Living as Kahnerian - Chapter 2

After she closed her door Zerian sprinted from Marta's room to the officer's quarters. He made it in half the time. He went straight to the command center and called to his troops who were in the field.

"Langer, this is Zerian."

"My lord?"

"What is your location?"

"Searching the girl's house sir! The place has been ransacked. No furniture, no food, nothing. The house has been stripped."

"Look for a hidden wall panel. She told me she used a hidden room to hide from looters."

"On it."

Zerian waited online for the men to search the house. A part of him didn't like what he was doing. He was taking the only thing the girl had left, but he was thinking as a leader for his people. A leader had to be willing to sacrifice one girl's life for the security of his people.

"My lord, we found it. There is a locked chest."

"Bring it to me as fast as you can return." Zerian responded then disconnected from Langer.

Zerian walked slowly back towards his quarters when he heard Kandin behind him. "That girl knows how to cook Zerian. Do you think you can convince her to do it again?"

"I'm sure she would actually like that. I got the impression she enjoys cooking but I'm not comfortable with that idea right now."

"Zerian, if she didn't know she was cooking a traditional Kahnerian meal then it is doubtful she understands the meaning of cooking for a non family member."

"Yes, but I know what it means and it is not right! I'm trying to gain her trust not bed her." Zerian's tone turned hard as he looked down at Kandin.

"Of course my lord. I'm going to go search the logs for her grandmother's name. Do you have more to search off ?"

"Not at this moment. Our troops have found a chest hidden in her home. Apparently her father built a hidden room and would send Marta and her grandmother into it when strangers approached." Zerian said dryly.

"Why build a hidden room unless you are trying to hide someone? Marta is quite the puzzle." Kandin responded.

"Yes she is. Come get me when you find something." Zerian said before he walked into his private quarters.

He was not feeling very good about himself when he spread out on his bed.
***
Marta expected to see Zerian the following morning but he never came to see her. Abettor Mathew brought her more nasty purple crap to drink and another vitamin in the morning when he took her vitals.

She felt off today and she was convinced it was PMS symptoms. She paced in circles around her room throughout the day. She was losing her mind being confined in her room. She needed out. She needed to run.

Before she completely lost her mind she locked her door, threw off her hospital gown and started the Nah Dehn again. It would be the only thing she could do to calm her after a very long restless day.
***
Zerian had been watching Marta throughout the day. She was acting like a caged animal before she started the Nah Dehn. He knelt down to the gray floor and watched her body move to her inner rhythm. He could barely control himself as he watched her. He felt her pulling to him and it was everything he could do to fight it. Marta only knew what it did when she was with other females. She had no idea the power it had to males who were close to her.

He let out a roar at the same time she screamed out when she released the energy within her. Zerian didn't know if he could hold back the next time she performed it.

He watched Marta lie naked on her floor as she looked at her reflection. He was waiting for her to figure it out. She was more connected to herself now than at any other time.

He could see her concentrate on something before she got up and walked to her shower. She was close. She was very very close.
***
As Marta showered and cleaned herself she was in touch with her mind and body. She always was after she did the Nah Dehn. She started connecting the dots from the last few days. Exhausted more than usual, tender breasts, swollen abdomen, nauseated..."No!" she growled. "What did they do?"

She forcefully pushed off the water and ripped the curtain from it's hooks as she pulled it out of her way. She threw on her gown without bothering to dry off.

She stormed out to her bed and knelt on it as rage rolled through her body.

"Zerian!" She screamed and it came out as a roar.
***
Zerian flinched as he watched her roar out his name. She knew and this was the conversation he still hadn't figured out how to start.

Zerian sprinted down to her room and held his hands out in front of him as she made eye contact with him. She was crouched on her hands and knees and looked like she was about to leap for his throat. She was moving on instincts right now with her rage so out of control. He knew that look and that was not a human look.

"How dare you? What gave you the right?" Her voice had dropped to a menacing growl and her head had lowered. Her eyes were lighting up the room as she glowered at him.

"Marta, I will explain everything but please stay calm. For the life that is growing inside you, please stay calm."

She flinched at him. "You think I would do anything to harm this child?" She asked completely shocked. "It's a baby, a completely innocent baby that did not choose when or how it would be created and brought into this world!" she yelled at him.

Her reply pleased Zerian and was what he had expected from her. She loved life, all life. "I know you are very angry, but that child may very well save my race. Our females are no longer fertile and there are very few left. We do not know why. Humans are the closest DNA we can find in the universe, but you Marta are an even closer match than most humans. We've tried many male Kahnerian to female human matings but none have conceived naturally. The few artificial implantations we have tried all ended in very early miscarriages if the embryos even attached themselves. You have lasted longer than any of them."

Marta sat back on her heals and absorbed what he was saying. "Why against my will? Why didn't you ask me for your help? I take it this was done as a medical procedure." She added nastily. She finally knew why they were being so kind. People don't do anything without wanting something in return.

