Rexnor’s grin widened as he dropped his arm but didn’t move from my side. Instead, he stooped down from his towering height and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. I knew it was harmless and immediately enjoyed Rexnor’s playful nature. Motok didn’t agree. He roared and rushed forward, body slamming his brother into the nearest set of crates.
Rolling my eyes at their antics, I stepped around the feuding pair and scattered boxes as I followed Orion from the hangar. We entered a narrow corridor brightly lit with bluish white LED lights and walked up a ramp that led to what I assumed was the front of the ship. Several crew members were seated in what could only be described as a cockpit and were punching buttons, swiping their fingers across holographic displays that hovered in front of their faces. Every last one was male.
Anentire crewof muscular and well-built silver skinned aliens that reached well over six feet in height. Some had longer ears than others, but every toned back sported those quills, although length must be a sign of age. Younger males had shorter quills while mature males had longer quills that were darker in color toward the tips. Some had spikes too. Many were also tattooed with strange symbols like Motok. They communicated easily among one another with some kind of clicking sound and that rumbling growl that I recognized from Motok. No claws were visible, but I was certain their species was quite dangerous and victorious in battle. After all, I’d seen it firsthand.
“How are you adjusting so far, mistress human?” The deep voice that greeted me was foreign, and I lifted my head to gaze into the intense regard of a male with an odd shaped pin attached to the upper left breast of his chest. When our eyes met, I gasped at the long, jagged scar that pulled his right eye slightly downward and crossed over the apple of his cheek before burying into his upper lip. Oddly enough, he was still ruggedly handsome.
Completely mortified to be caught staring, I nodded and stuttered. “Uh, good, I mean, I guess.”
“I am the Commander’sFirst, Valtus ‘the Scarred’.”
Seriously? He wanted me to call him scarred on purpose? “Nice to uh, meet you, Valtus.”
“Likewise, mistress. I will show you to your quarters.”
Glancing around, I gulped as the entire crew bowed their heads in response. All the Braxthar males we passed on the way gave a similar nod or bow and many stared like I was some anomaly. The entire experience was super weird and uncomfortable.
“These are your accommodations. I hope you will find them suitable for the remainder of your journey. I’ve taken the liberty of having a tray sent to your room within the half Earth hour. Please reach out via the comm system if you desire anything else.” He bowed and spun on his heel as he left me standing outside the door.
Sighing, I wondered how long it would be before Motok arrived. There was no handle on the door but as I approached it made aswooshand opened. When I didn’t step through, it slid shut again.
“She bears the mark?”
My solitude was interrupted by a male voice further down the corridor and beyond where I could see from this angle.
“Yes,” Motok answered gruffly. “The only one I’ve found alive since we began.”
“How marvelous you stumbled upon her.”
The other male’s voice was slightly higher but no less full of growls, grunts, and strange clicking than the others. He didn’t sound like either Orion or Rexnor. Not Valtus. The male was someone I had yet to meet.
“She’s quite remarkable.” Motok’s words were surprising. He thought that I was remarkable?
The voices approached as I contemplated escaping into my room, but I paused instead, certain this conversation was about me and hoping to hear more.
“How does she understand us?”
“I implanted a translator as she slept although she can’t detect every dialect we use. Our communication is critical. I must be able to explain our current crisis.”
“Ah, yes. No indication of any more of these marked females?”
“I’ve searched this entire time and located no others that survived. There are none in hiding, the auctions, or any of the undeclared planets. We’ve been to every system. She’s the last one and I found her on Earth. It’s quite disturbing.” He paused for a few seconds and his voice lowered slightly. “None have surfaced since the video. And this new female is strangely identical to the other.”
“This is deeply troubling.”
“Yes,” Motok agreed.
The conversation didn’t make much sense, but I did understand the part about implanting a foreign device into my body. Pissed he didn’t tell me, I decided to stop listening. I’d probably only find out more that I didn’t want to know. My hand lifted and the doorwhooshedopen, enclosing me inside as I sank to the floor in despair.
How long would I remain a ‘cherished guest’ of these aliens?
