Sold to the Alien Outlaws Page 3

  The door to the manor opens, and Kendrick Dulloth strides forward with all the arrogance of an Aurelian. My heart flutters. He’s of a noble family – truly noble, as opposed to the ‘new money’ that earned my father his rank – and it was an achievement to even arrange a meeting with him. I try not to remember everything I’ve heard about Kendrick – of the servant girl who was rumored to have been with his child, and then… disappeared. Or of his strange hunting trips, where he’s rumored to have…

  No! Don’t think of the rumors! My father is ambitious – but surely even he wouldn’t set me up with a sociopath; even if the Dulloth family is noble, and our family is only low-noble.

  Kendrick’s eyes glance over quickly at my maidservant, and then settle on me. Behind him walks a large manservant, who I know doubles as Kendrick’s security guard.

  “My lady,” he says softly, as I stand to welcome him to the ceremony. Once he sits, I let myself take my spot in front of him and pour tea. My hand shakes, and I hate myself inwardly for being so ungracious. Jenna would have done this perfectly.

  “May I call you by your first name?” Kendrick asks politely, in the ritual greeting. His words may be kind – but his eyes are dead.

  “Yes, my Lord,” I respond, and butterflies flap their wings in my stomach. I know I should be wary of him, but he is a handsome specimen of nobility, and he knows how to present himself.

  “Then you may call me by Kendrick, my Lady… Lezena.” My name rolls from his mouth as if he’s tasting it. Kendrick is tall and thin, with high cheekbones. I don’t feel the same raw attraction to him that I might feel for an Aurelian, but he nevertheless has a haughty presence to him that I find compelling. I hope that he likes what he sees in me.

  Kendrick is so well-mannered and well-groomed that I start to wonder… Surely, he can’t be as bad as the stories tell! Already, my mind races ahead. If this meeting goes well, then the next step in the courting process will be for the two of us to go to the monthly ball together.

  Even as my imagination wanders, my more rational side processes these events. I’m not a fool, no matter what my father says. This meeting and potential courtship was only arranged because my father is hoping to unite the two of our families. He’s not doing it for my sake – to give his daughter a noble husband and stable foundation. No, father is just arranging this for pragmatic reasons. My family has Liquidium mines deep in the oceans, and the Dulloth family owns the tidal control devices that allows the floating barges to extract Liquidium without fear of the rogue waves that ravage the seas. In addition, they have the best automation machines money can buy. The union of our families would prove incredibly profitable for both sides.

  And what is the price of such opportunity?

  Me.

  I force the thought out of my mind, and instead focus on our civilized tea party. Kendrick and I both sip our delicately-flavored tea, and I look into his deep brown eyes.

  “My lady,” says Jenna, her voice interrupting the sanctity of the ritual. I force back my annoyance. She must have a very good reason to distract me.

  “My lady,” she says again, and this time Jenna’s voice trembles. I turn to her with concern. Jenna is pointing upward, and I follow the path of her finger.

  My blood runs cold.

  Three huge, white orbs are falling from the sky. I’ve never seen one in real life, but I know what they are.

  Scorp Egg-Sacs – the organic vessels those deadly creatures travel the stars in.

  In the past, the Aurelians have always picked off such interlopers before they could hit the atmosphere – eliminating the Scorp threat before the creatures even touch ground.

  But not today.

  I narrow my eyes, and confirm in my mind what my eyes see. I know what they are – the egg-sacs are unmistakable…

  But I don’t want to believe my eyes.

  Scorp. Oh Gods, no! The Scorp!

  My breathe catches. Kendrick knocks the chair over in his haste to stand, and we all gaze upward, utterly transfixed as we watch the huge eggs plummeting from the sky.

  They’re centered over the city, and seem to be falling faster and faster. Soon, the sun itself is blotted out, shrouding us in darkness as the huge shadows of the egg-sacs fall across the streets.

  My mind is racing. I think back to my physics lessons – trying desperately to quantify the speed at which those huge egg-sacs will hit the ground. Gravity is heavier on this planet than Old-Earth, where mathematics were invented, and after doing some adjustments in my head, I guess we have about thirty seconds – at most – before the tightly-packed streets teem with Scorp, and then run red with blood.

