6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

“W ell, how in the hell are we going to get over there?”

Asmodel winced at Raxx’s question. After the man landed the Shadow Drifter in a small clearing, he and his new companion slipped through a small sliver of a dense jungle until they reached the edge of a cliff. Squatting on one knee, he stared at the panorama before them.

Across the gorge was the capital city of CeluriaVO, Panterion Prime. Instead of a conglomerate of buildings settling on flat land, the alien city was built along the sheer walls of the cliff. Its structures were seamlessly integrated into the rock, with buildings clinging to the vertical surface like natural extensions of the stone.

The vast metropolis spread out for miles, a prime example of an advanced technological civilization that made the alien planet Akurn look like a primitive village of cave dwellers. Rushes of gentle waterfalls created clouds of moisture-laden fog that swirled up from the dark canyon bottom below and surrounded the natural foliage between the dwellings.

“How do you suppose we…” Raxx began.

“I think someone…” JR13 said at the same time.

“Stand up and turn around.” A growling, hissing voice interrupted them. “Slowly, where I can see your paws.”

Asmodel closed his eyes and groaned. How the hell did he get caught like this? Clenching his fingers, he slowly stood. He was such an idiot. How could he forget to keep his psychic senses open? By the love of a motherless goat. If Arakiba ever found out…

It was a male scikvak. Some kind of guard, if he wasn’t mistaken. Easy enough to tell with the guy pointing a long, hollow pole made of a dull, silver metal in their direction. Asmodel doubted the guy was going to whack them over the head with the thing. Had to be armed with a laser of some kind.

“JR13—” He tilted his head and whispered to his AI bot, never taking his eyes off the scikvak as he raised his hands. “—when he gets close enough, can you render him unconscious?”

The spider-bot snorted. “Of course, organic man.”

“Stop talking.” The guy stepped closer and poked Asmodel in his chest with the end of the pole.

“Now listen, friend,” Raxx smiled wide, his hands high in the air. “We’re just visitin’…”

“You will be quiet!”

The guard shoved Raxx with the pole on his shoulder so hard he stumbled.

“Now, JR13!” Asmodel stressed in a low voice.

The black plates on JR13’s back fanned open, revealing soft, iridescent wings. Without a word, he jumped from Asmodel’s shoulder and headed straight for the shoulder of the scikvak, whose back was to him. He landed by the short fur between the male’s shoulder and neck and drove his spindly foreleg into the skin.

The male dropped to the unforgiving ground.

“Duude!” Raxx’s dark eyes widened. “Did you just give him a Vulcan neck pinch?”

Asmodel frowned. A what?

“Affirmative,” JR13 answered him. He flew back to rest on Asmodel’s shoulder and sniffed as if exasperated.

Raxx whooped with laughter. Asshole didn’t bother to put his hands down yet.

“Can we focus, here?” Asmodel gestured to the prone guard. “I’m sure he’s not the only one around.”

“He’s not.” JR13 interjected. “I can hear the communication he has in his ear. Someone is trying to get hold of him. I’ll put it on audio,” he volunteered.

“Cool beans, Spider-man.” Raxx put his hands down. He squatted next to the unconscious feline and turned him over.

“Talonar! Do you have them? Talonar, report!” The command came through loud and clear.

Asmodel made a split decision. He turned to JR13. “Can you respond for us?”

“Of course.” The small droid snorted. “I can even sound like this guy.” His multifaceted eyes studied the unmoving male. “What do you want me to say?”

“Respond by saying one of them got away, but he’ll bring in the other one.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait. Find out where they want him to meet them.” He looked around the dense jungle behind them and glanced at the futuristic city across the gorge. “Hopefully on this side of the canyon.”

“What are ya gonna do?” One of Raxx’s black eyebrows raised. “Turn into one of them?” He grinned.

“Yeah.” Asmodel grinned back. “Unless you got any other ideas?”

Raxx shook his head. “Nope. Not really.”

“Okay, then.” Asmodel pulled his shirt off. “Strip the guy so I can wear his clothes.”

Both Raxx’s brows rose. “Even his underwear? That’d be heinous, man.”

JR13 snickered.

“Yeah, ah, unnecessary.”

He drew the line at wearing something another guy had against his dangly bits.

