by Maia Starr
“What the hell is this place?” Emily exclaimed as I ducked into the steep tunnel. I didn’t answer her. Instead, I lifted her over my shoulder and carried her through the perilous terrain until we finally made it to the open space of the bunker.
“I told you,” I said, running into the ship I had built. “I’m taking you home.”
Emily’s eyes widened as I powered the ship on, and the ground above us began to quake. The large doors opened up from under the ground, making way for the ship to take off.
“If this doesn’t work, we may both be killed,” I said, glancing nervously at her from the commander’s panel. “If that happens, I am sorry I could not give you the freedom you deserve.”
Emily’s eyes filled with a strange liquid, but I didn’t have time to ask her if she was all right. I threw back the switch to ignite the engines, and a roar filled our ears. I squeezed my eyes shut with one final prayer to the gods, and hoped for the best.
***
“This is unbelievable,” Emily breathed. “I was half unconscious last time I was out here.”
I was filled with pride. My ship had apparently caused quite a stir. Several ships had left Jenal’k, but they were no match for my turbo-boosters. I knew the technology used by the other crafts inside and out, and had taken great pains to make sure my ship was the best crafted of them all.
“I have never been out in space either,” I admitted. Emily looked surprised.
“So this is new to us both, then.”
“Yes,” I said.
We were quiet as I put in the coordinates for Earth. It was difficult for me to imagine leaving her there, but I knew I would be all right. There were plenty of adventures out there for us in the universe, and a lot of friendly planets who enjoyed greeting wayward travelers. I had even made a machine that could sustain us should we run out of our food sources in case it took a while between trips to restock.
I paused. I was still thinking as if Emily was going to stay with me. I wanted to make her my own, but there was no way that I could do that on Jenal’k. and it was clear to me now, after seeing the way she interacted with the other humans, that she wouldn’t be happy unless she was home.
We were mesmerized by the sights and sounds of space for a while longer before Emily yawned.
“I only had time to make one bedroom,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. “You take it. I will sleep here.”
Emily hesitated and then shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
I could understand how she felt. The universe was so large and vast; it seemed unpleasant to be left by yourself for too long.
“All right,” I said, putting the craft on autopilot and walking Emily to the bedroom.
We sat down on the bed, and she looked deeply into my eyes.
“Why are you taking me to Earth?” she asked softly.
I had a feeling that the way I answered this question would determine my fate for the rest of my life, and inhaled deeply.
“You deserve your freedom,” I said finally. “And if you stay with me, you will not feel free. What I feel for you cannot be returned if you feel like a slave.”
Emily looked down at the bed, smiling privately to herself.
“You should have asked me what I wanted then,” she said with a sigh. “Although honestly, I’m not sure I would have known how to answer that myself.”
“What do you want?” I asked, taking her hand in mine. I wanted to cherish every moment I had left with her. There was nothing more important to me than what she was feeling that moment.
“I want to see everything there is to see in the universe,” Emily said carefully. “And I’d like to do that with the man I love.”
“Love...” I said. I finally had a word that matched the feeling in my breast.
Emily smiled, her eyes shimmering with that strange liquid again, and she squeezed my hand. I held it tightly, and we stared into each other’s eyes.
“I want to stay with you,” Emily said. “Nobody in the universe could ever treat me as well as you do.”
I smiled, and took Emily’s soft face in my hands.
“Then you will stay with me,” I said softly, kissing her sweet lips and relishing in the feeling of her body so near to mine. “Until the end of the universe and back again.”
Emily gasped in pleasure as my tongue slipped into her mouth and caressed hers sensually, and her grip tightened around my fingers.
I laid her down gently on the bed and roamed her body with my hands. She looked more beautiful than I ever could have imagined in the Thressl’n-made gown, but she was stunning without it.
I pulled it gently over her head, revealing her flawless, pale body. She shivered as the air touched her skin, and I lowered my mouth over every perfect crevice. Emily shuddered in bliss as I slowly explored every inch of her body. It had taken on a new meaning to me now, and I wanted to appreciate every moment of her.
My desire was mounting, and I freed my member from the confines of my slacks and laid on top of her, staring into her face. Her golden eyes sparkled as she looked back at me, and we began to move together in unison, our desire and love leading the way for our bodies.
Emily hitched her hips up against me and sighed softly into my ear as I buried my face into her breasts, my mouth tasting the sweet, delicate mounds of her nipples. Her skin was like silk against mine, and I ran my hand through her soft, beautiful hair as I slowly pushed myself inside of her.
Her body opened like a flower for me, and we were both lost in ecstasy as we rocked together to a rhythm only we could hear. My pleasure mounted until a hot, urgent need to release myself nearly made me lose my composure. Emily seemed to have reached her climax at just the same time, and we sighed together in bliss as I released a long stream of the physical testament to my longing deep inside of her.
Emily grinned at me, her hands roaming the ridges of my face and hair.
“Thank you for saving me, Laike Ostra’ki,” she said, love radiating from her body.
