After another few hours of rest, Azdrei’in awoke during what he guessed was probably late morning, if the day cycles on the Earth were anything like the ones that his people had simulated on their ship. He sat up, a little groggy, and exposed his sharp fanged teeth in a yawn. Taking in the room, he marveled again at how strange his experience on this new planet was already turning out to be. When he’d been assigned to join the Yihai, he had expected to spend his time exploring unfamiliar terrain, exterminating threats and finding prey to hunt, then returning to his personal craft to sleep whenever he needed to rest. Instead, he was practically living with an Earthling while his commanders discussed what to do with her on the mothership.

Orders were orders though, and he wasn’t unhappy with his new task of keeping watch over the human he’d found. She was eager enough to communicate with him and had exhibited no violent tendencies, even when he’d actively hooked his claws around her throat. Coupled with his own interest in what her species was like before they had been all but killed off, he doubted he would get bored of spending most of his time in her company. Now that he’d found a way to better learn her language, he was hopeful that they would cover more ground if they conversed again too. His word bank had improved decently overnight, and he felt like he grasped the structure of the sentences.

Too tired to bother washing off the remnants of his hunt before he’d fallen asleep, he noticed that there was some dried blood stuck to his clothes and hands and jaw, so he first went into the adjoining room—bathroom, as he’d since learned from the little screen—to use the water from the shower to rinse off his face and scrub the dark red stains from his palms. If he’d had another set of clothes to change into, he would have stripped off the dirtied garments too, but unfortunately, this was all he’d taken with him. He would just have to learn to be cleaner the next time he went hunting, so he wouldn’t stain the white top more than he already had.

Satisfied with his reflection in the mirror, he strode out of the bedroom Artemis had lent to him and made his way out to the common area, where he could hear the low sound of voices. For a second, he wondered if there were other humans with her now, but he didn’t sense any other creatures in the room large enough to be Earthlings, so he cast the thought aside. It seemed that she was just watching another video by herself.

As he stepped into the room, Azdrei’in spotted Artemis sitting at the tall counter with a recently finished bowl, her attention fixed on a screen that was playing something that looked like a recording. She had changed clothes, no longer wearing the shirt and pants that she’d had on before she had gone to sleep. He observed her quietly, taking the opportunity to study her exotic features before she’d noticed his presence.

Her coloration was the most interesting detail to him. It felt peculiar to look at a being that so closely resembled his own people but had delicate, pinkish skin, orange-red hair and bright green eyes. Everything about her was more fragile than a Lunvalgan female too. She was like a babe of his own kind, lacking the fangs and claws they developed when they achieved adulthood. The missing built-in weapons made her seem weak, but he knew better than to assume she was incapable of protecting herself. After all, she had hit him over the head when he’d tried to track her down the first time. What she lacked in sharp ends, she made up for with a quick wit. The faint ache in the back of his skull was a reminder of that that he wouldn’t soon forget.

Crossing the rest of the distance between them, he approached her from behind and leaned over the table next to her, folding his arms on the surface as he fixed his gaze on the same screen she was watching. At first, he’d thought she was looking at a recording, but he quickly assessed that it was another fictional story, since the humans and other creatures on the screen were in outer space. His commanders had told him that Earthlings didn’t seem to have achieved the ability to explore the cosmos like his people had, so the video was probably fake.

He turned away from the screen to look at her instead, deciding to test out his communicative abilities now that he’d memorized more of her language. “Good morning, Artemis,” he greeted her first, using the words he’d learned that humans used after they woke up. His speech was still accented, since he couldn’t quite mimic the way her kind spoke, but he was much more articulate than before. “I talked to my leader at night. She is waiting, and I am waiting to be told what to do with you; but it is agreed I should not kill you.”

Artemis was aware that he was leaning over her shoulder, watching what was on the screen over her shoulder. So she decided not to move too much when he was looking over her shoulder. I was only when he spoke that she seemed startled, was he actually making complete sentences? “Good Morning Azdrei’in” he answered as she instantly paused the show that she was watching. Her mind going crazy over the fact that he actually was able to speak well now. She was smiling brightly, not thinking about how her showing of teeth could be seen as a threat, just actually loving the fact that she was able to talk to someone and that she actually had a chance at survival after all.

She looked at his face, it was strange to be looking at an alien and not be afraid, it still made her wonder why she was trying so hard to keep him as a friend. Since she never would have wanted that of a human male, she didn’t really trust most of her kind. She had been through a few things in life and that made her very suspicious of the human race.

“How did you learn to speak that well?” she asked as she couldn’t hide her joy. She wouldn’t have to think too much about it anymore, she would just be able to speak her mind and maybe she could actually have a real conversation. “Your leader is a female? I wonder what they look like.” She said as she was just a curious woman after all. He mainly had showed men and she wondered briefly if he even had someone to love. To humans love was often the reason why they lived, to find a partner and reproduce. Often she was looked at strangely, because she wanted to become a doctor first, to specialize in fertility or even cancer. I just was something she had wished for herself. But now, everything had changed and all that effort had seemed for nothing. Her home planet was destroyed and there was no way to care for other human beings. But now, she would be able to help the new race, maybe just maybe she would be able to see space.

“And I’m glad you don’t have to kill me. So.. does that mean I can see your spaceship? That I can go into space?” she asked as her eyes then fell onto his clothing. It was stained in blood and she frowned, she couldn’t allow him to walk around in dirty clothes. “Wait with that answer.” She said as she then got up and pointed at the dirty clothes. “Come” she said as she moved back to the bedroom of her parents. Opening the closet and looking at the clothes of her parents.

Somehow the look of those clothes made her eyes water, she knew they were gone and she just felt it all coming back as she looked at her father’s clothes. He had been her hero, the man that she wanted to be like most and it did hurt her. Taking one of the shirts that her father always wore. Mostly it was with silly puns, or with names of the metal bands that he loved. But maybe it was better to give him a button up. “These were my dad’s” she said as she was able to push back the tears. She didn’t want to cry, not again.

“They might fit you.” She said as she then realized he was just as tall and broad as her own father. But her father had been a huge man, a huge man with a heart of gold. Would he answer her questions about the spaceship? Would he take her? Those were the questions that she wanted answered most quickly. She trusted him to protect her while she was there and she just couldn’t help but wonder how beautiful it was to be up there.

Observant as always, Azdrei’in studied Artemis’s reaction to what he had just said. The way she lit up and smiled at him was encouraging, signaling that he’d spoken fluently enough for her to understand him. He was unsure if she was happy because of his newfound ability or because he’d told her that his commander had given him permission to let her live though. Perhaps it was both. She had been eager to talk to him since he’d first woken up on her furniture—or rather, sofa, now that he knew that word too—and anyone would be relieved to find out that they’d been spared from immediate death. He was glad that he didn’t have to kill her too. At least, not yet.

When she asked him a question in return, he was pleased to find that he understood her better as well. However, his vocabulary was still limited, and he didn’t know the name of the device he’d used to practice her language, so he couldn’t answer her with a specific word. “That,” he said instead, gesturing at the small screen he’d left on the table next to the sofa. “After my first sleep I was awake, so I looked for English. There were lessons. I learned them.” And now that he’d figured out the basics, he planned to keep studying the language to improve his skill. It would be beneficial for him to know more if the Om’phaers decided that Artemis’s knowledge of fertility treatments would be useful to their people. Someone had to be able to communicate with her if he brought her on board the ship, after all.

