And he has a point. I am risking myself and this ship every moment I stay.
These thoughts did not deter me, though. My people's return hinged on something I needed from Earth, something I instinctively knew Gerri Johnson possessed.
An image of her rose in my mind. Her hair, dark with tight curls, had caught the firelight when she had turned her head, reminding me of some of the early paintings I had seen in our database of what humans called fairies.Do not forget about those lips, either. Plump and full, my thoughts jumbled when she spoke because I could not stop imagining how she would taste.
My dick throbbed and pushed against my pants. When her voice reached my ears, a profound sense of calm had washed over me and something in my head rang, like the distant gong of a bell. I had discovered my destined partner.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. Even if shedidfind me attractive, it did not matter. She had not seen Drayven Naxar the Volderen. Gerri had seen Drayven the human. Our first meeting had been based on a lie, and I did not know how that could be mended.
Stop thinking about it. Take a few hours to rest, then look at it again in the morning.
Nodding, I rose and moved to the small area beside the cockpit, equipped with an area for overnight stays, and laid down, even though I was not sure I could sleep after such an unusual, exciting meeting.
I shut my eyelids.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The high-pitched squawk of my lifecords alarm pierced through the lovely dream I had been having, which involved me on top of Gerri Johnson and kissing her neck.
“Godsdamn it. Shut up. I am awake,” I said in Volderen.
The lifecord’s alarm turned off.
I glanced through the viewscreen to a glorious sight.
Slanting rays from the sunrise pierced through the gaps between the pine trees, creating beautiful orange and yellow glows. A light scattering of clouds reflected the pink and orange glow of the light, and flocks of birds flew over the treetops.
“So much color in this world.” As much as I longed to explore the park and the city, a deeper urge pulled at me.
Gerri.
I primed the engines of the Sparrow and verified stealth mode was still active, and lifted the ship into the air, pivoting and flying near Gerri’s camp.
Because Volderen crafts were completely undetectable, not even wind stirred the tops of the trees as I hovered in the air.
She sat in the same chair from last night, lifting a spoon to her mouth, obviously eating breakfast from a tiny container. Standing, she walked the container to the trash, set the spoon in a metal bin filled with water, and got into the vehicle that served as her home.
Her way of life mystified me. Volderens cherished a home, however small, but this woman lived without constraint. The idea of having no ties—no oaths—tempted me for a moment. How wonderful to live freely on a planet, to only worry about the small things in life, not an entire civilization and its future, to answer to no one but myself.
Yet, I am oath bound to my people. We have not survived four thousand years to become marooned on another planet, even if it is wondrous.
Our ancestors had watched humans become civilized, sometimes even influencing their progress, yet it was not out of benevolence. Our lineage faced extinction without the key to unlocking our DNA anomalies. We had that now thanks to Voren and Lilly, and we were sworn to complete the mission at whatever cost; Voldera’s salvation and future rested on our shoulders…myshoulders.
Her truck backed out of its spot, then rumbled through the park and out the gates. Ten minutes later, she reached the outskirts of a little city, which my readout confirmed was Barkley. She pulled into a slanted parking spot in front of a building with aFor Salesign in the window.
I contacted the interface, directing my ship to land in a nearby field.
Once I confirmed stealth mode and my projected image remained that of a human male, I left and strode toward the road she had traversed. The walk, though only about ten minutes, invigorated me.
This air. It is clean, with no smell of filtration or iron dust.
Why had I not visited Earth sooner? My life had been consumed with learning from my elders and designing and maintaining our fleet. No wonder I yearned for beauty and inspiration. The outer husk of a Volderen must be supported from the inside, and that starts with the heart and mind.
As I came upon the building I had seen from the air, I slowed.
Gerri, standing a few steps up on a ladder with an apron filled with paintbrushes tied around her waist, gracefully moved her hand across the red bricks, creating an outline of a flower.
Honk-honk-honk!
