“They didn’t save the other girls,” Bobby says.
“We don’t know that. Maybe they did,” Bethany reasons.
“Let’s be rational about all this,” Madeline says. “From what we witnessed in the library and what Bobby had informed us of seeing, the insect beings wanted to eat us. And maybe even worse. While we don’t know if the new arrivals are saviors or captors, we do know that they have extricated us from the Mantis ship and brought us to far more agreeable accommodations.”
“We’re trapped in here,” Bobby says. “I don’t think that’s very agreeable.”
“Let’s just try to relax,” Bethany says. “Sophia’s about to have a nervous breakdown. Besides, I could use something to eat.”
Bethany walks over to the food replicator, presses the button, and asks for a burger and fries with a strawberry milkshake. A moment later, a panel slides open, and out pops a steaming burger with lettuce, onion, and pickle, along with a glass filled to the brim with strawberry milkshake and topped with a swirl of whipped cream.
“Wow,” Sophia says, her eyes widening. “That’s amazing.” She walks over to the machine and asks for a large slice of pepperoni pizza and an ice-cold Corona beer with lime. Her order pops out, and she smiles, happily taking her tray and sitting beside Bethany at the long blond wood table, flanked by six chairs.
“I’m not eating their techno food,” Bobby snaps.
“Suit yourself,” Madeline says, making her own order of a chicken Caesar salad with a bottle of spring water.
I decide to give the machine a try myself. The smell of everyone else’s food is making my mouth water. I lick my lips and consider. I order a medium rare steak, a baked potato with all the fixings, and a glass of pinot noir.
Sitting at the table across from Bethany and Sophia, I slice into the steak. It’s cooked perfectly and is rich and tender as I chew. The pinot tastes of dark cherries with an undertone of vanilla and oak.
“It’s probably recycled shit. Or human bodies. You’re all cannibals.”
“Gross, Bobby,” I say. “Don’t you ever get tired of being so negative?”
“I’m not eating recycled human bodies.”
“Is that what we’re eating?” Sophia shudders.
“No. I’m sure it comes from biomass or something like that, Sophia. Bobby is just being melodramatic.”
“What is biomass?” Sophia asks.
“It’s just a total of biological material. What that material is, I can’t say. I don’t know where these beings are from or what their planetary ecology is like.”
“It’s recycled humans,” Bobby says again.
“Shut up, Bobby,” half of the women say at once.
“Suit yourself. If you want to be cannibals, be my guest. But I’d rather die than eat anything these monsters offer us.”
I think about the captain. The look in his blue eyes. The strong tilt of his jaw, the way his body was molded in that skintight suit. The feeling of his hand on my skin. The way my heart fluttered when he touched me. He may be an unknown being, but the last thing I’d call him is a monster.
6
We hurry away from the Earthling females’ containment room. I can still feel the little redhead’s touch on my chest. When she fell upon me while aboard the Mantis ship, I had a flash of insight so profound, I don’t think I will ever be the same.
Much must still be done to determine which of the females is the best genetic match for any of the Martian males, but I pray to the God of War that this fiery-haired female will be mine.
The ship is blasted with Mantis laser fire, and alarms sound throughout the vessel. I yell to Lieutenant Controi and the crew as we take the lift to the bridge. The bridge crew quickly relays the status update. The Mantis fire has hit us at almost point-blank range.
“Fire at will,” I proclaim as the engineers attempt to repair our fractured shields.
Now that we have procured the Earth women, we need to sustain and continue our race. We cannot lose them to the monsters who destroyed our planet so many centuries ago.
The sight of Earth outside the bridge window fills me with longing as it slowly grows smaller against the black backdrop of space and the grandeur of our sun. I wish there was more that could be done.
Even if we had the firepower to defeat the Mantises, which we do not, a paradox could wipe our kind out of existence.
The king and council, of which I am a member, have already decided our course of action. We are to find suitable females for breeding and return them to the future. We are not to interfere with the destruction of Earth, no matter how torn we may feel about leaving our ancestors to die. It is a battle we cannot win.
Another Mantis ship slices through space, appearing in the path of the Xojor so abruptly, we barely have time to respond before smashing into the vessel. I command immediate offensive action, and the Xojor blasts the monstrous Mantis ship with red laser fire.
They are covered with a heavy defensive shield, and our lasers have no immediate effect. They return fire, damaging our already failing shield. We must dispose of them before moving through the timegate. If they were to follow us, it could have disastrous consequences.
Our scientists have discussed at length the paradox of time travel. It is a dangerous proposition, but the council had agreed it was worth the risk if we returned to Earth at this pinnacle moment but did not interfere with the invasion. However, we cannot bring any of our ancient enemy back with us through time. There is no precedent for that scenario. I will not be the captain who failed at my duty to protect my home and species because I allowed for an anomaly like that to occur.
The Xojor and the Mantis ship exchange fire, and our shields rapidly deteriorate.
“Full fire—open all guns,” I command.
We must end this threat and return through the timegate as quickly as possible. Every additional minute it takes to complete this mission and close the timegate creates another opportunity for an unexpected anomaly.
Our laser fire tears through the Mantis ship’s shield and blows the vessel into dust. It flows through the dark void like a sandstorm.
“Full throttle to the timegate.”
The pilot thrusts our ship into full speed toward the gate. I sit in my chair, gripping the armrest, praying we make it through without any additional altercations. This needs to be done. We have already been gone too long.
And at the back of my mind, all I want is to explore my strange feelings for the little redheaded Earthling, even though I know I should not expect her to be mine. I cannot help it. Part of me wants to interfere with the results of the genetic tests we will perform as soon as we pass through the timegate. But as a Martian and as a captain in the Martian Marines, I know that it is not honorable to even entertain these thoughts.
The Xojor approaches the timegate as it whirls like a golden ring—slipped from the hand of some gigantic ancient god. I hold my breath as we slide through the mirror-black void at the center of the ring.
The effect of traveling through time is likened to the experience of sliding through the surface of water—moving from one world into the next. I know that the moment of submergence will come, cutting off my air and plunging me into a completely new environment that is foreign to my biology.