Karac: Kaldar Warriors #1 (4 page)

“Nathan’s ok with it.”  I said.

“Ok with what?”  David asked looking between Nathan and me.

“She’s going to hide out in my house when the 30 days are up.  That way she’s still close to family but not running and being in danger.”  I was a little surprised by Nathan’s explanation because it wasn’t exactly what we discussed but he did have a point. 

“Just live with you?”  David questioned. 
Um…what? 
I looked at Nathan in confusion. 

“Just live with me.”  Nathan restated, not meeting my eyes, while staring down his dad.  That comment wasn’t something I was going to let pass though. 

“What else would I be doing?”  I asked, looking between Nathan and David. 

“I’ll tell you later.”  Nathan responded softly to me.  It didn’t seem like I would get an answer now, and truthfully, I figured that was one small thing I didn’t have to worry about on top of everything else.

“Okay, well, thanks again for the trailer.”  I said as I moved toward the passenger side door.  Before I made it more than a couple steps, Nathan’s voice stopped me. 

“Are you going to bring your stuff here or…”  Nathan looked at me expectantly.  I hadn’t really thought of that either.  My forethought skills needed some serious work. 

“I think it’d be better if she brings all her things home first.”  Dad said.  “Make it look like she was moving back home.  We can bring things over a little at a time over the next month that way.”

“Do I need any furniture or anything?”  I looked at Nathan.

“Uh, well,” he didn’t meet my eyes as he floundered for the words.  “I have a spare bed and dresser you can use.  But I don’t have a dining table…I haven’t got around to buying that yet.”  He actually blushed.  Nathan had been living on his own for over three years.  No table meant that he didn’t really cook for anyone or ate his meals elsewhere. 

“That’s fine, I have one we can use.”

“I also don’t have much for pots and pans, plates, or…night stand if you need them…”  He wouldn’t meet my eyes.  Before I could stop myself, my sarcasm came out.

“You do have running water, right?”  I smiled to lighten my teasing.

“Yes, running water is a go.”  He was blushing but managed a smile in return. 

“Ok well, I have most of those things if you don’t mind me invading your house with all of it.”

“No, not at all.”  He grinned at me sheepishly.  I was trying to keep the shock off my face as much as possible. 

“Ok then.”  I looked to Dad who was trying to keep a smirk from his face.  “Ready to go?”

“After you.”  We waved to both David and Nathan as they watched us pull away.  James was playing happily with his toy cars in the back seat.  I looked at Dad to see him still trying to smother a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”  I questioned, although, I had a pretty good idea what he was laughing at. 

“You should have seen your face.”  At this point he started laughing in earnest.

“What’s so funny, Grandpa?”  James asked from the backseat. 

“Ashley was just surprised was all,” Dad said still chuckling. 

“Well, seriously, how has he functioned the past three years without that stuff?”

“He’s a guy, Ashley.  And we knew he didn’t spend his money on just anything.”

“Yeah, but pots and pans? And plates?  Those are kind of essential, don’t you think?”  I shook my head in disbelief. 

“Not to a guy that probably uses paper plates or eats at his mom’s house every day.”

“Jesus, I’m going to starve to death!”  I huffed in exasperation and closed my eyes.

“Hardly.  Your mom and I will make sure you have enough food.”

“I can’t expect you to feed me.”  I stated firmly as I looked back at him. 

“Oh, and how are you going to pay for it?  You’re not going to have a job, remember?”

“I’ll think of something.”  I grumbled, looking out the passenger side window.

Dad left our argument at that as we pulled back into his yard.  I was going to need my strength and wits in order to get everything done that I needed to in the next 30 days.  I sighed.  30 days…and counting. 

*******************************************

D-Day had arrived.  30 days was up the previous night as I watched the digital clock in my nightstand turn to midnight.  No phone anymore to check the time.  No phone to call my family, text my friends, check my emails, play my games.  I sighed.  This was going to be hard.  I spent the past few weeks tying up loose ends.  In a way, I felt like I had some terminal illness and I was saying goodbye to everyone.  Because, let’s face it, I was.  I was officially in isolation.  Self-imposed, yes, but still isolation.  We checked everything off that god-awful list that we could think of that needed to be done.  If I didn’t have my family I’m not sure I could have pulled it off. 

