West of Elysian Fields

By Richard Hall

"West of Elysian Fields" tells the story of humanity lost to viruses that are destroying them and, in desperation, send a distress signal into space. This brings an alien race, the Tulxok, that enslaves them. The storyline revolves around humans regaining their freedom with the assistance of an alien alliance known as the Dominion, who had seeded Earth millions of years ago in their likeness. The protagonist of the story is Jake Lanier, a human who resides in the Harrisonburg settlement, established a century ago after the Great Fall. Jake lives with his father, Ted Lanier, who is a prominent leader of humans. Jake leads an army against the Tulxoks to drive them from Earth with the help of an alien he loves, Phendra, a Vennaren from the planet Venair. The Vennaren are an ancient race that is part of the Dominion of planets. While leading Phendra to safety, the Tulxoks capture him and make him a slave in Elysian Fields. Ezera, a Tulxok girl who does not agree with how her kind treats humans, helps him escape to join the human army and begin the great battle to save and retake Earth for humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Hall
• Release date: Mar 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224508808

Richard Hall

Greetings, most of my working life was spent in the engineering field, setting up quality assurance programs for industry. While working the grind, my beautiful wife Debbie and I raised two children, and we now own a floral shop in Albany, New York. I have enjoyed writing, and, over the years, I have published a few short stories and four novels, Shadow Angels Trilogy and West of Elysian Fields.

Book preview

Chapter

1

THE EXTINCTION VIRUS came suddenly, just like the aliens did. One night, humanity went to sleep, people woke in the morning, and the news was full of talk about a new virus. A hundred and twenty-five years had passed since that morning, mutation after mutation came, each more contagious and deadly than the last. Humans had unleashed a deadly plague upon themselves. At first, vaccines kept the viruses at bay, but eventually, that failed. After twenty-five years of persistent sickness, the world was dying and needed help. There were less than a billion people left, and many were sick. People were deserting the cities and moving to small, isolated communities, but the viruses always found them. Humanity was coming to a horrible end. Humans made one last desperate attempt and broadcast a distress signal out into space; that is when the Tulxok came.

Within days, their massive spaceships floated through our skies. When they arrived, humankind was on the brink of total collapse. Through their transmissions, humans heard the first arrivals call themselves Pox. Then, people were told this was the voice of artificial intelligence. The true power behind the Pox was a race of aliens known as the Tulxok. The Pox were the Tulxok enforcers, their soldiers designed to appear like the race they assumed into their vast Empire.

The following contact was from the Tulxoks themselves, and their sing-song voices went directly to the minds of all humans. We will cleanse your planet, but you will serve us to save you. Light pyramids appeared, broke into balls of light, and rained down on them. The intense light spread through the world and lasted for two days. When the light dissipated, the deadly viruses were gone. And any human that harbored the viruses was dead. Sometimes, people refer to Tulxoks as Elysians because of the beautiful, magnificent cities they built. When the Tulxoks learned the reference to the word, it insulted them, and humans exploited it often.

Jake Lanier stood on McMullen Bluff with his brother Freddie. Their sister Susan had driven them up a windy trail in their old red electric-powered jeep. The Blue Ridge Mountains had always been a part of his view at the Harrisonburg settlement. The Tulxoks had allowed them to keep some of their technology: a few hunting rifles, tractors to plow the fields, the means to generate electrical energy to power the settlements, and simple manufacturing that the aliens closely watched. The Pox, the Tulxok military limited communications between towns; only outdated hand radios were allowed. The Pox ruled with an iron hand.

Their settlement was one of fifteen known in the old United States. It was in the Shenandoah Valley, West of Elysian Fields. That was all the Tulxok would allow. There were other towns worldwide, but no one knew how many. There were three Tulxok cities around the globe, and one of them, Elysian Fields, the biggest, now occupied where Washington, DC, once stood. Most Tulxoks lived in this part of the world.

Jake used his binoculars to scan hundreds of miles east of what was now known as the Virginia Forest Expanse. They could see the lights of the high towers that stretched into the sky at Elysian Fields. They also saw the Pox garrison located where, long ago, the city of Charlottesville used to be.

