Star Catcher

by Kimber Vale

  “You’re coming too, right?”

  “I will ensure you all board the ship safely. You will have a trusted pilot, my sister, with the appropriate coordinates to take all of you back to the location of your abduction. Krael must be dealt with, and I plan to go to the Embassy to explain my medical findings. If there are human women willing to be mated with my kind, you can assist us greatly in recruiting these ‘mail-order brides’ as you call them.”

  Stella looked devastated.

  “I don’t want to go without you.”

  “I will come for you.” He promised himself as much as her. “All of the galaxies in the universe cannot keep me away now that I have found you.”

  “When will this nightmare be over, Noth? I just want to get away from here so we can start over again.”

  “Two more nights. I must rule out any further pregnancies before I release the women. You will know my signal when you hear it.” He nearly leaned over to kiss her and then caught himself.

  Noth stood abruptly. “Gather the women and head to the solarium when the alarm sounds. My sister will meet you with a ship. Line everyone up against the farthest wall. Once the ship docks, you all must board in less than four minutes.”

  “Why so fast? Is it the soldiers you’re worried about?”

  “No. It is the decompression that will occur once the structure of the satellite is compromised when the docking portal opens. Our altitude above Artanos is beyond the atmosphere. Everyone in the solarium will be subjected to decompressive forces. We have a pneumatic repressurization system, which will give you extra time to board the craft, but you will not have more than five minutes before your lungs collapse, and you will suffocate.”

  Her face was pale.

  “Forty women in four minutes. We can do it.” She nodded firmly. “But what about you? Won’t everyone on the satellite die after the decompression?” Her voice squeaked with alarm.

  “The repressurization system will work longer at distances farther from the opening. After you are all on board, I will seal the entrance to the solarium and the satellite pressure will stabilize once the docking portal closes. The commander will discover our plan eventually, but I believe I can keep her away long enough for your escape. I will send word to the Embassy documenting her breach of conduct with the wrovs, among other things. An agent will collect her to stand trial, but I must testify.”

  Stella looked confused.

  “Teleportation to the home planet is possible from a portal aboard this satellite. It will only take minutes for an officer to appear once I make the call. Our government strictly enforces military law. It is the foundation of our society. Any infraction is treated seriously, but those in our armed forces are held to the highest standards.”

  “How can they enforce the law if they cannot follow it?” She shook her head in disgust.

  “You are an amazingly smart and brave being, Stella.” He stared into her eyes. She was his entire world now, not the floundering planet that hired evil operatives like Krael. He loved this woman and would fight for her to the death if necessary.

  “I will not allow harm to come to you or our baby. Not ever.”

  * * * *

  “Noth! I must speak with you.” Krael’s voice was like a spear through his back. The strap of his heavy bag pulled on his shoulder, as he imagined the fabric was translucent. But Krael could not read minds or see through objects. The only way to find his secret would be to search him, and even if she did, he might be able to explain it away.

  “Not now. The tvolt is no longer circulating. It must be refilled. Or do you want a mutiny on your hands, Krael?” He smiled blandly, purposely omitting her title. “Already the patients are showing signs of agitation. I must get the system up and running immediately.” In truth, the calming substance had been empty for days and had not needed replacing. The presence of Krael’s guards, and the weeks of strict scheduling, were enough to keep the women compliant and stuck in their roles.

  The time for the captives to move quickly was near. Noth wanted them to be fully alert.

  “Refill the blowers and then report to my office.”

  “I will be there shortly.” Noth forced a disarming grin against Krael’s skeptical squint, and turned in the direction of the duct access. After a pause, her boots pounded in the opposite direction. Noth breathed a sigh of relief.

  The storage room that contained the blowers was off the main hall. Noth swiftly moved boxes of medical supplies into a corner, stacking them out of his way and obstructing the view of the single Lans in the closet. He swore for the camera’s benefit, cursing the disorganized space. When he finally stood on a stool to remove the grate from the wall, he was sure only his sound was being monitored.

