Aliens for Halloween (Monstrous Mistakes)

Prologue

Dave

"Is Dave Lonoa present? Dave Lonoa?" The sound of my name being called by the young police officer at the reception desk made my stomach drop. I swallowed back my nervousness. It would be fine, I reassured myself. Everything will be okay.

I reluctantly stood up, looking nervously around the busy Interplanetary Unity Council station, before following him through a door to a long, windowless corridor of small offices. I'd been on the space station for long enough that I knew the third door on the left housed the officer who was handling my case. Sitting at her desk was a tall Tholkon woman with striking blue skin and a no-nonsense demeanor. In the past, I might have developed a crush on her, but I was turning over a new leaf and only had a slight infatuation.

She glanced up from her viewscreen and quickly assessed me. "You are free to go, Mr. Lonoa. We have all the information we need from you."

Relief flooded through me and my wings sagged against my back in relief. "Really? Just like that?"

The officer nodded, swiping through something on her viewscreen. "Several others have confirmed your story that you were unwillingly involved and that Ms. Prui purchased you at a slave market. A barbaric practice, in my opinion."

"Slavery is technically illegal in Aikko." I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the need to defend my culture. But perhaps she was right. Being sold to a powerful woman had not benefited me in any way.

She snorted. "If the Aikkoan authorities truly cared about making slavery illegal, it would not still occur."

I forced a grin, hoping she'd stop criticizing my culture. "Well, thank you for clearing my name, anyway. That's a weight off my shoulders! And my wings."

The officer's blank expression told me that the joke had fallen flat. Or maybe Thokons didn't have a sense of humor? I made a mental note to look it up later — I had never met one before. She tapped her viewscreen again and cleared her throat pointedly. "Is there anything else you require?"

"No, I mean thank you for clearing my name and all. I'll just be on my way then." I glanced around the sterile police department, feeling lost. For the past month, my sole focus had been gaining my freedom and convincing them that my ex was acting on her own. Now that I was free, a new realization hit me — I had no way to continue paying for my room without the police stipend, and no means to book a ride home.

I was screwed, just in a different way. I wondered where the other member of our triad was. We had been close, hadn't we? But how would I find him now? Our communicators, like all of our expenses, had been paid for by our kana, who was now in jail. I stopped by the reception desk at the IUC police station and smiled at the officer sitting there.

"Have you seen another Aikkoan named Naovu around?" I asked hopefully.

The clerk shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, it was worth a shot!" I tried to remain cheerful.

He nodded, not really paying attention. I left the office, my eyes scanning the busy space station corridor. Aliens of all species rushed past me. The Central Space Station was massive — housing many of the Interplanetary Unity Council's offices and bustling with travelers, tourists, and full-time residents — yet I couldn't spot Naovu or anyone else familiar.

I was the only Aikkoan in sight. I tucked my wings and narrowly avoided a collision with someone passing by. Aikkoans like me were the only species with wings, and we were much larger than most other species, with the possible exception of the massive, four-armed Zangrels. Amongst the elegant, iridescent-skinned Chokreini, short and delicate humans, and lean Araced, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

But at least I wasn't in jail, right? Gotta look on the bright side.

Square shoulders and a winning grin plastered on my face, I strode down the corridor, hoping something would work out. It always did. Probably.

As much as I wanted to keep moving, I needed a moment to orient myself and collect my thoughts.

"Come on, Dave," I'd been working on my positive self-talk. "You're strong and awesome. You can handle this!"

A loud slam interrupted my pep talk and caught my attention. A familiar face stormed out of the police headquarters — it was the Chokreini officer who had arrested Chump and set me free. Perhaps he knew where Naovu was.

And holy stars, he was sexy. It would be ridiculous to form a new crush this quickly, but he was tempting me to be ridiculous. His iridescent blue skin shimmered even in the strange lighting of the space station corridor. He wore a tailored suit that clung to his broad shoulders and lean hips in an enticing way. His silver-purple eyes landed on me and flashed.