Usually, they could see the Tulxok transport from the bluff, coming and going from Charlottesville. None were present, but smoke was coming from the forest, mixing in with the early morning fog drifting across the top of the trees. In his life, Jake had often seen Tulxoks behind the clear openings in their transports, observing the Harrisonburg settlement. Long ago, humans surmised this world was an outpost, a research and hunting planet for them. A Tulxok was tall with a humanoid body and all the features of males or females. Their skin was smooth with a tinted blue color, and darker blue patches spread around their necks and chest; they had no hair. Their facial features were sharp, with cat eyes and pointed ears. The back of their heads was different, with small jelly-like protuberances extending out about two inches. Their toes and fingers were long with webs of flesh between them. It was said in their beginnings, they spent considerable time underwater searching for fish, and the tentacles helped them breathe. They wore one-piece suits of various colors and sashes of different colors. Humans surmised the sash colors told their status in their society.

The Tulxoks told humans that Dominions seeded the earth in their likeness. The Empire had driven the Dominion off and claimed the planet for themselves. Tulxoks considered humans not worthy of such a beautiful planet as Earth. They said humans were too primitive, probably incapable of moving into the future and joining the Empire. They said look how humans have released dangerous viruses into their world. Tulxoks delegated humans to the servant class. To bring labor into their cities and families and use them as they pleased, even killing them if they felt they were rude and ungrateful.

Jake and his siblings had come to the bluff looking for their father, Ted Lanier. He was the mayor of their settlement and well-respected by the citizens of all territories. He would extensively travel to the west to the fifteen known settlements. Always trying to unite the humans for the day they would rise and take their planet back. The territories believed a large, slow acting, lumbering American government was partly responsible for their predicament, never making quick essential decisions, taking timely action, and incompetently dealing with the viruses. They wanted one leader who could make decisions quickly. They wanted Ted Lanier to be monarch, but Ted was unsure that would be the best way. He would say to Jake, Can you imagine people calling me king.

There were two settlements in the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg and Powhatan. Their town had received a message from the Powhatan leadership that they had received strange transmissions. The messages sounded like nothing they had heard before. They believed the Tulxoks were under attack by another alien civilization, and these aliens were trying to contact humans. This caused Jake’s father to lead a small scouting group into the forest, following old Route 33 East to investigate. That was two weeks ago, and nobody had heard from them since.

Looking back at the jeep, he saw Susan earnestly working the short wave, Lanier party, Lanier party, come in.

Anything, anything at all, Susan?

Nothing, just static.

Shortwave was not the preferred way to contact the party, but it was more direct. Usually, humans clicked out Morse code with the transmitter, but Jake and his siblings were desperate.

What do you think, Jake? Susie asked nervously.

I don’t understand why they aren’t answering. I hope they were able to avoid the Pox, Jake said as he walked back toward the jeep.

Humans discovered an older and superior race of aliens from another galaxy that had created the Pox. Thousands of years ago, the Tulxoks fought a great war with the Pox and eventually conquered and subjugated them. They took total control of the Pox and, over time, broke them and made them their servants. Humans rarely saw the Tulxoks except through their observation craft windows. This was not the case with the Pox. They would come to the settlements and select entire families to take to the Tulxoks to work as servants and slave laborers in their families and cities. The Tulxoks found humans entertaining to keep, almost like a pet. People did everything they could to avoid the Pox.

I am going down to look for them, Jake said as he grabbed his backpack and hunting rifle.

Can I go with you? Freddie asked.

Not this time.

Jake was fourteen when his brother was born, and Susan was twelve, and they still remembered their mother's horrible birth with him. The screams and his mother’s death are still seared into his mind. Freddie had just turned seventeen, and Jake felt it was too dangerous for his brother. The lack of oxygen at birth made him slow in thought and volatile. Still, he was a great brother and very loyal to his family. Unfortunately, Freddie believed he was responsible for their mother’s death, which sometimes would send him into melancholy. In contrast, Jake’s twin sister, Susan, was sharp as a tack, independent, swore like a sailor, and had taken their mother’s place as best she could over the years. However, he had never seen her with a man.

