Karak Warrior: An Alien Shifter Sci-Fi Romance (Alien Shapeshifters Book 2)

by Ruby Ryan

  I jerked awake, and I was back on the couch in the spacecraft, wearing my cop uniform and coat instead of lingerie.

  Jerix pulsed in his chair, and I had the distinct impression he was watching me. Breathing heavily. But of course that was silly since Karak didn't breathe, and I was probably imagining things.

  Are you okay? he said into my brain.

  For a split second, I thought that he knew what I had dreamed. That he had been there with me, experiencing it the same way in my imagination.

  But the way he asked if I was okay wasn't filled with love or care, but with concern and worry. A deeper worry that encompassed far more than me. I didn't know how I knew, but I did.

  "A dream," I said. I shook my head and added, "Humans have vivid dreams."

  So I have heard, he replied, the concern falling away.

  I smiled, said "goodnight," and curled back on the couch, pulling a white sheet I hadn't noticed back over me.

  6

  JERIX

  We traveled in mutual companionship. Leslie instructed me on how to shift-create a deck of cards, and then she taught me games to play with them: solitaire, blackjack, poker with rules involving the number of eyes on the Jacks.

  And then, when we slept, we made love vigorously in her dreams.

  I wondered if she knew how real they were to me, that I was there with her for every caress and kiss and thrust. Sometimes, when she woke in the morning and her eyes immediately found me, I was certain that she knew. But if so, she never gave any other hints, and I kept my promise not to probe her mind with my consciousness.

  But I broke that promise at night, because Leslie would be executed as soon as we landed, and I wished desperately to know her before she did.

  Outside our ship--our ship, not mine alone--the stars passed by impossibly fast.

  "What's wrong?" Leslie asked when we were nearing the end of the cross-galaxy jump. She put down her poker hand and frowned at me.

  "What makes you think anything is wrong?"

  "Because you're making a face. You probably don't even know you're doing it. But you are."

  Remaining in this human vessel made it difficult to control my emotions. Humans wore their feelings on their exteriors like clothing, for all the world to see.

  The Karak part of my mind could not lie, but the human part had no qualms. Besides, what I ended up telling her was technically the truth.

  "I am nervous about returning to Karak. I have not seen my home in a very long time."

  Leslie stretched out on her belly on the floor of the craft, kicking up her legs behind her. It showed off the shape of her behind nicely, a part of her body I'd enjoyed most of all in our nightly dance.

  "What will you do?" she asked. "Do Karak scouts have retirement? A pension? Low-gravity golf courses on exotic moons?"

  She smiled, so I knew that was a joke. Well, half a joke. The root question was serious.

  "Karak scouts have many options when they return from a tour," I explained. "Some become administrators in the Dominion leadership; their experience across new galaxies gives them a unique perspective on where to focus our energy in the future. Others return for another scouting tour, though not many--being away from the Dominion for long periods of time can be detrimental for a Karak's well-being."

  "I can tell," Leslie said with a wink, putting down two cards and drawing two replacements to her hand.

  "The more reckless and bloodthirsty scouts become warriors in the Sunken Pit. Much like your Roman Coliseum, Karak warriors fight prisoners and rabid animals, or showcase incredible feats of shifting. Many scouts use what they have learned on their tours to shift into incredible beasts of fire and fury."

  "And here I thought you Karak were a more civilized species."

  "It is good to allow such branches of our Dominion to channel their primitive urges in a productive manner," I said. "Better for a bloodthirsty Karak to unleash such energy in the Sunken Pit than to become a serial killer, as you humans have."

  "Ya know, all joking aside, there might be something to that." Leslie arched an eyebrow. "Is that what you're gunna do? Become a Karak warrior and kill prisoners in the Sunken Pit for sport?"

  I laughed a human laugh. "Unlike the great warrior Dyonarix, I do not possess a bloodthirsty bone in my body."

  "Karak don't have bones."

  "Another failing of your human idioms. But no, I could not be a fighter." I stared off in thought. "When I complete my tour, I will become a Karak settler. My rank, paired with my experience visiting unknown planets on my tour, will allow me to lead a full settlement expedition to the planet of my choosing."

  "Hey! I thought you said you weren't going to use your knowledge to enslave the human race!"

  I played my poker hand: three of a kind, which lost to Leslie's flush. "We do not enslave alien species. We cohabitate with them after a long and meticulous transition period. Humans will not be explored for such habitation for many thousands of years. I would lead a settlement elsewhere."

  "Oh." Leslie chewed that over while she shuffled the deck of cards. "That sounds exciting! Visiting a strange and exotic place, trying to build a civilization there and survive. That's what my ancestors did in America, in a way. Venturing forth."

  I swelled with pride. "Very exciting indeed."

  "You'll probably need peacekeepers," she said with a dramatic toss of her ponytail. "I've got some experience in that area, in case you forgot. So you'll have to recruit me along with you. We can settle a planet together!"

  She looked embarrassed immediately after saying it, like she'd announced a secret she wasn't ready to reveal. Her emotions for me, I knew, with as much certainty as I knew what I felt for her.