I smiled and waved, but from his frown, something was off about him. Irritation seemed to radiate off of him in waves, making me feel what he was feeling. Was this that infamous Chokreini psychic ability you always heard about, or was I reading more into the situation than was there?

But he was the only person here who I recognized. Before I could stop myself, I called out after him, "Hey Zarath! Do you know where Naovu went?"

He whirled around, his intense gaze narrowing into slits. "Fuck off," he snarled.

I blinked in surprise. "Whoa, take it easy. I wanted to—"

"I said," he cut me off, each word laced with fury, "fuck off."

As Zarath stormed away, I followed behind him, my wings itching to unfurl and fly after him.

"Listen, I can see that you're angry," I called out, trying to keep pace. "But you arrested my kana. Not that she didn't deserve it, but I'm a little lost here."

The courtyard was a marvel of Chokreini architecture — sleek, curved balconies overlooked living trees and plants from each of the twelve member planets in the Interplanetary Unity Council. Above, an artificial sky adorned the curved ceiling. Ahead, towards the center of the gardens, I spotted an older human man who seemed familiar. I was certain he had been present during Chump's takedown. Zarath also noticed him and froze. He looked both ways, as if he was considering fleeing, but the human was approaching at a swift pace, despite his little human legs.

"Zarath, my boy!" the human exclaimed, clapping Zarath on the back. "How are you?"

Zarath responded with biting words that seemed too harsh to hurl at such a kind person. "How do you think I am, Harold? I lost my job."

I expected Harold to be taken aback, but instead, he beamed at Zarath. "Well, if that isn't perfect timing, I don't know what is!"

Zarath froze, looking confused. "Pardon?"

Harold turned and waved at a trio approaching from the other side of the courtyard — a human woman flanked by two aliens; one Zangrel and one Chokreini. "Relzo, Lucky, Vaelu! Over here!"

The Zangrel had one of his four arms around the waist of the Chokreini man who looked a little pale and weak.

"Harold, don't address the Chokreini so casually," Zarath whispered urgently to Harold and me. "He's a Velasu. Show some respect."

"Nonsense, this is Vaelu. We're tight." Harold raced over to clap the Chokreini on the back, which seemed to startle Vaelu and horrify Zarath.

Vaelu's lips twitched, and he bowed his head to Harold, then to Zarath. "Hi Harold. And hello to Harold's friends," he said.

"Lallih, I apologize for the impertinent human," Zarath apologized, bowing deeply.

"I am Lallih Chehrai Vaelu Vele," Vaelu introduced himself to both of us. "But I do not like to stand on ceremony, so you may call me Vaelu. This is my husband, Relzo, and my wife, Lucky." He pointed to the Zangrel and human woman, meeting my eyes. "And you two are?"

I felt heat rising to my cheeks. "We're not really Harold's friends."

"Nonsense," Harold laughed and waved me off. "My granddaughter just married two of this guy's besties." He cuffed me on the shoulder. "Though I can't for the life of me remember his name."

"Dave," I replied.

"No way? Dave! Who has ever heard of an alien named Dave?" Harold chuckled and slapped his knee. "Next, you'll tell me you know a Susan or a Karen."

"I've never heard of the name Karen," I said, furrowing my brow. "But on Aikko, Dave is a name associated with warriors and fierce fighters."

Harold cocked his head, glancing at Lucky. "On Earth, Dave is a name associated with… Daves, I guess?"

"It's an average, normal name where I'm from," Lucky chuckled. "It's short for David, which has historical significance in various religions."

"Can we move on from talking about Dave's name now?" Zarath snapped, causing everyone to turn and look at him with surprise.

I patted him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake, forcing out a fake laugh. "Please excuse his manners. Zarath just got fired, so he's feeling a little sad."

And I found I didn't want to remove my hand from his shoulder, so I kept it there.

