“No,” Titus said and inhaled a deep breath. “I want you to come over here and look at some planets on the monitor and see if anything looks familiar. I would like to see if any humans remain on the planet you were stolen from.”
She brightened. “Do you think there’s hope?”
“There’s always hope. Until there’s reality. Whether hope becomes reality or not, you won’t find it unless you look.”
Zabbie nodded and went to stand beside Titus. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Though tall, she was thin from lack of nourishment. Titus knew before long he would see lush shapes form on her hips and breasts. Her hair was still something to marvel at, she somewhat resembled a porcupine a human female once showed him an image of.
“Is that Earth?” Zabbie asked. Her tone was subdued. Sad.
“I’m afraid it is. The surface is almost completely covered over in water. Unless humans found a way to live underground without drowning…”
“We have bunkers the government made. No doubt a number of fat cats are sleeping soundly, waiting for the water to recede.”
“I’ve seen pictures of cats. I had no clue the animals had the skill to make bunkers.”
Zabbie chuckled. “It’s an expression. I meant well-off people, humans, or those in authority such as politicians. Those with money who opted not to go with the aliens, or those who hid from them. There were rumors the aliens were Tonans. I believed the rumors but I also believed Earth was a lost cause. I doubted, even with time, humans would develop gills and webbed feet. The new planet seemed the safest route, if not the easiest. I wanted to see Ulsy, see if there were rogue humans and how humans were faring.”
“Why are your leaders so quick to abandon the ones they are sworn to protect?”
“Not all are like that. Many, yes. Some really thought Ulsy was a better place for their people and went ahead, not to escape first, but to see firsthand if what the aliens spoke of were lies. We heard good things and maybe it was good at first, until the aliens betrayed us. By then our shuttle had left. Our captain was told to change course. Our fuel supply and food and water were low. We crash landed on a different planet. The crash wasn’t bad, there were no injuries, but the shuttle was too damaged to fly. Our captain tried to fix it but said it was a lost cause. It didn’t matter, we made do. We were happy for a while. It was rough, the terrain was different, the animals were strange. We managed and thrived, until the Tonans came, and then the Gorgano.”
“Did you see the planet from space?”
“Yes,” Zabbie said. “Twice. The first was on board the Earth shuttle. The second time the Gorgano was taunting me.”
“I’m going to call up images. Tell me if anything looks familiar.”
The monitor filled with flipping images rotating one after the other in succession. Green gassy planets followed by orange distorted images. Vapors hung in the air over another planet. He heard her sharp intake of breath when they watched a planet zip back and forth in a horizontal pattern. A deep indigo planet appeared and Titus heard Zabbie’s tiny squeal.
“That’s the one.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, I could never forget it.”
“Cy charter a course, it’s not too far,” Titus said. He then pulled Zabbie onto his knee.
The huge vessel turned and shot forward. She snuggled into him, laying her head back. He heard her yawn and before long she slept. Titus was content to curl an arm around her. The warriors resumed their duties but were curious, especially the younger ones.
“Why isn’t she running from you?” Tane asked. His tone was low and he stared down at Zabbie. “I heard human females were tame, but this is over the top. She’s just lying there, in your arms like it was natural.”
“It is natural,” Titus said.
“But she has boobs and everything,” Tane continued. Other warriors snickered.
“Human females develop boobs and keep them,” Titus explained.
“All the time?” Tane was incredulous.
“All the time,” Zabbie whispered.
Tane actually jumped and spun around almost running back to his post. The other warriors roared with laughter, all but Cy who shook his head in annoyance. Zabbie remained quiet, eyes closed.
It didn’t take them too long to reach the planet. The ship slowed to a stop. Titus knew the planet had to be close, because he had seen Gorgano shuttles during previous battles. They weren’t able to cover as much space in a short time as the larger vessels, their smaller thrusters not as strong. Since Zabbie’s vessel was attacked, they would be in need of a closer planet. He wondered who had damaged the Gorgano’s shuttle forcing it to take refuge in the sun, it may even have been a Zargonnii, but he doubted it. More than likely it was a Castian. The Gorgano couldn’t battle a shielded Castian.
