“Gunninng fares as it always has,” Matrix answered, bracing himself to move one of the levers on his own. Pushing with a grunt, he gave Sparx a look out of the corner of his eye. “Steady and strong.”
“And the brides that mated with your men? How are they?” Sparx asked curiously, wondering if they’d voiced any complaints regarding life within the tunnels.
“They’ve settled as much as we could expect. The only wish I’ve heard is more opportunities for them to stay busy, but that won’t be a problem once their babies arrive.” Matrix shrugged, the furs shifting over his shoulders. They hadn’t been blessed with many women from the original women they’d rescued, but each and every one was precious to their city. “Only a few months more before Gunninng has the chance to celebrate its first births in more years than I want to admit.”
“They didn’t waste time in planting their seed,” Sparx said, jealousy tinging his words.
“Not long at all,” he agreed with a chuckle that stretched his scar. They had seemed to get pregnant quickly, three of them almost immediately after mating. “What about Fyeir? Are your men ready for them to arrive?”
Sparx pulled his hood tighter around his head and gave him a shrug. “As ready as we can be. We’ve listened to the suggestion the women have given us, and I cannot see them finding fault with our execution. Colby even said that Charlotte convinced Bitters to shave.”
“Really?!” Matrix asked in shock, his blue eyes wide. He couldn’t imagine how that had even come about. “I told him plain to his face that he needed to shave whatever he had growing there, yet he listened to Saber’s little mate?”
“Apparently,” Sparx answered with a chuckle. “I’ve also instructed the cooks to have the ovens at full flame while they’re here. We have more than enough to burn to make sure the women are comfortable and not freezing during their stay.”
“I don’t mind seeing them a little cold,” Matrix interrupted with a wicked grin, an image popping into his head at the thought. “In fact, I admit that it is a mesmerizing sight to see when they’re just a tiny chilly.”
“If K’hor catches you staring at Juniper’s tits again, he’s going to kill you,” Sparx said with a shake of his head. Narrowing his eyes, he pointed at finger at him. “I was the only thing that stopped him the last time.”
Matrix waved the threat away with the swipe of his hand. “I can’t help it. They’re just right there,” he explained, holding out his hands in front of him and cupping them as if he were holding invisible breasts.
Juniper, K’hor’s mate, had been blessed with the type of curves he’d begun to dream about after first meeting the humans. Luscious and soft, his friend had the stars shining upon him when their ancestors had blessed him with his mate. From what he’d seen, the woman was perfect in almost every way.
Especially her figure.
“And the cotton the Earth females wear hides absolutely nothing. It molds and forms to their—"
“When was the last time you’ve visited the Pleasure Sector?” Sparx interrupted, eyeing him closely.
“A really long time,” Matrix admitted with a groan as he rubbed his face. It had been so long he had trouble recalling just how long ago it had been. “A really, really long time. I’ve been too busy in the mines to run the ore transfer shuttles.”
“I know I haven’t had a chance to visit the brothels in at least two years,” Sparx said, his own voice sounding strained as they talked.
“It has probably been twice as long for me,” Matrix said after a moment of thought. He blinked a few times at the realization it had been that long since he’d been relieved by anything other than his own hand.
Then he realized that he would, hopefully, not have another reason to visit the brothels ever again. That is, if he found his mate.
“Not that the brothels matter, considering our agreement with Earth for the women they have volunteering,” Matrix added, anticipation filling his gut at the idea of finding his own mate.
If he were lucky, she’d be soft and sweet like Juniper.
Chapter Five
“You fucking bitch,” Rue growled, a fist flying out to clock the other woman in the mouth. “My bestie is too nice to tear you apart, but I will do so with relish!”
The last word was screamed as if it were a cry for war as Rue took Tabitha to the floor of the shuttle.
“Rue!” Lucy hollered, trying to get a hold of her friend as she grabbed Tabitha’s hand and began to make the woman smack herself in her own face.
“AHHHH!” Tabitha screamed, unable to shake her off.
