Species XD-63

Hidden Pasts

Thank you for reading :)

^A song I'm obsessed with at the moment^

20 human years ago.....

Planet Xyon

There was too many.

They lined the sides of the corridor - laid down to rest in their orange body bags.

Outside of cities, many were left in the shadow of their own houses, a thinning blanket to cover their rotting modesty. 

The smell was indescribable.

Huge pits had been carved out of the soil and filled to the brim with mangled corpses. To cover the stench, metal lids had been placed and the pits and sealed shut; never to be open again.

He was just a young boy but Egris would remember the site every night for the rest of his life. His mother and grandmother were lucky in the fact that they were buried in the comfort of their home, many didn't have that privilege.

The disease came so suddenly, so violently and with such fierce determination, no number of soothing words and syringes could do justice. In just a month, all females on the Xyon planet had been forced to lie in their coffins. 

Egris' father was a strong man who in the face of bloody and hallowed death, stood taller than ever. But with the death of his most beloved, the young boy watched the man fall to his knees and cry like a wounded child. In fact, across the land, the sombre screams of mourning men sounded the same as a babbling baby.

They could say they were strong until the moon turned blue but they would be lying through their teeth. 

A fighter or no fighter, death tore all the same hearts.

It took many years of heated debates for the Xyon higher-ups to approve of the breeding programme. It wasn't designed for love across the stars. Their species would die quickly if there weren't females to replenish it.

It just so happened that a small, insignificant blip of blue and green would hold the answer. 

Egris was asked to join the programme as soon as it was mentioned. Although he was older than the other participants by some years, he was strong and had a steady income.

The humans might call him perfect husband material.

If Xyon's married, that is.

Present time 

The Grand station 

"Oh god, Lola. I didn't know. How are you feeling now?" Julie gently squeezed Lola's shoulder and offered her a small, fleeting reassuring smile.

"It's okay, honestly." She replied and subconsciously brushed the bandage around her swollen ankle. 

It had been two days since the incident and time had slowed considerably. A doctor had appeared at the foot of her bed when she had tried to sleep and offered her two blue tablets. Egris had watched on and reassured Lola that it was pills to speed up the healing process. And they had worked wonders.

The pain subsided almost immediately and Lola happily drifted into a dazed slumber as the doctor went to work fixing the mess of bone shards. It had been a messy break and with the added pressure of her falling, the bone had simply shattered.

After a while, Egris' figure vanished from the doorway and Lola succumbed to the beckoning finger of deep sleep.

The following two days Egris had woken up at the crack of dawn and disappeared till it was lunchtime. Lola didn't mind but it seemed so strange to wake up alone knowing that someone could be there. She had spent most of her time with Julie and Sestru.

The couple got on like a house on fire and were practically inseparable. At times, Lola felt like the third wheel and often made excuses so she could hobble away.

Sestru often informed her of Egris' training successes. It was like he was his wingman, constantly hyping the warrior to the point where Lola had to ask him to calm down. She knew he was strong, brave and probably clever. It was just a shame he was around often enough to show it.

"There is another bonding session coming up. Are you going?" Julie enquired and removed her soft palm from Lola's jumper.

"I doubt it. It's healing fast but not that fast. I'll just stay in the room."

"Are you sure? You can always stay in our rooms if you want, see the view from the south of the ship."

"No, it's fine, honestly."

"If you say so then. Look, I better be heading back but you're always welcome to visit us, ok?" Julie looked straight in Lola's eyes and she nodded slowly. 

Lola could class the two of them as friends. The other girls didn't talk much and she needed someone to laugh and joke with. Egris had the humour of a glue stick at times.

"I know. Now you better head along before Sestru wonders where you are."

"Alright then, see you later." She giggled and left Lola on her dining room table.

xxx

"You're up late." His gruff voice sliced through the hazy daydream Lola was having.

"What?" she replied groggily and wiped away the dribble from the corner of her lips. 

She occasionally dribbled when she sleep, alright?

"I said, you're up late."

"I must've dozed off. You're coming back late."

"It was a busy day, lots of training. When we're actually going to put it into use, I don't know." He stepped further into the room and sat down on the sofa opposite Lola.

The conversation she had with Julie suddenly popped into her sleep-induced brain. 

"We're not going to the bonding meeting, are we?"

"No, not tomorrow. In fact, I've got other plans." he replied and the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. It was the closest thing to smile he could manage.

Egris desperately wanted to make up for the dance. It was meant to be an evening of flirtatious comments and the gentle swoon of the waltz. It hadn't ended up like that. So he thought of the next best thing - it was just outside their window.

"What are we doing?" she asked cautiously.

"You'll see - it's a surprise," he stood back up and turned towards his door, "Oh, don't forget to wear something comfy."

"Comfy?" She mirrored and furrowed her brows.

What was he up to?