Sometimes I think about all the other women that are striking out on their own because they don’t feel the registration is within the government’s right to impose.  I’d have to agree with them.  So far I haven’t heard any news on what magnificent technology or medical information we were supposed to receive from the Kaldarhns.  Has cancer been cured?  No.  Has teleporting been invented?  No.  So what did all those women who voluntarily signed up have to look forward to?  A month of wooing from the warriors of Kaldar.  Sounded all fine and dandy if you forgot the part about them taking you from your home, forever. 

Apparently the Kaldarhns were a warrior race.  Which would explain the sword handles sticking out above the backs of Karac’s bodyguards.  A week ago the smug aliens finally realized that they should probably share more information about their race since only about an eighth of the world’s female population in the desired age range were registered.  I had to laugh when that news came out.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the way things were headed. 

So, to encourage more naive women to register, they put out a biography on their race that summarized their home world and their history.  It was an interesting read, I mean, it was history of an alien race, who wouldn’t read it?  I was still unmoved to register.  The bio they gave was pretty basic anyways.  It gave the name of their planet, something about how 27 planets were all under one form of government, females were adored and lavished with anything they could want, the males protected the females with their life, yada yada yada.  It was hard to get used to their word choice.  Where we said women, they said females.  Men were warriors or males.  It was still unclear how much power the Kaldarhns actually wielded.  They had swords for Christ’s sake.  But they could also travel through space.  Kind of a warped reality in my opinion.  I don’t think I was the only one who, after reading the bio, still didn’t register.  No new number had been released, but I hadn’t heard of any women flocking to the stations to register. 

We erased my connection to the world in stages, to try to alleviate any red flags that might make the Kaldarhns or our own law enforcement take notice, sooner rather than later.  No word was given on how they were monitoring us, or even if they were.  We took precautions anyways. 

That representative of theirs, Karac, had appeared many times on TV, answering questions, glaring at reporters, and overall being a huge pain in Earth’s ass.  I don’t know why or how he expected total compliance from us women.  I mean, were their women that intimidated that they did everything they were told?  Well, wakeup call from Earth.  We do not bow to anyone. 

There was a small part of me that admired Karac each time he came on the screen. 
Small, hardly worth mentioning.
  But who could blame me?  The man,
or warrior
, was like strawberries dipped in chocolate.  Absolutely divine to look at and mouthwatering to try a taste.  I still wasn’t sure if he was a warrior.  He always wore those flowing clothes and no weapons like the two bodyguards flanking him everywhere.  But I could still tell he was built just like the rest of them. 
Oh well, it’s not like I was ever going to find out.
  I made sure I was so far removed from everything there would be no way he or any of his warrior cronies could find me. 

I had talked to some of my single friends over the past couple weeks.  Surprisingly, there were a few that were all over registering.  I think they just wanted a closer look at the alien muscle regardless of the consequences.  A few others were being standoffish on their plans, which I was too, so I could safely assume they had some plan in place like I did.  The last I talked to them I wished them good luck and that I would be in touch in 13 years.  It was a standing joke among us. 

My job wasn’t too hard to give up.  The Monday after the announcement, I gave my two weeks’ notice and took quite a few vacation days coming my way.  I had enough to plan and get ready for that the transition from full employment to jobless didn’t really faze me.  I finished my “job” from home so that we could carry on the pretense of me going to Anne’s to stay.  I had a plan anyway on how to support myself.  I always thought writing books would be fun, so I made the decision to spend my time in Nathan’s house writing stories.  Some stories could be about the exact situation I found myself in, but when you’re the author, you always know how the story ends.  I’d have control over the fate of my characters. 
Unlike my life, which seemed to be spiraling out of control lately. 

My family was the hardest to say goodbye to.  Yeah, I’d still see them occasionally, but we couldn’t make it obvious that Nathan was chummy with my family.  Because if the Kaldarhns ever did come looking, the neighbor down the road would be a hot spot for sure. 

I was now at Nathan’s house, because I wanted to be there when D-day hit.  Just in case there was some freaky fast alien way of identifying me as a non-registered.  I wasn’t taking the chance.  My parents drove me down to Nathan’s around ten last night.  It was pretty hard.  Emotional on my Mom’s part, again.  Just think what it would have been like if I had decided to run.  I probably would have given Mom a heart attack. 

