Monday, February 26, 2018

Destination: Titan and some strange revelations.

Since we will soon be leaving Earth
 and heading to Titan,
I thought I'd share the long journey of how this series came to be and why it nearly stalled-out due to our lack of knowledge. 
Fortunately, 
Cassini and NASA brought it back to life.


I wrote the first draft Destination over ten years ago during the best years of my life in which I did nothing but take long hikes with my dog Jess, write novels, and get feedback and suggestions from fellow writers in the yahoo group: Rom Critters. I didn't publish, nor market, nor promote. I just did the three things I loved most: write, hike, and improve.

I had quit my well-paying but stressful job, having determined I had enough to live cheaply for the rest of my life. My house and car were paid in full. I had no husband or children, so I took the risk and gave it a try. So far it's working in all ways.

I'm not starving,
I wrote over 130 novels during those ten years. 
And even with me publishing 11 books a year now, I normally write one or two new ones a year, usually to add to a series, but not always.

After ten years of intense writing, I began to publish due to the constant encouragement of a past fellow Rom-Critter, Rebecca Royce, 4 years ago. Since I started with publishers, matters went slowly for the first two books. I realized I wouldn't get a tenth of my books published at this rate, so I went indie, acquired a great many fabulous editors, learned to create my own covers, and spent all my days improving the mass of books I had previously written. 

After writing Destination: Titan, 13 years ago, I discovered that there was not sufficient information about Titan to write the second book. So I decided to wait until NASA could discover more about Titan.  If not for Cassini, this series may not have ever been published.



Cassini provided far more fodder for my Sci-Fi than I ever expected.

For example, in book two, there is now a 21.75 mile-wide, dinged up, but functional mining ship hanging out in Saturn's outer ring.

Why would I even conceive such a thing?
Simple, it's from the photos Cassini took.

The photo from Cassini shows what looks to be an oval-shaped spaceship with matching giant indentations and interesting ridges that are now marred by comet abuse. It also has pentagon-shaped fins around it. I find the fins most interesting, for unlike the center mass, which has clearly been abused and scarred, the fins appear to be smooth.

Naturally, for Arrival: Titan, I declared this a mining ship in Saturn's outer rings and thus create the crew who lives in it. The reason the ship is so large is because they are mining minerals from the outer layer of Saturns' rings.  Until they fill the massive hulls in the ship, they don't get to go home.

Pan has on occasion seemed to have disappeared, which works perfectly for my story. When the ship is full, it pops back to the planet that requires the minerals.

Thank you, Cassini, for giving me such a fine ship and crew to add to my story.

Next, let us discuss JUPITER.

NASA now believes that Jupiter may not have a solid core at all. In truth, it baffles the scientists and remains a mystery.

So I put on my sci-fi hat and declared it a highly advanced electronic eye-in-the-sky protecting this part of the galaxy from other aliens as the giant mining ship harvest the minerals. Where on earth did I get this idea??? 


From NASA. 

When we look at the south pole of Jupiter, we see pretty shots like this: 

It's rather like Van Gogh is alive and painting planets.


However, when NASA uses False Color Imaging to penetrate deeper, highlighting what is below Van Gogh's beautiful painting, we discover something extraordinary. There appears to be a red-faced lizard-like creature with large eyes staring out, watching over the mining ship, Titan, and much more.  

Now I'm not saying a giant redface lizard creature is inside Jupiter. That would be silly. 

In my sci-fi story, the Lizard lives on the planet we call Boyjilian which transmits signals to Jupiter, allowing the lizard creature, which I named Perv, to watch over the Saturn rings, and several of the moons where sentient creatures exists. 

It also explains why the Boyjilian dims all the time. The dimming is caused by the giant mining ships arriving with their loads and leaving on new mining assignments. Thus explaining why there is no consistency to the dimmings.

Can you see the red lizard with giant eyes and a light green lower jaw with short tentacles within the center below?  The creature is not actually in Jupiter. He's just a three-dimensional image being sent across space into the electrical eye in the sky that we call Jupiter.  At least that is how my Sci-Fi story goes.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Cassini and NASA to provide me such extraordinary fodder for book 2. 

