn’t even talked to him, yet I was already thinking about kissing him?
As he walked toward the table near my bed, details became clearer. His skin was a dark gray—almost black—and looked smooth to the touch. Layered scales covered his arms and legs, dark gray patterned with green, blue, and purple. His coloring reminded me of the pictures of galaxies and nebulas in my studies. It was breathtaking, and I felt like I could get lost in studying him.
Trailing across his shoulders was what looked like thick emerald moss. His hair seemed to be long thin strands of a similar color grass with veins of a paler green, and it flowed to his shoulders. I eyed the six vines that wrapped loosely around his smooth torso from behind. At the base, they were the same color as his skin, the color gradually shifting to match his mossy shoulders at the ends and tipped with small cone-shaped teal flowers.
He had two additional, and unusual, body parts. Behind the arms that carried the tray draped was a set of beautiful, petal-like appendages in swirling shades of purple. They were large and extended to his knees, laying against his back as if they were wings. They looked too fragile to be structured for flight, which made me wonder about their purpose. He also had a second set of flower-like petals that started at his waist and went down to his knees—the same shades as the upper set—but these seemed thicker.
Perhaps they were some form of protection?
That’s when my perusal reached his hips, and my gaze caught between the alien’s legs. I took a long look, and my mouth opened in shock when I couldn’t find any genitalia. Maybe it’s hidden? Or perhaps their species was asexual unless aroused? Maybe I’d been mistaken the alien was a “he” when it could be a “she”? Or an “it”? The alien could be genderless for all I knew—not that it mattered.
A grunt pulled me away from my thoughts, and I noticed the alien had caught me studying the area between its legs. What a great first impression. Although embarrassed at being caught, I was unrepentant. I needed to know what I was up against.
Though... thus far, everything I’d seen was undeniably attractive.
The alien gave a small smile as it placed the tray of food on the table next to the bed.
As I glanced down, I was surprised to see how unusual its feet were, when it had very normal-looking humanoid hands, albeit with scales. Its legs ended in three large toes forming a triangle around the bottom of the stump.
“Cel irrui ilnasrdein na?” a deep voice inquired softly.
Male. Good. My original instinct was right.
I lowered the blanket and looked quizzically at the alien. The language he spoke wasn’t English or Galactic Common.
“No?” I shook my head hoping his species understood the gesture.
He turned and walked a few paces away, running his hand through his grass-like hair. Pausing with his back to me, he sucked in a deep breath, his petal-wings fluttering. As he exhaled, his petal-wings settled and the vines unwrapped from around his chest, dancing in the air as he placed his hands on his hip petals.
Now that I could see his vines clearly, I noticed they grew along his spine from his shoulder blade to his waist. His body was sleek and elegant looking—and I enjoyed looking at his firm butt.
He was magnificent, one of the most handsome aliens I’d ever seen—and I had seen a wide variety of alien males aboard the Yaarkin ship. To my surprise, I was highly attracted to him. A craving to be touched and to explore the unusual textures of his body coursed through me. Perhaps my need for companionship drove me to envision such sexual scenarios?
Logically, I knew these feelings were insane. We were complete strangers. I knew nothing about him, nor did I have any idea what he had planned for me!
Maybe the unusually sexual tenor of my thoughts had something to do with losing my virginity. I’d never felt this way before. Perhaps it had to do with the experiments the Yaarkins performed on me or being a transhuman. A biological need I was driven to fulfill? Whatever it was, it made me want him without even knowing him.
He turned around to face me and walked back to my side, giving me a sad smile. He placed both hands on his chest.
“Xylo.”
“Xylo?”
He nodded his head, his smile brightening. He thumped his chest a few more times, repeating, “Xylo.”
I eyed his vines as they drifted toward me, the teal flower ends almost touching me as they waved.
“Xylo.”
I suddenly realized what he was doing. He was telling me his name and was asking me for my own. The only problem was I didn’t have a name other than the Yaarkin-issued experiment code name 5313-3F. I paused for a minute, mulling over my options.
