by Kylie Gold
“Well, it really isn’t possible. Humans have adapted to a certain way of life that needs to be upheld. Like Dremalite, it’s used in the engines of our spacecrafts so that we can travel planet to planet to gather these resources; and even to visit family. I have family on more planets than I care to list. Without Dremalite, I would never be able to see them…” I tried to explain.
Nova was clearly growing annoyed by my words, shaking his head. “There is absolutely no need for traveling to other planets. If your species would have been responsible and capped their population when it grew to the maximum means of resources that planet could provide, then there would be no need to be spread out across a galaxy. Humans are selfish and greedy. I’m just curious to know the number of the planets your people have sucked dry like they are trying to do here on Shaviro,” he mused.
“It isn’t like that, Nova,” I tried to reason. “I mean, yes, that would have been a responsible thing to do. But there is no going back to fix it. So now we need to get resources to keep our people alive. Many of the planets humans live on don’t even have water, so they travel to the distant ice comets and harvest ice to keep our people hydrated. Same with crops. Many of the planets don’t have soil that will support crops our people can eat, so we have planets dedicated to farms. And without Dremalite, food and water would never reach those people.” Nova stood and walked back into his room. As he walked back, I spoke more, “You have to understand at least a little bit as to where I am coming from. You say you want to provide and protect your people, that’s all these miners are trying to do.” Just as my words finished though, he stuffed the cloth back in my mouth and placed the bind back across my face. I glared hard at him. Really? Why? I wasn’t fighting him, I wasn’t yelling.
“I’m tired of your excuses,” Nova told me, clearing the plates from the table. Once he was finished putting them away, he made me stand and walked me back to the room and chained me to the cot. Nova walked over to his bed and sat down. He let out a sigh of relief, “Ah yes, silence is much better.” I could only glare at him.
8
Nova
The following days proved to be challenging. While the mining had been put to a standstill, it seemed, and there were no more attacks, it meant I wasn’t extraordinarily busy—which meant the more time I spent in my hut. Usually I would have rejoiced in having downtime, it was becoming rarer and rarer to have as the war raged on; but Julia was there. Those days were spent battling attraction, hatred, and frustration for the woman. It seemed like countless times I would give in and ungag her, but within an hour it would be back in because she would speak out of turn. My attraction for her burned just as intensely as my hatred which was driving me insane. One moment I would be captivated by some small detail of her, and the next I was ready to strangle her just to get her to stop talking. She had spirit, that was for sure. And the more days that passed, the more I grew to appreciate her spirit which began morphing my hatred into simple frustration. That realization terrified me, fearing I would actually grow fond of this pigheaded woman.
Each day I tried to suppress my attraction for her by focusing on her ignorance. As we spoke during the times she was ungagged, she seemed to grow more understanding and compassion for the Navani even though her loyalty and empathy for the humans never died out. Sometimes I caught myself wondering in all the confusion, if she could ever even be a suitable mate. Humans were so tiny and fragile, and seemed to have no control over their irrational emotions. It was absurd to think a human ever could be. And while I usually quickly dismissed the notion at first, it would constantly come back to mind.
On day four, she finally seemed to be on board with obeying my orders. That morning she was completely silent, not even attempting to make a noise through the gag. So, after a while I took mercy on her and removed her gag. Shortly after, I prepared lunch for us, serving us kawrun and mixed fruit. She ate well, finishing most of the servings I gave her. The conversation between us stayed light and for once we did not get into a disagreement. Once the plates were cleared, I walked over to her and unlocked the lock about her wrists. My eyes lifted to hers before I pulled away with it, “This is a sign that I trust you to not run away. Step outside that door and you will die; my people will not hesitate to kill on sight. And I will not protect you if you do betray this small inkling of trust.”
Julia gave a small nod and then pulled her wrists away, rubbing her wrist with her other hand. I walked into my personal living area to put the lock away, my own little test to see if she would bolt for the door while I was in the other room. I paused for a minute before heading back into the communal area, surprised to find her standing at the wall dividing the communal area to my personal area with her fingertips grazing against the shaft of a laser spear which hung on the wall. I don’t know what caused me to say it, but it was as though the thought hijacked my brain and I could do nothing but to complete my mission. “Pick that up,” I called to her. She jumped a bit, I suppose not noticing I was back in the room.
She looked to me with big eyes for a moment before looking back to the spear, “What are you talking about?” she mumbled.
“I said pick it up,” I repeated. “You aren’t in any trouble. I just want you to pick it up.”
Julia looked over to me and then back at the spear before both of her hands went to the staff and she lifted it from the mount on the wall. I gestured for her to come to me, which she reluctantly did. Taking the spear, I grabbed her wrist and headed for the door, “Try to run from me and I’ll draw my own weapon,” I warned, “And you don’t want that.”
Opening the door, I walked her outside and kept my hand around her wrist. I tugged her through the village, walking towards the jungle. Eyes followed our every move, the number of eyes steadily increasing. As we approached the jungle, Dran was running up to me, “Sir where are you going with her?” he asked, concern in his voice.
