Torva: Book Ll of the Offspring

By C.J. Gnos

Cass and Garon had an ideal life together until a forced landing on an uncharted
planet split them apart.
Cass found help in a tall powerfully built alien. Would she be able to fi ght her way
through all the dangers on this planet and get back to Garon or be stopped by the
biggest danger of all, her heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479787777

C.J. Gnos

C.J. Gnos has always had a love for Science Fiction books and movies and always wanted to try her hand at writing. Some of her interests besides writing are cooking, photography and of course reading. C.J. is originally from New York state and has lived in Florida for the past twenty years. She presently resides on a farm on the Nature Coast. This is her third book in the Offspring Sci-fi adventure trilogy.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by C.J. Gnos.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2013901809

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4797-8776-0

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4797-8775-3

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4797-8777-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 02/26/2013

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Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER ONE

I was running away from the lake, following Chen, Dulcy, and Axel, but not fast enough. Fear made it hard for me to move. The creature that we goaded into rising from the lake to attack the Rook aircraft had done just what we hoped it would do, except now it raised its great hulk to turn on us. I felt like I was running in slow motion as the beast’s enormous body slithered across the ground behind me. If I could only run far and fast enough, it wouldn’t be able to catch me. It wouldn’t be able to lift its whole body out of the water and come completely on land. Too late, I was caught by one of the eyestalks that lined the inside of its huge round mouth. It wrapped tightly around my waist and slowly pulled me in. As I tried to grab for something to hold on to, the only things within reach were more of those horrible eyestalks that were all looking at me. As I grabbed them, they broke off in my hands, spewing a pinkish white slime that ran down the length of my arms. As I was drawn deeper into its mouth, I could see Dulcy, Chen, and Axel calling to me from the safety of the woods. That’s funny, they sounded like Garon. Was he caught by the creature too? Garon, no, the creature couldn’t have him too! I heard Addie barking. What was she doing here, my precious Cairn Terrier, Addie? I screamed and screamed, and through the screams, I could hear Garon calling my name, but the monster kept shaking me. I woke up with a scream in my throat, and there I was in my bedroom with Garon holding me and Addie licking my hand. It was that horrible nightmare again. I was back on Kaal fighting the Rooks. I was shaking all over and drenched in sweat, waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal.

That’s it. I’m taking you to see Grinder. These nightmares have got to stop, Garon whispered into my ear.

I’ll be OK, I just need time.

No more time. We’ve got to see him now, Garon said very firmly. There was no changing his mind. As I got dressed, I wondered if Garon was right. The nightmares weren’t getting any better, and I was oh so tired of them.

On the ride to Grinder’s lab, I reflected on how I got to this point. Garon, the leader of the Allkrum, and his crew came to Earth to get me and the other three Offspring. We were the only ones anywhere who could help the Allkrum and other species put an end to the threat of a deadly virus. The Rook leader, Cas-par, threatened to release the virus which would kill thousands of innocent lives, unless they all bowed down to him and accepted him as their ruler. No one could last more than a few hours or a couple of days, depending on the amount of exposure they had to the virus. In order to get the formula for the cure, one would be totally exposed as Cas-par used the virus to protect it. There was a temporary cure, but it only lasted a short while and had to be administered every few days to do any good, but it was pretty useless against full exposure to the virus. There were only us four earthlings left who had a unique altered DNA that passed down from our ancestors who had mated with the Allkrum. We were the only ones who had any kind of resistance to the virus. We were recruited to steal the formula for what was hoped would be the permanent cure. Seeing it also threatened Earth, what choice did we have?

Our mission went awry when we crash-landed on Kaal some distance from where the formula was kept. We had to endure some pretty scary adventures before we got to our final destination. One of the horrors on Kaal was the creature in the lake. For some reason, that monster frightened me the most of all the killing machines we encountered. We met several Rooks who were part of the resistance and council allies. Thanks to their help, we completed our task. Today, they are in charge of their planet. Besides me, there were Dulcy Taylor, Chen Sung, and Axel Gunderson. Dulcy and Chen chose to stay on Alona with me, but Axel wanted to go back to Earth. He and his new love, Pel, an Allkrum science officer, returned to Earth as liaisons between the two planets.

Yes, I was a long way from where I started. A fifty-eight-year-old woman who now had the body of a twenty-year-old, and an improved twenty-year-old at that, thanks to Grinder and his machines. I now had a life expectancy of three hundred years, like the Allkrum. Dulcy, Chen, and Axel all were changed like I was. It needed to be done in order for us to have the stamina required to complete our mission. As a bonus, we each met and fell in love with an Allkrum. In my case, it was Garon.

What are you so busy thinking about? Garon asked as he started our cube.

My life, so much has happened in such a short time, I said, looking into his turquoise eyes.

I hope you don’t regret being here with me?

Never, you’re the best part! I said smiling.

I love you. You know that, don’t you?

Yes, and I love you too.