Lucky kissed each of her husbands on the cheek. "If you guys are going to discuss business, I think I'll go do some shopping. Nice to meet you all. I hope you take the jobs!" She gave Harold a quick hug before walking away. Harold turned back to us.

"Jobs?" I asked, perking up. "Plural?"

"Relzo, did you work with Zarath during your time at the IUC? He specialized in drug trafficking there, but now he's looking for new opportunities."

"Zarath Korrin?" Relzo asked, extending one of his four hands. "I'm Relzo Ossean Cherai. Your reputation precedes you."

"I'm sorry. I'm a little confused," Zarath said.

"Vaelu and I run a high end security agency. We're currently recruiting, and I've heard great things about you."

"Really?" Zarath asked, glancing towards me and Harold.

"The company is called Bodyguards in Space," Relzo explained. "We met Harold about a year ago through his work."

"I'm retired," Harold clarified. "But I still dabble in cybersecurity projects from time to time. Just in case my granddaughter asks."

Zarath furrowed his brow. "Why would your granddaughter ask me anything?"

"Harold was one of the top experts in interstellar firewalls during his time," Relzo said. "He helps us out when we have clients dealing with cyber attacks."

"Very impressive," Zarath said. "As Dave just mentioned, I might be available for a new job soon."

My hand was still on Zarath's shoulder, and I told myself to let go of him, but it felt too awkward to do so now. It would only draw more attention to my strange behavior. I stepped up beside him, and let my hand slide down to his low back, letting it rest there, feeling the muscles tense, then relax as Relzo started quizzing Zarath on how things were at the IUC, and Harold cracked a joke about all the red tape.

Suddenly, I felt like I didn't belong there at all. "I, uh, should probably get going. Don't want to interrupt your meeting."

Harold's eyes lit up. "Nonsense, my boy! Relzo is recruiting! Come on, even you can admit that an Aikkoan would bring something unique to the bodyguard business."

Relzo turned his piercing yellow gaze on me, appraising me up and down. I shook out my wings, spreading them wide and showing off my power. After all, I was the only one in the room with wings. Possibly the only one in the whole space station.

Relzo studied me. "You might be exactly what we're looking for. You can be quite intimidating when you want to be, can't you?"

"No kidding?" I squeaked. Then I cleared my throat, attempting to deepen my voice as I stood tall and squared my shoulders. "Yes, absolutely. I am extremely intimidating. Plus, I can fly."

Relzo smirked at me and said, "No shit. I couldn't tell that from the wings."

Zarath interjected, his voice tight with irritation, "He means he can fly shuttles. He's a pilot. Used to be in the Aikkoan special forces." I wondered how he knew that. "Presumably has some army training as well."

"Oh yes, four years of army training. That would have been good to lead with, huh? And I can fly with the wings, too." I spread them wide and gave them a smart snap. A few Chokreini passing by swerved to avoid being hit. "They're not just for show."

Relzo nodded and then turned his attention to Vaelu, who was growing paler. "We need to get my husband back to our ship. He doesn't do well in crowds. Can we meet you at 1600 hours? Our ship, the Enotheas, is on the B deck, bay 19."

"Okay!" I replied with excitement coursing through me. "We'll be there."

"Why is your hand on my ass?" Zarath asked as they disappeared around the corner.

I looked down at my hand, which fit quite nicely over his round little ass, and shrugged. "It slid down there on its own."

"That makes zero sense."

"And yet it's true. Wow, just like that, we have a job!" I used the leverage of my hand on his ass to yank him in for a hug.

"Why are you hugging me?" Zarath grumbled into my shoulder.

"Because we both thought we were screwed and now we have a job! It's amazing!" I exclaimed, stepping back.

"Their agency is called Bodyguards in Space, Dave. It's ridiculous."

"Come on, let's hear them out. What do we have to lose?" I urged.

Zarath glared at me and started walking away, so I followed him, wondering if he was already heading to the B deck.

