Chapter 3
Brook swallowed around the lump in her throat as subtly as she could. She didn’t appreciate the expression on the alien leader’s face at all. There was no doubt that he was the leader within the small squad before her. He was slightly taller than the other two, his entire demeanor projected command and dominance. Her stomach tightened in a way that made her want to blush, but she forced herself to remain in control. She was a scientist. It was simply the excitement bubbling up inside of her at their finding.
The male stood ramrod straight, his skin a curious mint green color, but beautiful somehow. There was nothing little about the “little green man” though. He was taller than most humans she knew, and his body was a mass of muscle tone and restrained power.
His eyes were as black as empty space. His nose was prominent and straight, leading to lips that were compressed in what she imagined was barely repressed rage. The clothing he was wearing was strange, made out of some kind of natural plant fiber. It consisted mainly of a skirt of sorts that fell to his knees in braids, with two thicker braids climbing his chest. At his shoulders the braids displayed an intricate knot. The rest of his massive body was bare.
Brook concentrated on her breathing, her eyes boring into the alien leader.I will not back down. Why the fuck are you so hot? I will not back down.
If she gave in now, the aliens would walk all over her. Hell, they likely would anyway, given their advanced technology and weapons. Regardless, she would stand up for herself and her crew, ensuring that the foreign being before her knew she meant business. It was her duty to keep those under her command safe, and to complete her mission.
And she would, by God, accomplish those goals, despite any resistance from her new discovery.
The leader’s eyes narrowed as he met her gaze and held it for a few minutes. He broke the connection finally, turning to his companions and giving a short nod. The energy pulses that were rippling across their bodies faded away.
Brook let out the breath she was holding.Round one - humans.
“Power down your robots,” the leader barked, his voice as hard as steel.
She didn’t like giving up her advantage, slim as it might be, but she had to make concessions as well. It was only fair. “Lieutenant Brunt, power down the FIDOs.”
Talia stood just behind her, and moved up as Brook turned to pin Brunt with a stare. Talia lifted to her toes and murmured close to Brook’s ear, “You sure that is a good idea?”
Of course not. It’s the dumbest idea I’ve had in years.
Behind her, Brunt was at the console, inputting the commands to deactivate the FIDOs. The face displays of the units blinked from red to blue, and the robots turned and headed down the corridor and back to the cargo bay where they were stored.
Brook turned back in time to see the leader starting to speak, but she jumped in first, not wanting to give him the chance to take control of the situation. “Do you want to explain to me why you captured my ship and boarded her without permission? We’ve done nothing to provoke such a response.”
The leader gave her a tight smile as his eyes moved across her face. “You were nearing the Zantharian defense perimeter. We’re on high alert and scanning all ships entering our system.”
“Scanning doesn’t mean boarding.”
The hair on his head started tomovesuddenly. She was riveted and couldn’t speak for a minute as she stared at him. She’d assumed the alien had hair similar to her own, but now she realized it was something more akin to tiny tentacles. And they’d started to ripple.
He didn’t answer, but asked a question of his own. “What are you doing here? Explain yourself. Now.”
Brook’s face tightened. “Explain why you boarded my ship.”
Letting out a large sigh the alien took a step forward. “I already told you. Keep up and don’t waste my time.”
Alvarez, who had been standing next to her on the left, lifted his laser pistol, aiming it at the lead alien who scoffed and turned his attention to her crewmate and then back to her.
“I thought we were past brandishing our weapons at one another.”
Brook put her hand on Alvarez’s pistol to push it back toward the floor. “If that’s the truth, then you should release my ship and stop talking to me like I’m a child. It’s not going to get you anywhere with me.”
The alien’s face hardened until it looked carved from jade. “I can’t do that. Not until you explain what you’re doing here.”
Brook let out a heavy breath. Someone had to be the first one to capitulate. The alien seemed to be meeting her halfway, so she supposed it was time to give a little.
“One of our people was investigating a nearby planet, classified as JL-398. We lost contact with her when she entered the planet’s atmosphere and haven’t been able to re-establish communications. My crew was sent to try and locate her.”
The leader nodded as if he’d been expecting her answer. “And is this the entirety of your crew?”
Brook frowned. “TheEarhartcurrently has a complement of eight crew members, including her captain.”
“I suppose you’re the captain?” He eyed her up and down as if it was humorous that a woman was captaining a ship.