“Titus we have a problem,” Cy bellowed.
A Gorgano space vessel de-cloaked. Their weapons were powering up. The first red bursts of lights rocked the ship, nothing more. They weren’t boarded. Titus snapped colored lights on the console and returned fire.
“Reconfigure shields,” Titus bellowed, jumping to his feet and taking Zabbie with him who woke with a start. “We can’t let them board.”
Titus gripped Zabbie tighter knowing she must be terrified. Zabbie stood quietly watching the Gorgano vessel approach. She said nothing, her features were intense and Titus wondered if she was in shock.
“Their shields are too strong. We’ll never be able to blast our way through them,” Cy yelled.
“We have to try,” Titus bellowed.
A rapid succession of red mini bursts were sent toward the Gorgano vessel; each made a popping sound as they were intercepted. Titus groaned. If they were boarded, they would be doomed. Zabbie had no mind fighting capabilities. The Gorgano would kill her first. He went crazy with the thought, she was his mate. He spun her in his arms.
“Zabbie listen to me. If a Gorgano boards he will explode into your thoughts. You can’t let it do that, the second you see it you must explode into its thoughts, it’s your only chance of survival. You have to remember, please remember.”
The sudden explosion lit the dark sky with a ball of flames resembling the sun. Titus lifted an arm to shield their eyes. The Gorgano vessel was gone, incinerated. Titus heard Zabbie’s loud exhale of breath. When he turned to stare at her she was the essence of calm. Her gaze was fixed on the small puffs of smoke spiraling and dying. Her lashes were fluttering.
“Zabbie?”
“It wasn’t me,” Zabbie said. “I told you I have no mind powers.”
Cy looked skeptical. Titus knew Zabbie wasn’t lying. She had no clue what happened to the vessel she looked as perplexed as the others. Cy gripped Titus by the arm, dragging him from Zabbie’s side and strode to a corner.
“I’m telling you your mate is dangerous. She must have blown up the vessel, you told her to make them explode,” Cy hissed in his ear.
“She says she has no ability to mind battle. You can see her confusion and I don’t sense a lie, do you?”
“No, but that’s what makes her so dangerous.”
“Nonsense, I would know if she were a threat.”
“Titus, look at her. She’s just standing there. No emotion. Human females are a hormone disaster. Shouldn’t she be crying or something?”
Zabbie was the epitome of calm. It was as though nothing had just transpired.
“I’m not crying and I witnessed the same thing,” Titus said.
Cy’s glare was less than impressed. “You are a warrior.”
“And she’s not?”
Cy blinked and took a step back. “She’s female, and human.”
“She’s also been through something we can only imagine.”
Titus sauntered back to Zabbie and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and for a brief second he was certain her body trembled.
“If there is anyone left alive we will find them,” Titus said. “Since the Gorgano were
still here, it’s a good sign some may have escaped them.”
“I hope so. There was a woman whose husband was killed by a Tonan. She was in the first stages of pregnancy, before I was kidnapped. We had been on the planet for a while already. The baby, if it survived, would be a few months old.”
Titus grimaced. The Gorgano and the Tonans would have no use for a baby. They would have taken the mother without the child.
“I’ve never been on this planet,” Titus admitted. “We scanned it for life forms but only plant and animal registered. Tell me was there a female named Bertha ever there?”
Zabbie turned in his arms. She lifted her hand to caress his cheek. “No, Titus. I would have mentioned already if there had been. Give her up or you’ll drive yourself insane. Insanity isn’t a nice place to be. Trust me.”
Titus wondered at her words. She was alone for so long, he imagined her mind invented images to keep her occupied. Did that make a person insane or was it a coping method? Zabbie was a little off, but not nuts. He would have to keep her close until she settled and was feeling secure.
