Sentinel - Cyndi Friberg
Chapter One
Protecting her hands with insulated pads, Natalie Marino carefully lifted her latest creation out of the hydro-electric oven and placed it on the counter. Experimenting with fresh ingredients was such a treat that she didn’t care if all the vegetables and herbs were unfamiliar, even alien. She was having fun discovering the taste, scent and texture of each item and what resulted when they were combined. Some of her attempts had been more successful than others, but anything was better than the synthesized garbage produced on the spaceships that brought her to Sarronti Prime.
She, like the rest of the human females currently on this secluded planet, had been brought here against her will. Back on Earth, Natalie volunteered for a program that matched young, healthy females with brave alien soldiers known as the Battle Born. She had been tested, interviewed, and given in-depth profiles of her potential mates. Before she could meet any of them, however, she and several thousand other volunteers had been kidnapped by the Outcasts.
The Outcasts were a group of mercenaries who had similar goals as the Battle Born. They just had very different ways of achieving them. Both groups were the same species and had been disregarded by an unforgiving, regimented society. The long-term goal of both was to start over, to leave their bloody pasts behind and build something worthy and lasting. The Battle Born chose an alliance with humans as the conduit to their bright new future. The Outcasts set their sights much farther away.
Determined to found a society free of prejudice and oppression, the Outcasts settled on what they believed to be an uninhabited planet. Together with the human females they hoped to claim as mates, they dug in and began to build their unique new world. Only problem was, the planet wasn’t uninhabited, and many of the kidnapped females wanted nothing to do with their captors. After several months of defiance and upheaval, Kage Razel, leader of the Outcasts, offered to return the females to Earth. Once the females were given a choice and had spent time with their potential mates, most decided to stay.
“Dinner’s ready, Liandria,” Natalie called out, letting the past slip to the back of her mind.
“I’ll be there shortly,” her new friend responded. Liandria was the sweet and generous Sarronti female with whom Natalie had been staying since her arrival in Lake Walker Village. The elf-like Sarronti were the indigenous inhabitants of this planet. They had been driven underground many centuries ago when a biological weapon made them extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light. The resulting mistrust of outsiders motivated them to develop technologies that concealed their existence from others. This led to the Outcasts concluding that the planet was uninhabited.
Natalie gathered what she needed to set the table and crossed to the nook adjacent to the kitchen. Compact but welcoming, Liandria’s cottage was much like its primary inhabitant. Liandria’s vivacious personality and boundless energy contrasted sharply with her diminutive size and delicate features. She shared Natalie’s love of cooking, so the two had clicked from the start.
Liandria came rushing out of her bedroom, worry twisting her expression.
Rambling thoughts forgotten, Natalie hurried over to her friend. “What’s the matter? Are your kids okay?” Liandria had gone into the bedroom to check in with her family members, who were scattered through several villages. “It’s not one of the grandkids, is it?”
“I’m not sure. Roshi refused to respond at first. When she did, it was obvious she had been crying. She wouldn’t tell me what’s wrong, but it must be something bad. Roshi is not a crier.”
Roshi was the only one of Liandria’s four children that lived in Lake Walker Village. “Go. Find out what’s wrong. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Liandria nodded then motioned toward the stew on the counter. “I’m pretty sure Mirra’s alone tonight. Why don’t you surprise her with dinner? It’s a shame for your newest creation to go to waste.”
Mirra Tryge was Liandria’s best friend and lived across the cottage cluster. Mirra’s duties as village healer kept her busy, but she’d found time to visit with Liandria and Natalie earlier that afternoon. The two old friends loved to gossip, so Natalie usually sat back and listened as they spun tales about everyone in their acquaintance.
“I haven’t tasted the finished product yet,” Natalie grumbled. “It might only be fit for the compost pile.”
“We both know that’s unlikely.” Liandria grabbed her favorite sweater off the peg by the front door and pulled it on as