by Jessie Jasen
Tears strolled down her face like lonely waterfalls. And the space surrounding her looked so dark and lonely.
Ohmygod, Concordia thought. Can it be any harder on a girl to lose her fiancé and her best friend at the same time? And can it be any uglier to lose them both by discovering through "friends" that they had sex behind your back at the party you were attending? This was the ugliest scenario that could have happened to her two months before her wedding day. The ugliest scenario possible. She planned to return home from her hiatus, which was to last a few hours. Once back on the planet, she’d have to announce that the wedding was cancelled. First to her father and to her family, then to her friends, then to her acquaintances. By then, the rest of the world would find out on their own. Stories would spread, and people would talk. It was irritating to Concordia to think how easily and uncontrollably private matters morphed into public knowledge, and how natural it was for some people to stick their noses into other people’s business.
Concordia pulled her hand off the shift stick and turned on the autopilot. She wiped away the last remnants of tears from her face. A stinging feeling of wanting to fall asleep pushed her eyelids down. The calamity with Perry and Marianne had exhausted her. She closed her eyes and dozed off. Lioness was safely carrying her through space. The stars shone one each side, and somewhere in the distance, the moon was beginning the cover the sun on her home planet.
Chapter 2
The beeping of red alert tore Concordia out of her sleep. Still dizzy, she looked around, striving to keep her eyes open and concentrate. What had happened, she wondered? Did something go wrong? Was there a breakdown in the electrical circuits of the shuttle or did the engine conk out?
Concordia rushed to check the readings. There was nothing on the cockpit indicating a technical problem. The issue seemed to come from the outside.
Her eyes darted left and right through the windshield. She was looking for the culprit among the stars. Was there a comet or an asteroid flying at her? She tried to orientate herself on celestial bodies, but she quickly realized that the stars and the galaxies she was looking at were completely unknown to her. There was not one celestial body she recognized miles wide. Where was she? The shuttle must have drifted off the course. This part of the galaxy was completely unknown to her. Slivers of fear began crawling underneath her skin liker worms. Concordia took a closer look at the coordinates. Her assumption was correct. The shuttle had drifted off 70 light years west and straight into the Krypt territory.
Oh, shit, she thought. This is really bad!
The Krypt territory was off limits to every human—in theory. And there were a few good reasons why.
The Krypts were a race of ape-like aliens who lived on the surface of Maaron 5, a dwarf planet in the neighboring binary system. They ruled the territory spanning over an area of 50 light years. They were known as a hostile race who plundered and ravaged ships which happen to pass through their territory, either out of foolishness or ignorance.
For years, rumors have circulated in Concordia’s home town about the Krypts being inclined to Earth women. A bit too inclined in certain aspects. According to the rumors, the Krypts had captured human women in the past to use them as their slaves. Being a slave to an apish Krypt who was covered from head to toe in dark fur was bad enough. But the worst were the rumors about the Krypts wanting Earth women as their brides and to breed with them.
What an abomination to think of breeding with one of those monkeys, Concordia thought! Who would ever willingly want to have sex and breed with a stinking apish Krypt? Those creatures were only useful for ore mining and forestry, not marriage and toddlers. That’s what they were made for—ore mines and forestry! Concordia was certain that in practice forestry and mining were the only things the Krypts did—the rest was a byproduct of perverted fantasies some Earth people harbored. Concordia thought of herself as immune to rumors and lies. She had a natural detector for them, she said to herself, and now she was not to think of the rumors, but concentrate of figuring out where the problem was and why this darn read alert was beeping!
No fault was to be found in shuttle’s functions. Concordia looked through the windshield. The galaxy looked peaceful enough. There was no trace of a nasty natural phenomenon jeopardizing her hiatus. Most importantly, there was no trace of the Krypts.
Suddenly, a high-pitched sound of a gas jet passing overhead caused a small earthquake to her shuttle. Was it a comet of some sort or was it a ship? The readings showed no ship in proximity. If there was a ship, it used cloaking technology. Concordia swiftly typed in the coordinates of her home world. Better not waste time speculating and get out of the Krypt territory before it was too late.
Lioness started making a turn when suddenly the shuttle was halted. The controls froze.
"Come on! Come on!" Concordia cried, desperately trying to reignite the engine. It was in vain. The engine was disabled. Lioness was unnaturally frozen in space—it was being held by a tractor beam.
"Damn!!" she shouted, smashing her fists on the control board. "This is the last thing I needed today!"
Someone hailed her vessel. She answered by pushing the green "Take Call" button.
"Red vessel, you have illegally entered the Krypt territory. You have broken our laws. Your crew will be taken into custody. You are charged with trespassing and conspiracy against the Krypts. You are advised to surrender."
