Vukan (Scifi Alien Romance) (Galactic Mates) Read online

  “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

  “Ah, yes,” I say. “The Ypes. Tell me everything you know.”

  “Of course!”

  Cindy leans back in her chair and recounts every detail of her adventure. I furiously scribble down notes, asking her everything I can think of about these mysterious animals.

  Soon my professional curiosity is piqued. What fascinating beings the Ypes are! I’ve been so grumpy about being drafted by the Federation that I’ve given the actual scientific part of this mission little thought. However, when Cindy explains to me how the green, ape-like beings work in packs, and can seemingly turn invisible when they move through the high grass on the wet, mossy planet, my eyes turn wide.

  Such intelligence and abilities are unheard of. This is big, big news — big enough for an Archer Prize!

  Besides my professional interest in the animals, the wildness of her tale also strikes me. Stranded in space, only to be rescued by alien soldiers? That’s exactly why I don’t like being on a spaceship. I know exactly how to survive in any type of wilderness. I know what berries to eat, and which ones are poisonous, and how to test that. I know how to drain the sap from a tree. I know how to build a shelter to shield you from the monsoon rain.

  I don’t know how to kickstart a busted engine.

  I don’t know how to repair a damaged oxygen supply.

  And I certainly don’t know how to thank a squad of alien soldiers for rescuing me from certain death. Especially Zorans. They frighten me.

  I’m not helpless by any means, but what can you do against a seven-foot-tall, trained Zoran warrior? You’re absolutely at his mercy. If they want you, they can take you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

  I know some Earth women have fallen for them — Jillian Archer for one, and Michelle and Bojan are the latest ‘hot’ couple if you believe the media — but I just can’t see myself ever dating a Zoran male.

  Or a human one for that matter. Spending ten months out of every year hiding in the bushes while taking notes on animal behavior doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for romance. Such is the life of a wildlife biologist.

  Cindy, however, doesn’t seem fazed by her own adventure, or the Zoran squad that welcomed her onboard. Her firsthand account of her story is riveting, like an action-packed movie. I can’t believe that after that whole ordeal, she crash-landed on an alien planet — and survived!

  Getting on a ladder gives me vertigo. The last thing I ever want to see is a planet’s surface heading my way at thousands of miles an hour…

  “I’m really worried about the Ypes,” Cindy concludes. “That message they gave us… ‘help’. That has to mean something, right?”

  “I’ll do my best to help them,” I tell her. “You have my word.”

  “Thank you,” she smiles. “Nora told me that she has the utmost faith in you.”

  A blush forms on my cheeks. “I’ll do my best,” I answer. “That’s all I can do.”

  She nods. “Of course. I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

  “Are you done yet?” a firm, low voice growls in the background. Cindy cranes her neck.

  “Almost, dear — hey!” she says.

  A salmon-colored figure walks behind Cindy, and my breath falters.

  I just saw the seven-foot-tall, broad-shouldered, and dripping wet and naked figure of a Zoran warrior walk by. It was only a quick flash, but that’s enough to be permanently ingrained into my memory.

  You can’t unsee such greatness. I knew they were big, but I had no idea they were that big…

  “I said almost! Put something on! Sorry about that,” she says, turning back to me. “That was, erm, Dusan.”

  So she’s living with the Zoran warrior that saved her life now? Not only that, but he’s naked and in her home!

  I hope I’m not keeping her from something.

  “That’s alright,” I stammer, my cheeks turning the same color as Dusan. My room is barely lit, and I hope Cindy can’t see how embarrassed I am.

  Cindy rolls her eyes. “Zorans,” she sighs. “You’re lucky you don’t have to deal with them.”

  I count my blessings. I wouldn’t know what to do with that much pure man.

  “Anyway, if you have any more questions?”

  “No, I think I’ve seen enough.”

  Crap. Heard! I’ve heard enough!

  Cindy’s eyes twinkle mischievously. “I’m sure you have,” she says softly. “Good luck on your mission, Olivia.”

  “Thank you,” I say with a face as red as the sun.

  Later that night, when I struggle to fall asleep with all the sounds of the ship keeping me awake, my thoughts keep drifting back to that moment. For a brief glimpse I saw what perfection looked like.

  And it is as frightening as it is arousing.

  6

  Vukan

  My fingers glide across my trident. I’ve washed the Ygg Queen’s blood off the weapon countless times, but a few stains remain. Their acidic blood leaves marks, even on Zoran steel. I grab a cloth and brush it again.

  There’s a quick knock on my door.

  “Enter.”

  Teodor steps in and snaps to attention.

  “Approaching destination, sir.”

  “Thank you, Teodor. Prepare a landing party.”

  He nods and strides off.

  It’s been a tense few days on my ship. We rarely operate on high alert — the universe has been peaceful as of late. Too peaceful perhaps, if such a thing is possible.

  It’s lulled everyone into a false sense of security.

  I’ve shared little details of our mission with my crew. It’s made some of them anxious. It’s a good test for me to see who are really worth their mettle.

  I strap my trident to my back and walk to the command center.

  “Status?”

