Dane: A Scifi Alien Romance: Albaterra Mates Book 3

by Ashley L. Hunt

  Morgan let out a grumble from between stiff lips, but he opted not to protest, and I took his acquiescence as firm agreement. I looked down at the navigation panel over which Lokos and I stood and studied the shapes on its glowing green screen.

  “My instinct is to land in Montemba, as I know the lay of the homeland best and can identify an area safe for the ship to descend without significant risk,” I said thoughtfully, dragging my finger over the screen. It zoomed in on the large digital sphere in the center, and the glow expanded as the outlines of land masses appeared. I spoke in English not to appease the General but to avoid further interruption. “However, I do not believe there is enough open space in Montemba for the entire fleet to land concurrently. There are simply too many mountains to maneuver around.”

  “I agree, Fierce One,” Lokos said with a nod. “Though, if you see…” He rotated the sphere and zoomed in the image further, then pointed. “There is an expanse on the south end of Dhal’at that would comfortably allow for a dozen ships to come in. And, of course, Campestria is mostly open plains.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, tapping my chin with my middle fingernail and squinting at the screen, trying to visualize the scale of the displayed Dhal’atian expanse. Then, with a firm nod, I zoomed the sphere out to bring the diorama of the fleet encroaching on Albaterra back onto the panel. “That is what we will do. Bring our ship into Montemba, near the third training arena. Silah?”

  I looked around to the opposite side of the room where Silah was awaiting orders with his finger hovering beside his ear. I knew he was preparing to use the inner-ear communication device to speak with the other ships.

  “Yes, Fierce One.”

  “Inform the fleet to split into two groups by hemispherical kingdoms. Those of the north will land in Campestria outside of the Elder city at the Paragon crash site. The other group will land in southern Dhal’at. There is an expanse there too wide to be missed.”

  “Yes, Fierce One,” Silah repeated. He pressed his finger into his ear and began speaking in rapid A’li-uud. I saw General Morgan shoot him a look of irritation, but he kept his mouth shut. I addressed him.

  “You may want to inform your crew we are going in for the landing. Albaterra’s atmosphere is much thicker than Earth’s, and they may want to strap themselves in until we’ve touched the ground,” I said.

  He grunted and left without a word.

  “I need to warn Roxanne we will be moving in for landing,” I told Lokos. “I will be back in a minute.”

  He nodded and gave me a knowing look. I opted not to comment on it and left the room.

  When I returned to Roxanne’s room, the lights were still on, and she was sitting on her cot. Her porcelain cheeks were still flushed with the stimulation we’d abruptly ended, and her eyes were hooded but unsated. Her head snapped up as I entered, and a small smile spread across her lips.

  “Either it was a small problem, or you couldn’t wait to get back,” she jibed teasingly.

  I quirked a brow at her. “If it had been my choice, I would not have left, to begin with,” I said in a purr. Her emerald orbs sparkled, but I became serious. “Unfortunately, we cannot continue right now.”

  “Why not?” she asked, her face falling.

  I extended a hand to her. “Come with me.”

  She hesitated, then placed her hand in mine and allowed me to help her to her feet. I intertwined my fingers with hers and led her from the bedroom, down the corridor, and to the sealed metal door that served as entrance to the port side docking bay. She looked at me curiously as I released her hand and pulled two spacesuits from the wall.

  “What are you doing?” Her expression was dubious, and she was watching me closely.

  “You cannot go into the bay without a spacesuit on; there is no oxygen,” I explained absently, handing her one of the suits.

  “I know that,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I meant why are we going into the bay at all?”

  “I need to show you something.”

  Once we were dressed in the suits, large transparent globes around our heads and our bodies looking like puffy clouds, I unsealed the bay door and opened it. I reached for her hand again, which she offered, and held as tightly as I could through the thick glove. With my free hand, I pressed the button that opened the bay door nearest to us.

  “Come,” I said again, tugging her forward toward the door. “Close your eyes.”

