Page 11 of Captured By The Alien (Starbound #2)

They seemed to walk for miles.

Every so often they passed a bank of large windows and Kara gazed out, eager to catch a glimpse of the planet. But the view was impeded by the rainbow-colored wall she’d seen when she first arrived.

The palace was built like a fort, she realized. It was secure on all sides though whether that had always been the case or whether it had been upgraded because of the war, she didn’t know. She’d have to ask Vahn.

The soldiers stopped so suddenly she nearly walked into the back of them. The most senior gesticulated at a door.

“Through here?” Kara asked.

The soldier nodded and stepped back, leaving her a clear path.

Interesting. They weren’t coming in with her.

She threw a jaunty salute, trying to quell her sudden nerves.

“Thanks boys. Be seeing ya.”

Then she opened the door and went through.

She found herself alone in an enormous room. The first thing she registered was the smell of food. A long table groaned with plates and steaming tureens. Delicious aromas permeated Kara’s nostrils and her mouth watered.

She wondered if she could just help herself. No-one else seemed to be around, though the room was stuffed with sofas, mirrors, shelves and other furniture. Banners of silk festooned the walls and thick rugs covered the floor. It was all very luxurious in an understated way.

Except for the mess. Every surface was strewn with clothes and other paraphernalia. Open bottles of perfume were dotted everywhere. One table had an upended bag of what looked like make-up scattered all over it. Door handles and picture frames were draped with scarves.

What the actual fuck? Kara took a step back, disorientated. It looked like an explosion at a sorority house. And where was everyone?

As if by magic, another door opened and twelve Vraxian women poured in, chattering excitedly. The moment they saw Kara, they stopped.

Silence descended.

They’re bloody giants.

That was Kara’s first impression. Until now, the only Vraxian female she’d seen was General Solarun. But while she was certainly tall, her form was lithe and slender. Some of these women were built like the ancient Greek Amazons.

“Um, hi?” she tried after a few moments. “I’m Kara. You must be the other Potentials.”

One of the Vraxians approached her. Her eyes were a very pale yellow and she wore a supercilious smirk.

“It’s the human. I can’t believe the rumors are true. Look how ugly it is.”

Kara took a breath.

“Like I said, my name’s Kara. And you are?”

The Vraxian didn’t answer. She turned to the others.

“I think it’s a disgrace. It demeans the rest of us, having a human as a Potential. It demeans the Empire.”

One or two of the others nodded.

“It’s disgusting. It should be in a cage."

“What in the name of Zandarr is it wearing? Are those prison clothes?”

“And look at its head. It’s deformed.”

A voice cut through the comments.

“Scared of the competition, Layahn?”

Kara craned to see who the voice belonged to. A slender female pushed through the crowd, long hair dyed bright pink and tied in a ponytail.

Alien Barbie, Kara thought immediately and tried not to smile. Layahn, on the other hand, bristled like a scalded cat.

“You think you’re such a drek’aa liberal,” she retorted. “But it’s offensive to consider this creature as a mate for the Zhaal. It’s bestiality.”

“She’s not an animal,” Alien-Barbie protested. “She’s just a different species.”

“I heard it might be part of an intergalactic breeding plan,” piped up another. “My cousin heard from her brother who heard from her friend who serves with General Solarun that they have too many people on Earth so they’re sending some here in exchange for resources.”

Everyone rolled their eyes.

“Don’t you ever get your information first-hand Inyria?” someone asked.

Layahn shot Kara a poisonous look.

“Well I have first-hand information. My uncle says the Zhaal’s gone soft on humans and that’s why it’s here.”

Uncle. The penny dropped.

“You’re Baelon’s niece?” asked Kara. Layahn’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes. And I’m the one who’s going to make sure you fail at the first hurdle. With extreme pain and humiliation.”

She stalked to the food table, followed by several of the others.

Alien-Barbie grinned at Kara.

“I’m Vysh. Welcome to the mad house. Sorry about Layahn, she thinks she’s in charge because she’s a Vantrax.”

“That’s okay. Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“Sorry, sticking what up?”

“It’s a human phrase. It means thanks for defending me.”

“Us Potentials have to stick together. Until we meet in the field, obviously. Then it’s every Vraxian for herself.” Vysh paused. “I guess I’ll have to say every ‘being’ for herself now.”

Kara laughed.

“So there are rumors already about why I’m here?”

