Resident Alien: Department of Homeworld Security, Book 2 Read Online Free Page B

live.”
    She handed him the med-kit, then slipped into his shirt. The soft fabric whispered across her skin. A rich, sweet scent surrounded her. Brendan’s scent.
    He took her hand and started to lead her toward the grass. Earthlings referred to blades of grass. But he wouldn’t lead her into something dangerous. She trusted him.
    She stepped onto the green foliage.
    The plants poked at her skin, tickling the sides of her feet. She took another step. Both feet were on the life-forms. The leaves were cool. Some of the sand stuck to her was wiped away. More of it seemed to be grinding deeper.
    Cygnus-X, she was a soldier. She had been trained to withstand torture. But she had never been planetside before. Not in an undeveloped, pristine environment, teeming with life.
    She paused and said, “Wait.”
    “What’s wrong?” Brendan turned to face her, creases appearing between his eyebrows.
    Focusing on him made her feel better. She gripped his hand more tightly.
    “There’s too much… Too many…” She shook her head and closed her eyes. Even that wasn’t enough to shut out all of the stimulae.
    Birds were singing nearby. The hush of processed air whispering through the station’s vents had been replaced with leaves rustling in the trees. The swells and ebbs of the wind were nothing like the steady drone she was used to. They left her breathless, made her wonder what would happen next.
    She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky—a clear and crystalline blue with a few fluffy white clouds breaking up the monochromatic backdrop. Very different from the speckled black canvas visible from the station’s viewports—from every viewport she had ever used.
    The wind picked up and the trees bent, branches turning over and leaves waving like thousands of tiny hands. It was beautiful and terrifying.
    “I don’t think I can walk,” she said.
    “Are you hurt?” He stepped closer, but not close enough. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold on forever. Or at least until they could get inside.
    “I’m not hurt. I’m just…overwhelmed. I’ve never been outside of… Well, I’ve never been outside before.”
    “You can’t be serious. Don’t you have…planets where you’re from?”
    “We do, but they’re mostly dome-worlds or otherwise covered in tech. I was raised on space stations and ships. I’ve only been planetside for training.” Training that seemed absolutely inadequate at the moment. “And there was no grass. And I had shoes.”
    Planets like Earth were rare. They were valuable. That was why the Coalition had assigned Earth preservation status. Most soldiers were unlikely to ever encounter a planet so rich in life. Her training hadn’t covered anything like the springy green plant-matter beneath her feet.
    “Are you agoraphobic?” he asked.
    “No, there’s just…so much here. Clouds and birds and—” She swatted at a small flying insect that buzzed past her face.
    “I get it.” He smiled. “Earth’s a happening place. I tried to tell you it’s the only place to be in the Sol system.”
    She surprised herself by being able to smile back at him. “I came for the company, not the scenery.”
    That…was not what she meant to say. It was the truth, though. She cleared her throat and looked away, but not before she caught how the furrows between his brows eased.
    “Come on.” He let go of her hand and turned around, then crouched in front of her.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I’m going to give you a piggyback ride.”
    “A what?”
    “Lean forward and wrap your arms around my neck. Just don’t choke me.”
    He shifted so that his back was brushing her stomach. Was this some sort of Earth mating ritual? She shook the thought away.
    He patted his shoulder, as if encouraging her. She leaned into him, holding onto his neck carefully.
    “I’ll need you to carry this.” He handed her the med-kit, then said, “We’re playing hot potato with this thing.”
    “Hot