by Mara Jaye
“Couldn’t blame you,” Deek says. “I’ve researched the climate for the planet. I’ve done a quick search on your home planet, cross-referenced with your current situation. Emol doesn’t have a winter like Earth.”
I realize Enforcer Mackerel hasn’t spoken in a long while. Missing his warm voice, I ask, “Is your partner still with you?”
“He left, needing to file a report.”
I glance back at the drone. Ambient sounds must not play through, then. “I didn’t hear him say anything.”
“We can communicate over our innercoms, short for internal communications.”
Stopping because the tech sounds so interesting, I have to ask, “How is that possible?”
“Our nanos have our systems set up for audio and visual information transfer between humanoids and the Intergalactic Alliance’s data links,” he replies, giving me an idea.
After searching my own nanos, I realize they’re too primitive for me to silently communicate with them. I resume walking, confessing, “I’m jealous. All I can do is retrieve information from the Emol database. Something weird, too, is my constant urge to eat metal.”
“That is extremely odd but not unexpected.” His voice went from politeness to interest. “Did you give in to the urge and if so, what happened?”
I hesitate in answering and come to a full stop again. We’re in a clearing now, lined by rows of stalk trees His logical question serves me right for even mentioning the weird craving. Embarrassing, too, as I confess, “The gummie bricks, food from the Vahds, weren’t satisfying. I rummaged around their tiny kitchen for something else. When I grabbed a metal glass, a rush of satisfaction hit. The container seemed melty at first and then dissolved everywhere my fingers touched. I wanted nothing more than to take a bite out of the metal. Very creepy and scary.”
“I can see why,” he responds. I continue on, reentering the shady part of our walk. Deek offers, “Vahdmoshi food sources don’t take nanos of any kind into account. They’re more focused on feeding lesser world inhabitants so they’ll be able to work.”
“Lesser world?” I blurt out. We’re in no way lesser to any world, and yet, the other two races are from different solar systems. “You mean like my home?”
“Sorry, but yes. Earth is a sixth world planet, barely scratching the surface of space travel. Members of the Alliance are forbidden to contact Earthers.”
The ban explains why the Vahds crammed us into the small cargo hold. “Ah, we’re forbidden and thus more desirable?”
“Afraid so.” We turn the corner and the temple is in front of us.
I take a step back and motion the probe forward. “Go ahead and I’ll follow. You’ll want to see the building unobstructed.” As the drone moves on, I ask, “It’s damp in there, will your device be all right?”
“Yes. It’s able to withstand a lot. Probes are built for extreme conditions with the possibility of no return.”
“Ha! Like I ended up being?” I try to joke. “Only, I’m sometimes not as tough as I want to be.”
“I don’t think anyone ever is.” The probe stops and I almost run into it. “Pless,” erupts from the device. “Holy pless of Tunsa, you must be insane. Tell me you didn’t, G’nar. We are so fucked.”
Shocked over him knowing an Earth curse, an odd buzzing noise behind us distracts me. I turn toward the clearing we left as a small shuttlecraft lands like a helicopter. Whoever is at the controls knows what they’re doing. “Friends of yours and mine, I hope, and not the Vahds?”
“No, pless it, no. Not the Vhads.” I hear a slight crash from the probe before Deek adds, “Fine. I need to go cool off. Tell G’nar it was nice knowing him and Tira’s going to kill us all if the nanos don’t do it first.”
“What? Who’s Gunnar and Tira?” There’s a solid thud behind me, but I can’t look away as the shuttle opens. One of the tallest men I’ve ever seen in person steps out. He’s wearing a gray uniform of sorts with silver edging, is trim yet muscular. A perfect gymnast’s body. He turns to stare at me. I’m transfixed at how his eyes are a bluer gray than my own green-gray. Unlike me, he’s a true blonde with hair barely on the side of behaving. I’ll bet he was an ornery kid. Thinking about the trouble he must have caused his parents makes me smile. I walk closer to him and say, “Hello?”