Nathan stood a few feet away as I gave Mom and Dad one last hug.  I smiled, hiding how much I was breaking inside.  Neither of my parents said a word as I turned to Nathan.  Everything had already been said.  Nathan was looking at me with concern in his eyes.  I think, even though we tried to minimize how much interaction we had in the past weeks, he was getting better at reading me.  Not something I was entirely comfortable with but couldn’t be helped either. 

As I came up beside him he placed a reassuring hand at my back as we made our way into the house.  I didn’t turn to wave as my parents drove out of the driveway.  We stopped in the dining room, which now had a table by the way, and I looked around.  This was going to be where I lived for the foreseeable future.  I wondered how long I could keep my “everything’s going to be fine” act up.  I gave Nathan a weak smile, told him goodnight, and went up to my room.  He slept in the finished basement so we had plenty of space between us.  At first I thought it was funny.  He said he never went upstairs so I could have the whole space to myself. 

After last night, tossing and turning, I came to realize it was hard to sleep when I felt so alone in my new home.  The sun was shining now with the new morning, betraying the cloudy mood inside me. 
Suck it up Ashley, time to make the most of it.
Sighing, I got up and started my new life as a fugitive. 

Karac

“What do you mean only 15% have registered?”  Karac growled across his desk as the warrior tech shifted uneasily in front of him.  Karac knew he was in a foul mood.  Things were not progressing as he had planned.  They were in Karac’s office which overlooked the blue-white planet below.  His office, referred to as Command, was just off navigation and down the hall from the communication and tech room.  Karac stood up and began pacing in front of the floor to ceiling window with his hands behind his back. 

“That’s just it.  The database is up and running, we had a steady stream coming in at first.  But now, nothing.”  The warrior tech shrugged helplessly.  “Of the estimated population within the age range, we only have 15% of the females registered.”  The tech answered nervously.  Even though the tech was trained as a warrior, they all held a healthy dose of respect and caution for their leader when he was irritated. 

“I thought the bio Darrok suggested we publish was supposed to encourage more females to register?”  Karac couldn’t hide his annoyance with the delay.  He and his warriors
needed
to find their truemates.  There was no other option. 

“Well, we saw a small influx after that news release, but again, we are only at 15%.”  The tech replied.

“Where is Darrok?  Why isn’t he reporting to me?”  Darrok was, after all, Karac’s head communication and tech warrior.  Karac didn’t even know this tech’s name but at least he had seen him around before. 

“Darrok was off duty when you requested the information.  I was selected to present the current information to you.”  The warrior seemed to think he drew the short straw.  Karac left that for another time.  His warriors were loyal to him and he knew when he was in a mood, most warriors steered clear of him.  But trying to make the warrior more comfortable was the least of his concerns.  The tech was a warrior after all.  He could handle one of Karac’s moods. 

“And the Earth governments?  What are they saying?”  Karac stopped behind his chair and gripped the back for patience while he glared in the tech’s direction, his frustration taking hold. 

“They haven’t implemented any laws as punishment for not registering.  Most of the governments are saying it goes against people’s rights.”  The tech took a step back as Karac’s face lit up with fury. 

“We agreed to share our knowledge in exchange for their females!”  Karac exploded. 

“I realize that, but I think they were waiting to see what action we would take after the 30 days were up.”  The tech pointed out bravely.  Karac had to give the warrior credit.  Thinking back on his dealings with the Earth governments, he huffed in frustration.  He knew he should have showed more force with them but he didn’t want to let on that the Kaldarhns were a warrior race in the beginning.  He’d had to be careful in the press conferences on Earth to maintain ambiguity when he talked about his fellow warriors.  The last thing he needed was humans thinking they wanted to take over the planet.  All he wanted was a few thousand females for his warriors.  Their planet was of no use to him.  Most of the natural resources were depleted.  Little did the humans know that in a few hundred years their planet would be damaged beyond repair due to their own actions.  Shaking his head at their naivety, he looked back at the tech warrior. 

