Page 15 of Saving the Alien Chieftain

“Gods, that was insanity,” Rylar says, short of breath and glancing back at the group of youths. “My apologies, Chieftain, I will resign immediately. Clearly, I’m not fit to train anybody,” he offers, bowing towards me.

I hold Rylar’s gaze with determination. “You’ll do no such thing!” I command, my voice firm. “This is the Scythians doing and those who close their eyes to the truth” I bend down to inspect my ankle, relieved to find the damage is minor and the bleeding has already stopped. “Like I said before, Rylar, continue training them. But don’t give them an opportunity for their Rush to rise. With every new batch, they appear even less in control.”Another grim thought. I never imagined a simple spar would set their murderous rage off. Time is running out.

Rylar nods his head in thought.

“There’s one other thing I would ask of you, old friend,” I say, locking eyes with Rylar. “I’ve bought an alien female to Klendathor, a human called Rocks.” Unsure how he’ll react, I pause for a moment. “It is my intention to complete the Mortakin-Tok with her.”

Rylar’s face contorts with shock and disbelief. “But, Chieftain, it can’t be done. The Gods will never bless a bond between a Klendathians and another species. The old ones say it was extremely rare even amongst our own kind!” he exclaims.

“I believe it can be done, Rylar, I feel it in my soul,” I assert, tapping my chest.

Rylar shakes his head in disbelief. “I mean no disrespect, but I’ve heard others swear the same, only to travel to the grand temple of Lanaisor, returning with their loved ones in disappointment.” His tone carries a note of caution.

He is right. I, too, have heard of such attempts. They have always resulted in failure. Even the attempt was viewed as a foolish thing to do.Maybe Astraxius was mistaken…No, I trust the love I feel for Pebbles. There’s some force that is compelling us together… I can’t explain it, only feel it in my core.

I wave my hand dismissively. “Regardless, I only ask that you keep an eye on her. I fear a time may come soon where I won’t be able to protect her.” I clasp Rylar about his shoulder. “Promise me if that happens, you’ll make sure she makes it back to Earth.”

Rylar takes a moment, his expression filled with concern. “I won’t lie, Krogoth. Your words have me more than a bit uneasy,” he admits, his breath escaping in a sigh. “But if this is truly your wish, then I’ll stand watch over her in your absence.”

I pull him into a tight embrace, my gratitude overwhelming. “Thank you, old friend.”

At least that’s one problem taken care of.

Chapter 7

Roxanne

Gods

“Owner number two, doyou require assistance?” The robotic voice of AHI echoes through the dining room. The sudden intrusion snaps me from the tumultuous thoughts racing through my mind.

“My name is Roxy! Not number two,” I shout, annoyed at being disturbed by the suspect house AI. I pause, a trembling hand rising to wipe the tears from my eyes. “And I’ve felt better.”

“Roxy is leaking… Deploying countermeasures,” AHI states in its robotic voice.

I feel my adrenaline rising as I stand from my chair, wondering if I’ll have to escape out the front door from the fiendish drones again. Frantically, I cast my eyes around theroom, awaiting the assault. Moments pass before a singular drone with a white cloth gently hovers towards me.

I shut my eyes tight as it approaches, deciding to trust that AHI will not do something horrible this time. The cloth makes contact. Its touch is surprisingly gentle against my skin. The warm sensation soothes me.

“Roxy leak repaired,” AHI declares as the drone hovers out of the dining room.

Opening my eyes, I inspect myself just to make sure the maybe-not-evil drone hasn’t done something nasty to me. I pat myself down. Everything feels fine.Maybe I can trust this AHI after all. “AHI, do you know where I can get some new clothes?” I ask, feeling a bit weird, like I’m talking to myself.

“Roxy. Affirmative, proceed to the main bedroom,” AHI replies. I stride towards the main bedroom, the enormity of the hallway never ceasing to amaze me. Entering Krogoth’s room, I’m greeted by a person-sized holographic display hovering in the center. “Roxy, please make a selection,” AHI prompts, its voice emanating from the walls.

I hurry over to the projection in excitement. The display has a lifelike model of me. Wearing a leather outfit.Bah, looks awful. Interacting with it, I’m able to swap the outfits entirely or mix and match items onto the holographic Roxy mannequin.Very impressive and more than a little unsettling.

My breath catches as I come across the familiar black one-shoulder dress I had seen at the market with Krogoth yesterday.It looks good on me; I mean the fake me.I chuckle. “AHI, I want this one.”

“Roxy. Affirmative. Deducting one hundred credits from owner number one funds. Please hold,” AHI states. My heart rate rises.Crap! it’s deducting from Krogoth’s account… I’ll figure out how to pay from my account later… when I know thetotal.I feel a little pang of guilt, then remembering the horrific outfit I had to wear on the ship, my guilt fades a little.

Moments later, a drawer at the base of the giant wooden wardrobe opens up, revealing the outfit I selected.Jeez, that is fast. I hurry over, marveling at the silky black fabric in my hands.

The robotic voice of AHI chimes in, “Roxy. Item delivered; do you require assistance with fitting?” AHI asks,

I react instinctively, my voice rising sharply. “No!” I shout, worried the drones will have me bending over backwards and upside down, putting me into this thing.

I quickly slip on the dress myself, admiring the feel of the quality fabric on my skin. I inspect my reflection in the large mirror opposite the wardrobe. Looks exactly like the holographic projection. The drones must have recorded my physical dimensions perfectly when it completed the biometric scan earlier. Everything fits flawlessly.

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