  She did as bidden and followed me nervously as, inch by inch, the panorama of the Andromeda galaxy was revealed before us. When the door was entirely open, I shook her hand slightly.

  “Look,” I ordered.

  16

  Roxanne

  Seeing Albaterra from space was like looking into a magical snow globe. Strangely-shaped continents of envy-green and smatterings of dusty gold were surrounded by vivid swaths of aqua. Pale violet clouds in puffs and flourishes teased the planet’s surface from top to bottom like an abstract pattern. The whole orb had a gentle glow to it that reminded me of a soft nightlight or a pregnant mother’s skin, and the backdrop of black space was densely pinpricked with white stars. It was nothing short of ethereal.

  As gorgeous as the scene was, it was a pale imitation of Albaterra on the ground. Disembarking from the ship was like stepping out of reality and into a dream. The sky was a visceral hue of turquoise, potent in color but somehow also as clear as glass, and it seemed to swallow me up on all sides rather than serve as an overhead canopy. Its smooth surface was punctuated with uncountable dove-white stars and the same lavender swirls I’d seen from space, and a massive sun the same color as Dane’s eyes smiled at me from the west. Mountains unlike any I’d ever seen walled us in from all directions, snow-capped and jagged in silhouette but smooth in texture. There was snow beneath my feet, but stepping on it felt more like stepping on baking powder than on Earth snow.

  Everything was so bright, so rich and sharp. Colors were not just colors; they were like living sensations. Even the air I breathed seemed to have its own color, a crystalline hue of purity that made me feel as though I didn’t have to inhale as deeply to fill my lungs with oxygen. A piney scent flitted over my nostrils and reminded me of the first day of winter and, though the temperature was low, I was awash with warmth in my core.

  It was the definition of beauty.

  “Wow,” I whispered, dragging my eyes slowly over the landscape before me.

  I’d wanted to watch Albaterra grow nearer from the docking bay as we moved in for the landing, but Dane had insisted I return to the interior of the ship and strap myself into a launch chair. I’d realized why in short order. Taking off from Earth had been jarring, but barreling through Albaterra’s atmosphere was like plunging headfirst through a wall of boulders. The ship had shuddered and rocked violently, the pressure in the craft spiked and ebbed at haphazard rates, and, at one point, our gravity equalizers faltered. Once we’d landed, however, Dane had made sure I was the first to be unstrapped and brought out of the ship.

  Now, standing in the midst of what Dane told me was the kingdom of Montemba, I had never felt so peaceful.

  “Do you like it?” Dane was standing beside me, his arm pressed against mine and his eyes glued intently to my face.

  “Like it?” I turned to him in awe. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

  His face relaxed instantly, and a very small smile spread over his lips. “I have,” he murmured.

  I flushed with pleasure and glanced back at the scene before me. It was a truly exquisite sight to behold.

  The sounds of thumping footsteps alerted me to the arrival of other disembarking crewmembers behind us. Dane twisted around to look at them, but I remained rooted to the spot. In my peripheral vision, I saw Lokos draw up to us. He seemed calmer, his mouth slack and his jaw unclenched. It was the first time I had ever seen him look anything other than fierce. I imagined he’d been homesick and, after getting my first real view of Albaterra, I could understand why.

  “What
are we going to do with the humans?” he asked Dane, sounding surprisingly uninterested in the answer. I could see his chest heaving in great breaths, absorbing every bit of Montemba he could. It was like watching someone on the fringe of starvation sit down to a feast. “Dungeons?”

  “No. We will house them in the empty warrior dormitories,” Dane answered firmly. Lokos flicked a startled look at his Elder, but Dane didn’t flinch. “I think we need only resort to the dungeons if they prove a danger to our people.”

  I was taken aback by this. When our astronauts had returned from the resource mission, they’d told stories of being kept in dungeons after their ship was bombed and they crashed on Albaterra. Either they were overdramatizing, or Dane didn’t do things the way other Elders did. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, and I spun to face the two A’li-uud.