  The heavy ferrite pot scraped against the steel bottom of the duct as he maneuvered it into place. The bottle of pure mineral oil he had surreptitiously removed from the lab filled the metal bowl with a soft gurgle. Noth had an ample supply, as the oil was used to separate out embryos in culture. It prevented thermal shock due to temperature changes when working with the immature eggs. Now it would provide the cover they needed.

  When the substance burned, it gave off a tremendous amount of thick, black smoke. He recalled an episode from his training when a fellow student had accidentally knocked the oil into his pilot flame. Studies had been postponed in that laboratory for many days afterward due to the residual smoke.

  The dispersion fan hummed reassuringly as it channeled air down the shaft. Noth touched the flame of his spark-generator to the greasy surface. The burst of heat, although expected, startled him, and he nearly fell from the stool. Catching himself, he swiftly flipped the hinged ferrite lid closed. The fuel would eventually burn itself out and the flames would remain contained in the brazier. Ominous gray-black curls of smoke slithered through the small vent. They spread down the long metal passage in thick billows.

  Noth jumped down from his perch. As he exited the room, he pushed a button on his wrist communicator. A long beep indicated his message had been sent.

  When the alarm sounded, he was halfway to Krael’s office. Doors opened smoothly on either side of him. An office, a kitchen, and another office were revealed. A pale-faced soldier emerged from the third door. She glanced up and down the hall in confusion.

  “Fire in the north quarter! Contact the mainland Emergency Services immediately!”

  The guard nodded and put her handheld receiver to her ear. Noth heard her speaking frantically and breathed a sigh of relief. Fire and security officers would arrive shortly. Krael would not harm any of the humans in their presence.

  He neared the final corridor to Krael’s office. Apprehension assailed him the closer he got. Why had he not met up with the commander yet? Surely, she would come this way at the first sound of the alarm. Krael was suspicious of any unusual situation. Her cautious nature had helped to make her a successful military leader. Was she already checking on her captives?

  “Stay where you are!”

  He turned a corner and froze. Krael stood before him, her laser projector pointed at Uryu’s head as the terrified Artanian knelt before her.

  Noth had underestimated her ruthlessness. Uryu was bloody and bruised, his right eye puffed tightly closed. His nose was crooked and leaked blood toward his open mouth. He was gasping for air as he pleaded for his life in a jumbled rush of wet words. A black and bloody space in his mouth marked at least one missing tooth.

  Noth held his hands up in a display of nonaggression. He kept his voice calm, soothing, as a nervous twitch tugged at the side of her face. Her fingers were white with tension around the handle of the gun.

  “Krael, you do not want to do this. We are here to help our kind, not to hurt them. Put the projector down and let Uryu go.”

  “Let him go? He is guilty of insubordination! He followed your lead in an attempted hostile takeover.”

  Noth slowly shook his head. “Uryu has only followed my orders. He knew nothing of my plans to release th
e humans. Their captivity is unwarranted. I have discovered a solution to our population decline.”

  “Yes. Uryu told me how you both took part in illicit actions with the inferior species. I know precisely which captives you experimented with.”

  Her black eyes bored into him, hard and relentless. She knew the truth.

  “Krael, the human genetics nearly match ours. Stella is convinced we can find human volunteers to reproduce with our males. Many Artanians will be thrilled to adopt children not of their blood, both for their own happiness and for the good of the species. My sister would give her life for such an opportunity, so great is her desire for offspring.”

  “Then she is a fool. And you are a traitor to our kind.”

  Noth glanced at the Lans above their heads. It captured every word they said.

  Krael’s malicious smile chilled him. She dug the muzzle of the laser into Uryu’s ear and laughed when he pleaded for her to stop.

  “After I am done dispatching you rebels, I will destroy the recordings. The fire you conveniently started will be used to burn all evidence of my wrongdoing.”