  Alarm bells ring all around us, as the city alert systems fire up.

  Around us, we watch as police ships take to the air; deafening us with a great roar as their combustion engines power them upwards. Three ships fly upward – the first responders, who were already standing ready in their ships when the alarm sounded.

  Those vessels fire off blasts that nick the egg-sacs, but the weapons don’t seem to do any discernable damage. The police ships circle back to another pass, but I already know their puny weapons will do nothing to stop the descent of those Scorp-filled vessels.

  Once they land, we’re dead.

  We have no standing army on Tear. The Noble Houses hire security guards to protect their own estates, and there’s a planet-wide police force, but such measure are designed to combat human crime; not alien invasion.

  As the police ships have just demonstrated; our weapons are no match against the Scorp. We have nothing to stop them.

  “Oh, Gods! Oh, Gods! We’re all going to die!” Jenna is panicking, and I grab her wrist, pulling her into my arms and holding her tight. It’s half for her reassurance, but half for my own.

  Jenna trembles in my arms, and I see that her nervousness is real. She’s normally so composed – but nothing can prepare you for being ripped apart by the claws of a Scorp, and her upbringing as a servant in the safe and civilized houses of Tear’s nobility have done nothing to prepare her for a situation such as this. Then again - was she a servant before she came into our employ?

  Then, suddenly, I gasp out loud – another vessel has joined the egg-sacs in the sky above us.

  Seemingly out of nowhere, a Reaver vessel has appeared. The powerful ship is silent as it speeds above us, cutting through the air without smoke trailing behind it. Twin Orb-Beams fire out from the gunnery stations, arcing through the air.

  It’s impossible! The Aurelians left us when we declared independence!

  My heart grows cold. These must be rogue Aurelians – members of that species who eschew the Empire’s rules, including the ones that forbid slavery.

  Yet they are as powerful and deadly as any Imperial Aurelian. As we watch, the Orb-Beams cut through the sky – their powerful beams darker than black, as if the beams are cuts in reality itself.

  The beams blast against the Scorp ship and carve huge chunks from the outer shell. Scorp warriors tumble out from the gaping tears in the vessel, and with a gasp I realize they are going to plummet down right on top of us.

  Kendrick takes one look at me, then sprints towards the mansion. His manservant runs behind him. I’m still paralyzed with fear – shocked that the young nobleman would leave me here alone while four Scorp warriors smash down against the ground in front of me.

  They’ve fallen from an incredible height – and the four creatures land like meteors right in from of me – blocking my path to the mansion.

  I shudder in horror and sweat beads on my forehead as the nine-feet-tall Scorp groggily press themselves up from the ground.

  I have no idea how they survived that incredible impact, but it seems to have stunned them at least. The towering Scorp seem out of it – their red eyes blinking blearily as they stand to their full height in front of Jenna and I. One of them doesn’t get up, crushed by the fall, but three remain. Even one would be enough to end us with ease.

  The huge creatures
loom over us. Powerful legs support huge, muscular bodies - all covered in scales, as though they’re the hind legs of a huge alligator. Those massive bodies are covered in a hard carapace, and instead of arms the Scorp warriors have massive pincers as big as the ten-foot-long lobsters that live deep within the oceans of Tear.

  That would have all been terrifying enough, but the truly horrific thing about the Scorp are the scorpion-like tails they all have, which twist and weave in the air behind them as if they have minds of their own. The barbs of those scorpion tails test the air, and I watch in horror as a drop of venom drips down from one of the sharp stings; glowing obscenely green.

  One touch of that venom, and I’ll die screaming.

  Fear grips me, but I step in front of Jenna, shielding her with my body. It’s the old, traditional duty of a noblewoman to protect her servants. Nowadays, the Noble houses of Tear view servants as disposable; but I care deeply for Jenna, and I can see how terrified she is.

  As honorable as my actions might be, I know they’re futile. I can protect Jenna from these Scorp no better than a sheet of tissue paper could. I can’t fight them – and, even worse, there’s nowhere to run. Behind us are huge, tightly-grown hedges. The only path to safety is behind the groggy, towering Scorp – the same path Kendrick and his manservant fled down.