“Hello, Xell. I’m Enforcer MaKrell G’nar. Pleased to meet you.” He reaches out his hand to me. I take it in a daze. He’s warm and I can’t look away from him as he adds with a fading grin, “We can talk more later, but now? Could you show where the antidote is? Because death by nanites is a horrible fate I want to avoid altogether.”
Chapter Six
G’nar
In person, face to face, my desire for Xell explodes. She’s mine and I’m hers my heart says. My mind agrees. The urge to verbally claim her is so strong, I almost say the bonding words out loud. Her face displays a myriad of emotions before settling for a saucy grin. She tilts her head toward the temple. “Then let’s go save your life, Enforcer Mackerel.”
I glare at the probe because if Deek is over his fury, he’s laughing at Xell’s mispronunciation. Earthers. Every last one of them gets my names wrong. “I’m Enforcer MaKrell G’nar,” I say, emphasizing the first syllable of my family name and the break in my personal name.
“MaKrell G’nar?” she echos.
I nod even though Xell’s not watching. “Perfect. You can use G’nar,” I offer as she leads me around a rocky outcropping. Her voice saying my name lights up my systems with its rightness for me. I want nothing more than to turn her around and kiss her senseless. A couple of Khscc birds stare at us as if we’re their entertainment. She glances back at me every so often as if unsure I’m with her. Each time, I smile in reassurance. She’s more slender than I expected after seeing her through the probe’s viewer. Her clothes hang as if made for someone a few sizes larger. Seeing her walk, though, I don’t care. Everything about Xell pulls me to her like a massive star grabs a wayward moon. No matter how bad the outcome is, I don’t regret landing on Emol to be with her.
She glanced back at me before saying, “Deek said a few things about how your names work. Do you have a nickname for G’nar like he does for Decron?”
Her being buddies with Deek bothers me. I shrug off the emotion, since I’m hers. She’ll learn soon enough how we are each other’s bondmates. Only death could end our imminent union and even that doesn’t seem possible to me. Refocusing on her question, I answer, “No, no nickname for me. I’ve discouraged friends from calling me “Guh” for short,” I tease and am rewarded by her laughter. I send a request to the datalinks for several jokes if she needs cheering up later.
“I can see why. No one gets to call me Xelandra Astra Perches except my mother when she’s angry.”
Stats on her name appear on my HUD. My information from Earth’s datalinks is a few months old. Xell is the only person on her world with her name, so she’s easy to find. Origins help me if her name were even a fraction more common on her world. From what I’ve learned during my years on Earth, she probably wouldn’t like my acknowledging her more private details. I absorb all of the data about her while saying, “We’re going to be stranded here for a while. You might as well tell me a little about yourself.”
“Me? Nothing to tell. Especially since I’m not the Supreme Being who’s able to fly around space like it’s no big deal.”
Her description of me, while flattering as hell, is a little too grand. “We’re not supreme at all, but just have better tech.” It sounds patronizing; yet, I can’t help but add, “Your world will get there someday.”
“If we don’t kill ourselves off, first.” Xell nods up ahead. When she does, I notice we’re closer to the forest, similar to Ghar’s and other humanoid friendly planets. I use my ocular implants to zoom in for the differences as she adds, “The temple isn’t far. You’ll have to tell me how Gharns overcame the nuclear age. I assume you guys played with nukes at some point, too.”
Xell
kept me busy watching her instead of observing our new home. I chuckle. “Doesn’t everyone at some point or another? Atoms come with a “Split Me” sign on their back.” Before I can add anything, a priority signal chimes in my head. “Wait for a moment, Xell,” I manage to say as the shrieking starts.
I will kill you with my bare hands, Enforcer MaKrell.
Tira. Oddly enough, I’m relieved she knows what I’ve done. Dreading her anger lingered in the back of my mind since I left Deek back at the ship. She and I both know I either am trapped or will soon be dead from the contagion. You’ll have to come down here, violate the quarantine. We both know I’m not worth it.
You. You, fleegan.
