by S. E. Smith
"STOP!" Gracie called out frantically as she pulled the string back. "Please...stop." She whispered.
Kordon froze as he stared into the dark green eyes of the female that moments ago was screaming as if she were being tortured. He could hear the others coming up behind him but he did not move. In truth, he felt almost frozen as he stared at the breathing image of the female who had haunted his every waking and sleeping moment since he first heard her voice. He straightened until he was standing at his full height. He held back a smile as he watched her eyes grow larger as he towered over her petite form. He growled out in a low, deep voice his displeasure at her thinness. He would see she was fed properly from now on.
"Please don't make me hurt you. Please just go away." Gracie was saying over and over in a pleading voice. I really didn't want company if they were big enough to squish me. Being alone was nice. Really, it was. Gracie thought desperately. You never had to worry about being crushed like a bug by creatures bigger than you when you were alone. Gracie had no idea she was still speaking out loud.
Gracie gasped when she heard a feminine chuckle behind the huge male staring at her like she was breakfast, lunch, and dinner all rolled into one. Her arm was beginning to shake from holding the bow string back and her nose was beginning to itch from all the crying. Oh, hell. Gracie thought just as a sneeze over came her. Damn Murphy's Law.
The sneeze caught her by surprise so fast she accidentally let go of the bow string firing the arrow. Gracie sneezed loudly again then gasped as she saw what she had done. With a cry, she dropped her bow and moved forward without thinking.
Kordon saw the moment the female's hand released the arrow at him. He moved, turning as the arrow approached. His swift reflex was instinctive; developed through years of training and battle. He ignored the slight pain in his arm as the arrow sliced through the sleeve of his uniform. It quivered as it embedded in the metal framing next to him. Kordon vaguely heard Mohan's cry and Bran and Cooraan's roar of rage but none of them could get through the doorway with him blocking it. Kordon turned briefly to command the men to stand down. He jerked back around when he felt delicate hands running over his chest and arm where blood was beginning to seep from the cut the arrow sliced.
Kordon stared in shock as the female who called herself Gracie Jones babbled and patted on him. "I'm so sorry. I had to sneeze and I didn't mean to sneeze but I had to because I was crying and I was crying because the stupid solar and fuel cells died, and then I decided to throw a temper tantraum but then you guys showed up and...." Gracie stopped when she felt a set of huge hands slide up her arms to circle her throat. She wondered why they felt so gentle when she knew he was about to break her neck for trying to kill him.
"You're going to squish me now, aren't you?" Gracie whispered as she stared up into the darkest blue eyes she ever saw.
The feminine voice said something to the man and he chuckled softly surprising all of them, including himself. Mohan explained what Gracie was saying from the time she begged him to leave her alone to her asking if he was going to squish her. Kordon looked down into the brilliant green eyes looking up at him in a combination of guilt, fear, and resignation and decided he didn't like any of them. He wanted to see something else in her eyes when she looked at him. He wasn't sure what but fear was not it. Kordon tightened his hold around Gracie Jones' neck drawing her closer. He watched as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back giving him better access to it. Her shoulders slumped for the briefest of moments before she jerked them back so she stood ram-rod straight. Kordon drew in a breath marveling at how beautiful the petite female standing in front of him looked. Her face was pale against the rosy colored highlights in her disheveled hair which was longer than in the images Mohan sent to him. Her lips were slightly parted and she was drawing in short little breaths of air as she struggled to remain still. Kordon's eyes jerked up when he saw her open her eyes again. They shimmered brightly but no tears fell.
"It's okay. I'm ready. I'm not afraid to die." Gracie whispered softly more to convince herself than the man holding her by the neck.
Mohan repeated what Gracie just said to Kordon. Kordon frowned as he looked down into the brilliant eyes. It was not ‘okay’ as she said. He was not ready for her to die. He would never be ready for her to die. Kordon lowered his head as he gently pressed his hands under her quivering chin to raise it towards him before he brushed a light kiss over them. The moment his lips touch hers he knew without a doubt she was his. He would claim her, take her, and never let her go.
Gracie jerked as she felt the warm lips against hers. She hadn't been kissed in over three years. Gracie frowned. She hadn't been held in over three years either and it felt pretty damn good! But…she was confused. She didn't understand why the huge man was kissing her when she almost killed him. Of course, it was by accident but he didn't know that, did he?
The man said something softly under his breath and Gracie heard a soft reply. She tried to pull back away from the warm, masculine scent of the man holding her but he tightened his grip forcing her to remain still. Gracie was about to try pulling away again when the soft feminine voice spoke again.
"Gracie Jones, Admiral Jefe says he has no plans to squish you today and you will not be dying." Mohan said peeking around the huge shoulders of Kordon.
"Mohan?" Gracie's voice broke as she whispered.
Mohan's delicate furred face peek around Kordon and she smiled showing off her small sharp teeth. Gracie's eyes widened as she stared into a face that sort of resembled a human but seemed to also resemble that of a beautiful feline. Mohan had a strip of dark red hair flowing down the center of her head but her face was covered in a light coating of soft fur. Her ears were small and pointed on the end and flicked back and forth as if she was listening to something behind her. She was wearing a black form-fitting uniform with a symbol over her left breast in the shape of a space ship with multiple circles around it. Gracie giggled when Mohan wiggled her tiny nose at her.