At her inquiry about his commander, he nodded. “Yes, one of many. Her name is Zalla, and she is the leader who talked to me when I called at night. But I have more leaders. Some are males.” The leadership among his people was complex, so he couldn’t easily explain it to her with the few words he’d learned so far. That would have to be a discussion for another day if she expressed interest in hearing more about it.

“They are like you,” he told her about the females of his kind. “Not fully the same. They are bigger and have colors like me, but their shapes are like you.” To further clarify his point, he showed her a mental image of a Lunvalgan female with silvery gray skin and long, white hair that had been pulled back in a top-knot on her head. She had clear irises, clawed hands and fangs but lacked the gendered crest that dominated the foreheads of males. Her hips were also wider than an Earthling’s, suited for childbirth that wasn’t as painful as what humans experienced—as far as he could tell from the pained sounds the human female had made in the video Artemis had shown him.

An amused smile curved his lip when she asked if she would be able to see space now that she’d been allowed to live. Her excitement about it was humorous to him. After he’d lived his entire life on a spaceship, the cosmos had lost some of its charm, but he supposed it could be interesting to someone who’d only seen it from a distance. Whether or not he took her on board the mothership would depend on the decision the Om’phaers made though. It wasn’t up to him.

Lacking a straightforward answer to give her, Azdrei’in said nothing as he followed her back to the room she’d lent to him for the night. He watched her open a closet and pull out a shirt from inside, mildly surprised that she was offering him a replacement for the one he’d stained during his hunt. She was incredibly considerate for a creature that was supposed to be a brutal savage. “Thank you,” he said, taking the shirt from her hand. Briefly, he pondered why she seemed to have had an emotional reaction to the clothes, but he decided not to ask about it.

Setting the shirt she had given him on the bed, he took the one he was wearing by the bottom hem and pulled it up over his head. In his culture, males and females didn’t usually change in front of one another unless they were a mated pair, but since Artemis was a human, not a Lunvalgan, he assumed there was no issue with it. He tossed the bloodstained shirt onto the floor and picked up the new one again, sliding the sleeves over his sinewy, dark-skinned arms. It fit well enough, and he was glad that humans were built similarly enough to his people that they could share clothing. He would just have to remember to change back into his own shirt if he left her hideout, since the sleeveless design of his vanguard uniform offered him better mobility if he needed to fight.

“I don’t know if you will come to our spaceship,” he answered her last question belatedly, rolling his shoulders to adjust the way the shirt laid across his back. Lazily, he left the fastenings on the front of it undone, so the garment was still open, exposing his torso rather than covering it. Finished dressing himself, he turned back to her curiously. “Why do you want to go? Are you not afraid? Even I don’t know what could be done with you if I am told to take you there.”

“You used the tablet.” She said as she smiled at him. Maybe now they could actually speak to one another, she would finally have a conversation and it brought her so much joy. It was nice to have a conversation that was real. “You are a very quick learner.” She said as she actually wondered how it was even possible that he was so smart. She must look like some gorilla in the zoo to him, him the superior race and her just being the human that would never be as smart as him.

“Humans mostly have male leaders. Humans thought males were better, even just because their skin had a different color.” She said as she never really had liked the way people were to others. She always would have to work harder to accomplish to get what she wanted, no matter how much the world was changing. They also only ever had one black president, and that was just so wrong. “Your race, they are so peaceful” she said as it actually was strange to her.

Only to gasp as he showed her a woman of his race, they had far more curves than that she would ever had and she was the one with an hourglass figure. Their hips were much wider and she knew that childbirth would probably go a lot better with his kind. “They are beautiful. They don’t have the…” she said as she then moved her hand over her head where his crest was. Not really knowing the word that she would use for it. But she knew that he would understand. Briefly she wondered what his anatomy was like. Was he like humans? Or was there some kind of strange anomaly, like two uteruses or more organs.

*Why the f. Focus Artemis.* she thought to herself as she then looked away when he went to undress himself. A blush on her face as she then decided to just look at the wall until she was certain that he was done with it all. It didn’t feel right to watch him undress, it felt far too intimate to her taste. “And just so you know. I’m small, even for a human.” She told him as she then pulled out her phone and went to look for a pictures of her between her friends. Friends that probably all were dead. One of them was black, with the afro that she loved so much. Then there was a blond and someone with black hair. All in different shapes and size as she was at least a head smaller than all her friends.

Turning to fact him as the blush only deepened, showing him the picture on her phone. “See?” she asked as she wondered what he would think. Mostly smaller creatures were seen as weak in every other species. Realizing that he hadn’t closed the buttons. Her eyes moving over his dark skin, seeing the silver sheen on the muscled torso. Biting her lip without really thinking about it, it was strange to be so close to him. Wasn’t it awkward for him to be showing so much skin to her? “Let me help you with those buttons.” She said as she stepped closer, he was just so tall and handsome in his own way.

Making sure not to touch his skin as she then went to button down his shirt. Making sure to look at every individual button. Only to notice that her body temperature was warmer than his. Or was it just because of the awkwardness that had overcome her. “Are you cold?” she asked as she knew the temperature of the bunker was a few degrees lower than before. Her smile falling for a moment when he said that he had no idea that she would even go to the spaceship. Only to look up at his face and stepping back as he spoke about her being afraid.

“I want to see earth from up there. I want to see space.” She said as if it was the most obvious answer. “I want to see the spaceship, it’s… interesting.” She said as she smiled at him and wondered if he knew what a dream was. “I dreamed about going to space.” She said as she then just shrugged. Only to frown as he asked of her if she wasn’t afraid.

“Should I be afraid? Because your species… they are far more peaceful. Smarter and better than humans. You didn’t hurt me.” She said as she looked up at him once more. As if that was the most obvious answer that she would give him. “Besides… I rather die than to be alone again. Even if I’m just a pet to you.” She said as she then looked down. It was silly to think that he would see her as anything even close to an equal. He was far more advanced than her, so she must just be like Koko the signing gorilla to him. An interesting anomaly.

When he spoke about not knowing what to do with her as she then looked back up at him. “Maybe I’ll be a suitable surrogate. Humans.. we have special DNA.” She said as she had known that from the start. They DNA was close to a lot of lifeforms on earth and she wondered if the DNA was even close to what he was. They looked as much alike as humans did with a chimpanzee. “I don’t want to be alone.” She said as she was being honest. She actually rather died after seeing a spaceship.

“I want to learn about you.” She said as she then gave him a small smile. “I want to help your kind. You will heal the earth.” She said as she wondered if he would understand how she saw them. That she actually was happy that humans no longer could hurt her planet. But she feared that he would never even see her like that. She probably would be dead if he decided that he was tired of her.

“Are they better?” Azdrei’in wondered aloud when Artemis told him about leadership among humans. “Lunvalgan males and females are the same here.” Trying to indicate that they had the same cognitive abilities, he tapped one clawed digit to his head. “Both can be leaders if they are good at the work. Colors don’t matter too. That is only…” He trailed off as he wracked his brain for the words to explain that skin tone only mattered in terms of physical preferences. Their mates were selected for them based on reproductive compatibility, but they all had different tastes when it came to what they found aesthetically appealing.