You should let one of us go with you, Susan demanded. Damn the old lord, Jake! You know it isn’t safe by yourself!

I know, but I can avoid the Pox better if I am alone! he said as he made a quick radio check with his walkie-talkie.  He keyed the talk button to make a few static hisses. All the Pox heard was a few clicks over time, which would be very difficult to identify as humans communicating. The settlements in the valley had developed a form of Morse code using this method rather than talking.

Both of you take the jeep, return to the settlement, and warn them that something is wrong! I will be back soon!

Jake took his pack and old Remington hunting rifle with scope all the Tulxoks would allow humans to have. If it were up to the Pox, people would not have any weapons. Yet all humans knew there were many military weapons hidden in the many caverns of the area. He waved farewell and slowly headed down the hidden winding trail. It would take him several hours to reach the bottom. Humans had kept this trail secret for years, and maintaining solid objects between yourself and the Pox garrison was essential. He came to the part of the trail where he had to rappel into a vertical crevasse. This part of the descent was unsafe due to possible corroded bolts holding the chain to the stone. And, of course, halfway down, a bolt let loose, dropping him three feet with a yank, bouncing him off the rocks, and forcing the air out of him and his breakfast into his throat.

Shit, he gagged, covering his head from the falling pebbles and dirt. He certainly did not want Susan and Freddie to find his body at the bottom of this cliff, especially when nobody knew where their father was.

Eventually, Jake reached the hidden trail below. The path was visible and passable for the trained eye that could follow it. It wasn’t much of a trail, but the Pox hadn’t discovered it yet. Slowly, he followed the trail east that ran along Route 33. On the second day, he was located north of the Pox Garrison. He picked a large tree, climbed to the top, and, with his binoculars, looked south. There was no activity around the compound, no flying aircraft, but a thin plume of blueish smoke billowed into the sky to the north.

Jake made his way back to the ground. The day was hot and humid; he wished he could travel at night, but stumbling through the woods with no light was too dangerous. He certainly couldn’t use his flashlight. Taking his radio, he made two clicks, meaning a message would follow in ten minutes. While taking a few gulps of water, he heard two clicks come back, which told the settlement had received his signal and would be waiting for his following message. After ten minutes, he sent a quick message that he found no signs of the scouting party, but it appeared a flyer had crashed.

After another day of travel east, he came to where the trail intersected, the path that followed Route 15 North. Again, he sent a quick message to let the settlement know he would follow the Route 15 trail north. He wanted to get a look at Elysian Fields. Under normal times, humans did not like to get too close to Elysian Fields. Most humans in direct contact with Tulxoks were never heard of again. Unlike the Pox, Tulxoks did not kill them but took them as servants to do manual labor. That was likely what happened to the scouting party. Androids could do the work, but the aliens hated artificial intelligence and preferred not to have many of them around—lessons learned over the millennia and from the great war with the Pox.

Jake had traveled another day on the trail that led north. It was late in the afternoon, and the summer day was hot. His clothes were damp with sweat, and he thought of taking shelter early to avoid the heat as best he could. Suddenly, he heard a roar, and then two silver arrow-shaped craft screamed overhead. A few seconds later, three silver saucer-shaped craft followed in pursuit. The fliers were traveling at high speed and soon disappeared. Jake knew the saucers were Pox, but he had never seen the other fliers.

Before the viruses came, people would see small crafts, sometimes appearing as balls of light, disappearing and then showing up a hundred miles away. Humans later learned from the Pox that they were Tulxoks probes observing our planet, preparing for an invasion that would come someday. Again, a roar and the arrow-shaped vessels must have banked, trying to get behind the other fliers but with no success, and were met head-on by the Pox.

