by Nora Blaze
“No!” I gasp. Plenty of Pohilkans have visited the Cocrex Moon before but never have I seen one in uniform as a Wehizx Enforcer, as they are now. Could they have really mobilized such a strong force in response to our raid?
Could it all be for this one woman?
Lor Ekka turns to me with terrified eyes, then to the Pohilkans, then runs into a stall. Cursing under my breath, I grab my energy gun and send a few rapid stuns toward the Pohilkans, fearing civilian casualties if I try anything more. One falls with a thud but the others return fire, forcing me to tumble and dodge their deadly blasts.
I scramble into the stall where Lor Ekka disappeared, knocking over a crate of salted sand worms on the way. I expect the owner to come down on me hard, but when I look up a silver Aveliton nods. His species was driven from their home world by the Pohilkans and many of the survivors work as merchants in the Resistance Stellar Alliance.
He raises a feathered hand and taps it knowingly on his beak-like nose. “Out the back here, your woman is waiting,” he says. “I’ll distract these Enforcers. Down with the Wehizx, long live the RSA!”
I nod, grateful, and dash between his tents. Lor Ekka is indeed there, although not waiting. She’s sprinting down the narrow alley and toward the edge of the market.
Shouting and rustling erupt from inside the tent and I sprint ahead. When a few blasts shake the air, my stomach sinks with concern for the Aveliton. Picking up my pace, I finally reach Lor Ekka and, with not a second to spare, I swoop her into my arms.
I hold her firmly, pressing her to my chest. “You’re okay,” I say, still sprinting. She cannot understand me, but I make the promise anyway. “They’re not going to hurt you.”
Lor Ekka screams and hollers and beats my back in return.
I wish for time to reassure her, but the Pohilkans spotted Lor Ekka and the whole market is going to be crawling with them. I hitch her up as I run, then leap with all my strength to bound over the side gate, landing in the mud of the Cocrex swamp.
I hit my wrist function to send a quick audio message to Mokrov. “Emergency. Reconvene back at Comet Striker. Enforcers on patrol, path not safe.”
Ahead of me, the swamp stretches into shadows. Trees hovering between death and life stretch their spindly branches low to the ground. I pull out my knife and move forward, slashing to clear a path when I need to and casting my eyes about for the leaping fangs.
Dusk arrives, the setting red sun turning the swamp an eerie orange as fog drifts over the tops of the trees. Lor Ekka lies limply in my arms, shivering. I’ve given her water and sustenance, and stopped to rest for her benefit and to try to offer her assurances, but she barely responds. As I plow forward, I whisper comforting things, but I know she’s only stopped struggling because of exhaustion.
If only she had let me install that damn translator, I could promise her that I would see her to safety. I could explain that we are all in danger until we escape.
I swing my arm, slicing a leaping fang straight through its open mouth and down its neck until it falls lifelessly in two pieces at our feet. The Cocrex Moon didn’t have any species before it was terraformed for the Beast Market. An organized crime ring that spanned many star systems had invested in the moon in order to establish a stranglehold on the illicit lifeform exchange. The jagged, mountainous ridge of a massive crater made a decent boundary to hold the giant creatures in, with the addition of the swamp and those tough, bony trees added to make the whole thing especially unpassable.
Naturally, with creatures from across the galaxy being traded there, all kinds of strange animals had run off into the swamp, most dying of starvation but some finding a way to thrive.
Mud sloshes at my feet as I hold Lor Ekka tight. Moss smells rotten in the air as I peer through the fog of the swamp ahead, ready for any danger.
I spin and stab a leaping fang to a tree. There’s more of them than I expected, which isn’t good. It is a bit early in the moon’s orbital period for them to swarm, but they have become dominant in the swamps after slithering away from a merchant years ago and their numbers seem greater every year.
I take a deep inhale of Lor Ekka’s hair. Just the scent of her triggers my fascination. We need to get back to the ship, amp up the fuel cell to activate our cloak, and speed the hell back toward KrysOlakn. Once we’re past the RSA’s security checkpoints, we’ll have a safe channel to message home, and then I’ll know that she is safe.
