Star Jumper

     Two galaxies away is a tiny star with one single inhabitant known as the star jumper. He is a somewhat gentle creature that has a skin that adapts to the chemistry of the star which makes him able to live on stars and not planets. He goes by the name of Alamir and is a lonely creature. He has no knowledge of where he came from or who his parents were. He found himself one day waking up on this tiny star. Alamir doesn't even know how old he is.
     His food consists of the energy he draws from the star which is enough to sustain him without draining the star of its brilliance. He lives day by day roaming around this star and is also a very curious creature. When he finds something new he is almost as a young toddler and will not leave it alone until he finds out everything about it.
     Alamir's appearance is very unique to this species in a way that it has never been seen before by a human. He has very large eyes that are close together, skin that is tough as leather and purplish in color, and a pair of extremely large feet for his body size. I guess that is what makes it easy to travel around the star.
      As he roamed around the star, he caught something out of the corner of his eye in the distance. When he turned to look in its direction, it was gone but Alamir's curiosity took hold and he roamed in the direction of the object. As he got closer to the location of where it should have been, he could not find anything. This was very disappointing to him but it would not stop him from looking for it.
     Alamir searched and searched until he came across another creature half of his size but resembled him very much. The same big eyes and big feet. When they met each other it was shocking at first until they began investigating each other as dogs would. They took a whiff of each others body smell which was very different from one another.
     The little creature was hyper as a child and just as curious as Alamir. He introduced himself as Zoltar and then Alamir informed him of his name and they became a little more acquainted with each other. One could say they became friends instantly and that's when Alamir had questions. He began asking Zoltar if he knew where he came from and how old he was?
     Zoltar had answers which were surprising to Alamir because he had no memory of his own past or beginning. Zoltar told him of a very large star that was several galaxies away and had many of their kind living there. This gave hope to Alamir that he might be able to find out more about himself. He asked Zoltar if he could take him there so that he could see it for himself? He agreed to take him but it would be a long journey and they would need to stop at a star along the way to feed themselves.
     They both agreed and began their journey. They fed themselves to fill up and then made their way to the edge of the star. Alamir was afraid because he wasn't sure of his abilities and then began questioning Zoltar on how to jump from star to star. Zoltar started giving him instructions on how to jump which sounded easy but getting the courage to jump was more of an issue.
     Zoltar told him to get a running start and when he reached the edge of the star to jump with all of his might and concentrate on the star he wants to jump to and his ability will kick in. This was assuring to Alamir but there was still some apprehension in his star jumping but he listened to what Zoltar told him and then he watched as Zoltar backed up to get a running start.
     Before Zoltar went to jump, he informed and pointed out which star to jump to so that Alamir would know which one to concentrate on. Then, Zoltar took off running and when he reached the edge he made a giant leap and Alamir watched as he left the star and what seemed like a bolt of light zooming through space. To the human eye, star jumpers would look like shooting stars through the sky.
     Alamir watched as Zoltar zoomed through space until he disappeared and then suddenly saw a burst of light from the very same star that Zoltar told him to concentrate on. Alamir gathered his courage and backed up several feet to get a nice running start for the edge of the star. He counted to himself before taking off running with his big feet and then jumping from the edge and kept his eyes on the star Zoltar jumped to.
     As Alamir jumped he felt this tingling throughout his body as his abilities kicked in and instead of falling his body took off towards the star where Zoltar would be waiting. It only took a few minutes before reaching the other star and as Alamir tried to land he found himself rolling and tumbling on the surface of the star. He finally stopped about two feet in front of Zoltar who applauded his efforts in star jumping but apologized for not giving him instructions on landing.
     He assisted Alamir in getting up and asked if he was okay? Alamir felt drained from his journey like something has just zapped him of all his energy. Zoltar informed him of it being the reason the need to feed on each star they jump to. Alamir was excited to learn about this new star he landed on but Zoltar kept him focused on his goal of seeing their home star where their kind lived.
     Alamir was like a child in a sense of pouting because he wanted to explore this new star but understood that they didn't have time for that right now. He kept his attention on seeing more of his species and meeting everyone. Were they all like him?
     They both began feeding on the star and regaining their energy for the next jump. Once they were full, they traveled to the star's edge again and found the next star to jump to. This time it looked a little further away than the last. Alamir watched as Zoltar jumped and then he made himself ready for his jump. He backed up and sucked in some air before running to the edge and jumping for his life.
     Again his body flew through space and he was amazed at all the sights while traveling. He noticed all the different planets with their pretty colors and then began to wonder if they could jump to the planets? Once they reached the next star, Alamir began questioning Zoltar about the planets that surround them. He asked if it were possible to be able to jump to them and that's when Zoltar quickly cut off his question and just gave him a polite "no".
     Zoltar told him that if he ever jumped to a planet he would be stuck there forever because there would be no way to feed himself for another jump. He also stated about other species that inhabited the planets and that some were not so nice. Alamir again became very disappointed by Zoltar's answer but took his word for it as they fed and then made their way to their next jump.
     They jumped to many stars and Alamir was just so excited to see all that was around him as he jumped from star to star. He took mental notes of the location of a beautiful planet that was mostly covered in blue and green. It really peaked his curiosity and he wanted to learn more about planets. That one planet, in particular, made him curious to know what inhabitants it held and was always enthusiastic to meet new creatures but instead he just kept jumping in hopes to see his home star where there were creatures just like him.
     They finally reached their galaxy where the home star of his species was. They fed on each star as they jumped to another and finally one more jump would put them on the home star. Alamir remained very excited to meet others of his kind but was hesitant because he was afraid they would not accept him.
     Zoltar reassured him that everything would be fine and they made their last jump to the very large star and upon arriving, they were happily greeted by the inhabitants. Alamir could not believe there were others like him. There were some that were large and old and some that were very small and as infants. Alamir walked around getting acquainted with his species and became happy.
