Page 12 of All I Want For Christmas Is An Alien
“The disguise only had to last me long enough to get down here and find you. But I’ve never been good at keeping my horns flat against my head for long.”
I’m overjoyed to see any of my brethren, but slightly surprised it’s Jaizon. “You’re not who I expected to see.”
“You mean instead of your crew?”
“You are the most wanted male in all the Coalition territory, Jaizon,” I say as I relieve the dead grud of their weapons and Jaizon strips off the grud bodysuit with it’s too-real looking scales.
“I’m the only warrior who knows the territory well enough to reach you.”
Fair enough. “Your ship?”
“Hidden five miles past the grud airfield. Which is presently in disarray.”
“Camouflage and charges. You should consider joining our crew.”
“You don’t want two Kaitels aboard one ship. Torin and I would rip one another apart.”
“Ah, but that would make missions rather interesting.”
“I’m content where I am on Affinia. Never far from my sholani and youngling for more than a few hours.”
His words slice through the heaviness in my heart at having disappointed Jade yet again. “I promised my sholani I would return by Christmas. I failed.”
Jaizon slaps me on my back and simultaneously points me to another tunnel, nearly impossible to see in the low light. He knows precisely where he’s going.
“A few facts you must be aware of, eeshone.”
My horns rise at being called eeshone. Not many call me that without regretting it, but Jaizon risked everything to come here. And he has a reputation for being abit reckless.
“The camo suit was not my idea or construction. You can thank Ruby and McKenna for that. Similarly, the charges I used above were designed by your engineer then Makov transferred them to my ship. He met on an intercept course before I crossed into Coalition space. ”
“Makov? He’s had no military involvement since he retired.”
“He volunteered. Something about you having a tree in your house and he’d rather risk a bomb blowing up in his face than hunt a vekking rodent like he did on Ground Hog’s Day. I don’t know what he was talking about, or what a ground hog is, but he clearly stated that dealing with rodents in your tree isyourjob. Personally, I think my cousin lost more than a horn when the Grud attacked his ship.”
I don’t know Jaizon well, as I’ve only met him once during the rescue of Melikk’s mate, whom Jaizon had taken hostage. “Who sent you? Torin or the ZDC?”
“The ZDC denied Torin’s request to rescue you. He,The Relentless, and its crew are under orders to remain on Zyan.” He motions me onto a stone platform with him. A lift, given the vertical shaft above. “Not that their refusal would have stopped him, but we decided my plan had a higher chance of mission success.”
I’m warmed by what I’m hearing. Makov had sworn off everything involving the ZDC. Torin worked around them to recruit Jaizon and coordinate the op. As for the rest, Ruby, McKenna and the other females, their involvement does not surprise me. Our mates from Earth are as resilient and smart as any Zyanthan warrior, and they support one another and their sholans.
“Torin is quite adept at subverting ZDC orders,” I say with pride in my commander.
“The war took much from my family. Torin will not listen to orders over what is right.” Jaizon sets into a crouch, so I follow suit. We’re nearing the top of the shaft. “And my Anya always says family doesn’t give up on family. Torin considers you family.Frankly, I think that’s her way of keeping me from killing her best friend’s husband.”
“A dangerous male?”
“Just an irritating one. He agreed to guard my female and youngling until Skaggs reached Affinia. Timing was tight. I had to launch as soon as Torin contacted me, but I would not leave them unprotected.”
“Skaggs, too?” Torin called in warriors from all areas.
“He did what was necessary. We all do. Including our females.”
Jaizon feels it too. The camaraderie that exists not only among our fellow warriors, but our females. Even though he lives on Affinia and must conceal his true identity from our people including the ZDC, he had no qualm against aiding Torin. Nor did Makov. And Skaggs diverted from his work at the Galactic Alliance to cover for Jaizon.
So many people, more than my crew, came together… for me.
“Prepare yourself,” Jaizon says. “The grud are disorganized above, but they still out number us ten to one. Head to the tree line by their communications tower, then due west. Don’t get caught. My sholani expects me home in time for Christmas and I still have to find a gift. I have no idea what to give her.” He shakes his head. “Some of these human traditions confused me.
