Protected By The Alien Bodyguard by Ella Maven

One

Cravus

“This one is harmless,” the Rogastix said, pointing at a furred beast cowering in the back corner of its cage. “Its former owner filed down all its teeth, so even if it snaps, it’s not going to do any damage.” He looked me up and down with a smarmy smirk. “Guess it would take a bigger animal to hurt you, huh?”

I just stared at him. Anything could cause pain if it felt threatened enough. Even a toothless rodent. Also, I had no desire to be friendly with this scum. The entire job, even though it was sanctioned by the Rinian Council, made my skin crawl. All these creatures had a purpose, even the warpel who had no eyes or ears and crawled along the bottom of his cage on tiny hairs. They’d all been rescued from abusive owners by the galaxy’s Rinian Council, but many were so traumatized, I wasn’t sure what kind of life they’d be able to lead moving forward. We’d be delivering them to the Council in the capital city of Haliya.

When I didn’t smile or answer back, the Rogastix swallowed thickly and walked along the platform of cages. Ahead of us, a few Kulks were working to hitch the load behind a hover truck for the upcoming trip. The Rogastix kept pointing out various creatures, letting me know which had bad temperaments and could potentially cause a problem.

I finally spoke up after being told the beak of a yihk was sharp enough to pierce even my toughened scales. “What is the purpose of this?”

The Rogastix paused and slowly turned on a heel to face me. “What?”

“I’m here to guard the shipment, not take care of them. Correct?”

His jaw flapped a moment before he nodded. “Correct.”

“So, the purpose?”

He sniffed and smoothed his braided jacket which was frayed in several places. “I thought you’d be interested.”

“I’m not,” I turned around and headed back down the aisle between the cages. Maybe the Kulks needed help with the hitch. The cages smelled, as feces buckets hadn’t been changed in what seemed like rotations.

I didn’t want to think about the last time any of these creatures had been bathed. They were fed, but it seemed like many didn’t have appetites as the bricks of gelled protein sat untouched on the floor of many cages.

A slight breeze blew through, giving me the scent of fresh air and another scent, something familiar, but also not. I stopped abruptly and turned my head. I thought the cage beside me was empty, but when I peered closer, a creature in the corner barely stirred. Long, dark, matted hair hung nearly to the floor, covering its face.

I caught the smell again, and I knew it came from this creature, who had covered itself with a large, raggedy scrap of fabric.

“Ah, this one,” the Rogastix spoke up behind me. “We’re not sure what it is. Tried to take care of all that hair, and it screamed so loudly, I swore my eardrums would rupture.” He wiggled a clawed finger in his ear.

I couldn’t see any paws or claws, just a trembling form huddled under a blanket. I crept closer, and the creature moved slightly. A green eye with a round pupil peered at me from between two matted chunks of hair, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone. I spotted a gelled protein bar near the creature, half-eaten. I’d had one before, and knew they tasted terrible. This creature had to be starving to attempt to eat it.

“I thought you weren’t interested?” The Rogastix’s slimy voice penetrated my thoughts.

I turned, only just now realizing I’d dropped to a crouch in front of this creature’s cage. Rising to my feet slowly, I glared at him but didn’t bother with a response.

“Horry!” a voice rang out from the side of the platform of cages.

“Coming!” The Rogastix called back. He went to pat me on the shoulder, but my narrowed eyes stopped him. He let out a nervous laugh. “I’m needed so, I’ll just … go take care of that.”

He trotted down the aisle and hopped off the end of the platform, leaving me alone with the cages and creatures.

The one in front of me hadn’t moved again, and something about its smell made my chest tight. I dug in my pack slung over my back, finding a pack of dried fruit and some jerky. I reached through the bars of the cage, and the creature, seeing I’d invaded its space, surged forward. I yanked my hand back just as small blunt teeth clacked together near the bars accompanied by a rumbling growl. Content its warning had been conveyed, it once again retreated to the back corner in a trembling ball of rags and hair.

I started at it, still unsure why I was drawn to this thing when I couldn’t even see it well. Moving quicker this time, I dropped the food right inside the front of the cage. “Chew it well,” I murmured as I stood up.

I wiped my hands together and forced myself to walk away. My job was not to care for these creatures, or form bonds with them, or anything else of the sort. I didn’t even need to see them. My only job was to accompany the truck as it traveled to the capital to make the delivery and make sure we weren’t raided by bandits.

Simple.