“Thank you for staying with me,” I replied.
Emily grinned, and we fell into a deep sleep.
Epilogue
Laike Ostra’ki (Karta’s Head Engineer)
The universe is an even more interesting entity than I ever would have guessed. Emily continues to be a huge asset in our adventures, and she built a miraculous device that helped me to understand the dialogue of all people from all worlds.
She eventually caved in, and we went back to Earth, only to find the sinister race of Vellreq working with the people in power. Thankfully, we were cloaked and able to retreat from the planet before detection.
Now, she and I are both driven to work harder than ever on technology that will help to liberate Earth from the clutches of the sinister Vellreq. We are making great strides, and have settled temporarily on the planet Karta, where the Kartugians have been keeping close tabs on the situation on Earth.
They have promised to help shield us from any of the sinister people of Jenal’k, and have even considered a liberation mission to save Absle from the war effort on the far side of the C’loggh galaxy.
Overall, I would say that we are happier together on this strange new planet than we had ever been on the planets we were born on.
We may even be expecting a child. Only time will tell what the future will bring, but the one thing I know for certain is that it is bright. Especially with Emily Hart on my side.
Book 3: Chazz
(Aliens Of Jenalk)
By Maia Starr
Chapter 1
Alexa Thomas (Investigative Journalist)
“Hurry up, Lexi! Damn!”
“Chill out, Samantha; it’s not like the beach is going anywhere!” I exclaimed.
It was bad enough that my twin had drug me away from my research just so she would have a wingman during the party she was throwing herself for our birthday. She knew how important it was to me.
In fact, I felt
like I was really on to something about the Vellreq, and the last thing I wanted to do was tear myself away when I just knew I was about to stumble upon something big.
Most people just accepted the Vellreq’s place on Earth without question, but I was an investigative journalist. And a successful one at that. I knew a conspiracy when I smelled it. This random alien race that was now invading our governments and distributing technology to the masses was definitely suspicious. And I needed to find out exactly what they were up to before it was too late.
“Of course the beach isn’t going to move!” Sam exclaimed, walking faster. “But we should get a spot before school is over and all the annoying kids come out.”
I sighed inwardly as my twin quickened her pace. Any faster and she would literally be running. She had always been a little more high strung than me, so I was used to it. Still, it could be kind of a pain in the ass.
“Seriously, Alexa, come on!”
“You know, maybe I would move a little faster if I wasn’t the only one carrying the bags!”
This was enough to silence my sister, and she quietly slowed to a brisk walk. She knew by now that it was better not to complain if she didn’t want to risk manual labor. Sam was always worried about becoming one of those muscular girls. It would be very upsetting to her if her body wasn’t just so.
“God, it’s about time,” Samantha said once we saw the boardwalk. “Let’s go. I want to be set up before Donny comes.”
“I thought you were seeing Bill!”
“No, he’s kind of a lightweight. Donny’s a lot more mature.”
I raised my eyebrow but said nothing. Sam’s definition of mature and mine were clearly much different. But I couldn’t judge her. After all, everybody had different priorities, right?
“This is the perfect spot. Look, isn’t it a good thing we’re early?” Samantha exclaimed, beaming proudly out at the ocean.
“The party isn’t even going to start for another two hours,” I sighed, letting the heavy bags fall from my shoulder.
“So we can scope out some nice turf, then!”
“Right…”
Sam and I began to arrange our blankets and set up the umbrellas. Still, it all felt a bit ridiculous to me. The entire beach was deserted. I had never seen it so dead in my life. It was almost a little spooky.
I decided to preoccupy myself with lathering my body with strong sunscreen. If I was going to spend two joyless hours at the beach with my twin, I might as well avoid getting a sunburn.
“Fuck!” Samantha suddenly exclaimed. “It better not be about to rain.”
I frowned and looked up at her, surprised by the dark cloud that had suddenly formed in the sky.
“It’s supposed to be clear all day,” I said. “You know the Vellreq’s meteorological technology is always right.”
“Well, then what’s with the clouds?” Samantha asked, frowning.
“I don’t know…”
I squinted up into the sky, and my blood turned to ice.
“Sam…run.”
“What?”
“Run!”
I took off, and didn’t wait for my sister to follow.
“They spotted us!” a disjointed voice said from behind me. I groaned. The translation device I had bought online had been refurbished and was always giving me trouble. Everything anyone said in another language was translated far too slowly for my taste, and often I missed entire chunks of dialogue altogether. That’s what I got for being a cheapskate.
“Got you!”
I cried out in terror when a large, strong being grabbed my shoulders from behind and whipped me around so that I was suddenly facing the direction I had come from. I couldn’t see my captor, but an icy liquid was being injected into my neck. I searched the sprawling beach frantically for my sister, but to my dismay, it was empty.
“You’re going to have to come with me,” the voice said. And before I could reply, I sank into a deep sleep.