Thank you, Cassini and NASA. You've enriched my story greatly.

One other item of interest...
If you look at the creature in False Color pic
you can see a similarity to the indentations on the spacecraft.
Two large eyes with ridges running up to the forehead. There are even the markings of whiskers at the lower part of the picture, to match those of the creature.
Thus, in my story, the Lizard creatures of Boyjilian, sculpture the face of an important person in their society onto new ships. While the lizards may or may not look the same to us, for these sentients, the various ships can be identified by a unique sculptured leader carved into the ship. 
Thus, while the ship and the creature in Jupiter are not exactly the same, that is to be expected.
However, there is a strong enough resemblance for me to assume they honor their great leaders by carving them into the ship's exterior.

Perv is the current watcher of Saturn and it's moons.
The sculptured mining ship is quite ancient now and is certainly not Perv's image. However, it clearly is a sculpture of an important sentient of the same race as Perv.



Please keep in mind that I write Sci-Fi.
Thus, I am allowed to declare the ship a ship and the planet Jupiter an Electronic Eye in the Sky.
Skyping anyone?


None of these pics have been doctored.
They are what Cassini and NASA provided.

Amazon

Friday, February 23, 2018

Alien Bonds by Carmen Webster Buxter



Welcome to Wakanreo!

For this story, I wanted to create a culture where there was no dating, no marriage, and no divorce. Instead, people pair off only when two (or rarely more!) people meet and a purely biological reaction happens. This means there’s no choice involved, and no backing out. To do this, I created a world called Wakanreo where the dominant, intelligent species is humanoid but obviously not human.

Because biology is in charge, all Wakanrean cultures don’t equate sexual behavior with morality.  Beautiful people have no real advantage in life, and plastic surgeons have a lot less business.  No one is ever judged on who his or her partner is.

The first book in the Wakanreo trilogy is called Alien Bonds because the human protagonist finds herself tied to the world—and to one particular Wakanrean—in a way she never expected.


Carmen Webster Buxton



Blurb:
In Alien Bonds, two lives are changed in an instant. Industrial chemist Dina Bellaire travels all the way to the planet Wakanreo to advance her career. Her carefully planned life goes up in flames the second she meets Kuaron Du, a Wakanrean who makes his living singing ancient songs in a dead language. Both of them know they can’t go back to the way they were before they met. They just have to convince the rest of the universe that what happened to them is real.



Available as a Kindle book or a trade paperback.



Excerpt:
For a brief visit to Wakanreo, here’s an excerpt from the beginning of Alien Bonds. Dina, the protagonist, is still very new to the world, and is on a blind date.


“That’s one of her local stars she’s sucking up to,” Erik went on. 
“That one is a singer, I think. God, I hope she doesn’t ask him to sing. Wakanrean music sounds like someone torturing small animals.”

“Really?” Was it just her, or was Erik rather wearing?

“I think the two in blue are wrestlers. That’s one thing I’ll give the Wakanreans. Their wrestling is superb entertainment.”

“That’s what Jared said.”

Dina had the satisfaction of seeing her date look dumbfounded. “Jared Harlingen? You know Jared?”

“Only slightly. Actually, I was wondering if he was invited tonight.”

Erik let out a breath of explosive displeasure. “Not bloody likely. The Ambassador can’t stand him.”

“He said that,” Dina said, wondering if she was being indiscreet.
“You seem pretty chummy with Jared.”

It wasn’t said as a question, but Dina detected a speculative note in Erik’s voice. “Is that bad? Is there something wrong with Jared Harlingen?”

“Nothing except he’s always beating my time.” He put down his glass and turned to face her. “Arliana said I should wait until later to ask you, but what the heck—Do you want to go to my place for a more intimate get together? I’ve got better food and booze than the Ambassador is providing, and I’m sure the two of us could have more fun alone.”

Dina felt her face flush red. She hated that she couldn’t control her tendency to blush. Ever since she had left the comfortable familiarity of her native world, she had found herself in such situations. No longer shocked, she still couldn’t stop herself from reacting as a Fantaran.

“I’m sorry.” She fought to keep disapproval out of her voice. “I have to be at work very early tomorrow morning.”

