Free Zein: The Homecoming by Graham J. Wood

it, just pleased that they had fought off the deadly attack. She went to hug him and did not see the resentment directed at her by Gemma who had no Kabel to turn to as he was still sweeping the perimeter. Gemma stood with her arms folded taking in the picture of Tyson and Amelia greeting each other with hugs and kisses. Tyson seemed to access her thoughts as he looked past the relieved Amelia’s shoulders and his eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. Gemma stubbornly refused to smile back.
    There were no cheers from General Corder. The direction the Venings had taken was the exact coordinates of the planetary cluster where Zein resided. This was far from over.

Chapter 5: Coliseum
    Belina laid her head on Bailey’s bare chest, which heaved with the recent exertion of their love making. Bailey stared at the smooth steel ceiling in deep thought. Belina ran her fingertips over his chest tracing the outline of his pectoral muscle. She looked up at his vacant expression and was immediately concerned. Their love making had been as passionate as ever but now he seemed distracted, worried about something.
    Belina remembered a phrase she had heard the humans use and thought it was perfect for this very moment. ‘Penny for your thoughts?’ she said warmly.
    Bailey turned to her and kissed the top of her head. He was torn between the loyalty to his friend and his feelings for Belina. It didn’t take him long to make a decision, his uncertainty was cancelled out by the concern he felt. He needed to talk to someone about Tyson. Bailey told her of his concerns and then went on to describe his feelings towards his friend and what had happened yesterday. Belina listened with her head resting on her hand staring up at him. When he had lapsed into silence Belina raised herself until she was the same height as Bailey and face to face. The warmth of her body pressed against her boyfriend.
    ‘I think we are all intimidated a little bit by Tyson. He is very powerful but his heart is in the right place and you have to agree he loves Amelia?’ She kissed him sensually on the lips, leaving her lips barely touching but lingering.
    ‘Hmmm, you may be right. I just have never seen Zebulon so subdued,’ Bailey pressed. Belina kissed him repeatedly, slowly, softly. Bailey felt his worries begin to fall away from him under the caresses of this beautiful woman.
    Belina’s hand drifted to his chest. ‘I think I can take all your worries away,’ she teased. It wasn’t long before Bailey was in total agreement.

    Kabel was faced by four of the Malacca clan. They flanked him from each corner of the room, each carrying a weapon in front of their bodies. Kabel tossed his seckle up into the air with his left hand, catching it smoothly with his right.
    ‘Come on, do your worst,’ said Kabel beckoning them forward. One of the men ran at him. He was a tough looking soldier with huge broad shoulders, knotted with substantial muscle, the same muscle that was behind the hand sweeping upwards to Kabel’s gut. Kabel sidestepped bringing the back of his hand down on the attacker’s arm and using the momentum of the run to fling the man into the side wall. Before he had completed the move two of the other men attacked. Kabel used the movement of the throw of the first man to carry him into his next offensive move.
    His seckle clashed with the second man’s weapon and he used the body of the second man as a launch pad into the third man with a two footed kick to his chest, sending theman crashing into a number of boxes stacked at the side.
    Kabel jumped to his feet as the first man came for him again. The fourth man just hung back, waiting for his moment. The first man was more cautious this time and moved in slowly looking for an opening and Kabel intentionally let his eyes wander to the second man, struggling to climb back onto his feet.
    The third man took this as his opportunity and moved fast to close the distance between him and Kabel. Too late, the man