“Some males like females with gray skin; large here,” he gestured to his own chest. “And some females like males with black skin and large… Bhanleq.” Assuming there was no word that would translate directly to English, he used the Lunvalgan word for the crest on his forehead, lifting a hand again to point to it in indication. “Those are common likes but not all Lunvalgans have the same ones. And it does not matter for leaders; only for pairs.”

Beauty standards of their kind could make a male or female more desirable as a mate or even as just a partner to have for a night if he or she wasn’t committed to anyone else. After all, young member of their species weren’t dissuaded from being intimate with each other before their lifelong mates were selected for them. Sometimes casual encounters resulted in chance pregnancies, which was always a good thing for a people that was slowly dying out. If that happened, the Om’phaers would have the couple that managed to produce a fetus mated in the hopes that they would have more offspring.

After he changed into the borrowed shirt, Azdrei’in looked at the image Artemis showed to him on a screen that fit in the palm of her hand. “You are small,” he agreed amusedly, once again fascinated by the diversity of the human race. Every individual in the picture was very different, from the color of their skin to the shape of their noses. His people were far more homogenous with less features that varied from one Lunvalgan to the next. Their heights weren’t as drastically different either. Males were taller and more muscular than females, but they usually grew up to reach similar statures in general.

Glancing at her face, he noticed her kind apparently changed colors too. “You are red now,” he observed out loud when she moved closer to him to fasten the ‘buttons’ that he hadn’t bothered to secure. “What does that mean?” There were a few species on Ashad’te that could change the color of their skin, but they did it to blend into their environments. He’d never seen one that would do it for seemingly no reason, and he was curious about what could have caused Artemis’s pink-white flesh to turn vermillion. Oddly, he found the color visually pleasing too.

“Cold? No,” he replied to her question thoughtfully. “I have not yet been cold or hot here. Why? Are you?” His pellucid eyes swept over her as he wondered if humans had a more limited range of temperatures in which they were comfortable. He supposed it would make sense if they were more vulnerable to changes in the weather. Her skin was much thinner and more delicate than his was, so it was probably difficult for her to regulate her body temperature.

When she explained why she wanted to leave her planet, he listened quietly. Some of the words she used were still unfamiliar to him, but he understood most of what she said. She was fascinated by space and his people. “I would have killed you,” he reminded her with a wry smile, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I don’t think my leaders will. I think they want to study you. You did not die from our virus, and you told me you know how to help us. They want to know more.” Reaching out, he touched the tip of one claw to her belly to indicate that she might be made into a surrogate. “They could want to use you too.”

Letting his arm drop to his side again, he stepped back from her and strode to the door with a lazy wave of his hand for her to follow him back to the common room. “You don’t need to fear being alone now. I am staying here until Zalla tells me what to do with you.”

“No, not always” Artemis answered as he asked her if the males were better. “Humans, just look down on people that are different.” She said as she wondered if he even understood what she trying to say. She then looked at him as she didn’t really like it that he thought men were smarter, even when she realized it was just a question. “Only attraction.” She said as she smiled at him. Realizing that his race only cared about color in preference. “Like some humans like red hair.” She said as she held her own hair and smiled.

“I wish humans thought like that.” She said as she listened to the word that he used for the shape of his head. “Bhanleq.” She repeated, almost perfectly mimicking the sound. Showing that she was at least used to speaking a few languages. She wanted to know so much more and she realized that she was mostly afraid to be away from him.

When he pointed out that she became red, she only went more red in her face. She always hated the fact that anything would set that off. “It’s an emotional response.” She said as she looked at him and wondered how she would explain that to him. Biting her lip as she then looked at him. “Humans usually don’t change in front of each other.” She said as she hoped he would understand that it was just because of what was happening to her.

“Or really red when angry.” She said as she then folded her arms and gave him a mock glare. “I still was able to knock you out.” She teased as she moved her hand to tap the place where he was hurt. “Tiny but mighty” she said as she couldn’t help but giggle. Her father always had told her that, since she was the first girl to defend others. Telling on others that were assholes in school and looking for other types of revenge. She never went to violence, but she knew what would hurt if if eer was going to happen.

“I’m not cold. But your skin is colder than before.” She said as she wondered if that even made any sense. Only to give him a small smile when he said that he would have killed her. “I know, but I understand. Humans are violent.” She said as she actually didn’t want to be away from him. She wondered if he would even understand that she didn’t want any other of his race to decide about her fate.

“I won’t help if you don’t stay with me.” She said simply. Obviously stressed about the idea that the others would examine her and she followed him into the room. “I only trust you.. You stay with me.” She said as she actually was afraid. He knew her and she trusted him, realizing that mating probably was different with his kind. They probably didn’t even love, they mainly would pick a mate that was strong.

“Humans are different. We make babies out of love.” She said as she then decided to just pick out some romantic movie. What was being said wasn’t important, but it was an easy example that the woman didn’t go for the strong male. No there she went for a friend that she cared about, where they had a connection and she wanted to make him see.

“I want to help you! Not some other male that I don’t know. You are the only one I trust Azdrei’in.” she said as she barely even made sense to her. Taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down a little. She took a few deep breaths and then wondered if she could make sense of it. “You see me as more than just human. You’ll be more careful. I don’t trust the others. You need to protect me.” She said as she wondered how she was going to show what she was afraid off.

“Humans do this… I don’t want to be like them. It’s terrible.” She said as she then showed a movie of a chimpanzee in a lab. Locked in a tiny cage as it carried a baby. To the lab it was of no use and the human scientists just pulled it away from the poor ape. She could already see herself in a cage like that, being fed raw meat and just having to do test after test.

She figured his kind was more kind, but she also knew that she was seen as a violent race. A race to be killed and he was the only one that knew her. That wanted to know her and it terrified her. How was she going to explain that she wanted to keep the baby herself. “If I carry a baby… I will be the mother?” she asked as she tried her hardest to make him see her point. That emotions were very strong in humans, that they formed ties before they even went further. At least that was with most of her kind.

Azdrei’in found it strange that humans would show preference to the males of their species if there was nothing particularly special about them. Among his people, males were more often trained to be warriors because of their brawn, but even females who were athletic or quick on their feet could fight too. Almost every other role was filled evenly by both sexes. Gender wasn’t a factor in determining value or leadership skills, since it only had a bearing on an individual’s role in carrying on their family lines.

Because of how often miscarriages occurred, pregnant females were restricted in what they were permitted to do and had to undergo medical exams frequently to monitor the baby’s health. If they managed to keep the fetus for the full term, they would later feed and care for the infant until it was old enough to be weaned. Males contributed as much as they could during this time to carry some of the burden of childrearing, and once the baby was mature enough to care for itself, it would be moved to a room with other young Lunvalgans, and the mated couple would begin trying to conceive again.

Of course, he didn’t know enough words to describe that to Artemis though, so he remained quiet as she tested out the Lunvalgan word he’d said to her. Her pronunciation was surprisingly clear, and he nodded, impressed that she was so quick to mimic the way he spoke. She even repeated his language more accurately than he did hers. He found it much harder to form English words with his lips and tongue, struggling to precisely match the position on his palate that he needed to voice some of the syllables. If he taught her more, he wondered how quickly she would pick up the language his people spoke.

When she explained that she’d had an emotional response to seeing him change clothes, he stared at her, bemused. His people didn’t change in front of the opposite sex often either, but he’d assumed there was nothing wrong with it because they were of two different species. Apparently she didn’t feel the same way. “I will remember that,” he assured her. “I did not think you cared because I am not a human. Now I know better. Do you not change in front of your bunny too?” He added the last question after a brief pause, curious if Earthlings were bashful around all creatures.

