Alien Caged

by Tracy St. John

  Oret thought about that. “In our current situation, I have plenty of opportunity for that. However, I think watching me kill men of her race might do more harm than good. I need a strategy for drawing her to me that doesn’t require violence.”

  Zemos nodded. “You have to show her how she makes you feel then. Do kind things for her if you can. Ask after her health. Tell her the things in your heart, if you are moved to.”

  The Nobek pulled a face, as if he’d eaten something rotten. “Miragin is our wordsmith. I am not a man who knows how to say pretty things to win hearts and minds.”

  Zemos struggled not to smile at the idea of his Nobek reciting poetry or professing undying devotion. “If Elisa is the woman I think she is, she will not respond so much to ‘pretty’ as she will to truthfulness. Even if your speech comes out awkward, the sincerity will at least ring true.”

  “Awkward. There’s a word for it,” Oret snorted. He shook his head, his brows drawing low as he struggled with the obstacles looming in his path. “It is so much easier with men. Talking of such things would be an insult to you or Miragin. I would be saying, ‘I cannot protect you as a Nobek should, so I must tell you how I feel instead.’ It’s disgusting.”

  Zemos nodded. “Actions are better than words, but women like to see and hear our devotion. It’s how they are made. I think it is a challenge worthy of you, my Nobek.”

  Oret’s scowl deepened until his expression was thunderous. “Why can’t I just fight off a dozen armed men for her? That would be easy.”

  “Miragin would tell you that anything easy to claim is not worth the bother. You will have to fight with feeling rather than with fists this time.”

  The Nobek drew a deep breath. Held it for a moment. Blew it out in a rush. He finally gave in to the inevitable, though with bad grace. “I will try. She is worth it, I believe.”

  He stalked off, muttering to himself. The men in his path moved out of his way, not wanting to tangle with a temperamental Oret. Zemos couldn’t blame them.

  For his part, Zemos had a struggle of his own – keeping a straight face. Now was not the time to come to blows with his clanmate, though he’d never wanted to laugh so hard in all his life. Remaining sympathetic to Oret’s dilemma was possibly as demanding a task as the Nobek declaring his love.

  * * * *

  Joseph’s head ached fiercely by the end of the day shift. It was almost a relief when Chase and Robards entered his quarters, giving him an excuse to look away from the computer.

  He pushed his chair away from his desk and sighed at the two men who stood before him. “You have something good to report, I hope?”

  The men looked at each other. While they both maintained staid expressions, Joseph sensed something between the two.

  He realized neither had saluted him upon entering the room. He went on guard, feeling somewhat comforted by the blaster on his hip. The officers were also armed, so it was false security. Still, he felt better knowing he wasn’t completely defenseless.

  It didn’t escape Joseph that things had gotten pretty bad when he wanted to be armed against his own crew.

  Robards smiled. The strained quality of it sat poorly on his face. “I’m making some headway on security system work-arounds. It’s taking my staff time to get through the codes the Kalqs set up. We’re having to go through unrelated channels, but we’re building paths towards the buffering systems.”

  Joseph said, “It sounds complicated.”

  The tactical officer nodded. “It is. Believe it or not, we’re re-routing commands through the private com archives to get into the rest of our programs. It’s a system that requires security clearance, but it’s low level enough that we’ve been able to access it. We’re building on it a little at a time. It may take a couple more hours, but we’ll be able to break into Engineering.”

  Joseph waited a moment to hear more, but Robards didn’t offer anything further. Tension sang through his body though, letting the captain know something was definitely up.

  His smile as false as Robards, he said, “Very nice work, Commander. My congratulations.”

  Chase spoke up. “You may not think so when you hear what he found and showed to me.”

  “What would that be?” Joseph kept his tone professional.

  “The Holy Leader’s conversations with you, including the one that said that hostage Elise Mackenzie is to be executed with the Kalquorians.”