“Yo, here’s hoping you aren’t allergic to cats.”

Damn, he never thought of that. But it was too late to back out now. He pulled his pants off, leaving him in his tight briefs. “I guess we’ll find out.”

Asmodel transformed into the prone guard and finished putting on the creature’s battle-suit clothing. Once everything was in place, he used his telekinetic ability and transferred the unconscious guard to the nearby thick underbrush. With a brush of his mind, he covered the cat-man with leaves and loose branches. The poor guy would wake up in a couple of hours confused, but otherwise healthy.

Hopefully, they’d be on board the Shadow Drifter with Izzy long before then.

“Here they come.” Holding his hands out, Raxx faced Asmodel. “Hurry, put me in those cuffs you found on our friend.”

To conserve his psychic strength, he unhooked a set of binders from the belt he’d “borrowed” and clicked them around Raxx’s wrists, over the sleeves of the leather jacket he wore. That way, the metallic cuffs wouldn’t eat into his skin.

“That okay?” Asmodel asked.

Raxx tried to pull his arms apart, but they stayed in place. “It’ll do for now.” A sheepish grin creased his lips. “Just keep the key handy, will ya?”

Asmodel gave him a lopsided grin before glancing at JR13 on his shoulder. “Better get yourself out of sight.”

“No, really?” JR13 snarky reply came as he scuttled and hid in a side pocket on the battle-suit vest. “All set, organic man.” The muffled announcement was reassuring.

With the thick, wiry midnight blue-fur of his Scikvak form, Asmodel didn’t feel the small bot’s pointed legs brushing across him. He’d better keep extra vigilance on his companion since he couldn’t rely on his sense of touch to do so.

“Talonar!” A male scikvak barked the name as he and several others burst through the brush. “Report!”

“Yes, sir!” Asmodel jerked to attention. Not sure if he was supposed to salute or something similar, he stood with his cat ears flattened sideways. Clutching the long pole weapon the scikvak threatened them with, he kept the end on the ground. One good thing about taking the shape of an existing organic creature, the body knew how to react even if he didn’t. “I followed this creature from the crash site and captured him.”

The leader walked around Raxx with the end of his thick tail pointed upwards. “I find it extremely odd that this human was on the same ship as the Ozevroc.”

Asmodel had no idea what an Ozevroc was.

“That’s the race of alien that took Isabella Torres.” JR13’s voice was low, but loud enough for Asmodel to hear. “That makes sense. He’s suspicious since that kind of ship was a one-seater.”

“I haven’t questioned him yet, sir.” Asmodel turned to Raxx. Hopefully, the guy came up with something.

The leader humphed. “You, human. Were you on that ship that crashed?” The cat-man looked him over. “You don’t look the worse for wear.”

“Name’s Raxx Jorlen, friend.” Raxx put his bound hands over his heart with a slight bow, never taking his eyes off the leader. “I was an unfortunate prisoner of the Ozevroc.” He pointed a thumb behind him to the black smoke rising in the distance. “That rat bastard had more than one stasis pod on the ship, ya know?”

“Do you know if there were any other humans on that ship?”

Raxx shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

“Commander Jaltaar.” One soldier behind the leader approached him with dark ears back and flat against his head. “The Supreme Alpha Regent is insisting on an update.”

The commander hissed.

Asmodel took a chance and touched his mind. The scikvak was not pleased about talking to whomever the regent was.

“All of you, monitor this human while I speak to the regent.” The male walked a few steps away and touched a claw to the front of the black leather collar around his thick neck. Whatever he said was drowned out by the general rumblings of the group of soldiers around Asmodel.

“Hey, Talonar.” One of the soldiers approached him with a hissing whisper. “You feeling alright? Your voice sounds funny and you’re standing strange.”

Damn observant scikvak. Before he responded, another guard piped in.

“I bet the kid got caught by surprise and won’t admit it!”

This one was thicker in body and neck than the others and had a long scar sideswiping his face from the top of his right eye to the tip of his chin. His jowls jiggled as he hissed with laughter.

“Leave the kid alone, Varex.” The first guard responded. “As I remember, you got that scar from a skalderbeast on your first assignment, didn’t you?”