  I wanted to tell her what would happen, that when we arrived she would be executed, but no matter how hard I tried the words would not reach my lips.

  "Let me teach you Texas Hold'Em," she quickly said. "I'm getting bored with straight poker."

  The dreadful feeling in my gut sank deeper as she dealt the cards.

  7

  LESLIE

  We were more prepared for the end of the cross-galaxy jump than the beginning, and were comfortably strapped into chairs that absorbed most of the momentum shift. The one Jerix shifted for me molded perfectly to my body. There was a lurch, a queasy feeling in my stomach, and then the shooting stars outside the cockpit all froze in place.

  "Oh my God," I said.

  A turquoise planet hung in the air ahead of us, the full sphere in view. Only half illuminated by its foreign sun, the dark half sparkled with billions of tiny lights, pinpricks against the dark surface.

  "Welcome to the Karak homeworld," Jerix announced with grim finality.

  "What is that?" I pointed.

  "Our orbital ring," he said simply.

  Ring was indeed the best way to describe it, as I followed its curve around one end of the planet's horizon, then the other. It was like someone had taken the International Space Station, hit copy-and-paste a few thousand times, and connected them all together in a chain. Lights flickered along its length, and smaller objects--other spacecraft?--moved around it like flies circling a carcass.

  "Orbital ring," I repeated, tasting the word. "Yeah. Okay. Sure."

  He twisted in his seat, concern plastered on his face. "Are you well? Does such a foreign sight disturb you?"

  I waved a hand. "No, I'm fine. I've seen Star Wars. It's not too crazy."

  But it was too crazy. I wanted to scream with excitement and fear and point out every ridiculous detail I saw in this ridiculous place. I was visiting an alien civilization on an alien planet, a planet that had rings, rings like Saturn except man-made.

  Karak-made, my brain corrected. Not man-made.

  "Whatever happens," Jerix said, "know that I have enjoyed our time together."

  And there was more to his words, something just below the surface. I thought about my dreams during the journey, how vivid they were. How real they were. Jerix had promised not to tou
ch my consciousness, and had kept that promise to the best of my knowledge during the day. But what about at night?

  Before I could ask him, he shifted from human to Karak form.

  Remain silent during all that occurs, he commanded in my brain, cold Karak voice devoid of emotion. Allow me to guide the discussion with whomever greets us.

  "Let you do the talking. No problem, Sundance."

  Sundance?

  "A movie. And old movie. I'll show you some day."

  I was babbling. I babbled when I was nervous, and descending toward this alien planet was about the most nerve-tingling experience I'd ever had in my life. I thought about asking Jerix for a few shots of his shifted-alcohol, but that was probably a bad idea. I wasn't just here as a tourist. I was sort of representing all of the human race. I didn't want to screw that up.

  Well shit. Now I was really nervous.

  To my surprise, we didn't descend to the planet itself: we flew toward the ring, a gaping oval of light in its side that seemed to pulse as we neared. The scout craft passed through a shimmering membrane, turned right, and then rotated so that the membrane we'd passed through was part of the floor rather than a wall. The craft landed lightly, a tiny tremor in my tailbone.

  A Karak appeared outside the cockpit window. He pulsed with excitement, then stopped abruptly.

  I felt his invisible gaze passing over my body.

  Do not be afraid, Jerix told me, though by his tone he sounded scared himself. Come.

  Jerix passed effortlessly through the cockpit window, but of course I could do no such thing. I wrinkled my nose as I walked through the filthy cargo bay, then stepped out onto the floor of the ring.

  The Karak and Jerix stood three feet apart, and I got the impression they were arguing. Then they approached one another, and seemed to merge together until they were one single beam of solid light. Moments passed, and then they parted once more.

  Greetings Leslie, said the new Karak in my head. His voice sounded scornful.

  "Howdy."

  Don't say anything else, Jerix commanded. He still sounded vaguely human. As I said. Allow me to do the talking.

  Okey dokey.

  The new Karak led us through a maze of corridors just barely wide enough for my shoulders, with a ceiling so low I needed to duck. Other Karak moved in the opposite direction, passing through us like two flocks of birds. I felt a tingly sensation as they shifted through my body, and could feel the alarm from their consciousness long after they disappeared. The Karak were shocked to see me. Not surprising, since I was an alien, but I guess I expected them to be used to that sort of thing.

  I made a conscious decision to pretend they were taken by my incredibly human beauty, and that helped me relax a few degrees.

  We moved into a larger room, which ended up being an elevator of sorts. Without any sensation of movement, it dropped vertically toward the planet, the glass on either side giving an incredible view of space and the planet's atmosphere from above. I could see features on the planet now, ridges like mountains and canyons, interspersed with glimmering patches of light that must be Karak cities. There were no seas or oceans that I could see. I pressed my face to the window and gaped like a child at the zoo.

  Jerix and the other Karak watched me, but said nothing. I wondered if they were gossiping about me, and earth, and all the other things Jerix had learned. Karak scouts were held in high regard.

