Page 13 of Protected By the Alien Commander

Doshax

I continuedto scan the landscape and sky for any movement. I did not want the reptiles to catch us unaware. I trusted my blaster, but not against a herd of those creatures. There was another reason for my alertness: I wanted to spot the pirates before they spotted us. I did not know where they had crashed, but there had been far more of them than there had been of my squadron. In addition, I had a female I needed to protect. No pirate would get anywhere near her.

I looked down at the small female, soft and delicate. Her skin was still red like a sunset on the Plains of Ocren. Her chest lumps moved as she walked. The female was beautiful, her brown spiraled hair like a crown, her skin flawless, her arms and legs slender. I felt a sudden, instinctual desire to see more. Facing forward again, I shoved my lust far down. It was difficult. I had been constantly aroused since I had first seen her. But I had to focus on my mission—find my men, then capture the pirates.

I did not want to leave the female, though. I felt protective of her despite not knowing her for long. The thought of leaving her caused pain in my chest.

I forced my thoughts back to the situation at hand. My eyes scanned the sky, searching for any sign of activity over the land. I strained my ears, listening for footfalls. I could hear nothing but the wind. Her ship could not be far from the vegetation; she could not have walked far at her pace. I frowned as I considered her missing bag and the feelings I had experienced of being watched. If the pirates had seen us, I doubt they would have stayed quiet. I would not be easy to subdue, but if they threatened harm to the female, I would give in immediately. And the pirates would use that to their advantage.

We needed to find her ship as soon as possible. I would let her keep looking for it for a few more hours, and then we would head to my ship. I did not want to stay in our flimsy shelter for another night.

There was another reason I was staying attentive, and that was because of my grandfather’s story about Yazell and the unexplained disappearances of the settlers. They had probably fallen into holes or gotten lost in caves. But the ground was hard, with rock close to the surface. There were no fissures, ground that looked as if lightning had split it in two, or holes or narrow shafts leading to caves anywhere that I had seen with my scope. It was possible there were other environments on other parts of this planet, but my grandfather had said the settlers had disappeared from the desert, with visibility in all directions. Exactly where we were right now.

We walked through another patch of scraggly, dried, and twisted tan bushes, then more dirt, a few gnarled stunted brown trees, then more hard, baked dirt. No sign of animals, not even space rats. The silence was heavy and as stifling as air with no oxygen. That could be because the star was at its highest point in the sky, and anything with sense was in the shade.

I memorized the landscape features. They had not changed much from a few hours ago, but I was creating a map of the area in my head using the vegetation and cliffs as directional points. If only my wrist computer worked, then I would not have to hope I knew the direction to my ship. Or wonder where my men were.

Stopping, I waited for the female to catch up to me. She was lagging behind again, her footsteps making a soft thud against the ground. Obviously, her species did not travel long distances. I pulled out my scope and scanned the horizon once more, and this time, I saw something in the distance, a blocky object. Most likely her crashed ship.

She stopped next to me, her facial skin and neck a darker red than before. Her camouflage was very slow and inaccurate. I pulled out the plant I had cut off earlier. She had shown relief when I had rubbed it on her. I scooped out a handful and spread it on her. Her legs had not changed color because my jacket had covered her legs to the tops of her boots.

It was probably for the best that I did not have to slather the healing gel from the plant on her legs. My quills rose as I remembered feeling her legs the day before, soft and smooth like the finest Brik silk. It would nearly snap my control to not claim her.

Claim her?I could not claim her! There were many reasons against doing something so crazy. She was not Kuh Mow Dow, I had a year left on my service to the IGS, and besides, I would not rest until I had found the pirates that had killed my parents. I had no time to take a mate. My mind was clouded by my desire for her, that was all.

I pulled my water out of the pack and drank first. I did not want her taste on the bottle; I was tempted enough just having her near me. The female drank her fill after I handed her my water bottle. She handed it back, tingles shooting through me where our fingers touched. I closed my pack and put it back on my shoulder, ready to walk, until the female touched my arm, my quills standing up straight at her skin on mine.

She lifted a foot, moved it, and grimaced. Her boots were not fit for walking long distances. The heel was too high, and I doubted it had any comforting cushion.

I asked the Goddess for strength, took off my pack, then handed it to her. She scrunched up her features, which I knew meant she was confused. I crouched down and pointed to my back, which she readily understood by climbing on me like the day before. I stood, having no idea how I did it with tingles of desire shooting through me. Her sweet heady scent filled my nose.

Gritting my teeth, I set a fast pace towards the large shadowed object that I was sure was her ship. The female muttered to herself, but as I could not understand what she said, it faded into background noise.

Until I could suddenly understand her.