“Well, the deadline has passed.”  Karac shoved away from the chair and resumed his pacing.  “They did not reach the 75% that we agreed upon so we are not required to share our knowledge with them.”  Karac turned back to the window with a smug smile on his face.  “Time to implement the next stage.”

“Yes, sir.  I’ll get our team on it right away.”  The warrior strode purposefully from the room to his tech den down the hall.  Karac sat in a chair facing the bluish-white marble from his ship’s window.  He sighed, knowing that he should have expected this.  After all the intel that was gathered about the planet he knew that the vast majority of the planet’s females were head-strong and did not curtail to orders well.  Also, the governments down there were pigheaded and too steeped in jockeying each other for political gain, so it was hard to know who to trust.  Bring in an unknown species that makes demands to claim the females as mates, and their willingness on the whole was pretty much nonexistent. 

Well, one thing he did like about the humans was their need for records.  Thousands of records.  Karac smiled as he thought of all the females that had unknowingly forfeited their rights by not registering.  His mate was down there, he could feel it.  It was all a matter of time now. 

He turned at a sound from his door to find his longtime friend and head of security, Calzen, smirking from the doorway.

“What did you do to the tech?  He practically ran me over in the hall in his hurry to get away.”

“I may have expressed my frustration a little too clearly.”  Karac grinned as he motioned Calzen to join him.  Calzen was nearly as tall as Karac.  He had short, straight black hair, wide shoulders, narrow hips, and was just shy of Karac’s 6’4” frame.  He was dressed in the usual warrior garb with black boots, black cargo-like pants, but instead of the standard black shirt, Calzen had found an Earth t-shirt that was green.  The shirt had ‘security’ across the upper left chest and when he crossed the room and took a seat, Karac noted it was across his back as well. 

“Nice shirt.”  Karac commented.

“I thought it was fitting.”  Calzen smirked. 

Each of them reclined back as they stretched their long legs out in front.  Both were silent as they gazed at the blue planet before Karac asked, “Did you hear the latest report?”

“Only 15%?  Not very good odds for us, huh?”  Calzen shrugged.  “Especially when you factor in that we can probably only count on one out of every 100,000 actually being a match.” 

“15% is a starting place.  The warriors can begin their hunt though the records we have, then others as the tech team finds more.” 

“Not everyone will find a mate, you know.”  Calzen tilted his head in reply.  Karac sighed in resignation. 

“I realize that, but some have to be down there.  They are physically compatible with us and the DNA strands are not that different.  The gods wouldn’t be so cruel as to lead us here, give us that information, then not allow us to find one among their billion or so females.”  Karac’s gaze returned to the planet floating in front of them. 

“How long will we stay?  The warriors understand the need for females but we have been searching and absent from our home planet for years.”

“I have a feeling this is our last stop before returning home.”  Karac replied softly. 

“A feeling, Karac?  You’re going with your gut on this one?”  Calzen quirked an eyebrow at Karac. 

“Yes, it has served me well in the past.”  Karac grinned. 

“Yes, I suppose it has.  How about an estimate, then?  Months?  Years?”

“If we find suitable mates on this planet, I will not make our warriors return without each of them having a chance to search.  I will arrange shuttles between our world and this one so newly mated couples may return home while unmated warriors may remain to search.”  Karac’s gaze returned to the planet below. 

“That would require substantial resources to support that mission.”  Calzen commented, his gaze also straying back to the planet. 

“Yes it will, but the future of our world depends on our warriors finding their truemates.  There is no cost that exceeds that need.”

“True.”  Calzen paused for a minute while looking down at the planet.  “Do you think she’s down there?”

“Yours or mine?”  Karac asked quietly. 

“Either…both.”  Calzen shrugged. 

“Ever since this planet came on our screens I have felt a need to be here.”  Karac answered softly.  “There is something about this planet that draws me.  I’ve never felt it before.”

“I felt it to.  As well as some of the other warriors.  Do you think it is a connection to our mates?”

“I don’t know.”  Karac shook his head.  “None of the texts say anything about this.  I’ve never heard anything like it before either.”

“Well one can hope, right?”  Karac could hear the optimism in his friend’s voice. 

“Yes, one can hope.”  They both turned and started down at the planet that pulled at their very souls.