Surrender? Because I conspired?! Since when is running away from your butthole ex-fiancé considered an act of conspiracy against the Krypts?
"What are these crazies talking about?"
She took into consideration what her options were. She could try to break lose from the tractor beam. Lioness was a shuttle with a Ferrari engine. It was strong enough to fly through a star storm if needed. She could try to break free and escape. But how fast were their ships? And how many of them were out there? With their advanced cloaking technology, the Krypts could easily post several dozens of their ships along the borders of their territory and prevent her from leaving their space.
The second option was to negotiate. She could negotiate an exchange of goods and services. Surely, there were things they needed. The ore they mined on Maaron 5 was sold or traded in for clothing, food, furniture, tools, weapons and other things they required in daily life. The Krypts weren’t self-sufficient. At least, they could make use of the technology from her home planet. If she could figure out what it was they needed, she could offer it to them in exchange for her freedom.
"Krypt vessel, do not open fire," Concordia answered. "I’m surrendering."
Upon hearing herself say she was surrendering, a lump appeared in her throat. What a horrible idea it was to surrender! But it was her best chance of surviving, if not her only chance. If she pissed the Krypts off by trying to escape, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t open fire and blast Lioness to pieces.
Out here in their own territory, there was no one to stop them. They did as they pleased. They were the Krypts—mean, primitive, aggressive, furry, and solely guided by their instincts.
Concordia knew what this meant. It would be pointless to play civilized with them, because they didn’t understand civilized. The Krypts didn’t reason and they didn’t think. They lived by their customs and beliefs, relying on their basic instincts for survival.
"Prepare yourself to be landed on the surface of Maaron 5," a Krypts voice said over the communicator.
***
The surface of Maaron 5 was very different from the stories people told about it. Mostly, the people Concordia had spoken to described it as a desert planet with sand occupying every square inch of the surface. Trees and plants were supposed to be rare and scarce, and the Krypts survived by hunting reptiles and fish from the sea.
The reality couldn’t have been more different.
The planet was covered with opulent vegetation. Trees painted the landscapes in lush green tones, and hills rose along the coastlines of the sea.
Pretty place, Co
ncordia thought. Never thought that Maaron 5 would be so different in reality.
The landing of the Lioness caused the shuttle to bump. Concordia realized that the moment of truth had arrived … She was going to face the Krypts! Eye to eye! Her heart started dancing tango to the orchestral beats of some villain theme from a famous sci-fi movie that echoed in her head.
Ohmygod! This is it! I’m on Maaron 5! The Krypts are coming to get me! What will I do? Gosh I hope they won’t violate me! And I’m getting arrhythmia in the middle of all this!
Somebody opened the door of the Lioness from the outside. A dark and deep voice began yelling.
"Crew of the red vessel! You and your belongings are now the property of the Krypt Empire—"
The Krypt Empire? I had no idea the savages had built an empire!
"Come out at once and let yourselves be seen!"
The voice was so deep, it sounded as if it came from a well.
Concordia was hesitant. The voice gave her goosebumps and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
"Crew of the red vessel!" the voice said again. "This is your last chance. If you don’t comply, we will open fire!"
Concordia sighed. She had no other choice but to face her destiny if she wanted to get out of here alive.
"I’m coming!" she shouted. "Hold your fire!"
The first steps were the hardest. She approached the exit door and peeped outside. The sun shone directly into her eyes. She couldn’t see anything but the silhouettes of tall broad-shouldered men who stood in a circle.
Concordia put her hand over her eyes to protect them from the light. She made the first step, then the second, then the third, her heart twisting in arrhythmic convulsions. Outside, the light was unusually strong. Concordia remembered that Maaron 5 had two suns shining on it, creating an excessive amount of light and heat. The men approached her. Her eyes were still getting used to the light, making it impossible to look up and see their faces.
Suddenly, a wide and strong hand appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her shoulder.
"Huh!" Concordia was startled. She turned around, trying to see the face of the man who the hand belonged to.
"Here," he said in his deep voice. "You can use these."
The man handed her a pair of sunglasses. She recognized the voice. It was the same one that ordered her to leave her vessel.
"Put them on. The light on our planet is too strong for outsiders."
The man was right. It was a lot easier to keep her eyes open with dark sunglasses. She put them on, holding her head down. The first thing she noticed about the man were his old shabby dark brown leather boots and pants. She looked up, catching a glimpse of the man’s midriff and a shockingly large bulge between his legs.
"Oh, good grace!" Concordia thought. "His cock and ball sack must be gigantic!"
The narrow leather pants sat tightly around his hips and legs, emphasizing not only his huge bulge, but also his perturbingly emphasized muscles and his well-formed hips.
"So far, so good," Concordia thought.