An alien dogfight ensued, with the fliers firing red photons at each other. Boom after boom was heard, and then sharp explosions and one Pox craft fell to the ground. One arrow craft flew overhead, streaming a red plasma behind it, and crashed among the trees a few miles away with a roar. Instead of following the intruder, the other Pox aircraft turned south to aid their downed flier. There were a couple of hours of light left, so Jake decided to go and maybe answer some questions and investigate the alien flier.

Chapter

2

IT TOOK HIM an hour to get to the crash site. The alien craft had sustained a significant burnt mark across its hull but appeared intact, and nothing was burning. Still, a white mist streamed off the metal of the vessel. The ship was not that big, probably only for two aliens, and there was a perfectly round opening in the hull, with no door visible. Jake crept forward to see if he could look inside. He kept his distance, shined his flashlight, and peered into the opening. Inside the flier, the walls appeared to be metal, the same as the outside. There were two seats, also made of metal, one behind the other, and a small metal sphere seemed to float in front. The flier then started to hum, the opening closed, and the mist increased in volume and spread. He jumped back to avoid the gas and decided whoever was on the ship was gone.

Looking around, he saw broken branches where something was moving through the trees and not in a gentle way. His curiosity got the better of him, so he slowly moved along the path. Jake had not gone far until he came to a small clearing, and there he saw a body with a blue metallic form-fitting one-piece suit. He chambered a round, positioned his rifle at the ready, and slowly approached the body. The alien hadn’t gone far. He was male, had a big gash across his forehead and left eye, and was dead. His blood was coppery color, and he looked human, except he was petite, skinny, and had a red tint to his flesh.

Jake saw a small metal case beside the alien as he stood over the body. He was starting to retrieve the object when a twig snapped, and he spun around to see a second alien step out from the forest cover. This alien was female, dressed exactly like the male lying on the ground. She quickly touched a gold band on her right wrist, forming a force field. The energy did not go around her body but developed on her arms, legs, torso, and head. It looked like she was wearing a suit of armor made of sparkling glass. Jake noticed the woman was much larger than the male on the ground. She started walking a circle, then pulled a silver knife out of her boot.

The alien had no weapon except the dagger, so he lowered his rifle, so he didn’t look too aggressive and stared, waiting for her next move. Jake was well-schooled in the art of hand-to-hand combat. Most people in the settlement were. Everybody was a well-trained soldier where he came from. He chuckled at the silliness of the alien resorting to a knife, which produced a strange look on the alien's face. He would have thought she would have a laser gun or something. Still, due to her tight jumpsuit, she looked like a woman but much bigger and more muscular compared to the small male lying on the ground. She continued to look him up and down intensely, and then a decision seemed to come to her. The alien slid the knife back into her boot, reached down, and again touched a gold band on her right wrist, and her armor disappeared.

Holographic, Floating, and ethereal symbols formed around her head, then broke apart and disappeared. She then said in perfect English, Is this your world?

Yes…why!

Then I ask for sanctuary, the alien woman said.

Well, the world is ours, but I am afraid we don’t control it right now.

The hum of another craft broke the silence, and the staring match between them ended. Jake looked south and saw a Pox transport skimming the top of the trees headed toward the venting gas from the down flier. He wasn’t sure whether to trust this alien, but he knew the Pox was a danger, and now she seemed peaceful. The alien was probably trying to figure out what to do next.

I am leaving, Jake said. You are welcome to follow for now. But later, you will have some explaining to do!

Thank you, Earthier. I will go with you.

Not far to the east were coal mines that Jake had explored with his father some years back. When people discovered how evil the aliens were, they started to plan resistance, and most caves around here held plenty of military equipment. The sun was close to the horizon, and there was little day left, so Jake decided to head to them and take cover.

Follow me, Jake said to the alien. And again, he moved into the thick of the forest.

He moved quickly to avoid the darkness that he knew was coming. He ducked and weaved through the branches and heard the alien woman struggling. Turning back, he saw the alien's sweat and the gnats flying around her face. Her blue metallic form-fitting suit seemed to protect her from the sharp branches. Then he heard a tremendous explosion and saw pieces of metal and red smoke thrown high into the air. He turned, and the woman had her hand on her wristband.