At her comment about the temperature of his skin, Azdrei’in tilted his head slightly in thought. “I was sleeping not long ago, so I was not moving. I ate food too. My warmth could be here.” He placed a hand over his midriff. While he was digesting, it made sense that his blood would have collected around his stomach to aid in the process. Consequentially, the rest of his body would have grown colder. It was a normal function, so he wasn’t uncomfortable at all though.

Pausing in the doorway, he was perplexed by Artemis’s sudden assertion that she wouldn’t help his people unless he stayed with her. It seemed like she was more fearful than she’d let on, but he didn’t understand why she thought he was more trustworthy than any of the other Lunvalgans. He was curious about her species, but he was still loyal to his own kind. He had no intention of keeping her safe and comfortable on the mothership if he was asked to bring her on board. That wasn’t his job.

However, the rising sense of urgency in her voice made him reluctant to respond to her so callously. He looked at the video she showed to him, uncertain why she was telling him about human relationships. He grasped that she was telling him that her kind preferred to be with a partner that they cared about, but it didn’t seem relevant when there were no other humans around. Is she afraid of being forced to mate with a Lunvalgan male? He wondered, glancing up at her again. It was the only explanation he could think of. “I don’t think you will have to be with a male,” he clarified, trying to put her mind at ease. “If my leaders want to use you, they will have you carry a baby for a female and a male who are together.”

As she went on to show him another video, he felt like he comprehended her fears a little better. She was worried about becoming a lab specimen. “I don’t think so,” he shook his head. “You will have a room, food, and specialist doctor to help you.” Finding himself without words again, he explained by showing her an image of a pregnant Lunvalgan female who had her own private space on the ship with any amenities she could need to be comfortable. Any females that became vessels for new life were treated with the utmost care and respect among his people. Their health was important, so they were given the best of everything in the hopes that they and their babies would thrive.

Her fixation on him was confusing though. It sounded like she only wanted to act as a surrogate if he was the father of the fetus. He sighed, “You will not help me. I don’t have a female, so my leaders will not use my family line. There are other males who have females who need help from you.” Sensing that Artemis had a very different perception of what it would look like to help his people, he tried to reassure her as he ushered her along to the common room, “But they could not need you to make babies. I am not sure. Zalla has not told me what will be done with you. You know many things, so my leaders may use you to learn more. I am sure there are more female humans here that can be used too.”

Artemis couldn’t help but laugh when he mentioned the bunny “No, a bunny is not… the same… You are like a human.” She said as she tried to make him understand. “You can talk and are.. what we call sentient and intelligent.” She said as she then went back to showing a chimpanzee looking in the mirror. As it had some tape stuck on its head. The ape then examined himself and then pulled off the tape. “Sentient.” She said as she then showed the same video of a tiger snarling at his mirror image. To show that they didn’t see that it was a mirror image “Not Sentient” she said as she tried to make him understand what she was trying to say.

“Undressing in front of a Chimpanzee would be strange as well. They are also a bit like humans.” She said as she instantly wondered what had happened to the animals in the zoo. Instantly she felt horrible and she wanted to know. “What happened to the animals in the zoo?” she asked as she then showed a picture of all animals in cages. “They need to be free.” She said as she realized that most of them probably were dead and that made her feel horrible. Maybe the gorillas and chimps would have been smart enough to escape their cages. At least that was what she was hoping for.

She then listened to him speak, watching the image of the woman that was put in a room and cared for completely. So his kind wouldn’t even lock her up? How could they decide to trust a human that easily? Just because they showed no violence? Humans always locked animals up if they couldn’t control it. And she then realized she had done the same that she feared to the bunny. Moving towards the bunny and picking it up, petting the animal as she then placed the box on the floor. Leaving the lid open so the animal could walk freely. Mostly bunnies went to pee in one place.

“Thank you.” She said as she moved to place her finger for her head. “I was scared.” She said as she took a deep breath. “I want to help, but only if you come to me.” She said as she wanted to explain to him that he was a friend now. She just didn’t want to be alone while she couldn’t even speak. “You are my friend, we can talk… I don’t want you to leave me.” She said as his kind made her think more of Vulcans. They were more logical as she then looked at him.

“You don’t have a female? But what about love?” she asked as she wondered how he would even understand that. “Humans are emotional. Your kind… What is the name? Are more logical.” She said as she tried to see if he understood. If he was confused, he would just show a clip of Star Trek, where Michael would be drawn more my emotion that logic. And then showing a fight between a human and a Vulcan. Because the human wanted to take a risk that wasn’t even logical. Hoping that then he would understand that a lot that she did didn’t make sense, because she was a high emotional being.

It seemed sad to her, that Azdrei’in would never know love. That his kind probably would die out anyway as their females didn’t seem to have issues to carry a fetus to full term. Those images showed that they just wanted to try and keep the babies inside. “I think you need surrogate… Your kind can’t keep the fetus alive.” She said as she tried to make him see.

“Bad uterus.” She said as she tried to make him see. “I think no baby can be born, only very little… that room, is to keep the baby in the uterus.” She said as she tried to make him see what she was thinking. She just hoped that she could help him. “I’ll help if… you don’t leave me.” She said as she hoped it would make sense to him a bit more. “I know, not logical. But emotional.”

Azdrei’in didn’t fully grasp everything Artemis was saying to him, but he did understand that she saw him as similar enough to a human that she treated him the same way she would her own kind. That made sense to him, especially since visually, Earthlings and Lunvalgans looked quite a bit alike. He’d also noticed that even though she kept the bunny in her home, she hadn’t once tried to speak with it like she had with him. There were distinctions between the ways she interacted with “pets” and “friends.”

When she showed him the image of the animals kept in cages, he studied it until he realized she was asking what had become of them after the virus had killed off her race. If they had been locked up by humans and didn’t have a way to escape on their own, he had a feeling most, if not all, had starved to death by now. It was unfortunate, but there wasn’t anything his people could have done to prevent the loss. It wasn’t safe for them to colonize the planet until the violent apex species was eradicated, so they’d had to wait on their ship while the disease took its course. He and the other warriors that had been sent ahead of the rest of the colony were the first Lunvalgans to set foot on the ground in a long time.

“I think they are dead,” he told Artemis practically. He’d heard the emotion in her voice when she asked him about the animals, but there was no point in lying to her. Without sustenance, it was impossible for the creatures in their cages to have survived when their caretakers succumbed to Strizin. He wondered why they had been locked up at all though. The only time his people contained another species had been when they’d been developing the virus to eliminate the Earthlings. They’d needed test subjects to refine the disease, so they had captured a few humans to use for practice. Other than that, they didn’t cage other creatures as far as he was aware.

While she spoke, he strode over to the high table and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs. Between what she was saying and the video she showed him, he gathered that she was telling him that humans were led by their emotions. She also seemed to think that his kind was the opposite. He shook his head. “I am not emotional,” he clarified, pressing a hand to his chest. “Warriors are not emotional. We are taught to only think… to listen to leaders and not stop just because we don’t want to listen.”