Rue tightened her grip on the bitch’s wrist, moving it until she could use it as an impromptu weapon.
“Get her off of me!” Tabitha howled, her eyes panicked as she struggled to get out of her hold.
“Not.” Smack. “Until.” Smack. “You.” Smack “Say.” Smack. “Sorry!” Smack, smack.
“I’m sorry!” she blubbered, her cheeks pink where her hand had connected over and over again under Rue’s guidance. “Get off! Get off!”
Rue climbed off Tabitha, shaking her fist at the bully. “I will kick your ass if I see you even look in her direction again. You got me?”
When Tabitha sneered at her, Rue was tempted to go back in but was stopped when Lucy grabbed her arm.
“What’s going on here?” a deep voice boomed from the front of the shuttle.
Rue dropped her fist but kept it clenched, daring her nemesis with a glare to start any more shit. She had absolutely no problem standing up against Tabitha again if needed, even if it got them kicked out of the volunteer program and sent back home.
“Nothing,” Tabitha said quickly, fixing her hair so the overly straightened curtain lay perfectly flat once more.
The man scanned the group, looking for a hint of a problem before giving them all a nod. “Seal your suits. We’re leaving the shuttle as soon as a perimeter has been cleared.”
“This is it,” Rue said on a gust of air as she closed her suit, her nerves beginning to work their way up her throat. Reaching over, she checked the tabs on Lucy’s as well before she did the same for her. “You ready?”
Rue put her helmet over her head and gave Lucy a thumbs up, the large gloves on her hands looking funny as she held them up. As she made the gesture, an image on the inside of her visor flashed, giving her the stats of the suits she was wearing.
“These are so cool!” Rue exclaimed, tapping her visor as she saw her oxygen level and a few other readouts she didn’t understand at all. It was all very…spacey. “This must be what it’s like to be an astronaut.”
Lucy laughed at her. “Rue, we are literally in space getting ready to possibly live on an alien planet for the rest of our lives. We’re way cooler than astronauts.”
“True dat.” Holding out a fist, she wasn’t disappointed when Lucy bumped it, including the gigantic gloves, earning a giggle.
“Hey, slugger,” Jessie, another one of the volunteers, teased as she moved close to where they were waiting.
“I prefer Rue,” she said with a mock bow and a laugh.
“Nice to meet you, Rue.” Jessie held out her hand to shake then laughed when their gloves got in the way. Waving the oversized mitt in the air, she turned to Lucy. “I know we all haven’t formally met or anything, but you two seem to be some of the friendlier ladies that I may or may not be stuck with living in caves for the rest of my life so…”
“We seem friendly?” Rue’s voice and expression must have shown her dismay, since the reaction sent Lucy into a fit of giggles. Had this lady not witnessed the Great Shuttle Fight of 2020?
Jessie tilted her head in Tabitha’s direction. “Believe me, you did us all a favor shutting that shit down. We applied around the same time, so I’ve seen her in action much longer than you have. She just hasn’t messed with me yet because she knows I’ll wipe the floor with her.”
“What’s her deal anyway?” Lucy asked, her expression one that Rue recognized as general curios
ity instead of simply digging for dirt for the sake of gossiping.
That, of course, was where the friends differed. Where there wasn’t a mean or vindictive bone in Lucy’s body, Rue wasn’t so nice. If it had been her asking why Tabitha was the way she was, she would have phrased it more along the lines of, “What’s that bitch’s problem?”
Jessie leaned close as if telling secrets. “From what I’ve heard, she’s been waiting for a match to come through with the Phaetons since they first began taking applications. Apparently, she got tired of waiting and jumped at the opportunity to snag a miner because she heard it’s easier.”
“Seriously?” Rue wrinkled her nose at how desperate Tabitha sounded.
“I’m not making this up. I’ve had a hell of a time dodging her. She’s the worst. The last time she caught me, I was willing to take a screwdriver to the eardrum instead of listening to the bullshit she was spewing. She’s convinced she’s so amazing that all she needs to do is bag one of the guys in charge and poof, she’s a queen or something. As if her vagina is magical.”