  Joseph’s temper flared. His fingers twitched next to his weapon, and he wondered if he could actually draw on his officers and kill them in cold blood. He’d never done such a thing, blasting at men face to face. Attacking an enemy ship, where one didn’t see the eyes or expressions of those in the line of fire, was a far different thing. He’d never appreciated until now how much easier it was to kill those he couldn’t see.

  Something in Joseph shrank at the thought of murdering these two, even at the cost of his life. He wasn’t sure if it was conscience or cowardice that made him hesitate.

  Those thoughts flew through his head in less than a second. Frozen by indecision, he stalled for more time. In the coldest tones he could summon, he said, “Those communications were not for your eyes or ears.”

  Robards dropped any pretense of good humor. He retorted, “The orders from our Holy Leader are plain, and you’ve chosen to disregard them. Even after he gave you the command, you still insisted we not execute Mackenzie for the crime of lustful activity. You have willfully disobeyed the Voice of God.”

  Chase interrupted, his demeanor that of a reasonable diplomat. “We know you mean well, Captain. No one can dispute that you’re a good man. But you have your orders straight from the Holy Leader himself. Unpleasant orders to be sure, ones difficult for anyone to carry out no matter his devotion. You do not have to worry about the matter, however. We will be certain it is carried out.”

  Joseph’s fingers twitched again, but they did not touch his blaster. Not when he was looking right in their eyes. Yet he tried to sound strong. “I forbid it. Elisa will not suffer any more than she already has. Our Holy Leader is not here to see our situation and know what it is we face.”

  Chase only smiled with more certainty. “The Holy Leader knows all. He is infallible.”

  Robards nodded. “The fact he was snatched from Earth before Armageddon could claim him tells us of his perfect union with God.”

  Joseph said, “He had a private shuttle ready to go at all times. The moment he knew the Kalquorians were at our security grid, he jumped on it and ran for his life. There was no deity behind that.”

  “You are under a lot of stress. Any man in your position would be, Captain Walker, which is why we’ll excuse your heresy.”

  Chase said, “The fact you are disregarding the Holy Leader’s commands show the responsibilities are getting to you, as they would for anyone who has had to lead in these trying times. It is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  The time had come to fight or surrender. Joseph could not order Elisa’s death and live with himself. Yet he could not force his hand to close around his weapon either. He was not a cold-blooded killer in any sense.

  Still trying to stave off the inevitable, he said, “You want me to step down so you can take command.”

  Chase’s eyes widened in a parody of shock. The expression was so cartoonish that it would have been funny if lives hadn’t hung in the balance. “Not at all, Captain. Many in the crew are becoming just as shaky as you are. They see those of us who maintain our reason as more of a threat than a light through the darkness.”

  Robards nodded emphatically. “You are not a harsh person. It would be better if you were stronger, but it’s that very quality of compassion that keeps so many in their place. Your being captain calms those who are wavering. You are still needed to prevent more of the weak from abandoning the right cause.”

  Chase said, “We will handle the more difficult decisions for you from now on. You will remain in command to ease those with more nervous minds.”


  Joseph snapped, “And if I refuse to be your figurehead?”

  Robards’ strained smile returned. “You don’t want to do that, Captain. Even better to the Holy Leader’s cause is a martyr who fell while fighting the Kalquorians. You’ll die a hero, but you will die.”

  He stepped around the desk. When Robards grabbed the blaster from Joseph’s holster, the captain made no move to stop him. The tactical officer tucked the weapon into his belt. He stepped away, leaving Joseph unarmed.

  The captain knew then that he was no more than a coward. Joseph had abdicated all responsibility for the lives in his care because he was afraid to spill the blood of men standing in front of him. He was worse than a killer because he would stand aside and allow his officers to murder innocents.

  Even the small good he might have done by taking his own life had been erased. Chase and Robards would see to it that the crew would be led into destruction even as they shouted their captain’s name, trying to avenge him against the Kalquorians. In his weakness, he had given them all the power.

