by T. S. Ryder
“Zorg...? I don’t understand. Please let me go,” Renaya said, blinking away tears that threatened to burst.
“I serve my Zorg Master Ex’ilk,” he replied without any emotion. “He sends food.”
“I don’t want it. Take me home!” Her voice grew shrill.
“You are to eat your food or Master Ex’ilk won’t be pleased,” he continued, in a tone that made her shiver. “And take this. It will help you breathe better.” The creature placed two blue pills on her tray.
Renaya didn’t resist. With every passing second, it was becoming harder for her to breathe. Her hands trembling, she swallowed the pills with water. It tasted bitter. Satisfied, the creature turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him with a bang. Renaya shuddered. Tears spilled down her face uncontrollably as she looked at the tray in front of her. It resembled something like porridge. Her appetite lost, she hugged her knees and sobbed. The food lay untouched, turning cold.
They would kill her... she wouldn’t survive this. Fear was taking over her rational thinking. She saw her grandmother’s emerald ring was still on her finger. Tears welled up in her eyes with full force as she remembered her words. She still couldn’t figure out what her grandma had meant... and then a glimmer of hope fluttered inside her heart as she gazed at the ring. It was like a light in the darkness that surrounded her and it was the only tangible reminder of something familiar. Something she could cling to, in this solitary alien universe.
Chapter Two
Lord Aurzac stood on the balcony with his back to his palace chambers, gazing at the once beautiful view of the palace grounds. He was an Argarian, the last in the bloodline of the ancient clan of fierce Durlan Warriors who had ruled Terrgius for a millennium. Fiercely loyal to the land, these warriors were known to be devoid of emotions. But in the last few centuries, the successors had become corrupt and eventually destroyed the land.
He took a sip from his glass, savoring the blue wine as it slid down his throat. The wine on Terrgius was the finest in the galaxy. Gold and silver armor adorned his upper body. But it still revealed his well-built, toned body and fair skin. On his left arm he wore a glove, and on his right, his royal crest. Its emblem was a gold phoenix that spread its wings upward, surrounded by aquamarine stones, and a drop of blood hung on its head. The blood symbolized the sacrifices of his warriors and the phoenix, survivors who came back.
His shoulder length ice blond hair was tied at the nape of his strong neck, revealing his pointed ears which were the mark of the Argarian race. He wore dark leather pants that defined his muscular legs. His face held the cold expression of that of an experienced warlord, and his clear steely gray eyes were unfathomable. The vision he had in his dream last night recurred too frequently. He took another sip of his wine. He shouldn’t be bothered. After all, he was the powerful Durlan Lord and a vision of some woman shouldn't unnerve him.
A movement behind him brought him back from his brooding thoughts as he sensed the presence of his second-in-command, Lady Shanra.
“We are ready to board, My Lord,” Shanra said.
“Good. What’s the status of the Inter-Galactic Council meeting?” he asked.
“The Council will meet in a week, at the designated venue, the headquarters on Andromeda 13. The Emissary from Velarii will be there,” Shanra elaborated.
“Good. The sooner this issue with the Zorg is resolved, the better,” Lord Aurzac said, his jaw clenching.
The Zorg had been plundering his planet for over a century now. He needed to find a solution fast, as his planet’s resources were almost finished. Drought and famine plagued the once beautiful and flourishing planet, holding food and water in abundance. Now the rivers ran dry and the crops failed. His people were dying of hunger. The women could no longer bear children. And the burden of saving Terrgius was his alone.
His responsibility was to mate with a woman, a pure blood, who would bring life back to his planet. Terrgius was a planet with a soul. Its life force was the well-being of its rulers. If the ruler became corrupt or died, the planet would slowly die unless a new successor was chosen. His ancestors in the last century had gone corrupt, leading a life of debauchery, slowly draining the life force of the planet. Then the Zorg invaded, further ripping the planet apart. His father was assassinated when he was young. And his mother had suffered and died for no reason.