I couldn’t tell him the truth, so I needed to just assert my dominance. “Who gave you the right to question me?” I snapped. “Do not defy your prince. Tell the others the same thing. I know what I am doing.” Then, I briskly pulled Julia to my side and walked into the forest. No one would question it now, or at least no one would dare to face me with questions.
I led her into the deeper part of the jungle, away from human activity and away from the eyes of any Navani men. I kept waiting for her to ask where it was we were going, but I suppose she thought that what I said to Dran applied to her as well; if so, she was a smart girl. Once we were deep enough into the jungle to where I didn’t feel as though anyone would stumble into us, I let go of her wrist and held the spear out for her to take. Julia’s eyes flashed from the spear to my face, not yet reaching for it as confusion washed over her expression. “What’s going on?” she asked quietly.
“Take it,” I instructed in a forceful tone, moving it towards her again. Julia was hesitant, but finally wrapped her hand around the staff and pulled it to her. I then put a hand on her shoulder and continued to walk further with her. My ears and eyes were on full alert, listening for any sudden changes or movement. Just a few minutes into walking I heard a rustle to our side. I looked over and saw hoof prints in the mud. It was a boar. My eyes fell to Julia, my voice lower than a whisper, “There is a boar in that direction. Kill it.”
Julia’s face looked horrified by my words, “Kill it? I can’t. I’m not a killer…” she told me.
“How else do you think you get meat? You’ve been in the village for quite some time now, without being attacked personally, so you need to provide. Kill the boar,” I told her firmly. While getting meat would be good for the village, that wasn’t my only intention; I would be lying to myself if I thought that was the only thing I was after. I wanted to test her strength, to see if she would ever even be able to live within the village without being a hostage. My people only cared about the strength of a citizen, if she could prove her strength then she could perhaps be accepted. Honestly, I don’t know why I couldn’t shak
e the thought, but I couldn’t—I had to put her to the test.
Julia looked down to the spear and back to me. I could see in her eyes that she didn’t exactly want to do it, I’m assuming because humans had a strange misplaced love for animals. The Navani appreciated animals for all they provided for us, and we never overhunted. However, from the rumors I had heard about the humans, they thought about the animal’s feelings and couldn’t stomach to kill their meals for themselves. To me, that was almost incomprehensible and weak.
Her eyes finally found my face again after some long moments of staring at the spear. She gave a brisk nod before turning around and headed in the direction of the boar. As I watched, I realized how badly this could end. Boars were aggressive and massive; so whether she realized it or not, it was a fight to the death. Julia headed bravely towards the boar, I could see her even from that distance as she tried to turn on the staff. It took her just a few seconds, and the head of the spear came out with blue lasers suspending it. At first, I couldn’t see the boar from where I stood, but I didn’t want to get in the way by drawing nearer. I watched as Julia took a deep breath and then charged in front and out of my line of sight. Part of me was a bit cynical, thinking she was too small and slow to even stand a chance against the boar.
There was a loud squeal from the boar, and then I witnessed as the boar ran to where Julia had come from. My eyes widened at the sight of it. It was the largest boar I had ever seen, bigger than any kawrun or boar. Julia ran towards it though, spear in hand. The boar turned around and grunted before launching itself back in her direction, lowering its head a bit to point its tusks in her direction. Julia tried her best to find a good angle to take it on at, but she stumbled a bit, and the boar bucked her into the air. The woman landed on her back with a groan. Before she had the chance to stand, the boar was running back in her direction again. I knew exactly what it was about to do. The boars two main source of attack power came from its tusks and its massive weight. It was going to try and trample her. My eyes were wide as I watched. Surely she would move, she had plenty of time. But, it appeared that she had landed awkwardly on her back, struggling to move at all. Was she going to actually die by the force of this boar?
The boar charged at her, squealing and grunting as it approached full speed. It felt like it was happening in slow motion as the boar began to run over her, its hooves making contact with one of her thighs as he began to trample her. Julia was a goner. The boar began to lift its leg to step onto her stomach, when in a sudden blur, Julia plunged the spear into the neck of the boar—the spear head coming out of the back of its neck. The boar immediately fell to the side, snorting loudly as it bled out. Julia stayed on the ground, wincing at the pain from her back and thigh. Slowly she stood though, limping slightly from the damage done to her leg. She reached down and pulled the spear back through its neck and then turned to look at me.
It might have been strange, but I found her strength and resilience extremely attractive. Never had I seen a human complete such a feat. Hell, some Navani couldn’t even take down the boar she just had. And while my brain had burned with curiosity to see whether or not the puny human could prove her strength to be comparable to ours, now that I knew I didn’t know how to feel about it. My mind was heavy with mixed emotions. I tried to put on a blank face though as I moved over to her. “Good job,” I told her softly as I placed a hand on her shoulder. When Julia looked up to me, she had a look of pride on her face, looking accomplished by the task she had completed. I couldn’t help but smile ever so softly at it. I would never admit it, but I was proud of her too; for a moment there, the battle between her and the boar was looking pretty bleak on her end.