“What is this planet like?” Titus asked.
A small smile curled Zabbie’s lips. “There’s insane and then there’s plain crazy. Saddle up boys. Welcome to Crazy Town. You’re in for a helluva ride.”
Chapter 5
Zabbie never thought she would see this planet again let alone have her bare feet sink into the sweetest grass she had ever known. It was summer where they landed, her favorite season. The air smelled of fragrant tropical flowers. A gentle breeze tickled the tips of the grass and flew wayward petals to skip across the waving tips. Beautiful, massive, chocolate dark trees with trunks larger than buses spanned the distance. Their intricate branches went heavenward for thirty feet, intertwining to seem more like enchanted bridges to each level. Zabbie and her friends spent hours in the trees.
An ebony bug with glowing green speckles resembling a butterfly floated past. The wings increased when soaring, decreased when diving. The many eyes under the bug’s belly made Zabbie smile, it carried its young wherever it went. The sky was clear and blue and breathtaking. Immediately to her left a wall of blizzard howled. Zabbie took a few short steps to the wall that stretched upwards as far as the eye could see. She lifted her hand to wiggle her fingers in the winter season. When she drew her hand back her fingers were red and cold and wet.
Titus was gazing off in the distance. “This is strange. Everywhere I look there’s beauty until I glance at that wall of snow and ice. What contains it? The planet and wall resembles the ice and fire from the sun we were in but with seasons.”
“It took us a while to get used to all of the seasons coexisting side by side. It’s a small planet and each season is extreme in its own way. The summer season we’re in is full blown summer and stays that way, never changing. As does autumn with all of its vibrant colors and crisp scents. Winter is harsh and unforgiving, volatile and unpredictable. Spring is a little lazy. That season is quiet because everything is waking up, you can almost hear the plants yawn and stretch. Most of the animals stay away from winter, except one and, well, let’s hope we don’t run into it. It’s a hard creature to describe and loves the fall season best. It’s very furry. The winter season bogs its fur down and if it lies down it can get frozen to the ground. Summer is too hot for it. It’s a mammoth-sized black beast with fangs and snorts smoke.”
“Sounds like a cyron,” Titus said. “Can you explain more of what happened and who attacked first?”
Zabbie wished he hadn’t asked. The memories hurt when they came, as though the Gorgano were torturing her thoughts all over again. Titus’s gaze was sympathetic; he wasn’t trying to hurt her, only understand. He was leader after all. The warriors he commanded were his to care for. For him she would try.
“We escaped into the winter weather when the Tonans came. They need the sunlight to maintain their shields. The winter season has very little sun, a blizzard blows mainly. We, meaning me and the other survivors, would come into the summer season to hunt and into the spring season to gather new edible shoots and race back underground in caverns we found. I doubt any humans are living in this area,” Zabbie said. “It was too dangerous to stay in a warm welcoming place.”
“You were forced to abandon the luxury of heat for survival,” Titus said. Zabbie heard the pity in his tone.
“This is close to where we sheltered. Off in the distance you can just make out spring. But remember the Gorgano attacked. We all fled. No one else was on the Gorgano space vessel that I saw. They might have separated us. If your monitors didn’t pick up life forms it means either no one is left, or some are hiding in the winter season far underground. I guess with all the frozen ice above us sensors didn’t pick us up. We spent most of our time cold, I guess that’s why I survived for so long, I was already used to intense frigid weather. I already had the clothes to keep me warm.”
Titus walked up to the wall of snow cascading down, to stand next to Zabbie. She gazed at her limited clothing. Titus stuck his hand into the winter wall. He stepped through the sheet of snow and turned. Zabbie could see him frowning. In battle mode his hair whipped the large snowflakes away torpedo style. None came through the wall. Titus walked back through and stood next to her. Lifting his hand he brushed at the snow clinging to his fur.
“You aren’t wearing suitable clothing for that weather,” Titus said.
“Can your replicator make me something warm?”