And now, almost a century later, he had come of age and taken over the responsibility as a leader. For the past few years, he had looked for the right woman. But he hadn’t found her. Even Commander Shanra had shown him prospective brides, but he never approved. He just didn’t feel the connection. Years ago his mother had told him that he would know it when he saw the woman who was destined for him. But as the years rolled by and his world withered around him, he had lost all hope of finding his mate. That was until he started having visions of a woman who was not from his world.
Why do you care about Terrgius? The others didn’t care. Why sacrifice your life? You can easily escape all of this mayhem, the dark, familiar voice inside his head mocked him. He ignored it and with these brooding thoughts, he left for the Council meeting.
***
Renaya woke up with a start. The creature that brought her food was back again, shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. In the dimly lit cabin of the alien ship, she had lost track of time. She was too tired and weak to move.
“Get up,” the creature shoved her and then dragged her up into a sitting position. “Master is here. Wake up.”
When she didn’t move, Ex’ilk pushed the creature aside and strode toward her. She looked up to see that it was the same green-eyed alien towering over her.
“You better eat, woman!” he growled.
“Let me go! Please... take me home,” she pleaded.
“Your home is destroyed. Eat! I don’t want you looking like that when I put you out there,” Ex’ilk grumbled, frowning with his heavy brows and wrinkling his nose in an expression that seemed as if she smelled bad.
“No, that can’t be true!” she screamed, fresh tears springing into her eyes. “Let me go! Let me go back home!”
She kept screaming when suddenly a sharp burning pain across her cheek silenced her. She wasn’t expecting it and the impact of his slap rendered her head spinning. The headache returned but only for a moment, because she fell on her knees and onto the floor, unconscious.
Cold water splashed on her face made her flinch. Ex’ilk sat in the cabin, watching her. The creature stood nearby, holding the glass of water.
“You eat now, woman. I don’t want you starving,” Ex’ilk said in a harsh tone. “I might let you go if you finish that,” he added, and she saw his dark lips curve into a smirk.
Her hands shook as she picked up the spoon and tried swallowing the now cold and tasteless gruel. An occasional sob would rack her sporadically. But the man didn’t leave until she finished the gruel. She felt like throwing up. But she tried not to, as he would definitely kill her if she did.
Days passed and she lost all track of time. The journey felt like an endless torture. She ate, slept, cried and thought about her destroyed home. The creature came in and gave her food. She asked him one day where they were going.
“We land in two days on Andromeda 13,” he replied, and when she gave him a blank look, he elaborated. “The space station, in our galaxy, Omega Centauri. It's the best marketplace in both the galaxies.” He rasped.
A glimmer of hope lit up her beautiful eyes. Maybe she could escape once they landed.
***
Two days later, the Zorg mother-ship reached Andromeda 13 and entered its docking station. Ex'ilk and his men rounded up the slaves and made them stand in a queue outside the spacecraft. Then they walked toward the marketplace known as the Bazaar of Babylon.
Andromeda 13 was massive. It was the largest space station that connected the galaxies of Omega Centauri and Redshift 7. It was a huge business hub for alien races. Mostly warriors and explorers from
far-off planets visited it for trade and recreation.
Renaya was both awed and scared. Her emotions played havoc with her mind. The Bazaar of Babylon was crowded. So many different creatures, all aliens from different worlds gathered there. She saw that all the other alien slaves like her were shackled and all of them were females. She saw no other human.
“Where are the others? I mean humans, like me,” she asked Ex’ilk who was standing nearby.
Grunting, he turned toward her.
“There are none. You are the only human here,” he said giving her a look of disgust. “Your Earth is destroyed.”
A wave of shock hit her in the pit of her stomach. The only human here, the only one alive? If Earth was destroyed then he was right, she was the only human alive. The idea was too overwhelming to comprehend. Standing among the throng of people, she felt more alone than ever.