Suppression, repression and detachment were the words he would have used if he knew them in English. When he’d been assigned to be a warrior, he’d been taught to remove himself emotionally from his work. There was no place for empathy or compassion when his commanders needed him to hunt or kill. He still had emotions, of course, but he’d learned to be logical and pragmatic before anything else. Although, I did disobey my orders by allowing her to live before Zalla gave me her approval, he realized. Maybe he wasn’t quite as good at burying his emotions as he’d thought.

“Males and females don’t have a choice,” he explained to her, then drummed his fingers against the table as he thought of an example. “I could like one female, but if we don’t make a baby, I cannot have her. My leaders will put me with another female, even if I don’t like her. We need more people.” To further demonstrate the point, he showed her telepathically how young Lunvalgans underwent genetic screenings to give them the best odds of reproducing with a compatible mate. He’d already gone through the process too. The only reason why he didn’t have a mate was because he’d been assigned to the Yihai. The task of exploring the Earth was dangerous, so the Om’phaers had postponed selecting a breeding partner for him until after he survived the assignment.

“I could have a female when I go back,” he mused carelessly. “But now, I don’t.” He was only somewhat eager to be given a mate. Like the rest of his kind, he had a drive to procreate, but the process had become so clinical that it felt more like an obligation than something to be enjoyed. The Om’phaers were very involved with fertility tests, adjustments to the couple’s diets and occasionally, medical intervention if necessary. Emotions, attraction, and love weren’t part of the equation—not like they used to be before their people started dying out. As such, being assigned a mate wasn’t something he was excited about. It was just another duty to be fulfilled.

“I will not leave you,” he assured Artemis, his gaze wandering to the bunny she’d placed on the floor. “Zalla told me to stay with you, so I will stay.”

The more Drei was talking, the more she started to understnad his reasoning. Only to sigh sadly as she realized the animals at the zoo probably were all dead. It pained her and she realized that her species was more horrible than what she ever had thought it was. She feld bad for all the animals that had been wronged, even when she often understood why.

"Everyone has emotions Drei." she simply stated as she looked at him. Knowing that him wanting to stay and wanting to keep talking to her said enough. She knew he was the only one that would have thought twice about going against the wishes of his superiors and she was happy for that. She wanted to have him close and she listened when he started to explain what happened at his kind. To her it seemed a bit sad, not to be able to have a baby with the person you loved. It was a clinical process and she understood completely why it was done that way.

"I understand." she said as she then moved to show him human DNA, the alpha helix that always held a code of DNa. the code of DNA that she had let the humans make of her sample. "DNA needs to be good." she said as she then looked at him with another bright smile that he wasn't leaving her.

"Good, and I won't help if Zalla tells you to leave me." she simply stated as she was relaxed once more. Wondering what was next to learn. "Maybe... I can learn your language." she said as she smiled at him. "Like. Hello I'm Artemis." she simply said as she wanted to learn. She then walked over to him and decided to make a little risk. Moving to touch his face to have him look up at her.

"Maybe you'll find love. It feels nice. You don't need a baby to feel love." she simply said as she looked at him with a smile. Her parents weren't even her biological ones. She had been adopted by them when she was just a baby. Her parents raised her as their own and she never had felt like she was different. They had loved her and that was all that had mattered.

"Or do you want to go outside? I'll give you your gun. I want to walk around and see the earth now." she said as she felt more safe with him. She was just a human, her being on her own would have been too dangerous after all.

When Artemis replied to him, Azdrei’in stared at her blankly for a moment. He’d never heard his name reduced to just one syllable before, so he didn’t immediately recognize it when she called him ‘Drei’ instead of ‘Azdrei’in.’ He wasn’t sure how he felt about the change. It was a little odd—his people didn’t alter each other’s names when they spoke—but it also wasn’t important enough for him to protest against. Perhaps it was just easier for her to pronounce anyway.

He turned to look at the screen when she showed him another image, a familiar helix of DNA. It was something else he could recognize but didn’t know much about, since he wasn’t a scientist or physician. He wondered if there was a way for her to show the same pictures to the Om’phaers if they asked him to bring her on board the mothership. If he continued learning English, he could translate their conversation, and she could share her wealth of knowledge with Lunvalgans who could make more use of it than he could as someone who specialized in hunting and fighting.

“I cannot tell Zalla what to do,” he warned her, making sure to set realistic expectations. The most he could do was give suggestions, just like he had when he’d told his commander that Artemis was more valuable to their people alive than she was dead. Ultimately, it was up to the other Lunvalgan to make the final call though. It was possible that Zalla would order him to bring Artemis to the ship and then leave her there while he returned to the Earth to continue sweeping the land for threats. However, there was one way he could think of that would better ensure that his commander wouldn’t separate him from the human if she came to the ship.

“No,” he said when she asked to learn his language. “Not now. You want me to stay with you. If I am the only one who can talk to you, Zalla will have to tell me to stay with you.” He had no qualms with teaching her his native tongue later on. For now, though, it was his only bargaining tool to use if his commander wanted to send him back to her planet. He had to hold onto it at least until after the Om’phaers decided what they wanted to do with her. Until then, it was better for him to be the only one capable of translating for both parties, so his presence would be necessary.

Suddenly, he felt her touch his face, and he tensed reflexively. She’d kept her distance for the most part the day before, so he hadn’t expected her to come this close to him. He turned toward her and met her green eyes as she spoke to him, further surprised that she seemed to be trying to comfort him. He guessed that she believed he was upset about the way his people conducted relationships and wanted something more. Truthfully, he hadn’t given it much thought though.

He’d found some female Lunvalgans attractive and had pursued physical encounters with them while they were still unmated and free to do so. However, he’d never gotten so attached to any of them that he’d say he was in love. In their current society, familial and romantic relationships weren’t as important as an individual’s duty to serve their people as a whole. Some couples did fall in love, while others went about their business clinically and unemotionally. Azdrei’in had always assumed he would fall on the latter end of that spectrum and wasn’t particularly bothered by it. He just didn’t have any expectations that he’d develop feelings for someone else.

“I could,” he assessed, passively observing the interesting flecks of colors in her irises while she was close to him. “But I am happy enough now. I don’t think I need it.”

When Artemis asked if he wanted to go outside, he didn’t hesitate to stand up from his chair. Zalla may have assigned him to keep watch over her, but he still wanted to continue exploring this unfamiliar planet. He also had a secondary duty to eliminate any threats he found, and he couldn’t do that from inside her hideout.

Standing directly in front of the human, he loomed over her because of their glaring height difference. “Yes, we should go outside,” he agreed, then stepped around her to return to his bedroom. “I need to change to one without this,” he explained, trying to tell her by tugging at the sleeve of the borrowed shirt that he preferred to wear a sleeveless top, so his shoulders wouldn’t be restricted if he needed to fight.

“That actually makes sense. If you are the only one that speaks my language. You stay with me.” She said with a smile. She could even refuse to do things if he wasn’t with her, maybe she could somehow convince them that she was bonding with Azdrei’in, that she only trusted him. Humans were a paranoid species after all. She understood everything he was saying and she let go of his face when he spoke that he was happy without having known love.

“I never knew it either. And I’m happy to. I wanted to be a specialist doctor.” She said as she smiled at him. That dream was something that was long gone now and she was already wondering how they were going to get all that information from earth. Would they have computers as well? Could they put the internet on there so she could look the thing up that they would need?

His race was more advanced so it didn’t seem that strange to her. She just wondered how she was going to explain the internet to them. Or would they have something like that themselves? When he then spoke about getting another shirt she nodded and smiled at him. “Sure go ahead and take it, I need other clothes as well.” She said as she wondered if he would need help with the button.

