The Flare

The Flare

Salona stomped down the gangway separating the upper and lower levels of the station, looking for the room she may have to lock herself in for the next centecycle. Heat flared from her heart down to her limbs, distracting her from the view out the porthole. The humans called it the Alpha Centauri quadrant. It is more commonly referred to as the Feleo system through the other races in the ISC. The station was positioned between the system’s binary suns, Feleo Prime and Feleo Minor, which provided it with a constant stream of solar energy. No Naronian woman had ever witnessed such a sight, yet the majesty of it could not draw her away from the forces ravaging her body. She needed to calm down or risk acting on her impulse to go back and force the poor man to mate.

Her response to him terrified her. How could a being be so beautiful? There was no other word she could think of to describe him, yet it seemed so inadequate. Salona never met a Naronian man taller than her; some were her height exactly, like her brother Leinad. Most just reached her chin. But this man…this human…was at least a head over her if not more, forcing her to look up at him.

His shoulders made her mouth water. Broad, covered with black flame like markings swallowing his arms; she wanted to run her tongue along each line. She wanted to know if they tasted different than the pink of his skin.

Stop!

She had to maintain control! If she stayed in control maybe this would just pass. It could just ebb away. It could be a false flare! If she just waited it out, then she would take initiative and force him to lose his control. Such an action would allow to easily kill him. If he lost his composure and attempted to take her by force, she could easily justify killing him.

How was she supposed to do that? What if the flare did not stop? If she killed the source of her flare, she may as well kill herself, so dire were the consequences.

Salona dragged her hands across her face. Six millicycles ago she would never consider killing another soul. She was beginning to accept it as inevitable and it disgusted her. How was she supposed to live with herself knowing she ended an innocent life? Sure, she would return home the soft wings of her family. But comfort would only make such a horror stand out starkly in comparison. 

Salona let out a heavy sigh. There was no helping it. What else could be done? She had to assert herself and fast if this was going to work.

Dex squeaked and landed on top of a bookcase. "You certainly didn't help matters!" Salona admonished her little companion for fraternizing with the human. Dex never expressed fondness for anyone except her and suddenly he decides to buddy up to an arrogant human. "Traitor," she huffed.

The little brat jumped onto her shoulder and rubbed his head in her neck. "Oh, now you want my attention?" Salona sniffed, pretending not to notice him. But he only got more aggressive, tickling her neck, and forcing a response from her.

"Ok, ok! Yes, I forgive you!" Salona laughed. "I can even understand," she pursed her lips. The feelings roiling in her belly were as turbulent as the Harkon waterfall cascading from the highest mountain peak. When she visited the famous landmark the thunder of the water pounding to the ground sent quakes through her limbs. How was it this human could create sensations equal only to Naron's natural behemoth?

Dex snuggled into her chest. She sat down, allowing him to burrow into her warmth. Oh, to be as innocent and worry free, she thought. She wished she could tell him what was going on, let him share some of the burden. But he just lay in her arms, blissfully ignorant of the storm inside his master.

Salona has lived one hundred cycles on her home planet and with flare. Not even at the center of the arena where a woman’s flare was supposed to consume her. But she comes 1.2 million light years from home and her first encounter with an alien makes her ignite places she did not know existed. It terrified her.

If this was the flare, she knew what to expect. Hopefully, she was wrong, and this was just nerves over meeting her enemy. But what if it wasn’t?

The complications rushed through her brain. Would she be subject to human law? Would he even be willing to mate with her? The powers on Naron would never allow her back if they knew she willingly involved herself with a human. A human! Even thinking it made her lips quiver with anger.

Drak! What if he did not reciprocate? On Naron it was never a question. If a woman wanted a man, he was responsible for her body and her care. Choice was never an issue.

If this was her flare, she’d need Jake’s cooperation. The idea of begging Jake to mate with her sat sourly at the bottom of Salona's stomach. She knew nothing significant regarding human mating rituals. Even if she felt the desire, what is he was not required to act upon it? He may even find her repulsive. Never had she felt insecure about how a man would respond to her appearance.

Fear swirled deep in Salona's chest.

If he did not want her, she would die. The flare would claim her, and her family’s honor would remain in tatters. Drak! He was supposed to die, not her!

Jerking her duffel bag open, Salona put away her meager belongings. Mixed in her second suit was a toranian box. She sat holding it for a long moment. What was it doing in there? She did not pack it. Toranian was a rare element, found only on the far reaches of Naron in the Inea Nonus. Highly valuable, it was only used when attempting to hide objects from scanners. Whatever this was, it was not good.

Distracted from her body for a slight moment, Salona sat on her bunk with the box in her lap. Inside was a mini data-vid. Flipping open the lid, a holographic image of her father came into view.

"Salona, my child," Her father stopped for a moment and wiped at his eyes.  "I have discovered Geb’s intention to eliminate the human threat and use you to do it."

"I am so sorry, dear daughter. I want you to know, no honor is worth this horror. From this moment forward all choices are yours to make. And whatever choice you make, please know that if you attempt to return to Naron without the human being dead, the consequences will be too high."

Tears welled in Salona's eyes, slipping down her cheek. Her father was subject to Geb's whims as much as her. The Raxtar was assigned secretly. It must have cost her father a lot to discover the nature of her mission.

"If you are the Salona I cherished through my life, then I will know that this is my final goodbye to you. Should you choose to come home, I will embrace you as the precious daughter you are, and I will never judge you. It will be kept in the past and never spoken of again. Whatever choice you make, never doubt you have been a joy to me. And you will always be the jewel of my heart."

The somber image disappeared, leaving her alone, absorbed in her grief. The finality of never again seeing her father, never again feeling the security of his embrace, was enough to send her into a panic.

Salona took the two pills Ged gave her from her pocket and stared at them.

At that moment she wanted to be home more than anything. At that moment she was willing to kill to see his face again. At that moment, the fear mixed indistinguishably with her arousal, screaming into a pitch.