     As he stayed on his home star and felt like family, he still remembered that little planet of green and blue. He began dreaming and envisioning himself on this beautiful planet and meeting the species that inhabited it. He did not know what species it was but being such a beautiful planet it had to have a friendly species.
     Alamir lived on his home star for many months in earth time and as he lived every day and enjoyed being with his kind, he was plotting and planning how he can visit this blue and green planet and be able to jump from it. He did come up with an idea like overfeeding himself and keeping some as a reserve for jumping. He was not sure if it would work but he wanted to try.
     So Alamir filled up on food and energy and said goodbye to some of his new friends that he made and told them he would return. He went to the edge of the home star and began his jump to the nearest star in the direction of the blue and green planet. It took many jumps from star to star but he finally reached the nearest star to the blue and green planet. He fed on the star until he was so full that he began to feel speedy and made his jump to the planet and from earth, he looked like a falling star.
     Alamir landed on the planet out in the desert where he could be cautious until he found out what species inhabit this planet. He did not want to find an unfriendly species and started his journey towards what looked like structures in the distance. As he got closer, he began hearing strange noises from a distance. It was almost frightening but he remained positive and continued walking towards these structures.
     Once he arrived on the outskirts of these structures, he cautiously made his way in and not able to be seen as of yet. He wanted to investigate this species before just barging in and saying hello. He made it to a container that was green and fairly large where he hid and watched the species from a distance.
     What he found were a species of creatures that walked on two legs and different sizes like his own. He watched as he saw male and female and how they were busybodies constantly moving. As he watched from a hidden place, he wasn't aware that one of the creatures were walking up behind him. He turned around once hearing a noise and saw one of the creatures who appeared to be a young creature.
     It startled him at first, but as the creature got closer, he found it to be friendly as he saw that the creature was approaching slowly. Alamir smiled at the creature who returned the smile back. Then, the creature began to speak and it seemed comical because Alamir spoke a language similar to these creatures. So, a conversation began.
     The two of them sat behind the big green container and talked introducing themselves to one another. Before long, other young creatures appeared and sat with them. Alamir was relaxing a little more because he was making new friends on this strange planet. After a few hours of hanging out with the creatures, he noticed that it was becoming a little darker.
     One of the creatures stood up and offered out his hand as to help Alamir up from the ground and led him down the alley towards other structures away from the busybodies. The creature brought Alamir to a structure that looked friendly and took him inside one where he could be safe from harm and attention.
     They sat and talked for a bit longer until Alamir heard another creature who sounded older calling for the creature he was sitting with. The young creature got up and went to leave the structure but turned and told Alamir to stay there until he comes back to get him, which Alamir did. He found a comfortable place to lay down and rest until the young creature came back for him. He began noticing his surroundings and found items to be quite interesting but soon fell asleep because of his energy depleting.
     The next morning he noticed it was becoming light outside the structure and was anxious for the young creature to come back and get him. It wasn't long before the young creature showed back up and began telling Alamir of this planet. With Alamir's energy depleting, he knew he had to leave the planet to feed.
     He explained this to the young creature and then he took him back out to the desert where Alamir first landed hoping there would some energy left there that he could use to jump back out to the stars. When they got to the location, Alamir felt nothing left behind but attempted to jump anyway. The only problem he foreseen was that there was no edge of the planet to jump from.
     He knew he needed a running start so as the young creature watched, Alamir backed up, spotted the closest star, and made a running start. He tried to jump, but there was no use. He could not even get two feet off the ground. The young creature saw how disappointed Alamir was and offered to help by asking Alamir what he needed to jump?
     Alamir explained how his species feed on the energy of stars. The young creature asked what type of energy did the stars have and Alamir replied back with solar power. The young creature thought for a minute and then remembered that many of the structures close to his used solar power for electricity. When he told Alamir this information, he was pleased and anxious at the same time.
     The young creature took him to a nearby structure to his own and showed Alamir the panels on top of it. Alamir tried climbing to the top of the structure to feed off the energy. There was no way for Alamir to absorb the energy and this posed a problem. The young creature took Alamir around to the back of the structure where the panels plugged into the structure.
     Alamir removed the plug from the structure and stuck it against his body. Within a few minutes, Alamir felt the energy being absorbed into his body. He was feeling stronger and more energized until he was full. Once he was fully charged, he plugged the wires back into the structure where he saw the lights in the house come on.
     Alamir told the young creature that he felt better and should be able to jump off the planet. The young creature smiled and was enthusiastic about the situation. They began the journey back out to the desert for one more try to jump. The young creature became sad that Alamir was leaving and expressed his feelings to him.
     Alamir was saddened but explained to the young creature that he had to leave because he could not survive on the planet. So they continued walking until they reached their destination. The young creature stood by as Alamir backed up and then began running with all his might. He made it to where the young creature was standing and leaped up in the air making a jump which looked like a lightning strike to the young creature.
     He watched as Alamir jumped high in the sky and finally disappeared into space. As he stood there he watched as Alamir jumped from one star to the next as a shooting star and then began waving as Alamir disappeared into the distance where he could not be seen again.
     Once Alamir reached his home star, he spoke of the creatures from the blue and green planet to his friends who were amazed that he actually was able to jump from the planet. Alamir joined his species and became a citizen of the big star, but never forgot the young creature he met and helped him. This was a lesson learned for Alamir and that was that he would always be a star jumper.

Half Human

     It was a hot and humid summer night out in the desert of New Mexico for a young woman named Jesse. She lived in a run down trailer on about two acres of desert. There was nothing but miles and miles of desolation in each direction. Her nearest neighbors were six miles down the road. The only plant life around were cacti and tumbleweeds. She had a sheepdog named Lucky for a companion but did enjoy some of the wildlife around such as the snakes, lizards, spiders, and scorpions. July and August were some of the hottest months out where she lived and the air got to be too humid to go outdoors during the day. Thank God for air conditioners.
