Last Call (Stranded in the Stars Book 1) (8 page)

Not to mention it was difficult to find a woman in the galaxies as their sex vastly changed their rarity, status, and power in each sector.

The races were decimated and the expansions that were pushed and made by the intergalactic council to travel out to deep space had thinned out the populations so much that it was hard to pin-point an exact number or even estimate how many people there were.

Women weren’t rare to say, but were well protected by both species and even more so by the Trentians.

It didn’t matter whether they were Trentian, Earthian, or half-breed, the Trentians were fanatically obsessive in their protection. And what kind of woman would want a Cyborg? Especially since it was widely believed that they were more robots than men, that they were violent and unpredictable, and that they couldn’t procreate.

It was because of that mindset and that risk, Jack didn't know if he could trust himself with a female, especially with the burden of taking one in union. He had been with women before but had never bonded intimately. His logical side saw no reason for it but now his logistics were strangely silent.

Jack stood up, sparing one last glance at the boneyard and started to walk back towards the girl. Maybe he was viewing her like one of his missions and he never failed a mission.

He spied on her before making his presence known. She was stuffing a small part of the protein ration into her pouch that carried her roots and other supplies. He smiled to himself.

She was looking around, probably for him, before staring absently at her hands deep in thought.

I hope she's thinking about me.

"Let's get going." He grunted, coming into view. She scurried up at the prompt and they continued on.

They had walked in silence for the rest of the day and he had been surprised that she had been correct in regards to the shortcut. At first he had been wary of the rocky, skeletal tunnel but he had sensed no wurm activity nearby. He placed his hand on what appeared to be a rib bone of the giant dead wurm to read the structure and came away with a powdery white calcite substance all over his hand.
Well it’s strong enough to hold up this tunnel,
he thought as he wiped his hands until the crystals fell away.

After his assessment they continued on.

The daylight was now rapidly fading and the temperature began to drop as the sun headed for the horizon.

Jack led them to a large outcropping of rocks and found them a nook between several boulders. It wasn't the most comfortable location but it would provide them some protection and he set about lighting a fire.

There was no kindling to be had here so he created an oil based flame and lit it with a electrical current.

"This won't last us the whole night but it will keep us warm for now." He said as the girl stared at the flame, probably determining whether it was safe. "It's been a long time since you've seen a flame." He stated rather than asked.

"Yes. The last time was during the aftermath of the crash when the ship was in flames." She settled in, pulling her blanket around her, appreciating the warmth. The evening descended into darkness around them, the only source of light coming from the fire and the subtle moonbeams outside.

They were undisturbed except for faint tremors now and again.

***

Allie moved closer to the fire–
I’m so cold.

A silence had fallen between them again. It didn't help that Jack was sharpening his dagger tensely, exasperating the poignant feeling in the air. She decided to focus on staying warm and the fire, only sneaking glances his way.

"Is there something on my face?" He grinned, putting his weapon away. "You've been watching me all day." He goaded her.

"It's not every day a male comes into my life." She said, annoyed.

"Do they come in often?" With a teasing not to his voice, he continued to grin at her.

Allie sighed, "Not in a very, very long time."

Jack's tone became serious, heightening the tense atmosphere between them again. "You mentioned earlier you had been touched during your fertility testing. The next time... was it an admirer? consensual?"

"The next time brought me here."

He glared at her, she could tell he was willing her to continue.
He's very demanding.

"What happened that was so bad you ended up stranded on a planet billions of miles from anyone, anywhere, alone?" His voice lowered with dark authority. She felt she had no choice but to obey him.

Moving closer to the fire between them, she began. "Where I'm from fertile females are very rare. We're prized and protected, living in a community away from everyone else. The commune I was kept in was run by elders, barren females, and militarized drones. Men were strictly forbidden to enter unless they were there to choose a bride– gifted by the Warlord," she continued. "There was a man, shamed, not given a bride– who eventually killed the Warlord and took over the colony. The new Warlord and his Generals, other men who had also held the grudge of being spurned, came to our commune… and hurt us."

***

"Allie." Jack stabbed his dagger into the ground. "What's this place called?" He needed her to tell him, knowing the horrors that would have been committed, sickened by this unknown man.

"Kreatiax was the name of the port town near where the other girls and I were kept but we only knew our home as the colony. It had no real name to us." She trailed off.

Jack logged all data into his hard drive unit to research on later. He would have to find this place and make a side trip there. Or maybe give this information over to the Earthian council. Either way, it would be dealt with.
Maybe this information can help me find Larik.

Allie was shivering. He watched as she moved dangerously close to the flame.

"Here, I made you something to keep you warm." He pulled out the black mesh material from his pack.

"You made me something?" She stared at him in wonder.

"I told you I would supply you." He declared angrily. "You're practically naked in those rags you wear. The cloak will help shield you from the elements." He said as he draped it around her shoulders, regretting that he had not given it to her earlier.

"This is… very nice, Jack." She gasped, running her fingers along the fabric. "Thank you."

"Now continue with your story." He demanded, wishing he had brought her more, feeling a protective urge travel through his systems. He wanted to be the one to keep her warm, irrationally envious of the cloak around her shoulders.
I can heat my body up with electricity and she would never have to be cold again if she stayed in my arms.

And he could tell she didn't want to continue; didn't want to let him into her past. But his eyes gave her little option but to finish telling him. He knew he had the look of someone who often got what they wanted. She breathed, defeated. "Soon after the rebellion the men came and announced that all maidens of age would be presented to him," she shook her head. "One by one he violated us all, checking for our innocence and then taking it away." She stared blankly. "No girl was pure by the end and his Generals did worse once he chose a bride amongst us."