What did you do? he asked, raising his rifle slightly.

I destroyed my vessel so that it cannot be captured by the hostile forces here, she said.

He shook his head, hunched down, and motioned the alien to do the same. They traveled nearly an hour and came to an old farm field when twilight set in.

On the other side of this field, not far away, is a system of caves from days of mining coal. It will be dangerous, and I am sure there are Poxs around. We are going to crouch and quickly move across the field, Jake told her. He looked, and she just stared at him. Jake nodded and said, Do this if you agree.

She nodded her head.

Good, you just learned your first human mannerism. How do we understand each other?

The alien just tapped her wristband.

I see. Ready, here we go!

Jake stood in a crouched position and started running as fast as possible. To his surprise, he looked behind, and the alien stayed with him. They crossed two-thirds of the field when three small balls of photon energy sizzled by them. One was so close to his head that he felt the heat.

Damn the old lord! he hissed. Jake pivoted, raised his rifle, and fired. With three loud cracks of his weapon, all three Pox fell to the ground. The alien woman looked surprised by the sudden violence.

Let’s go, he said as he ran to the trees again. He charged into the tree line and quickly moved through the forest; the alien stayed behind him. Jake hated the Pox and had no trouble taking all three out. Surprisingly, he heard no fliers. Maybe he deactivated them before they could signal their exact location. They came to a ravine, and at the bottom was a large crevice in the side of a big slab of granite, covered with patches of green moss, a remote access to the mines that he and his father had discovered a few years back.

He pointed to the opening and said, That is where we are going!

In there? The alien asked.

Yes, in there, let’s go!

He looked around and still saw no fliers–maybe they had gotten lucky. Then he started down the steep slope to the bottom and the large crack that led to the mines. The ground was treacherous; rocks would break loose and roll to the bottom. He slid and caught his balance. Turning, he offered his hand to the alien woman, and she gave him a strange look and brushed it away. Eventually, they made it to the bottom and the crack in the granite slab. Jake turned sideways and started to slide through the opening. He could see the woman was hesitant and told her, It’s okay, follow me.

To Jake's relief, the stone was cool and wet from the groundwater. It would take some minutes for them to reach the cave. They came to the mineshaft, and he turned his flashlight on, pointed it to the left, and said, Three miles that way is the entrance to the cave.

He turned, pointed in the other direction with a steep decline, and said, We are going this way. We need to put some earth between the Pox and us. Hopefully, they won’t be able to detect us.

The alien nodded, and Jake thought, well, I taught her something already. Let’s go.

They traveled another half-hour until the cave leveled out and reached a fork in the shaft. Jake knew if they went left in a few miles, they would come to another opening in the side of a tree-covered hill. To the right, they would reach a large cavern. He pointed to the correct branch with his flashlight, We are going this way.

After a few more miles, they came to the giant cavern. It was massive, about a hundred feet in diameter, and fifty feet high to the cavern ceiling. The cavern floor was flat, with some boulders and small rocks strewn about. There was a camping area already there, and Jake went and started a fire for light. He motioned to the woman to join him. Taking his bedroll from his pack, he laid it out and used a small boulder for a backrest. The alien sat in the dirt with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked miserable.

The alien again poked at a symbol on her wristband; a small ball of light appeared and then made a trip around, lighting up the cavern. It came back and faded.

We could have used that a little earlier, Jake said.

The alien nodded. She again poked at the band, and nothing happened. He guessed she was trying to contact her people.

She turned and asked, How far underground are we.

Close to three hundred feet with a hundred feet of coal above us. You probably won’t be able to make contact, and I would advise you not to. I’m sure there is a lot of Pox looking for us.

You killed the Pox so quickly. Do you not like the Pox?

I hate the Pox!

Do all humans hate the Pox? The alien asked.

Pretty much!

He watched the alien sitting crouched in on herself. She had a slightly muscular physique, but you could tell she was a woman. He would have to say she was attractive for an alien. Her hair was brown and cut short. Her reddish skin made her look sunbaked. She could give the most beautiful girl in the settlement, Sue Ann, a run for her money.