I had my morning star strapped to my back, because I was better in close combat. As a Kaluma, I had the ability to camouflage to my surroundings, rendering me invisible to enemies and preventing them from firing at me from a distance.

I stepped down onto the ground and ignored the way my boots felt in the long grass. Planet Gorsich wasn’t home, and I longed for the salty smell of the freshas drifting from the coast and the way the vines felt on my palms as I swung from my hut to gorge on the afternoon meal. I’d be home on Planet Torin as soon as this job was completed.

My friend and fellow Kaluma warrior Bosa had been happy to take on the off-planet jobs, and while I worried about his safety and lack of self-preservation, I had been glad I’d been able to stay at our settlement to help rebuild. But he arrived home from his latest mission injured and with a human mate. So now it was my turn to carry the burden, and I was happy to do it. That didn’t mean I didn’t miss home, though.

As if they knew I was thinking about it, the comm in my ear buzzed. I pressed on the button on my earlobe to answer the call and hadn’t gotten one word out before Bosa’s voice shouted in my ear. “Where are you?”

I understood that Gurla, the Kaluma female who usually took care of the job details, was busy with her pregnant mate, but leaving Bosa in charge had been a terrible idea. He was nosy, loud, and annoying. All on purpose. He’d been my friend since we were babes, but I still wanted to deck him upside the head often.

“Where do you think I am?” I answered with a sigh as I leaned against the side of the platform of cages to watch the Kulks work on the hitch.

“Cravus? Giving me attitude?” Bosa laughed. “Is someone homesick?”

I sniffed. “No, I’m fine. Just bored.”

“Gurla gave you an easy job to start with. Which is some bullshit if you ask me. My first job was tracking down a cool dozen Uripon thieves, and you get a cushy protection detail.”

“Bullshit?”

“I learned it from Karina.”

His human mate, who I actually really liked. I wasn’t sure how she put up with Bosa all the time, but she looked at him like he made the sun rise and fall. An odd ache in my chest made me wince, and I scratched at the scales there. “Well, Gurla likes me better than you.”

Bosa laughed again. He did that more now since he’d been home with his mate. “That’s the truth. Everyone does. Except for Karina.”

I heard a higher pitched voice in the background, and knew his mate was close by.

“Why did you call?” I asked.

“I can’t just check in to say hi?”

“It’s wasting my time.”

He snorted. “Wasting his time, he says,” Bosa muttered. “All right, well get in touch if you need anything.”

“I’ll see you when the job is completed, and I have secured the credits.”

“Right. Get home safe.”

“Always,” I answered before ending the call.

I kept my eyes on the Kulks as they fumbled around with their clunky armor. I never fully understood why they wore all of that, but then they weren’t fast or particularly skilled, so they needed all the protection they could get. For most species, they were hard to kill, but I’d taken a few out before and knew where all their armor weak points were. Mostly in the neck. I’d seen a few Drixonian warriors—allies of ours—use their spikes to cut right through the armor like it was paper.

Finally, a whistle went up, signaling the hover vehicle was attached and we were ready to leave. I hopped up onto a ledge of the cage platform and after a quick wave to the Rogastix who’d given me that sad tour earlier, I blanked. My scales clicked, turning to blend me into my surroundings, so I’d be invisible to oncoming attackers.

I couldn’t hold the blank indefinitely, but this trip wasn’t long. By the time I tired, we’d be at our destination, safe and sound. And then I could get home. Bosa was right, I had gotten the cushy job. A beginning of a smile curled my lips just as the platform jerked forward, and we were off.

* * *

Mouse

The big bronze warrior was gone. I could hear his deep voice outside, and although I didn’t know what he was saying, I at least knew he was gone.

He’d dropped something in my cage, and I slowly crept forward. Skags—a furred creature in the cell next to me, squawked with caution. He’d scared me at first, but now he was pretty much my only friend. He liked to pick the bugs out of my hair that made my scalp itch, while I scratched this spot on his back that he couldn’t reach with his paws.

I poked at the pile that looked like a bunch of small stones, until the scent reached my nose. The smell reminded me of something, but I couldn’t place it, just like I couldn’t remember anything. All I remembered of my life was in this cage. These rags. This hair in my face. I didn’t know my name or what I was, only that I didn’t look like anything I’d seen on this planet so far. I’d studied the face and eyes of my reflection on the rare times I’d been blessed with a bowl of water to drink. And I was wholly unlike anything.

