The alien Atrapako have scales, a spiky crest and sharp claws.
Dr.
Lucy Stannis emigrated from Terra expecting her fiancé to follow her to a new
life on the small colony on the terraformed planet of Eden. He never left home
and married someone else. After a few years, Lucy is bored and her current
lover is too possessive. He insists she choose between him and the aliens. How
can he be jealous of a sharp clawed alien covered in hard scales? She is a
scientist and thrilled by the arrival of an alien spaceship.
Sa
Kamizan Veedak led the Atrapako exiles on the hazardous five-year voyage from
their home planet. His lover chose to abandon the space voyage and stay behind.
Can he find solace in the beautiful human scientist he befriends on Eden? He
must struggle to hide the Atrapako secret from Lucy while encouraging her
affection until the time is right. Conflict is inevitable. The aliens are not as peaceful and logical as they pretend. Nor are the humans as weak-willed and defenseless as they appear to the aliens. Also, Lucy is a secret agent in contact with the Terran Space Agency. Can she uncover the Atrapako secret in time to prevent slaughter? Must she choose between Sa Kamizan and the freedom of the colony on Eden?
Excerpt:
“Describe their positions,” he said, as he ran
his broad hands over the surface of the wall.
“One man is standing at the left of the pilot
and the other is almost directly in front of you.” Lucy turned to watch Sa
Kamizan.
“You take the one on the left,” he muttered.
The partition had been put together crudely in sections of rigid material,
which were held together in the corners by metal pins. The Blue grinned at Lucy
and turned back to the partition. He took two steps backward, and, gripping the
stunner in his right hand, bent his left arm parallel with his body. He leapt
towards the partition and smashed through into the cabin.
Lucy jumped through the opening and needled the
man standing next to the pilot. The man in front of Sa Kamizan also fell. She
spun round swiftly to cover the rest of the room and caught sight of a fourth
man, who must have been hidden from her view in the window. This man was aiming
at the Blue. The stunner and needler hit him simultaneously. He fell, leaving
only the pilot who still held the controls.
The pilot realized he was being threatened and
sneered, “You can’t fly anywhere without me!”
“Don’t bet on it,” Lucy replied grimly. She
waited until the flitter had almost reached the far side of the mountain range.
The pilot breathed a shallow sigh of relief, and Lucy flicked the needle dart
into his neck.
A faint scraping noise caused her to look
round. Sa Kamizan was sliding down the wall. As he reached a sitting position
on the floor, she ran over and knelt beside him.
“Veedak, is it bad?” she asked softly.
His head turned slowly towards her. His eyes
were dulled with pain. “A flesh wound,” he muttered, “I have lost some scales.”
“And a lot of blood,” Lucy added reproachfully.
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