Erik’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, come on! You can’t possibly be offended. Arliana said you were married on Croyzan.”

Her mortification faded, and annoyance replaced it. “I fail to see that my life or my reactions are any business of yours.”

Erik’s jaw went slack. “What?”

Dina put her glass down on a nearby table. “It seems Arliana miscalculated in thinking we would hit it off. I think I’d better go.”

He blinked. “What century do you all live in back on Fantar? Arliana isn’t a prude about sex. How was I to know you are?”

Annoyance morphed into anger. She was trying not to judge him, but he had no qualms about judging her. “Well, it looks like Arliana’s miscalculation is now a certainty. Will you say good night to her for me?”

“You’re really leaving?”

“Certainly.” She nodded instead of offering her hand. “Have a pleasant evening. Although if that takes finding a woman who’s liberal-minded enough to go home with you after two minutes of conversation, I have my doubts. Good night.”

She turned on her heel and stalked off, not looking back until she was almost to the stairs.

By then all she could see of Erik was his retreating back. Dina felt a qualm of remorse. Obviously, his idea of polite behavior would never be acceptable on Fantar, but did she have any right to apply Fantaran standards here on Wakanreo? In any event, she had to explain her premature departure to Arliana.

She turned to survey the crowd again, looking for any sign of iridescent blue and silver. She didn’t see Arliana, but she noticed the silver-headed Wakanrean had left the Ambassador’s circle and was standing by himself in the middle of the room.

Dina wasn’t sure, but she thought he was staring at her. She took a few steps toward the stairs, and his eyes followed her so closely there was no doubt that she was the object of his scrutiny.

No, his animosity. He looked angry—furious, in fact. She had never seen a Wakanrean show so much emotion. His eyes gleamed with rage, and his nostrils flared wide. She took another step toward the stairs, and the Wakanrean began to walk rapidly toward her.

Dina fought panic. What could she have done to make him so angry? She hadn’t come close enough to any Wakanreans to offend anyone. She clasped her hands together to reassure herself that her gloves were on.

The silver-haired Wakanrean came closer still. Under his cape he wore a long, blue robe instead of the trousers and loose, tunic-style shirt favored by Wakanreans of both sexes. He was very close now. His golden facial and body fur combined with the creamy white of his crest reminded her of some Terran animal, but she couldn’t remember which one. Other than the dark blue trim on his robe and the diamond-shaped pattern that decorated his sandals, his only adornment was a piece of silver jewelry fastened at the base of his throat; she couldn’t tell if it was pinned to his robe or his chest fur.
Dina could feel herself breathing faster, her heart pounding hard. She should walk away. Why couldn’t she move her feet? She stood waiting by the mezzanine railing, as still as if she had taken root in the floor.

The Wakanrean stood in front of her. He glared down at her, his face contorted into a scowl, his amber eyes glowing with contempt.
“I beg your pardon.” Dina tried to keep the quaver out of her voice. “Do I know you?”

He was so close, she could feel the heat from his body. Either that, or the room had gotten suddenly warmer. Dina felt herself flush from head to foot.

He didn’t answer, but all at once it was as if his anger was a physical thing, an invisible mass, pushing against her. She stepped backward, stumbled, and almost fell.

She reached for the mezzanine railing behind her, and in the same instant, the Wakanrean grabbed her arm.

Dina froze, utterly baffled. The orientation had said clearly that Wakanreans would always avoid touching a Terran, and yet here was one not only touching her, but holding her firmly by the arm and helping her to stand.

The orientation had also failed to warn her that a Wakanrean’s touch was so warm it almost burned. Dina could feel a flush of heat on her arm where his hand still gripped it. She stood straighter and looked into his face. He had typical Wakanrean features—an arched nose, large round eyes, a wide mouth.

His expression changed as she watched. His anger faded to confusion. He looked almost stunned. His nostrils still flared, but from the way his eyes had opened wide, Dina knew he was surprised rather than angry.

Neither of them had taken a step since he took hold of her arm. Dina swallowed once, conscious of discreet glances and overt stares from those around them.

“I’m all right,” she said finally, wondering if she was speaking the truth. The dizziness had passed, but she still felt lightheaded. “Thank you, but you can let go now.”

