Chapter Two

Los Angeles, California

The descent to earth was a smooth ride, considering they’d felt a little warm upon entry at 100 km. But the ship was built for gravity and drag and could resist higher temperatures more extreme than the earth’s atmosphere. Cleona guided them safely to Franklin Canyon Park. The famous Los Angeles discovery trail lay deserted at three in the morning. But, no one would spot the spacecraft. It was invisible to the naked eye and hovered above the trees.

Stralath rappelled to the ground and waited for his teammate—Cleona—to join him. Once they’d packed away their gear, he stood and took in her human form and nodded with approval.

He’d been to earth a few times. This was Cleona’s first mission to the flourishing planet, and she looked acceptable. A short human stature, though. Her brown hair wa