But that smell… it was edible. I just knew it. I picked up one of the brown stone-like things and studied the texture. The claws on my hands were blunt and soft, not like most of the animals around me. Skags had sharp claws, but mine were pathetic. I didn’t seem to have much physical defenses, but I was intelligent, or at least I seemed to be.

My captors had given me some tests, and I’d apparently surprised them with my abilities just because I was able to open some metal contraptions. They had food inside—of course I was going to get inside even if it killed me.

The small pebble had a soft surface, and when I licked it, I found I liked the taste. I popped it in my mouth and chewed. The flavor was familiar, and I enjoyed it so much that I scarfed down more before I could stop myself. I was just so damn hungry and all I’d had to eat for what felt like thirty days were the gel bars they tossed in my dirty cage. I slipped Skags a few through the bars of our cages and he munched on them while sending out a soft purr. I scratched his ears, and he twitched his nose at me.

There were some other objects left, a few colored stones. I grabbed them and hid them in one of the folds of my blanket for later.

The air around me seemed to rumble, and I jerked my head up as Skags sent out a distress signal, just as we began to move. I didn’t know what was happening. I’d learned a few words from my captors, but they’d been talking fast lately, using words I didn’t know, and I hadn’t understood a single word that big bronze warrior had said.

I didn’t bother talking much anymore. I could form a few words in a language that my captors didn’t recognize, but sometimes my thoughts got jumbled, and the sequence of sounds didn’t come out right in a way that made sense.

Skags reached through the bars of his cage for me, and I scooted closer. We’d become comforts to each other. I liked his soft fur, and he liked… Well, I wasn’t sure why he liked me. He was long with a flexible body, but his claws were huge, as well as his eyes. His teeth could cut through my thin skin, but he’d never bitten me, not once. He didn’t bite the captors either, not after we saw what they did to a creature who bit so hard he drew blood. I shuddered at the memory.

Skags had six paws and a long tail with a barb on the end. When angry, he could flare out a flap of skin around his neck, making him appear twice his size, which I thought was a damn cool trick.

“Okay,” I said to Skags as he rubbed his head on my palm which I’d stuck through the bars. He let out another squeak as the wind rushed through our cages, whipping my hair around my face. While I liked hiding behind my hair, I longed for the day I could cut it. For some reason, I got the sense I used to keep my hair short.

Sometime.

Another life.

Or maybe this one... Before I’d lost my memory.

Because I knew enough to realize that— that I hadn’t always been a filthy mouse in a cage. I’d been something once.

Someone else.

Clean, well-fed, and happy.

But when? And how had I gotten here?

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, making me feel like someone was watching me. I peeked through my hair at the other cages, but no one was paying attention to me. Slowly, I turned, and through a tear in the canvas covering our cages, I could have sworn I saw the blurred image of an eye. But in a flash, it was gone, and all that was visible was blue and purple trees rushing past as we tore over the ground.

Life seemed to get worse every time I was transported, so I didn’t have high hopes. I wished I could get Skag and I to safety. But I didn’t even know what safety was. Sometimes I wondered if I was safer in this cage than out there. Wherever there was.

I sighed and dropped my chin to my knees. For once, my belly had something different to gnaw on, and fatigue set in until my eyes closed and I drifted off, one hand still holding Skag’s paw.

* * *

“What’s my name?”

The bronze-scaled warrior hoisted me in the air and settled me on his lap. His big hands spanned my entire waist, his clawed thumbs touching my bellybutton. “You don’t know, little kotche?” His nose brushed mine, and I caught a whiff of his breath—like spiced vanilla.

“I want you to say it,” I bounced on his lap, and felt his cock hardening against me. His bright blue eyes flashed.

“Careful, kotche,” he murmured, his thumbs beginning to move lower. “We don’t have time right now.”

“Say my name,” I whispered, swiping my lips across his with a grin. “And then I’ll stop teasing.”

His chest rumbled with a kind laugh. “Well now I don’t know if I want you to stop teasing.”

I glanced over to the side and spotted a large warrior walking toward us—he had a spiked bat strapped to his back, and at his side was a creature with long dark hair and pale skin the texture of mine. She’s one of you, my mind told me.

His thumbs touched a spot between my legs that made me jerk and moan as a liquid heat spread to my limbs. “Kotche, your name is—”

Suddenly an explosion lit up the sky. The warrior and his mate who’d been walking toward us were suddenly gone. I whirled around, but the bronzed warrior was slipping away from me as if being tugged from behind. “No!” I cried out, grabbing for his hand. Our fingers locked, and he stared right into my soul with those fluorescent eyes like lasers. “Don’t let go of me. I know your name.”

