Unfortunately, our victory was short-lived. Within a few minutes, more Surtu reinforcements appeared on all sides. Daniel called to me and ordered a general retreat. There were too many of the enemy. We would lose good men and women if we continued this fight. By strategically backing away now, we would survive to fight another day. I watched with satisfaction as my comrades began disappearing into the surrounding forest and streets.

I looked for an escape route for myself. Through the chaos and fighting, I had noticed a small hover bike entrance to the park. It was narrow and passed through a high hedge that blocked the park from the street. I began to run, feeling sweat pouring down my face.

When I reached my escape route, I found it blocked by soldiers. When they fired at me, I dodged and avoided their shots. I needed to find another way out. I changed course and headed for a spot where resistance fighters clambered over a fence. There were too many of us trying to flee the same way, though, and I began to panic.

My last resort was the main entrance. I would run as fast as I could, fight my way through, and escape. I did not want the Surtu to catch me again.

I darted between pockets of soldiers and resistance fighters, making my way towards the gate. I was almost out when I ran straight into the chest of a huge Surtu male. I estimated he was four inches taller than Jidden.

The soldier grabbed me and would not let go. I was in trouble.

"Don't let her out of your sight. She's dangerous," a voice said, and the sound sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

It was Captain Fore.

I struggled to break free, but my attempts were futile. Someone put small prism-shaped restraints on me and put a bag over my head. I was a prisoner of the Surtu once again.

When they took the bag off and freed my limbs, I was at the top of a basement. It was the closest thing to a dungeon Fore could find on Earth. The stairs were rickety and creaked under my boots. A musty smell wafted up from the depths, and I heard a rustle of movement when my guard turned on the light.

The source of illumination was an ancient, dust-covered light bulb. It flickered, but I could see my dark, dank new home was empty. A counter covered with junk ran along one side of the room. Whatever had made the scurrying sounds stopped moving when the light came on. I wondered if the creatures would be my only companions. I had no fear of rats, but I didn't want to get bitten.

The Surtu soldier didn't ask me any questions. He looked around the room briefly and gave me a cruel smile. He climbed the stairs. The door shut behind him with a slam.

I immediately shoved the debris off the counter and climbed on top, whispering a prayer to Nelti. I would need help to escape and keep the lights active. There was no way out of the basement except the stairs; I didn't see any windows or doors.

Despite my best efforts to keep hope alive, I felt defeat creep into my head. To be caught again, and by Fore no less, was nothing short of a total disaster. I had tried to forget the bruises, the swollen lips, and the pain I endured from the Surtu beatings, but it was a losing battle, just like the one at the park today. Even though I was a warrior, sometimes I was merely a woman. Fear overwhelmed me at that moment. I pulled my feet up on the counter, laying my head on my knees.

I could not tell how much time had passed in the basement, but I was unable to sleep, and it felt like the Surtu had trapped me in a night that would never end.

The sound of rodents was constant. Their scampering feet became louder and braver the longer I remained in the basement. I had no weapons to kill them. All I could do was make loud noises, which scared them away for only a moment. They quickly regained their courage, each time making more noise as they brought more friends to their party. The thought of getting a disease from them made me sick to my stomach. There would be no Surtu healing nearby.

When the door finally opened, I was relieved. I wondered if it was morning, and I was ready to get out of the room for any reason. Even if they planned on leading me to my execution, I would have a better chance to escape there than locked in a basement.

As it turned out, it was not morning, and I was not going anywhere.

"Terra," Captain Fore said as he descended into my prison. He was by himself. He brought a light with him and set it on the counter, illuminating the room.

"I'm not glad to see you," I said, eyeing him with disgust. I tried to radiate a combination of confidence and disdain, remembering I was a sister of the Fortuna and that I had been raised to be a warrior. I would not cower before this man.

He walked near me and pulled me to my feet. I became conscious of my clothing. I wore leather leggings and a tight-fitting black leather top that was excellent for fighting. It acted as a bra as well. It had come undone during the fight and gave him an unfettered view of my cleavage.

He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me tight against him. I could feel his hard cock, and it disgusted me. I wondered if he were going to try to take my integrity because he had me in a private prison. He could try - the bastard - but he'd be the worse for it.

What had happened to change him from the Surtu commander who took over the Fortuna? That alien was honorable, at least. The conflict with Earth and time away from Surt had altered his personality.

"If only I had the time," he whispered in my ear, his breath smelling of stale coffee. "I'd teach you what mating with a real Surtu man is like."

I sneered.

"With that thing? I don't think so," I said, assuming the insult would infuriate him. But he wasn't offended at all. In fact, he laughed. "You won't speak so confidently when I'm splitting you in two. Don't tempt me, Earth woman."

