Page 32 of Abalim

If Lisa didn’t know any better, she’d swear the towering alien had a smirk on his angular face.

“But do not be overly concerned,” the Xeltrian continued. “We are assured the fate of the galaxy will be victorious in your capable hands.”

Chapter Seven

Abalimcrossedhisarmswith a frown. This crazy situation reminded him of a strange saying his brother Arakiba picked up since they transported into the future. He liked to call situations like this a “shit show”. For the first time, that saying made sense. Even though his brother tended to exaggerate, this was a perfect description of what had happened.

On one hand, he was finally with Lisa, the captivating human woman he was fast becoming obsessed with. It was hard to fight the urge to whisk her away from all this bullshit and spend some alone time with her. Just the two of them, safe and alone, where he could take his time getting to know her on a more intimate basis.

On the other hand, there was the whole fate-of-the-galaxy thing resting on how he and Lisa reacted to an alien society sacrificing one of their own. Added to this ridiculous scene were the Xeltrians. They didn’t seem to care if a primitive society murdered one of their own, or let an entire village die instead. For all their so-called powers, they were like little children eager to play with new toys rather than solve any life-and-death situation for another species. The arrogant jerks only cared about watching to see if two separate beings could work together in a no-win situation with the threat of death hanging over their heads.

And he wasn’t naïve enough to think if he and Lisa didn’t cooperate, they wouldn’t be snuffed out in an instant. It galled him he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

He clenched his hands into fists under his arms. Not that he forgot about the Krystalii threat. If he and Lisa didn’t choose the outcome the Xeltrians wanted, there was a good chance they wouldn’t stop the aliens from another dimension from committing mass genocide throughout the galaxy.

The biggest question was, how did the Xeltrians want what happened to the villagers on Nexoros to go down? Did they think it was better a society made their own decisions? Or did they want him and Lisa to interfere with the choices those primitive aliens made, even if they didn’t agree with that choice?

Well, he might not have control over all that, but at least he could check on Saphira and her crew. No telling what would happen to them if he and Lisa weren’t successful.

“JR15, are you still connected to theGalactic Serpent’scomputer?” He kept his voice low.

“Yes, Mister Abalim, sir. I have verified the captain and her crew are still in stasis but unharmed.” The little bot’s voice retained its normal slight quiver.

“Can you connect with the ship’s computer to monitor them?”

“That is done, Mister Abalim, sir.”

“Good. Let me know if their condition changes.” Abalim glanced around the room. “So far, I don’t think anybody has noticed you yet. Be sure to keep yourself hidden for now.”

The little bot jumped with a squeak before scrambling deeper on the nape of Abalim’s neck.

The feel of JR15’s pointy little feet scrambling made goosebumps rise. He turned his attention to the Xeltrian. “How we going to go in and not cause terror among the Lumarians because of how we look? I doubt we’ll blend in.”

The gangly Xeltrian cocked its bald head. “You agree to full participation?”

“Like we have a choice! Someone has to save…”

“Yes, we both agree. But you have yet to answer my question about us blending into the Lumarian village.”

Rerqel held out his hand, and a shimmering garment appeared in his palm. “You will wear the same clothing your female has on. To the primitive mind such as the Lumarians, they will only see what we programed into the clothes.”

He tossed the garment at Abalim, who had no trouble catching it in midair. He unfolded the material and noticed the one-piece suit didn’t have any openings except holes for his head and hands. What the Xeltrian couldn’t know was the Akurns who’d created and enslaved him forced him to wear a similar garment. The clothes gave him optimal freedom of movement when they ran their various physical and psychological tests on him.

Glancing at Lisa, he made a quick decision. Instead of using his telekinesis to exchange his clothes with what the Xeltirans gave him, he’d do it the old-fashioned way. Without a word, he took his time removing his clothing until they lay in a pile at his feet. He allowed himself a slight smile when Lisa gasped.

Proud of his nudity, he put his shoulders back and watched her reaction for a moment before glancing away. No reason to make his semi-erect penis any harder if he had to. Keeping his eye on the alien, he reached for the clothes and slipped into the one-piece suit one foot at a time. After his arms went through the sleeves, he pulled the garment over his shoulders with a shrug. The garment sealed itself shut across his torso.

The breathable material molded itself to his physique. Not that he gave a shit how comfortable the damn thing was. He preferred wearing clothes he chose instead of wearing what someone else forced on him.

“Now what?” Resisting the urge to place his arm around Lisa again, he settled for standing close to her as a sign of solidarity.

Rerqel glided closer to them.

“The Lumarians will now see you as one of them. The story you are to give them is you’ve traveled from the southernmost settlement to witness the Ritual of Renewal. You joining their community is rare, but an accepted occurrence.”

The willowy form of the Xeltrian glided to the display of the village and opened his palm. “You will enter now. Immerse yourself in the doings of the people there, so you may form an opinion on what should be your course of action. Do you interfere with the workings of a sentient civilization and push your own agenda? Or do you remain as observers and let the Lumarians continue with their traditions? Even at the cost of someone's life?”

The Xeltrian was close enough Abalim didn’t have any trouble feeling the alien's contradictory sense of icy warmth that brought with it a scent of an electrical storm.

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