* * *

I opened my eyes to chaos. Creatures all around me were screeching. The tarp covering our cages was in shreds, and I could see talons the size of my arm slicing into the fabric. Shouts echoed from outside as laser fire shot over our heads. One soared right past my head, and I caught the scent of my burning hair just as I saw the laser hit the creature in the cage across of me, killing it instantly.

Our cages were still being pulled across the ground, but not for long, as something seemed to hit a wheel and instantly we were airborne—and not in a good way. The cages, stacked on top of each other, toppled. Skags and I were on the bottom. I heard his squawk and watched as his eyes went round and panicked just as our cages smashed to the ground. I hit the side of mine, and I must have blacked out for a second, because when I came to, Skags was in my cage with me.

My head pounded, and my vision swam. Something warm and wet dripped down the side of my head. I tossed my matted hair out of my face to see Skags’ cage smashed a few feet away. Mine wasn’t in any better condition. Two bars had been wrenched from the top, providing a hole. Scooping up Skags, I threw myself through the bars, ignoring the pain when a jagged piece tore a hole in my side.

I tripped over my rags and hit the ground before telling myself to calm down and assess the situation. Glancing around, I saw nothing but smoke, laser, fire, bodies, and battle. Something had attacked our caravan.

Massive, winged creatures with scales and long tails circled the cages, and I watched in horror as they picked off my fellow captives one by one, flying away with them to … who knew where? I clutched Skags tighter, who thankfully had fallen silent, probably as shell-shocked as I was. The winged creatures were working with some others on the ground, large hulking things with bulbous eyes and V-shaped mouths.

A shriek caught my ears a little too late, and I felt a talon grasp the fabric at my back. “No!” I screeched, flailing as it sought to rise into the air with me. Its grip was faulty, and I dodged the creature’s other foot as it tried to grab for my head. A fang-lined mouth snapped at me, and I swung a fist at it, catching it in the side of the head. That only angered it, and I swore it was going in for the kill when a spiked ball slammed into the side of its face.

Immediately its grip on me loosened, and I dropped to the ground in a crouch, whirling around to find the bronzed alien, the one who’d given me food, the one who’d been in my dreams, standing over me. He was covered in a dark liquid and looked a bit unsteady on his feet. His eyes were feverishly bright. He spat out a few words, but I had no idea what he said, as his language was foreign to me. He reached for me, and for some reason, my brain told me to trust him. I slipped my hand in his and rose to my feet just as his body jolted.

I gasped as he swayed on his feet, and more slick, black fluid—his blood—poured down the side of his head. Oh no, had he been shot?

I reached for him just as he wobbled and then pitched forward. With a cry, I went down with him, his heavy body slamming on top of mine. Pinned beneath him, I squirmed and pushed, but there was no moving his big body, so I just concentrated on breathing. I could manage to pull some air into my lungs, and I could feel Skags wriggling in the folds of my blanket, so at least we were both alive. As for the warrior who saved me? I wasn’t so sure. I could feel his blood soaking through me, and I tried to listen if I could hear his heart or his breaths, but the battle sounds around me were still raging.

I went still, not having much of a choice and also feeling slightly protected by the big body on top of mine. Even in death, this warrior was still protecting me. I reached up and prodded his chin, thanking him silently for trying his best. I would rather lie here than be carried into the air by those winged things.

The laser fire eventually slowed, and all around us came the horrifying moans and cries of the wounded. Skags had gone mostly still, wedged between me and the warrior’s body. Footsteps sounded nearby, and I held my breath. Something shook the body above mine, and a few voices shouted commands, but they didn’t move him further.

The footsteps retreated. I listened to the rattles of cages and the occasional flapping of wings until silence reigned. Well, almost silence. Against my breastbone, I could feel the slight knock of the bronzed warrior’s heartbeat. His breath tickled the top of my head. He was alive, although not conscious. I heard another flap of wings and braced, but this wasn’t the scaled flying creatures. This was something smaller, with dimpled skin except for furred wings. A giant hooked beak pecked at the warrior’s shoulder, and I immediately went into defense mode.

“Yah!” I shouted, rocking my body until I was able to get an arm loose. I waved it at the scavenger. “Away!”

