Titan Rising 1 (Syalantian 1) Read online

  She was babbling some sort of apology in Terran common, which he recognized but had only recently begun to study, knowing it would be the tongue of his future beloved, his Asanti. Excitement clouded his mind and he couldn't quite make sense of the words she spoke. His heart swelled, beating like a full 127-piece Syalantian orchestra's symphonic march in his chest. Ears rung with the symbols crashing in his head, driving her words even further from his grasp. All the searching, all this time. And she had found him.

  No sooner did his eyes focus on hers did they dropped southward to her ample chest. Hanging out from what appeared to be a sensually revealing bathing outfit was one of her magnificently shaped breasts. Try as he may to avert his eyes, his gaze remained stapled to the heavily rounded orb that culminated into a perfect nipple, the light breeze off the lake compelling it to tighten. He could already feel the hardness of it on his tongue. Then he made the ultimate mistake. Already tasting it in his mind's eye as he had so many times before in his dreams, he licked his lips and leaned in towards it, ever so slightly.

  His dream goddess must've taken note of the change in his expression, because she stopped babbling and followed his gaze downward. A sweet blush colored her from head to toe.

  "Oops! Have to get to work!" She stammered, as she threw an arm across her chest in a futile attempt to hide her ample breasts. She whirled around and before he had a chance to stop her, she rushed out of the gazebo.

  "Wait!" he yelled, reaching for her. But his stupefied body refused to obey. Finally, the feeling returned to his legs and they ached for the chase. He managed exactly two steps before white hot pain seared like a spear through his head. Disoriented, he collapsed to his knees frantically searching for the protective optics he had lost moments ago. He had been warned about the sun time on this moon, but he hadn't really believed it would be that powerful.

  So there the Crown Prince of Syalantia lay. Knees ragged and bleeding, eyes blind and stinging with tears. On the ground like a helpless child, and the happiest he's ever been in his entire life.

  Chapter 4

  "Come on Bev, go faster," I said, bouncing like a little puppy ready to pee, behind the large blue Zedrovian as she cycled through the security photos of all the guests currently registered at the hotel.

  "You do know that this hotel serves at least 280 guests at a time." She cocked a scaly eyebrow at me.

  "Half of which are female," I said defiantly. I did a quick calculation in my head. "So that should be only 140 guests to look through."

  She harrumphed. "You know as well as I do that no one comes here alone. Maybe he's not a guest. Maybe he's a maintenance worker from off world, or a ship's captain?" I could tell she was feeling sorry for me, but I didn't care. I had literally met the man of my dreams. How often does that happen? And how often does that happen when your boob pops out to greet him? I mentally smacked myself in the head.

  Bev stepped back from her terminal and shook her head at me. "Sorry Emery, but I've gone through the entire registry. The computer says there's no male guest here with two green eyes. Only the Arkadian, but he's got one green and one blue eye, and you said they both needed to be green." She relented and petted my head as she was apt to do whenever I was sad, which had been an awful lot lately.

  When she tried to scratch me behind the ear, I shushed her away, giving her my best stink eye. I was totally removing the animal channel from her personal data pad.

  A small light blue square jumped to the center of her screen, accompanied by a soft ding. She tapped the square, absorbed the short message it yielded, then turned to me and smiled. "Oh look, saved by the bell. It appears you are wanted in the honeymoon suite."

  Great, just what I needed. I may have found and lost my dream man in less than five minutes. That's got to be a new record. Now I have to go play housemaid to some lovey-dovey couple. Then it dawned on me. Why hadn't I been notified when they arrived?

  "When did they even get in?" I asked.

  Bev shook her head again. "I didn't check them in, honey, so it must have been around 11, when I take my break. They're supposed to be royalty or something, right?" A noncommittal shrug was the most answer I could muster with any amount of sincerity as she cycled through to their room info and pictures.