  Where were the Emergency Service troops? Noth saw a dark shape move in his periphery. A wrov. No—two wrovs slunk toward the confrontation. The fire had triggered every door to open, including the wrov enclosure.

  He needed to keep Krael occupied for as long as possible. Give the mainland soldiers more time to arrive.

  “You may kill us both, Krael, but the humans are already safely aboard my family’s ship and are returning to Earth. How will you explain their absence to the Embassy? They will believe you are unfit to hold your post if you cannot control your charges.”

  “Did you truly believe I would permit their escape? I was alerted to an unauthorized ship in the perimeter and locked all loading ports manually. Your vessel hovers at the dock as we speak, awaiting clearance that will never come. I have disabled incoming teleportation as well. I assume you keep looking for the assistance you summoned? Do not trouble yourself. No one is coming to help you.”

  “Ekka! You must force your way in! The portal is locked!”

  Noth wordlessly shouted for his sister. The wrovs glanced up, startled by his concentrated telepathy.

  “You will return the humans to their rooms and continue your work, or you will be replaced. I am the ultimate authority here. Our lack of success was no doubt due to your tampering.”

  “And if I do not?”

  “Uryu’s blood will be on your hands, and the Embassy will know you sabotaged this operation. You will be blamed, not I.”

  “Is that truly your deranged plan, Krael? Are you scared of the Embassy’s retribution or that of the Artanians you sold infants to? I wonder if those who paid you will be satisfied with half-bloods?”

  Krael froze. The look of astonishment on her face slowly transformed into sheer malice. He had meant to throw her off balance by revealing his knowledge. Dear Scrion, please let this work!

  Noth shook his head again, and gave her a look of mock pity as he continued his verbal and mental assault.

  “You are unfit to serve the Embassy any longer, Krael. These animals can smell your infection. See how they look at you?”

  He gave the two beasts a mental push, which had them sniffing the air in Krael’s direction and inching forward.

  “I have no illness, you fool! I stood side by side with these animals on that despicable planet. They gathered the inferior human stock you so ignorantly invited to my collection sight. They never once touched me, nor would they. My blood is pure! My only flaw was considering you worthy of sharing my glory!”

  The wrovs closed in, one on either side. They pawed at the metal flooring in confusion, their ears perked in Noth’s direction as he gave the command.

  “Your sickness is of the mind, Krael. Clearly, that is what the wrovs smell. The poison in your brain. It has festered with time, and now you are their target.”

  Her hand trembled as the foul monsters crouched on either side of her, ready to spring. A low growl sounded to her right, and she turned the gun on the animal and fired. The second wrov pounced, knocking her to the ground. Yellow fangs flashed. Noth saw the jaw open wide and turned his face away. Krael’s terrified scream was cut short by the killing bite.

  Noth pulled Uryu to his feet. Krael’s lifeless fingers held tight to the laser gun, but Noth pried the weapon free just as a tremendous crash shook the ship.

  “Return to your pen and harm no one!”

  The wrov lifted a gory muzzle from its kill. Its enormous head abruptly cocked to the side and spattered crimson droplets across the gleaming ferrite floor. The animal seemed to contemplate Noth’s directive. Tufted ears swiveled while the beast’s three jaundiced eyes rolled backward as if in search of the owner of the voice that spoke in its head. Finally, it leapt over the mauled body of the chief military commander. It sniffed Krael’s bodiless head a small distance away, and then trotted down the hall.

  Uryu was in pain, but alive. After assuring himself the man was not in immediate peril, Noth took off toward the conservatory at a sprint. Hopefully, Krael’s foot soldiers would not attempt to stop him. He did not want to kill them for obeying the orders of a lunatic.

  Chapter 16

  The clanging bell pierced the silence of Stella’s cabin. A moment of panic seized her before the heavy metal door automatically slid open. Forcing herself to remain calm, she dashed for the door, sparing a quick glance at the button camera on the ceiling. She doubted Krael was sitting in front of a bank of monitors watching the humans run for their lives. The cameras did not matter anymore.