The word hovers between us. Tira knows what the word means to me, personally. Everyone else in the Alliance shrugs off fleegan like Earthers do bastard or bitch. Except, when you’ve done everything this side of legal to escape a failed colony like Fleeg, you don’t want your shameful past thrown in your face. I love Tira, but this is part of why I’m glad we never bonded. Her sweet doesn’t overcome her sour.
I’m sorry— she begins.
Stopping her, I think, Don’t be. You’re right. I’m a fleegan in many respects.
“What’s wrong?”
Hold on, I send before focusing on Xell. She’s staring up at me with a frown. I forgot to turn on my emotional dampeners so that my face wouldn’t show my emotions during my conversation with Tira. Smiling to reassure her, I say, “I’m in trouble for being here. This might take a minute or two. Go on up and I’ll follow.”
She shook her head. “How will you know where I’ve gone when the trail splits?”
“ESP.”
Xell laughs. “Sure. Extra sensory perception from the extraterrestrial. Makes sense.” She gave me an Earth salute before walking backward a few steps. “Fine. If you don’t catch up in a while, I’m sending Deek’s drone to get you.”
“Good.” I watch as she leaves, amused at how she doesn’t consider herself an alien, too. But, Tira’s waiting to tear me apart. Reluctantly, I go back to the tirade she’s going to give me. Yes?
I formally apologies for my use of fleegan earlier. Otherwise, Enforcer BaKrell is under orders to destroy the shuttle. I hope you don’t interfere. We absolutely can not allow the contagion to escape.
I agree. The silence stretches out between us until I ask, Is that all?
Yes.
Even across the innercom, I hear the tears in her wavering voice. Tira? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t leave her stranded here. You’re my friend, but she’s my everything.
Understood. She’s quiet for a few milliseconds, a long stretch in our world, before adding, I could always count on you to follow orders and do the right thing no matter what happened. Then, when you went to Earth with the Emperor and his son, I lived in fear how each day brought you one step closer to bringing one of those people home with you. Yet, I knew my G’nar would follow the rules. He wouldn’t fall for one of those flashy Earthers.
There’s so much in her words I need to rebut. Yet, telling Tira I was never hers would hurt and besides, I don’t need to point out the obvious. Instead, I focus on my idea for Emol’s nanos instead of my lust for Xell. I saw and took an opportunity to help Emol’s victims with our bionans.
Your biologically based nanites are a huge enhancement but not a universal cure-all. Putting yourself into deadly situations just to see what the bionans can do is a huge mistake. She clears her throat with a cough. The Intergalactic Alliance has lost a future Leader in you. I’m sorry to say, if you need help of any kind, we won’t be able to do more than a supply drop once in a while.
I nod. Emol is barely inside the Alliance’s inhabited systems. So is Earth, which is why our Emperor chose the place to hide his son from assassins. I understood the risks when I left the ship.
I’ve ordered Enforcer BaKrell to send as many provisions to you as he can without sacrifice to himself. There’s nothing more I can do.
Understood. Thank you, Tira, and I had to try.
If I’d ever truly bonded, I might understand your insanity, she says with a sniffle.
I subconsciously nod, hating that I hurt her. You will, I’m sure. Desperate to push her thoughts away from losing me and toward solving Xell’s problems, I add, Have Deek throw in extra rills into the supplies. I can plant the seeds here when we’re finished eating them.
Optimist. I don’t think either of you will live long enough to enjoy fresh rill, but why not? Message sent. I’ve also sent the Leaders our situation. You’ll hear from them soon, I’m sure. I may cease to be your Director from now on, but I’d like updates every so often if you don’t mind.
Shit. The Leaders. That means the Emperor knows. Eldan’s going to strangle me. Of course. I’ll send reports on my efforts to neutralize the Emol nanos. We’re going for the antidote at the moment. I’ll send an update when we’re done.
Send it to Enforcer BaKrell.
I reply with an affirmative and withdraw from contact. She needs distance. I can feel her withdraw as much as if we were in physical proximity. After making a note to mull over the ending of an era between Tira and me later, I refocus on finding the temple.