I moved to the boar and inspected it. It would be too heavy for just the two of us to carry, I would have to send a small team out to fetch it. I turned back to her and put my hand lightly around her wrist to lead her back through the jungle. As we began though, I noticed her limping from the boar stepping on one of her legs. Sighing softly, I wrapped an arm around her ribs and helped balance her as we made our way back through the jungle. “The village will eat well tonight with this boar, every morsel of it will be put to use,” I assured her as we made our way through the trees.
9
Julia
My blood was pumping as I limped back through the forest with Nova’s help. Never in my life had I killed anything larger than a fly, let alone an animal. And while I didn’t believe him that it was just to provide for the village since I was staying there, I didn’t question him; I got the distinct impression since my arrival there that the man didn’t tolerate being questioned. At first, the thought of killing the animal had literally sickened me, my nerves making a ball in my stomach that I thought I was going to throw up. However, when it came down to it, it had actually been exciting. Never in my life had I felt so empowered and strong. I took down a beast that was far heavier than me, and the village was going to eat well because of it.
My time spent with his people made me understand that they weren’t just dirty, bloodthirsty savages. They were actually dignified in a way, with a hierarchy that resembled humans. They also had some of the same inventions, however they made sure they never hurt their planet which was something completely foreign to me being a human. It was also foreign to kill my own meat—I didn’t even know anyone who had. But to hear that every bit of the animal would be put to use filled me with a sense of pride. I gave him a nod when he said it, wanting him to know I was listening.
“The fallen animal’s sacrifice will be honored,” he added. That was something else to blow my mind. I hadn’t even thought of it like that. It was so interesting and unique how their people thought. They were so naturalistic and took nothing for granted. And while I still didn’t feel as though the Navani were completely right in the war which was raging on between the humans and them, I was starting to get a better understanding of their stance. They truly did depend on the land, so I suppose I could see where the humans digging some of it up would be upsetting. Still, if they weren’t using the Dremalite, then it shouldn’t be a problem. I tried not to linger on it too long, not wanting to work myself up all over again. I just focused on the pride I felt from killing the boar.
As we walked, I heard a faint noise, so faint I couldn’t make out what it really sounded like. My brow furrowed as I tried to figure it out. A bug maybe? The noise got a little louder as we moved on. Before I could even register the possibilities, Nova drew his sword quickly, making me jump. My heart immediately began to pound; he was actually going to kill me? My eyes looked to him with wild terror in them. He didn’t even hesitate, lifting the sword by his head before giving a massive swing—my eyes closed as I braced myself. I stood completely still, waiting for the pain. But after waiting, I opened my eyes a bit to see Nova staring down at me, already sheathing his sword. Confused, I looked down to see a snake lying just by my foot; its head chopped off. “It’s a poisonous snake. Another step and you would have been dead,” Nova informed me.
When I looked back up to him, I found his eyes still on me. He had saved me? As I realized this, the tension seemed to rise around us. Nova stepped into me, standing nearly chest to chest. His citrine eyes held my gaze, his own gaze searching mine. My cheeks burned a little red, unsure how to feel about all of it. So much had happened in the few days I had been in his village, and so much had changed—yet my attraction for him remained. He was strong and brave, and strangely sexy. While I thought he found humans repulsive, the way he was looking down at me… Was it possible he found me attractive? Surely it was a ridiculous thought. But then he slowly reached towards me and my heart gave a flutter. Was he actually going to kiss me? I had no idea what to think, but then I felt his fingers in my hair. Just as I became certain he was going to lean in and kiss me, his fingers lifted from my hair. I looked to his hand and saw a small sliver of snake flesh between his fingers. My cheeks burned even more at the realization he wasn’t kissing me. “Let’s head back. Be careful where you ste
p,” he told me in soft tone. I gave a nod and then he began to lead the way back.
While my eyes then watched the ground in fear of running into another snake, my thoughts were completely consumed by what had just happened. Had I wanted him to kiss me? If so, why? We were from two different species and two very different backgrounds. We had nothing in common. Maybe I was developing Stockholm Syndrome, falling in love with my captor as my mind’s way of adapting to the situation. Even though that could have been a possibility, I had a gut feeling it was more. I felt directionless and dazed by my own emotions. How could it be that I felt anything in the slightest for Nova? We were meant to be enemies. Yet as days passed, I began to find it harder and harder to hate the man. I may dislike him, but it certainly wasn’t a strong hate anymore. The thought was exciting in a way, but also confusing.
10
Nova
The next morning, I was stirred earlier than usual by a knock on the door. I let out a heavy sigh before kicking my legs over the bed. Putting on my chief necklace and smoothing my hair, I moved to the door. Opening it, Kuro stood before me. “Nova, word came that the humans attacked a nearby tribe. They opened fire as they slept,” he spoke in a panicked tone.
My eyes widened. If they attacked a nearby village, it meant they could attack us at any time. We needed to retaliate and fast. “Prepare the men. We’ll attack the human guard barrack outside the drilling site,” I told him. He gave a ‘yes sir’ before running off. I closed the door and let out a heavy groan. When would this damn war end so we could return to our normal lives? It had gone on for so long at that point that I could hardly remember what a normal life felt like. I moved back into the living area to prepare to go out.