  “Aren’t there humans here?” I asked.

  They glanced at each other, and then back at me. “Of course,” Dane said, brandishing a hand at the ship, from which both soldiers and aliens were filing out.

  “No, not them. Women.” I was growing more excited by the second. “Didn’t you say one of the astronauts stayed back when the Epitome collected the Paragon survivors? And didn’t your brother come back to Albaterra with a woman?”

  Dane and Lokos exchanged looks again. Lokos seemed indifferent to the inquiry, but Dane stiffened beneath my eager gaze. “Yes,” he said through thin lips. “There are two human females here.”

  “Can I meet them?” I demanded excitedly.

  “I think it is best you settle in before anything else,” he replied. “You are in a foreign land, and you will soon meet with the Council.”

  “I—what?” This news stunned me, and strands of unanticipated fear knotted in my stomach. I stared at him. “What do you mean, I’ll meet with the Council?”

  Lokos muttered something to Dane in A’li-uud and excused himself with a slight nod to me. I ignored him and gaped wide-eyed at Dane, waiting for his answer. He lifted a pale brow. “You are Ambassador of Alien Relations, are you not?” he asked.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Am I misunderstanding the nature of your position?”

  “No, I…” With a sinking feeling in my gut where the knot had formed, I realized he was right. I’d certainly never expected to meet with a group of alien leaders when I’d accepted the position, but unlikelihood did not release me from the responsibilities of my title. “No. I have to meet with them.”

  “Then you will need to prepare,” he said firmly.

  General Morgan stumped up to us with Lokos on his tail. I was thrilled to see his nose was pushed over to one side and thick purple circles were beginning to form beneath his eyes. He ignored me completely and glared at Dane. “What are we doing? I didn’t come all the way from Earth to sightsee.”

  “We will be housing you and your men in our warrior dormitories,” Dane told him. “I believe you will find them to your satisfaction.”

  “I don’t give a damn where I’m staying. I want to meet this Council of yours.”

  Lokos’ foot swung out of nowhere and crashed into the back of Morgan’s knees, sending him flying to the ground. He caught himself with his hands before his already-damaged face met the snow and leaped back up, whirling around to face Lokos. His broad shoulders heaved up and down with fury.

  “Why the hell did you do that for?” he yelled, incensed.

  “You will speak with respect when you address an Elder,” Lokos hissed. Somehow, though his eyes were white, they seemed black with rage equal to the General’s.

  I stepped forward, and the three males looked at me. I, however, fixated only on Morgan.

  “I will be meeting with the Council,” I informed him, tilting my chin upward and squaring my shoulders.

  He made a throaty noise of disdain, and his mouth curled in an ugly grin. “You?” he snickered. “You don’t know the first thing about military operations or defense.”

  “Luckily, we’re here to discuss neither,” I said haughtily. “We came to present our request for peace and establish mutually beneficial terms for the treaty as outlined by the Board. As the Ambassador of Alien Relations, it is my job to relate the Board’s proposal to said aliens. You and your soldiers are here merely as a precaution against a double-cross on either side, as well as to return the ship back to Earth.”

  Morgan sneered at me. “We’ll see,” he snapped. He stumped away toward a small herd of soldiers gathered near the ship’s exit ramp. Lokos gave Dane a meaningful look and followed after the General.

  “He is going to be a problem,” Dane mused absently.

  I sniffed and tossed my head. “I can handle him,” I scoffed. “I already did once.”

  Dane raised a brow at me, the left corner of his mouth turning upward in amusement, and I giggled. Deep down, though, I had a feeling he was right.

  17

  Dane

  Our landing spot in Montemba was not far from the empty block of warrior dormitories, so I decided to lead the humans there on foot. Their wariness of A’li-uud seemed to melt with each passing step as they became more and more distracted by the unfamiliar surroundings, and I was pleased to see that most of the twelve were fascinated and delighted by what they saw. A few, General Morgan included, were less than impressed, but I didn’t care. Montemba was my home, and I loved it more than anywhere in the universe—certainly more than any place I’d visited on Earth.

