by Lizzy Bequin
But the happiest part of all was the reunion of Rogar with his brother Kozar. The two laughed and talked for hours on end in their native language. Though I couldn’t understand their conversation, their happiness and brotherly love was obvious.
Now, at last, the party is over.
Rogar and his brother pass a few quiet words as we continue on through hyperspace. A moment later, Rogar whispers to me.
“Come, little one.”
He stands, lifting me up in his arms, carrying me like a bride on her wedding night.
“Rogar!” I whisper and blush. “Who’s going to fly the ship?”
He nods to his brother who grins and moves from the copilot’s seat to the pilot’s.
“Kozar is an excellent pilot,” Rogar informs me, “and he’s been itching to get behind the wheel for a long time now. We’re in able hands.”
As Rogar carries me out of the cockpit, one thing is for sure.
This little Earthling is most certainly in able hands—Rogar’s, my mate’s.
I rest my head against his shoulder as he carries me down the central passageway of the ship, pausing midway before a metal door which sighs open at the touch of a control panel.
The room inside is dark, but in the dim light filtering in through the open door, I can just make out a couple of swinging hammocks.
Moving carefully, Rogar lies down on his back in one hammock, holding me on top of him. I lie my head against his chest and listen for a few minutes to the music of his strong warrior’s heart.
“So what’s our itinerary here, captain?” I ask at last.
My whole body rises and falls as Rogar inhales and exhales a deep sigh.
“Well, first of all, we’re going back to the planet where you and I crashed. We need to take Babu home. I’m sure that Babu’s people are worried sick. And I suspect we will be returning to that planet many more times. Great mysteries are held there—mysteries that it may be best to keep hidden for now.”
Earlier, Rogar told me his theory about Babu’s people. He believes they are synthetic beings created to be servants for the now extinct Progenitors—the original ancestors of all sentient beings in the galaxy.
If that’s true, perhaps Babu’s people can provide some insight about exactly what happened to their masters.
He also told me about the Webway, and how they used it to come rescue me on Rothilian Primaris. To think that technology such as that was created in the ancient past, maybe even before humans walked the earth, is almost unimaginable.
And I understand Rogar’s caution. In the wrong hands, that kind of technology could be incredibly dangerous.
“After that,” Rogar continues, “We will set a course for Earth, and take you home.”
That thought makes me happy, but it also makes me nervous. Hopefully my friend Amber is okay. I’ll be glad to see her again, as well as my parents. But there are a lot of things that will be difficult to explain.
Like, pretty much every single detail of what happened to me.
But there’s something else that makes me nervous.
Rogar must sense the way that my body tenses, because he smooths his hand down my back and whispers soothingly to me.
“Clare, is something wrong? Aren’t you happy to return home?”
“Yes,” I answer. “I’m happy, but…”
Rogar waits for me to finish.
“What about us, Rogar? What are we—”
Before I can speak anymore, his finger presses to my lips. His thumb strokes me there, making me feel all tingly with arousal.
“I’m not going anywhere, Clare,” he purrs. “We are mates now. I’m convinced that Fate has brought us together. I will never leave you.”
Happy warmth floods through me at those words, and my heart thumps in sync with Rogar’s.
“It will probably be a little tricky at first,” he chuckles. “After all, we are from different worlds. But I have a plan. It’s probably best if Kozar and I lie low for a little while. With the savings I have already gathered from bounty hunting, I think we can construct a small base of operations on the nameless planet. Using the Webway, we can travel from that planet to Earth with ease.”
I nestle against him.
“So we can be together, but I can still see my family and friends on Earth?” I whisper.
“Exactly.”
“That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.”
As I lie there, however, gently moving up and down with the rhythm of Rogar’s lungs, I sense a tension in my alien mate.
“Rogar?” I ask. “Is something wrong?”
He grunts and continues stroking his hands up and down my back.
“I have to confess,” he says in a low voice. “I feel some discomfort that I have not rectified my breaking of the Creed.”
I snap my head up and stare at him. Well, at his helmet anyway.
“You mean because I saw you without your mask?” I ask. “But why does that matter now? You’ve rescued your brother. You’re no longer a ‘disgraced warrior’ as you put it.”
Rogar shakes his head gently.
“That’s true,” he says. “And believe me, little one, I will never leave you now like I tried to do that night on the lost planet. You are far too important, and my duty to protect you far outweighs anything else. Still, I can’t help feeling that I have broken my people’s ancient Creed somehow…”
I lean down, close to his helmet. I wish I could see his face now, but we still need his helmet on for when we have to talk.
“Look,” I say. “I know I’m just a helpless little human who doesn’t understand anything about anything, but here’s my take on it. Creeds are useful. They can give you a guiding light in the dark. But you also have to be able to adapt. We’ve both changed so much over these past few days, Rogar. And the discovery of the Webway is something that could change the whole galaxy some day.”
Rogar laughs, and I suddenly feel foolish for my little speech. But Rogar reaches up and strokes my cheek tenderly.
“Are you sure, you are not a Mezentine female?” he teases.
