from the wall. She looked a little more closely. They weren’t men. Well they were of the masculine gender, but they weren’t human.
“I am a prisoner from Gaia. Who are you?”
“Warriors of the Nine. Can you release us?”
She blinked and walked forward. The other three men were looking at her, but the one who was speaking stared into her very soul.
His skin was a dusky brown, his eyes catlike and tawny and his hair deep brown and tangled. He was huge and his ears were decidedly pointed.
“I can. Why should I?”
“Because we belong to the ships that are attacking this Tokkel vessel. If we get back to our people, this attack will end.”
“May I touch you?”
He looked at her and while exhaustion rode his features, curiosity was there as well. “Yes.”
She ran her hand along his chest and rummaged through his knowledge. Her talent only allowed her to access conscious thoughts of a technical bent. She could pick up languages easily, but wading through this man’s knowledge base was harder than most. The language that he thought in was musical and very old.
He didn’t have any connection to the Tokkel aside from being their prisoner. The men with him were under his command and they had been taken from their ship with only the battle with the Gaians keeping them from being executed or tortured for information.
Ziggy nodded and pulled her hand back. There was a tingle in her skin from where she had touched him. A pleasurable burn pulsed up her arm. “Fine. I will let you guys go. There is a set of escape pods down the hall on the left.”
He stared at her in shock. “You speak the language of the Nine?”
She blinked. It suddenly occurred to her that he had been speaking in Tokkel until now. “I suppose I do, now.”
Ziggy pressed the releases and all four men collapsed to the floor in heaps.
“Do you know why they attacked Gaia?”
Her conversational partner helped his men stand. “Is that what you call it? We called it Underhill.”
She froze. “What do you mean?”
“We left that world eons ago. It changes those upon it.” He stood and his men nodded silently to him. “We are ready to leave.”
She smiled. “I hate a mystery, but you all look like you need to be somewhere else.”
He inclined his head formally. “I look forward to finding you again when this is all over. You seem to be a woman with mysteries of her own.”
She chortled. “You have no idea.”
They didn’t need to be told to be silent. She led them to the pods and the male she had been speaking to calmly keyed in the destination coordinates.
She helped one of his men into the pod.
He paused. “There are only four pods.”
“I know. I have a plan.” She kept her features calm. Her plan involved taking the entire ship into the Northern Ocean.
“I will not allow you to risk your life to save ours.”
Ziggy sighed and leaned up to kiss him. As her lips met his she heard a low rumble and hands on her waist. Using the direct contact to his mind via the kiss, she made him sleep. He staggered and she used all her strength to put him in the pod. With a sad smile she punched the release and launched the four to safety.
Moving as quickly as she could, she hid in a storage alcove as three troopers came stampeding to the pod station.
Ziggy sat quietly and waited for her chance. Her moment would come and she would do what she could.
Her planet was at stake after all.
Chapter Two
Five years later…
Ziggy stood in her mother’s flower shop and watched the news footage that they had been replaying for the last week.
“As you can see here, the first Tokkel ship destroyed by the Nine has been recovered. With the joint efforts of the Nine and Gaian ships, the first warship that was brought down has now been lifted from the depths of the Northern Ocean.
“The recovery efforts will bring the ship to the surface just in time for the five year anniversary of the triumph over the Tokkel. Survivors
“I am a prisoner from Gaia. Who are you?”
“Warriors of the Nine. Can you release us?”
She blinked and walked forward. The other three men were looking at her, but the one who was speaking stared into her very soul.
His skin was a dusky brown, his eyes catlike and tawny and his hair deep brown and tangled. He was huge and his ears were decidedly pointed.
“I can. Why should I?”
“Because we belong to the ships that are attacking this Tokkel vessel. If we get back to our people, this attack will end.”
“May I touch you?”
He looked at her and while exhaustion rode his features, curiosity was there as well. “Yes.”
She ran her hand along his chest and rummaged through his knowledge. Her talent only allowed her to access conscious thoughts of a technical bent. She could pick up languages easily, but wading through this man’s knowledge base was harder than most. The language that he thought in was musical and very old.
He didn’t have any connection to the Tokkel aside from being their prisoner. The men with him were under his command and they had been taken from their ship with only the battle with the Gaians keeping them from being executed or tortured for information.
Ziggy nodded and pulled her hand back. There was a tingle in her skin from where she had touched him. A pleasurable burn pulsed up her arm. “Fine. I will let you guys go. There is a set of escape pods down the hall on the left.”
He stared at her in shock. “You speak the language of the Nine?”
She blinked. It suddenly occurred to her that he had been speaking in Tokkel until now. “I suppose I do, now.”
Ziggy pressed the releases and all four men collapsed to the floor in heaps.
“Do you know why they attacked Gaia?”
Her conversational partner helped his men stand. “Is that what you call it? We called it Underhill.”
She froze. “What do you mean?”
“We left that world eons ago. It changes those upon it.” He stood and his men nodded silently to him. “We are ready to leave.”
She smiled. “I hate a mystery, but you all look like you need to be somewhere else.”
He inclined his head formally. “I look forward to finding you again when this is all over. You seem to be a woman with mysteries of her own.”
She chortled. “You have no idea.”
They didn’t need to be told to be silent. She led them to the pods and the male she had been speaking to calmly keyed in the destination coordinates.
She helped one of his men into the pod.
He paused. “There are only four pods.”
“I know. I have a plan.” She kept her features calm. Her plan involved taking the entire ship into the Northern Ocean.
“I will not allow you to risk your life to save ours.”
Ziggy sighed and leaned up to kiss him. As her lips met his she heard a low rumble and hands on her waist. Using the direct contact to his mind via the kiss, she made him sleep. He staggered and she used all her strength to put him in the pod. With a sad smile she punched the release and launched the four to safety.
Moving as quickly as she could, she hid in a storage alcove as three troopers came stampeding to the pod station.
Ziggy sat quietly and waited for her chance. Her moment would come and she would do what she could.
Her planet was at stake after all.
Chapter Two
Five years later…
Ziggy stood in her mother’s flower shop and watched the news footage that they had been replaying for the last week.
“As you can see here, the first Tokkel ship destroyed by the Nine has been recovered. With the joint efforts of the Nine and Gaian ships, the first warship that was brought down has now been lifted from the depths of the Northern Ocean.
“The recovery efforts will bring the ship to the surface just in time for the five year anniversary of the triumph over the Tokkel. Survivors
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