AND: I'm back and sorry for leaving everyone in a lurch. I am going to finish this story. I promise. I found my muse again! Please review.
Earth. Shailana thought over the planet as she leaned back on a pallet the conquering Crogs had set up for the captured soldiers and the refugee children. Her eyes saw not the thick canvas like material that made up the tent she and three other humans, all utterly terrified of her due to her familiarity with the Crog, shared.
The people of this planet were arrogant. They believed themselves to be the highest life forms, that their civilization had the divine right to take their beliefs into the universe. That had brought them to Cresayes. Not a single member of that team had survived. The Crog had discovered the existence of Earth, a place that had the audacity to send soldiers to the home world.
She sighed and sat up. She would be getting no sleep anytime with the thoughts running through her head. She looked over at the tight group of three girls sleeping in the corner farthest from her. They had spent forever trying to get as far from her as possible while still remaining in the tent. She could have had her own, but the healers needed the extra space more than she did. Despite being a warrior, she could have the ideals of a healer.
As quiet as a shadow, she exited the tent and looked around at the camp and the still busily working men and women of both races that hurried about. She nodded to the few Crogs that acknowledged her presence. The few humans going between the tents and keeping a wary eye on the Crog soldiers backed away from her. More people, mostly soldiers from the nearby base, shuffled off to tents.
"Eva," a familiar male voice brought her out of her observations. She spun around to face her one-time gunner, the dual haired colored, one-fourth Mauian Jordan. She forced a weak smile on her face. She so did not need this right now.
"Jordan," she greeted and bowed her head. "I take it you were at the base when this all happened."
"Yes," he nodded. "You're with the students? I thought I heard someone say you were all supposed to be in your tents."
"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged and secretly checked out the area around her. A few soldiers gave her rather demeaning looks, like she was a prized piece of beef on display. Her shoulders tensed.
"It's dangerous here, Eva," Jordan told her with concern dripping from his voice.
Eva rolled her eyes. "Jordan, you remember seeing me fight on Alwas? I can do that anywhere, anytime. It takes a bit to hurt me."
The former gunner winced and paled as he remembered the fight for Alwas and what exactly she had done to that guy. He unconsciously took a step back and grinned nervously. His face changed instantly as a large Crog in full armor approached. Eva turned around and frowned. This wasn't a soldier she had met yet, and he wore different insignias. She hadn't realized someone had been sent to back up Kross. His eyes, glowing the dark yellow in the dark night, roved over the two humans. Eva nearly snarled as his ears tilted forward with the tip bent back, the ultimate sign of disrespect in Crog body language. Her fingers twitched as she slowly moved her hands to her hips where two thin knives remained hidden among her clothing.
"Eva, let's get out of here," Jordan whispered to her as he watched the Crog soldier meet his friend's eyes. She shook her head and snarled at the disrespectful Crog. He glared at her, his body language shifting subtly to try to threaten her. She narrowed her eyes and shifted into a fighting stance, her feet going shoulder width and her body turning slightly to give the smallest target possible.
"Bow to your superiors, human," the Crog growled out in heavily accented English. He was old, older than Taren at least. Most in Taren's age could speak human languages well. The older soldiers had a bit of trouble speaking it and usually ended up slurring certain verb clusters.
"Should I see my superior, I will bow, but you are not one," she replied. Her body tensed as the Crog yelled in rage and went to strike her. Other Crog in the nearby area turned to see what was happening. A few let out shouts of warning not to bother her, all warnings that were ignored. His fist, slow even by Crog standards, came toward her. Her mind shifted into a fighter's mentality as she smoothly unsheathed her knives and danced around the fist. A slight smirk flitted across her face as she jabbed the knife straight into the exposed gap in the armor around the elbow. The disrespectful one howled in pain and stepped back. Moving fast, she dodged behind him and slammed a foot into his back, toppling him forward. Before he could move, she had her knife at the base of his ears.
"Stop!" a loud, authoritative voice called from the chaos. Shailana glanced over to the side and saw Kross standing with his arms crossed, anger in his eyes aimed at the fallen soldier. At the order, she nodded and stood up, removing her knife from the soldier's ear. The humans looked at her in awe and a bit of fear, for her not of her, as Kross approached her.
"What did he do?" he asked in English for the sake of the humans. The Crog tried to get a better look at the still in pain soldier on the ground. Shailana glanced at him and removed the knife she had jabbed into his elbow. He gave a horrid shout at the pain.
"Get a healer to look at him," she told one of the Crog that stood over to the side before turning to Kross to answer his question. "He disrespected me in such a manner, in such a way as to break the Code. He proclaimed himself my superior. Do you deny my actions?"
"Idiot," Kross sighed as he looked at the whimpering fool. "You were within right, Princess Shailana. Be at peace and get some sleep. You'll need it for the morning. The Ruler General is coming to take you to the government seat."
She nodded and gave a slight bow to the general as she watched a Crog healer shaking her head and healing the obnoxious wounded idiot. Kross nodded and went off to oversee other problems that were popping up all over the camp. Seems the reinforcements weren't the best of soldiers. After all, who would be so stupid as to ignore the Code?
"Are you insane?" Jordan grabbed her by the arms and shook her.
She glared at him and broke his hold. "That's debatable, but I am not in the least bit of danger in this camp. The Crog will not harm me or allow me to come to harm, especially now. Go to your tent, Jordan. Just go. I don't want to talk about it anymore."
She turned from him and walked in the same direction Kross had gone. If she was going to be awake, and the fight had made sure she wouldn't be able to sleep for a while, she could be doing something productive, like heal people or figure out ways to help her father once he arrived for her.