A Soldier in Love (20 page)

“I’ve got a stop to
make on Kano,” Serik said as he configured their path.

“OK,” Michelle replied
apprehensively.

“It’s a safe place.
It’s a trade planet but I think you’ll like it,” he added sensing the tone in
her voice.

“Strap in,” he said.

Michelle nodded and
fastened herself into the copilot’s chair. She sat quietly and looked at the
viewscreen down at the approaching planet. A few minutes later he began to pull
the ship down. Michelle clung to her seatbelt like contraption. She didn’t know
if she would ever get used to getting hurled through different atmospheres.

She felt the rapid
acceleration slowly lesson as they got closer. She looked out the viewscreen
and to her surprise the approaching planet was pink. With a name like Kano she
expected something a bit more dreary or masculine.

“The planet is pink?”
she asked.

“Yeah, that is the fog
surrounding the atmosphere. I don’t think it is as big as your planet, most are
not. I think you will like it here. Everyone is friendly, even to me,” Serik
said with a smirk.
 

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah, ‘
cause
it’s a trade planet and they want your money. I just
have to make a delivery and then I wanted to show you around if you’re feeling
up to it.”

“Of course!
I’d love to see another planet besides Redex,”
Michelle smiled.

“Don’t worry, baby I
will never take you any where even close to Redex conditions.”

“Where are we going to
stay? Are there hotels on other planets or do we stay in the shuttle?” Michelle
inquired.

“Yes, there are
establishments somewhat similar to your Earth hotels on some planets but we
will stay with my friend, Bock.”

“Is he from Baat?”
Michelle asked.

“Yeah, he is. He was
also in the Baat explorations,” he explained.

Michelle nodded as she
looked out the viewscreen. She could finally see past all of the pink fog. There
was a lot of vegetation. She knew better than to guess they were trees. She
could see a vast area of blue. She wondered if it was an ocean or something
else.

“We’re almost to the
docking zone,” Serik said.

Michelle felt the
shuttle lose more and more speed until they were finally at a stop.

***

Serik led the way as
they made their way onto a path. Michelle looked around at their surroundings.
To her surprise it reminded her of Earth except the coloring was off. The dirt
beneath her boots was a gray color but from what she could tell it had the same
consistency of dirt on Earth. She looked up to several tall trees covered in
red vines. The pink fog hung in the sky behind the vegetation and mountains. It
was unlike anything she had ever seen before; it was breathtaking. She could
hear the soft sound of what was similar to birds cawing in the far off
distance.

Michelle took a deep
breath in and then another.

“Serik, this is going to
sound stupid but the air here…” Michelle began.

“It is easy to
breathe?” he replied.

“Well, yeah exactly,” Michelle
replied feeling kind of silly.

“That’s because this
planet does not have as much pollution as yours did. The air is also not as
dense here thus making it easier to take into your lungs,” he explained.

“Did you tell Bock I
was coming?” Michelle asked.

Serik nodded. “Of
course but I’m not sure he believed me. Let’s get something to eat first; he
said he can’t meet us until closer to sundown.”

It’s like I’m on vacation with my boyfriend
, Michelle mused to herself.

No, you’re not. You’re a homeless vagrant, AWOL from
the Earth Army at the mercy of alien man you barely know,
a
snidey
little voice
from the back of her head hissed.

Then why do I love him? Why does he care for me and
keep me safe? Why does he make me feel this way?
 

They made their way
into the town on a shuttle cart. It reminded Michelle of a train, just not as
nice.

“Michelle, let me carry
your pack,” Serik said breaking her thoughts.

She shook her head.

“Let me,” he said
reaching for her pack. She stepped backwards.

“No, a soldier always
carries her own pack,” Michelle replied with an unrelenting seriousness.

“Michelle, I can carry
these things for you,”

She shook her head.
“They are not heavy. I feel safer if they are on me.”

They are all I have, I can’t risk losing them.

He sighed. He wished
she trusted him more.

Michelle felt rushed as
the strange variety of creatures passed around her as they made their way into
the city. Michelle looked around at the different beings that surrounded her.
She soon realized that not everyone looked as human as Serik did. She quickened
her pace to match Serik’s and reached out to grab his hand. She gave it a
squeeze and looked up to him. “Is this acceptable here?”

He smiled. “It is
almost always acceptable any planet you visit.”

He gave her hand a
squeeze and they continued on and made their way down the busy streets. It
reminded Michelle a lot of New Shanghai with the many sights, sounds, smells,
the busy crowded streets, the hustle and bustle.

“You OK?” Serik asked.

“Where are those people
from?” Michelle whispered and nodded her head towards a giant blue scaly duo. They
were even taller than Serik.
 

“They are from
Xuma
,” he replied casually.