He loosened his grip but didn’t release her for a few seconds. When he did, he brushed her bare arm with the back of his hand. Dina was amazed when it sent shivers of anticipation up her spine.

“This is unexpected.” His wonderfully resonant voice had a rich, warm timbre to it that made Dina’s shivers change from anticipation to yearning.

“Yes,” she said, unsure of what he meant, but afraid to give offense.
“Where do you live?”

“I have an apartment in the off-world sector,” she said, wondering why she was answering him. She fought the urge to close her eyes and just listen to that wonderful voice.

“My house is in the cliffs outside the city. Let’s go there instead.”

“All right.”

It took Dina a moment to realize that she had agreed to go home with him.


Bio:
Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein, and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing, especially in her ThreeCon series. 



Carmen was born in Hawaii and experienced a childhood on the move, as her father was in the US Navy. Having raised two wonderful children, she now lives in Maryland with her husband Charlie, and a beagle named Cosmo. She writes science fiction and romance, mostly set in the far future, and the occasional fantasy. 











Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Rishallt by Aurora Springer



RISHALT, Taxyon Space, Book 2
 - SciFi Adventure & Romance

Two alien worlds. Two lovers torn apart. Twist the hyperthreads into unity.


Kiron Arqin Ramis is summoned home by his family to the unwanted honor of a new triad and union with a high-ranked female. Unable to forget Nikki, he endures a perilous exile on a wilderness planet instead of complying with his family’s demands. But, the Triarchs have other plans for him.

Stakes are higher than the lives of two individuals. Earth leaders are desperate to acquire the alien interstellar technology, while Warrish dispute the advantage of an alliance with inferiors. Can Nikki and Kiron pierce the barriers separating them to find happiness with provoking an unequal war?



Excerpt

With Nikki following, Kiron dove into deeper water, and descended to the seabed. Soon he spotted a cluster of the flower-like triales and beckoned to Nikki. They landed on the sandy bottom.

“Lovely,” she mouthed, gazing at the triales swaying in the current. Each one had a long stalk topped by three oval petals in pastel hues of pale azure, rose pink, or primrose yellow. Feeder filaments wriggled in the center of the imitation flower.

Joy thrilled into him, noting her graceful figure and intent focus on the animal flowers. She was lovely. Standing behind her, he leaned over to breathe, “beautiful,” in her ear, and bent down to nuzzle her bare neck.

She giggled and swung to face him, shaking her head in mock disapproval. Her teasing smile contradicted her admonition.
Gladly yielding to temptation, he leaned in to kiss her. Her inviting expression flipped to open-mouthed terror. A shadow moved across her pupils.

Danger!

Alarm instincts honed in battle kicked in. He shoved her away and ducked. Spinning to confront the menace, he pulled out his prodder. A giant tantra lunged at him, its orange and blue batwings angled back, and its tentacle-ringed mouth agape.

Its sticky tongue shot past his head, burning agony across the skin of his biceps. He fired into the maw. Dodging backward, he knocked against Nikki.

She stumbled aside, gripping the harpoon in both hands. He dove to catch her, grasping her shoulders and steadying her in place. She shot the bolt into the horrid maw. Recoil slammed her against his chest. Wrapping an arm around her trembling body, he aimed his prodder at their attacker. He didn’t fire. Her bolt had hit a vulnerable spot.

The tantra jerked vertical, its gullet pumping water from the wound. Its stinging feelers whipped from side to side, and its skinny tail churned loose sand into eddies.

“Good shot,” Kiron said, tugging Nikki away from the thrashing predator. His upper arm smarted from the stinging tongue of the tantra, and Nikki had not escaped its toxic touch. It had scored a red weal across her right ankle. He grasped her waist and hit his jets. They sped above the sea bottom. When the tantra had vanished from sight, he slowed and halted in the shelter of a reef.

Nikki clung to him, still panting in reaction.
He inflated the bubble tent and pulled her inside the air-filled shelter.

Plopping onto her butt, she cried, “What was that animal? My leg feels like I ran into a furnace.”

“Giant tantras patrol the deep ocean. They’re rare in such shallow water.”

