by Olivia Myers
After breakfast, the two of them got ready for their journey off-ship. Lee 5 and Kimi didn’t speak as they donned their yellow suits. Their eyes locked as they stood in front of the outer door. Maybe Kimi was imagining it, but she thought she read affection in Lee 5’s gaze.
Soon enough, she was back in the midst of the deep, dense forest. She could feel eyes following them, yet she couldn’t see anybody. According to Lee 5, the Mongarians often concealed themselves well despite their size. They were most likely monitoring their next move.
It wasn't long before they reached a small clearing where permanent structures made of brick and stone stood in an ostensible community.
"Humans!" a booming voice cried out from a distance.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by about twenty female Mongarians with scary scowls on their faces. Their armor, resembling medieval chain mail, looked worn out. Nevertheless, their bodies were truly well-built and they looked as if they would kill without any hesitation.
Lee 5 uttered something in their language, which made them relax a bit. To Kimi's surprise, some of the women parted, revealing a Mongarian man who looked like their chief. He had the same armor, high forehead, square jaws, brawny physique, and his dark hair was also pulled back in a ponytail. But around his neck were various leather necklaces with pendants made of bones. He was obviously a leader.
The Mongarian motioned for them to follow. Kimi cowered behind Lee 5 as they walked behind the leader.
They were led to the biggest building, where there were more Mongarian men waiting. Kimi's heartbeat raced faster, knowing that they might never get out alive. Nevertheless, she had no choice but to trust Lee 5.
"I heard of what you did to several of our women," the chief said in a brusque voice.
Kimi was surprised to hear him speak their language. Obviously he was a lot more learned and civilized.
"I had no choice," Lee 5 defended. "We were under attack and they would not listen to reason."
"I understand," he answered, nodding his head thoughtfully. Kimi was again taken aback by his quick concurrence. "Those were young female fighters, more impatient and always eager for combat. I am thankful that you did not kill them."
"You are welcome," Lee 5 said.
"So why did you humans come back?" the chief then demanded. "We have occupied this part of Planet Earth for the last eight Earth-years. More of our people are arriving as the earth is healing. We don't want humans reclaiming the planet after being gone for so long. You cannot colonize here."
Kimi felt her eyes widen in fright. But Lee 5 did not show any emotion. Instead he simply replied, "I understand. We are only here to study the flora of and take samples so we can use them in developing more plants back in Planet Venora where humans now reside. We want to come up with plant species that can provide us with greater health and nutrition."
He was definitely good at lying. What he said was only half-true. But of course, they could not very well admit that the ultimate reason for their special mission was to see if they could live again on Earth.
The chief Mongarian was silent for a long time. Then he shifted his eyes to Kimi and seemed to size her up. "Who is this woman?" he asked.
Instead of answering, Lee 5 turned to Kimi and seemed to urge her to speak up.
Kimi straightened and tried to be brave. But when she spoke, her voice faltered a bit. "I'm Kimi, a botanist."
"I see," the chief said. "Okay, you can do your tests, take your samples, or do whatever you want with the plants. Just don't destroy them or do damage to this planet."
"I, uh, promise," Kimi said, feeling relieved.
"However…"
Kimi and Lee 5 both stiffened, awaiting the conditions that were bound to come.
"However… I will allow you to do that but only if I will be the one to accompany you and watch over your every move," he emphasized, looking pointedly at Kimi.
Lee 5 began to protest, but the chief raised his hand to quiet him. "That is my only condition."
Kimi felt dread spreading across her body. Now this certainly wasn't going as planned. She couldn't possibly go off with this strange, creepy man on her own!
"Yes, okay," Lee 5 finally agreed.
"What?!" Kimi yelled, facing him angrily.
Lee 5 did not react. "She has all the necessary materials now. She can go with you so we can leave as soon as she is done."