Chapter Three
Lord Aurzac calmly watched the different faces of the Council members gathered in the great hall. Lady Shanra was standing beside him. The Zorg leader hadn’t arrived yet. They stood apart from the other members, waiting for the meeting to start.
This was his last chance to end the century old war between the Zorg and the Argarians, thought Aurzac. Terrgius was dying. With his resources running out, he needed the Council’s help to back him up. It was the only way to put an end to the war and save his planet from further destruction. The thing that nagged at him most was that the Zorg were ruthless. They destroyed planets and abducted their women for trade. He could only hope the Zorg leader would agree to the peace proposal he was going to present to him.
“This war must end. Our resources are limited. I can’t go on like this,” Lord Aurzac told Commander Shanra.
Shanra looked at him, pensively. She had bright amber eyes, pale bluish skin and long red hair. She wore a dark blue suit that clung to her body and a dark cloak over her shoulders.
“We definitely need the Council’s help to stop the war, My Lord. Without their help, the Zorg won’t agree to the proposal,” she said, in a soft, serious tone.
“The Zorg are pirates! They won’t stop plundering until they see a deal that benefits them!” Lord Aurzac flashed a steely glance at her.
“We are offering them our exclusive weapons. But they know the planet is dying. They won’t buy into it. They know we are weak,” she insisted.
“Our swords are made from the iron of Modrya, the rarest metal in the whole galaxy. They should be tempted to accept the deal... as they do have a weakness for weapons,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You must find a mate soon, My Lord, maybe then the Council will put their trust in you.” Her shrewd eyes softened as her gaze locked onto his. Her whole demeanor changed as she looked up at him, a subtle smile playing at her lips.
Lord Aurzac noticed the subtle change. His expression unreadable and nonchalant, he looked away.
“Whether the Council helps us or not, we need to make sure the Zorg leader agrees to the proposed deal,” he said in a controlled voice with finality in his tone.
The Zorg leader, Trobbut appeared. He was a hulking man with harsh features and long dark hair framing his blue-gray face. The other members seated themselves around the long table as the meeting commenced. Lord Aurzac and Shanra also took their places and the leader of the Council made his opening speech.
***
The slaves from the Zorg ship were taken to a hall where other alien species from diverse planets gathered. They stood in a line, near the stage in the center of the hall. One by one, the female slaves were pushed on the stage. The crowd, made up mostly of male warriors, jeered loudly. Large men in armor leered and laughed at the woman on stage, proudly naming their price.
The creature that had brought Renaya food on the ship now stood there, calling out the names of the women on the stage. Renaya was shocked at the scenario. They were going to sell her at this alien auction. This was unbelievable. Her mind raced and the only logical solution that came to her was to escape.
She looked around to see if anyone was watching her. All eyes were turned toward the stage. Carefully, she inched a few steps backward toward the door. She moved further back very slowly until she reached it. She turned around quickly and was about to leave the stage through the door when her eyes momentarily met those of a man standing a few feet away. Mesmerized by his penetrating gaze, she was rooted to the spot, unable to move. She gasped as she took in his handsome features. Intense gray eyes, dark brows, ice-blond hair, strong jaw line. Her heart beat faster and something hot was building deep down in her belly as he took a few steps toward her, his gaze still locked onto hers. He was tall and his muscular body moved with a civilized grace. His demeanor was calm and cool as he stood in front of her. She felt her stomach flip as she blushed to the core. There was something here. She could feel it.
Two powerful hands grabbed her and jolted her out of her trance. Her scream was lost on her lips as a hand came up to her mouth from behind. She tried to pry it off as Ex’ilk dragged her with him, back into the hall. It was all so sudden that the man in front of her didn’t have time to react. Her only hope of escaping faded fast as Ex’ilk shoved her onto the stage and she stumbled, desperately trying to regain her balance. Her t-shirt was torn from the shoulder, leaving it bare and the pajamas she wore were torn at the hem. Humiliation and embarrassment overwhelmed her as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. The crowd was barbaric. They jeered and whistled and called her names as the auction went on. She stood there sobbing, her head lowered as her body trembled.