“Shut up, Sylas.” The larger scikvak grumbled.

“Time to go.” Commander Jaltaar rejoined the group. “We’re to take this human back to the regent for questioning.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a human female?” Varex questioned, his tail swishing back and forth on the moist ground.

“They’ve sent the drone patrol out to look for any other heat signatures.” Jaltaar responded. He glanced at the scarred guard with a brief nod. “Sylas, activate the bridge.”

“Yes, sir!” Sylas snapped to attention before pulling out a handheld device that fit in his large paw. The alloy covering the device had intricate etchings that swirled and coalesced at a random pace. With a click of one claw, a holographic picture of a luminescent bridge appeared. With another quick touch, the same bridge solidified between the cliff where they stood and ended at a large building on the opposing cliff face.

“Alright, troop. Let’s head home.” Jaltaar led the way.

For the first time, Asmodel noticed the bow slung across his back and a gripper holding a quiver of arrows. With a grimace, he met Raxx’s gaze before they followed the others across the rainbow-hued bridge.

“Talira.” A young female pardalion rushed toward them, out of breath. She grasped Talira by her upper arm, licking her whiskers. The pretty orange stripes on the dark-blue fur between her eyes and down her snout were messy, as if she’d swiped her paw across it one too many times. Her golden eyes were wide and dilated as she panted.

Izzy stared at the youngster who had to be in her formative pubescent years.

“Calm down, Zolune.” Talira stroked the smaller female on her snout and smoothed the ruffled fur. “Why are you so jumpy?”

“The elders have the chancellor of the Federation Consortium on the vid, and he’s asking for you !” Her last word came out in an excited whisper.

Talira’s thin black lips lifted across her delicate snout into an indulgent smile. She patted the young female on her shoulder. “That’s good, Zolune. Nothing to worry about. It’s going to save me time since I planned on talking to him, anyway.”

“Really?” the youngling gushed. “Can I watch?”

Talira nodded. “Of course.” She wagged a finger at her. “But you must observe only. No talking or you’ll have to leave.”

“Oh, I promise!” Zolune vowed with a lifted paw. “Thank you, Talira.”

Talira glanced over her shoulder at Izzy before turning back to the young female. “This is Izzy, our guest. Would you make sure she doesn’t get lost? I can’t tell you how much that would be a big help.”

Zolune’s chest puffed with pride. “I’d be honored to!” Her golden eyes focused on Izzy. “I’ve never seen a human before.” Her head tilted. “Oh, wow. You don’t have any fur. Aren’t you cold all the time?”

Izzy grinned. “I guess I am.” She waved her hand over her torso. “That’s why we wear clothes and don’t run around naked.” She pretended to shiver. “Every day we have to be plan what to wear so we don’t find ourselves exposed to the harsh elements and get sick.”

Zolune’s snout scrunched as she glanced down at the one-piece jumper she had on. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to think about what I wore all the time. But don’t you worry. Stick with me and I’ll make sure you don’t go someplace where you’d get hurt.”

Izzy nodded. “I really appreciate it.” She smiled and looked at Talira’s retreating figure. “I guess we’d better catch up before she starts without us.”

“Come on!” Zolune waved for Izzy to follow. “It’s not far.” She pointed one of her stubby paw forefingers at a large opening on the opposite end. “If we’re lucky, they’ll be serving something to eat!”

With any luck, Zolune was right that it wasn’t far. If she had to keep this fast pace for long, she’d pass out. Didn’t matter if it happened because of the lack of exercise or food. Face-planting in a strange place among aliens was never a good look.

Izzy trailed behind Talira, tired and hungry. With weary eyes, she watched Zolune skip beside her. The child pointed out places and people of interest, and the vibrant life pulsating within the cave village of Nekojin was impressive.

Looming ahead was a vast, illuminated cavern. The sheer width and breadth of it made it feel like she was about to step into the heart of CeluriaVO itself. Swirling bioluminescent fungi cast a soft glow and bathed the natural stone amphitheater in an ethereal light. The air was a mix of earthen musk and the sharp tang of electric machinery humming in the background. Even though she walked within a natural cave, the advanced technology around her was a stark reminder of the scikvak who created a harmonious blend of nature and advanced technology.