  I’d permitted most of the A’li-uud who’d crewed the ship to go their own ways shortly into the walk. They had been on Earth and away from their families for months, and I knew they were eager to return to their homes. I understood. I, too, felt eager fluttering in my belly as I enveloped myself in the Albaterran landscape. The departure of so many warriors left a group of us around twenty-six, which made traversing the rugged, snow-blanketed terrain easier.

  When we reached the cross of two well-trodden paths, I stopped walking. The A’li-uud with me halted as well, but the humans seemed jolted by the sudden pause and looked at each other with alarm on their faces.

  “You will find the dormitories down this trail,” I announced, extending an arm toward the path on the left. “Lokos will show you to your block and answer any questions you may have. I will have a meal delivered shortly, and I will post warriors at the residence to keep you updated and help you with anything you need.”

  I nodded to Lokos, who nodded once back at me and made a sharp motion with his jaw for the humans to follow him as he began walking down the path. After a brief moment of hesitation, they began to trail after him one-by-one, the last being General Morgan. He shot me a nasty scowl before turning and striding behind his soldiers.

  Roxanne started to walk after them, but I reached forward and grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “I thought humans were staying in the dormitories,” she replied, a look of confusion on her delicate face.

  “You will be staying with me,” I said. When her eyes widened a bit, I hastily added, “In the Elder palace, that is. You will be more comfortable there, and I think it is best for the convenience of meeting with the Council.”

  Something akin to disappointment flashed in her verdant eyes, but I wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to stay in the dormitories or because she was hoping for my explanation to be different. Either way, she nodded her acceptance. I advised several of my remaining warriors to go after Lokos for security, and then I continued forward with Roxanne and the few A’li-uud left in our party.

  Only ten minutes later, we reached the bottom of a mountain with a gilded path running up its center. I glanced at the A’li-uud behind me to silently indicate they were to take the path, and I reached for Roxanne. As I slid an arm around her waist, she melted slightly against my side.

  “You are going to want to hold on,” I murmured against her ear.

  Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

  “Just trust me,” I said. Then, I lifted my face and jumped into the wind.r />
  Roxanne’s hands latched onto my shoulders like vice grips, her entire body twisting to press into mine. I felt her heart lurch before bursting into a sprint in her chest, and her breath sharpened before stilling completely. I couldn’t help smiling into her hair as we flew up the summit to the glittering purple door at the mountain’s center. When our feet grounded again, she continued to cling to me and looked up with spinning eyes.

  “Wha—what just happened?” she gasped. Her cheeks were pale enough to rival mine, and her skin had become clammy. She swung her gaze from left to right, finally settling unsteadily on the door before us. “How did we get up here so fast?”

  “Wind travel,” I told her, still unable to hold back my grin. “It is a gift of the Elders.”

  “We just flew?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes,” I said with a nod. “Though, I would relate it more to being carried by the wind than flying.”

  She gaped at me wordlessly and allowed her hands to slip from my shoulders back to her sides. Her eyes turned back to the door. “What is that? Why does it glitter?”

  “It is made of aspex, a mineral native to Montemba and highly useful,” I explained. I took her hand and pressed her fingertips against the jagged surface, admiring the way the sunshine danced on the geodes and cast uneven shapes of light across her face. “Aspex is very hard, nearly impenetrable. It makes excellent weapons for hunting and battle. It is also a very sturdy material for construction, though the Elder palace is the only structure in which aspex is permitted.”

  Roxanne had gained back a measure of balance during my explanation and seemed more coherent now. Her mouth was open slightly in awe as she grazed the aspex with the pads of her fingers, tracing the harsh lines and asymmetrical edges. The door itself was at least six feet taller than her, and the geodes towering over her head bathed her in whimsical violet light. With her long, obsidian hair and lithe figure, she could have been the manifestation of a creation goddess.