Damaged (Planet Alpha) by Erin M. Leaf Page B

die with dignity, she told herself, thinking of Kyuk and Reiyn. And at least I had some happiness for a little while.
    “Your blood-kin will not be so fortunate as you when they come,” he growled. He opened his mouth and tested the air with his tongue. “Yes. You smell of them. Such an abomination.” He spat to the side and pivoted, walking to the door.
    “They won’t come looking for me,” she told him shakily, just before he left the cell.
    He spun around. “You think not?”
    She shook her head. “You’ve got it all wrong. I only just met them both a little while ago. We barely know each other.”
    He looked at her for a long time. “You have much to learn about Xyrans, little human slave.” He opened the door and walked out.
    Cori stared at the door for way too long, wondering if he was wrong. Hoping he was right.
    ****
    “State your tribe and status immediately,” the disembodied voice demanded.
    Reiyn frowned. They would have to lie if they wanted to reach the surface.
    Kyuk tapped a command to activate the microphone. “This is the courier ship Bloodspawn, returning from Earth,” he said, avoiding the question of tribes. He adjusted course slightly, compensating for the hull breach by entering the atmosphere with the opposite side of the ship facing down. The interior heated as the environmental controls struggled to compensate for the damage.
    “Tribe and status,” the voice asked again, barking the order.
    “It is not a computer,” Reiyn said quietly.
    Kyuk grimaced and tapped the display again. “Tribe Bonespex. Status, ship’s captain.”
    “Acknowledged.” The space traffic controller sent them data on how to approach the surface.
    Reiyn lifted a brow as Kyuk disconnected the feed. “Bonespex? Have you gone mad, giving them your tribal affiliation?” He rubbed a hand over his eyes, exhausted beyond anything he could remember. “They tried to destroy every member of the tribe after Kaxt’s death and his son’s defection to Earth. Everyone knows this.”
    “Those controllers are low-status children, on their first deployment as soldiers. There are many hundreds of tribes on Xyran. They will not know any better.” Kyuk said, leaning over the display.
    Reiyn stared at his blood-kin. “Bonespex is the most notorious tribe on the planet.”
    Kyuk shrugged. “It does not matter. They have given us access.” He gestured to the computer display. “I told you that these children would know no better.”
    “Unbelievable,” Reiyn murmured, leaning over to look for himself. The screen showed coordinates and permission codes. “They simply let us through?”
    “Xyran has the fiercest warriors in the galaxy, yes?” Kyuk asked sardonically. “No one would dare invade the planet, so no one suspects a stealthy approach. And there are no supervisors who care to watch the controllers.” He made a derisive noise. “All that keeps the planet secure is arrogance, threats, and a false reputation.” He tilted the ship and headed due west, toward the jagged mountains that tore holes in the atmosphere. The peaks stretched into the clouds like the dark and angry spinal scales of some long-dead reptile.
    Reiyn understood Kyuk’s point, but even so, he had his doubts. “The reputation of Xyran warriors is fearsome for a reason. It is no idle threat.”
    Kyuk tossed him a look. “Are you not a Xyran warrior?”
    Reiyn frowned, bristling. “I am half-human.”
    “Xyran genetics is dominant. Do not attempt to dissemble with me. I know you, inside and out, even if we have been separated all these years.” Kyuk angled the ship into the first of the mountain peaks, flying fast and low over rough ground. Nothing much grew here, high in the northern section of the largest continent. Most of the fertile ground on Xyran clustered around the equator and the long, rolling plains speckled with barely functioning agricultural irrigation. The vast farms were run by representatives from each tribe and