Garon looked at me and said, I plan to spend the rest of my life with you, and watching you hurt is unbearable, so we have to fix this. He cupped my face in his hands.

I snuggled down into his arms, and we rode in silence the rest of the way.

Grinder’s lab had grown considerably since our adventures on Kaal. Thanks to the formula notes and Addie’s fleas supplying the missing link, the League of Planets, formally known as the Council of Planets, had kept Grinder and his staff busy making serum which was sent to other worlds, plus inoculating everyone in sight on Alona. As we entered the imposing front doors, we were greeted by Grinder.

Hello, hello, hello, my friends! Grinder bellowed as he rushed up to hug me.

I muffled an answer as he gave me a giant bear hug. He stood back and looked closely at me and said, You look pale. Still having nightmares?

Off and on, I mumbled.

More on than off, just this morning she woke up screaming. Don’t let her try to fool you, chimed in Garon.

Oh, yes, yes, yes, we must do something about that. Come this way, he said as he led us into his examining room.

He opened a cabinet and took out a small vial and handed it to Garon.

This is something I’ve been working on. Make sure she takes just a drop on her tongue each night, and it should help keep the nightmares away until her mind can deal with what happened on Kaal.

Hello, I’m right here, Grinder, please talk to me!

Oh my, yes, I’m so sorry, so sorry. Take one drop on your tongue each night, and it should help keep the nightmares away until your mind can deal with what happened on Kaal.

I got it the first time, Grinder.

We all started to laugh which was Grinder’s chance to offer a suggestion as he walked us to the door.

I think you should take a vacation, go visit your daughter and her husband on Earth for a few days. Show Garon your world. The change of scenery should do you both good. You came close to dying a few times on Kaal, and your mind and body could use the downtime. Besides, I want a dog.

What was that last part? Garon and I both stopped short and looked at Grinder.

I have given it much thought, yes, yes, and I would love to have a dog like Addie, he said, smiling from ear to ear.

Grinder wanting a dog was a giant step forward. He wanted nothing to do with Addie at first, but by the time he realized she held the key to the cure, he was crazy about her. Garon too had no use for Addie. I had to trick him into bringing her to Alona. There were no dogs on the planet, but some of the wild animals came close. They were never domesticated like an Earth dog but seemed surprisingly tame anyway. As time wore on, she wormed her way into his heart too. I even caught them taking walks together, so why not bring another dog to Alona?

OK, Grinder, do you want a male or female?

Oh, I don’t care as long as it’s healthy! I thought, Where have I heard that before? Grinder was about to become a new daddy.

We left him humming to himself, surrounded by his test tubes, and headed back home. I couldn’t help laughing at his wish to have a puppy. That would make a grand total of two dogs on Alona.

When we arrived home, Garon suggested we take a walk and discuss our upcoming trip to Earth. As we walked into the thick woods, we saw a herd of Elds, the very beautiful and graceful deerlike animals that live on this planet. They’re very slim with long necks and small heads with a horn protruding from the middle of their forehead and huge upright ears. I thought about the Rook who landed on Alona with the intent to kill me and the other Offspring. As he chased me through the woods, his foul odor ignited the Eld. They saw him as a threat to their babies, and they attacked. Trampled is a kind word to use for what they did to him. That horn in the center of their forehead isn’t just for decoration. Unfortunately, they only slowed him down. Lucky for me, Garon and his men found us just as the Rook was trying to stab me.

As we watched the Elds slowly move away, Garon said, So tell me, what have you in mind for our trip to Earth?

I really don’t know. I haven’t given it much thought.

Well, I would like to swim in the ocean. Maybe go to one of your amusement parks that you told me about. Hug you, kiss you, and make passionate love to you.

OK, I responded absently.

Cass, I don’t think you heard one thing I just said, at least I hope that’s the reason and not a reaction to what I said, he said as he gave me one of his boyish grins.

I’m sorry, I was thinking about my encounter with the Rook again. Seeing the Elds reminded me of what happened in these woods. I guess I really do need a change of scenery for a while.

Garon faced me and put his hands on my shoulders. He looked into my eyes and said,

Cass, I love you and I want to protect you, but I don’t know how. You won’t let me in. He sounded so frustrated. Here was this gorgeous strong alien who said he loved me and I couldn’t give him the attention he deserved.

I’m so sorry, Garon. I promise we’ll go to Earth and have fun and not think about the past anymore, I said with determination.

We turned around and headed back to the house. I had come to love this alien, and after almost losing him to the virus, I realized just how much. I was terrified when he uttered those words, You are coming with me, when I first met him; and now I couldn’t imagine life without him in it. I had to make the effort to get over my own destructive thoughts. As we walked, Garon put his arm around me and gave me a kiss and hug. He bent down and gave Addie her favorite belly rub.

So then, it’s all set for us to visit Earth? he said, rising up from petting Addie.

Yes, I think it would do me good to see Donna and Mike. Besides, I would like to visit Axel and Pel, and we have a mission, remember? We have to find a puppy for Grinder!