***
I woke up with a start, my lips and throat dry and my eyes straining to make out any images in the darkness of the room I was in. But it was impossible for my gaze to focus on anything because the space I found myself in was pitch black.
“What’s going on?” a panicked woman’s voice said from across the room. “I need to get to work.”
The room suddenly came alive with the murmurs of what sounded like a thousand women.
“Samantha!” I cried out. But the buzz of women’s voices deafened my calls for my sister, and all of us were suddenly drowned out by the blare of a speaker above our heads.
“Females of Earth,” the voice said.
I was involuntarily filled with warmth and closed my eyes to imagine what kind of being might have a voice like this. It was a calm, tranquil voice; the kind of voice I would have paid to listen to on an audiobook, with just the right amount of masculine timbre. Whoever he was sounded kind, although I knew I couldn’t trust my instincts about this. Kind beings didn’t kidnap hundreds of women without warning. My heart thudded when the voice began to speak again.
“Please remain calm. It has come to our attention that Earth is in danger. We are evacuating choice women for an opportunity to carry on the greatest qualities of your species. I am sorry for the inconvenience.”
I was pulled out of my strange infatuation with the voice by a seed of panic sprouting in my breast. Was that guy implying that Earth was going to be destroyed? Was it the Vellreq? I should have known! I was so close to the breakthrough in my investigation. Why had I let Sam talk me into going to the beach? I could be on Earth warning everybody right now!
Panic welled up in the room, and soon the women around me were shrieking and crying hysterically. It seemed the message had the opposite of its intended effect to keep us calm.
The speaker suddenly buzzed again, and the same voice returned. I was growing very fond of it despite myself. It had a pleasant lyrical quality that made me want to sing or fall asleep or something. I felt like I could listen to it all day.
“Females of Earth, please remain calm. We are doing our best to prevent disaster from befalling your planet. However, your cooperation will be required in efforts to repopulate the planet Jenal’k. With your compliance will come a greater effort to help humankind, despite the obvious dangers your race poses to the universe. Please understand that your journey to the planet Jenal’k and interaction with the Thressl’n race is a privilege, not a curse, and do your best to enjoy your stay.”
The voice was silent for a moment, before finally adding, “Thank you,” and clicking the speaker off.
“Who the hell thought it was a good idea to start contacting aliens again?” one woman exclaimed. “Look at where that curiosity got us. Can’t people just be happy with what we have? Stick to what we know? Curiosity killed the cat. And now it’s going to kill us, too.”
“They might not kill us,” another woman said hopefully. “They said they need us. That means they want us alive.”
“They need us to repopulate some barren planet!” another woman shouted. “Didn’t you hear what he said? We’re going to be bred like cattle! Don’t you people understand anything?”
I was quiet during the whole conversation, the journalist in me already taking notes of the high tensions and memorable phrases so that if the time came, I would be ready to share this unbelievable experience with others. I was introverted by nature as a way to observe others, which might explain my choice in career.
But if what this mysterious race of people was saying was true, then it was possible that there wouldn’t be many others left for me to share my experiences with. In fact, if my sister hadn’t been picked up by one of these ships, then I would lose the only family I had left and be alone on a foreign planet for the rest of my life.
“Samantha, you better be all right,” I whispered to myself. Sam and I had always thought that twin ESP was a made up thing, but at that moment, I would have given anything for it to be real. I squeezed my eyes close
d and did my best to send messages to my sister and hope for something, anything, to hint to me that she was all right. It was worth a shot.
***
It was days before I was able to see anything, and every once in a while that strangely soothing voice would check in on us or calm us down when the women were panicking. Whenever we weren’t calm after the voice spoke to us, the room would fill with a dark fog and soon we would be unconscious.
I dreaded those times. Every alien movie I had ever seen showed that during times of helplessness was when the alien races did tests on the less suspecting. Being poked, prodded, and experimented on wasn’t really on my bucket list. I don’t think it was on anyone else’s either, because the other women trapped with me were surprisingly compliant. It could have been that our throats were too dry to waste energy protesting, despite the IV of fluids that was being fed into us. Who knew what else was in those bags?
“Females of Earth, we are about to arrive on the Planet Jenal’k. Please remain calm. You are the first humans ever to enter this planet. More ships with other females are on the way. Do your people proud and show the Thressl’n that not all humans are destructive creatures. I believe in you.”
My heart jolted, a combination of appreciation for the man doing the announcements and fear at the thought of leaving the comfort of our dark captivity. At least on the ship, we knew what was going on for the most part. It was almost comforting, in a way, never to have to face our captors or accept reality. What was going to happen when that was taken away from us?
Turbulence suddenly shook the craft, and the women around me whimpered and cried out in fear. I squeezed my eyes closed, my twin center stage in my mind. She had always hated flying. Sam would be near hysteria right now. The turbulence lasted a long time, and then, abruptly, the craft became still.
Nothing happened for a few moments, and then the doorway hissed open, allowing a blinding stream of light to flow inside. After days in the darkness, the light was unwelcome and painful.