Unwisely, I opened my mouth to speak more, but he pushed me away.

"Shut up. I came here to emphasize you are my property once again. I expect you to serve me in every capacity as my personal slave. If I want you to lick my boots, you will, or else I will severely punish you."

I'd heard his speeches before, but Fore had an edge to his voice now that I hadn't heard earlier. He pointedly omitted the threat of death. One of the worst things a Surtu male could do was kill a woman; every female was precious to preserve their species.

"I will be taking you back to the Fortuna where you will resume your duties, and take on a few additional responsibilities."

"Never," I said.

"It is forbidden to take you in the traditional manner. And yet..." He eyed my mouth. "Other orifices that are equally stimulating. Goodbye, Terra. I'll see you tomorrow when we will return to the Fortuna. You will learn how much of a man I am. Pleasant dreams."

He took the light with him as he left, but I didn't care. I was already planning my escape. I didn't have many options. I had no weapons. All I could rely on was my training as an assassin. Bellona had taught me how to blend into the night, and I knew how to kill a Surtu with my bare hands if I had to.

I would hit a spot that could knock a Surtu unconscious. Failing that, I would snap his neck. Murder would once have nauseated me, but now I barely gave it thought. If killing my guards was the only way to earn my freedom, then I would do it.

I climbed to the top of the stairs and knocked. There was no answer. I banged loudly on the door. Just as I was about to give up, the door opened.

"What do you want?" I would never know what else the Surtu guard intended to say to me. I used my hand like a blade to cut powerfully into his neck. My frustration and fury were a raging tempest inside me; it took all my willpower to hold it in check. I could release it in controlled bursts to get me out of Fore's trap. If I saw Fore, I would not restrain my anger any longer. I would release my wrath on Fore until he could no longer threaten any Earth women.

There were not many people on guard; Fore must have assumed the basement door would be enough to restrain me. As I crept silently through the shadows of the building, I encountered another soldier. He quickly fell unconscious at my hand. My first bit of luck revealed itself when I realized this guard had a communications device. The resistance had trained me on how to use Surtu electronics.

I needed information on my parents.

According to the Surtu computer, my mother and father were both at the same address. I immediately committed it to memory. I was going to free them both, and then my family would be together again.

By the time I encountered the third guard, I was getting tired or the stress of the day was finally wearing me out. My hand struck his neck incorrectly, and the guard started to sound an alarm.

I would not be a captive again.

Without thought, I whirled around, grabbed his arm and thrust out my hip, flipping him over me. He landed on the ground. I clambered on top of him before he had a chance to realize what had happened to him.

I took his chin in one hand and the back of his head in the other. I used my entire body weight to snap his neck. It made a sickening sound, and I ran out the door into the night, trying to forget what I had done and who I had become.

A shadow moved on the other side of the street, but I ignored it. I couldn't think of anything except getting to my parents.

It didn't take long to reach the house where the Surtu kept my parents. It had a minimal number of guards. My parents weren't unique political prisoners; there were thousands of captured humans just like them all over the planet.

I surprised one guard, overpowered him, and claimed his blaster for myself. I crept slowly up the stairs to see a hallway filled with doors. They were all locked, but it was easy to destroy the locks with my blaster. My parents were in the fourth room.

I couldn't recognize them. They both looked dirty, gaunt and haggard. They noticed me first. My mother's weak voice called out, "Terra?"

"Mother," I whispered. I ran to her and gave her a hug. Tears filled my eyes as my heart overflowed with emotion. She appeared to be a different person. My mother seemed frail. The war had taken the warrior out of her.

"I don't think I'll be much help in a fight. I'm not strong enough anymore," she said.

"Never mind," I told her. "I'm strong enough for the both of us."

"Terra, are you okay? Did you come to free us?" my father asked.

"I did. Let's get out of here while we have a chance," I said.

The other prisoners did not have people to reunite with and had already fled. We went down the stairs and out the back door into a yard surrounded by a high fence.

My mother groaned. "I can't climb that," she said. Could a fence defeat her so easily? It broke my heart to see the valiant warrior in my memory reduced to a mere mortal. The difference in my mother's personality made me hate the war even more, and how it changed us. I resolved to get the Surtu off my planet.

"We'll find a way," I said. There was a gate in the corner, closed and overgrown with foliage. Mother sighed and leaned on my father for strength.

There was a noisy commotion outside, and I heard the sound of shouting and boots racing through the house. I urged my parents to hurry, but their speed was limited. As they headed towards the gate, I turned to block them uselessly with my body.

Captain Fore and ten Surtu soldiers emerged out of the back door and surrounded us. My mother looked terrified and clung to my father, who hung his head in defeat.