     The nights were freezing cold even during the summer, but it didn't matter for the coyotes who were still out prowling. Life in the desert was okay. Jesse worked from home being a dispatcher for a roadside service which paid pretty good especially when she put in long hours. She was a young woman with no children and no significant other. Lucky was all the company she needed. When she wasn't working, her and Lucky were cuddled up on the couch watching television together or laying in the bed taking a nap.
     Jesse stood about five foot eight with an athletic build. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. There were a few freckles on her face and she had sun tanned skin. She was raised on her father's cattle ranch so she grew up working fields and rounding up cattle. The outdoors was no stranger to Jesse. She was an independent woman who loved her life and everything about it. She had an old nineteen eighty-seven GMC truck for transportation which was used to pick up supplies in town about fifteen miles away.
     On her trips to town, she wouls take Lucky with her. They would stop at the corner store to pick up food, the hardware store for any household or repair supplies, and the local meat locker for meat. Jesse loved to cook out in the evenings when the temperature was in between humid and freezing which was about seven o'clock. Whenever she was working the grill, Lucky was right there to catch any scraps that might have fallen off. She also picked up large meat bones for Lucky to chew on so he would stop chewing on her furniture.
     The night sky was so beautiful that you could see several layers of stars and on good clear nights, you could even see certain galaxies. Jesse was a star gazer and also had a telescope which she looked through most nights when she wondered what was out there. Living in the desert at night you can get good views of galaxies, comets, and the occasional meteor shower. Jesse and Lucky would sit out at night while drinking a cold soda and watch the night sky light up with its brilliance. Sometimes she could see a glowing in the distance which was the lights of the nearest town or city depending on which way you were looking.
     It was a solitary life that she was happy to have and every now and then her father would stop by to check on her and see if she needed anything knowing that she could handle herself and any repairs. Jesse's trailer was an older model which she kept up pretty good and only called her father when there was a major issue she couldn't handle. Other than that life was good for Jesse. She had a deep freezer full of meat, her cupboards were stocked full, she has a full tank of gas in her truck, and an air conditioner that blew out ice cold air during the day.
     This one particular night, Jesse was inside cuddled up with Lucky on the couch watching television, when she noticed a very bright light that flashed only for a few minutes before going dark outside again. She had gotten up off the couch and looked out the window to see if someone was there. When she opened up the trailer door and looked outside she didn't see anything strange at all. So she closed the door back and headed into the kitchen for a snack. Ruffling around some plastic packaging, Jesse looked down and there was Lucky waiting for his snack. She grabbed him a couple of dog treats and some popcorn for herself and went back to the couch.
     After a few hours of snacks and television, Jesse and Lucky headed for bed. She went through the trailer and made sure everything was locked up and secured before heading to bed. While laying in bed staring at the ceiling, Jesse kept hearing strange noises. It kept her up for a couple of hours before she was able to fall asleep.
     Early the next morning, Jesse had gotten out of bed to make coffee when there was a knock at the door. She wasn't ready for any company seeing that she had just gotten up. Then she wondered who could be at her door so early in the morning. When she walked over to her door and looked out the window, she saw what appeared to be a man who in her mind was very good looking to be out in the desert.
     Jesse asked him through the window what he needed and he just looked at her smiling. She hesitated a minute before opening her door slightly to see what the gentleman wanted. Once her door was opened, the man began speaking to her. Jesse was taken by how well the man spoke. His English was almost perfect and Jesse wondered if he was lost and from the city the way he spoke.
     The man before her was tall, almost six feet,  well built, and had the most amazing sky blue eyes. His smile was perfect and he was clean shaven. Jesse couldn't help but look him up and down and even sideways. She was taken by his whole appearance and his mannerism. She stepped outside her door to speak with him. The gentleman introduced himself as Torren and stuck out his hand as a gesture to shake hands. Jesse looked down at his hands and noticed how soft they looked and well groomed.
     Jesse reached out and shook his hand telling him her name. They both exchanged smiles before walking over to her brown wooden patio chairs. That sat for a spell and exchanged conversation before Torren began asking personal questions about Jesse. She thought it was strange that a man she just met would be asking her very personal questions like, was there another in her life, or did she have any young ones? Jesse just looked at him being enthralled by his looks almost to the point of being in a trance. She kept staring at his eyes while unknowingly answering his questions.
     Once Torren had his answers, Jesse snapped out of her trance as he was standing up to leave. He again stretched out hs hand to shake hers and informed her he had to leave. Jesse had no memory or knowledge as to their conversation but shook his hand before he walked away out into the desert. At that point, she noticed he had no vehicle and that he was just walking on into the abyss of sand and cacti. She noticed that the temperature was getting warmer so she headed back into the trailer. Lucky was inside the door waiting for her and was trying to look past her at the stranger. He began acting strangely and all Jesse could do was to shoosh him and make him go lay down.
     The rest of her day went pretty well. She got the trailer cleaned and did some laundry before going out to her greenhouse to check on some of her vegetables. Jesse had a large greenhouse that was about as long as her trailer that she grew vegetables and some fruits in. Being out in the desert made for good growing since it was so hot and humid her plants thrived with heat and moisture. Her strawberries were so red and the lettuce was a gorgeous green and very leafy. One could say that Jesse had a large green thumb when it came to growing things.
     After harvesting some of her plants, Jesse went back inside to clean them in the air conditioning. She washed up her vegetables and fruits and then placed them in the refrigerator. Then she went to get cleaned up because she had gotten a little dirty harvesting. Once she was cleaned up she laid on the couch for a bit with Lucky and watched some television.
     As the sun started to set and the temperature continued to drop, Jesse and Lucky went outside to admire the evening sky. It was a magnificent night for star gazing, so she pulled out her telescope and began looking to the night sky. It was amazing to see the brilliance in the stars and the arrangement was spectacular. Then she noticed something strange about one section of the night sky. She noticed a patch of sky that had no stars. It was as if something was blocking them but she could not see anything there. It was so black and lifeless. Jesse began looking at the constellations and noticed a few meteors fall from the sky, or at least she thought they were meteors.