The KrysOlakns have been warriors since our history began. The beasts of our home moon are fierce and massive and my ancestors had to fight often to keep their families safe. It is because of this, I think, that an ancestral, primal urges grip me now.
It is because of these ancient yearnings that I have tricked myself into believing Lor Ekka is my destined.
My thighs burn as I plow through the muck. I decapitate another leaping fang, then another. Cursing, I grab a branch to swing above a muddy pit, then bound across a rocky outcropping, dodging a leaping fang on the way.
A howl cuts through the swamp. “Damn,” I grunt to myself.
Something charges through the swamp behind us, thumping the earth powerfully.
Lor Ekka trembles in my arms and the creature howls again, now significantly closer. I rush from the flat swamp I’ve been navigating to the rocky hillside, then tuck Lor Ekka on my back as I climb up the protrusions, leaping and hauling us with my free arm. She wriggles and I offer a soothing noise, letting my voice rumble low to show her I am strong enough to protect her.
“You are safe with me,” I assure, but her fear pains me.
I jump across the jagged rock, running as fast as I can although the fog slows me. The whole swamp shakes behind us as branches and uprooted trees begin to fly through the air. I shove my knife in its sheath with free my hand, grab my gun, and unload rapidly on a handful of leaping fangs, leaving them sizzling in our tracks.
The howler gains and I hear Lor Ekka exclaim with alarm. I spin and place her on a flat rock, then turn and unload on a nest full of leaping fangs. Whatever the beast is, it’s faster than me, and I can’t well fight it with Lor Ekka in my arms. It leaves me no choice but to train my energy gun to the leaping fangs while I take out this new intruder.
I allow myself one last moment with Lor Ekka. Her pink lips are slightly parted as she leans back on the rock, terrified. I extend one of my knives to her, handle first, which she grabs so fast it startles me. It is taboo to allow another species to touch the KrysOlakn knives, but I cannot leave her without a defense.
Lor Ekka holds the knife immediately in front of her. As I turn to the swamp, a fanged and four-legged beast equal to my size charges out of the fog.
I tackle it and swing my other knife, slicing at its tough hide as we wrestle across the rock. I throw the beast on its back, then spin and fire at three leaping fangs, blasting them out of the air in front of Lor Ekka’s face.
The beast plows into me, snarling as it bites my shoulder. Pain explodes as its teeth tear through my muscles and scratch at my bones. I stab backward, piercing its eye and forcing the monster off of me.
Our knives have always been the chosen weapon of my species, and for good reason. It is like a part of my body and I wield it with perfect precision. With a loud grunt, I pounce back on the beast and easily find a tender spot beneath its jaw, swiping the blade to open the hide.
It howls and falls down the rocks, dark blood pouring down its gray and red fur. The beast looks ravenous and crazed and I can’t imagine what it’s been through to survive in the swamp. It lunges forward again and I grab its shoulders, fall to my back, and kick it into the trees with all my might.
I jump up to unload my gun on another leaping fang and see Lor Ekka, stabbing it repeatedly against the rock. Blood pours down my chest and back as I wrench back around to face the woods. The beast is charging from the trees and I blast it right in the wounds I opened in its hide.
It howls, stumbles, and falls to the base of the rocks with a lifeless thud.
Without pausing to think, I swoop up Lor Ekka and continue to sprint, holding her against my uninjured arm. The pain from the savage bite is blinding but we’re nearing the Comet Striker and I want to get her out of this foggy wasteland and away from those Pohilkans as fast as possible. My heart pounding and my muscles throbbing, I veer from the rocks and back into the mud, knowing there will be more cover there.
“You’re safe.” I say the words for myself as much as for Lor Ekka.
She is safe.
I leap over a gnarled root system and emerge to the slight clearing where the ship waits. The squad is there, all standing around with concern on their faces.
“Cloak the ship,” I say. “We have to get out of here. Fast.”