Stroking her fingers down his chest, she said, “They can’t penetrate this bubble. Correct?”

He breathed, “We’re safe.” Lifting his uninjured arm, he brushed her hair and caressed her soft cheek. 

“Then, kiss me.” She leaned toward him, an expectant smile on her sweet face.




Review of Rishalt, 
book two of the Taxyon Space series 
by Aurora Springer.
Review by CLM

When the watchers return, there is one missing: Kiron, the sentient Nikki has fallen in love with.

(Sadly, he’s been called back to his planet, where he is expected to marry into a triad marriage. That’s a marriage between three men and three woman as is the custom of his world. Only Kiron refuses, since he only wants Nikki.)

Fortunately, Nikki is selected to be one of the six earth people allowed to go to Kiron’s home planet. Sadly, that turns out to be a very dangerous honor for her. There are sentients who want Nikki to go away!

As in all of Springer’s stories, the detail is exquisite, the creatures vivid and captivating.

I thoroughly enjoyed the various sentient animals, (at least the nice ones—many were deadly) and all the intrigue and attempted murders. Also, Nikki isn’t the only strong, can do, female in this story.


Not surprisingly, I give it five stars!


Buy Links for RISHALT




EUROPA, Book 1 in Taxyon Space – discounted to 99c at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay


Author Bio
Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing into a novelist. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and discovers science facts in her day job. She has invented adventures in weird worlds for as long as she can remember. In 2014, Aurora achieved a life-long ambition to publish her stories. Her works are character-driven adventures and romances set in weird worlds and described with a sprinkle of humor. Some of the stories were composed thirty years ago. She was born in the UK and lives in Atlanta with her husband, a dog and two cats to sit on the keyboard. Her hobbies, besides reading and writing, include outdoor activities like gardening, watching wildlife, hiking and canoeing.

Media links:


Aurora Springer’s Published Stories are listed HERE


Saturday, February 17, 2018

Kraken's Prey by Echo Ishii


KRAKEN’S PREY
ECHO ISHII





BLURB:

Pirate Aristad, Captain of the Night Witch, is always on the lookout for treasure. Knowing where his former captor, Black Death Joe, hid his loot makes it all the easier. An abandoned manor holds a secret stash, but Aristad knows it comes with a price -- the treasure is guarded by a creature that is half man and half beast. It is the Kraken in one of his many forms.
Aristad can't resist the Kraken's pull -- he gives into sexual cravings that only the Kraken can fulfill, but he knows once his first mate, Delacroix, discovers his secret, mutiny will follow. Has he made too many mistakes to return to the life he left behind, and follow Kraken into the sea?

EXCERPT: 

*****
There was no sound of footfalls or breathing, though something deep inside me told me that we were not alone down in that cellar. Even with Atlantis gone, the old gifts of my homeland told me: there was another mind out there.
"Stay here," I commanded.
I rounded the next corner. No one followed this time. In the dim light, I stared directly at a rotted wooden door. I hesitated. It may have been a prison but whomever or whatever had been there escaped long ago.
I took several cautious steps toward the door and pushed it open.
I held my breath.
There wasn't much to see at first, just a stone floor was covered in straw. No grisly remains. No stench of death. No splattered blood.
I let out a breath.
This room was no prison but something dwelled here. I felt the tingling in my bones.
I swung the lamp around to glance at all corners.
There they were... two large trunks pushed against the wall.
Delacroix shoved past me and stood in the middle of the room. He took one look at the treasure chests and his eyes went wide.
"Damn! It's all ours," he said with glee.
"Wait," I told him.
Delacroix turned to me.
"There's a fortune in front of us," he hissed at me.
"Exactly. Two trunks filled with treasure just sitting there," I said.
I turned to the others who'd joined us in the room. They all stared wide-eyed, greed written across their faces.
"Before you touch it, ask yourselves why unguarded treasure has stayed here all this time?"
That made them stop. Pirates are a suspicious lot. We all knew that gold didn't sit there for the taking unless there was a price to be paid.
"I'd listen to your captain if I were you," came a deep, dark voice out of the shadows.