  “Approaching the Wrath of Moss, sir,” my helms officer says.

  “Anyone nearby?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “Life signs on board?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “Good. Bring that ship on screen.”

  The abandoned ship appears in front of me. It’s drifting aimlessly through space, still powered on, its life-support systems still functioning… with no one left on board to keep alive. In the background looms a large, green planet. Only minor lifeforms are present on the surface, according to our readings. A class C planet.

  “What are those?” I say, pointing at some debris floating near the ship. “Zoom in.”

  The image is magnified. The frozen bodies of the Tyk’ix soldiers fill the screen. Their purple, tentacled faces still have the distraught expressions of someone who knows they’re about to die on them.

  “What am I looking at?” Teodor asks as he joins me in the command center.

  “The enemy,” I say.

  I turn to my helms officer. “Make some photos of their uniforms and run it through the database, see if you can find where these guys are from.”

  He nods and goes to work.

  “You have command,” I tell Teodor. “I’m going to explore a desolate alien craft.”

  “You want to go in yourself?”

  “Of course,” I say. “A general leads.”

  “As your second-in-command, it’s my duty to point out how risky that is.”

  “And as your general, it’s my duty to completely dismiss your concerns,” I say with a grin.

  “Suit yourself,” Teodor says. “I thought it may be a few more years before I’m promoted to general, but I’ll take it now.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  “That’s the plan, yeah,” he smirks. He grabs my shoulders. “Stay safe, alright?”

  “You know me.”

  “Exactly, that’s what worries me.”

  I head to the armory and strap a space suit on. Even though the life-support systems on the Wrath of Moss are still active, I’m not taking any chances. My landing party is standing at the ready — fiv
e of the toughest soldiers under my command, armed to the teeth.

  “What can we expect, sir?” my squad leader Rufus asks. “Heavy resistance?”

  “On the contrary,” I answer. “The ship is abandoned, its crew sucked into outer space when their front window was shattered from a blast from the inside. Emergency shields came down afterwards, so the gravity and atmosphere inside should be restored. However, I’m not taking any chances. Consider yourselves in enemy territory. Our priority is finding the command center and checking the logs, to verify the designation of the ship. Got it?”

  “Sir yes sir,” my soldiers chant in unison.

  “Take us out of here, boys.”

  We leave my warship, the ZMC Bran, on a small cruiser and head towards the empty freighter. I love this pre-mission tension. Everyone is alert, focused, completely in the moment.

  I know that our readings are telling us the ship is empty, but I don’t always take unnecessary risks, contrary to what King Vinz thinks. Only when I have the opportunity to deliver my opponent a killing blow do I gamble.

  I read the report. I knew that Zivan described the Tyk’ix as having ‘psionic powers’. He claimed they could read his mind, invade his skull, freeze his muscles.

  Disturbing if true.

  That’s why I’m going in with an armed squad of soldiers — I’m not letting some physically gifted ghost ship get the drop on me!

  “Prepare for landing,” Rufus says. “In three, two, one…”

  The cruiser connects with the Wrath of Moss. The hatch opens with a hiss and my soldiers pour in the hall, their rifles at the ready.

  “Clear!”

  We move through the ship as a single organism, moving in unison, clearing one room after another. Being a part of a team that works as one is an incredible feeling. You put your trust, your life in the hands of your brothers-in-arms.

  The ship is eerily quiet. The hum of the life-support systems is ever present, but besides that there’s nothing else but the echoing of our boots down the empty hallways. My pulse is racing, as I expect some type of psionic assault on my brain at every turn… but nothing happens. So far.

  We reach the command room. Everything that was not bolted down has been sucked out the window, which is now covered by a sheet of steel.

  I strap my rifle onto my back — next to my trident — and head towards the main computer. The system is still online, but it operates in the perplexing Tyk’ix language.

  Tapping the side of my helmet I patch my helmet’s vision through to the ZMC Bran. My translator guides me through the menu, and I find the ship’s visual records.

  Let’s see if this Zivan fellow was telling the whole truth.

  I hit play and watch the confrontation between Zivan, Mia and the Tyk’ix war band play out. It all happens exactly as he reported. They seem to control his body with their strange powers, but he manages to grab his blaster and pull the trigger, the window exploding in a hail of debris, and the entire crew is sucked into space and killed. Mia holds on for dear life, her limbs wrapped around her chair, and she miraculously survives the whole ordeal. Using the ship’s tractor beam she pulls Zivan back, revives him, and they find a human girl chained in the basement of the ship. Together, they leave.

  That’s all.

  I’m not quite sure how to feel. On one hand I’m happy this Zoran has proven trustworthy — but on the other, the revelation is vexing.

  The Tyk’ix really did abduct a young, human female, and they did speak about a ‘sovereignty’ and ’sacrifice’. Sinister words. It’s as bad as I had feared.

  I check the intended destination for the ship. If it was headed to the Tyk’ix homeworld, Xia V, then that’s another nail in their coffin.

  “Moss - Sector Omega VI,” the screen reads.

  That’s this sector. We’re damn close.