  A desperate plan forms in my head.

  “We have to run forward,” I snap at Jenna. “You go right, I’ll go left. They’re still groggy – from that fall, and from their stasis sleep.”

  The words don’t even sound like my own – far more authoritative and determined than I imagine myself to be. Somehow, I command instinctively – knowing what we need to do and formulating a plan to do it.

  The first Scorp tastes the air with a darting tongue, and staggers towards me. My hopes sink. They’re no longer groggy enough for my plan to safely work – even after slamming down on the hard ground from such an incredible height.

  But we have no choice. We might have only the slimmest chance to get past these huge, deadly creatures – and it’s a chance that’s shrinking by the second.

  I take a step back, and stumble into Jenna. She snaps out of her stupor, and starts backing up herself…

  …but it’s too late. We had our chance to run – the same as Kendrick – but we were too paralyzed to take it.

  Cowardice apparently has its benefits. He escaped, and we won’t.

  I step back again as the first of the Scorp approaches. They all look so hungry, clacking their claws together menacingly.

  Suddenly, their slow advance snaps into a deadly charge. A thousand pounds of jagged claw, flinty carapace and deadly stinger rushes towards me.

  I tackle Jenna to the side and feel the claw slicing through my dress. As I stagger around, I glance down to check for the sight of blood – and realize, incredibly, that the Scorp barely missed my flesh; tearing only the expensive material of my gown instead.

  The Scorp barrels straight into the hedges, clearly still groggy. The disgusting creature picks itself up, shaking its reptilian head in anger and confusion.

  The two other Scorp warriors wait, blocking the only escape, and they begin spreading out to keep us cornered.

  We might be still alive – but not for long. That first dodge was a fluke. There won’t be a second.

  As if to demonstrate that, the first Scorp – the leader, I assume – pulls itself from the tangled hedge and turns to face us again. The creature hisses with anger as it flexes its huge legs and snaps those deadly claws.

  It’s preparing for another charge.

  “No! No! No!” Jenna moans over and over, the poor girl shuddering in terror. At just twenty, she’s is the same age as me – but I know I’ll have to be the one to keep her safe.

  But who’s going to keep me safe? Panic grips me as I picture the claws of those Scorp warriors ripping through my body; as easily as a serrated knife might cut through roasted pork ribs.

  As if they’re one, the three Scorp suddenly charge towards us all together, pinning us from every angle. I grab Jenna, hugging her tightly and holding her head to my large breasts as we prepare to meet the end.

  But I don’t want this to be the end – not like this!

  “Come on! We have to fight!” I pull Jenna’s head from my bosom and look into her eyes, my voice far steadier than my nerves. I know it’s futile, but the two of us turn and stand back to back, ready to meet the oncoming charge of these massive Scorp.

  Then, suddenly, a shadow passes over us.

  Seemingly from nowhere, a triad of Aurelian warriors slam down on the ground right in front of us, each warrior landing directly in front of a Scorp.

  Between the deadly Scorp warrior facing me now stands a long-haired Aurelian, his back broad and muscled, and a barbaric aura to him as he charges forward – slipping to one side to dodge the barbed tail of the Scorp as it darts towards him.

  The Aurelian is swinging some sort of medieval Orb-Weapon. The humming, Orb-powered flail takes the head of the Scorp clean off as the Aurelian ducks beneath that deadly tail, and then the towering alien warrior slams his body against the carapace of the now-headless Scorp, pushing the monstrosity backwards and away from me.

  I turn to see the two other Scorp already dead and twitching on the ground, with another seven-feet-tall alien warrior standing over each of them.

  Then the three looming Aurelians turn, staring at me.

  The brutal fighters drink me up with their eyes. I hear a growl and turn towards the one with shoulder-length hair – who’s staring at me like his eyes could burn holes right through the material of the dress I wear.

  I look down and realize why - that dress is already in tatters, and I have to pull the shreds of material together to hide myself from those alien’s burning gaze.