Around her, the cavern was alive with activity, buzzing with the indistinct murmurs of the scikvak as they moved about, their striped fur shifting like shadows under the luminous light.

At the far end, a group sat around a huge U-shaped table made of rock, their attention fixed on a large, crystal-clear HD screen. An image of a striking blond male flickered.

Her eyes widened. He had to be a Zerin, one of the aliens who invited her to join their exchange to find true love. Next to him was a pretty Zerin female, with dark-blonde hair and gray eyes. Wait, gray eyes? Every Zerin she’d ever seen or met had dual color eyes in some shade of green. Not a single color like this one had. Then she noticed the woman’s ears. They had a rounded top, like a human’s, not pointed like a Zerin’s. How odd.

“Ah, here she is, Chancellor E’etu.”

An imposing male scikvak stood, his silky long fur whirling around his exposed muscular arms that matched the glorious puff of hair covering his thick tail that lazily swished behind him.

The bright orange stripes on his face framed his eyes like eyeliner, giving him an almost feminine, exotic demeanor in a contrast to the low, deep masculine tone of his voice.

Talira waved Izzy to a chair next to her.

With a whoosh of gratitude, Izzy sat, thankful to be off her feet. She swallowed as a wave of exhaustion threatened to take over. She barely glanced at the other scikvak around the table. Her only impression was a mixture of male and female, young as well as old.

“Zolune, rush to the meal area and bring Izzy something to eat and drink.” Talira told the young female. “Straight there and back, you understand?”

“Oh yes, Talira! You can count on me.” Zolune rushed off, her thick thigh muscles undulating under her suit with each leap.

“Thank you, Praetor Vorlok.”

The Zerin on the vid responded, his resplendent dual-color turquoise eyes zeroing in on Izzy. “I am the chancellor of the Federation Consortium, D’zia E’etu. Are you Isabella Pilar Ramierz Torres from New York City of Earth?”

Izzy nodded and interlaced her fingers on the top of the granite tabletop. “Yes, but please call me Izzy. I was on the StarChance, headed to the exchange, when I was forced to leave the ship before it reached orbit around the Zerin space station.”

“Holy shamoka, sister. I know how you feel, since the same thing happened to me!” The woman next to the chancellor slapped her hand on the surface in front of her. Because she was transmitted in hologram form, the only sound was a muted thump when her hand hit the table. “How are you doing, doll?”

At first, Izzy had a hard time responding. The woman’s declaration was so outlandish, it was hard to focus. Biting her bottom lip, she studied the vid image of the woman closer. Now the glaring differences she noticed at first were more prominent, but after the woman pounded the table, it was clear she had four fingers instead of three in equal lengths like a Zerin. Also, her Caucasian-colored skin had a slight iridescent sheen, even though the shine wasn’t as deep as the male’s next to her.

“I’m okay. Thanks for asking.” Izzy tilted her head. “But, I hope you don’t mind asking, were you were once a human?”

The woman laughed. “Yep, I was born Lora Callahan from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Now I’m this one’s Truebond.” She lovingly glanced at her mate next to her, who placed his large hand over hers, as his return gaze softened his handsome face. Lora continued. “When that happened, I took on a lot of Zerin characteristics. Let me tell you, I couldn’t be happier.”

“Wow.” Izzy sat back. “That’s, ah, something.”

“Which leads me to what we were first discussing.” The chancellor returned his gaze to Praetor Vorlok, who’d retaken his seat. “Have you been able to verify the Krystalii is at Panterion Prime?”

Talira sat in a seat next to Izzy. She nodded. “Yes, my zaltrixan contact has confirmed a Krystalii is negotiating with Supreme Alpha Regent Korves.”

An angry murmur sounded around the table.

Her midnight-blue eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid it’s worse than we feared.”

Immediate silence as all eyes focused on her.

“From what I was told, the Alpha Regent has agreed to turn over this female.” She gestured to Izzy with a pointed claw. “And in exchange, the Krystalii will eliminate our people and our way of life.”

Now the angry murmur turned into a riotous roar from the throats of the cat people.

Izzy sat there, stunned, as tears gathered. No… no. There’s no way she wanted to be part of an entire race becoming extinct!

“We must get this human off CeluriaVO as soon as possible!” The cry came from an elderly female who pounded her fist on the table.