     Once she was done with her telescope she put it away and called Lucky into the house. She was ready to retire for the evening and went into her bedroom to change into her nightgown for bed. Lucky followed her into the bedroom and climbed up onto the bed waiting for her to join him. Once she climbed into bed, she and Lucky got nice and comfortable before falling off into a deep sleep.
     During the night while they both slept, they received a visitor into her bedroom. Lucky woke up and started to growl at the dark figure standing in the doorway. Torren walked from out of the shadows and somehow managed to quiet Lucky down without waking up Jesse. Lucky jumped down off of the bed and ran into the living room. Torren stood there staring down upon Jesse who seemed to be sleeping so calmly and peacefully. Torren was stricken with Jesse and found her to be very intriguing.
     He reached down and caressed the side of her face until she started to move a little in which he stopped. Torren then disrobed himself and climbed into the bed with Jesse. He began caressing her body and kissing her lips. She started to wake and noticed she wasn't alone in her bed. Jesse looked into Torren's eyes and again became entranced with his gaze. He then began making love to her and inserting his appendage inside her. She was so engaged by Torren that she in no way tried to stop him. They became engrossed into each other for most of the night. Jesse had not been with any man in years, so it was a night she would never forget.
     Upon waking up the next morning, Jesse had been consumed with the feeling of euphoria. She really had no recollection of the night. She was unaware of Torren's visit. So after laying in bed for what seemed like forever, Jesse finally got up and got dressed. She had to go into town for some supplies and then to visit with her father. Lucky made his way into the room and met her with enthusiasm.
     She headed for the kitchen to get coffee and noticed that she had a strange feeling inside her stomach. She just thought it might be upset or that she had a sour stomach, but she could not let it affect her day. Jesse sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee while talking to Lucky. He was very excited this morning and Jesse could not figure out why but she loved his affection that he was showing her.
     Once she was finished with her coffee, she got up and headed back to the bedroom to change clothes before heading out to town. Lucky met her at the front door and was looking forward to the trip to town. They went outside and both of them climbed into the truck. Jesse still had this crazy feeling in her gut that she couldn't shake, but she left anyway headed south into town.
     She made it to the town store and gathered supplies before running into Torren just outside. He startled her at first until she recognized who it was. She quickly smiled at him and asked him how he was doing? He replied that he was doing fine and asked her how she felt this morning? She quickly stated that she was feeling pretty good except for the sour feeling in her stomach. Torren then walked closer to her and placed his hand over her stomach. Jesse was a little confused as to why he would be doing that but he finally took his hand away and made the comment that everything was as it should be.
     Jesse had no idea what he was talking about but excused herself to finish her errands before going to her father's ranch. Torren wished her well as he watched her walk off with Lucky in tow. She had finished her errands and climbed back into her truck and drove out to her father's place. While driving she had to deal with the sour stomach feeling which didn't seem to be getting any better. She was just looking forward to visiting with her father and mother and that made her feel more comfortable.
     Upon arriving at the ranch, her father met her in the driveway. Lucky jumped out of the truck and went straight to her father for attention. He opened the door for Jesse and then escorted her inside. Her mother was inside making lunch and asked Jesse if she was hungry, which she replied "no". She could not shake the funny feeling inside her stomach and tried to make the best of her visit. She spent quite a few hours with her parents chatting and gossiping with her mother about her mother's friends and their life situations. It was a happy and enjoyable visit for Jesse but it was getting late and she needed to head home. Her parents escorted her outside and into her truck. She found it hard to leave but she knew she had too. Once she was inside the truck, Lucky jumped inside as well. She bid farewell to her parents and began her journey home.
     Over the course of a few weeks, Jesse noticed her stomach was a little bigger and that her appetite had increased. She thought maybe she had some kind of stomach virus and began taking medicine to treat her cold. She realized every time she took medicine, it made her stomach feel worse and more upset. It seemed like every day her stomach was getting a little more bigger and she thought she was just gaining weight. Jesse changed her lifestyle by dieting to lose the weight but it seemed like it wasn't helping. Her stomach remained getting larger and then nausea kicked in.
     She and Lucky would sit on the couch together and Lucky would rest his head against her stomach until he would start growling and barking at it. Jesse thought that Lucky was going crazy or something the way he reacted to her stomach and its largeness. As her stomach grew she found herself mostly in the bathroom hugging the toilet throwing up everything she ate. She did this each and every day until she finally said "no more" and went to see the town doctor.
     Upon her examination, the doctor had some news for her as to why she was gaining weight and having nausea. When he entered the exam room where Jesse was waiting for news, he began to tell her that she was, in fact, pregnant. Jesse could not accept this diagnosis as she tried to explain to the doctor that she has had no relations with a man in years. After debating it with the doctor, she no reason to argue it anymore and got her things before leaving the doctor's office.
     Once she was standing beside the truck, she looked down at her swollen stomach giving it a few rubs and then talking to it like it would answer her back. She had to accept that this tiny baby was growing inside her and it stumped her more as to who the father could be. She reluctantly got into the truck and headed back home with Lucky by her side.
     When she arrived home, she felt nausea again and ran for the bathroom leaving Lucky to find his way from the truck to the house. When he was standing at the front door, he turned his head to see Torren walking towards him. Lucky was not at all offended by Torren and made no aggressive gesture towards him. Torren had reached out and petted his head before opening the door for him to go inside. Torren followed behind him and sat on the couch in the living room until Jesse came out fo the bathroom.
     When she came out of the bathroom seeing Torren inside her house startled her and she asked why he was inside her house. Torren just looked at her and she could see how he was admiring her large stomach. Jesse asked him politely to stop staring at her stomach for which he could not. He looked up at her and said she looked beautiful. Jesse couldn't do anything but smile. That was the first real compliment she has had in years.
     She grabbed a glass of water before walking into the living room to sit with Torren. As they sat there, Torren politely asked if he could feel her stomach which she agreed to let him as she rambled on about how she could be pregnant but haven't been with any men. That's when Torren looked up at her and told her that it was his child. Jesse quickly took his hand from her stomach and told him that he should not lie like that, it was bad manners.
