He lunged at her with a bellow, striking the blaster from her hands. The jarring impact sent fire shooting up her right arm from wrist to shoulder, but that was replaced by a numb feeling. She couldn’t feel the fingers in that hand at all. She tried to grab her pistol with her left, but before she could reach it, he had her by the throat, lifting her off her feet.
Her lungs fought to draw in air around the press of his fingers. Her own hands lifted up, her fingernails digging into his hand as she attempted desperately to pry it off. All she was aware of was that they were wet. His claws had torn into the skin. She could feel everything fading around her; even Kaede’s enraged roar sounded distant to her. The last thing she saw was a pink blur streak down, landing in the male’s face before the last sound she heard, his bellow of rage and fear, sang her into darkness.
Chapter 32
Kaede didn’t understand what had happened. One minute his mate was approaching his side as they’d planned, her blaster firing, and the next she was gone. Fear flooded him as his eyes scanned over the battle surrounding him. Everything was in chaos. Things had been bad enough between their rebellion force and the warrior ranik, but when the honor block entered the fray, fighting recklessly rather than with wisdom that came with experience and training, the entire market had dissolved into madness. Where visibility was limited from the crush of bodies fighting, smoke bombs that the youths were armed with thickened the air with their billows, rendering his ability to see much further than a few paces away near impossible.
Growling, Kaede dropped a wild-eyed youth with his blaster and strode in the direction where he’d last seen Frahnkee. When he caught up to her, he was going to drag her off the battlefield, as promised. A thick cloud of smoke cleared out of his way with a breeze and he smiled with relief as he saw his mate stride around the stage with her blaster raised. He wasn’t sure what attracted her attention but at least she was heading out of the direction of the fighting. He quickened his pace to catch up with her.
Behind him, he could hear the triumphant shrieks of the tribal warriors as they claimed the battlefield and his smile split into a grin. He would round up his female and return to the temple. There would be much celebrating. He tripped over the body of the commander and was about to disregard him when he saw a flashing on the male’s comm. Curious, he swept a finger over it.
“This is Fleet Commander Il’fataramohitay. We demand that you immediately provide access to retrieve our troops. Noncompliance will be considered an act of war.”
Hastily, with excitement running up his spine, he opened his end of the comm.
“Commander, this is Kaede of House Ogvar reporting from Aminae. Rebellion has risen and the citizens of Agraadax welcome you. Please proceed with planetary merchant code orpani8975quando.”
There was a pause over the comm, then a relieved voice.
“Acknowledged. We will meet with you soon.”
Closing the comm, Kaede gave an ironic salute to the fallen commander. At least in death, he’d managed to truly serve his planet and people. He turned and sprinted toward Frahnkee, eager to tell her the good news.
His joy turned to despair when he saw the large warrior loom over his mate. An infuriated roar tore out of him as he watched as his mate’s weapon was knocked aside and she was lifted by her neck. The warrior turned and smiled at him cruelly, the grin twisting the scarring of his face into a grotesque mask.
Kaede picked up speed, seeing red with fury and desperation. He raised his pistol, waiting for the moment he came within range.
The blaster was too kind. He would see him dead.
The bitia, gliding through the air on the thin membranes that stretched between its legs and torso, dropped from wherever it had been perched above the battle. The vicious sound it made, something caught between a growl and a hiss, was clearly audible to him even from his position. Even stronger was the bellow of the male when it landed upon his face. He could see the warrior’s glands expand as if it spit venom at the tiny creature, but he wasn’t fast enough. The bitia’s frightfully long fang unfolded from the roof of its mouth, stabbing deep into the male’s face, delivering a dose of highly toxic venom.
The male screamed as he fell to the ground. Only then did Mogwai release the Agraak and scurry over to Frahnkee’s side. It made pitiful mewing sounds as it pawed at her. Kaede stepped over the body of the warrior as he made his way over to the bitia. The male was already dead. His corpse didn’t merit a single shot from Kaede’s pistol.
Dropping to her side, he gathered her up in his arms, cradling her body close to him. He nudged her with his nose, grateful to find her still alive. Her breathing was shallow, however, which concerned him. Standing, he braced her against his chest. A nearby flyer opened and the noble who had spoken so passionately about bringing destruction, a relation of his mothers, gathered his long dupar around his legs as he attempted to duck inside of it.
Now he understood his mate’s target. She was right. But while she likely meant to stun him, Kaede wasn’t feeling so generous.
He closed the distance between him and the flyer, the noble jumping in surprise at the sight of him. The golden eyes widened with recognition.
“Kaede? What are you doing here? We must get away now before these heathens accost us. We must save the palisade from them. The stability of the raniks require it. Surely even mongrel such as yourself will recognize it.”
Kaede shook his head as he raised his pistol to the male’s stunned face.
“There is no saving the wretchedness of the raniks. Time to start over, Mishkal.”