“Those are sleeves. Do you need help with the buttons?” she asked as she wondered if it even was possible for him to open up the button up without ruining the shirt. If he would need the help, she would carefully undo them. Always looking back up at his light eyes, she knew that he should scare her, but he fascinated her. He was handsome in his own way and she wanted to see the others of his kind as well.

Deciding to place his phaser on the table before she went to dress herself in some long pants, a shirt and grabbing her hunting rifle. She just wanted to have something to keep them safe. She did have bullets, but she wasn’t going to use them on humans. She was just going to bluff her way out if that had to happen. Taking it and putting it around her shoulder. Not really liking the idea of carrying a gun, but it seemed that that would be an evil that she couldn’t avoid.

Walking out and pulling her hair back in a long braid, wondering what the world up there looked like now. Her heart beating loudly as she was afraid of what she was about to see, she hadn’t been outside apart from the traps near the farm. What had happened to the other humans? Were they all violent? Would she be the only one without ever getting sick?

Well that explained why she knew so much about fertility. Azdrei’in made a mental note to tell Zalla that Artemis was fairly educated in medicine and health when he had a chance to make his next report. He didn’t know what his commander would do with the information, but it seemed pertinent for her to be aware of. The Om’phaers might be interested in using her knowledge if they decided to use humans as surrogates for their kind, since they didn’t know much about the Earthlings’ anatomy, nutrition or other essential details.

When she asked about the buttons on the shirt he was wearing, he was going to decline her offer to undo them for him, since he could handle the menial task by himself. He’d just left the shirt open earlier because he hadn’t felt like closing the fastenings. However, she was already on her way over, so he let her do it anyway, standing still while she popped open each one. Her eagerness to help him was fascinating, and he was curious why she was so docile when her people were supposed to be savages. What led some humans, he wondered, to be this kind while others brutally killed each other? Surely she couldn’t be the only one who had behaved like this before the virus had been released.

“Thank you,” he said before he turned away to go back to the bedroom. This time, he closed the door behind him to make sure he was alone before he slid the open shirt of his back, since Artemis had said she had a reaction to seeing him change earlier. Electing to wear the shirt he’d brought with him from the mothership, he pulled it back down over his torso. It had a few bloodstains, but it was still functional, so he didn’t mind. The sight of dark red spatters on his clothes might even be a deterrent to any creatures that would consider attacking while they were outside. If they were intelligent, they might put two-and-two together and realize he’d already killed before.

Once he was dressed, he returned to the common room to find that Artemis was already there with a large weapon slung over her shoulder. The sight was intriguing to him. Not only was she a physician, but she apparently also knew how to wield a gun. Generally, his people specialized in only one set of skills, so they could become masters of their crafts without the distraction of other interests.

“You are a specialist doctor and a warrior?” he queried, sauntering over to the table where she had left his phaser. It felt good to have the weapon on his person again, and he holstered it at his hip within easy reach.

Ready to go, he crossed the room to the door that led outside and turned back to her, waiting to make sure she was prepared too. “Come,” he beckoned her. “Stay with me outside. Zalla told me to watch you.” It was the closest he could come to explaining that his orders included protecting her while his commanders deliberated on her fate. If something happened to her under his watch, he would be the one responsible for the loss of her knowledge.

“I’m hardly a warrior.” Artemis answered as she looked at Azdrei’in. Realizing he had seen the gun and she wanted to tell him that she just had learned to shoot to please her father and to help the cows so they wouldn’t suffer if they couldn’t be saved. “I just learned how to use a gun. For safety.” She said as she smiled at him. “But I hope we don’t need it.”

Artemis wasn’t ready to hurt another human being, not if she could help it. She didn’t see how she would even get past hurting someone that had intelligence. All she would be able to attack was those humans that turned into beasts. But luckily they only seemed to come out when the sun was setting.

She opened up the doors and tood in a deep breath of fresh air. It still amazed her at how silent the world had become. She heard nothing but the sounds of animals and wind. No sound of her neighbours or cars. No planes that made their horrible sounds, she felt at peace. Opening her eyes and waiting until he had moved out. Placing the plank to hide the keypad and then looking around the barn. The cows were mooing again and she then went to the door.

“I know you will protect me. But let me talk to the humans. Often weapon aiming is out of fear.” She said as she looked at him. Wondering if she was going to see another human being. Just following him through the woods. It was nice to be on her way again, to hike and to just enjoy nature. The crickets were making sounds and she made sure to catch one. Holding it in her arms and then showing it to him. “Cricket” she said as she then opened her hand and let the insect jump away.

To her it was something nice to show him, that the world was beautiful. Only to put a finger to her mouth and shushing him. She could hear something in high grass, but it didn’t sound like a deer. It was at that moment that she heard the cock of a gun and instantly she moved towards the sound. Only to be faced with a boy that looked no older than 15. “Get away fr..from her.” She boy said as he had his large shotgun aimed at Azdrei’in.

Artemis quickly moved “Drei, don’t” she said as she then moved in front of the barrel of the shotgun. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m Artemis. He won’t hurt you.” She said as the boy was trembling. His eyes wide in fear and she wondered what had happened to the boy.

“No, they killed our parents. They hurt my sister.” The boy then answered as Artemis swallowed thickly. How was she going to defuse this situation. “Hey, what’s your name. And I’m sorry, they only want a place to live in.” she said as the boy looked at her.

“I’m Riley.” He said as it was obvious that the boy was terrified of the alien before him. “Please lover the gun Riley.” She asked as the boy shook his head. “He’ll kill us.” The boy said as Artemis sighed. “He’s different, he helped me.” She said as she then pulled some food from her backpack. She knew he had to be hungry, and she had more than enough. “Look, you said your sister is hurt. I can help her. I swear he won’t hurt you okay.” She said as the boy then lowered the gun and put it back on his shoulder.

“She has a broken leg. She is only 6 years old.” He said as Artemis then held open her arms. “I’m so sorry, come here.” She said as the boy only stepped back. Artemis sighed as she wondered how they were going to help that little girl. “Look, I’m a doctor. If you show us the way. Maybe we can help her.” She then followed up.

((Feel Free to control the boy as well.))

“You know many things,” Azdrei’in noted as Artemis joined him by the door. “I only learned to be a warrior.” He was capable of understanding more, but fighting, hunting and operating spacecrafts was his specialty. After his aptitude for the role had been determined, it was the only skillset he’d been formally taught, and it interested him that she was so versatile. Curiously, he wondered if humans had always learned a multitude of useful abilities or if Artemis had taught herself because she was alone.

When she opened the doors, he stepped outside with her and passively surveyed the area for traces of other creatures while she hid the keypad. “You may talk, but if they are not safe, I will kill them,” he told her matter-of-factly. In the area, he could sense a few other warm-bodied animals, but none were moving quickly in their direction, so he wasn’t concerned about them for now. Both he and Artemis were armed, and he could monitor the creatures idly while they were outside, so he would just keep track of them until he had a reason to draw his gun.

Once she was ready to keep moving, he led her toward a grove of trees. The ruins were fascinating to him, but he had encountered a more dangerous human there, so he decided they should avoid the area until he’d better familiarized himself with the rhythms of her planet.