Kimi wanted to slap him right then and there. After the intimate moments they had shared, he wasn't even concerned about her. He gave in without even consulting her or taking her feelings into consideration. Besides, it was his duty to protect her too.
“Let us go,” the chief said.
After just a few minutes, Kimi found herself walking in the woodland again. After a while, she forgot about the Mongarian who had come with her. She simply savored the natural beauty of the planet—the way the leaves glistened under the radiating sunlight, the feeling of the cool mountain breeze blowing on her face, the raw exquisiteness of every new plant she set her eyes on.
With gloves on, she carefully inspected various plants and took her time to paint some with a special formulation. She would dip a thin, miniature brush into a small bottle filled with the formula and then coat the leaves, flowers, and stems of different vegetation. She would then wait a few seconds for the color or texture to change, then would record them through the gadget strapped to her wrist. She also took pictures. Based on the results, she prudently chose which samples to place in her plastic containers.
The chief quietly watched on, not disturbing her. She soon got caught up in the work she loved so much. After all, she was living her dream of being on Earth. Nothing should ruin it for her, not even the presence of menacing Mongarians.
When she was done, she straightened up stiffly and turned around to face the alien she was with. He gave her a wide grin, which made her tremble. It was rather better to see him glowering at her instead of smiling. "You seem really good at this," he commented.
She only nodded. "Thank you. Can I go back to the ship now?"
"You know the way?" he asked, stepping closer.
Kimi stepped back cautiously, her heart pounding against her ribcage. "I think… I can figure it out. Thanks."
"I think it's best that you and I get to know each other more first," he suggested slyly.
"I don't think so," Kimi replied in a harsh tone.
"Strong and brave," he remarked with an evil laugh. "I like that."
Kimi's eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area, trying to decide where she should run to. But before she could even make a move, the chief Mongarian had lunged at her and knocked her to the ground.
"Get off me!" Kimi screamed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. He started licking her face and neck, his thick saliva dripping across her skin. His weight restrained her from being able to move, while he tore at her clothes.
Kimi cried, pushing with all her might. He then clapped one hand over her mouth, muffling her screams and protests. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Then all of a sudden, the Mongarian was lifted up in the air. His face went from an expression of craving to one of shock and fear. He hovered above her for a few seconds before he was thrown far away. She turned her head and saw him crash into the trunk of a tree.
In a swift motion, she got to her feet just in time to see Lee 5 marching onto the chief and trying to squeeze the life out of him with his metal arms. The chief’s eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets, but he was able to wrestle back. They scuffled some more, before Kimi saw noticed a small army of Mongarians in the distance.
"They're coming, Lee!" she cried out in panic.
Lee 5 gave the chief a forceful kick with his metal leg, causing the alien to bend over in pain. Kimi thought she heard the sickening sound of bones cracking, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Lee 5 dragged her away from the onslaught of Mongarians.
Kimi tried to run as fast she could. She couldn’t even feel her legs anymo
re. Meanwhile, Lee 5 ran mostly backward and sideward after her, all the while shooting at the enemies.
Kimi called out a voice command to the small tablet strapped to her waist. A hologram of the area's map came out, showing a blinking light of where they were currently at. Quickly she was able to determine the direction they had to take to get back to the ship. They were only a kilometer away!
Dashing through the trees and dodging branches along the way, she finally saw the lustrous exterior of their space ship. As they got nearer, she saw their teammates rushing forward with their own guns, shooting at the Mongarians too.
Her legs were about to give way any time, but giving up wasn’t an option, and she pushed herself to run faster. A few feet before the ship, she collapsed to the ground. Raissa and Lia rushed forward to help her up and carry her to the ship while the others continued to battle with the Mongarians. There were plenty of both the male and female aliens advancing on them.
"Retreat!" Lee 5 yelled as he grabbed something from one of his pockets and threw it in the air toward the Mongarians. Ned and Tim ran back to the ship with Lee 5 as the bomb went off with a piercing explosion.