The blast from his pistol echoed in the silence that had descended over the market. He watched his cousin’s body slump into the seat, his eyes staring sightlessly ahead. Kaede’s tail whipped in the air as he turned around to head toward the market, a slight pressure on his shoulder announcing where Mogwai clung to him. For once, he welcomed the small creature. The bitia had saved his mate. With one hand, he stroked its fur to comfort it, a rumbling purr returning at the touch. It was oddly comforting.
He did not hesitate in his path. He knew the streets of Aminae with the familiarity of his youth running among them. There was a medical clinic nearby. She would be healed and smile at him again soon. Gorul stood among the waning smoke, his expression shadowed with grief as he neared. The male fell into step beside him and they left the market’s square, heading down the narrow road that would see his female well and whole again.
The silent shadowy forms of the Arobi fell in behind him and were soon joined by Grish, Emagul and a limping Rodriguez who was gently supported by a female Agraak fussing over him. They were just as determined to see to Frahnkee’s wellbeing so he couldn’t find it within himself to object even if instinctively he wanted to snarl and warn away all other males. He lent her his will, determined that she would survive. Distantly, Kaede was aware of the jubilant shouts that accompanied the roar of an interstellar ship descending.
It was done. Now he could focus entirely on his mate and the future they would build together.
Chapter 33
Four Weeks Later
Frankie stood in the market where not so many days ago she’d been chained and shackled. The interstellar ship still sat in the center of the large market. Although some of the vendors complained that they could not go out into the square with their produce, everyone understood that it wouldn’t be for very much longer. The ship was awaiting its final passengers.
There were far fewer than had been anticipated. Out of nearly sixty women who’d been claimed as mates, some who’d been mated among a couple lesser nobles and merchants refused to leave their mates and families. Even among those who happily parted from their “mates” for cruelties, there was a surprising number who decided to stay and raise their offspring in peace, and to help rebuild Agraadax into something worthy for their children. Only twenty-eight women were returning to Earth.
Despite the upset that the news caused, Commander Vish handled it with grace. By remi
nding objectors that since all the women in question had once been mated in some form or another, by the Council’s ruling they were no longer citizens of Earth and had say in where they went as Intergalactic citizens. Therefore, they were exempt from the rules that required human females to be returned to their planet of origin. The matter was thus considered settled.
Those women who chose to leave were hugged close among them like sisters. Some women were so scarred that they couldn’t bear to even be near their offspring. They were shown equal compassion and love, with whispered promises that their babes would be cared for. Frankie was surprised to see that quite a few of the women stubbornly refused to leave their children behind. No fewer than twenty Agraak hatchlings were leaving Agraadax for Earth. Commander Vish welcomed each woman onto the starship and saw to it that they were escorted to their quarters. The journey to Earth would take several weeks, and although their future was uncertain there, Frankie wished them all the best of luck.
Her hand draped over her belly protectively. As much as she loved her family on Earth, Alisha had been right about many things, one of which was that her family meant everything to her—Kaede and her unborn hatchling had to take priority. She couldn’t be certain that her family would have the kind of life on Earth that they would have on Agraadax. She wanted her children to grow up loving their home planet and the freedom to explore it without being considered “others.” Moreover, she wanted to be a part of helping where things headed on Agraadax.
At this moment, they were awaiting the arrival of the three women from the village who would be returning home. Frankie was excited because Alisha was traveling among them. All the women of the village were coming. Gorul had confirmed as much. After receiving his translation implant and developing an appreciation for technology, the noswal had taken to it like a fish to water. Being able to understand his mate’s words upon returning to the village was something he’d reported back to them as a most gracious gift of the gods.
Frankie leaned against Kaede as she waited for any sight of them approaching the main dome entrance facing the market. Kaede chuckled at her enthusiasm and she made a playful face at him as his arm circled around her. He’d become a lot more protective since discovering she was pregnant. The medic who’d seen to her after the battle had been delighted to give them the news. From that day, Kaede nearly always had an arm braced around her as if concerned that at any moment she would forget how to stand. She teased him nonstop, much of which he took with his usual humor and stoic regard.
She’d not yet told him of her decision to stay. It seemed like they were always busy, and she wanted to make the moment special, though the moment never seemed to present itself. More than once he’d threatened to run away with her into the swamp and hide her away. Not that he truly would. She knew he loved her too much to take her choices away from her. He just wasn’t above using everything in his power to convince her to stay with him.
“Do not be so impatient, agishi. They are coming.”
“I know, I know,” she sighed. “I received a comm from Emagul saying they’d be here within the hour. The transport pods for Mi’yar and Borth delayed their return trip more than they liked. Borth has complained about not needing one the entire time.”
“And they slowed their pace to accommodate the females,” Kaede reminded her.
“That too,” she said cheerfully.
All sixteen women who’d escaped from the breeding facility were returning to Aminae. Although three of them were leaving, the others, including her sister, were arriving for their own momentous occasion: meeting their hatchlings for the first time. Frankie was excited for them. She’d spent time with the little ones, who were currently kept in Kaede’s estate. Although a significant portion of his wealth, like all those of the upper raniks had been seized by the Intergalactic Council for paying out reparations, he’d greeted the news with an affirmation that it was as it ought to be. His mother was the one who ranted and raved and ended up leaving with her kin, fleeing from Agraadax with everything she could carry with her.