  Her scaly brows furrowed as she scanned the screen. "That's strange, there's no picture. Ooh, maybe it's classified because they're really here on a secret mission." Her eyes brightened first, and then they squinted, as she looked this way and that around the reception area, trying to be covert and failing miserably. "Tell me Emery," she said without moving her lips, "have you noticed any other suspicious types hanging around lately?"

  "You've been watching way too much earth TV." I punched her arm a little more than playfully. Ouch, that definitely stung me at least, but I knew she could take it. Then, taking a page from her book, I shifted my eyes from the right to the left and then back again before I leaned in and whispered, "It’s more likely that the little orange devil screwed up again. No doubt she'll be blaming this on me tomorrow."

  Bev's snicker died on her lips, eyes glued to her monitor. "Umm Emery, you were right."

  "Right about what?" I queried trying to peer over her shoulder.

  "They are royalty," her eyes narrowed at the monitor, "or something."

  Now it was my turn to look suspicious. "What does 'or something' mean?"

  "Can you say Crown Prince and Princess?" she deadpanned.

  I'm assuming my friend didn't spontaneously suffer from some sort of alien laughing disease and it was the look of slackjawed horror on my face that set her off.

  "I'm not qualified to deal with royalty! There should be an ambassador from Earth, no a whole envoy, maybe a parade. Should I go and put something more formal on or should I just wear this?" I squeaked.

  She only laughed harder, "Either way honey, you're up."

  Chapter 5

  Standing in front of the enormous hand carved Larskin wood doors of the honeymoon suite, I took a moment to compose myself. As a personal valet for the hotel, I never knew what kind of craziness would come my way. I pressed the button, and a set of jovial bells chimed from within.

  A door this size would normally take two or three people to open it, and would creak like a hungry dragon. But thanks to Syalantian innovations shared with Earth, the antigravity hinges did little more than hiss softly as it opened. Speaking of Syalantians, a tall beautiful one, as was obvious by the telltale blue hue of her hair, peered at me questioningly from the doorway.

  "Hello?" She chirped.

  "Hello, my name's Emery." I made sure to repeat my name slowly, as there was no equivalent in the Syalantian tongue. I also kept my hands down by my sides because some species were still a little skittish around humans, and truthfully given our history who could blame them. "You called downstairs for service. I apologize I was not there to greet you when you first arrived, but I'll be your personal concierge during your stay. May I come in?" I smiled, and waited patiently for a response.

  A warm, genuine, heartfelt grin split her stunning face and made her even more beautiful, if such a thing were possible. She stepped back and waved me through. "Certainly, my husband is in the shower. I guess he called the hotel concierge for service. He should be finished soon," she said, gesturing toward a long white satin fainting couch. The woman surprised me by sitting rush hour close next to me and giving me a long appraising look. She herself was tall and thin, but an athletic sort of thin, so more like a dancer. She was model gorgeous, with long straight turquoise hair and deep sky-blue eyes that both startled and hypnotized. I fidgeted with my heels on the wooden floor. The noise seemed to snap her out of it.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. You are Terran, correct?" She asked.

  "Yes ma'am...Your Highness," I replied with caution.

  “Yet you speak perfect Syalantian, and require no translation device at all?" she inquired. Okay, she wasn't crazy. This was just first contact for her. I could do this easy. Throwing on
my million kilowatt smile I nodded in the affirmative. Duh Emery, not all cultures take nods the same way.

  "Yes, Your Highness," I replied and slightly bowed my head in deference. "I've been studying your language since I was 15, when it first became available on earth." My abilities with language was one of the reasons I had obtained a partial scholarship in the humanities when everybody else was looking to engineering and science.

  "Your accent is very soothing, not unlike a song," she commended me. "The Syalantian language is not an easy one to learn, I'm told. Only a handful of scholars not born to Syalantia can even claim such an accomplishment. Who are you, sweet Terran? Skills such as yours must be highly sought after. I mean no disrespect, but if I may ask, why then have you chosen to work here? Why not seek employment as an interpreter for some kind of corporation or maybe part of a diplomatic envoy?"