“First, gross,” Lucy said with a frown. “Second, she knows we’re not going to go in there and just pick out the guy we think is the hottest, right? It’s like—”
“Biological and shit,” Rue finished, her frown matching Lucy’s at the stupid plan the other lady had come up with. It wasn’t that she actually believed in the mating heat she’d read about in the packet, but still…
“I don’t think she cares about that bit of information. She thinks the fact that these guys have been without women for a while will make them putty in her hands,” Jessie said with a shake of her head as she studied Tabitha where she was talking to a few others. “I feel a little bad for whichever Djaromir she sets her sights on.”
Rue and Lucy both nodded in agreement.
“Enough about crazykins over there and her venus flytrap vagina. We have more important things to focus on,” Rue said, wanting to change the subject before she was tempted to come clean with her bestie and tell her how she didn’t believe any of this hooey was real.
She clapped her gloves together once. “We ready to do this?”
“Yeah,” Lucy said, emphasizing her readiness with an enthusiastic fist pump.
“Oh,” Jessie said, pumping her fist belatedly when she realized she’d missed Rue’s cue. “Ditto!”
“Ladies,” their Phaeton guide called, interrupting their huddle. “Please line up over here. Once I’ve checked your bio suits, please wait behind me at the door for Trex to scan your bands. Do not worry, it can be done through your suit. There’s no need to take your gloves off.”
The women nodded collectively and fell in line. Since there were only ten of them, it wasn’t a long one. Rue was in front with Lucy following behind her, the line moving fast as their buckles were checked before their wrists were scanned with a handheld device.
After she was scanned, Rue took a few cleansing breaths as she waited for Lucy to be waved ahead as well. The look of anticipation on her friend’s face made her stomach clench with guilt as she ran though scenarios of what would happen after this whole debacle was over.
First, they’d need to move to a more secure apartment complex. Obviously. The most recent break in that they’d suffered hadn’t been the first one they’d had to deal with—or even the second or third, for that matter. It had only been the most recent burgle that had resulted in the biggest loss, which was literally everything except for their clothes.
Which she still wasn’t sure if she should be offended or grateful about, considering they’d literally taken the shower curtain off the rod before they’d left.
Were her clothes really that bad?
Shaking that dumb idea away, she watched Lucy walk towards her with a look of worry on her face. Surrounded by the other women, she noticed most of them looked a bit more anxious than before, but it was her bestie she was focused on.
“You okay?” Rue asked, getting Lucy’s attention with a hip check as she stared off into space.
When her friend nodded and gave her a wink, Rue shot back the same.
She was ready to get this over with.
Chapter Six
Matrix let out a frustrated groan and leaned back in the carved chair in the middle of the command center. Looking around, he frowned at what he saw.
This was the last place he wanted to be, but unfortunately Sparx had needed him to step in and help out with an emergency regarding the volunteers they were picking up. They’d almost made it to the final gate when they’d heard Colby shouting behind them. Both he and Sparx realized there was a problem right away, and it had been one that needed immediate attention.
The Phaetons were trying to keep some of the volunteers they’d just delivered to Djaromir.
Of course, there was no fucking way anyone was prepared to even think about sending one of the prized volunteers back. Especially before they were given a chance to see if their mate was one of the miners on Djaromir.
No fucking way would he allow that happen.
Which was why Matrix had volunteered to go to the command center. Between the two of them, it was more appropriate for Sparx to continue on to greet the humans arriving. They were mates meant for Fyeir, after all. Plus, Matrix had wanted to be the one who gave the news to the Phaetons that they would not be complying with the request, which surely they’d sent by mistake. He would not tolerate such disrespect and told them the same.
Each and every one of the volunteers on the shuttle destined for Fyeir belonged to Djaromir, as far as he was concerned.
