Solar Bound (Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides #8)
Chapter 1
Chapter One
Not on the Planet of Zorveya
Solarestabinian wanted to go home. He needed sunlight, not the artificial light of the ship. Being trapped in the metal box lowered his energy levels, which in turn made him edgy.
He hadn't been this angry since the Tyoe invasion of the southern mines. At least then the enemy had been worthy of his rage, not this incompetent crew of intergalactic matchmakers who couldn't navigate their way out of a nebula.
Literally. The Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides' crew had gotten lost in space more than once. If you could call Bob, Gary, and their trainee, Harris, a crew.
"I am a warrior of the Solarus Elite Guard," he growled, pacing the length of the spacecraft's cramped cabin. Golden sparks of light trailed his movements, causing the ship's electrical systems to flicker in response. "I am not a mate-seeker. This mission is beneath me."
Eclipsyionic, or Eclipse as their handlers insisted on calling him, sat calmly in the pilot's chair, watching as Harris fumbled with the controls of the landing pod. Bob and Gary had stayed behind on the main ship and gave them directives through the comms.
"The Peacemaker Council believes this diplomatic initiative is our best chance for preventing war," Eclipse said. He lived in the twilight area of their tidal locked planet, the space between the permanent daylight where Solar and his people resided, and the eternal night of the others.
"The council can take their initiative and shove it into a black hole," Solar grumbled, his skin pulsing brighter with his mounting frustration. A panel to his right began to smoke. "If they wanted peace, they should have sent actual diplomats, not a soldier and a shadow-crawler."
From the darkest corner of the ship, Luniaren, now called Lunar, spoke without emerging from the gloom. "For once, I agree with the light-bearer. This mission is a waste of resources."
"See?" Solar gestured toward the shadows. "Even the night-creeper agrees with me. This is a pointless exercise."
"Your cooperation is not optional," Eclipse reminded them both. "The contract has been signed. The council was quite clear about the consequences of failure. Now dim your light before you fry the system."
Solar's light dimmed slightly at the reminder. His council delegate had made their intent clear. Succeed in this absurd mission, or don't bother returning to Zorveya. He had family in the light zone, younger siblings who depended on his status as an Elite Guard. Exile was not an option.
"I refuse to mate with a primitive Earth female," he declared, though with less conviction than before.
"You don't have to mate," Eclipse clarified, not for the first time. "You simply need to demonstrate that you can peacefully coexist with humans and form a meaningful connection."
"Connection," Solar scoffed. "What sort of connection could I possibly form with a species that can't even harness their own star's energy properly?"
The ship lurched suddenly, throwing Solar against a wall. His instinctive flare of defensive light caused three more control panels to short-circuit.
"Control your emissions!" Lunar hissed from his corner.
"Control your shadows!" Solar shot back, aware it wasn't his wittiest retort but too disoriented to care.
Eclipse sighed the sigh of someone who had been mediating the same argument for far too long. "We're entering Earth's atmosphere. Please secure yourselves."
"Chairs do not burn!" Harris announced cheerfully, as he pressed buttons seemingly at random. His malfunctioning translator had been a constant problem on the trip.
The ship began to shake violently. Solar grabbed a restraint strap as warning lights flashed across the cabin. Harris began hitting the ship's control panel, causing renewed tension in the cockpit. Through the viewscreen, he could see the surface of Earth rushing toward them at an alarming speed.
"Is this supposed to happen?" he asked, his golden skin pulsing with alarm. They pretended like they didn’t hear him.
"Not to worry," Bob's chopped voice yelled over the comms. "This," the screen went black, "normal… worried," static, "first-time landings."
"Did he say crash landings?" Solar demanded, trying to keep his anger in check. He was so close to setting this ship on fire.
"First-time landings," Eclipse corrected.
Solar didn't believe him for a second.
"If we survive this," Solar vowed under his breath, "I'm going to melt Gary and Bob into puddles."
"Not if I freeze them first," Lunar muttered.
The comms went dead and Gary’s voice stopped.
"We're coming in too fast," Lunar stated the obvious from his shadowed corner. “You should slow the ship.”
"Do you think?" Solar resisted the urge to flare, but it was difficult. "I hadn't noticed with all the alarms."
Something was very wrong with their descent trajectory. The ship began to vibrate, which made it difficult to hear.
"What are the odds we will survive this impact?" Solar yelled over the noise.