Then it’s set, I’ll get the ship and crew ready, and we can leave tomorrow. By the way, I have some news to tell you. As you know, since the threat of the virus has ended, the League has decided to explore other planets for life. Adawhan and Meum left yesterday for an uncharted planet, and Deleek-ka and her crew left today for another one.

Let me guess, you’re heading up a crew too?

Yes, and so far, I’m taking Dulcy, Jax, Chen, Mendak, and three Rooks.

Three Rooks?

Now that they have ousted Cas-par and joined the League of Planets, it seems only right that they be included, even with their awful odor! he said as he rolled his eyes.

I thought Grinder invented something to tone them down?

It does help, but you still know when they’re in the room!

What about me?

I want you to go too, but I need you to be up to it. That’s why we’re going to Earth to get you back to where you need to be first.

My answer was to look into those turquoise eyes and give him another kiss. We walked arm in arm back to the house while Addie trotted along behind.

CHAPTER TWO

T he morning dawned as beautiful as ever. There was no denying that Alona was a beautiful planet. I got up and let Addie out and noticed the Lacoba gathered around the yard. They were such strange birds. They had little clawed arms that they scratched the ground with. Their very colorful hair stuck together in clumps and looked like feathers. They were very tame and seemed to enjoy scratching around the flowers that surrounded the platform I was standing on. They made a soft clicking sound that sounded like purring.

I see the Lacoba came to visit this morning, Garon said as he walked up behind me.

Yes, I love seeing them. They’re so peaceful, I uttered as I turned to face him.

We’re ready to go as soon as you are, and I have a surprise. Pa-laya is coming too. Chen would like her to see Earth, he said.

That’s wonderful! Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready.

I gathered what I wanted to take and headed for the cube that Garon had waiting outside to take us to the ship. I don’t think I will ever get used to those cubes. They don’t use a road, just hover over the ground. They hold about six people at a time and can get up to quite a speed and even fly with the right person driving it. Of course, that wasn’t me. Seems every time I tried to use one, I had trouble, although one time, it was due to the Rook who was trying to kill me. He blew up my cube, sending me spinning over and over. Oops, there I was, thinking about that again.

Garon helped me and Addie into the cube, and off we went. The ride to the ship was beautiful. Alona was a mecca for wildflowers of the most bizarre kind. Some even turned their heads to watch us as we passed. The Allkrums were vegetarians and had a great respect for their world and all life on it. Everything was geared to the safety and well-being of the planet; therefore, there was no pollution, not even from their spaceships. As we rounded a high outcrop of rocks, our ship came into view. It hung suspended over the lake, the same lake we could see from our home. The ship looked a lot smaller from there, though up close, it was huge. It was the same one Garon first came to Earth in and where a lot of our adventures took place; it felt like a second home to me.

I took Addie and headed to our quarters while Garon made his way to the bridge to make the final arrangements. I knew the other Offspring were aboard, and just as I was about to leave my rooms and go look for them, there was a knock on the door, and there stood Dulcy Taylor. We gave each other a big hug and laughed over the fact that we had just seen each other a week ago and had no idea we would be going to Earth today. Dulcy was a black woman with a smile that could light up the night. She went from fifty-two years old, overweight, and arthritic to a very agile, slim, and beautiful twenty-year-old woman. We both still marveled over the fact that we were young.

Well, my friend, here we are on this flying Frisbee again! she said smiling.

Yeah, here’s hoping this is an uneventful trip, not like some of the others, I said, rolling my eyes.

I heard Jax and Garon talking. Garon’s getting together a crew to look for intelligent life on some outer planets, and he’s expecting Jax, you, Chen, and me to go too. Are you up for it? she asked as she searched my eyes for an answer.

I think I will be once I get a little R&R on Earth, I said earnestly.

If you’re not, honey, just say so. You’ve been through a lot, and no one would blame you if you wanted to sit this one out.

Thanks, Dulcy, but a little adventure might be just the cure I need, you know, a whole new set of nightmares to replace the old ones! I said laughing. We hugged and walked out together arm in arm as we headed for the bridge.

The large ship had its own greenhouse which Pel helped design. A lot of what was grown was to supply fresh food for the varied crew; the rest was thick woods and one of Addie’s favorite places to play. When I walked through the trees, it was hard to believe I was in outer space. Just such a short while ago, if someone told me I would feel at home in space, I would have laughed at them, but then again, who would have thought I would be walking around in the body I had when I was twenty, only better! As I mulled all this over, I could feel as much as hear the ship start to hum. Then the clanging started, which was the call to the crew to report to their stations; the ship was ready to fly. A couple of minutes later, the humming got louder; and if I really concentrated, I could feel movement. Dulcy and I headed up to the bridge and arrived just in time to see Alona fading away below us. It was always a little unnerving to see so much space through the front of the ship. It was like a giant picture window. We would travel this way for a day until we reached what the Allkrums called the threshold which was a kind of black hole that would transport us through space in the blink of an eye. I didn’t understand how