She looked around, there
was no one that looked like her or that looked like Serik for that matter.
Hardly anyone around her looked human at all. She saw creatures of all sorts,
some with multiple arms and legs. Some that reminded her fish and some that
reminded her of birds.

She straightened her
back suddenly feeling very short in comparison to the others that surrounded
her.
 
It was strange to feel short. On Earth
Michelle had always been tall for a woman She was almost always taller than the
other women around her and about the same height as most of the men. Although
she missed the power of her former height, she also felt strangely feminine.
She wondered if this is what it was like to feel petite and feminine.

Michelle looked around
and took in the sights. After walking for what seemed to be an hour or so, they
were finally at some sort of marketplace. The further they made their way in,
the more crowded it became. There were different vendors and people everywhere.
The buzz of people haggling and bartering echoed through the vast marketplace.
She noticed what she considered normal fruits, vegetables, and perfumes. Then
there were also other items that she was unsure of. She didn’t even know what
they could possibly be used for.

“I feel kind of silly, Serik,”
Michelle admitted.

“Why baby?” he asked
still holding her small hand within his large one.

“I thought almost
everyone would look like me and you,” she replied.

“Well, now you know.
It’s not your fault you’ve never been any where besides Earth and Redex. It’s
OK, just take it all in,” he smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze.

Michelle smiled back.
His touch, his words, all of him was incredibly reassuring and sincere.
Although she felt somewhat
unworldly
compared to him, he would never let her really believe it.

“Serik,” Michelle
whispered.

“
Hm
?”
 
he
replied as he
looked up at sign.

“Is it just me or is
everyone looking at us?” Michelle said in a hushed tone as staring eyes from
all sides gazed towards their direction.

“Baby, they are staring
at us because you are one beautiful female and I’m one ugly mother fucker. They
are trying to figure out how you are with me,” he said matter-of-factly before
pulling her closer to him.

He grinned as he looked
down at her. He wanted to kiss her but he knew he shouldn’t.
No, it would only make things worse for both
of us.

“Serik!”
Michelle exclaimed. She was shocked at his words. She always felt like he was
wrong when he called her beautiful. She wasn’t sure what he saw. She had gained
some weight since being under his care and her feminine curves were beginning to
appear again, but she didn’t feel like she was beautiful. She hadn’t thought
about being beautiful since she was a child. In her world, a long time ago
women existed like that. But now, no, she still felt like a soldier and that is
all she was.
                                             

“Baby, sorry it’s true.
Don’t worry you’re mine and though they can look they’d have to go through me
to touch and no one is getting through me. Now come on were almost there,” he
said pushing forward through the crowd and ignoring the intrusive eyes.

Michelle had never
heard Serik be possessive in any way. She hated to admit it but it was nice. It
made her feel safe and secure to know that she was with him. Michelle silently
thanked her lucky stars that Serik had happened to give her a tutorial on
intergalactic dining etiquette as they approached what appeared to be a small
café.

“Why hello my friends!”
an older male exclaimed with a giant smile. He looked somewhat human to
Michelle’s relief. He was tall of course and his skin was a light blue color.
Upon closer inspection Michelle realized he had three eyes; all of which were a
dark brown color. His gray hair was tied back into a long braid.

Is everyone blue on this planet?
Michelle wondered. She looked down at her own pale
skin and suddenly felt very different.

That’s because I’m the alien here,
she realized as she began to feel a little silly.

“Hi there,” Serik
replied graciously.

“What a beautiful mate
you have! Why look at that hair!” The male exclaimed as he flailed his arms
around excitedly.

He moved in closer to
study her, “Human?”

Michelle
nodded.
                  

“I’ve
never met a human before, how exciting! How rare and precious you are,” he
practically squealed in joy.

I guess I am a novelty to these people.

“Sit, sit, here. This
is the best spot! The best spot for the most beautiful female to ever come to
my restaurant.” he said as he ushered the pair to a secluded table.

“Thank you,” Michelle
replied bashfully unsure of sincerity.
 

Michelle looked to Serik
and smiled. She desperately wanted to make a joke about how flamboyant the male
was being but kept it to
herself
. She didn’t want to
hurt his feelings if he had supersonic hearing along with his three eyes.
 

“Everyone seems so…”
she paused. “Friendly.”

“They are,” Serik
replied fumbling with his napkin.

Michelle followed his
lead remembering that he had taught her the napkin in many other worlds was
unfolded and tucked in on the side of the plate by the patron until the meal
was served. There were chopstick-like utensils laid on the table as well.

“They are probably so
friendly because human women are able to mate with almost all species,” Serik
said.

Michelle’s eyes widened
and she sat in silence unsure of what to say.

Serik grinned at her
shyness. “You are considered a thing of beauty.”