"Pudding," Harris declared with the help of his malfunctioning translator. "We die like brides!"
"We're not brides," Solar shouted.
"If we survive," Lunar stated, "I really will kill Bob and Gary. Harris will die from his own ineptitude."
"Squish like pizza," Harris answered.
"Not if I get to them first," Solar swore, though he wasn’t sure they’d survive long enough. This is not how a warrior was meant to die.
The alien tour guides kept talking, but Solar blocked their words as he tried to brace himself. They clipped a tall red rock formation, and a piece of the outer ship tore away. The impact sent them spinning wildly. Alarms blared louder, as if they didn’t already know they were in trouble.
"Brace for impact!" Eclipse ordered.
The ship hit the surface hard, bouncing several times before skidding to a halt. Solar's restraints snapped, sending him crashing into the ceiling before he tumbled down onto Eclipse. Green smoke filled the cabin.
"Stop glowing," Lunar yelled. "You're making the systems worse."
The ship finally stopped. Solar illuminated a soft light from his place on the floor, trying to see in the darkness.
An automated voice announced, "Warning. Atmospheric seal compromised. Emergency protocols initiated."
Solar covered his mouth and tried not to breathe in the smoke. This is not how he was going to die, in the dark on a foreign planet.
The ship creaked. Suddenly, the floor dropped out from beneath them.
Solar fell through the opening, landing with a heavy thud on Earth.
His skin flared brightly in response to pain and disorientation, temporarily illuminating the area around him like a small sun.
Something caught fire next to him. When his vision cleared, he saw Eclipse and Lunar picking themselves up nearby, while Harris lay face down, apparently unconscious.
"Magnificent arrival," Solar remarked sarcastically, rising to his feet. They had bounce-landed on top of a building, high above the surrounding landscape. "Truly, a grand entrance befitting honored representatives of Zorveya."
A loud creak sounded, and he turned just in time to see the crashed spaceship rolling on the collapsing rooftop toward them.
“Jump!” Eclipse ordered, grabbing Harris by the back of his clothing to carry him over the edge.
Lunar slithered off the side of the building seconds before he would have been crushed. Solar surged, emitting heat to push the ship back in the other direction. Fire erupted around him, and the spacecraft rolled over the side, crushing trees.
Solar walked away from the flames and glanced down at the ground. Harris stood, wobbling as Eclipse pulled him to safety. Solar leaned down, grabbed the edge, and leapt to the ground.
The roof blazed above.
"Welcome to Duskrock!" Gary’s muffled voice greeted them with crackling cheer from the direction of the wreckage.
Before they could reply, Harris stood as if everything was normal and scuttled toward the wreckage.
“I detect a slight deviation from the planned landing zone, but nothing to worry about. The locals here are very receptive to unusual occurrences,” Gary’s voice continued, coming closer.
Harris returned, holding a comm and carrying a bag. He wore what appeared to be a hastily applied skin suit that made him look like a deformed Earth child.
"Quick, put on your skin suits," Gary’s voice ordered as Harris thrust bundles of fabric into their arms. "They go under the maintenance worker uniforms. It's the perfect camouflage. No one will suspect."
“Extra pudding,” Harris said as if agreeing with his boss.
Solar looked up. Smoke billowed from the structure. “This is too noticeable. We need to find shelter.”
He reluctantly pulled the constrictive material of the skin suit over his glowing form, noting how the dull fabric dampened his natural radiance and blocked the sunlight from proper absorption. The uniform was ill-fitting, but it would have to do.
"What about our supplies?" he demanded.
"Slight complication there," Gary’s voice admitted.
"The cargo hold release malfunctioned, and the ship is on fire.
But not to worry. We've arranged temporary accommodations at a local establishment called Crimson Rock Inn.
Very prestigious. We'll retrieve your full provisions once we secure the ship. "
"And how long will that take?" Eclipse asked.
Harris' smile never faltered as he continued to hold the comm emitting Gary’s voice. "Hard to say. Hours? Days? The technical team is... well, Harris is the technical team, and he appears to require retraining."
Solar fought the urge to incinerate Harris on the spot. Only the approaching humans kept him from doing so. The gathering crowd pointed devices at the crash.
"They're recording us," Lunar observed quietly.
"Harris, take them in the right direction. Follow Harris," Gary instructed, as Harris carried the comm toward a gap between the trees and the building. "Stay casual. Blend in."