Xell left traces of disturbed soil and moss with each footstep. I follow them as well as examine the vegetation around me. Most of what I see is already categorized and analyzed in my Alliance datalinks. Nothing has changed in the past few decades. A cluster of poles are ahead. Stalks, I think Xell called them. They’re like a crowd of humanoids in their differing shapes and sizes. I approach, noting her trail curves around the cluster. Khscc birds flit around and roost on the stalks’ top edges.
“There you are.”
I glance over at Xell as she rounds the corner. I respond. “Yes, I’m here. The report took longer than I’d expected.”
She squints at a particularly chubby stalk. “Report, huh? Is that what they call a chewing out from the boss around here?”
I laugh at her wry smile. “Afraid so.” I watch as she shakes her head. She seems bothered, so I ask, “Is everything all right?”
Xell turns from the plant as if I’ve shaken her awake and tells me, “Yeah. I waited at the temple for a little while. It was tough resisting the urge to put my hand on the podium, so I came back. Your drone took off as if on a mission.”
“Ah. BaKrell must have sent it out gathering information. Standard procedure.” I’m more interested in her experiences and say, “There’s a podium?”
She nods. “You’ll see. There’s an impression perfect for a three-fingered hand and I couldn’t resist the first time. I think the nanos give me instructions subliminally.”
“Probably.” Her words remind me about my alert suppression. I resume the contagion alarms and the notifications flood in. “Nanos can be pesky.”
“When you’re not so focused on the antidote, you’ll have to tell me more about the Intergalactic Alliance. I want to know about the tech Earth doesn’t have.”
I love her curiosity, but don’t know think I should be answering questions at the moment. “I don’t know. You’re really not supposed to learn anything beyond your homeworld technologies.”
She spread her arms out and looked up at the sky. “Right, because I’m so dangerous here. A little bit of knowledge is going to help me fix the alien ship and leave.”
I went up and nudged her with my shoulder. “Access to my tech could teach you how to pilot my shuttle.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that, actually.” Xell grinned at me, stepping over a dead tree root carpeted in lichen. “Figures. I’m the type of person who doesn’t think to rob the empty bank until days later.”
Her lack of treachery appeals to me as much as everything else about her. I can’t let her think goodness is a negative trait, so I counter with, “You mean, you’re honest and trustworthy? I don’t see the problem.”
She pauses and I intentionally run into her. Anything for her touch. She leans back against me and looks up at me. “I could
begin to love a guy like you, G’nar.”
I press my lips against her forehead, ignoring my bionans’ alarms about her invading nanos. “Good, because I already adore you. It’s why I’m here.”
“Uh huh. As soon as you send info about the antidote to Deek, we need to talk.”
“Those words from a loved one strike fear into every humanoid in the galaxy,” I quip and she laughs. “No, seriously. We can talk and walk at the same time, can’t we?”
“Sure, but it’s not too far to the temple. I want a real conversation, not a chat.”
I thought that’s what we were having, I almost quip but know what she means. Xell is too busy leading me and I’m too busy thinking about her to really converse. We’re approaching a copse of stalk trees. Every time we’re close to them, Xell’s body language grows tense and fearful. “Have you tried cutting into the trees?” I ask, leaning in to examine one of the larger ones. “I can almost see into them.”
“No, I avoid them if at all possible. They’re dangerous.”
“These things?” I say and point at a huge tree in the middle. “Reminds me of Uncle Parn with his belly.”
Xell laughs and motions at me. “Come on, those are the worst.”
A movement catches my attention and I frown. “As many as there are, too bad they’re not edible.”
“You don’t eat them. They eat you.”
I laugh and look at her. “I’d like to see them try.”
Her expression turns serious and she motions to me. “Come on. He looks ready to explode. Let’s not make a bad situation worse.”
“Explode?” I say as the stalk gurgles. The noise grabs my attention and I watch as the tree shimmies a little. “It’s a plant, not a bomb,” I murmur, recording the slight motions for my report. “Interesting…”