Who are you, and where do you come from? Jake asked.

The alien stared at him, thinking of what to say. "My name is Commander Phendra Sabe, and my race comes from the planet Venair, three hundred light-years from here. I have never lived there, only on Deros, a habitat in space. We are the same species, Dominion, but my race is thousands of years older than yours. The Vennarens were part of the second age of seeding by the Dominion, and your world was part of the sixth and final seeding.

Why are you here?

This world is part of the Dominion Territories, and they have allowed the Vennarens to take it back.

So, you think you will be our new masters? Jake said as he drew his rifle close.

No, you will get your world back. And you will be free to continue your path to destruction. We only want a favor from humans.

’Humans will do better!"

Your fascination with weapons of war and nuclear bombs. Altering a virus, making it a deadly weapon, and releasing it into your world. This doesn’t bode well for humanity's longevity.

The alien was right. Humans had not managed their planet well. Before the viruses, the ecosystem was in danger. There was still war, and leadership was lacking to move humanity into the future. All humans of this time were welled schooled in their past and the history before the fall. The alien had become quiet again, staring into the fire.

Fire can become hypnotic, Jake murmured to the woman.

Yes, it can. This is my first campfire.

What is the favor you want from my people? Jake asked.

We need a certain genome from your DNA. You are the only Dominion race with it; my race is the only one that needs it.

Jake turned and met the alien eyes, an emerald green color. You are in the military, aren’t you?

Yes, I am. I am what you call a fighter pilot. And, I am trained in Jandar, the art of wisdom and combat; there are no better fighters in the galaxy than the Jandar. I have extensive training in human culture to function as a special operative in this world.

The alien then patted the knife in her boot and gave him a strange look. He could tell there was something about that knife.

Jake then asked. Why do you need our DNA?

Over time, an error has shown itself in our DNA. It is rare, but it has established itself in the Vennarens. It is now known that seeding our planet was a mistake. We have three suns; the radiation over thousands of years became too much and changed our sex genome. The high amount of radiation in our atmosphere caused our mutation.

So, what can we do about it? I don’t know if you notice, but we are in big trouble.

The alien stood up, ran a finger between her breasts, and a slit appeared in her suit. She pulled it apart, bearing her breast. Then she lifted her breast, and Jake saw a small patch of tiny pores under each breast. She then released the material, and her suit closed.

Jake sat with his mouth open. So, what are you trying to tell me? You have nice breasts.

You looked at my dead companion, and you knew he was male, and I can tell you have questions about why he was so small.

It did cross my mind.

For the first time, Jake saw a smile, maybe a little laugh, as the woman said, That is a strange expression. You, humans, have many. In our society, women have become the dominant sex. Men have become smaller and have lost all interest in reproducing. We must use pheromones released through the pores I showed you to get our males to mate. Over time, this has become harder. And the gene we need is rare, and your species is the only one with it.

Why don’t you have test-tube babies? I am sure you all can manage that.

She looked repulsive and said, The Dominion had no problem altering DNA, but fertilization must be natural; no civilization has survived long if it is not. It is important for the viability of the races and the viability of the seedings.

You would need a lot of people for that to work!

Precisely, we will first take the gene, but mating would be preferred.

Well, that is where it could get a little tricky. I don’t think many men want sex with an alien.

In time, maybe when your race grows and matures. But first, we must get rid of the Tulxoks.

Another peculiar look came over the alien’s face. The alien woman had to be under stress. She had crashed on a distant planet, lost her companion, and immediately ran into him. He got her to the caves so they could take cover. She had been lucky to find him if she realized it.

The alien looked at him with a forced smile and asked, What is your name, human?

Jake Lanier is my name.

The alien nodded, again pushing a symbol on her wristband, and a map appeared before them. She stood and pointed to a spot on the map.

Do you know where this is?

She pointed to an area near what used to be known as Waterloo on the Rappahannock River, directly west of Elysian Fields.

I know where that is. Why here?

That would be the best spot for me to contact my kind. Can you take me there?