She continued to examine this man, unaware the he was examining her with equal curiosity. He wore a belt full of knives and strange looking tools. His upper body was cladded in a tight black leather jacket, which was obviously the uniform the Krypts wore. His shoulders were wide, and the muscles around his arms were like tree trunks.
Concordia’s eyes settled on the man’s face. It was furry, sort of like an ape’s, but his eyes resembled those of a human. They were dark and clear, and yet they had something dangerous and wild about them. They were obviously human eyes, but the person behind them had many strange animalistic traits, and possibly desires.
The man was a Krypt. A real Krypt. There was no doubt about it.
"Is there anyone else on board of your vessel?" he asked.
"No," Concordia said. "Just me."
The man ogled her from top to bottom.
"What are you doing out here alone?"
"My shuttle drifted off from the course. I got lost in the Krypt territory by accident. Hey, if you want to trade goods—"
"Silence!" the man commanded. "No talks about trade. You didn’t come here to trade."
"No, I came here by accident—"
"According to our laws, you belong to us now. I’m the one in charge. I say what you can and can’t do."
Concordia’s eye darted left and right. Fear filled every pore on her skin. This Krypt had a way of going from hot to cold, from caring to bossy within a blink of the eye. He was too threatening for her to dare express protest. She didn’t have many options for maneuvering when it came to putting herself in position of power. And more so, she wasn’t sure if it would be a wise move to even try.
She looked around. Two other Krypts were standing in the circle around her. They were all without exception tall, muscular and furry. Among them she felt weak, in need of protection. The suns on the sky shone mercilessly. She needed water and food.
"Are you hungry?" the man asked, as if he read her thoughts.
"Yes, in fact I am."
"We have food in our cave. It will be dark here soon. Twilight comes fast to this planet."
He raised his head suddenly and became very serious. His body took on a formal, almost solemn appearance.
"I’m the chief of our tribe," he said. "Everyone here obeys my orders. You can call me Lenny."
"I’m Concordia. Nice to meet you."
"Concordia? Is that your only designation?"
"Concordia Shagger is my full name."
"I see. Follow me, Concordia Shagger. Unless you wish to stay out here and be eaten by the coyotes in the night."
***
The Krypt had been right—twilight fell fast on this planet.
It was almost dark when they reached the entrance of the cave. There was nothing on the walls except torches, and no furniture except for the stools that were arranged in a circle around the fire. One of the Krypts was roasting a large animal. He looked up when the unknown human woman came in, but he wasn’t surprised to see her. As if he already knew she was coming.
"Sit there by the fire," Lenny ordered, pointing to the stool on the right. "You will now eat."
Concordia sat down. She looked around, noticing that most of the Krypts were busy with their duties, but secretly, they were giving her strange looks. It was unbecoming. This entire situation was completely insane. How did her vessel go off the course? And why did it drift off into the Krypt territory? First she discovers that her fiancé is cheating on her with her best friend, then she ends up getting lost in the forbidden territory, and then the Krypts catch her. This was horrible!
Life is so unfair! Argh!
The only thing that remained was to hope that there would be a meaningful end to all this. An end that gave her joy and hopefully delight … if this was the forbidden territory, then let the fruit she was to eat be forbidden all the way.
Lenny sat beside her.
"Here," he said, offering her a plate with a large portion of meat and potatoes. "Eat it. It’s venison. And here’s water for you."
He put down a wooden cup filled to the brim with water.
"It’s made of wood," Concordia said.
"What is?"
"The cup. I’ve never seen a wooden cup before."
"There will be a few things around here you’ve never seen before."
Concordia’s eyes instantly fell on Lenny’s enormous bulge. If there was one thing she had never seen was the size of it. She blushed. The government on her home planet prohibited her from thinking sexual thoughts about the Krypts. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t allowed at all to think about the Krypts as potential mating partners or to be thinking about the Krypts at all. It was absolutely illegal for humans to mate with them. Concordia was well aware of the law.
Up to the point when she’d arrived on Maaron 5 she believed the dogma she had been taught. She hated the Krypts like everyone else. But they turned out to be so different, much different than sh
e had expected. They didn’t exactly welcome her to their planet, but they weren’t hostile either. Now they gave her food to eat and water to drink. It was all strange and frightening, but exciting too.
She looked over to Lenny. He was chewing on his meat zestfully. There was something frightening about him, about his furry body, about his enormous muscles and his dark eyes filled with secret desires. At the same time, there was something exciting about him too. He was so completely different from all the men Concordia had ever known—unsure if she should call him a man, because after all, he was a Krypt. Just some hours ago, she was still engaged to Perry who turned out to be shifty and a cheater. Lenny didn’t seem like Perry at all. He was domineering and at the same time protective. He even gave her sunglasses to protect her eyes, but he sure made clear who was the boss around here!