  Sister, I ask myself that same question every day. Sadly, I know the answer.

  "Well your Highness," I said, straining to keep any bitterness out of my voice, "On my world, the positions you speak of require a specific degree that I was not able to obtain."

  "First, you must call me Anula. Second, I cannot believe one who has mastered such an ancient language as ours would not be able to obtain the necessary degree," she frowned, more to herself I think than to me. I was starting to like this Anula. She seemed really down to earth, no pun intended.

  "It wasn't the ability, it was the funding. I lost mine, and now here I am." I shrugged.

  "The Empire, which I believe your world is now a part of, would never allow talent such as yours to go to waste. Still, it is curious that you ended up here," she mused. It seemed as if something deeper touched her mind when she took a moment to consider this.

  An awkward silence began to build a Grand Canyon sized chasm between us, so I decided to continue, "Ever since your world made contact with ours, I've felt drawn to space."

  "Interesting," she mused, obviously chewing over my answer. Anula practically leapt to her feet, then crossed the room in a perfect ballerina stride over to the furthest table that held a small silver bowl. She snatched it up in a spin and then practically grand-plied back to my side. She didn't even shift the couch when she sat on it. I hated her just a little.

  Holding up the bowl she gestured for me to try one of the oddly looking green gelatinous blobs that swirled around in it. Considering the worst that could happen would be the little green thing turned out to be some creature that would tunnel into my brain, making me a vegetable, and effectively ending my misery, I took one and popped it in my mouth.

  It tasted surprisingly creamy, smooth and sweet with a hint of fruit and mint. The appreciation on my face must have been evident, because Anula's face mirrored my own.

  "These are traditional Syalantian honeymoon fertility candies," she explained. I nearly choked, which sent my new friend to a laughing fit.

  When she finally calmed down, she replaced the bowl on the far table and then sat next to me again. "Tell me, Emery, what will your job with us be this week?"

  "Anything you require, Your Highness,...I mean Anula," I corrected at the princess' frown. I ran through my memorized list of hotel services we could provide for her and her husband such as massages, boat rides – you name it, we had it. I continued, "For more structured entertainment, we have both orchestral and dance shows, as well as interactive performances and a massive party twice a week. When it comes to dining, the hotel offers a variety of ethnic dishes to satisfy even the most selective palettes, along with a vast selection of wines, fine liquors and mixed drinks from over 13 quadrants. All you have to do is ask and I'll do my best to procure it for you. I'm here to make your stay as pleasant as possible."

  Her eyes lit up. "If that is truly so, then I should like you to tell me about Earth, as you call it. I've never been. Unlike the sensation our arrival aroused on your planet, your treaty with the Syalantian Empire was received on Syalantia as 'Oh, we've taken another planet in under our protection, it must be Tuesday.'"

  The snort-laugh was out of my nose before I could catch it. I threw my hands up to my face anyway. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled.

  Anula chuckled through my embarrassment. "Nonsense, our home world made first contact with another planet well over 10,000 years ago. It's just something that we have grown callous to. So that is where I would like to start."

  "Sure," I acquiesced.

  "What was it like on your planet when you and your species found out you were not alone in the universe?" she asked.

  Without any arm twisting, I found myself pouring my heart out to this woman I’d just met. Anula proved as easy to talk to as my grandmother, God rest her soul. I found myself going on and on about all the changes to our planet. Not only advancements in technology, but also basic philosophical tenets and our understanding of what it meant to be part of something greater.

  Anula nodded enthusiastically, wide-eyed, and continued tossing question after question my way. It was difficult to conceive of somebody getting so excited about anything that happened on Earth, when I had always been so eager to leave. I must've had a major case of mouth diarrhea, because I droned on for more than 40 minutes. Yet whenever I tried to gloss over an event or whatever feelings surrounded it, she bombarded me with more questions. Her hunger for a deeper understanding was insatiable. She made me feel more like myself. Or at least how I used to feel, when I dreamed about the wonders of the universe.