“What do you mean?”
“As I told you, our females are great weaponsmiths. They have a saying: steel’s strength lies not in its rigidity, but in its flexibility. Thank you, little one, for reminding me of this.”
I smile down at him, suddenly wanting to pull that helmet off and cover him in kisses. But there’s a little more I need to tell him first.
“I called your Creed stupid before, back on that planet, but I didn’t mean that. I can see how that Creed has shaped you into the strong and steadfast man that I love.”
I place my forehead to his helmet with a soft thunk.
“I need you,” I whisper, my voice becoming wobbly with emotion. “I need you more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life, Rogar. When we were apart, I was so scared…” My voice hitches as I struggle not to cry. “I was so scared that I wouldn’t see you again. I don’t think I could live through that another time.”
I press my forehead against him until it hurts. I wish I could just merge into his body, just melt into him.
“You have to promise me,” I whisper. “Promise that you’ll stay with me and be with me forever.”
Rogar wrenches his helmet off violently and throws it down. It clatters on the deck. His jaw is set. Even in this dark room, his beautiful, reptilian eyes are blazing with bright intensity.
He claims my mouth in a deep and aching kiss as I melt in his arms. That kiss promises so much more than words ever could. So much more than I even asked for.
Rogar’s body is cool to the touch, but as my body grows hotter with excitement and arousal, his body begins absorbing my heat, until he is like a massive warm stone beneath me. As if of its own accord, my body begins moving against his, my soft skin sliding against his hard scales.
The alien warrior’s skillful hands unfasten my top, and it falls away, leaving my breasts exposed. Rogar kisses and suckles them hungrily, and
I try my best not to moan too loudly, remembering that there are other people on board.
I straddle his hips, and something long and hard presses against my hot center.
“Goodness,” I tease him in a breathy voice. “You really are rigid, aren’t you?”
In this case, however, that’s a good thing.
I whine as Rogar rhythmically thrusts his hips upward, stroking the hard pole beneath his loincloth against the crotch of my panties, which are growing wetter by the moment. Something tenses at my center in anticipation of gripping Rogar’s thick, smooth shaft as he pumps me full of his seed once more.
“Kniin kauniss.” Rogar purrs.
I giggle as we continue grinding against each other with an increasing tempo.
“We’re really going to have to do something about this language barrier, aren’t we?”
I want to learn his beautiful language. I want to learn everything about this handsome, courageous, and steadfast alien who has claimed me for his mate. And I want to teach him my own language and about my homeworld too. I want to share everything with him, because now we are part of each other.
But the language lessons will have to wait a little longer.
Right now, we need our lips and our tongues for other more pressing tasks.
EPILOGUE: CLARE
15 months later
I just know this is a terrible idea.
But I basically had no choice. Amber has been driving me up the wall for over a year to bring her to this planet. Now I’ve finally caved and brought her with me.
“Clare, oh my God, this is so trippy.”
That’s about the hundredth time that Amber has said that on our little trip through the Webway as galaxies and comets and spinning planets whirl around us. I can’t blame her, though. It is pretty amazing.
“I know, right?” I answer.
Even though I’ve made this journey through the Webway more times than I can count at this point, it never ceases to fill me with a sense of wonder. But there’s nothing quite like the first time.
“So this is how you travel between Earth and that other planet?” She murmurs.
Her eyes are roving all over the place, and I have to reach over and grab her wrist to keep her on course.
“Usually,” I answer. “Sometimes we use Rogar’s ship.”
“Clare, this is so freaking cool.”
“Yeah, but just wait until you see the planet.”
I’m a little nervous about bringing Amber here. This is the first time I’ve brought a new guest to the planet, and I don’t know exactly how Babu and company will feel about it. As we reach the door of the Webway hub and step out into the carved chamber, numerous transparent-skinned beings gather round. Babu is among them.
“Babu babu?”
“Oh…hello there,” Amber says and gulps.
I gave her a heads up about the people of this planet, but obviously, seeing them in person for the first time is quite an experience.
When I first returned to Earth, I wasn’t sure if Amber would even believe my story. However, she had been there when the other bounty hunters attacked the convention center, so she knew something very strange had happened. Besides, Amber has never been a very skeptical person, and she knew I would never lie to her.
The tall, slender aliens gather around us, and some of them reach out to touch Amber curiously. They speak a few words among themselves in their funny language, then they nod approvingly and disperse.
Apparently, Amber has been accepted.
“Come on,” I tell her, pulling her by the arm. “I want to show you where we live.”
We exit the Webway chamber, stepping into the sunlight, and Amber gasps with awe as she takes in the vista from the plaza carved into the side of the mountain.
It is a beautiful day. The blue sky is full of fluffy white clouds that are drifting overhead, throwing intermittent shadows over the lush jungles.
I lead Amber around a footpath to where Rogar and Kozar built our dwelling on the other side of the mountain. It’s a nice location, because we are close to Babu’s people, but we also have some privacy when we need it.
“Clare, this is amazing,” Amber sighs.