  The blackness of space disappeared, replaced by white and blue as we descended. The color of the sky was entirely foreign, the wrong shade of blue, too turquoise and without any clouds to diminish it. Something else was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

  And then the Karak cities came into greater view. From this height they looked like shards of broken glass, randomly arranged in a field of sharp edges and reflected light. There were no roads that I could see. My mind tried to pick out other patterns, some familiarity for me to latch onto, but failed in the attempt.

  "It's beautiful," I whispered.

  Jerix sent a burst of anger at me, emotion without words. I whipped my head around in shock, and then it was gone.

  Our planet is indeed beautiful, the other Karak said to me, his thoughts thick with disapproval. And disappointment.

  Why would he be disappointed at how I felt about his planet? Beautiful was a compliment, dude.

  Whatever. If these Karak wanted to get offended over nothing, that was their problem.

  The elevator landed and the door opened. We were in a great space, the ceiling so high and far that at first I assumed we were outside. It reminded me of the inside of a human stadium, with an enormity of open air within.

  I followed the two Karak beams to a flat, featureless platform. It began moving the moment both of my feet were on it, picking up speed rapidly.

  "We've got trains on earth like this," I said into the silence. "Helps us move around. Makes sense you guys would too."

  Stop talking! Jerix demanded, but I didn't care.

  Karak have no need, the other beam told me. We travel in fiber-optic tubes instantly throughout the city. This is a transport platform typically used for cargo.

  "Oh."

  Despite our speed, I didn't feel any wind on my face as we zoomed through the city. It was like a protective bubble surrounded the platform. The glass buildings rose tall all around us, and from here I could see they were shaped like orange wedges standing vertically on one end. Flat on one side, round on the other.

  Ahead of us was a building unlike all the others. It was spherical, and massive, an order of magnitude larger than anything around it. I could feel the importance of such a place as the platform neared.

  "Are you going to meet the Dominion Lord?" I asked.

  No, Jerix said at the same time the other Karak said, yes.

  Jerix flashed with alarm, but the other Karak stood placidly.

  "That's great! It should be an honor, right?"

  Silence answered me, so I turned back around to admire the view. I was an alien in this place, so I shouldn't get offended by their curt responses.

  The platform entered the huge spherical building, stopping in a small room far within its depths. The Karak exited the platform and I followed toward a narrow doorway, but then the other Karak blocked my path.

  We will remain here, he said. Jerix will make this journey alone.

  "No sweat," I said, sticking my hands in my coat pockets. "Good luck, Jerix!"

  Thank you, he said, brimming with barely-restrained excitement as he disappeared down the corridor.

  8

  JERIX

  Thank you, I told her with barely-restrained fury as I moved down the corridor.

  I should have been more honest with her. Told her the full severity of her presence, and how important it was to remain silent among the other Karak. Maybe then she would have understood.

  But it was too late, now.

  I moved down the long corridor until I reached a transportation fiber. My body fell into it seamlessly, and I moved at the speed of light throughout the building, arriving in the chamber where I intended to go.

  The photons of my body shifted back into place, and I hardened my resolve.

  I stood in the Dominion Council's audience chamber, a round space with a raised platform on one end. There the Karak Council waited, six unmoving beams of light that stared down at me with disdain.

  And a seventh Karak stood in a place that usually remained empty.

  SCOUT JERIX, boomed the Dominion Lord into my consciousness. The light of his Karak body was brighter than the rest, and taller by a noticeable degree. WE WELCOME YOU HOME TO KARAK.

  I poured as much deference into my consciousness as I could. Thank you, Dominion Lord. I was not expecting the immense honor of your presence here today.

  The Council, and the Dominion Lord, stared down at me.

  We have learned, from your ship logs, of the great disgrace of scout Arix. The Dominion Lord twinkled with fury. Such dishonor is unprecedente
d. To abandon all Karak vows to mate with an alien species.

  I sent agreement through our bonded consciousness. My tour was diverted to rescue him, yet when I found him it was too late. He had remained in his human body for too long. He succumbed to its intoxicating sensations, and refused to return home with me. I could not have compelled him without disturbing the local species.

  The Dominion Lord gave a twinge of emotion similar to a nod. We have ascertained that to be the facts of the matter. You did all that you could.

  I have failed, I said.

  You did not fail in that regard, the Dominion Lord insisted. It is Arix's failing, and his failing alone, to have allowed himself to be poisoned by their body.

  The Council shimmered with displeasure, but the Dominion Lord remained steady, and when he spoke again his words were pregnant with meaning.

  You are not alone.

  I felt my stomach sink, a leftover human response in my consciousness. Here was the moment I had been avoiding for the entirety of my journey. The inevitability that had loomed, and the dishonor that I had allowed.

  Leslie, I said, more emotion than a name.

  We have touched her consciousness, said someone else on the Council. She stole away on your craft without you knowing.

  The shame of allowing such a thing overwhelmed me. I made my photon body as dim as I could and said, Yes.

  I prepared for their judgment, the punishment they would surely impart, but what they said was not at all what I expected.

  We have decided to give you mercy for this, the Dominion Lord finally said. Your tour was interrupted. You were faced with a difficult situation in Arix's betrayal. It is understandable, and forgivable, that you would leave the planet with such haste that you did not run all spacecraft checks properly.