As he walked, he basked in the sunlight that warmed his dark skin and the light breeze that rustled the foliage around them, enjoying the way it felt compared to the stagnant, never-changing air in the mothership. It felt natural to be surrounded by nature, and he was glad that his people had discovered the Earth during his lifetime. It would have been demoralizing to spend his entire life on a ship floating through space, without any access to green plants and real prey. He was even more fortunate to be one of the first Lunvalgans to start making this world his home.

When Artemis garnered his attention, Azdrei’in stopped walking and turned to her, dropping his gaze to the tiny creature she’d caught in her hands. It was so small that it had slipped past his notice even while he monitored their surroundings. He watched as the cricket sprung away, only to bristle in the next moment when he sensed a larger animal stalking toward them in the brush. It seemed to be smaller than Artemis, so he wasn’t certain if it was a human or something else, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. His hand flew to his weapon as she took notice of the same disturbance and gestured at him to keep quiet.

He parted his lips to tell her that there was no sense in trying to hide when the creature had clearly already spotted them, but before he could speak a word, an adolescent human with a gun in its hands appeared, aiming the weapon at his chest. He narrowed his eyes hostilely and drew his phaser to shoot the Earthling before it could pull the trigger. However, he faltered when Artemis told him to hold his fire.

“What are you doing?” he snapped as she approached the other human. Though she’d told him that she wanted to speak with any humans they came across, his instinct was to eliminate the threat before it could injure them. He didn’t want to risk giving it the chance to attack, but he reluctantly hung back while she tried to reason with it, keeping the barrel of his weapon trained on its head in case it made any sudden movements. He would give her a chance to do things her way, but if it didn’t work, he would kill the human without hesitation.

Surprisingly, she managed to deescalate the situation without violence though. Azdrei’in watched quietly as she offered the other Earthling food and spoke to it—or ‘him,’ most likely—in a gentle voice. The adolescent was still clearly nervous, but when she mentioned that she was a doctor, a flicker of something else crossed its face that he could only assume was a mixture of desperation and hope. He lowered his phaser but didn’t put it away.

The boy hesitated. He didn’t know if he could trust the woman in front of him, especially when she seemed friendly with one of the monsters that had killed his parents, but did he even have a choice? His little sister needed medical attention badly, and it was unlikely that he’d run into another doctor if he didn’t take this stranger up on her offer. His eyes danced to the alien behind her, and he chewed on his lip anxiously. To him, the sight was frightening, and he knew one thing for sure: He didn’t want to lead that thing to his vulnerable baby sister.

“Will you come alone?” he asked, turning back to the woman but keeping the alien in the corner of his vision. “I don’t trust him… If he hurt my sister, I could never forgive myself.”

“Humans learn a lot of things.” Artemis had told him, back when he said that she knew a lot and she knew that her intelligence wasn’t even close to that of his kind. “But I’m not as smart as you are.” She simply stated. Wondering how this even had happened. A frown on her face as she looked back at him. “The humans are scared… You won’t kill them if they can be talked to.” She simply said before they had left.

Only to be faced with the human boy, looking back at Azdrei’in as she gave him an angry glare. “He is a kid. I’m going to help him. They are just scared. I’m going to help them.” She said as she had been confused on why he even seemed to be so sure to kill them. Watching him lower the phaser as she then smiled at him. “Thank you, now you are going to stay here okay? Or if you don’t want that, you’ll stay outside of the boy’s home.” She said as she then looked back at the teenager.

“Look, if you ever see someone like him.. Don’t aim a gun.” She said as she looked at him. “Just hold up your hands and show that you won’t attack. They will test you, but whatever you do… Don’t fight.” She said as she wanted to warn the little boy. She didn’t want to see him end up dead.

“But I promise you that he will stay outside. He won’t come near your sister okay.” She said as she then wondered if his kind had some advanced device. She would have to ask him later. “I promise you that. I swear he won’t do anything.” She said as the boy eyes the alien once more before nodding.

“Okay.” He said as he still was wary, listening to the advice of the girl and realizing that maybe she was right. So far none of the aliens had come to them again. Since they had been hiding, since they had been too terrified to move. “Come.” The boy said as they then started walking. Through the cornfield and ending up at another farm.

“He stays there.” The boy said as he pointed at the fence. He didn’t want the alien inside and the boy then moved towards the house. Before she followed Artemis looked back at him. “Do you have something that makes you heal faster? Would it work?” she asked as she wanted him to see that she just wanted to help the kids. If the leg didn’t have a clean break, she would need better equipment. And chanced were that that would be the case, though maybe she would be at least a little lucky. She could explain the boy how to set un it all. Without having to use a cast. This was going to be harder than she thought it would be. She just hoped the kid wasn’t too young.

Azdrei’in wasn’t fazed by Artemis’s anger. He wasn’t protecting her to win her approval. His commander had given him an order, and he was going to follow it no matter what she thought. That meant being prepared to eliminate a threat the instant it proved to be dangerous to her, since his people needed her alive if they were going to use the information she could provide to them. They couldn’t extract it if she was dead. As advanced as their technology was, they hadn’t created anything like that. So, even after he lowered his weapon, he gripped it tensely and kept his gaze fixed on the adolescent human, prepared to strike first if it even twitched in a way that he didn’t like.

At her instructions, he nearly rolled his eyes. Of course he wasn’t going to stay put where he was now. If she was going somewhere else with the other human, he was going to at least stay close by. At this point, he felt more confident that the young Earthling wasn’t a threat—he was just frightened, as Artemis had said—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t become one. Scared, trapped animals were often the most dangerous because they felt the need to protect their own lives. He intended to remain close enough to them to intervene if the male suddenly snapped and tried to attack her. It may have been an unlikely scenario, but as long as the chances weren’t zero, he would keep his guard up.

“I will come with you,” he asserted, holstering his gun for the time being to avoid worrying the other human. A compromise seemed to have been made, so when they started walking through the brush, he trailed after them at a slight distance. Once again, he found his experience on the Earth strange compared to his previous expectations. Rather than clearing the planet in preparation for his people to land, he was now wandering through fields of crops in the company of two humans, one of whom had been charged to his protection. He shook his head incredulously to himself, brushing aside some tall stalks of plants with one arm. It was strange, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed. He’d wanted to learn about Earthlings and their culture even before he’d left the mothership. That desire had been met in a peculiar way, but it had been met nonetheless.

When they reached a barrier, he stopped and glanced at the young male wordlessly. He didn’t understand his aversion to allowing him come any further. If he’d wanted to mindlessly kill him or even the other creature, whom he could detect inside the building ahead of them, he could have done so in a heartbeat. He then turned to Artemis, who had remained behind to ask him a question. “Heal? No,” he mused. “That is on the spaceship.” If she was asking him for technology that could be used to speed up the recovery process, he didn’t carry anything around like that. Only the physicians had access and knowledge to use medications and tools that could aid an injured person. He did “have” something else though.

“I can help with this,” he added. Unable to explain what he meant, he reached out to touch Artemis’s arm in a demonstration. Instead of sharing a mental image with her like he had before, he impressed an almost numbing sense of calm. The connection worked in a similar manner as anesthesia without causing the recipient to fall asleep. Most creatures experienced a relaxing chemical release from physical touch, and the Lunvalgan people had learned to amplify its effects to create a natural pain-killer that they used to aid one another when they were injured.