     Torren had explained how he could not have a child with anyone back home where he was from. He explained how he wanted a child so much that he had been searching for so long for a companion to have his child. At this point Jesse was confused and even asked Torren when had they conceived a child. He explained to her about that night he had paid her a visit while she slept. Jesse started to get very emotional and didn't know if she was angry, sad, or even a bit happy.
     Torren reached over and held her for a minute while she came to terms with what was happening. She tried to assume he raped her but Torren had no knowledge of what that term meant. He did, in fact, apologize for his intrusion into her life. She began sobbing and trying to not too but the water works just flowed down her cheeks.
     Jesse began asking him about where he lived or what his hometown was like. Torren could not answer those questions because he knew not what they meant. He began telling her of a beautiful planet that was many light years away from Earth. At that point, Jesse glanced up at him quickly wiping the tears from her eyes and stating, "planet? What do you mean planet?" She began asking him other questions about the offspring she was carrying.
     Now Jesse not only knows she is pregnant but now she knows that she is carrying an alien child. This drove her into more of a tizzy not knowing what this child will look like being that it is only half human. Torren tried to give her more explanations but it took a while for Jesse to come to terms with this new information. Torren had explained to her about the night they first met and upon their conversation, Torren knew she would make a good mother for his offspring. Jesse had reservations about that but finally started to calm down due to her condition.
     Jesse felt that her being upset was making the child move about inside her like it was getting upset too until Torren placed his hand upon her stomach and it seemed like the child knew who he was and began to calm down. Jesse found it calming to know that the child she was carrying could sense its father's presence. Unfortunately, Torren had to explain that he must go back to his planet and that he would stay just until she gave birth so that he may see his offspring. This began to upset Jesse more knowing that he was just like any other man who knocks up a woman. Torren explained that he would always be a part of her life in one form or another which caused Jesse to calm down and regroup herself.
     Torren then sat with her for the better part of the rest of the day comforting her and just talking with her. It seemed to keep Jesse calm knowing that he was spending some time with her and his child. She did question what the child would look like and Torren assured her upon touching her stomach that the child would, in fact, look human. He explained all the special things that the child would have or know and that it would be okay for Jesse to love it unconditionally.
     Jesse allowed Torren to stay in her home until the birth of their child. Torren kept her and the child calm and looked after until about four days later when Jesse started having sharp pains. He knew it was time and helped Jesse to the bed where she could be comfortable until the child was born. He kept her calm and nourished and even made a special tea to help with the pain. He then sat beside her rubbing and caressing her stomach while talking to his child. He assured the child that it would be okay for it to meet his mother and began coaching the whole birthing process. Jesse took note that the child seemed to be doing exactly what Torren was telling it.
     Jesse began spreading her legs open as if it would be coming out any time. Torren caressed her thighs to relax her legs before moving down below her to catch their child. Once Torren saw the head he smiled and told Jesse about the whole head of hair it had just like a human. Jesse smiled and tried looking down but could not see anything. All she knew at that moment was that she wanted to push their child out into the world. It only took a few pushes before the child slipped right outside of her womb. Torren had cleaned it up and wrapped it in a clean towel before handing it to its mother.
     Once Jesse was holding her child, she noticed that it had special eyes just like its father. They were sky blue with diamond shaped pupils and her skin was soft and human colored. Jesse began crying while holding her child because she was so happy to have it. She had always wanted a child just never found anyone worth becoming a father. She handed the child back to Torren who gazed upon its beauty and human characteristics. He commented how human it looked but could feel the special senses that it obtained from him. Jesse thought that Torren would begin crying but he showed his emotions in a different way. He kissed the child's forehead and looked up to Jesse for a name for her daughter.
     It wasn't difficult for Jesse to name her. She quickly called her "Celestial". After calling out the child's name, Torren looked up at her and smiled and said that her name would be perfect for the situation. He carefully sat there holding their child and softly speaking to her of his home world. He told her of the stars and galaxies that he had to come through to find her mother and that she would be special to this planet. The child just gazed upon her father with those sky blue eyes and smiled.
     Torren spent a couple of weeks with Jesse and their child until Jesse was healed enough to care for her alone. It was about two and a half weeks before Jesse could get around better, but Torren and Lucky were there to help out. Lucky would sit and watch the child as if he were guarding her. Torren knew his time was coming to an end and Jesse knew this as well. He spent his last day holding his child and loving her until he finally had to go.
     Jesse hated to see him have to go but knew he had too. She watched as he kissed Celestial's forehead before handing her over to her mother who he passionately kissed goodbye. A tear had rolled down her cheek as she walked him outside. He turned to her and said that he will always be with her and Celestial before turning back around and walking off into the desert. Jesse stood there watching as he disappeared into the desert and then seeing a glimmer of light shoot up from the sand into the sky.
     Jesse now had a child to take care of and she knew that when Celestial was old enough, she would tell her of her father and how she is half human. Gazing into the night sky now had more meaning that just looking at stars but Jesse knew that things were going to be okay. The only issue that she could foresee was that of telling her parents about their granddaughter. They wouldn't understand about Celestial being only half human.

A Parent So Far Away

     It's the year twenty fifty-five when the space transport Eros was making it's routine trip to a nearby planet Cliffordius deep within the Siberian Galaxy. It is approximately forty-seven billion light years from what was known as Earth. Eros was carrying a cargo of needed supplies to the planet Cliffordius where humans have set up a base camp with a diplomatic agreement with the Cliffordians. They are a native species with no knowledge of basic survival from a human's perspective. We have been sharing our knowledge with them in exchange for being able to erect a space dock for travelers.We have agreed on specific rules of diplomacy and basically what each species can and cannot do. One of the major rules were no interplanetary relationships between species. It has been enforced since our agreement back in twenty forty-seven and the penalty for breaking this rule was exiled to an isolated planet two galaxies away from each other, and that any offspring would be destroyed at the moment of birth.