I decided to start over.
A new beginning. A new life. A new name.
At least, I hoped things would be different. His behavior and treatment of me seemed to indicate it would be. I needed to make sure I said my blessing to the Stars—or Fates? Destiny? Or whoever had decided to rescue me from my troubles.
Not now though—later.
I reached out to grasp one of the vines waving in front of me, hoping a handshake was universal. Well, hand-vine shake? The vine was smooth and felt cool as it moved in my hand. Its flowered tip brushed the palm of my hand. I returned his gentle smile.
“Selena.”
“Sea—leen—nah.” He focused on trying to say my new name correctly. His purple-fuzz-covered blue lips worked over the syllables. “Seen—lah?”
And that’s when it hit me—I wasn’t afraid of him.
He had a peaceful demeanor. I’d had no experience with that. In my experience, males were violent, arrogant, and egotistical—taking what they wanted without regard for others. Whereas, Xylo was gentle when he could’ve easily overpowered me. He was even taking the time to learn to speak my name.
That spoke volumes.
I reminded myself to be wary—it would be foolish to trust blindly—but I could give him the benefit of the doubt. And watch. Of course, that still didn’t explain the sudden attraction I had to him nor why I felt so comfortable around him...
“See-na-lah... See-la-nah?” Xylo’s brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to shape the foreign sounds.
Smiling sweetly, I spoke, enunciating each word, “Selena. Xylo. Selena.”
“Selena. Xylo. Selena.” He repeated, looking deep into my eyes.
I cheered, then with a celebratory giggle, leaned forward to grab another vine, pulling him closer. The sudden movement startled Xylo, and he tripped, catching himself with his hands and knees on the bed.
I let go of the vines to cradle his face with my hands and look into his bright teal eyes—currently scanning mine in bewilderment. His remaining vines extended to the bed on either side of me in an attempt to keep from crushing me.
Giddy with the promise of a new beginning and the pleasure of hearing a gorgeous male calling me by my new name, I pulled his face closer to mine.
Our lips met.
His were as soft as I’d thought they’d be when I first saw that faint downy covering. To my surprise, the tiny hairs made my own lips tingle. Without warning, his vines slid around me, pulling me tight against his body. It didn’t matter. I was lost in the kiss. I nibbled at his bottom lip and felt the tickling of the soft, purple fuzz against my lips. What
ever it was, it made me feel amazing.
I gasped and snapped out of the trance I’d fallen into.
I was sitting on his lap, legs wrapped around his torso, just above his petal-like hip blades. The vines still pressed me tightly to him, and his grass-like hair was threaded between my fingers.
Before I could pull away in embarrassment at virtually attacking him, he cupped my face with his soft hands and leaned his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. The nagging headache I’d been peripherally aware of cleared, and I closed my eyes in relief.
“Selena,” he whispered against my lips.
“Xylo...” I replied breathlessly.
A warm feeling washed over me.
For the second time in my life, I felt truly safe.
“You will be safe with me. I promise, Selena. You have nothing to fear,” a familiar deep voice spoke to me in my mind. “You. Honor. Me.”
Chapter Four
Selena
I opened my eyes and stared at him in confusion.
Had I heard his voice in my head just now?
I knew—from him–species existed with psionic abilities, able to accomplish amazing things with their minds. He’d prepared me to encounter them, teaching me to strengthen my mental shields so I’d be able to protect myself.
Was Xylo such a being? Had his lessons been insufficient? Xylo should never have been able to breach my shields—he had said they were strong!
“What was that?” I blurted in English, trying not to freak out.
Xylo’s face cycled through a range of emotions before he steadied his face into a static blankness. He dropped his hands from my face and unwrapped the vines around me. Placing his hands on my hips, he lifted me off his lap before easing me back onto the bed. Xylo wrapped his vines around his torso and moved to the chair, facing me.