“We have a new bid. Fifty thousand denarii for the small woman here,” the creature called above the crowd. “Fifty thousand one... fifty thousand two... and she's yours, My Lord!”
Ex’ilk dragged Renaya down the stage and pushed her aside. He told his assistant to keep an eye on her while he took the payment. A few minutes later he dragged her away from the crowd and pushed her toward the man who had bought her. Exhausted from fear and crying, she stumbled forward and fell on her knees. Two strong but gentle hands grabbed her shoulders and helped her up. Through red-rimmed eyes, she looked up at the man who was holding her. The pair of piercing gray eyes was so close to her that it startled her. It was him. A strange wave of relief flooded her whole being as she let out a ragged breath and burst into a fresh deluge of tears.
Chapter Four
Lord Aurzac took her into his arms as he picked her up. Sobs racked her whole being. The warmth of his body calmed her down as sheer exhaustion made her swoon. She was light as a feather, yet her slim body felt soft and curvy in the right places. He felt as if he were holding a precious being, so delicate that he needed to protect her. Her head rested on his shoulder as he carried her toward his ship. Lord Aurzac had never felt like this before. As he held her in his arms he felt the connection like a jolt that seared through him, numbing him.
After the Council meeting was over, he had wanted some time alone to think things through. He had dismissed Shanra, asking her to get the ship ready for its homeward course and to wait for him to join her later. The Council members had still not given their consent to help him. The Zorg leader, after hearing the proposed terms for peace from the Argarians, was biding his time so he could delay the decision.
Perturbed, Lord Aurzac wanted to clear his thoughts, so he went for a stroll. It was during his stroll, when he was passing through the bazaar of Babylon, that he saw her. He had felt the bond, as strong as any, from the moment he looked into the depths of those warm brown eyes. How bizarre, he thought, that he would find her here, among the slaves. And she wasn’t from his world. She was unusual. Small and frail compared to the women on his planet. But she was destined to be his bride. That he was sure of.
Once inside the ship, he delivered Renaya to her room. She was still unconscious. He pressed a button on the panel on the wall and called the ship’s doctor.
Dr. Aldon was a tall thin man with dark blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a dark green suit and a white cloak.
He entered as Lord Aurzac led him toward the patient.
“Good to see you, doctor. Please make sure that she's okay. And I need a sample of her blood,” he instructed. A thorough blood scan would reveal her race and the planet she was from, in addition to her health condition.
Dr. Aldon pulled out a cylindrical device and scanned her body for injuries. He then pressed another syringe-like tube to the inside of her thumb and drew a few drops of blood as a sample. He handed the small vial of blood to Lord Aurzac.
“Thank you, doctor,” Lord Aurzac said.
“Always at your service, My Lord,” Dr. Aldon replied.
“Let me know when she wakes up.”
“Yes, My Lord,” the doctor said, slightly bowing his head.
Aurzac nodded. His gaze went toward Renaya’s reclining form, as he saw her wrists bruised by the shackles. He turned and reached for the door, leaving her in the doctor’s care.
***
Lord Aurzac took the blood sample to Lady Shanra in the control room and told her to run it through the DNA scanner.
“Shanra, after the scan is done, tell Aerav to run it through the central database and give me the report,” he commanded. Aerav was the ship’s technician in control of the database archives.
“Yes, My Lord,” she replied and set to work.
He left for his quarters, where he would get the report in a few hours. By then she would probably be awake. Dr. Aldon told him she was stable, stressed but stable. The Zorg had treated her harshly. The marks on her wrists and ankles said that her body was fragile, not strong enough for fighting. Women in his world were warriors. They fought in ground battles. Lady Shanra was a fierce warrior, and she was good with swords. She had earned her place as his second-in-command. This woman... she would learn... he didn’t need her to be a warrior, but a healer, he thought. He reached his quarters and sat at his desk to review the battle plans.