Jack felt murderous and knew he had that look about him now, swiping his dagger back and forth across his palm. "Did they rape you?" Disgusted by the primitive, savage men. They had no right to a female– let alone this female.

He decided.

After his mission he would find this colony and wash it away in blood.

"Not me. I wasn't raped, I was the Warlord's chosen. I was to undergo a ritual but some of the other girls..." She trailed off.

"Did the Warlord rape you during this ritual?" He could envision his blood soaking his hands. His processors now on overdrive collecting any and all information about this colony. Kreatiax was a port on a backwater Trentian planet that could sustain a vast ecosystem but was so far away from normal hubs it was often left alone.

"He never had the chance to. We escaped– those of us who could– ran that night to the port. We boarded a transporter ship and escaped. We ran because we were frightened, hoping for a brighter future." She whispered. "One that didn't last very long."

"Then you crashed here?"

"Yes. The ship malfunctioned, randomly, suddenly and it crashed into a mountain, a day and a half from here." He watched as she noticeably began to tire and droop towards the ground. "I was the only survivor."

"Come here, Allie." He reached out his hand to her.

She looked at it suspiciously before taking it. He moved her next to him and put his arms around her small frame.
Let me keep you warm.
Her body was tense against him and it made him sad.

"I won't hurt you. I'm not like those other men. When I touch a woman, she's begging for it, not crying." Jack said. "I'm going to keep you warm tonight and prove to you that not everything that happens between a man and a woman is bad." Allie rolled around to face him while his arm grasped her body flushed against him, letting his warmth penetrate her as he heated up.

"I feel safe with you. I don’t know you but I feel safe with you." She breathed, to the man who was still a stranger. “If you were going to hurt me, you would have done it by now.”

Jack tightened his arms around her and buried his face into her hair.

Chapter Seven:

---

I
t was a short while later before Allie was asleep in his arms.

Jack wanted her so bad. He wanted to infect her body with himself and ravage her system.
I want to grind her into the ground and pound into her tight sheath.
He felt like he was malfunctioning because his systems were having vitriolic reactions to the situation. His humanity feeling quietly happy; nothing about him was in accord anymore.

Everything that he said to her was the truth but it felt like a lie. His violence extended beyond himself and for some reason he had tunnel vision with her– the moment his ship had landed a week ago. That tunnel vision had only gotten worse the more time he spent in her presence. If the Warlord and his men were still alive he would make sure it wouldn’t be for long.

He just had to take it slow but he couldn't deny that he would have her. Thinking this to himself, he fell into an frustrated, dreamless sleep.

Jack's eyes snapped open. Something was wrong. The fire was fading now, its glow only casting small shadows around them.

He quietly unsheathed his dagger, trying hard not to disturb the sleeping girl in his arms. He went into full alert, every muscle in his body tensed with anticipation.

It started out as a rumble, the pebbles around their forms scattering about, vibrating in sync with the ground beneath them. There was something just below their location and approaching very fast.

"Allie," He nudged. "We need to move." She sat up slowly with his help, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"What's happening?" She whispered, looking around before she registered the shaking beneath her feet. She shot up from the ground, panic filling her eyes.

"There are several giant creatures moving this way– Fast!" Jack grabbed her around the waist, slinging his pack behind his back at the same time. He dragged them out of the small cave and away.

The tremors were earth rendering shakes. The rocks dislodging from their positions in the dirt from the violent vibrations. Jack, without letting go of Allie, weaved them between the craggy terrain and away from the danger– ascending to higher, rockier ground. The giant stone monoliths fell away as a behemoth broke through the surface, shooting up into the sky with a deafening roar where they had been moments before.

Allie turned around at the noise, gasping, as the ground they were just sleeping on opened up into a jagged scar. The spiky back of a sand serpent moving directly through the tear it had created.

There were two beast behind them now, clashing into each other, making the rocky crags their own personal battle arena. One dove back into the dirt as the other, that was covered in saw-like scythes, slithered around in a circular pattern. Jack turned back frequently to monitor them but it quickly appeared that the beasts were not in pursuit. It was the crashing, wanton destruction around them that posed the most threat.

He weaved them up and around the bedrock, only stopping to help Allie through the trickier parts, knowing her sight was not as good as his in the dark. The wurms behind them were weaving in and out, quickly making their battle arena into a large death pit.

"What's happening?" She asked, trying to catch her breath.

Jack pulled her along, trying to create more distance. He really didn't want them to be sucked down into the wurm's personal quarry, smashed to obliteration. He could take down one bug, he knew, but he was unsure of his ability to take down two while still worrying about the girl’s safety. He also didn't think his assault rifle and pistol would do more than annoy the creatures anyway.

"It may be a territory dispute. There must be hatchlings nearby and our presence may have been felt– may have aggravated them." He stopped briefly, putting the knife he still had in his hand away. He touched his eye, triggering his infrared vision.

"They've never bothered me before." She said, when a wurm, still dangerously close emerged from the ground only to dive back into the pit. The creatures could black out the stars.

Jack gripped her arm again, "We need to keep moving, we need more distance between us and them." He continued, "I think they may be drawing more friends."
      

They trekked through the shaking landscape. Sometimes stopping as it brought them to their knees. Jack slowed now and then to let Allie catch her breath and to watch the interaction behind him. It was a pretty incredible sight, complete and utter destruction was always thing to behold. It called to him at a spiritual level.

His blood was pumping, his adrenaline coursing through his system making him restless and ready for action. He either wanted to jump into the fray and get his hands dirty or take out his frustration on the female next to him. He wouldn't risk her life though or the fragile trust that had begun to build between them. He also glumly had to re-remind himself that he left his long range carbine laser back at the ship.