“Warlord Matrix,” one of the men in the room called out to him from where he was standing in front of a bank of screens.
“Yes?” he asked, getting up and moving across their command center.
“The phaetrain has left the safety of the gate and is approaching the shuttle now.”
“Phaetrain?” Matrix repeated slowly. “Are you referring to the vehicle the Phaetons are allowing us to use?”
“Sorry, sir. I heard Lady Juniper refer to it as such a few times and—”
“No need to say anything further,” Matrix interrupted with a grin at the antic of K’hor’s mate. Pointing a finger at the screen, he tapped on the small red dot moving steadily across it. “Do you know who is operating the phaetrain?”
“The vehicle has recorded Warlord Sparx as the operator.”
“Good,” Matrix said, a smile sneaking over his face at the news.
Another reason Matrix had been more than willing to be the one to split from greeting the volunteers was to get Sparx exposed to the possibility of a mate. Regardless of what his brother warlord said, Matrix could see that the other man wanted a mate. He not only wanted one, he needed one. Not only for his own sake but for the sake of the people he led.
“They’ve reached the shuttle, sir,” Juxon announced, his eyes glued to the radar. “Warlord Sparx sent a message that the females were not within the safety of the Phaeton shuttle when he arrived.”
“What?!” he snapped, immediately angered over the carelessness shown by the other warrior race. “What were they thinking?”
“I do not know, sir. We’ve also noticed a pack of byorin that are roaming within the perimeter.”
Matrix sucked in a worried breath, striding closer to the monitor that displayed what Juxon was talking about. “Is the shuttle downwind?” he asked quickly, noticing how large the pack was.
One or two byorin wouldn’t have caused the worry now swirling through his gut. The
phaetrain was made of a metal robust enough to plow through the ice drifts without reducing its speed much, if at all. However, a larger group, like the one their satellites were picking up, could potentially cause problems for Sparx and the vehicle he was speeding around in. With a group that big, the large animals could potentially maneuver the machine off course before they could return to the safety of the tunnel.
With the storm, I cannot tell. Conditions have dropped since your arrival an
d are worsening.”
Matrix stepped back, giving the men room to do their job as he paced a few steps behind them.
“Warlord Sparx is on his way back to the gate now. All ten volunteers accounted for, as well as two Phaeton escorts.”
Matrix stopped pacing and turned to Juxon with a frown. “Was it necessary for the Phaetons to escort them all the way to the gate?”
“I—”
He waved away whatever answer he was about to receive. “It doesn’t matter. Prepare a message for the Phaeton council instructing them that their escorts are not permitted beyond the landing zone in the future. Why risk our men or our new vehicles to return their men to the ship after we have taken over care of the women? From now on, they shall be dismissed once the women have been moved to the safety of our transport. Further accompaniment is excessive and unnecessary.”
“Yes, sir.”
Matrix kept his gaze on the screen as the red dot made its way back into the safety of the first cavern without intercepting the pack of predators roaming the surface. He absentmindedly fingered the scar running from his temple, down his cheek, to the corner of his mouth.
He’d had more than enough encounters with the dangerous animals to possess a healthy respect for the both the fauna and the flora of Djaromir. Even hunting in groups, the Djaromir miners stood out as easy targets, making avoidance the best means of keeping themselves safe. Trekking across their planet had been necessary before the Phaetons had delivered the vehicles. For days at a time, the Djaromir would march without sleep to minimize their time exposed and unprotected on the surface. Tradition had led them to use those treks to serve as training, preparing those on the journey to better survive their hostile homeworld and strengthening them and the men for future tests of strength and survival. Many had died, falling prey to the elements, while others met their ends as meals to the beasts and carnivorous plants feasting near starved for sustenance.
Djaromir gave them strength, even as it gave them scars. The strongest among them were covered in the visual proof of their determination and spirit to survive. Matrix wasn’t the only one in the room sporting old scars as testament to the viciousness of a byorin lurking near the tunnel entrance.
Miners of Djaromir: Matrix Page 3