"Do you have a watch?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

"We have two hours," Zarath replied, and I did another discreet fist pump where he couldn't see. Things were starting to go my way. I knew it."Is Dave Lonoa present? Dave Lonoa?" The sound of my name being called by the young police officer at the reception desk made my stomach drop. I swallowed back my nervousness. It would be fine, I reassured myself. Everything will be okay.

I reluctantly stood up, looking nervously around the busy Interplanetary Unity Council station, before following him through a door to a long, windowless corridor of small offices. I'd been on the space station for long enough that I knew the third door on the left housed the officer who was handling my case. Sitting at her desk was a tall Tholkon woman with striking blue skin and a no-nonsense demeanor. In the past, I might have developed a crush on her, but I was turning over a new leaf and only had a slight infatuation.

She glanced up from her viewscreen and quickly assessed me. "You are free to go, Mr. Lonoa. We have all the information we need from you."

Relief flooded through me and my wings sagged against my back in relief. "Really? Just like that?"

The officer nodded, swiping through something on her viewscreen. "Several others have confirmed your story that you were unwillingly involved and that Ms. Prui purchased you at a slave market. A barbaric practice, in my opinion."

"Slavery is technically illegal in Aikko." I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the need to defend my culture. But perhaps she was right. Being sold to a powerful woman had not benefited me in any way.

She snorted. "If the Aikkoan authorities truly cared about making slavery illegal, it would not still occur."

I forced a grin, hoping she'd stop criticizing my culture. "Well, thank you for clearing my name, anyway. That's a weight off my shoulders! And my wings."

The officer's blank expression told me that the joke had fallen flat. Or maybe Thokons didn't have a sense of humor? I made a mental note to look it up later — I had never met one before. She tapped her viewscreen again and cleared her throat pointedly. "Is there anything else you require?"

"No, I mean thank you for clearing my name and all. I'll just be on my way then." I glanced around the sterile police department, feeling lost. For the past month, my sole focus had been gaining my freedom and convincing them that my ex was acting on her own. Now that I was free, a new realization hit me — I had no way to continue paying for my room without the police stipend, and no means to book a ride home.

I was screwed, just in a different way. I wondered where the other member of our triad was. We had been close, hadn't we? But how would I find him now? Our communicators, like all of our expenses, had been paid for by our kana, who was now in jail. I stopped by the reception desk at the IUC police station and smiled at the officer sitting there.

"Have you seen another Aikkoan named Naovu around?" I asked hopefully.

The clerk shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, it was worth a shot!" I tried to remain cheerful.

He nodded, not really paying attention. I left the office, my eyes scanning the busy space station corridor. Aliens of all species rushed past me. The Central Space Station was massive — housing many of the Interplanetary Unity Council's offices and bustling with travelers, tourists, and full-time residents — yet I couldn't spot Naovu or anyone else familiar.

I was the only Aikkoan in sight. I tucked my wings and narrowly avoided a collision with someone passing by. Aikkoans like me were the only species with wings, and we were much larger than most other species, with the possible exception of the massive, four-armed Zangrels. Amongst the elegant, iridescent-skinned Chokreini, short and delicate humans, and lean Araced, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

But at least I wasn't in jail, right? Gotta look on the bright side.

Square shoulders and a winning grin plastered on my face, I strode down the corridor, hoping something would work out. It always did. Probably.

As much as I wanted to keep moving, I needed a moment to orient myself and collect my thoughts.

"Come on, Dave," I'd been working on my positive self-talk. "You're strong and awesome. You can handle this!"

A loud slam interrupted my pep talk and caught my attention. A familiar face stormed out of the police headquarters — it was the Chokreini officer who had arrested Chump and set me free. Perhaps he knew where Naovu was.

And holy stars, he was sexy. It would be ridiculous to form a new crush this quickly, but he was tempting me to be ridiculous. His iridescent blue skin shimmered even in the strange lighting of the space station corridor. He wore a tailored suit that clung to his broad shoulders and lean hips in an enticing way. His silver-purple eyes landed on me and flashed.