     Let me back up some and catch you up to speed. Earth was going downhill fast with humans depleting its natural resources daily. No one could come up with a plan to sustain the Earth or its natural resources, so a plan was to find another planet that would sustain human life where we could begin over again with the knowledge of how not to deplete its resources and new ways of using solar power. The Siberian Galaxy has one of the hottest suns, even incinerates hotter than that of Earth's sun. Humans have traveled around galaxies looking for new places to colonize before the demise of Earth. We have been able to establish colonies on Mars, Jupiter, Ceres, and a few planets in nearby galaxies to Earth.
     When we discovered Cliffordius, it had an atmosphere quite like that of the Earth but was much richer in Nitrogen than Oxygen. We landed our shuttle and began exploring while wearing suits to make up the difference in Nitrogen-Oxygen ratio. The planet was in no way barren, on the contrary, it was lush with green scenery, mountainous areas, and very exotic plants and flowers we had never seen before. We don't know what it was, but maybe these trees and foliage flourished more off of Nitrogen and less on Oxygen. We continued our exploration of the planet until we came upon its inhabitants which were very welcoming to strangers.
     They were humanoid in shape but had no body hair and were very easy to the eyes. Instead of having natural skin tones like humans, their skin tone stayed in the ranges of lavenders and bubblegum colors of pink. Their eyes were a bit larger and more apart than our own. They did not have a nose but instead it was two nostril holes planted in the middle of their faces. They had no lips but had a mouth. We have four fingers and a thumb, whereas they have only three fingers and what seems to be a thumb. We were not aware of any genitalia and found it to be difficult to determine which was female from male. It did take some time to remember how to tell them apart, but eventually, we did.
     They showed us around and took us back to where they lived. Communication was difficult at first, but our scientists invented a language translator just like we use on other planets. The Cliffordians were a gracious host and we traveled back and forth discovering more area and resources that this new planet had developed. Everywhere we explored and ran tests, the soil was rich with nitrogen and we found alien creatures which would be added to our collection of bugs. As far as I was concerned this planet flourished with life. Granted it didn't have the same animals you would find on earth but these creatures were similar to our own.
     Our department heads met with the ruler of Cliffordius and everyone came to an agreement which was put in place. Being that their natural resources were rich, we showed them how to plow the ground and plant seeds that would harvest their own type of food to sustain life. We built condensers to create water and moisture from their own atmosphere to also assist with their gardening. We weren't sure if they bathed or what their grooming habits were, so we didn't touch that subject. In exchange for helping them, they gave us free access to their planet and some of its resources.
     We found these inhabitants to be very kind and forth giving in nature and saw no threat of confrontation or brutality. We seemed to coexist well together and humans also became their defenders against other harmful alien species. We learned their language and they learned to speak ours so communication was becoming very profitable for both of us. We set up base camps and colonies that were supplied with oxygen regenerators so that we could move about without suits. All of our housing or pods were interconnected so we could freely move around.
     The Eros was bringing more supplies and parts that were needed to expand our colony so that more research could be done. We were learning much from these inhabitants and it was an honor to provide them with new skills. A few of their so-called science people followed our guys around and stood over them while they worked. It was more of being curious as they watched for long hours as our scientists ran test after test. They showed so much enthusiasm when projects blew up or didn't react the was they should have.
     We have transported approximately four hundred and twenty-three people to Cliffordius to colonize the planet. The Cliffordians were great in number and were perceived to not be a threat in any manner. We have lived amongst each other for approximately eight Earth years and seemed to be doing well. Everyone has been obeying the few rules that were set in place until one of our female scientists, Rebecca, had grown fond of one Cliffordian inhabitant. They were being noticed around each other quite a bit and acted a bit strange when approached by another scientist. It was common to see both of our species intermingling with each other, but these two were acting like they were doing more than mingling. When you saw one there was the other and vice versa. As long as there were no complaints or anyone speaking of their actions being more intimate, I say leave them alone. We were learning from each other and promoting a good coexisting life with one another.
     One day, as a group of us were heading to one of the science labs, we noticed these two being a little more comfortable with each other. As we walked into the room, the Cliffordian was rubbing Rebecca's shoulders and she was grinning from ear to ear until she noticed us there and sort of sprinted away from him as if they weren't doing anything wrong. I had my concerns but kept them to myself for now. A little shoulder rubbing wasn't anything to run to command about. I let it go, until one day Rebecca came running to me and wanting to speak to me privately. I was the one everyone trusted with confidentiality and their dirty little secrets.
     We headed for my quarters where we could speak informally with each other. When I asked her what the problem was, all Rebecca said was that she needed to be transferred off of this planet to somewhere else. It took a bit of prying for her to tell me what was going on and of course she was my friend. Rebecca finally broke down and told me she had broken one of the major rules and when I asked which one, the look on her face was enough to tell me which of the rules she had broken.
     She broke down crying collapsing in my arms as she started blubbering about her relationship with her Cliffordian counterpart. I knew something was up between them but they never let on it was this serious. Rebecca told me in confidence that she had been in relations with the Cliffordian for about seven months and now she is trapped because she ran a test on herself and she is now pregnant with a Cliffordian child. My jaw dropped to the floor as she told me how it happened and I even panicked a bit at first before getting grips on things and informing her not to worry I would handle things.
     I left Rebecca in the hallway after telling her to go back to work and let me see what I could do. I began looking at all the travel vouchers and logs seeing where I could possibly send her where there would be no repercussion of her actions. Rebecca was carrying a new life inside her and who knows what will be birthed from her womb. I finally found a transport that was heading back to what used to be Earth which is now just a lifeless planet with a few basic essentials for survival. Most of the Earth's inhabitants have already been transported to other planets for colonization and only a small number refused to leave their home. I got Rebecca a seat on the transport and thought everyone would be okay until the commanding officer asked me why she was heading back to Earth without his approval? I tried to come up with a good excuse which didn't go over so well and the commander took her name off of the list and sent me back to my duties.
