1: Title

2: I was born on Kreeda 1767, a small moon with a frontier colony that specialized in rare mineral mining. I had lived with my childhood friend Maren for as long as I could remember.

3: She had shown symptoms of being a warden, one of the women that protect the galaxy, and had been taken away from the colony without questions. She had pressed close to me that day, like she wanted to tell me something. I never knew what it was.

4: Being a frontier colony, the possibility of being attacked had always existed, but you never really understand what that means until you see it first hand. The first thing I felt was the pressure behind my eyes. Not pain, exactly, just a dull press, like someone had set a thumb against the back of my skull and leaned. Then the lights went out. The lamps, the ore-lifters in the shaft yards, the hiss of the air recyclers I had been hearing my entire life that I had grown to equate with silence. All of it just stopped, and the silence that replaced it was so complete I could hear my pulse.

5: And just as soon as fast as the silence came, it went away. Voices erupted from everywhere, some in panic, some in alarm. Then I heard something else. A shriek, and then another, and soon the entire colony was screaming.

6: I ran out of the administrative building to see the chaos. People were running from something that I couldn't make out in the gloom, and then I saw the cause. now a twisted parody of a creature that might have been from Kreeda's mines once. It lunged at a group of colonists with serrated claws that bent metal like paper.

7: I should have run, but my feet were rooted to the ground. The creature was nearly upon me, its maw agape, when a shape flew over my head, a blur of motion and raw power. Maren. She landed between me and the beast, her hair whipped around her face as she turned to glance at me, then yelled for me to run. The monster charged, and she met it head-on, her fist connecting with its chest.

8: I ran to the doors of a bunker, but it had been sealed. Turning around, and watched in awe and horror as the wardens fought the skarn. My eyes were focused on Maren, I hadn't seen her for over a year. I saw her take a blow and thrown into a building, disappearing from my sight. Before I could even process what I was doing, I ran to her direction.

9: The larger monster was distracted by the other wardens, and I snuck my way through the rubble, scared to call out her name in case a skarn caught me. Thankfully, I saw her, on the floor sitting back against a wall, holding a cut.

10: What are you doing here? She told me, looking at me like I was an idiot. Hearing her scold me filled me with relief, and I gave her a hug.

"You're such an idiot" she whispered, driving her mouth into mine to kiss me. After a brief moment, I kissed her back, and soon we were twirling our tongues in each other, her arms wrapping around me, making it so I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

11: Then Maren pulled back, looking at her own body in shock. I realized it too: there was not a scratch on her, as if she had never been in combat. A screech was heard from behind us, and the moment of passion was gone. She grabbed a piece of wall and broke it on top of me like a cage, telling me to stay put this time as she leapt back into combat. Hours later, the sounds subsided, and I could hear a buzz, machinery turning back on. It sounded like the wardens had won.

12: I was dragged to a spaceship as soon as I was found. I had never been on one before, and breathing in recycled air for the first time made me gag. I was brought into a testing laboratory without anyone even telling me a word, then dragged into an office where Maren was already sitting down. Her face flushed red when she saw me, and it was hard not to do the same. Across the table, an Ionai was standing, asking me to take a seat. I did, and the Ionai introduced itself.

"I am Yeleth, pleasure to meet you" I nodded awkwardly, presenting myself as well. Yeleth was looking at a computer screen.

"Based on the field reports and the testing," Yeleth turned to me to continue speaking, "it seems that your physical touch can enhance the power of Wardens. I would request for further testing. Specifically, I would like to see if you can provide a warden with even more benefits via copulation." I choked, and Maren's face got even redder.

"Sorry?" I asked. Yeleth seemed to smirk, closing the computer.

"Having sex. I want to see if-" It started

"I understand what you meant. But I can't just go and have sex with a person I've never met." I said, interrupting the Ionai.

"Sure you can," Yeleth said. Then she pointed at Maren. "But you don't have to do it with someone you don't know." I stood up, slamming my hands on the table.

"Have you even bothered thinkinga about what Maren wants?" I asked, angry. Then I heard her with a small voice that was unusual for her.

"I'll do it," She said. I looked at her, in shock. She looked back at the Ionai. "I volunteer."