"Yes, Gracie Jones. I am Lt. Mohan Ta'nee, communication's officer aboard the Confederation warship Conqueror. The male you almost killed is Grand Admiral Kordon Jefe, Commander of the Confederation military. The others behind me are Zion officers also from the Conqueror. I will introduce them to you later, if you would like." Mohan said with another friendly smile.
Gracie pushed against the chest of the man called Kordon ignoring his low grunt of displeasure. Mohan said he wasn't going to crush her and Gracie wanted to hug the only friendly voice she knew and heard for the last three years. Gracie frowned up at Kordon when he still didn't let her go.
Glancing back at Mohan, Gracie asked in puzzled confusion. "What is his problem? Why won't he let me go? You said he wasn't going to squish me or kill me, didn't you? I'm not going to try anything. I promise." Gracie added as she felt the huge man's hands slide down to her wrists.
Mohan bit back a sigh. She recognized the protective stance Kordon took to block the other warriors' view of Gracie. She was having the same problem with Quan trying to pull her back behind him. He and Kordon had actually gotten into the first heated argument she ever saw between two Zion warriors over whether she should be allowed to come with them or not. Mohan flushed when she felt a pair of hands grip her hips from behind. She knew the fur on her face was changing colors rapidly as she hissed back at the huge Zion warrior glaring at her, snapping her sharp teeth at him.
"Are they always like this?" Gracie giggled as she saw Mohan was having the same problem as she was.
Mohan snapped at the man towering above her again. Gracie watched in amazement as the man reluctantly let her go. Gracie looked up and snapped her teeth at Kordon but all he did was look amused. Maybe I need sharper teeth, Gracie thought.
Kordon barely contained the laugh that threatened to escape him when the petite female he was holding looked at him with such a serious expression and snapped her teeth at him then looked confused at Mohan when he didn't respond. He heard Mohan's hiss of frustration a
t Quan and was able to interpret Gracie’s imitation in trying to get him to release her. Kordon let his hands circle her wrists amazed at how small they were. He reluctantly stepped back a step to let Mohan enter. He wanted to know more about Gracie Jones, why she was screaming when they arrived, and how she ended up being on a moon, millions of light years and over eight hundreds years from her planet.
Chapter 6
Gracie looked on silently as men from another shuttle disembarked. Mohan had questioned her for over two hours’ non-stop. Gracie was confused at first when Mohan kept asking question after question about Earth and what happened leading to her being on the moon. It seemed Mohan already knew the answers because she often just nodded as if what Gracie was telling her was old news. It couldn't be that old! Gracie didn't know where this Glasis system was or how far it was to get back to Earth when Mohan asked how she made it to the moon.
Gracie kept pressing for answers of her own. She asked about news of the war against the Alluthans and how Mohan knew what happened but the Ta'nee, Gracie was still trying to wrap her head around the fact so many different alien species existed, never gave her a straight answer. Gracie decided Mohan would make an excellent politician back on Earth.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the whole time Gracie had to deal with the Admiral shooting out a question in his language to Mohan who would then translate it while he kept touching her. Gracie tried to ignore it at first when he sat next to her on the row of seats she used as her bed and played with a strand of her hair. She kept pulling it away from him at first and tucking it back behind her ear. A minute later he would pull another strand out and begin playing with it. When Gracie slapped at his hand, he had the nerve to tug on her hair forcing her closer to him. Gracie finally got fed up with the distraction and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. That, unfortunately, seemed to amuse him more! Gracie flushed as she remembered having to ask Mohan to repeat a question or answer several times. The Admiral decided if she wouldn’t let him touch her hair he would run his fingers along the back of the neckline of her t-shirt. Gracie kept slapping his hands away and they kept coming back until she finally turned and gave him her toughest ‘knock it off’ look. The jerk just raised his eyebrow at her and smirked.
Gracie finally had enough and tried to move to sit on the floor next to Mohan and the giant standing over her but the Admiral grabbed her as she stood, pulling her onto his lap. Gracie’s gasp was almost as loud as Mohan’s. Gracie was never so happy as when the first shuttle arrived and the inquisition ended.
Gracie turned a dark look towards the man currently directing orders to the men disembarking off the new shuttle. She flushed a bright pink when he seemed to sense her glaring at his back and turned to look her in the eye. Gracie was determined not to let the pompous jerk intimidate her so she just stared back refusing to give in first. She had dealt with four macho guys for too many years and learned a long time ago if she gave in she would never be able to stand up to them. His vivid blue eyes told her he knew what she was doing before he turned to answer a question from one of the men.
“The Admiral desires you.” Mohan said as she came to sit next to where Gracie was told to sit and not move.
Gracie rolled her eyes. “Well, he is just going to have to get over it. I have a guy and I’m not looking for anyone else.” Gracie said stubbornly.
