Chapter 6
Chapter Six
*** LYDIA ***
L ydia hadn't expected to sleep at all, but she had fallen into a deep, dreamless rest the moment she crawled into her bed.
She wasn't afraid of the Talonians. In fact, they made her feel calm and peaceful, especially Hesher.
She felt a sort of kinship with him that didn't make sense.
For one thing, she didn't really know him at all, and for another, he was an alien.
That fact was also confusing, for he looked like a human male.
She sensed there was something else inside him that he refused to show her, just as he refused to answer all her questions.
Today, she would push harder to find out what it was.
The door to her quarters slid open revealing a smiling Sophia. "I thought you might need some help getting cleaned up and dressed. With a broken arm and leg, it will be difficult. I would hate to cut off a leg and sleeve of yet another uniform. Do you have any civilian clothing that would suffice?"
Lydia made a nasty face. "I guess I don't have a choice.
Marcus and some of the others will give me a hard time, saying I'm lacking authority or being less than professional.
However, I don't want to ruin any more uniforms either, not to mention how hard it is to get them on.
There is a loose, sleeveless sheath among my clothes.
I can easily slide it over my head. It reaches the floor, so I will be modest at least. Pin my captain's insignia on it.
I don't want to let Marcus get any ideas. "
The blue sheath was the icy tone of her eyes, giving her an unearthly appearance. Sophia helped her brush her golden hair and pull it back into a sleek ponytail that hung to her waist. "Now, you're ready to meet your guests," Sophia announced.
"What guests? Did Hesher and the healer come back?"
"They did and brought a lot of others with them. One of them is the king," Sophia replied.
"Why didn't you tell me immediately? I've kept them waiting while I primped. That's rude and won't buy me any points with the king!" Lydia exclaimed.
"He is aware you were injured and that they arrived early and without warning. I was told not to hurry you in any way. They're touring the ship and assessing the damage. If I am judging correctly, they're going to help us repair it."
"I think we need to count our blessings. We may be lost and have a crippled ship, but we are alive, and we crashed onto a world that is not only inhabited by intelligent aliens, but they're friendly," Lydia replied.
"Don't forget gorgeous," Sophia reminded her. "The king is far older, but he's hot too."
"You have a one-track mind. Let's go before they get restless. I, for one, want to know what their plans are for us."
Hesher's gaze went straight to the captain when the women arrived. His red eyes became stormy as he took in the shimmering blue dress that enhanced her athletic figure perfectly. He did not notice the mischievous gleam in Daer's violet ones upon seeing the change in Hesher.
"Captain, you seem to be doing better today. I would like to introduce King Acer, his brother Maxxus, Kelan, Michelle, Tae, and Eveline. They are here to welcome you and ease any fears you may possess," Hesher said politely.
Not knowing the correct protocol for meeting their king, Lydia did her best to do a combination of a bow and a curtsy, though with her injuries it was awkward.
"King Acer, I apologized to Hesher for such a rude arrival, and I'm sure he passed it on to you.
However, I want to say it in person and reiterate my regret for harming your world. "
"What occurred was completely out of your control.
I have been told you did your very best to do as little damage as possible, risking your own life and that of your second-in-command to turn the ship away from a heavily populated area.
I applaud your courage and tenacity. It is fair to say you will need both of those traits in the next few hours, as we consider the future," the king replied.
"I will keep that in mind. It is good to see women among you. I had begun to wonder if yours was an all male species."
"That would not bode well for our future. Offspring are a necessity to keep a species going. Sadly, neither of these women are of our species. I should have brought my mate and daughter. I was remiss in excluding them. Michelle and Eveline are quite human," King Acer revealed.
Lydia looked closer as her mind swirled with confusion. "How is that possible? We knew nothing of Talonia, not even its existence. Was I lied to by my superiors? Have we sent others to explore this sector?"
"Rest assured, you have not been lied to. Earth does not know of us, though I must confess we know of them," Hesher admitted.
Her gaze landed on Kelan. "I've seen your face before.
OH MY GOD! You're the man on all the billboards, the internet, and digital magazines.
You own Rankin World Defense, the weapon organization.
You disappeared years ago after saving a woman from an abusive relationship.
There was some scandalous nonsense about you turning into a dragon.
Everyone assumes you're dead. Somebody, please, explain this! "
"They've messed with our minds, Lydia. This isn't real. It's an experiment or something," Marcus proclaimed.
"We do not have the ability to mess with your minds, as you so crudely express it. We also consider experiments on living creatures to be a form of torture and do not indulge ourselves in either. Remain calm, and Kelan will explain," Hesher demanded.
"I am Talonian by birth," Kelan began. "We have known of Earth and its technologies for many decades.
We tapped into satellite feeds and studied you.
Another species threatened our world with old Earth weapons: nuclear bombs to be exact.
I was sent to find weapons that would defeat them without harming our atmosphere and a solution to the harm they might inflict.
I built Rankin World Defense in order to gather the information I required and to aid Earth in the process.
Michelle is the woman I saved. She is now my mate. "
"I think I'm going to be sick," Sophia whispered.
"I'm right there with you," Lydia stated. "You came to Earth, and no one was the wiser? How can that be? How ahead of us technologically are you? Another world has our old nuclear weapons as well. How many aliens have been to Earth without our knowledge?"
"It's impossible for us to answer the last question.
Deep space travel seems to be a priority among alien planets," Michelle replied.
"I know it's a lot to take in. As the king told you, use the courage inside you and open your mind.
We're not even close to finishing the shocking things we came to tell you. "
"Technologically, we are ahead of Earth in some ways and far behind in others. We had spaceships to carry us to Earth and a way to listen in on your satellites, yet we needed your technology to save Talonia. I would consider the two worlds as equals," Hesher declared.