The dwelling is built into the side of the mountain, right where a natural waterfall splashes down the stones. It is made of steel and glass, and its simple, elegant lines blend well into the shape of the rock face.
Plus, the waterfall is a nice little reminder of that first night I spent with Rogar.
Thankfully, this water doesn’t have any leeches though.
As we near the front gate, Amber pauses in her tracks, taken aback by the metallic, skeletal figure toiling in the front garden. The droid rises from the ground where it has been working and raises one soil-covered hand.
“Greetings Clare. I was just planting an herb garden as you requested.”
“Amber, this is Null-99.”
His chrome dome is nice and shiny—not a scorch mark to be seen, and he’s got a brand new body too. Kozar even did a bit of work on him and reprogrammed his loyalty processor.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Amber,” Null-99 says politely before returning to his gardening.
We step inside the dwelling. The interior is uncluttered and spacious. The architecture is reminiscent of a traditional Japanese style, with thin sliding partitions between the rooms. The broad, floor-to-ceiling windows along the outer face let in plenty of sunlight, which my cold-blooded mate likes because it gives him a chance to bask.
And speaking of my mate, we find him in his office.
He is seated behind a broad desk, tapping away at a computer console while simultaneously rocking our little bundle of joy in the other arm.
He and his brother work as a bounty hunting team. Rogar mostly runs the business end of things, which means he gets to spend more time with me and our baby, while Kozar handles most of the legwork.
Rogar looks up at us, and a bright, white smile breaks across his blue-green face.
Amber and Rogar have already met, of course. Rogar has made several trips to Earth. Whenever he does so, he uses a special holographic generator to disguise himself in public as a regular human. I have to admit, even in his human disguise, Rogar is still handsome as a mug.
Still, I much prefer his real appearance.
“Hello, Amber,” he says fluently. “It is good to see you. Welcome to our home.”
He rises from his seat and comes around the desk, still bouncing our baby boy lightly on his arm. Little Zokar twitches his tiny nose and smacks his lips sleepily.
“Rogar,” Amber says in a soft voice, so as not to wake up the baby. “Your English sounds so good! I’m really impressed.”
He gives her a hug with his free arm and leans down to give me a kiss.
“Look at that little angel,” Amber says, smiling at Zokar as he kicks his tiny legs lightly.
Zokar is the same lovely teal color as his daddy, but with irresistible, chubby cheeks. He may look like a peaceful little angel right now, as Amber said. In reality, however, he is anything but.
He’s a little hellion. He’s started to crawl, and he gets into everything. Again, he takes after his daddy.
A mechanical door at the back of the room sighs open, and Kozar steps in. He’s dressed in dark pants and boots and a white tank top. The purple scales of his arms and face are smudged with grease, and he’s scrubbing his grimy hands on a handkerchief. He’s been out on the landing pad tuning up the gun cutter.
He starts to say something to Rogar, then stops when he sees we have company. His violet eyes lock onto Amber immediately.
My friend audibly squeals.
I turn and stare at her in disbelief.
“What?” she whispers, raising her eyebrows at me. Then, turning to Rogar, she says. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Yes,” Rogar nods. “I will introduce you now. This is my brother, Kozar.”
“Well hello, Kozar,” Amber says in a flirty voice, blin
king her lashes at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Kozar just smirks and tucks his rag into his pocket.
He and Rogar pass a few words in their language. I’ve only been studying Mezentine for a little over a year, and they are speaking way too quickly for me to understand it all, but I think I catch a few words.
I’m certain that I hear the word “friend” in there. And I’m pretty sure I catch another word too. It roughly translates to “single.”
“Kozar wants to know if you would like to see the space ship,” Rogar says to Amber.
He glances at me sheepishly, and I roll my eyes.
“Oh wow,” Amber says a little too expressively as she crosses the room and takes Kozar’s muscular arm. “I’d love for you to give me a, um…tour!”
As they go outside together, Amber turns briefly to flash me a giddy grin.
“Rogar,” I say once they are gone. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave them alone together? I mean, they can’t even talk to each other.”
I seriously doubt that either one of them has talking in mind.
Rogar just chuckles softly and rubs my shoulders.
“They’ll be fine,” he says. “They aren’t children, after all. Besides, what harm could come from it?”
As if answering that question, baby Zokar wakes up and starts crying in his arms.
“He’s probably hungry,” I say softly. “Here let me take him.”
Rogar hands little Zokar over into my arms. Within a matter of moments, the baby’s skin starts to change, morphing from scaly blue to soft human flesh like mine.
Yeah, that’s one feature of a human-Mezentine hybrid that we weren’t expecting.
We have a chameleon baby.
Actually, Zokar’s ability to shift is even more impressive than a chameleon because the texture of his skin changes in addition to the color.
Oh yeah, I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out I didn’t have to lay an egg.
Seriously, that was a huge relief.
All in all, it was a relatively normal birth.
My mom is actually a certified nurse-midwife, so she handled the delivery in my parent’s home. That meant Rogar and I had to come clean with my parents before the birth.