"You are our last hope. We couldn't risk you saying no. I thought you would be okay after you knew you had a child growing inside you. Yes, it was a medical procedure. No male has touched you. I forbid it especially when I learned you were a virgin." Zerian had slowly started walking towards her bed but kept his arms safely out to his sides.

"You should have asked. I don't like being deceived or lied to." Marta replied as she moved to lying down on her bed. "This baby is human and Kahnerian? It is part of me. It is not another female's. I feel that." She whispered as her anger turned to heartache and confusion.

Zerian studied her more now. "Explain how you are so sure of that."

Marta shrugged and turned her head away from him. "Instincts, mother's intuition, I just know." She said softly as her hand rested gently on her stomach. "Please leave. I want to be alone now." She whispered and refused to look at him.

"Yes." He responded softly.

Zerian walked back to his perch above her room so he could watch over her and the future of his people. He didn't like seeing her sad and being the cause of that sadness. She will forgive him. She had to he thought.
***
Marta closed her eyes and let tears fall down her cheeks. She wished she could go back in time before the war when she was surrounded by her family. Marta was in Middle school when the first bombs landed. She remembered everything in bright vivid detail.

It was a bright warm spring day and she was on a school field trip to a museum in the closest large city. That city was wiped off the map after the first attack. All major cities were destroyed with very few survivors. She lived in farm country in a tiny town that was sixty miles from any major city. Mostly grass and wheat were grown in the fields around her home. At the end of the summer the air would be thick with smoke as the farmers burned their fields.

They were on the interstate driving back home when they watched the missiles fly through the sky. Students on the bus started screaming as large fire balls started exploding around them. The rolling hills were quickly scarred with giant craters. Black smoke and red flames plumed into the air quickly turning the sky gray like it did in the late summer.

"We need to get off the Interstate." Our teacher told the bus driver.

Several large cargo planes were dropping heavily armed men above us. Through the thick smoke you could see hundreds of parachutes float down from the sky. We watched in horror as fighter jets came in next and opened fire on the cars in front of us.

The driver took the next exit and drove east towards the rural farms that ran up against the mountain range. The small white bus raced through the narrow road aiming for the shelter of the forest. The thick canopy of the forest made even a school bus impossible to be seen from above.

"We have to stay out of the cities. They won't bother going through the mountains yet." The driver responded.

"Kids, please stay calm. Listen to me. If we are going to survive this, then we need to stick together and remain calm. Does anyone know of a cabin or anything up here in the mountains?" asked Mr. Parker our teacher.

"My parents have a small lake cabin. The cabin has running water and a fireplace. There isn't any electricity or phone service though." Adam said.

"That will be perfect. Do you know how to get to it?" Mr. Parker asked.

"Yes Sir."

"Good, come up here and give the driver the instructions."

"What about our parents and our families? We have to go find them. I want my mom." Sarah said through tears.

"My number one priority is your safety. I will not drive you into the middle of a war. We will hide out in the mountains for a few weeks and let things calm down. Hopefully our side will win, but if they don't we will surrender to the new regime."

"But won't they kill us?" another boy asked.

"No, they need people to run the country. Keep your head down and they will let you live. After they've taken over and established themselves then we can safely reappear." Mr. Parker seemed so sure of himself that day that we all trusted him and believed him.

"My family will be safe. We live on a farm. They will need farmers. They won't hurt them." She thought to herself over and over again.

Marta's class stayed in the cabin, sleeping on the bare wood floors and living off Trout that they had to catch every day for four full weeks. The day they decided to return home they took a vote. It was a unanimous vote. Everyone had to know who survived and we were ready for our fate. We couldn't hide out in the mountains anymore. The class drove slowly and quietly back towards home. When we hit the exit to the interstate we hit a road block. "No one speak or move." Mr. Parker warned us.

"Papers." barked a uniformed officer.

"I'm sorry officer I don't know what you are referring to. Our class has been on a month long survival retreat within the mountains. We are returning home as scheduled. Has something happened while we were gone?" Mr. Parker responded.

"Step back." The officer commanded.

Mr. Parker sat back in his seat as the officer boarded the bus and looked at all of us. We were all a filthy mess exactly what you would expect from kids who were living in the wilderness for a month. After he walked the full length of the little bus he turned and stepped off the bus. The officer went to his vehicle and made a call. He turned and read the name of our bus and bus number. They had to know we were missing. They could easily trace the bus number.

"Are you the history teacher Oliver Parker from Sodaville?" The officer barked as he returned to the bus.

"Yes, sir I am." The officer shot Mr. Parker multiple times were he sat. The kids screamed and ducked.

"Now, anyone else want to lie to me?" the officer asked.

The students sat frozen. "You, little nerdy kid. Where have you been?" The officer pointed directly at Adam. Marta kept herself mostly hidden from view trying to keep from being noticed.