  I know that Aurelians have trouble controlling themselves around human woman. They’re the reason we had to have a strict, modest dress code in the streets in the first place – it’s in their nature to just take when they’re pulled into the mating frenzy.

  I gulp dryly, wondering if the immediate threat of the Scorp was more favorable than the sinister presence of these new arrivals.

  “T-thank you for your protection,” I stammer, using the formal inflection in my words. As a new member of the noble houses – even to a minor house – I still had to have a speech pathologist train my speech patterns to better blend in with the other upper-class noblewomen.

  I know that Aurelians can speak the Common tongue, but the long-haired warrior says nothing. He’s clearly still inflamed by battle – his eyes burning with fury, and his muscles coiled.

  Eventually, the towering Aurelian strides towards me – finally standing over me with barely contained energy resonating from his massive body.

  Every muscle in that incredible physique is tense from the fight. This towering Aurelian is over a foot and a half taller than me, but it’s not his height that makes him so imposing. Aurelians are wide – something that the description of their height alone doesn’t accurately convey. Each of these warriors must weigh upwards of seven-hundreds-pounds; and every ounce of it is pure muscle.

  This particular warrior is clad in some sort of armor that makes him appear even bigger. I feel so small and helpless compared to him – something a big, curvy girl like me isn’t used to.

  I owe this warrior my life – and yet he somehow scares me almost as much as the Scorp did.

  In addition to my fear, I feel shame. A true-born noblewoman would meet this warrior’s gaze. I lower my eyes instead, trembling.

  Suddenly, the warrior’s huge hand touches my chin, pulling my gaze up to meet his gently, but effortlessly. He forces me to look into his slate-grey eyes, and I see no trace of humanity or mercy in them.

  All I can see is that he wants me. His neck twitches and his jaw clenches – and I can see this warrior is breathing harshly not from the exertion of combat, but because he’s trying to rein in his overwhelming desire for me. He’s aching for
my body.

  I shiver. This Aurelian made short work of the fearsome Scorp. I can’t even imagine what he could do to me. I can’t stop myself from flinching as the towering warrior bends his head toward me, breathing in deeply – as if drinking in my scent…

  …and then his eyes go as wide as those of a madman.

  One of the other Aurelians, standing behind the long-haired warrior, barks out an order. The warrior looming over me reluctantly breaks out of his trance – pulling his hand from my chin. The memory of his touch leaves my skin tingling.

  A shadow looms overhead – that Reaver vessel has lowered itself towards them, as if on some kind of auto-pilot. The three warriors gather beneath it, and then as one they all jump into the air – grabbing the base of their hovering ship and hauling themselves inside.

  A moment later, the powerful Reaver ship climbs silently upward, and our saviors soar towards the city center; their Orb-Beams picking off other Scorp warriors as they fly away.

  “They’re… They’re going to save the city,” says Jenna, her voice filled with wonder. She shakes her head, as if coming out of a daze. Then a sadness floods her beautiful face.

  “Oh, Gods… I froze up, Lezena! I panicked. I can’t believe I panicked… I was supposed to keep you safe. I’m so sorry. Your mother didn’t hire me to get scared. It’ll never happen again, I promise! My training…” Her cheeks burn. “I’m better than that.”

  I swallow hard, barely registering Jenna’s words. I’m still thinking of that long-haired Aurelian warrior, and his two other towering battle-brothers.

  That brutal alien did not seem like the Aurelians that had given the people of Tear protection for so many years. Those warriors were stern and reserved – barely glancing at the people around them. Sure, there were a few instances when a drunk woman decided to play with fire by flashing her breasts at a warrior – instances that had led to adoption of our city dress code in the first place – but none of those warriors had ever seemed so… intense.

  “They’re rogue Aurelians,” I whisper.

  Jenna gasps. We’ve all heard the rumors. The Aurelian Empire is led by Emperor Raegan and his triad. Queen Jasmine is their fated mate – a human woman with surprising influence on her towering, dominant lovers. Through Emperor Raegan, Jasmine has ushered in a new era of controversial, pro-human social policies, including free education for any woman in an Aurelian harem.