Stranded with the Alien (Starbound #1)

Eight

Her body ached. Every single muscle was sore from bending and lifting. Her thighs and glutes were on fire, her shoulders a mass of pain. She rolled her neck, trying to ease the tension.

She knew the Vraxian must be feeling it too. He was lifting boulders much bigger and heavier than she could manage. Say what you would about the snakes, they were way stronger than humans. Of course, he had those extra limbs to help him.

She eyed them surreptitiously. At some point he’d thrown off his flight jacket to reveal a sleeveless tunic beneath. The tentacle-limbs grew from his upper back just below the line of his shoulders on either side of his vertebrae, and were almost as thick and muscular as his well-defined biceps.

Her gaze drifted to his arms. Scales shimmered from shoulder to wrist. Their default color seemed to be a pale blue but she noticed they shifted to a mottled greyish tone when he was among the rocks. She wondered if the color change was an autonomic response, or if he had to consciously make it happen.

It was grueling work. At first she’d amused herself making quippy little remarks but he’d maintained an icy silence. At least he’d let her drink. In fact, he’d made sure she was hydrated and had forced her to eat a rations pack halfway through the day. Obviously didn’t want the slave labor to pass out.

Now she worked as wordlessly as he, all the while trying to figure out a way of escaping. So far, she’d come up with zilch. The alien had hung the yashak remote round his neck, a constant reminder that he held all the cards.

He bent down to lift yet another boulder, this one the size of a small car. Kara weighed a rock in her hand and wondered if she could smash his head in before he pressed the button.

But a tingling round her neck and down her spine reminded her the collar was rigged to respond to any violent intentions. It didn’t need the alien to activate it. She threw the rock to one side.

As the hours wore on, she sensed the Vraxian casting her glances every now and then. He’s expecting me to fold from exhaustion, she realized. Well, screw that. Humans had just as much stamina as snakes.

She worked doggedly, refusing to admit how tired she was. And so it continued, until the suns had passed their zenith.

“Halakt!”

The alien straightened, rubbing his neck. They’d managed to clear a space revealing part of the hull. She saw most of the vessel had been crushed by the rockfall but parts of the cockpit were still intact.

Kara guessed he was trying to get into the wreckage to recover the beacon. Without it, he had no chance in hell of getting off this planet.

She wondered if he’d found her beacon. It was in a hidden inside pocket and it was possible he hadn’t found it when he was going through her stuff. If she could just grab it and get away from him, she could set it off.

For a blissful moment she imagined the look on his face when a rescue party turned up – and it was human.

“Alekt.”

His command stirred her from her reverie.

“All right, all right. I’m coming.”

They made their way back towards the cave mouth. But when they neared the hot pools, the alien stopped. He pointed at the water.

“Dakath?”

It was clearly a question, but she had no idea what he meant. Impatiently, he mimed washing under his arm-pits. Watching a seven-foot alien doing charades should have been amusing, but Kara stepped back in horror.

“Bathe? Here? With you? You must be fucking joking.”

The Vraxian shrugged. Then, tugging off his tunic, he waded into the water. Kara tried not to stare.

The waning light of the suns reflected off his scales, highlighting his pecs, his deltoids, his abs, and the smooth line of his dorsal muscles until they disappeared under his combat trousers. His whole body shone as if it had been dipped in blue oil.

Damn, he’s ripped.

She realized her mouth was open and shut it hurriedly. What the hell was happening to her? He was a Vraxian, a grotesque scaly monster.

Thank God the alien hadn’t noticed. He was luxuriating in the hot water, eyes closed.

Actually, that did look pretty good. The exertion of the past few hours had left her filthy. Every inch of her was covered in sweat and grime. She must smell like a bear’s butt.

Checking again to make sure the Vraxian had his eyes shut, Kara hurriedly stripped off her trousers and boots.

Her shirt was long enough to cover her to mid-thigh so only her legs were on show. Not that the alien seemed remotely interested despite his earlier curiosity.

She picked a pool at random and walked in, immersing herself up to her neck.

Oh my God. It was heaven. The water was hot to the point of scalding, sloughing off dirt and probably the top layer of her skin, easing her aches and pains. Even the eggy smell couldn’t take away from the bliss that spread through her entire body.

She cast a quick glance at the alien, only to find him grinning smugly at her.

“I’d like to push your stupid Klingon head beneath that water until you die,” she told him conversationally. Then she closed her eyes again. Screw him.

It was oddly peaceful. All she could hear was the occasional bubble from the hot springs and here and there, the soft chirrup of an insect or bird.

The suns touched the horizon and she sensed the alien climbing from his pool.

“Yenesh vakt,” he commanded. She ignored him. “ Hooman. Yenesh vakt!”

“Yeah, yeah. Gimme a minute, Blue Mountain.”

Something curled round her waist and lifted her bodily from the water. Her eyes flew open.

The alien was standing with arms crossed, face like thunder, as he hoisted her out with one of his tentacles. She squirmed frantically but the appendage was as unyielding as a steel bar.

“Let me go, you filthy snake! I swear to God I’m going to kill you.” He dumped her unceremoniously on the ground and pointed at her clothes.

“Sankash velekt,” he growled.

Embarrassed at being half naked, she yanked her trousers on over wet legs. She glanced at him self-consciously, remembering the way he’d touched her that morning. But he wasn’t paying any attention to her. Instead, he was scanning the desert with narrowed eyes.

“Alekt,” he barked, and strode back to the cave without a backwards glance. Such a gent.

She grumbled to herself as she pulled on her boots, wondering what he’d been looking at. There didn’t seem to be anything out there. Maybe he was paranoid.

And then she remembered the arachnid from the night before. Perhaps shelter at nightfall was a good idea. She stumbled back to the cave.

“Are we safe in here?” She pointed to the distant trees. “Animals? Outside? Grr!”

The last was said with her hands bent into claws and teeth bared. The alien’s mouth twitched.

“Silavesh, hooman. ” He made a calming gesture. “Nirakt.”

“I don’t unders…”

With an impatient sigh, he flicked a rations pack towards her. She caught it in one hand.

Huh. So ‘nirakt’ means eat. She opened it unenthusiastically.

“Just what you want after a hard day’s labor. Yet another helping of cold mush.”

She was getting heartily sick of SDF rations. If she ever got back to base, she’d be having a stiff word with the manufacturers about basic things like flavor and texture.

The alien obviously shared her opinion. He only gulped down a couple of mouthfuls before throwing his own pack to one side.

On the plus side, he looked as beat as she was. And that was perfect. Because as soon as he fell asleep, she was getting the hell out. The collar wouldn’t stop her, not as long as she didn’t try to attack him.

By the time he woke up, she’d be out of sight and out of reach.

She lay down, trying to get comfortable on the stony floor. The alien took up position near the cave mouth, unsheathing his laser-blade and holding it loosely. She wondered if he was guarding the entrance from wild beasts or trying to prevent any ideas she had of escape.

It made no difference. She’d step over him if she had to.

Something curled around her ankle and she jerked upright. One of the alien’s extra limbs tightened round her boot.

“Will you please stop doing that!”

“Zekt.” He mimed closing his eyes.

“I’m not sleeping while your… your thing is touching me!”

“Chupakt! Zekt!”

He stared at her remorselessly.

Bastard.

Swearing under her breath, she lay down again and vowed she’d get away if it was the last thing she did.