Everybody piled into the ship. Raissa and Lia hit the button to close the entrance immediately just as two huge Mongarian women dove toward it. One their hands got caught in the door, and she yelled in pain and cursed in their odd language. Lee 5 kicked the hand away, and finally the door was fully closed.
Tim didn’t waste any time as more Mongarians seemed to pound on the door from the outside. He hurried to the cockpit and prepared to take off.
In just two minutes, the ship began moving upward. And when they were finally gliding away from the earth's surface, Kimi slumped forward, finally feeling like she could relax again.
***
Kimi spread out the samples she had gotten on the laboratory table. "Mission accomplished!" she declared happily.
Everybody else was gathered around the table. They all cheered and clapped, hugging one another. Only Lee 5 maintained his usual emotionless face, simply nodding at the others in the team to express his gratitude and support.
When the cyborg's eyes met Kimi's, they lingered a little bit longer. She almost swore there was some sort of twinkle in them, but she couldn't be too sure. At that moment, she wondered if he had saved her from the chief Mongarian because it was his job or because he was starting to care about her.
He then averted his eyes quickly. Impossible, she told herself silently. Once an impassive cyborg, always an impassive cyborg. He is not capable of romantic feelings, much less for someone like me!
"This calls for a celebration!" Raissa declared, causing cheers to erupt again. She went over to one of the steel cabinets in the lab and took out a bottle of champagne.
"Hey, how did that….?" Lia was not able to finish her question.
"I hid it here," Raissa interrupted. "I knew we were going to be successful with our mission."
Everybody got busy passing around glasses and drinking champagne. Somebody unearthed chocolate-flavored protein bars from the pantry. Lia clicked on the hologram computer and played upbeat music to add to the festive mood.
"We could have gotten more samples if not for those pesky Mongarians," Raissa complained. "But still, Kimi did a great job! We can study these samples starting tomorrow so that we can be ready with our reports by the time we get back."
"Cheers!" Ned exclaimed, raising his glass in the air.
Everybody else, except for Lee 5, did the same. After a short while, Kimi noticed him slipping away from the party. She went outside to look for him in the bedroom, but he wasn't there.
She went to the bathroom to wash her face first because she was feeling quite tipsy already. But she found that it was locked. Her heartbeat quickened as she imagined her cyborg lover inside, stark naked and eager to please her and be satisfied too.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and a hand grabbed her and pulled her inside. He was in his pants only and had apparently just taken a shower. Kimi felt the familiar burning desire spreading across her whole body as she stared at his bare chest and gleaming metal arms. She breathed in his delicious scent as he leaned forward to kiss her.
It started out as a gentle kiss and she relished the softness of his lips. The kiss soon deepened, their bodies heating up together and seemingly bringing them closer. In a minute, he had taken off all her clothes, and his pants, too. He pressed against her, his lips and tongue wildly playing with hers.
The music from the laboratory continued to blare, but they were both oblivious to it as they openly moaned and groaned in great pleasure. He inserted two fingers into her and stroked them in and out of her muscled walls. She cried out with every thrust, but her voice got lost in the loud music.
Then in the cramped space of the bathroom, Lee 5 lifted her with his strong hands and spread out her legs. He penetrated her with his rigid manhood and they both went adrift in invisible clouds of sensuality. Every sound of pleasure that escaped her lips made him thrust deeper and stronger. Together they climbed to the peak, exploding in ecstasy.
Fully spent, Kimi wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. Without releasing her, he brushed aside the strands of her long brown hair and then kissed the top of her forehead tenderly.
Kimi smiled, not knowing what to make of his tenderness. All she wanted was to embrace the team's victory and enjoy her remaining days flying through the galaxy with this sexy, handsome cyborg who excited her like no man had ever done before.