“I’m afraid not. This material is all we know, our bodies don’t require furs. Cold doesn’t normally bother us but even I felt the sting of some unusually cold snowflakes. It might get uncomfortable after a while but not to a degree where we will freeze. I’ve never encountered single stinging snowflakes before. We get biting cold in the northern Zargonnii area but not like that. My warriors and I can go in there, we would be fine, I’m sure we can adjust, but I can’t leave you here or on the ship.”
“Your need to have me close every second is getting on my nerves,” Zabbie complained. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I guess I’ll have to fend for myself because I have to go with you. You can’t just walk up to humans and growl grunt at them and think they’ll be overjoyed to see you. We witnessed first-hand aliens hunting humans, and your warriors are massive, the biggest I’ve seen to date.”
“What do you intend on doing?” Titus asked.
“I need to go hunting. There’s a beast with a shaggy coat, it’s big enough so I only need one animal. The fur is best for the winter weather. I can fashion clothes from it and if there are humans the meat will be welcome. It’s always best to come bearing gifts. If you have food they won’t think you’re looking for food.”
“You are going hunting?” Cy snorted then laughed.
Zabbie ignored him. Cy was always no more than two feet from Titus. She heard his comments on the ship and they stung. She wasn’t some weirdo. She had no powers. It was plain to see Titus and Cy were close. It was also apparent Cy was jealous, why, she had no clue. Titus said he and the warriors only Holidayed with females. Or, she wondered, if Cy really thought her a threat and Cy felt he was protecting Titus. She would have to show him and the other warriors she was no threat, she wasn’t a burden either. Zabbie could take care of herself; she had for a long time.
A plant in sight resembled bleeding hearts, its innocuous look was deceiving. When Zabbie came close to the mass of the six foot high plants and six inch hearts, she stomped her foot on the ground and jumped back. Massive wooden spiked spears slammed from the ground to stand six feet tall replacing the bleeding hearts. Titus had her snatched back and in his arms in a heartbeat.
“Shit, Zabbie,” he roared.
Zabbie refrained from chuckling. “Gives you new meaning to why they’re called bleeding hearts, eh?”
“Any other surprises I should be aware of?” Titus asked, he sounded grouchy as he lowered her to the ground.
“Probably.”
“That was dangero
us,” Cy said.
“Only if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Zabbie said. She had no idea Titus would react so fast, but he was never in danger. The plants couldn’t move.
Cy was growling and glaring at her, she winked at him. Zabbie walked over to the spears and yanked one from the ground. She hefted its weight and chose another. The spears were also not what they appeared to be. Some were hollow. The new one she held was heavier, not hollow. She’d need to be able to throw the spear and also penetrate a thick hide.
Glancing at the sky and judging it was mid-day, Zabbie struck out. She knew at this time of the day the female of the species she and the other humans dubbed the shadow beasts were cooling off in the water with offspring. There was a male leader who kept at least six other males at bay. Zabbie wanted one of the other males.
Titus remained close on her heels as she moved. There were eight warriors in all. She heard a few chuckling at her and she battled her annoyance. They didn’t know or perhaps didn’t care she knew their language. They thought she was weak and foolish. She was neither. Her annoyance grew, but she knew after she hunted the beast she would gain at least grudging respect. The only thing keeping her from spinning on them was Titus walking with her, Cy held back to make fun with the other warriors.
The first small hill they ascended levelled out to a small field. A number of short trees stood nearby. The trees bore delicious pink fruit, unfortunately the juice stained horribly. The human men she had been with wouldn’t eat it because the juice dyed their hands pink for weeks and the women would tease them and ask who had bright pink cocks. Zabbie avoided going under any of the low branches, there was nothing worse than one splattering on your head when you least expected. She had no desire to be mostly bald, as well as zero desire to be pink, her hair was growing in but was taking its sweet time. The warriors would look ridiculous if their long white hair were colored.
To Catch A Warrior [Unearthly World Book 5] Page 6