I smiled and waved, but from his frown, something was off about him. Irritation seemed to radiate off of him in waves, making me feel what he was feeling. Was this that infamous Chokreini psychic ability you always heard about, or was I reading more into the situation than was there?

But he was the only person here who I recognized. Before I could stop myself, I called out after him, "Hey Zarath! Do you know where Naovu went?"

He whirled around, his intense gaze narrowing into slits. "Fuck off," he snarled.

I blinked in surprise. "Whoa, take it easy. I wanted to—"

"I said," he cut me off, each word laced with fury, "fuck off."

As Zarath stormed away, I followed behind him, my wings itching to unfurl and fly after him.

"Listen, I can see that you're angry," I called out, trying to keep pace. "But you arrested my kana. Not that she didn't deserve it, but I'm a little lost here."

The courtyard was a marvel of Chokreini architecture — sleek, curved balconies overlooked living trees and plants from each of the twelve member planets in the Interplanetary Unity Council. Above, an artificial sky adorned the curved ceiling. Ahead, towards the center of the gardens, I spotted an older human man who seemed familiar. I was certain he had been present during Chump's takedown. Zarath also noticed him and froze. He looked both ways, as if he was considering fleeing, but the human was approaching at a swift pace, despite his little human legs.

"Zarath, my boy!" the human exclaimed, clapping Zarath on the back. "How are you?"

Zarath responded with biting words that seemed too harsh to hurl at such a kind person. "How do you think I am, Harold? I lost my job."

I expected Harold to be taken aback, but instead, he beamed at Zarath. "Well, if that isn't perfect timing, I don't know what is!"

Zarath froze, looking confused. "Pardon?"

Harold turned and waved at a trio approaching from the other side of the courtyard — a human woman flanked by two aliens; one Zangrel and one Chokreini. "Relzo, Lucky, Vaelu! Over here!"

The Zangrel had one of his four arms around the waist of the Chokreini man who looked a little pale and weak.

"Harold, don't address the Chokreini so casually," Zarath whispered urgently to Harold and me. "He's a Velasu. Show some respect."

"Nonsense, this is Vaelu. We're tight." Harold raced over to clap the Chokreini on the back, which seemed to startle Vaelu and horrify Zarath.

Vaelu's lips twitched, and he bowed his head to Harold, then to Zarath. "Hi Harold. And hello to Harold's friends," he said.

"Lallih, I apologize for the impertinent human," Zarath apologized, bowing deeply.

"I am Lallih Chehrai Vaelu Vele," Vaelu introduced himself to both of us. "But I do not like to stand on ceremony, so you may call me Vaelu. This is my husband, Relzo, and my wife, Lucky." He pointed to the Zangrel and human woman, meeting my eyes. "And you two are?"

I felt heat rising to my cheeks. "We're not really Harold's friends."

"Nonsense," Harold laughed and waved me off. "My granddaughter just married two of this guy's besties." He cuffed me on the shoulder. "Though I can't for the life of me remember his name."

"Dave," I replied.

"No way? Dave! Who has ever heard of an alien named Dave?" Harold chuckled and slapped his knee. "Next, you'll tell me you know a Susan or a Karen."

"I've never heard of the name Karen," I said, furrowing my brow. "But on Aikko, Dave is a name associated with warriors and fierce fighters."

Harold cocked his head, glancing at Lucky. "On Earth, Dave is a name associated with… Daves, I guess?"

"It's an average, normal name where I'm from," Lucky chuckled. "It's short for David, which has historical significance in various religions."

"Can we move on from talking about Dave's name now?" Zarath snapped, causing everyone to turn and look at him with surprise.

I patted him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake, forcing out a fake laugh. "Please excuse his manners. Zarath just got fired, so he's feeling a little sad."

And I found I didn't want to remove my hand from his shoulder, so I kept it there.

Lucky kissed each of her husbands on the cheek. "If you guys are going to discuss business, I think I'll go do some shopping. Nice to meet you all. I hope you take the jobs!" She gave Harold a quick hug before walking away. Harold turned back to us.