  Joseph’s lips felt numb as he spoke. “Well, you’ve made your position clear. I guess we’d all better get back to work on the immediate problem.”

  “Please do carry on. I’ll stay here with you while Mr. Robards continues his project. Just to make sure you have my help if needed.” Chase nodded, his expression that of an approving father. It made Joseph nauseous.

  Robards nodded, snapping a salute to the two of them. “Captain. Commander.” He turned and left the room.

  Chase remained in place, his smile plastered onto his ugly face. After a few moments, Joseph went to his chair and sat down, pointedly ignoring his first officer. He went back to work on his computer, resuming the torturous business of regaining helm and navigation control.

  Chapter 15

  Light tapping on the chief engineer’s office door roused Elisa from the fitful sleep she’d fallen into. She’d drifted off lying with Miragin on the carpeted floor. The Imdiko stretched and then rose to answer the summons. Elisa sat up as the door opened to reveal Zemos standing there.

  Miragin beamed at his clan leader. “Hello, my Dramok. You caught us napping.”

  Zemos looked past him to smile at Elisa. She found herself smiling back at that handsome face. She blinked past the exhaustion and remembered she shouldn’t do anything to encourage the Dramok.

  What was a smile compared to the tempestuous sex she’d had with Miragin, however? Damn it, she could still smell the Imdiko’s musk on herself, a scent that made her insides warm again.

  Zemos clapped a hand on Miragin’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m glad you’re getting some rest while it’s possible. I wondered, my Imdiko, if you would give our Nobek your company while I visit with our lovely Earther friend here?”

  Miragin raised an eyebrow. He looked at Zemos questioningly even as he said in an agreeable tone, “If Oret would like my presence, I would be glad to share it.”

  “He is having some concerns of a personal nature.” Then Zemos said something in his rough language.

  The Imdiko’s eyes widened and then he bit his lips together in an obvious effort to hold back a smirk. Elisa saw he had little success in that endeavor, though he did manage to get control over his amusement after a few seconds. “I see. Yes, I’d be more than happy to offer my support.”

  Zemos gave him a pointed look. “If he asks for it.”

  “Understood. Have fun, you two.”

  Giving Elisa a bright grin, Miragin left the room. As Zemos approached her, Elisa stood and fussed with her wrinkled clothing. No doubt the Dramok knew what she’d done with his clanmate earlier. Even to her not-as-sensitive nose, the room reeked of sex. The slight swelling of Zemos’ formsuited groin confirmed her concerns.

  Rather than descending on her with lust, Zemos stopped an arm’s length away and appraised her with worry furrowing his brow. “You must be uncomfortable, as well as hungry.”

  Elisa couldn’t help but feel good that he asked after her welfare. “Actually, we found a candy bar in the desk. It was old and not terribly good, but it helped. Miragin insisted I eat the whole thing though I tried to share it with him.”

  “Kalquorians can get along without food for quite some time. Miragin will be fine. You, on the other hand, are already underweight.”

  Zemos sat down on the edge of the cluttered desk, displacing several items that thudded to the carpeted floor. He paid the fallen items no mind. He indicated Elisa should sit in the chair before him. She did so, her ankles crossed primly and hands folded in her lap.

  Elisa didn’t know what to expect from the Kalquorian looming over her. His words took her by surprise. “Tell me about your singing. I know you were disgraced when you were younger and you worked to put your siblings through advanced schooling. Still, I can’t quite comprehend how someone with your voice ended up serving food on a warship.”

  She took a few moments to wrap her head around the unexpected subject and another few seconds to compose her answer. “Making a living as a singer on Earth was a very hard thing to do. Only a few managed it, often because they had more luck than real talent. I was nobody from a small town. It seemed ridiculous to spend money on music school. If my path went the way of most singers, I would end up waiting tables to earn a living anyway.”

  Zemos folded his arms over his chest. “Were you able to get any formal training at all?”

  Elisa nodded. “A little when I was young. A music teacher in school took me under her wing and gave me private lessons.”