Chapter Six
Loretta
I run and stumble desperately, my hands skittering across a metal floor. Those freaky seaweed aliens chase me and behind them the monstrous wolf from the swamp charges.
Suddenly, I’m wrapped in chains and held down to a table. The flying snakes crawl all over me. I try to scream but my mouth isn’t there. The seaweed aliens hover around, screeching and laughing, and in a flash one of them has the face of this prick who used to bully me in high school, then another grows the head of one of the worst regulars from Bill’s Bar.
I wake up gasping for breath. Sweat pours down my chest but my hands are cold and clammy. Slowly, very slowly, the nightmare disappears.
“You’re back on the spaceship,” I whisper to myself. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
As safe as I can be in this terrifying universe, anyway. After our run through the snake swamp, Gurtock had put me back in the small, comfortable room in the spaceship. He brought me water, so crisp and clean it felt like a miracle, and a bowl of food that looked and tasted like round rice with avocado smashed into it. Once I was alone, I kicked off the now filthy rags and climbed into bed. I only ate half of the food before sleep overtook me and I passed out, the exhaustion of the day dragging me down.
Halfway across the swamp, it finally became clear to me that Gurtock was my best hope. After whatever he did with that fish alien, I couldn’t truly trust him, but I also knew that he’d risked his neck to save mine more times than I could count. He’d given me his weapon and he’d kept me alive. The places he dragged me were hellish, but everywhere we go, he’s been strong enough to fight off all the other aliens we’ve encountered.
That makes him not only my best chance to stay alive. It makes him my best chance to save Marie, too.
As impossible as it is, I need to save my sister.
The door slides open and Gurtock appears. He has taken his holsters and weapons off and in the steady silver light of the ship I can see that there are many scars across his skin, slashes where the purple is much fainter. His shoulder is wrapped in a heavy white cloth where the monster wounded him but he moves like it’s uninjured.
I shiver, struck again by how human his face is. If he weren’t an alien, I wouldn’t just think he was handsome, I’d probably think he was hot. He had the combination of swooping, high cheekbones and sturdy jaw that always did it for me.
And there is something familiar about the way he considers me. The amount of new information I’m trying to process is dizzying, but still, I want to find comfort in his silent attention. I want to read into the way he offered me water and slowed his walk to stay by my side.
I want to find hope in his gestures.
And now he is standing here, a steady, open expression on his face and a towel draped over his arm.
I start to stand but remember I’m naked beneath the thin blanket. I hold it over myself and rise to my feet.
“I wonder why you’re so interested in me,” I say, returning to my habit of asking him questions even though he can’t answer. “And I guess I really wonder why everyone in that freaky city seemed interested in me.”
Gurtock lowers his gaze across my body then pulls his eyes back up. I know he can’t understand me but the curious look makes me blush.
He sets the towel down and turns to me. “Lore Ecka?” he asks. “Lore Ecka?”
I get the impression that he’s asking if I’m okay. I turn my chin up to meet his eye. “Loretta,” I say slowly, nodding my head as I affirm it. “Loretta.”
And I do feel okay. Not normal, and not good, but okay. I’m still shivering on and off and the second I think of Marie I have to fight back tears.
But I’m staying strong because I know that’s how I’m going to survive. And when Gurtock is near, it becomes a lot easier to believe survival is possible.
He walks over to the wall and taps a small gray square, which lights up. A second later, the wall whooshes into the ceiling. The chamber inside is tiled with smooth gray and silver rock. Several gold knobs stick out from the ceiling and when UrTak hits the square again they begin to mist and drip water.
I look to him, then back. It’s a shower, or at least an alien version of one.
Gurtock opens the towel. Folded into it are a number of unfamiliar objects, including a glowing gold liquid in an ornate glass bottle and a ball that looks like hardened, rocky lava.
I hum with appreciation. After that stinky swamp planet and the slimy seaweed creatures, I’m extremely overdue for a wash.
He walks over to the shower and I follow. I hesitate with my blanket and nod toward the door, trying to encourage him that I can take it from there.