     I was at a loss of ideas and quickly reported back to Rebecca with what news I had of an Earth transport leaving in the morning. I informed her that I had put her name on the list but the commander had taken it off due to non-approval. She decided to break down again crying and becoming hysterical because she was in fear of her child being destroyed. She also didn't want to be sent into exile for her rule-breaking, so I told her the only thing she could and that was to sneak onto the transport right after they do cargo check. Rebecca stopped and looked at me with some hope in her eyes and agreed that would be best for both of them.
     The next morning, in Earth time, Rebecca was nonchalantly walking around the transport dock acting like she was checking things and when she saw it clear to sneak aboard the Earth transport, she did. Rebecca hid behind a couple of large cargo crates and remained there until the transport made a safe landing on Earth. During the trip, she noticed her belly was getting a little bigger and sat there talking to her unborn child while rubbing her belly bump. It was a long trip so her unborn child kept her company.
     Once Rebecca felt the transport landing at the space dock on Earth she was very careful as to not be seen while exiting the cargo area. She grabbed her things and headed out of the space dock area and wandered around while feeling her child kicking and moving about inside her. She needed to find somewhere to settle until her child's birth which wasn't too far off. Every day her belly seemed to get bigger so labor was eminent. She found an abandoned house on the outskirts of town that looked promising and secluded.
     Rebecca went inside and found the place to be kept well cleaned and there were still pieces of furniture and household items left in good condition. This was a good place to have her child so she made it a home for her and this alien child she was carrying. Later, after setting things up she needed to go out and find food and water to sustain the two of them. She wandered about and ventured into a couple different stores finding and gathering food and bottles of water. She used an old shopping cart to push everything back to the house she made her home. She stocked the cabinets with dry goods and placed the water inside the refrigerator, which at this point there was no power but keeping it safe inside and out of view.
     Tired from her shopping, Rebecca went over to the old sofa and laid back to relax when out of nowhere she had this very sharp pain in her stomach. The longer she sat there the more intense they became until she knew for a fact she was in labor. She managed to get up off the sofa and headed for the bedroom where she had prepared everything for the delivery of her child. She had scissors, water, towels, and everything she needed to make the delivery as easy as possible.
     Once she laid back on the bed and got comfortable the pains grew until Rebecca had the notion to push. She pushed what seemed to be several times until she heard the strong cry of her child resting on the bed below her. She sat up, reached for her child, and nestled it close to her chest wrapped in a towel. Rebecca held it for a few minutes while she rested before laying the child back on the bed and cutting the umbilical cord. She took the water and cleaned her newborn child and then began looking the child over for any deformities.
    Rebecca noticed her child's skin color was a little on the pink side and that she had no hair. When checking her hands she noticed that the child had three fingers and a thumb. Her feet and toes were that of a human and that her eyes were like her fathers. The child took most of her characteristics from her father and Rebecca named her Siberia for the galaxy her father lives in and where they fell in love.
     She would not forget her lost love and had dreams of him almost every night since she left Cliffordius. Looking into her child's face Rebecca could see her long lost love. She still felt his closeness even though they were billions of light years away from each other. She only wished that he could see his child and hold her in his arms. How was she supposed to tell her child who her father was and that she would never see him? It was just Rebecca and her child alone in the world.
     As the years went by and Siberia grew in age she still asked her mother about her father and it tore Rebecca apart having to hide him from her. One day Rebecca finally broke down and told her daughter about her father and where he lived and explained why Siberia would never see him. It broke both of their hearts and every night since then Siberia would go outside to a starlit sky looking upwards and speaking to her father as if he could hear her. Siberia hoped her voice would reach her father light years away.


 

Alien Invasion on Mars

     "Have you ever wondered why a visitor to our planet scares the hell out of us and the first thing we want to do is butcher them up?" My name is Bryan Stratton, Dr. Bryan Stratton senior biologist for the One World Space Frontier Program. It is a program designated to assist our planet in studying other worlds. It consists of organizations from all over the world united to collaborate and seek out evidence of other existing worlds or colonies. We have had evidence of other species visiting planet Earth before but at that time our government was so infatuated with studying them that they became the world's biggest biology dissection. We still don't know any more than we do now. That is where I come in. I am a world renown biologist who leads a team of others to explore new worlds. We have scientists from all other departments like genetics, geology, marine biology, and scientists who work with relativity and nuclear fission. I stand by my team and feel we are the best.
     We have been working on a plan to travel to other worlds in search of inhabitants to study and build relationships with. Our main goal is to have a planetary alliance to defeat our enemies whoever they may be. We are set to leave planet Earth and our first stop is to the neighboring red planet of Mars. We have equipped our ship with everything we could possibly need for our month long trip there and back. Yes, we have come far in our research to be able to build a ship that travels in less time than our predecessors. Well, everything is ready and we are suited up for our mission so let's take your seat's people. We get buckled in as the countdown begins and do all of our take off checks before lifting off. Everything seems to be checking out with the ship and we are ready for lift off.
     We sit back as the engines fire up shaking the whole ship until we can actually feel it lifting from the platform. It slowly moves into the air and we can literally feel the G-force picking up. It feels almost like your skin is going to be ripped from your body, but it will ease up once we get out of Earth's atmosphere. My teammates admire out their windows as the sky goes from blue to a dark gray and then to black. It is always such a sight to see outer space surrounding you and encompassing you in almost total blackness except for the shimmering of nearby stars. We are situated now and on autopilot where we can unbuckle and move about the ship. We do not use thrusters anymore to push us into outer space like times of old. Our new technology has really advanced to make it possible to leave Earth with engines that remain intact instead of being discarded once we reach the outer atmosphere. We have access to engines the whole trip if need be.
