Semua Bab Liberated : Bab 21 - Bab 30

ZARN POV I grin as females look over my body and bat their lashes at me. I know I am an attractive male and I know it will benefit me in securing the hand of the female I want. The only problem is... who do I want? I am sure the other fifty-four champions are thinking the same thing. I like the female in yellow from Earth. She is beautiful and confident enough to stand up for her friends, but mating is for life. The tournament is short. Deciding who we want to love and protect for the rest of our lives should be based off of more than a few dances and superficial conversations, but this is the Harvest. The treaty that links us all together as one in our fight against tyranny. It is an honor to compete in such an important tournament. I need to suppress my negative feelings. I need to dispel my memory of Vada's naked flesh. I glance down the long table and my eyes land on a pink Kea I will be avoiding. I cannot risk falling for her, since she looks like the last female I slept w

JIA POV"If the females would stand and move toward that wall please," the announcer says as the female Keas disappear with the last of the dinner plates. "And if the males would move to that wall," the announcer says, but he sounds far away as anxiety begins to take hold of me. Somehow I force my body to stand up with the others and we all move toward the wall. I keep my eyes downcast. I can't look at my friends. My stomach is full of butterflies and I feel like I want to puke. I have never taken any formal dance lessons. I have been to some school dances, but that is it. I am betting all the others have had downloads done to their weird brain chip thing and are all excellent dancers. While we move the male Keas come back in. They lift the long dinner tables and take them away as if they weigh nothing. The lights overhead begin to dim and soft elegant music begins to play. My nerves seem to recede and the atmosphere shifts from interview to relaxed rather quickly. "Wow," I whispe

NEGUMI POV I sigh as Gold-status Capt. Nole walks away. I clearly messed up in winning him over during our dance. His elite companions and he are the top champions this Harvest. Even the other Commanders rank lower than him now. I should have had better control over my wandering eye, but Lt. Zarn keeps pulling my attention. I have never seen a more perfect male. When I spotted him at dinner I couldn't look away. Lt. Zarn is so handsome and he smells divine. I can tell his body is strong even though he is small compared to Nole's massive Bronkark body. "You danced with one of the Gold status champions. Congrats, Negumi," Mairi says and I can hear the jealousy in her tone. "Thank you, Mairi," I reply while keeping my chin lifted. The others in my group watch me closely, but I don't give them anything to see. I keep my expression neutral while standing tall. I will not shrink myself down. I am the most beautiful in our group and we all know it. This is the Harvest Tournament. P

NOLE POV Garlof looks at Burk again and I cross my arms over my bare chest. The big, ugly Cok is asking for a fight, and I can't give him one, not yet, anyway. Not when we are about to be announced to the universe. I flex my shoulders and growl lowly to expel some of my pent-up stress. Modok eyes me, but doesn't say anything. He is most likely more uncomfortable than I am. He hates large groups just like I do. Burk growls too and I look to see if he spotted the way Garlof is eyeing him, but he hasn't. I realize, after a brief second, that Burk is feeling the pressure. Standing shoulder to shoulder half naked with the males we will be fighting tomorrow has everyone on edge including my ever-in-control Commander. "Easy," I mumble and Burk nods. "I won't dishonor us, Nole... and speak for yourself. You keep growling under your breath as well," Burk mutters back and I focus on the empty field we will most likely destroy before the week is over. I don't even attempt a joke like I

JIA POV"Looks like you are the first one here. Would you like me to wait with you," Tursa asks as we stop next to the doors. I glance at her and shake my head. I think having a few seconds to myself will be nice. "Alright, well I think I covered everything. Remember after each fight the winning champion might declare himself by going over to the female he wants. This is a great honor, but not all champions do this. Some don't want to draw attention to the female they want," Tursa says going back over what she told me while I got ready this morning. I nod again. "Thank you, Tursa. Don't worry about me. My friends will be with me soon," I say and she smiles brightly before finally walking away. I sigh once she is gone and rub my hands over the full powder blue skirt I am wearing. I know I look absolutely beautiful. My hair and makeup are immaculate. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was stunned into silence. I look like an absolute queen, but I don't recognize myself. I d