Page 22 of My Alien Pirate

"I hope you like food from the ocean," he said, his deep voice making my heart skip a beat. "We found some information about something called 'fish' in some of your computer information we could download."

I nodded, my cheeks warming again. "Thank you. I love fish. That's very thoughtful of you."

He inclined his head in acknowledgment, his scales flashing a deep magenta. "You're welcome, little zixxit."

I busied myself with the food, not knowing what else to say. The dish was incredible, a creamy seafood stew that warmed my soul. I wondered how they had created the taste to be so close when they didn't even know what a fish was. As I ate, I noticed Zharrox watching me intently, his expression unreadable. I felt self-conscious under his gaze and focused on my meal, pushing aside the fluttery feeling in my stomach.

Grixxa returned, a full plate in her hands, and sat across from me. "Mmm, that smells wonderful," she said, her eyes on my food. "Zhar, you didn't have to order for her. She can use the synthesizer too, you know."

"I know," he rumbled, his eyes still fixed on me. "But I wanted to. Consider it... a welcome gift."

I looked down at my food, unable to meet his stare any longer. What did he mean by that? Was it a cultural thing, an alien custom I didn't understand? Or was there something more behind his actions?

Fortunately, Grixxa changed the subject, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "So, Nova, tell us more about Earth. What's it like? The few pictures we saw from the data we obtained looked beautiful, with vast oceans and lush forests."

And so I spoke, happy to divert the attention away from myself. I described the vast landscapes of my home world, themajestic mountains and sprawling cities. I told them about the diverse cultures and cuisines, the art and music that filled our lives. As I spoke, I realized how much I missed it all—the simple act of walking outside and seeing the sky, feeling the sun on my face.

"It sounds like a remarkable place," Grixxa said, her voice sincere. "So diverse and vibrant."

"It is," I agreed, my chest tightening at the memory. "It's everything I've ever known. And now..." My voice caught in my throat as the reality of my situation hit me anew. "Now I'm so far away, and I don't even know if I'll ever see it again."

16

Emotions

The alien captain's multifaceted, multicolored eyes sparkled like a handful of jewels as he led me through the winding corridors of the Nebula Stryker the next day having shown up soon after I'd woken to take me on his own tour of the ship. Each undulation of his powerful, partially scaled body sent a shiver down my spine that I couldn't quite explain.

As we made our way through more corridors, I found myself gravitating closer to Zharrox, drawn to his warmth and the oddly comforting scent of his scales—like impending thunderstorms on the beach. Despite his intimidating appearance and the whole 'alien pirate captain' thing, there was something undeniably alluring about him.

I wondered at my body's reaction to this wholly alien being. Everything about him was completely foreign but still my skinheated and I had a thrumming deep in my core as we spent more time together. I'd never have believed it to be possible reading all those monster romances that my best friend adored, but this alien was turning me on.

The universal translator tucked behind my ear was working overtime, converting his clicks, chirps, and rumbles into words I could understand. But even with the technology bridging our communication gap, the scientist in me still found his expressive bioluminescent ridges and the way his scales shifted colors with his mood more interesting than anything he was saying.

"So, Nova," Zharrox said, his voice a low growl that seemed to reverberate through my chest, "tell me about this 'biology' work of yours."

I swallowed hard, trying to focus on the question and not on the way his skin pulsed with light and shadow. "I study living organisms," I explained, my scientist brain kicking in despite the surreal circumstances. "Their structure, function, evolution. I was supposed to be cataloging the flora and fauna of our new colony world."

Zharrox's head tilted, his scales shifting to a deep, inquisitive blue. "And this colony world - where is it exactly? We've never encountered your species before."

I hesitated, a knot forming in my stomach. How could I explain something I barely understood myself? "We're calling it New Earth," I said slowly. "About 40 light-years from Earth - that's my home planet. We were on a mission to establish humanity's first extrasolar colony, but now..." I trailed off, gesturing helplessly at the alien surroundings.

The light show of Zharrox's ridges slowed, and he stepped closer. A surprising heat radiated from his massive form enveloped me like a cocoon. "You're very far from home, aren't you, little zixxit?"

'Zixxit' didn't translate to English but the tone of the word made me believe it was a sort of endearment. The tenderness in his voice caught me off guard. I nodded, blinking back unexpected tears that suddenly formed in my eyes. "Yes. In fact, I think I might be in a different galaxy altogether. You've never heard of the Milky Way, have you?"

His head cocked and his brow furrowed, scales rippling in confusion at the name. "I'm afraid not. The stars here are... different from what you know?"

"Completely," I whispered, the reality of my situation hitting me anew. I cleared my throat and willed myself not to dissolve into tears. "How is this even possible? How did I get here?"

Zharrox's tentacles emerged from their hidden pouches, hovering near me as if he wanted to offer comfort but wasn't sure how. When they disappeared back into his sides, to my surprise, the thought of the appendages wrapping around me no longer scared me. In fact, I found myself disappointed they hadn't wrapped around me.

"Space is vast and full of mysteries," he rumbled softly. "Sometimes, the universe places us exactly where we need to be."

"And exactly why do I need to be here?" The question came out more harshly than I meant it to, and I could feel my skin redden in embarrassment. It wasn't his fault I was lost in space.

Zharrox cocked his head at me again and reached out a large finger to touch my flaming cheek. "Your species also changes color?"

I bit my lip as his rough skin traced down my jaw. "Uh, not really. But, we uh, blush when we're embarrassed. Sometimes when we're angry. Not all humans do it. It's mostly a question of skin tone. I'm very light skinned so the blood coming to the capillaries shows more on me than on someone with…" Myrambling stuttered to a stop as I looked up into his face. His full lips were quirked up in what I could only imagine was a smile.

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