"The other aliens, have they been to Earth or did they get the weapons another way? "
"They've been on Earth a long time," Eveline said quietly.
"I accidentally discovered their secret as a child, and they kidnapped me.
I was a slave on their planet until the Talonians came to fight them.
Tae, my mate now, and Hesher saved me. To you, the Savra would appear as large, desert-dwelling lizards.
They are the young, sent to spy on humans.
The adults were humanoids covered in scales. "
"You used the word ‘were.’ Are they gone from Earth?"
"We destroyed their planet. We have never seen an eviler species.
I must confess, we forgot about the ones that have been left stranded on Earth.
They will grow into adulthood. How many there are and in what countries we cannot guess.
Perhaps without the influence of their elders, they will not become evil and can assimilate as citizens," Hesher answered.
"If they do, we'll have another war on our hands," Lydia stated in a resigned voice. "Eveline, I see that you are going to have a baby. Did your captors do this to you or is it your mate's child?"
Eveline smiled serenely and said, "The babies are Tae's. The only Savra who ever tried to touch me in that way died at the hands of his own mate."
"Then humans and Talonians are compatible. You could pass for human without any problem, except some of you have odd eye colors," Sophia added.
"Which is one of the reasons Kelan was the one sent to Earth. His eyes are very human," Maxxus spoke up. "There is more proof that humans are compatible with us. Michelle and Kelan have a son, though he is very much a Talonian."
"You are all taking these facts quite well, more so than I had predicted. The rest does not worry me now," King Acer admitted.
"We may appear to be fine with all this information, but I can promise for all of us that we are not. We're in shock, too stunned to go into hysterics. I would imagine it will happen at some point. Dare I ask if this was the worst of it? What more could there be to top it?" Lydia wondered aloud.
Michelle and Eveline looked at each other and nodded.
"We'll take it from here," Michelle said.
"Yes, Talonians appear human a lot of the time.
You questioned their eye color, and you were right to.
It is a clue to who they really are. Don't you see something different deep inside their eyes, even in those of what you would deem a normal color? "
"They're so intense I once thought I saw fire behind them. I believed it to be a trick of the light. Are you saying I was wrong?" Lydia inquired.
"It's a natural phenomenon connecting them to the planet. They can't hide it, even with contacts. Kelan found that out the hard way. He tried once, and they burst from the heat," Michelle laughed. "He didn't tell me that until a few weeks ago."
"Their beautiful eyes are a match to their true form," Eveline added. "They are truly magnificent to see, a rainbow of powerful creatures."
"I don't understand. What are they?"
"Jackson wasn't crazy, just a drug addicted abuser. He told the truth for once in his miserable life. Talonians can change forms. They are weredragons," Michelle finally revealed.
"Do you believe this shit?" Marcus yelled. "I'm so done letting them play with my mind. Prove it or leave," he told Hesher.
"Yes, prove it." Lydia's brain couldn't take any more revelations. She was beginning to think Marcus was right and this was all a game to control them. If they went home and spouted off this nonsense, they would be put away for having space sickness.
"Come outside and I will," Hesher promised. "There is not enough room in here for a transformation."
"Oh no, I'm not going out there. You want the atmosphere to kill us, don't you?" Marcus asked .
"I'm alive, aren't I?" Eveline inquired. "I live here and breathe the air every day. It's safe."
"I would have to believe the whole story if I believed you were human. That's a lie too."
"If it's all a lie, then how did the captain recognize Kelan?" Hesher wanted to know. "Lydia, please let me show you the truth. I have hated not being able to answer your questions. Let me remedy that now."
Hesher's use of her first name sent a shockwave through Lydia.
His plea made her doubt her disbelief. In her heart, she wanted nothing more than to trust that he was speaking the truth.
Why she was so drawn to him was something she would have to explore later.
Now, for her own sanity and that of her crew, she had to go outside and see the promised proof.
"Stay here if you wish, Marcus. If I am wrong and something bad happens to me, take command of the ship and get the crew home somehow," she commanded.
"You know we can't win a battle with them, and our ship isn't repaired, so we can't escape. If they're lying, we all die anyway. It's better to die now than after more mind games. I'm coming too," Marcus suddenly decided.
"Me too," Sophia, Hank, and the science officer announced as one voice.
Hesher offered Lydia his arm, like a gentleman. Touching his hard muscles and knowing there was an animal inside him sent shivers of fear and what could only be described as excitement through her body.
Once outside, the humans got their first real look at Talonia.
Most of their windows were buried in the dirt, leaving them no clue as to the beauty of the planet.
They were so awestruck, worrying about the air was forgotten, and they didn't notice the soldiers surrounding the ship.
They only had eyes for the waterfalls and volcanoes under the shimmering red sun .
"No wonder you don't want to be found," Lydia whispered. "This is paradise."
"We think so," Hesher whispered back. Then he released her arm and backed away. "Who would like to join me in displaying what a weredragon looks like?"
All the men, except the king, spread across the land. They left at least thirty or forty feet between themselves, walking so far away their facial features became a blur.
"Are they running away?" Marcus sneered.
"They need the space, or their wings will collide," King Acer announced matter of factly.
Marcus began to laugh until he saw the men begin to shimmer. Scales appeared on each of them, soon joined by wings. Marcus fell to the ground as they grew larger and snouts were added. They varied in design as well as color. Some had spikes along their spines; others didn't.
The air stirred as they took to the sky in all their glory: one deep red, one royal blue, another emerald green, then a violet one, and finally a jet black one. Sophia screamed. Hank and Marcus were mute. Lydia couldn't breathe. Her eyes followed Hesher's red dragon across the sky. She smiled.