The End
The Big Bang Alien Love Affair
Larissa stared intently down at the Wytrium's vast open space, at the waitservers going up and down through the air, darting madly with their serving boxes to and from the glittering dance balconies, gambling kiosks and cafes lining the round, sloping walls of her nightclub. The airskayts they wore allowed them to float and dance through the air at all different levels of the towering club. All around, people mingled. Danced. Drank. Laughed. Kissed.
As she watched them, she said to herself, “I’m so tired.”
"What you are, Lady Larissa," a gruff voice said, "is bored."
Larissa looked up, startled, from her prone position on the floor, where her nose had been pressed to the transparent filmglass. She resisted the urge to scramble up like a naughty kid caught swiping candy. Control yourself, Larissa. Nobody can read your mind. They don't have a clue you're scoping out the club for decent men. Even you haven't quite admitted to yourself what you're doing.
"Damn. I didn't see you. Floyd, is that you? What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Employees aren't allowed in the topcourt ballroom. It's undergoing renovation, as you can see."
Negligently, she unstuck her breasts from the floor where they'd been smooshed, plucked her elegant necklace so it lay smoothly on her chest once again, and rose to her feet.
The stocky human, dressed in his silver uniform, snorted, his weathered face wrinkling as his gaze fixed to her cleavage, which rose above the low neckline of her bodysuit. "Airskayt's broke. Twisted my knee when I landed. Went to tell management. Said they'd seen you and your tracker was on. Why you up here?"
She ignored that. "Well, that was nice of them to share my whereabouts with anyone who asked. Guess I'll be having a word with security."
"I ain't anyone—I'm your oldest employee. And your friend, too, right? Who else you got around here to talk to?"
"Just the entire galaxy." She waved her arms. "Look around sometimes, Floyd. You work in the most popular nightclub on Jax-9. I can talk to anyone I like, anytime." If I want to fend off a hundred bizarre sexual proposals from a bunch of strangers, that is. Which I don't. Instead, I want...I want...what?
"Those aliens? They're no company. I'm sick of seein' 'em all the time. They're all rude, slimy—"
"That's enough, Floyd." She tried to ignore the way his gaze still seemed fixed on her chest, particularly the way her neckline rose a mere micron above the aureolas of her nipples. D
irty old man. She felt a bit sorry for him. "How are you? Everything been going smoothly here? Not too many fights breaking out in the gambling rooms? Your health okay?"
"Guess so." He refused to let the subject stay changed. "Don't you tell me you don't care, Lady Larissa. You come from the same kinda background I do. We're both of pure blood, old families, first colonists. Your people's beautiful and rich, mine ain't, but that don't matter. Blood's what matters. Don't it ever get to you? Hardly any humans 'round here no more since the gates fell."
"No, it doesn't matter. I like that my club is the one place on Jax-9 that anyone in the galaxy can come and feel like they won't be harassed. The persecution these people experienced before the reform was bad, Floyd. Real bad."
He persisted. "I never see you with anyone. You're bored and lonely. How long's it been since you went out with a good-lookin' fancy fellow? Look at you, all hard-tittied." He waved at her breasts, and Larissa gasped and actually blushed at his audacity. At thirty-six, she hadn't even known she could blush anymore.
Floyd went on, scowling. "I'd court you myself if you weren't half my age. And who you gonna go with——one of them? You're right to steer clear of this place most times. You go home. Stay away from this club. I know your vippy-vaulty family paid for this place 'cause you wanted it for some reason, I don’t know what. But it's no place for a nice young girl. There's dirty goings on here. You need to find yourself a decent man. Go where it's safe. Use a dating service. That's how I found Julloo, may her spirit ne'er expire."
She crossed her arms over her chest, looked at him sternly, considered firing him on the spot—then burst into laughter. "You're an annoying old man sometimes, Floyd. I don't know why I keep you on. Wait, yes, I do—you serve a mean Freezing Split. Come on, enough about my absentee love life. Let's get a patcher to look at your knee."
As they walked to the perimeter, she glanced down regretfully through the floor at the undeniably wild crowd.