  Behind us, the door to the bathroom hissed open. I tried not to stare when a large statuesque man emerged, clad in two towels. One was draped over his head. He was so totally engrossed in drying what must’ve been long hair, because he didn't alter his trajectory one bit as he angled in an obvious collision course towards a small end table.

  "Damn it!" Anula’s husband yelped, even as he limped away from the table that by his perspective simply had materialized in front of him.

  Anula chuckled, "Don't mind him, he's been grumpy of late."

  Oh I wasn't bothered, at least not in the way that she meant. With his muscular arms folded up and rubbing his head furiously, I was treated to a show starring the majority of his broad naked torso. The V his chest made with his arms in the air was getting firmly thumbtacked to the naughty wall on the inside of my brain.

  When my eyes dropped to the second towel, set low on his Adonis inspired hips, my brain forgot to keep sending signals to my lungs to breathe. Who needs air anyway? The image of the soft fluffy whiteness against the hard edges of his lower V, begged to be unleashed by my teeth.

  Holy nuts Emery! Are you actually fantasizing about this man? In front of his wife? On their honeymoon! How low have you sunk?

  Anula must've registered some change in my face, because she was giving me a funny look now. I just grinned widely and shook my head, as if somehow agreeing with something would brush away any confusion she may have. At worst, she would just think me insane. Before she had a chance to respond, her husband interrupted us.

  "Anula, they should be sending somebody to our room to take our dinner order, I don't feel like going downstairs tonight. When they get here, what say we try some of the local cuisine?" he mumbled from under the towel, before letting it slip from his head. Long locks of damp green hair fell just beyond his shoulders with one motion. "Maybe the—."

  The words died on his lips as his eyes locked on mine. The man from the gazebo. The man from my dreams.

  Every iota of my sex and my soul reached out for him as if the small distance between us was killing me. Then realization struck me like a viper. I turned my head from side to side, catching Anula's deep blue worried eyes and then back to his emerald green gaze. Heat surged up my neck and I knew my face had turned a shade of tomato red all the way up to the tips of my ears. Panic crawled out of my gut, laid siege to my brain and planted a single thought. Run.

  I jumped onto my feet, and hid behind the dealing-with-the-crazy-guest fake smile I had spent years at the hotel cultivating like a fine wine. "Ummm, I have t
o get back to work," I croaked while running towards the door completely on autopilot.

  "I'll have something sent up right away," I called over my shoulder, door open with one foot in the hallway.

  "Bye." I slammed the door shut behind me, and ran.

  Chapter 6

  "Asanti!" Rohn screamed, leaping over the bed and crashing into the door just as it clicked shut. He frantically pushed at the thick polished wood. Muscles straining, he bellowed in distress.

  "Pull my dear," chuckled the soon to be queen of Syalantia.

  Rohn nearly tore the door off its hinges with his frenzied pull to remove it from his path, then launched himself into the hallway. His thick towel caught the curved outer handle. Cursing, he wrenched himself free of the blasted thing. Too late. She was gone. Again.

  He slunk back into the room, clicking the door shut softly behind him. His new bride was relaxing on the edge of their bed, watching him with what he felt was a strangely odd amusement. He threw a thumb at the hallway beyond the door. "That was her. She's the one I've been dreaming about," he heaved, still winded and shaken by his excitement.

  "I can see that," his wife giggled, stabbing a finger in the air at his lower half.

  Rohn's excitement at finding her was evident, rigid and standing at attention. The prince dove for a throw pillow on a nearby couch to shield his embarrassment.

  Chapter 7

  That night, sleep was as elusive for him as spotting the mystical underwater creature Lithopsopher that rumor had it lived in the sea by his grandfather's villa. The more he struggled to relax, the more excited he became.