     Our ship consists of an engine room, control room, sleeping quarters, a small kitchenette, and a restroom to relieve ourselves with its own gravity to make it easier to go. We do not use diapers like the older astronauts used and have entirely more advancements than that era. It only takes one person to operate the ship at a time while the other passengers can use the facilities, eat, or just catch a nap. Our ship is powered by lithium which is the new power of our time. It has been mutated to become more like nuclear power which propels us through space at faster speeds to meet our destination in a shorter time. We also have an observatory where one can go sit and study the stars or gaze at nearby comets. It is very nice up here with plenty of quiet places to relax or study.
     With all of our technology it now only takes two weeks to reach our neighboring planets and then two weeks back to planet Earth. I am so anxious to visit Mars and take plenty of samples. Look it is there in the distance out of the front window. It looks so tiny from here but as we get closer it will get bigger. After thorough study, I believe that it's inhabitants dwell under the surface to hide from the gasses that their planet omits. It has a harsh environment but with technology being created every day we will soon be able to change that. My team and I are looking forward to this expedition and finding what so many humans have tried in the past and that is to learn about the inhabitants of Mars. My colleagues and I have come to believe that we can make peace with other worlds and continue to make progress building alliances.
     It has now been two weeks and we see the red planet of Mars in front of us. Some of us have slept most of the ride to be fresh for exploration. I have been sleeping here and there but making sure to journal the events of every day in space. I can feel my heart beating with anxiety to land upon this unexplored planet. Earth has never set foot on Mars but we will be the first. Everyone has come to the control room to make preparations for landing. All eyes are on us from Earth by way of remote satellites. We have been waiting a long time for this moment and it is here at last. We are taking the ship off of autopilot and resuming with landing coordinates. We want a safe touchdown people. You can feel the shutter of the ship as we land down upon the red sand and finally shutting the engines down.
     My team and I are preparing to step out on the red planet and its barrenness. It almost looks like a wasteland from back home on Earth. Nuclear wars have devastated the Earth for a long time and made many places barren and dead. Our first goal is to explore regions where there can be caves or entrances that lead down into the planet under its surface. We broke up into teams of four so that we may be able to explore a broader range of surface. We will have radio communication with each other and hope to make the best of it.
     Our teams have separated and have gone into two different directions while maintaining radio contact while some of our scientists stop to take samples to bring home to Earth for analysis. It seems to be humid on the surface as we walk for what seems to be miles until we came upon what seemed to be a tunnel that led down into the ground. We switched our head lights on and contacted the other team to let them know where we are and what we found. We proceeded to walk down this unknown tunnel and not sure what we'll find but the excitement is mounting.
     Deeper and deeper it seemed to descend until we can tell we were in utter darkness. You can almost sense a change in temperature the further down we went. Then, there were some strange lights ahead of us. We couldn't make them out yet but were sort of a greenish color and very fluorescent. We have probably traveled about a mile down and found it to be strange to see these lights from an unknown source. The closer we got, the more fluorescent the color became. We knew that we would probably come across a new civilization of beings and were not prepared so much as to what we would say or what our reactions would be, we only hoped for the best outcome.
     As we came down a shaft, we encountered a large chamber with the fluorescent green lighting. It almost looked like a wall of rooms similar to how the Mayans or Incas lived in walls of clay. It was astonishing to see something so magnificent but where were the inhabitants? We carefully walked around in the chamber looking for signs of life when we stumbled up a room full of its inhabitants which were small in stature and were not green as Earth portrayed them to be. They were more of our skin tone with tiny little hairlike strands protruding through their skin. Their eyes were like that of drawings from children, big and round, and full of life. They were everything we thought they were and more. Although communication was in its primal stage but they seemed to be friendly.
     We introduced ourselves to them and reassured them we meant no harm but came in peace. One who seemed to be one of the leaders walked up and grabbed my hand and studied it for a minute. They were more like us than we imagined except they only had four appendages that we call fingers and thin short little legs with the first appendage being the biggest one. I think they were more frightened of us than we were of them. This was such a delightful discovery that I had to note it in my journal. All of this encounter was being recorded and sent back to Earth by remote satellites so they can see our mission progress. The longer we were there the more of them decided to come out and investigate. We were among several hundred inhabitants of Mars and not once did we feel threatened in any way.
     We spent what seemed to be hours with these strange little creatures and took plenty of pictures. They were allowing us to explore their chamber and see how they lived. They were not much different than us and it came to be quite astonishing to me. I sat writing in my journal while two of them came over to me and fumbled around with my pen and journal. They were very curious little buggers but with pleasant demeanors. We were enjoying our time with our new friends and looked forward to spending more time studying them. It was getting late and we needed to head back to our ship for the night because our analysis of the planet was that it dropped below freezing overnight. We said our goodbyes and that we would return in the morning. A few of the small creatures escorted us back up to the surface and we headed back for the ship.
     Once arriving back at the ship, the other team was waiting for us and we sat and told them of our discovery. We even showed them pictures of these strange little creatures that seemed to be harmless. While we sat and chatted and made notes we received a warning signal that another ship was coming into the atmosphere. We all gathered to our posts to see what our new visitor was going to be. Once we found it on the radar, it was one of our own but slightly larger than this ship. We tried to contact Earth to see what was going on but no one would respond. We weren't sure what was going on and had no idea how to find out either.
     We watched as this new ship landed not far from us and then it came. We were contacted by the ship to stand down and that it was in their hands now. We tried to question what was going on but did not receive an answer. We then suited back up and went to pay the new ship a visit. By the time we reached their ship they were deploying troops with guns.They used us to find life so that they could annihilate them and take the planet as our own. We could not let them do this. The inhabitants were no threat to us but they were going to be slaughtered by humans. We were the aliens that were going to invade their planet. We sat by and watched as our troops entered the tunnel and killed each and every one of its inhabitants that they came across. We watched as they were being burned alive and their children slaughtered. I had no faith in our race anymore. We were space butchers and the bad thing is we knew it. We were locked inside a cell as they terrorized this planet and killed every living thing. There was nothing we could do to stop them. We were at the mercy of our own cruel humanity. It is no wonder that our planet's defenses are being watched so closely waiting for the right time to seek revenge.