"For a commander of a warrior women, you are very predictable, Terra Lynch. You should have stayed away from Earth."

I stepped towards Fore.

"Take me, but let my parents go. They have done nothing to you."

"I plan on taking you, all right," Fore said, his eyes lighting up with wicked delight. "But I won't be letting these lovely people go. What a wonderful family reunion. I'm sorry I have to cut it short."

"What are you going to do to us now?" my father asked. I heard the resignation in his voice.

"You've served your purpose, Mr. Lynch. The only reason we kept you alive for so long was to bait Terra. We don't need another human male around to pollute our gene pool. We will integrate your wife into our breeding pools, or allow her to serve as a teacher if she is beyond breeding age."

He lifted his blaster, pointing it at my parents.

"Say goodbye to your father, Terra. You'll see him again on the other side of the light."

"No!" I screamed as the sound of a blaster disrupted the quiet of the night.

To my relief, the noise I heard was not Fore's blaster ripping through the body of my father. It was something else. Another person's blaster had fired, shooting Fore's gun out of his hand. A different Surtu stood in the doorway of the house.

It was Kylu.

"Don't move," he said, pointing the blaster at his father. I was surprised that the other Surtu soldiers remained stationary. I assumed they did not know what to do when confronted by their superior officer's son.

Kylu tossed a bag at my feet. I opened it to reveal many sets of Surtu restraints. I snapped them on all the soldier's hands, then went to stand by Kylu's side. I wondered if he had an elaborate plan. I would be satisfied if we all got out of here alive.

"Here you go," Kylu said tersely, handing me a blaster confiscated from the soldiers.

"Thanks for the weapon, but what do you want me to do with it?" I asked.

"Kill him," he said plainly.

"What?"

"Either you kill him, or he will get away again, and he will hurt you, your family or some other Earth woman. It's him or your parents, Terra. You have to make a choice."

Fore stared coldly at his son. I wondered what it was like for him, having a son considered to be a traitor and a rebel.

I examined the blaster in my hands and quickly fired a test shot into the ground. Everyone jumped, including Fore. I walked up to him and pointed the blaster directly at his chest.

I felt dead inside. "Tonight, I thought that I could be like a Surtu," I murmured. "Did I need to think about the consequences of my actions? I am capable of mindlessly killing. My training demands it."

"Terra," he interrupted me. "Please, reconsider. Forget what I said before. We could be mates. I would revere you. You would want for nothing."

His tone was cajoling, but I knew his words were meaningless lies. As soon as he had power over me again, he would make me suffer.

"I am light bonded, you Surtu bastard." When I spoke, no one doubted my authority. I was commander of the Fortuna.

I lifted the blaster and aimed it at his head.

"Terra..." he said, his body shaking with fear.

"Do it, Terra," Kylu said.

I almost shot him. I began pulling back on the trigger, but before I sent a death blast into Fore's head, I pulled down the nose of the gun, hitting him in the shoulder instead.

He screamed.

I fired again at his right leg and his left. He was on the ground now, writhing in pain, but I could already see light flowing through his body that would heal him.

I was in a war, but that didn't mean I had to lose my soul. I would not execute a person in cold blood. It didn't matter if they were human or Surtu.

"Come on," I said to my parents. "We only have a few minutes to get out of here."

We left the house and moved rapidly to the rendezvous point. Our progress was slower than I had hoped. We had to stop several times for my mother and father to rest. I was impatient, but I realized for the first time they were getting older, and I had to make concessions. When we arrived, a glider pilot returned us to the outpost. A rescue ship would soon come to transport my parents to the refuge.

"You'll be on the next ship out," I told my mother and father. "I think you'll like where you're going. It's beautiful."

"But what about you, Terra? When will you join us?" my mother asked. Her voice was concerned.

"When my work here is done, I promise I will reunite us again," I said. My words were confident, but in truth I had no idea when that day would arrive. I left my parents with a doctor who treated their injuries. They would have time to rest before the ship arrived.

I had been attempting not to think about Jidden and Godfrey back at the refuge. I wasn't sure if I would be able to return. Feeling the emotion of them together was painful and revolting.

The worst part was it was all my fault.

I had started the destruction by kissing Kylu. I didn't have to act on my attraction, and I should know to control myself. I would put an end to any further physical interaction with Kylu, and hoped I could find a way to repair my relationship with Jidden.

As I thought about Kylu, the devilishly handsome Surtu walked into the cave where I sat contemplating my future. I watched him approach me with the natural grace of an athlete. He was beautiful and sexy; there was no doubt about that.

I felt my body responding to him, but he wasn't Jidden.

"Kylu," I said. "Come here."

"Anything you say, cupcake."