"We were driving home on the interstate when the missiles hit. Mr. Parker said we needed to hide in the mountains until the dust settled. He asked if we knew of any cabins in the mountains. I rose my hand and gave him directions to my families lake side cabin. We've been living in our tiny 12ft by 12ft cabin." Adam explained.

The officer nodded. "It must be very basic from the looks of you kids. Driver, follow the escort vehicles to the processing center. Kids, stay in your seats and do not talk. When you get to the processing center you will be worked through the system and given new identification."

Our bus driver followed an armored patrol car and we were surrounded by large military vehicles as we were escorted into the remains of the closest town. The newly erected sign called it Gerard Hallow, but we knew it as Jefferson City. Very little of it remained. It was one cratered neighborhood after another as we drove through Gerard Hallow. The students all had the same horrified expressions on their faces.

They pulled into a field that held a large metal warehouse. One by one the students filed through the processing center. Their blood was drawn, a hair and urine sample were taken. When their identifications were confirmed they were photographed, x-rayed and given a picture ID card.

Each student was led to a table were they were given information on their families. For Marta she held her breath the whole time she waited for her turn. Her family had to be alive.

"Next" a nasal sounding woman called.

Marta walked over to the table and sat in the empty chair. "ID" the woman barked. Marta held out her newly acquired identification for the woman. The woman typed her name into her computer.

"Your father will be notified to come get you. Please wait in the green waiting area."

"What of my mother and grandmother?" Marta asked.

"There is no record of them." The woman replied with contempt.

"What does that mean Ma'am?"

"They do not exist. They are deceased. Next." The woman called impatiently trying to get rid of Marta.

"No, oh no." Marta whispered to herself as she numbly walked over to an area painted apple green. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her world crumpled apart.

Her father smothered her in a bear hug when he picked her up. He refused to talk about what happened to her mother and grandmother. Her father looked frail and a shadow of the man he used to be. This last month had nearly destroyed him.

Everything about their lives was different. They kept to themselves and worked hard on the farm. They did what they needed to do to avoid the conflicts that were still flaring up throughout the region. Marta took over her mother's chores and took care of her father as she slowly watched him wither away.

Her father forbid Marta from speaking about her mother and grandmother. He loved her but he could barely look at her. She looked too much like her mother and it drove him into a deep depression. She didn't know what was more painful, to watch her father become a stranger or loose both her mother and grandmother in one instant.

From there things slowly grew worse, her father's suicide at sixteen which forced her to take ownership of the farm and dropping out of school in order to run the farm to keep from losing it. Multiple different species revealed themselves in the hopes to bring peace to our planet but it sparked more fears and more fighting. Her home had been ransacked and looted multiple times. She had nothing left but very basics. Her home sat in the middle of the rebellion and she was never safe. Coming to the sanctuary had been almost a vacation though she watched everything and never suspected they would do this. She knew they wanted something from her but she never would have guessed this.

Marta was exhausted from remembering the past and felt more control over her life being ripped away. There is no such thing as security in the world anymore. Now she had a life growing inside her. She didn't care who or what the father was, this was her baby, her life to protect. Marta curled her legs into a fetal position and protectively wrapped her body around her belly.
***
Zerian watched Marta cry herself to sleep and wished he knew what she was thinking about so hard. So many emotions flew across her face he was having a hard time keeping track. It pained him to watch her cry.

"Enter" he called when he heard the knock on the door.

Kandin walked in and stood next to Zerian as he watched Marta sleep. "My lord I have information."

"I'm sure you do." Zerian said softly. "She figured it out. She knows what we've done."

"How did she take it?"

"Like a Kahnerian lost in the battle rage. After she calmed down she asked me to leave. She cried herself to sleep." Zerian was doubting himself now. If they had done better research they would have known what she was. And Marta was right, they should have asked her.

"My lord, this was the right decision. The future of our race depends on this. Maybe through her they can understand why the females on our planet have lost their fertility."

"I know it was the right decision, doesn't mean I have to like it. She is a virgin and is pregnant. How screwed up is that? We can never return her back to her life after all of this now."

"Are you saying you aren't going to erase her memories afterwards?"

"I haven't decided. She is Kahnerian. I can't send her back out there, but I can't exactly take her home." Zerian's head was killing him from thinking about the complexities. "What did you find out about her grandmother?"

"She was aboard a scouting ship that had to make an emergency landing. No contact was ever made after the initial distress call. The official report from the rescue team reported five killed and three missing females. Lyriel was one of the missing."

Zerian turned a hard gaze on Kandin. "So there could be other Marta's out there raised in hiding like her? Marta only became known to us because the new government forced DNA samples."

"Yes my lord. We know where the ship went down and the areas the rescue party searched. I'll compare that to where the girl lives and figure out the best locations for searching."

"Good, begin as soon as you can."

Kandin disappeared from the room as Zerian returned his gaze back to Marta. He watched her sleep for another hour before he returned to his chambers to sleep as well.