The Last Ship (18+)

Chapter Eight: The Truth?

Luna gave him a concerned look. The young girl crossed her arms over her chest and began to sulk a bit, "What is that supposed to mean, Zio? How are you even going to get off this ship? You're stuck here just like me. We're not going anywhere," She crossed her arms and turned her attention away from his, "I'm telling you, you're going to get yourself killed. They didn't want you to take me, and now you're saying I woke you up and that you can't let anyone hurt me. What did I do for you that's so important?" Luna was frustrated with Zio. Though she had given up on struggling, his grip stayed rather tight on her. Luna wasn't going anywhere without his say. That had become quite clear rather quickly.

Zio gripped Luna's hips. The male pulled her forward in his lap before leaning down and pressing his lips against her neck, 'The spores and infected Queen Yok have hurt my people for a very long time. When you were put in that room with me something happened,' Zio paused for a moment. He seemed rather sincere as he spoke to her, 'You'll have to understand, my previous queen has been under control of the spores for nearly three centuries. None of us have been ourselves in some time.' The Irinaut murred. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her neck in a rather affectionate manner, 'You've saved me from them. They are as afraid of losing you as I am, my Queen. The infection wants to do nothing bit destroy. I haven't been around Queen Yok long enough to lose myself to her. It seems that I have managed to keep her at bay. Luna, you are my true queen. Without you, I would had never woke back up from that sleep.'

Luna gasped softly as he nibbled on her neck. The blonde's cheeks darkened as she gripped on to his biceps tightly. "Queen? Zio I'm not your queen by any means. I'm not even a Irinaut, I mean, look at me." Luna didn't understand at this point. As he spoke to her she became more frustrated. Thousands of questions were running through her head, and Zio couldn't seem to even answer one of them. Even if he wasn't hurting her any, his grabbing and nuzzling was leaving her in a flustered mess, "Zio stop, I don't understand any of this!" Luna was frightened. She couldn't escape him if she wanted. His strength was unlike any she had felt before, and with his size, he was quite a intimidating creature.

Zio murred. The male lifted his head for a moment as he looked down at Luna. His eyes looked over her as he lightly sneered his lip, 'You really don't know, do you?' His eyes slowly became slit again before he lifted his head to glance around for a moment. The Irinaut let out a frustrated huff as he leaned down and pressed his forehead against Luna's. He became very still as he trailed off into deep thought. Zio let out a deep sigh before giving a light shake of his head, 'Luna, you have Irinaut blood running through your veins. Being able to understand is difficult enough. We are highly evolved, but you are something different.' Zio placed his hands on Luna's cheeks as he looked directly at her, 'Let me show you.'

A light suddenly flashed, leaving Luna in a moment of shock as Zio placed his hands on her cheeks. History ran through her mind and allowed her to see what humans could never imagine. Zio's people worked like those in a hive, and under the reign of a queen. There is only one queen until she has met her time of rule. The oldest female is given the title, and left to rule until her own time is up. That is, until the spores attacked the Irinaut.

The spores are a race in itself. A parasite that traveled lightyears to find it's perfect host. The spores had taken over their queen, and with it, the Irinaut race. With the spores controlling the queen, all female's born were murdered. Irinauts have a very long lifespan. With the leech like appendages on their heads, another sort of spieces, they were capable of obtaining knowledge that no other could including eternal life. That is what the spores wanted.

For the Irinaut male's, they had completely lost control. The queen had them under her rein. Of course, without other females to breed, their race began losing numbers quickly. Without choice, they began traveling to other planets in hopes of reproducing, but with the spores following, many lost their minds. Breeding was no longer choice, it was survival. Irinauts had a special strand in their DNA that made it capable of cross breeding with other creatures with similar codes. The humans, were one. With their race plummeting and the spores tracking them down, they had little choice but to flee.

Luna took a deep breath, gasping as she brought her hand up and held her chest. Zio hadn't thought about letting go of Luna. The male breathed heavily as he rested against her. The girl's eyes swelled with tears as he looked at her, "I'm h-human, Zio. I'm not one of you."

Zio lifted his head and looked down at her. He had gathered some information himself. The male gave a light shake of his head as she spoke. Zio made a rather saddening sound as he looked over her, 'Part human. It seems that you were camouflaged rather well. Our spieces must not be dominant over yours. That is why you can hear me. It's programmed in your brain.' Zio pressed his finger against her forehead, 'You're the first female Irinaut I have seen since the spores took rein over our queen. Luna, you are very special.' Zio looked over her as he spoke. His fingers ran through her hair as he looked her over.

Luna felt dizzy. Her head was spinning as Zio continued to talk to her. She shook her head as he spoke, "That doesn't explain how I'm alive. I-if all the female's were killed, why am I still here?" Luna was uncomfortable. Zio seemed quite persistent in keeping the two of them together at this point.

Zio shook his head lightly, 'Because a yeti got back his mind before the spores took control of him. You were hiding under our noses on earth, and we didn't even realize it. The spores wanted you dead. You are pure luck, Luna.'

Her head was spinning. Luna fell against him with a rough thud. Luck? The girl couldn't call it that. She was in shock and more so, confused. She didn't know what to believe at this point or even, who to trust, "What about Professor Reed and Jewel? They think I'm human, how do I know you're telling me the truth?"

Zio placed his hand on her back and pulled her close. The male huffed before giving a light shake if his head. His eyes lit up, 'Once they check out that sample they got from you, you'll believe me then.'