  “Teodor,” I say as I tap my helmet, “is there planet named Moss in this sector?”

  “Not in our database, no,” he says.

  “I’m sending you the coordinates now.”

  “My god,” he says.

  A shiver runs down the back of my spine.

  “What?”

  “According to the coordinates, Moss is the planet right below you. That big green one. We’re right there.”

  My skin prickles with heat. Our readings noted nothing of interest on the planet — what in the hell were they going there for?

  “Affirmative,” I say.

  Something feels off. I turn around and prepare to signal to my team that we are going to return to the mothership when Teodor’s voice breaks again.

  “General!” he says exasperated. “We have a ship incoming! Human military!”

  I knew this mission wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Ready weapons,” I tell him. “And take them out.”

  7

  Olivia

  The ship is buzzing with excitement — we’re nearly at our destination. I can hear the giddiness in the voices of the soldiers as they patrol down the hall. They all hope they are part of the landing party. After all, landing on alien worlds is what being a space marine is all about.

  My stomach is in knots. I’m both happy, excited, curious, nervous, and terrified. It’s quite a mélange of emotions.

  Professionally I’m very interested in meeting the Ypes. It’s working alongside a squadron of marines that worries me.

  I’ve also never set foot on an alien world without extensively studying the local flora and fauna. Before I travelled to Audur, I read just about every book, article and paper that has ever been written about it.

  Now, I’m going in totally blind. All I know is that Cindy described it as ‘one big swamp’.

  That’s not much to go on.

  I dare to venture out of my room and head towards the command center. An overzealous guard bars my entry, pressing the side of his rifle against my chest, but Captain Price tells him to stand down.

  “Miss Booth,” he says. He’s sitting in his captain’s chair, legs spread wide. “Glad you could make it.”

  “Are we close?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

  He nods. “Definitely. Our mystery planet is only a few clicks away. You can go to the armory to get suited up, along with the landing party.”

  I take a deep breath. Here it goes.

  “I prefer to work alone.”

  A few of the crew members glance up at me, their eyebrows raised. I assume talking back to the acting officer is not something that regularly goes down in the Federation.

  “I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m supposed to study these animals. I can’t do that with a squadron of soldiers breathing down my neck.”

  “What do you expect me to do, Olivia?” he says, spreading his arms wide. “These are dangerous, foreign lands. It’s my job to protect you. I’m not letting you out of my sight for even one second.”

  “Then we might as well go home,” I say. “The Ypes are shy, watchful creatures. They won’t show themselves with a whole army around.”

  “My soldiers are trained in the arts of subterfuge,” Price retorts.

  I roll my eyes. “I bet the Ypes can smell them from a mile away. Sir.”

  Price’s smiling eyes turn cold.

  “We have a job to do here, miss Booth,” he says. “You will do it. End of discussion.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to explain. I can’t do my job if I’m flanked by guards. My whole approach, the reason I was selected for this mission, is that I know how to blend into the environment. I know how to show the local wildlife I’m not a threat. Your soldiers are trained to be a threat. I don’t know any other way to ex—”

  “Sir,” one of the crew members interrupts. “I’m picking up two unidentified objects near the destination, and one seems to be gearing up its weapon systems.”

  “What?” Price snaps. “Red alert! All men to their stations!”

  A horn starts blaring, scaring the
crap out of me, and red lights start flashing. I hear soldiers scrambling down the hall, everyone moving with purpose.

  “It’s heading right for us, captain.”

  “On screen!”

  A massive, three-pronged starship appears in the distance, hovering above a giant, green planet.

  “They’re locking onto us!”

  The entire ship rumbles, and I hold onto the wall for support, my stomach doing flips. I knew this mission was going to be dangerous, but I didn’t expect to die before we even reached the surface.

  “Evade!” Price yells. “Evade, damn it!

  “I-I can’t,” the helmsman answers, his voice breaking. “I’m locked out!”

  All the lights on the ship’s control panel start flashing erratically.

  “Damn it,” Price curses, sweat dripping down his brow. “What kind of enemy is this?! Do we have any systems left online?!”

  “N-negative,” the helmsman responds. “All systems are down.”

  “My god,” the captain says, sinking back into his chair.

  He looks defeated, an empty look in his eyes. On the screen I see a small cruiser come towards us, and my palms get sweaty just looking at it.

  Everyone is silent, looking towards Price for guidance, but he has a vacant look on his face.

  “They’re coming right for us,” I say. “Aren’t you going to do something?!”

  He swallows the lump in his throat. “What will you have me do?” he says. “Our shields are down. Our weapons are down. Our engines are down. We’re sitting ducks. A brand-new Destroyer, taking down without firing a single bullet,” he sighs wistfully, talking to himself most of all. “My career is over before it even began.”

  “Fuck your career, Price.”

  The soldiers look at me with wide eyes. Unlike them, I’m used to speaking my mind, especially when faced with danger. Granted, I don’t do well at dinner parties, but it’s gotten me through life so far.

  “I’m not going to sit here and pray for a quick death from these alien invaders,” I say. I lean over and pull his blaster out of the holster on his hip.