“Everyone’s talking about it. How the Zhaal was marooned on some awful planet with a human. Is it true he wants peace?”

“We both do. I hadn’t reckoned on taking part in shaa’baara though. It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Kara looked towards Layahn and the others. “Now I’m not so sure.”

“I hope you make it.”

Vysh sounded sincere, which surprised her. Wouldn’t every female Vraxian give their eye-teeth to become the next Zhaalini? Before she could ask, Vysh took her hand.

“Let’s get some food before it’s all gone. I’m starving.”

She led the way to the table and they piled their plates. Nothing resembled anything Kara had ever eaten before but it seemed to be largely plant-based. She tentatively took a bite, then a larger one.

“This is delicious.”

“All from the agricultural sector on Vraxos. My sister is a crop engineer over there, she said they had a good harvest this year.”

Kara remembered Vahn telling her the planet had an urban hemisphere where the bulk of the population lived, and a rural hemisphere where the climate was better suited to growing.

He’d also told here that was where the war with the humans had started, after a delegation from Earth had landed on the agricultural side and mistakenly believed Vraxos was a backward farming planet.

She hadn’t believed it at the time. But if Vysh had a sister who worked there, perhaps she would know more? She resolved to ask when she had the chance. For now she contented herself with studying the Potentials as they ate.

Female Vraxians didn’t have serpetri like the males. They didn’t possess arak poison and their cranial crests were more delicate, making them appear less ferocious. But they were still substantially stronger than humans.

They would be hard to beat if the contest was based on sheer physicality.

She noticed a few of them were staring and tried to look friendly.

“Have they never seen a human before?” she muttered to Vysh.

“No. None of us have. Not in the flesh.”

“I’ve seen pictures of them,” volunteered another Potential. “You all look the same. How do you tell each other apart?”

“Er…”

“Why is your face so smooth?”

“How do you see anything with those weird eyes?”

“Is it true humans don’t have scales anywhere?”

There was a sudden deluge of questions and Kara tried to answer them all. She was very aware of Layahn glaring angrily.

“I have a question,” the Vraxian finally asked in a loud voice. “What happened with you and Zhaal Talvahnax on that planet?”

There was a sudden hush. They all looked at Kara and she chose her words carefully.

“We became friends.”

Layahn scowled.

“He should have killed you.”

“He tried to. And I tried to kill him too. But then we realized we needed each other to survive so we put our differences aside.” She looked round at the other Potentials. “Humans and Vraxians can get along. We proved that. And I hope by taking part in shaa’baara here with you, we can prove it to everyone.”

Layahn snorted.

“The only thing you’ll prove is how pathetic humans are.”

Kara’s temper began to unravel.

“Yeah? Shall we put that to the test?”

“You’re challenging me?”

“I’m going to smack that stupid smile clean off your face,” Kara growled. She heard horrified gasps around her but couldn’t stop. “Let’s go. You and me, right now.”

Layahn smirked triumphantly.

“Did everyone hear? You are all witnesses.”

“Stop it, Layahn. She doesn’t know the rules.” Vysh hustled Kara away. “In the name of Ayanlesh, calm down. It’s forbidden to engage in hostilities when away from the field. To do so is instant disqualification.”

Shit.

“She was needling me deliberately?”

“She tried it with all of us too.”

“But none of you fell for it. I’m an idiot.”

“You need to learn the rules fast, Kara.” Vysh looked at her seriously. “Layahn is the most dangerous one here and she will cheat to win, if that’s what it takes.”

Kara cocked her head to one side.

“Why are you helping me, Pink?”

Vysh’s scales turned a fetching shade of pale green.

“I have my reasons.”

Kara would have pushed it but at that moment the door opened. A Vraxian male stepped in, unlike any Kara had seen thus far.

He was very tall, nudging eight foot which was big even for his species. His hair was iron-grey, shaved at the sides and styled into something resembling a Mohican. Gold chains adorned his neck while thick metal rings banded each finger and both his serpetri.

If Vraxos had nightclubs, he would be the chief bouncer. But when he opened his mouth, he spoke like a poet.

“Hello, my beautiful belles of battle and bravery. Are you ready to be even more stunning than you are now, my dears?”

There was a cry of delight and everyone converged on the newcomer, Vysh included.

Kara stared.

“What the hell’s happening now?”

Vysh threw a joyous look over her shoulder.

“Best thing ever. New clothes.”