  “In songwriting too? I would like to hear the rest of the song you sang the other day.”

  Elisa laughed self-consciously and ducked her head. She was aware of how hot her face became, telling her she had turned as red as a lobster in her embarrassment. “I can’t believe I chose to sing that one for you. The lyrics are actually quite awful, beyond juvenile.”

  Zemos grinned at her. “It can’t be that bad.”

  Elisa kept laughing at herself, making his answering smile broaden. “I wrote it when I was twelve years old for a youth minister I had a horrible crush on. Singing of such things could have been taken the wrong way, like I wanted to sin with him. To keep from getting myself into trouble, I turned it into a religious song. I pretended it was about my love for God.”

  She rolled her eyes at herself. Why had she let Zemos and his clan hear her childish efforts? “I don’t know whether to laugh or be mortified that I let you hear any of that,” she groaned.

  “The passions of youth know nothing of adult humiliation,” Zemos said, chuckling with her. “How long were you able to continue with lessons?”

  “Not for long. When I was fifteen, the music teacher who’d been so kind scraped together enough money to send me to music camp. She really believed in me.”

  “It’s always good when someone like that comes along. How was the experience?”

  “It started off well.” Elisa swallowed the painful lump that rose in her throat. “I met another singer there. A boy a year older than me named Audie.”

  Zemos must have picked up on the hurt that came with the memories. His tone was careful when he prodded her. “He must have been the one you were caught kissing. What happened with your young man? How did that situation come about?”

  “It shouldn’t have, in all honesty. Boys and girls were kept separate for the most part. The only time we got to be in the same room was for choir practice. We were at a dangerous age, when hormones tended to make us less cautious.”

  She halted again. Elisa wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell anyone of that time. Music camp had started off with a dream coming true, only to see everything she’d ever hoped for fall away. She didn’t want to face the memories.

  Zemos smiled with understanding. “As old as I am, I remember those years myself. It’s hard to think past the libido when it continually makes itself known, even in the most public of circumstances.”

  Elisa nodded. “I was so innocent. Audie stood behind me whe
n we sang. I thought about how nice it would feel if his hand brushed my shoulder or hair. I thought about taking walks with him while holding his hand. I thought about him kissing me. Nothing more. I thought it was the height of romance.”

  “How much of that did you get to enjoy?”

  “One day he passed me a note as he went to his spot in the choir. I felt this tiny folded square of paper pressed into my hand. Such things were frowned upon, so he must have really wanted to talk to me to have made the effort. The paper was damp, as if his hand had been sweating while he held it.”

  “What did it say?”

  Elisa ducked her head, feeling again the sweetness of youthful infatuation. “He said he thought I was pretty and that I had the voice of an angel. He said he was in love. After that, we passed notes to each other every day. Then one day he asked me to sneak out of my dorm after lights out to meet him in the choir room.”

  Zemos smiled softly, as if perhaps remembering his own childhood loves. “And you did?”

  “Absolutely. It really was innocent. We held hands and talked for hours. About singing, about where we lived, our families, school ... everything we could think of. When we said goodnight and started back to our dorms, he kissed me on the cheek. It was as wonderful as I’d thought it would be.”

  Elisa fell silent again, thinking about Audie Montgomery with his curling blond hair, long-lashed blue eyes, and shy smile. He’d been pretty for a boy, with delicate cheekbones and an innocence that hinted nothing of encroaching manhood. They’d been such children in every way at the beginning of that fateful summer.

  Zemos’ deep voice brought her back to the present. “I think I can see the fresh, guileless girl you were then, the one who thought love was all about holding hands and soft pecks on the cheek.”

  Elisa looked up at the Dramok, jarred for an instant after remembering Audie. Here instead of a young boy was an older man, with gray dusting his black hair, wide shoulders of maturity, and hard-won experience in the fine lines of his face. Yet in Zemos’ purple alien eyes was the same warm dawning of discovery that she’d seen in Audie’s gaze so long ago.