He had gone over a hundred miles and had found no trace of the scouting party. He knew the area but felt the alien was not completely honest with him. He was certainly not ready to trust her and tell her of the significant cash of weapons in the next cavern ahead. Her race could just be more of the same. But, if her kind could help humanity take back the planet, maybe he should work with her. He would sleep on it and think more tomorrow when he wasn’t so tired.

Where does that band of gold get its power from? It must take a lot of energy to do what it does.

The band is made of Pyrene, a metal that holds tremendous power. It takes energy from an alternate dimension and gives it to ours. It is our energy source and enhances our interface with our nanobots. Our spaceship hulls are made of it and take their power from it, she said.

I can take you there, but I am looking for my father. I will think about it. Let’s get some rest. Jake said as he reached into his knapsack, pulled out a spare blanket, and threw it to her.

Earthier, Vennarens will give you back your world, but humans will have to fight with us! Phendra told him, looking directly at Jake, and her eyes were piercing. My mission is to reach the spot I showed you on the map and activate the Dominion's abandoned defense systems on this planet.

The latest news from the alien did nothing to dispel his reservations about her. He was starting to realize her arrival on this planet was not an accident but part of something bigger. He rolled over and stared at the woman; she was certainly more than she let on. Was she sleeping? Did these aliens sleep? He was exhausted and knew he had to rest. He hoped he didn’t wake and find her fancy dagger at his throat.

Chapter

3

PHENDRA HAD BEEN in the military for twenty Earth years, half of her life, and ten of those years were used in training for this mission to give Earthiers control of their world again. And to negotiate with humans for the use of their prized genome. She had a good life on Deros, a beautiful habitat in space, one of many for the Vennarens. Few of her kind lived on her home planet, Venair. She had lived with her mother in their orchard, and her father and brother lived in Deros City. She had been with only two Vennaren males; they weren’t that interesting. Science and technology were their love. She would go to the nightspots and find a Lariain male. Like humans, Lariain males were dominant in their race, which she preferred. Unfortunately, their male genome would not fix their broken splice.

Vennarens and Tulxoks, the race humans call the Elysians, fought a significant battle in space, and the Vennarens were driven off. That is when the Tulxoks came and took possession of the earth.

Phendra had excelled in the military and now was a high-ranking special agent. She had studied earth culture before and after their fall. That is when she learned the DNA of the Vennarens and Humans were almost an exact match.

The Earthiers were a young race of Dominions. They had just started to move into space and develop artificial intelligence. Some Dominions theorized they had developed an anti-gravity engine, but it was never proven. Still, they seemed to have penchants for self-destruction. Her kind had saved them once from a nuclear catastrophe. Then they tried to weaponize viruses, and that almost destroyed them. That allowed the Tulxoks to come and take their planet. Earthiers knew nothing of the life energy that weaves its way through the galaxies like a web and affects all living creatures; if they had, they might not have been so reckless.

Vennaren’s mission was to drop operatives at the Dominion's defensive sites worldwide to activate them and observe if humans could and would fight with them. The Pox attacked them as soon as their ships entered Earth’s orbit. Phendra hoped to reach the forest before the Pox discovered them, but that didn’t happen.

Her copilot, Zeyjar, left his protective seat to reset a gravitational pad. He never made it back before they hit the ground. They had trained together and had become good friends. She still remembered meeting him and being told not to shoot her pheromones at him, or he would not work with her. He told her with no sex hormones, sex was not pleasing to him. Most Vennaren males felt that way—the reason the Dominion had to take back Earth.

She sent a seeker around the cavern, and it picked up another tunnel. The tunnel went to another cavern the human did not want her to know about. Looking over at the Earthier, she was sure he was asleep from the strange, raspy noises he made. He was bigger and stronger than her, something she wasn’t used to from a male, but it was what she preferred. She slowly got to her feet, so she didn’t wake him.

Her training told her she needed to find out if something was in the next cavern. She quietly made her way to the opening of the next grotto; it was small, but she crouched, entered, and activated her seeker. The tunnel wasn’t long, and she