Many of the noble and merchant raniks fled, taking the greater portion of their wealth with them before it could be seized upon hearing of the arrest of the Prince of the Western Province. Those who followed after the seizure still had a considerable sum of credits to restart a life of leisure elsewhere if they chose. As a result, many of the houses of the elite now stood vacant.
Fortunately, not many made it offworld before a number of males in the upper four raniks were arrested for crimes against their people in violation of the Intergalactic Sentient Species Act, a longstanding law within the Union that made slavery and abuse illegal.
Many of those arrested were shipped to a prison on one of the three moons orbiting Agraadax for an allotted period of time. Those who’d been arrested for more serious crimes as charged by the Intergalactic Council were immediately taken to the Intergalactic Space Station for their trial. There, they’d been sentenced and transported to a prison planet where they would spend the rest of their days as laborers in exchange for regulated tech and comfort items.
Aminae was in the painful process of restructuring itself. Many looked to Kaede for leadership. He refused several times before he hesitantly stepped into the role. He worked with a large network of community leaders to restructure housing and food distribution, as well as finance ministers who’d been largely ignored by the upper raniks.
Frankie fell more deeply in love with him as she watched him come into his own as if he’d been born into the role. When not fussing about their family, his focus was always on the people. It was of little surprise that the first thing he did was lead works that aimed not only at pulling down the palisade walls, but also at cleaning out the vaults to make it into a culture and history zone. Artisans were hard at work to make use of the space. He’d accomplished an amazing number of tasks in the four weeks since the Imperial House fell.
She couldn’t be prouder.
She was also proud of what Aminae was showing signs of becoming, something that fit its name. Families from all over the city took delight in strolling around the gardens that had once been reserved only for the elite, and there was a certain frisson of hope in the air. This would be the Aminae that the women from the village would be seeing, and the Aminae that encouraged the women who were staying to put their faith in the people.
It still didn’t solve the problem of a lack of mates, but she hoped it could be remedied with honest applications of individuals to the Mate Index, as well as the connections forming between the tribes and the peoples of the cities. One of the biggest hurdles was going to be breaking down long-held prejudices. It became evident to several of the medics who noted the higher number of hatchlings and females among the villagers that the tails, which had been bred out of the cities by genetic manipulation, were a big part of the reproductive process of their species.
Tails, which had been scorned as primitive and inferior to an Agraak of the dome-cities, seemed to be the key to Agraak reproduction. They provide the necessary extra stimulation that female Agraaks apparently needed for successful breeding. All that wonderful tail massaging that Kaede provided when they’d had sex had been for a very specific purpose among their species, and damn if it didn’t do its job just a little too well given how fast she’d gotten knocked up.
On the outset, it didn’t sound like that big of a deal. The lack of a tail made reproduction more difficult, but not impossible, except when it was taken into consideration that female embryos were infrequent, averaging one to every five males conceived. Conception itself had proven to be the most difficult issue. Efforts to correct it by genetic tampering, without realizing that the lack of tails had been the cause, ravaged so many of their species with sterility. To combat possible reproduction issues with those who were still fertile, Kaede assigned a team of specialists to work with mated pairs on mechanical methods that may help.
He’d come directly from one of several meetings with specialists and ad
visors to accompany her to the wall. She wondered how he had the energy to see to everything, but he looked as unruffled as ever. His spines were slightly flared as was natural for a healthy, alert Agraak and the grip of his hand on her hip firm.
Frankie heard a familiar melody and fingers dug into Kaede’s arm as she pointed at the shadows emerging from the bog fields.
“There they are!”
Frankie’s jaw dropped. Not only were the human women there with her squadmates, the entire village had made the trip. They approached with music flooding out over the fields. Kaede smiled widely, his sharp teeth flashing in a rare public show of pleasure as he commed in the sequence to open the dome for the arrival of the tribe.
The citizens of Aminae flooded into the market square to meet the new arrivals, food was brought out, and great tables quickly assembled. Although there were many, especially among those who were once among the more privileged, who refused to attend, Frankie was pleased to see the communities come together.
She socialized among the citizens and villagers, taking time to visit with her squadmates. Despite everything, Borth was in good humor and Mi’yar shamelessly flirted with every female in sight. His infatuation with the female in the village hadn’t lasted long, but she didn’t expect anything else. Edokas just didn’t commit until they found their mates. It was an instinct they couldn’t ignore. Even Rodriguez seemed in good spirits, though he was eager to leave Agraadax and wasn’t shy about saying so. Frankie found herself enjoying their company and treasuring the last few minutes that would end a significant part of her adult life. She’d already spoken to Commander Vish about resigning, but the news hadn’t circulated among her crew. Most of them were still adjusting to the news that she was female.
Heart of the Agraak Page 24