“But I have to be close to do this,” he warned her, letting go of her arm again. As soon as he stopped touching her, the effect ended. “If you need my help, I will have to come inside.”

When Artemis stood at the gate, Azdrei’in decided that he could help. A frown on her face as she didn’t really think he could do anything with his claws and teeth. Only to gasp at the feeling that washed over her, it was the first time she actually felt complete calm. Even when she was awake, a blissful feeling washing over her as she closed her eyes for a moment. It was very helpful and so she looked back at him as it washed away. “That is really helpful.” She said as she then looked at the boy who was still glaring at the alien.

“He’s not coming inside.” The boy said as Artemis sighed and looked at the boy. “Listen, if I go in alone, your sister will be in a terrible pain. If he helps, she won’t feel a thing. I promise he won’t hurt her. I promise that we will leave as soon as she is helped. And if you see others like him. Do not fight them, they might spare you.” She told the boy as he seemed to be uncomfortable. Only to sigh and opening the gate and letting them walk over to the home.

It was a simple home, the doors barred as it was clear the boy had done everything he could to make it into a fort against the other humans. Walking inside the home as there was no furniture or even a sign of life. The boy then led them to what seemed like a totally ordinary bookcase that was empty. He then moved his hand and spoke up. “Anna, I’m back, I have a doctor with me.” He said as then the bookcase started moving.

Behind it all kinds of things to keep anything electrical to notice them. Even his technology wouldn’t be able to look through it, as it didn’t allow for infra-red to pass through that doorway. He then led them down the stairs, pressing a button so the door closed again. “It all is powered by solar panels and wind turbines.” He said as it was then that Artemis spotted the little blonde girl with bright blue eyes.

Only to have her let out a blood-curling scream as she saw the beast that stood behind Artemis. “NO!” she said as the boy instantly went to her and tried to calm her. “Hey Anna, I’m Artemis and this is my friend. He will help me.” She said as she looked at the little girl. Who seemed rather unbelieving as she shook her head. “Look, I helped him so he helps me. I can help you with that leg of yours.” She said as she slowly moved closer.

Waiting for the girl to calm a little as she then went to her leg. “This can hurt a bit. I need to see how it is broken. I’m a doctor.” She said as she had put down her backpack and then went to see if the leg was any good. Luckily it seemed like a clean break.

It was a roundabout way of getting inside the building, but Azdrei’in was pleased when the two humans agreed on allowing him to come with them. He felt more comfortable staying as close to Artemis as he could to make sure that nothing happened to her while she helped the injured person they’d been told about. If offering his assistance would help him achieve that goal, then it was worth the trouble, so he followed along as the younger Earthling led them past the barrier and into the building up ahead.

Resting one hand slack on his weapon, his eyes roved over the interior of the space with passive interest. It was oddly bare, without anything around to catch his attention. In a way, it reminded him of the mothership though, since his people didn’t have much to decorate their quarters either. When they’d lived on Ashad’te, his people had made cozy homes that weren’t that dissimilar from Artemis’s hideout, but none of them truly had their own spaces while they’d been traveling in search of a new planet. Everything belonged to the Eilix. It was only theirs to borrow until they colonized the Earth.

He strode down the steps with the humans, only to stiffen when the child in the room below screamed piercingly. His fingers curled around the grip of his gun reflexively, but he didn’t draw it. Even from a distance in the low light, he could see that the young female was too injured to move. Relaxing slightly, he glanced at Artemis and edged closer to the humans as they gathered by the one who’d wounded her leg. He kept some distance, though, to avoid sending her into a panic.

Observing quietly, he waited while Artemis introduced both herself and him, trying to coax the child to calm down enough for her to work on her broken leg. Only when it seemed like she wasn’t frightened enough to crawl away or scream again did he lower himself to his knees at Artemis’s side to watch more closely while she examined the limb. Expectedly, the younger female became tense in his proximity, so he didn’t reach out to her right away. Hoping to assuage her fears some before he laid a finger on her, he merely sat back on his heels and allowed the Earthling to adjust to him first.

He kept his gaze fixed on the mangled leg, but he could feel her eyes on him. After about a minute or so, he dared to stretch one hand toward her but paused when she recoiled from him with a whimper. He glanced up at her pale face. “You don’t move,” he told her firmly but gently. “I will help.” As one who’d been trained only to be a warrior, he didn’t have the most reassuring bedside manner, but he still did his best to be careful with the child. He didn’t want to make Artemis’s job harder by frightening her before her leg could be treated.

So, moving slowly, he reached out to place his hand on the calf of her good leg. At first, the child inhaled sharply and flinched at his touch, but as the calming effect swept over her, she relaxed, her eyelids drooping and her tight muscles unwinding. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she marveled dazedly, turning her head toward her brother.

“It could hurt some,” Azdrei’in warned them pragmatically. He could alleviate most of the child’s pain, but when Artemis set the bone, it was likely that she would feel some of the discomfort in spite of his efforts to take it away. The only thing that could fully numb the pain was true medicine, and he didn’t have anything like that with him.

“Great, they now know English?” The boy said as he really wasn’t happy that the alien was with them, and especially not that close to his little sister. But he trusted Artemis, she had been kind and even had brought them enough food to last them a long time. He was also happy that he knew that he might be able to survive, as long as he didn’t show any aggression to his kind. Trying his hardest to remain calm as those claws were so close to his little sister.

Anna, on the other hand, did understand what the man said, he was trying to help and she remembered a child in her school that barely spoke any English at all. Only to be so happy that the pain was gone. Artemis then waited until the girl was warned and she quickly pushed the bones back in place. Wincing at the sound that was created, only to grab the tubing that she had taken at home. Asking the boy to come over and explaining to him how he had to make sure that it remained like that. Binding the leg to the best of her abilities and telling the boy that she had to stay in that bed for a few more weeks.

Moving to her backpack and unpacking the food, placing it on the floor and explaining to the boy that he had to hide it well. And then handing him some painkillers. Explaining how he had to give them to his little sister, and that she could only have 2 a day. She was very little after all.

“Will you come back?” Anna then asked as Artemis smiled at them. “Of course. I promise that I will come back to check on you once in a while. But only if you are good and stay in this bed.” She said as she then pulled out a children’s book that she loved to read as a kid. “And I even have a book for you to borrow. Alice in Wonderland.” She said as the girl instantly beamed up as she looked at her brother. Who instantly said he would read it to her. “And maybe one day, I can teach you to read.” The boy then said as Artemis got up.

“We should get going, I’ll erase the tracks we made. Just try to be safe out there, and if there ever is any trouble. I live at the cow farm on Edison Street. Just get into the stables and I’ll come for you when I’m home.” She told the kids before she got up and smiled at them once more.

“Azdrei’in. We should go.” She said with a smile as she packed her things. The little interaction had done wonders on her spirit. It was nice to see that there were other humans that seemed to be free of the virus as well. Maybe she could save a few other humans as well, only the good ones of her kind. That would be amazing. “I wish I could help all good humans.” She said as she walked from the house back to the gate.

“And thank you for helping the little girl. She otherwise would have died.” She said as she wanted so badly to hug him. “Trust me.” She said before the went ahead and did hug him. Friends hugged each other all the time and she had missed the feeling of a warm body pressed against her own. It was also a great way to show how thankful she was for him. “So, where do you want to go Drei?” she asked with a smile. Wondering if he even liked the nickname, maybe she should explain that notion to him later in time.