Read Angela Verdenius for Free Online

hair bounced along just below his shoulder level.  The thick tresses emitted a faint scent of some kind, but it was enough to filter through his senses tantalizingly.
    Ridiculous .  Ruthlessly pushing the thought aside, Alsandair looked ahead once more.
    “So, I found out what food is eaten out here, the clothes and other things.  Who are your enemies?”  Molly queried.  “Or don’t you have enemies any more?”
    “We have those we watch closely.”
    “Watch closely?  You mean enemies.”
    “The term enemy is not something we like to use unless an outright attack occurs or a war is on.”
    “Bugger me, political correctness must be about the only thing that survived my time.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Sort of like cockroaches.”
    Alsandair looked down to meet her twinkling eyes.  Unbidden, he smiled.
    “Good gravy, is that really a smile on your dial?  Wonders will never cease!” 
    The smile had come without thought.  Alsandair arched a brow at her.
    “Oh now, come on, Amirov, a smile won’t hurt you.  You need to loosen up a little.”  She punched him lightly on the arm.  “You’ll never get laid with an attitude like yours.”
    “If you’re referring to sexual intimacy-”
    “Oh my God!  You actually got the connection!”  Stopping, Molly stared up at him in surprise. 
    “Of course.  We’re not total fools.”
    “I never said you were,” she retorted.  “It just caught me by surprise.”
    “Why?”  Catching her arm, he tugged her into step beside him once more.   He could feel the warmth of her body when she accidentally bumped into him, missing it almost as instantly when she moved away a little.   “I didn’t grow up on the Research Station.  I’ve travelled.  We all have.”
    “So you’re saying that some of the things I say have survived the centuries?”
    “There are similarities on other planets and with other species.”
    “That’s the first I’ve heard about it.”  Suspicion laced her tone.  “Are there others like me out there somewhere?”
    “Trust me, there is no one quite like you, Molly.”
    There was a snort of laughter from up ahead, but when Alsandair snapped his gaze up, the soldier walking ahead didn’t have her shoulders shaking with mirth.
    “So there are others similar to me?”  Molly asked.
    Was there eagerness in her tone?  Alsandair glanced down at her.  The wariness in her gaze was unexpected.  “There are similarities,” he repeated.  “But no one completely like you.” 
    “We’re here, Sir.”  The soldier came to a stop at the side of the closed door.
    “Wait here.”  Alsandair approached the door and it slid open.  He gestured with one hand for Molly to enter and followed her inside, the door sliding shut behind them.
    As Molly looked around, Alsandair wondered at her thoughts.  The deserted room was bland to his eyes.  Computers lined the front panel, there were several control stations in the centre of the room from where the laser guns were controlled.  A large screen on the far wall showed the galaxy with the main planets enlarged and labelled.  On a thin panel beside it were different coloured dots that represented the crafts the different species flew.
    Enemy ships.  Very well, he conceded silently, Molly was correct.  If you got down to the nitty-gritty of things - one of her quaint sayings – there were enemies out in space.  Species who sought to overtake and rule, war mongerers.  Species the Narc Military and the Galaxy Command monitored.  But unless out and out war was declared, no one was labelled ‘enemy’.
    They just bore close monitoring.
    Crossing to one of the small control panels, Molly stood directly in front of it.  “So, which species do you watch closely?”
    Moving up behind her, Alsandair reached over her shoulder and touched the screen.  Several figures appeared. 
    “Okay, now they’re weird.”  Molly stared.  “Now that’s what I call an alien!”
    “This,”