She refused to focus on the huge dark warrior issuing command after command. No matter how he made her insides quiver and warm up. She had her own warrior back home on Earth.
“You have a male?” Mohan said in surprise looking around. “But, I thought you said you were alone.” Mohan added in confusion.
“I am here but not back home on Earth. If your father is from there then I can go home. I have to go. I promised Chance I would come back.” Gracie said anxiously.
“Chance?” Mohan asked faintly. “This is the male Chance from the Freedom Five?”
Gracie was nodding with a soft smile on her lips. “Yes. I love him so much. It almost killed both of us when I left. He probably thinks I’m dead but once I get back I can be with him again. Oh Mohan, he makes me feel like…” Gracie turned away as tears choked her at the thought of seeing all of the guys again. “I can’t wait to see him again.”
Mohan felt a horrible sense of dread as she watched a tear drop onto Gracie’s hand as she sat with her head bowed. Mohan glanced at Kordon then back to Gracie. Placing her hand over Gracie’s, Mohan squeezed it gently.
“Gracie Jones.” Mohan began gently. “You cannot return to your male.”
Gracie’s head shot up at Mohan’s words. “What do you mean I cannot return to him? Of course, I can. If your dad could…” Gracie was saying but stopped when she saw the sadness in Mohan’s eyes.
“Your male is no longer alive, Gracie Jones.” Mohan said quietly.
“What…but you said…” Gracie fought for control as she wrung her hands together and looked around frantically. “You told me they lived. You told me Chance lived. You said…you lied?” Gracie asked in a strangled tone.
“I did not lie to you, Gracie Jones. The males lived…over eight hundred of your Earth years ago. It is the calendar year 2851 in your Earth time. I believe…” Mohan said quietly gripping Gracie’s hands tightly between her own. “I believe the explosion in hyperspace created a rip sending you forward in time.”
Gracie sat frozen for a moment as Mohan’s words slowly sunk in. Everything she knew, everyone she knew no longer existed. They had not existed for a very, very long time. Gracie let her gaze travel over the supply ship that had been her home for the past three years before letting it move to the thick forest. The sounds of another shuttle approaching drew her attention to the sky. She was seeing everything as if for the first time. Everything was gone. Chance was gone. There was nothing to go back to, no one to go home to. All the strength that kept her going from the moment she entered the dark tunnels of the subways to her subconscious hope that she would find a way home suddenly deserted her as overwhelming grief flooded her. She had lost everything! Her parents, her sister, her world, and the one man she loved. She should have died when the explosion happened. It would have been a more humane death than what she was feeling right now.
Gracie pulled away from Mohan without saying a word. She moved slowly around the stack of containers they were sitting on moving towards the thick edge of the forest. She looked down startled at Mohan’s hand on her arm as she took another step away.
“Where are you going, Gracie Jones?” Mohan asked in concern as she took in the pale complexion of Gracie’s face and the blank look of shock on it.
Gracie looked up at Mohan for just a moment and a small, sad smile curved her lips. “Where I should have gone three years ago, Mohan. I’m going home.” Gracie said softly. “I’m going home.”
Gracie pulled away suddenly and took off for the thick forest. She knew where she was going. She had been there hundreds of times the first six months. Back then, she thought she had a reason to fight to stay alive. Now, she knew differently and would not hesitant.
Gracie vaguely heard Mohan’s cry of alarm but it did not slow her down. In fact, it helped her increase her speed. She ran with experience through the thick growth. She knew the path by heart and the quickest way to get there. There was a deep ravine dropping into a river almost a mile from the supply ship. Gracie discovered it the second week she was on the moon. She had visited it many times during the first six months when she was deeply lonely and depressed. It was only her promise to come home that drew her away from the edge time after time. But, that promise no longer held her. Gracie knew that in death she would finally be with her family, with Chance, because in living the pain was too much for her young heart to bear any longer.
Mohan’s questions and answers played through Gracie’s mind as she ran. It explained so many of her questions. Mohan already knew everything about what happened because it was history. That was why her father was from Earth. Space travel and aliens were now a da
ily part of Earth living. There was no fighting for your life, no camps with millions of human prisoners, and no living in subways. Hell, there probably weren’t even any subways anymore. A sob tore through Gracie as pain speared through her. She ignored the branches cutting her face and arms and the burning in her lungs from not enough oxygen. She focused only on ending the overwhelming pain burning her alive.
Kordon was directing the engineering team on repairing the supply ship so it could be transported back to the Conqueror. The technology and computer systems would need to be analyzed to see what could be learned about the Alluthans. Kordon had no doubt they were responsible for the destruction of the mining camp.
He was discussing what he wanted done with Bran and Cooraan when he heard Mohan cry out. Kordon turned quickly catching a glimpse of Quan as he was entering the forest. Mohan ran over to them pointing in the direction Quan had run.
“Gracie Jones!” Mohan called out urgently.
Kordon took off following Quan. Bran and Cooraan were right behind him. He heard Quan yell out up ahead and picked up speed catching him as Quan turned in a circle.