BIO:
Echo Ishii (https://www.echoishii.com) loves to write stories of the fantastic -- from high fantasy to high tech and everything in between. She is a long time science fiction fan, as well as a fan of all things fantasy and paranormal -- classic sci fi movies, shows, and even radio dramas. You can follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Or stop by her blog to discuss SF and paranormal TV.




LINKS





Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Sahvin's Mate by Clarissa Lake


The Farseek Mercenary series is steamy romance space opera. Sahvin’s Mate is the third entry in the series.






Narovian Feline Sahvin Kazza went to Earth as a covert agent to stop alien human trafficking. He is kidnapped and sold into slavery to work in the mines on Breskaa where he fears his life will end. Enter the Farseek Mercenaries and Sahvin's life takes a whole new direction.

Sahvin is a crossover character from my Narovian Mates series that I brought into the mix. His rescue came in Commander’s Mate Book One of the Farseek Mercenary Series.

The Farseek warriors were not always mercenaries. While their warriors were defending Trans-Stellar Consortium them against the expansion wars of the Sargus Empire, the Sargus Empire attacked Farseek while their warriors took the survivors as slaves.

All of their towns and cities were destroyed. Over a million people were killed or taken. The Farseek Brigade could either go after revenge or go take back their people. Saving their people is more important to these warriors than revenge.

But they don’t just free their Uatu people, the Farseek Mercenaries free all the people enslaved with the Farseekans. When they come to Breskaa to free them, Sahvin thinks it’s the best day of his life. He knows it is when he discovers one of the Earth women checking in the rescues from the mining colony is the soulmate he has been seeking for years.

His soulmate Nora Reed is initially shocked when Sahvin asks to mate with her, then the potent bonding pheromones make her feel like she is a cat in heat for him. A feline’s soulmate essentially becomes addicted to the pheromones he or she gives off. The only way for them both to survive is to have sex and fall in love because they are bonded for life.

Nora Reed was in the first group of abducted people rescued by the Farseek Mercenaries in Book One. She is one of four women kidnapped from Earth by Pican slavers, who became friends on the long journey from Earth to the Sargus Empire.

Also released with Sahvin’s Mate is Faigon’s Mate, a free Farseek Mercenary Short to give potential readers a taste of the series. Tyema Reznar is another Narovian feline also covert Alliance agent stationed on Earth kidnapped by alien slavers. She lands on Julconi prison planet where she meets Lieutenant Commander Faigon Nesgatu her soul mate. Faigon is in the middle of an important mission and taking time to bond with his soulmate was not in his plans.



SAHVIN
(Slave Barracks on Breskaa)

Bill thought I was dead when he came back to the barracks and found me on my bunk barely conscious. I opened my eyes when he put his fingers to my throat to check for a pulse and startled him.

“Oh my God, Sahvin! You scared the shit out of me. I was sure you were dead.”

“Not yet, but I am starting to wish for it,” I muttered. “Why fight to live when all we have ahead of us is more misery? When we die, they will just get more like us to take our places. Death may be our only way out.”

“You don’t know that Sahvin,” Bill said patting my shoulder. “There’s gotta be a way out. These people are going around from planet to planet stealing people, someone’s going to figure out who they are and come after them.”

“Before or after they work us to death or kill us for entertainment?” I said.

“Well, if you just lay there and die, you’re never going to find out, are you?” he pointed out. “Come on, Sahvin. You’re the only comic relief I have in here. Pull yourself together. Here, I brought you some protein bars. Eat. It’ll help you heal.”

I sat up slowly on my bunk and took the offered bars. He had pilfered two extra, so I could eat. “Thanks,” I told him. I ate them slowly as it was hard to chew when my jaws were both sore from punches. They had little flavor, but they had some nutritional value.

The next day they sent me back to the mine to work even though I could still barely stand. Bill took my pick and shovel job and let me push the ore cart because it gave me something to hold on to. I lost track of how many days until I had mostly healed.

Days turned into months, and we all thought we would die in those horrible mines. If we even stopped to catch our breath after moving a heavy load, they would beat us with a short wire whip. Some of the other humanoids were not as strong as Bill and me. They just dropped dead when the guards tried to make them keep working by whipping them.