Gurtock holds up the lava rock and points at me.
“Are you trying to insist on cleaning me?”
He grunts something in his language as he takes the golden liquid and squirts some in his hand. The misty water kisses the edge of my skin and I can feel the grime all over my body.
Screw it. I swallow my hesitation and drop the blanket, then step into the welcoming warmth of the shower. If he were going to hurt me, there’s no reason he would wait until now, and of all the things I’m worried about, exposing my naked body to an alien who probably doesn’t have any reference point for human looks anyway is pretty far down the list.
The mist drips and drifts across my body as my eyes flutter shut. The stone tiles are smooth and warm. I wiggle my toes and then feel two hands press to my shoulder.
The liquid warms pleasantly against my skin and for just a second, I let Gurtock rub it in. His strong hands are surprisingly gentle and the soapy cream rapidly develops into suds that pop effervescently against my skin.
I catch myself enjoying it, then step away, pulling from his touch. It feels so good to be touched with something that feels like care after everything else I’ve gone through, but I’m not giving this guy any ideas. Maybe they go showering random women on his planet but I’m not going to sign on for a whole body examination.
Even though I am a little curious about his whole body.
Gurtock stares at me, bubbles dripping off his purple hands and over the dark talons of his fingernails. The diamonds of his pupils flash against his blue eyes, which are open wide. The weight of his presence increasingly feels like a comfort instead of a danger. Although I know we’re safe from any giant monsters at the moment, the scars that slash his chest and his coiled muscles still reassure me.
He frowns, then holds out the lava rock. I can tell he’s asking again about cleaning me. Maybe I’m fooling myself, but it even looks like he’s having an internal battle over it.
I hide my smile and take the rock for myself. “Thanks, but I usually do this on my own.”
Gurtock stands there, arms crossed over his chest as I finish cleaning myself. Once wet, the surface of the rock turns soft. It reminds me of a loofa as I smooth it across my body. The filth washes away with the suds as I lean back against the smooth tiles.
The stress begins to melt away. Gurtock remains in position, unmoving. I lean my head back and take my time washing out my long hair, which is tangled and filthy. When I finish with the loofa, I hand it back to him, and when he turns to set it down I quickly rub suds through the small triangle of my pubic hair
and wash myself off.
When Gurtock turns back I see that the towel is tightened in his grip. I look to his eyes and he yanks them off of my body.
My breath hitches. He’s acting like a human would act if he were attracted to me and I don’t know what to do with that information.
Which is when I see his cock, hard and thick against the fabric of his pants. It’s bigger than I can process and it looks like it’s actually vibrating, which makes my heart jump.
I look away, suddenly shy. Water drips down my skin and after a tense moment I regain control over my senses. I step forward, out of the mist of the water, and grab the towel straight from his hands to wrap around my chest.
Gurtock grunts, surprised, and I step to the side as I dry myself off. He offers me one of the other strange objects he brought with him. It looks like a spiky orange and since I have no clue what to do with it, and a sudden desire to cover myself back up, I decline.
The brown wrap I wore in the swamp lies on the ground and I glance at it, frowning. I point to the cloth, then at the towel, then at his pants, which are thankfully done vibrating. “Clothes,” I say. “I need something different to wear.”
Apparently, we’re getting better at reading each other. Gurtock immediately hits another square on the wall and a small compartment opens up. Inside I find a wide range of clothes. They’re all quite simple and made out of the same purplish gray material, like a soft silk, but each is apparently designed for a different kind of alien. I rummage through confusing shapes until I find something that fits me like a scoop neck maxi dress. The fabric’s flow caresses my body and hangs with a flattering curve.
Gurtock takes out a blue wrap and holds it to me, then points at my feet. I take the wrap and fuss for a minute, trying to spin it around my feet, but I have no luck. When Gurtock grunts and gestures, I take a seat on the edge of the bed and lift my foot in the air, allowing him to assist. He carefully ties the soft, leathery fabric, wrapping me comfortably.