The creature only watched me with beady eyes set on either side of its head and pecked at the warrior again. Frustrated and pissed off, I grunted and wriggled and squirmed until I managed to extricate myself from under the warrior’s body. Weak with hunger, dying of thirst, and dizzy from the blow to my head, I tried to face off against our attacker which… now that I got a better look at it, was about the size of me. With a long neck, it towered over me, beak dripping with what I assumed was blood.

Skags charged it, his neck flaps unfurled, but the winged creature lashed out with a spurred foot. I just barely scooped Skags into my arms in time before he got a puncture to the chest. As the creature advanced on me, I glanced around helplessly for something to use. Spotting the warrior’s spiked ball weapon laying on the ground near his body, I lunged for it, and just narrowly avoided a stab to the back as I fell to my knees. My fingers closed around it, and I came up swinging, slamming it into the creature’s neck and effectively preventing it from snapping at me again. Or anyone.

I didn’t look at the creature’s body. I hated the violence, but despite my confusion about myself or this place, my survival instinct was strong. I glanced down at the warrior, who hadn’t moved. His back rose and fell with his deep breaths. Looking up, I could see more of those damn creatures circling overhead, and it would only be a matter of time before another dropped down. All around us lay bodies and the burning remains of the caravan. The smoke would draw attention. Someone would come soon, and I didn’t think that would bode well for me or Skags.

Shoving the weapon into the folds of my rags, I knelt down at the warrior’s side. After a lot of grunting, sweating, and cursing, I managed to roll him over onto his back. I took some time to get my breath back.

“Skags,” I rasped. He had been sniffing around, but at my call, he trotted over. “Help me.” I told him before taking the warrior’s wrists in each of my hands and tugging.

Skags got the clue quickly, the smart little thing, and got a good grip on the warrior’s pants with his teeth. He pulled with me, and although we made agonizingly slow progress, we finally made it to a tree line that provided some cover.

I thought repeatedly I could cover a whole lot more ground if I left the bronzed warrior, but I could still feel the food he’d left me in my pocket. Other than Skags, he’d been the first being on this planet to show me kindness. The image of him saving me from those winged creatures was burned into my brain.

I didn’t know what this was… this feeling that I had to do the right thing. I wasn’t sure any of my captors had that feeling, ever. I’d been kicked, bit, beaten, starved, and spat on. They didn’t care about me, but this warrior with his glowing blue eyes and deep calm voice made me want to do something kind. If it got me killed, then so be it.

I dragged him further into the forest, until my legs stopped working and I collapsed onto the ground. My elbows buckled, and I hit the dirt face first. Rolling onto my back, I coughed up dried leaves until Skags came over and ran his raspy tongue over my face.

Groaning, I dug in my pocket for the food the bronzed warrior had left me. Shoving the rest into my mouth, I barely chewed before swallowing. After that, I searched the warrior. I wasn’t any good to either of us without something to drink, and luckily he had a canteen on him. I drank as little as I dared, terrified we wouldn’t find another source of fresh water any time soon.

Then, I inspected the warrior. He had short white hair and swirls of white marks across his chest and neck. I touched them gingerly, but they were a part of him—a discoloration of his scales, but in a very distinct pattern. He wore a strap across his chest where he kept his weapon. I’d remembered seeing that when he’d been outside my cage. His belt held a plethora of things—freeze dried fruits, salted and cured meats, as well as a skin of water. I chewed a small bit of the meat and gave some to Skags. He also had sharp spikes on the caps of his shoulders in varying lengths, which looked like deadly weapons all on their own.

Assessing the warrior’s injuries, I determined he’d been hit in the head with laser fire. It hadn’t pierced his scalp, but it had taken off a large chunk of his ear. The hole there was clotted with blood, which was sticky and black.

I didn’t dare waste the water cleaning him, but I wished I had something to attend to his wounds. I continued to dig through his belt, finding a satchel of supplies, but none that were familiar to me.

Frustrated, since I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible, I dug a slight impression in the ground and settled him in there, hoping the dirt there was cooler. I didn’t like the heat of his skin when I touched him. What if he died in his sleep tonight?

Too tired to do much else, I curled up at his side and Skags nestled in with me. I needed to rest before I moved us again. We were under the cover of a dense bush with massive leaves, but this warrior was a bronze god who seemed to reflect the sun. Couldn’t he be more inconspicuous?

I looked up, seeing a glimmer of the sky through the trees, and waited for dark. The plus side? I wasn’t in a cage. And I’d die before anyone put me in one again.