The voices lowered, but the anger hung heavy in the air.

“Yes, yes, Madam Fexa.” Praetor Vorlok gestured to the Zerins on the vid. “We have requested assistance from the Federation, and they realize the severity of our situation. That’s why we are speaking to the chancellor himself!”

“Quite right, Praetor Vorlok.” Chancellor E’etu confirmed. “The Krystalii are not only threatening CeluriaVO, but all the organic life in the Milky Way. To aid in their domination, their leader is obsessed with obtaining a human female. He’s sent out scouts to infiltrate our galaxy to grab human females and somehow combine their DNA with theirs. He’s convinced once he does this, it’ll give him the ability to speed up their birth cycle.”

Izzy frowned as the chancellor gave a worried glance at Lora next to him. The woman’s return gaze wasn’t any more reassuring. It looked like they didn’t have any idea how this strange Krystalii could use human women to intermingle with their non-organic species either.

“We’ve already sent an emissary to CeluriaVO to retrieve Ms. Torres. His name is Asmodel.” A portrait of an impossibly handsome man replaced the chancellor’s image. The 3-D picture rotated, giving everyone in the room a clear image.

Izzy gasped. The man’s Native American features were symmetrical, making his masculine beauty almost impossible to believe. Her heart thundered, banishing all weariness, as his imposing, motionless figure captured her. If he looked half as good as his picture, what would he be like in reality? She shuddered to imagine.

“This man’s sole purpose is to ensure the human woman's safe return.” The chancellor’s image returned, and his voice resonated throughout the cavern. He locked his gaze on Izzy through the screen as if to reassure her. “We have determined he has landed safely on CeluriaVO and is searching for you.” His striking turquoise eyes looked away as if he was reading a report on another screen. “From our last communication, he is on his way to Panterion Prime to look for you there.”

Talira gasped. “They’ll arrest him!” She glanced at Izzy. “Or worse, execute him as an example of good faith to the Krystalii.”

“Can you contact him to let him know she is here with us?” Madam Fexa asked.

The chancellor frowned. “Unfortunately, once he entered the city, all communication with him has been cut off. However, rest assured, we are looking into other options.”

A hushed silence fell over the cavern.

Dread pressed on Izzy at the gravity of the situation. A hard knot formed in her stomach, a mix of fear and anticipation at the mention of Asmodel—a man who came all this way to save her and didn’t know he was walking into a dangerous situation.

The gentle glow from the HD screen illuminated the concerned faces of the scikvak ruling body.

Their solemn commitment to not only her safety but saving their species was clear to see. Yet, despite the otherworldly beauty of the cavern and the sophisticated technology before her, Izzy couldn't shake the feeling she was a pawn in a much larger game—one that spanned galaxies with consequences far beyond her understanding. She didn’t pay attention to the last few words discussed between the chancellor and the pardalions as they ended their communication.

Around the table, the meeting continued. Heated discussions ensued, getting louder with each argument about what their next steps should be.

It dawned on Izzy she wasn’t part of the plans. She raised her hand. “Excuse me.” Her voice was too low to overcome the lively discussions at raised volume. She cleared her throat and increased her volume. “Um… good people? Hello? Can I say something?”

“Yes.” Praetor Vorlok nodded to her. He raised a paw at the male next to him, who continued to hiss in argument. Vorlok gave him a low growl that made the other guy shut up. “Now, human Izzy from Earth. You wish to say something?”

“Thank you, Praetor Vorlok.” She stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Keeping her expression firm, she eyed each one to let them know she meant business. “Since I am the only human here, it’s up to me to go to Panterion Prime and help rescue my fellow human, Asmodel.” Just saying his name caused a memory of that handsome man telling her he’d find her. Well, that went both ways. He vowed to find her, and she refused to do anything less.

The male next to Praetor Vorlok snorted. “You look weak at best, and a burden at worst.”

“Now, Caln. Let’s not be judgmental.” Praetor Vorlok admonished the male. “Let’s hear what she has to say.” He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “Now tell me, my dear. Why should we allow you to put yourself in danger and join this rescue party? What skills do you bring?”

Izzy gave the obvious answer.

“Why, I’m a librarian!”