"Jobs?" I asked, perking up. "Plural?"

"Relzo, did you work with Zarath during your time at the IUC? He specialized in drug trafficking there, but now he's looking for new opportunities."

"Zarath Korrin?" Relzo asked, extending one of his four hands. "I'm Relzo Ossean Cherai. Your reputation precedes you."

"I'm sorry. I'm a little confused," Zarath said.

"Vaelu and I run a high end security agency. We're currently recruiting, and I've heard great things about you."

"Really?" Zarath asked, glancing towards me and Harold.

"The company is called Bodyguards in Space," Relzo explained. "We met Harold about a year ago through his work."

"I'm retired," Harold clarified. "But I still dabble in cybersecurity projects from time to time. Just in case my granddaughter asks."

Zarath furrowed his brow. "Why would your granddaughter ask me anything?"

"Harold was one of the top experts in interstellar firewalls during his time," Relzo said. "He helps us out when we have clients dealing with cyber attacks."

"Very impressive," Zarath said. "As Dave just mentioned, I might be available for a new job soon."

My hand was still on Zarath's shoulder, and I told myself to let go of him, but it felt too awkward to do so now. It would only draw more attention to my strange behavior. I stepped up beside him, and let my hand slide down to his low back, letting it rest there, feeling the muscles tense, then relax as Relzo started quizzing Zarath on how things were at the IUC, and Harold cracked a joke about all the red tape.

Suddenly, I felt like I didn't belong there at all. "I, uh, should probably get going. Don't want to interrupt your meeting."

Harold's eyes lit up. "Nonsense, my boy! Relzo is recruiting! Come on, even you can admit that an Aikkoan would bring something unique to the bodyguard business."

Relzo turned his piercing yellow gaze on me, appraising me up and down. I shook out my wings, spreading them wide and showing off my power. After all, I was the only one in the room with wings. Possibly the only one in the whole space station.

Relzo studied me. "You might be exactly what we're looking for. You can be quite intimidating when you want to be, can't you?"

"No kidding?" I squeaked. Then I cleared my throat, attempting to deepen my voice as I stood tall and squared my shoulders. "Yes, absolutely. I am extremely intimidating. Plus, I can fly."

Relzo smirked at me and said, "No shit. I couldn't tell that from the wings."

Zarath interjected, his voice tight with irritation, "He means he can fly shuttles. He's a pilot. Used to be in the Aikkoan special forces." I wondered how he knew that. "Presumably has some army training as well."

"Oh yes, four years of army training. That would have been good to lead with, huh? And I can fly with the wings, too." I spread them wide and gave them a smart snap. A few Chokreini passing by swerved to avoid being hit. "They're not just for show."

Relzo nodded and then turned his attention to Vaelu, who was growing paler. "We need to get my husband back to our ship. He doesn't do well in crowds. Can we meet you at 1600 hours? Our ship, the Enotheas, is on the B deck, bay 19."

"Okay!" I replied with excitement coursing through me. "We'll be there."

"Why is your hand on my ass?" Zarath asked as they disappeared around the corner.

I looked down at my hand, which fit quite nicely over his round little ass, and shrugged. "It slid down there on its own."

"That makes zero sense."

"And yet it's true. Wow, just like that, we have a job!" I used the leverage of my hand on his ass to yank him in for a hug.

"Why are you hugging me?" Zarath grumbled into my shoulder.

"Because we both thought we were screwed and now we have a job! It's amazing!" I exclaimed, stepping back.

"Their agency is called Bodyguards in Space, Dave. It's ridiculous."

"Come on, let's hear them out. What do we have to lose?" I urged.

Zarath glared at me and started walking away, so I followed him, wondering if he was already heading to the B deck.

"Do you have a watch?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

"We have two hours," Zarath replied, and I did another discreet fist pump where he couldn't see. Things were starting to go my way. I knew it.