by Tana Stone
Leave it to Kax to monitor his fleet. Once an older brother, always an older brother. Despite his twinge of annoyance, Dorn was glad to see his brother on screen. The two had always been close, and being so far from him was his one regret about commanding his battleship on the outskirts. Since Kax had left military intelligence and taken their father’s seat at High Command, he rarely ventured to the edge of the defensive blockade anymore.
“You manage to get your information quickly,” Dorn said, pushing a long sweaty strand of hair off his forehead. “We only just repelled the last of the ships.”
Kax’s smile faltered, and he took a breath. “Then now is the perfect time.”
Dorn sat forward, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. He knew his brother’s tell. Kax nervously rubbed his hands together, and an alarm bell sounded in the deep recesses of Dorn’s brain. “The perfect time for what?”
“You’re being recalled to High Command,” his brother continued. “Well, more specifically, to the Boat.”
The Boat? Dorn’s mouth went dry. Why was he needed there? The massive space station—officially dubbed the Love Boat and called the Boat for short—had been built to accommodate and orient the Earth brides who were taken from the planet. It sat behind one of the moons of Saturn, hidden from view and space probes, not that those were as much of an issue since humans had stopped focusing resources on space exploration.
“I don’t understand.” Dorn tried to keep the panic from his voice.
“You will when you get here.”
Dorn scowled at the screen. A typical answer from his brother. Did he always have to be so damned secretive? It wasn’t like he was still an intelligence officer.
Kax shook his head. “I know how you feel about the Boat, but I hope you can put your issues aside.”
“I don’t have issues,” Dorn said, hating the fact that he sounded like a petulant child. His older brother always did this to him. Put him on the defensive. Got him riled up.
“You think Earthlings are inferior.”
Dorn shrugged. “They are. They’ve used their technology to strip their own planet bare. They’re the only creatures I’ve ever seen willfully destroy their own habitat in this manner.”
“Maybe,” Kax said. “But regardless, of all the species we encountered on our search, they’re the only ones who were biologically compatible.”
Dorn grunted. “I know all that. The original DNA strand that managed to spread itself across the galaxy or something.”
Kax angled his head at him. “You never did pay attention when it came to science, but yes, we do share common DNA with the humans. Otherwise we would not look so similar, or be able to successfully mate.”
Of course, if the Drexians hadn’t stopped producing females, they wouldn’t have needed to search out other compatible species for mating, thought Dorn. But generations of war and defending weaker planets from invaders had depleted their population, and done something to their ability to create females. Almost none had been born in a generation.
“And these compatible beings still haven’t figured out that we’re taking females?”
Kax looked affronted. “You act like we’re stealing them. You know very well that this is all done with the full permission of the Earth governments.”
“Only because they had no choice,” Dorn said. “Once they realized how technologically superior we are and were shown what the Kronock do to planets they invade, they had to agree to our terms, didn’t they?”
Kax leaned back and blew out a long breath. “You make it sound like we blackmailed them. It’s been a good deal for the humans. We protect Earth and keep the people from discovering about us and the possibility of an alien invasion.”
“And they let us take their inferior two-breasted females for mates.”
“Only a select few,” Kax said. “You will not think them so inferior when you see them.”
“I have no need to see them,” Dorn insisted. “Besides, I’m busy tracking some unusual Kronock movements. I can’t leave.”
Kax pressed his brows together. “Unusual? In what way?”
Dorn gave a brusque shake of his head. “It’s hard to explain. I’ve spent years engaging our enemy, but lately they seem to be testing us more than actually trying to win.”
“Why would they do that?” his brother asked.
Dorn didn’t want to give voice to what he secretly feared. It was alarmist, and he had no proof, but he felt like the Kronock were waiting to spring something on them. Something big. “I can’t say for sure.”
“You can share your findings with the station’s captain and the High Command when you arrive. I’m transmitting your official summons to the Boat.”
Dorn scowled. He had never been there, had never had any reason to go there, but he’d heard it was a holographic wonderland meant to replicate everything most appealing about betrothal. Designers to create wedding gowns, jewelers to deck them out in gemstones, and exact recreations of some of Earth’s most desirable locations. The theory was that if you enticed the females with enough bells and whistles for their marriages, they’d be less upset to be snatched from Earth and mated to an alien. From what he’d heard it worked reasonably well. It helped that they only took women who had no family connections and little reason to stay on Earth.
Dorn tried to imagine why he’d be needed on the Boat as he studied his brother’s face. He’d never submitted an application for a bride and never intended to. “I’d rather be thrown in the brig.”
His brother leaned back in his chair and grinned again, this time, followed by a throaty laugh. “You haven’t changed a bit, brother. That’s exactly what I thought you’d say.”
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About the Author
Tana Stone is a bestselling sci-fi romance author who loves sexy aliens and independent heroines. Her favorite superhero is Thor (with Aquaman a close second because, well, Jason Momoa), her favorite dessert is key lime pie (okay, fine, all pie), and she loves Star Wars and Star Trek equally. She still laments the loss of Firefly.
She has one husband, two teenagers, and two neurotic cats. She sometimes wishes she could teleport to a holographic space station like the one in her tribute brides series (or maybe vacation at the oasis with the sand planet barbarians). :-)
She loves hearing from readers! Email her any questions or comments at [email protected].
Want to hang out with Tana in her private Facebook group? Join on all the fun at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tanastonestributes/
Copyright © 2020 by Broadmoor Books
Cover Design by Croco Designs
Editing by Tanya Saari
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