###
Everything changed in the middle of one dark starless night when we were awakened by the sound of explosions and weapons fire. The mine camp was attacked, and we all thought we were going to die. But the only the guards were attacked and killed.

That’s when Commanded General Maktu came and announced that they were there to free us. There was still weapons fire in the background as the shuttle arrived for us to embark, but the Farseek warriors stood guard on either side of the short stretch of ground between the barracks and the open hatchway to the shuttle. It was standing room only, but we were all thrilled to be getting out of that hell hole.

Twenty minutes later, we were debarking on one of four dreadnaughts of the Farseek fleet that had come to rescue us. Then they took us into what was apparently the cargo hold to be checked in by four beautiful Earth females. That’s when I scented her.

I had thought it was the best day of my life when Bill told me that Commander Maktu was there to free us. When I scented her, my meomee or soulmate, I knew it.

“Bill, my meomee is here!” I said as we stood in line to be registered.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Oh, I am sure. I scent her. She is one of those women,” I told him. “I can hardly believe it.”

“You can smell her through the stench in here?”

“Of course, I am feline,” I said, smiling. “I must get closer.”

Suddenly the hopelessness and chronic fatigue that had plagued me through the months of long grueling days and short nights with too little sleep faded away. I had thought I would die in that horrible place, and then I scented her. At first, I couldn’t tell which one she was. It didn’t matter because they were all beautiful and seemed to really care about us. 

I didn’t want to push ahead of the others, but it needed to know which of these magnificent females was mine. I wormed my way through the others until I was near the head of the line. The female with the short reddish hair and luscious curves looked up and met my gaze. I knew she was the one.

I waited to approach until she finished speaking to the man she was interviewing.

Meomee, you are a long way from Earth,” I said and extended my hand to her. She gave me a stunned look as she took my offered hand.

“I am,” she smiled up at me and I felt my cock stir just looking at her and holding her hand. “And who are you? You don’t look exactly human. How is it that you speak English?”

“My name is Sahvin Kazza. I am a feline humanoid, and you are my soulmate.” I told her wondrously.

 “Oh!” she drawled as the pheromones I exuded hit her right to her core.  “I-I am Nora Reed.”

All I could do was stare into her beautiful green and gold eyes. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk? I need to explain what’s happening.”

“But I have a job to do here,” she protested.

“The pheromones are too potent. You won’t be able to function normally now that we have connected. We must mate very soon,” I told her. 
She looked at me like I was speaking a different language. “Mate? But we just met. I don’t know you from anyone, and you want to mate? I don’t think so.” She pulled her hand from mine.
In my excitement, I broke protocol with the human female. I should not have touched her without telling her first what would happen---especially an Earth female human.

I knew better, but I was too elated on top of being rescued to think about anything but claiming her. Earth humans had different criteria for mating. Even so, by exposing her to the pheromones, I gave her no choice as to whether she wanted me as a mate. We could both die if she didn’t.

“What do you know about Earth?” demanded one of the other women. “Do you know where it is?”

“I do, but not how to get there from here.”

In my excited state, I don’t remember all that was said.  Her friends pulled her away for a moment to speak in secret, and Nora kept looking at me with an expression between fear and longing. She did not know me yet so I could understand her reluctance. I had waited all my life to find her, I could wait a little longer to make her mine.

Had I met Nora on Earth before my months as a slave in the mines of Breskaa, I probably would have followed protocol. But my soul had known such despair in my months on Breskaa, I was like a man hanging on a cliff grasping for the hand of the one person who could save me.

I am a Narovian feline. We are an ancient race, at least as old as homo sapiens. It is not known if we originated on Narova or if our kind were seeded there. But as long as there have been felines and humans living on Narova they have interbred, long before we ever became spacefaring.

We have been spacefaring for about a thousand years. The United Galactic Alliance of Planets is even older than that. The Alliance had been watching over Earth for over four hundred years, trying to protect them from alien slavers. We built a secret base in the mountains of West Virginia on Earth before the pilgrims came over on the Mayflower.

Feline humanoids have been serving there for all that time and have mated with Earth humans all that time. Most matings between humans and feline result in offspring that appear to be purely human. With over four hundred years of fraternization, many Earth humans are genetic soulmates of felines.