  “Fuck you, Krael,” she said, and flipped a middle finger at the Lans as she exited the room. It felt fantastic to say the words out loud, even if no one heard them on the receiving end.

  Scared faces peered out of rooms all along the corridor.

  “Come on! Everyone follow me. Move quickly if you want to go home!”

  She spoke in English. No more pretenses. Most of the women wouldn’t understand Spanish anyway.

  The women trailed behind her without question. The alarm seemed to invoke a terrified obedience in them. Every door Stella encountered was open, and the siren continued to beat into her head. Strobing emergency lights, mounted at intervals, cast their movements in a choppy red glow. There was so much smoke. Dirty gray billows hovered in a noxious cloud above their heads. Thankfully, the thickening haze made it difficult for any of Krael’s personnel to observe them via the cameras.

  Stella turned a corner and smacked into a large female soldier. The Artanian was knocked off her feet as the force of the running group crashed into her. Stella landed on top of the bald, uniformed alien, and her teeth snapped together violently with the impact. The guard’s head cracked against the metal floor with a sickening crunch. The sound turned Stella’s stomach, but she didn’t hesitate to grab for the strange gun as it fell from the female’s hand.

  Stella pointed it at the soldier, finger on the trigger. But the woman was still, her eyes closed. A red stain trickled from behind her battered skull.

  Stella jumped to her feet and ran on. “Don’t stop for anything!” she called back to the others. “Stay with me!”

  The conservatory was dark when they entered, but the night sky above them provided a faint glow from two moons. Stella barked orders as she maneuvered down the trail. Any women who lagged behind would know the meeting place.

  “Against the back wall! We line up there. A ship is coming for us, but we have to move fast once it lands. We only have four minutes to board!” Her breathing was ragged, but she forced her voice to carry. The measly walks they allowed her were not nearly enough exercise. Plus she had been utterly exhausted for the past few days. In all likelihood, her pregnancy was the culprit.

  In the gloomy space, they pressed their backs against the leaf-covered wall. Cold metal was behind the foliage façade, but soon they would breathe fresh air again. Soon, they would be free.

  And then, from the
shadows came glowing yellow eyes. The creepy orbs moved toward them in the darkness as a chorus of shrieks began. Noth had told Stella about the horrible creatures. Krael had used them to round up sick women at the abduction site. Would the animals sense her pregnancy and consider it a weakness? A pack of them materialized out of the gloom, hulking and silent as they stalked their prey. Stella counted twelve eyes.

  She pointed the ray gun at the animal closest to her and squeezed the trigger. The beast froze in place as the red beam hit its chest. A moment later it exploded in a shower of cooked flesh and singed hair. The other animals retreated, but Stella fired after them and caught one in the rear as it ran off.

  The explosion was deafening. For a moment, she thought the crashing sound was related to the second shot she fired, but tinkling glass began to rain down from the ceiling. Air pulled upward, tugging her hair toward the gaping hole in the glass ceiling while the underbelly of a ship maneuvered through the space.

  “Stay back! Out of the way! When the door opens, single file! Board as quickly as possible!”

  A tremendous humming began. The opposing pull of wind as the repressurization system kicked on yanked at Stella’s hair and clothes as if invisible fingers grabbed at her from every direction. The sound of moving air roared in her ears.

  The aircraft tore through the greenery, ripping limbs from trees as it descended. It came to a screeching halt, metal grinding against metal and stone. A girl near Stella broke toward the ship just as a thick slab on the side of the aircraft disengaged and swung down on hinges. Stella grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back before the huge door crushed her.

  The open portal spurred all of them forward. They rushed toward the entrance as a tall Artanian female stepped out and waved them in. A number of the women balked at the sight of her. Stella could barely make out the alien’s words.

  “I am Noth’s sister. I will return you to your rightful home. Come quickly!”

  The Artanian spoke in stilted English, and Stella saw that she wore an ear bud.