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?? CHAPTER 7 ??
Ryle
My little alien wants us to be like my crew? My team back at our ship? This is a ridiculous idea.
On the other hand, she seems to have no idea that she’s my mate. I shouldn’t be so surprised at her confusion. I don’t entirely understand it, either. This is new to me, too.
All I know is that she has awakened the mating pulse within me - a system of nodes through my body with one demand, one focus. Her. They make me stronger for her. Better able to protect and shield and care for her. They make me aware of her presence in every way, from any distance or direction.
And they make me impossible hard. I have never felt a need like this before. Not for food, when they starved us during our training. Not even for air when we conditioned our lungs for long spans of time under water. No matter how I fight it, I can’t stop the images of claiming her, marking her, fucking her for hours. Days.
I tried to share this relentless feeling with her. But she didn’t like my drawing. If she demands that we remain “friends,” then I may never experience a restful moment again. But for my strange little alien mate, I will suffer anything.
I’m just so lucky that I’ve found her. So lucky to be alive at all.
I try to communicate with my crew while she sleeps. Once I rinse the mud out of the CommPad on my arm and let it dry, I’m able to turn it on. But we’ve only just arrived on this planet, and our equipment is both limited and damaged. We haven’t been able to set up a network. I’m too far away from our ship to connect to anyone.
I was able to learn a few more words in her language, though. She’s an impressively resourceful little sapient creature. It hadn’t even occurred to my team yet to map the movement of this planet around its suns and within its moons. She started her tracking after her first sunrise here.
“Sun time,” I tell her in her language, and I point back to the mushroom cavern. Dim golden light fills the space now.
“Sun time!” She grins, and she bounces on her toes. “Yes! Good!”
Affirmations. “Good.” Her language won’t be the most difficult I’ve learned. I bring back the image that I drew of our cave and point at the empty cavern, the one we haven’t explored yet. “Good.” The storm hasn’t abated at all. And I won’t be able to relax until I know that we’re alone in here. I must be sure there are no predators hiding and waiting for me to close my eyes. This female is too defenseless.
“Okay!” That’s a word I learned earlier - a versatile affirmation. All’s well. We’re ready to go.
I take her hand and lead her through. We don’t need the flashlight in the mushroom cavern now. Though, it isn’t lit well enough to see through to the opposite side.
The next cavern allows a little more light through. Enough to see that something - some sapients - has lived here before.
Maysee drifts in ahead of me, her eyes wide with awe. I snag her wrist so she doesn’t get too far. She says something, a string of words I haven’t learned yet, her voice full of wonder. I’m amazed myself.
The room is full of what looks like huge bunk beds - six long rows of them, each set reaching four or five bunks high. The outer structures are built from a dark wood, with steps cut into the thickest legs. The platforms themselves are flat, rectangular stones. Strange materials for a bed, if that is what these are.
Some reflective materials have been placed in strategic spots around the ceiling. It reflects the sunlight down each pathway between the stones. It’s why we’re able to see in here.
There was another civilization here before us. Judging by the staleness of the air, the undisturbed dust and dirt on the ground, no one has entered in a very long time.
Maysee says something. Then she laughs. She must have told herself a little joke. I wish I could understand it. Her laughter is musical, a joyful sound that lights up the entire space.
I intertwine our fingers. Any touch from her inflames me, but I can’t keep to myself. I want nothing more than to get closer to her. Especially when she laughs like that. “We should be careful,” I say, furrowing my brow. I don’t have any of her words for this. She’ll just have to stick with me while I sweep the room. No wandering off until I’ve examined every corner and nook.
I circle the entire space, holding her behind me all the while. It’s surprising that this room is so undisturbed. Surely some creatures would be interested in getting to the mushrooms? Unless they’re inedible. Poisonous. I wish she hadn’t stuffed one in her pocket.
There’s another tunnel on the opposite wall. This one is long and dark and grows darker as I lead us further inside. I’m about to turn us around when we reach the end. There’s a heavy wooden door built into the stone. I push against the wood. Not too hard, just to test it. Some dust floats loose, but it doesn’t budge at all.
Well. Maybe we ought to save any further exploration for another day. Maybe when we can fashion some safety gear, bring some more friends. This door hasn’t been opened in a very long time. What danger could it pose?
“Okay,” I say, releasing her hand. I point her back toward the alien stones.
“Okay!” She grins at me over her shoulder before skipping off to explore.
My heart swells again at her joy. Not just my mating nodes. I think I might actually like this strange creature. I truly am looking forward to learning more of her language and being able to communicate. She sticks her head between a set of bunks and squints at the stones. I sit with her tablet and my CommPad, and I add this system of caves to the planetary map that she started. That we started together.
This planet. I place my hand on the ground. Perhaps I am addled in the head after our shipwreck. But I and my crew believe that we were brought here. Luck so large doesn’t exist, not in our wide, indifferent universe.
Our ship was hurtling towards the larger of the two suns. We’re supposed to be dead. Incinerated. All evidence of our existence deleted. But some pull, some interference, brought us here instead. A solar storm? A swelling of gravity? It’s all impossible.
