Alien Breed

Naomi notices that I’m tense. She kisses my bicep and whispers, “What’s wrong?”

I try to smile. I try to remain optimistic because I know how long they’ve been waiting for this moment. But at this time, I’m waiting to face the men that might try to kill me.

I’m in full predator mode, ready to defend the second chance I’ve been given.

I groan. “This is no time to celebrate. Earth Federation will check the interior. They will take me from you.”

They’ll test on all of us. Me, her, and our baby.

Hugh pours me a glass, but the contents taste sour.

Lost in their happiness, Hugh and Roy laugh and congratulate each other.

She holds me, vowing never to let go again, but it’s not enough consolation. We are facing an army. No – we are facing an entire planet.

Everything we have gone through led us to this moment. I just can’t bear to lose her now.

The starship’s entrance bay opens. Standing on the edge is Earth Federation Customs officials. Their suits are dark black, and they wield strange weapons I’ve never seen before.

The officials step aside allowing for a tall, dark figure to walk through.

He is not human. He’s an… alien?

He peers at us through small slits.

“Wait a second,” I whisper.

“I need everyone’s papers,” the alien calls out.

Naomi digs through the interior, scrambling to find the old identification cards. “They’re in here somewhere,” she says. “Just one-second.”

The men surround her, watching carefully as she pushes aside a box of old documents. Finally, she finds the five badges.

She hands all five to the dark alien and stare at his glistening scales, avoiding all eye contact.

For a moment, he is silent as he scans them into a small tablet. After a few minutes pass, he hands them back.

“There are five badges, but there are only four of you,” he says.

“Our computer guy, Fassbender went missing,” she tells him. “We believe he lost his life.”

He looks at us with pleasured disbelief. “What mission was this specifically? We have no record in our database,” he replies.

Naomi gulps and stutters. “We were sent on behalf of Earth Federation in the year 2093. We were on a mission to find life,” I say. “We landed on our destination, but everyone was dead.”

Finally, the alien stares at me. Cautiously, he steps forward, mystified. “And this is your prisoner?”

This time, Roy raises his voice. “No, sir.”

“Then who is he? I have never seen his race before,” he says.

I keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to change his mind about any preconceived notions.

One of the other men groans. “Sir, let’s just take them into processing before it gets dark out. I’m ready to go home.”

The general puts up his hand. “Who is the alien, then?”

“He saved our life on behalf of Earth Federation,” Naomi says.