by S. E. Smith
“Which alarm was that for?” She asked, looking down at Manny in confusion. “The one that sounds when I hit something is a lot louder and doesn’t stop.”
Manny’s chubby face wrinkled into a concerned frown. “It is the security. It would only go off if there was a breach in one of the outer access doors. There must be a short in it otherwise the defense system would have kicked in and the security alarms would have stayed on and sealed the doors after thirty seconds. I’ll take a look at it,” he said with a shake of his head. “Your father should have purchased you a newer model freighter. This one is falling apart.”
Skeeter bit back the giggle at his disgusted look. She didn’t want to confess that her dad had purchased her a newer freighter, three in fact. She was hopeless with all the newer technology on them and he had finally given up and settled for a simpler model.
“Krac was working on both the defense and security systems,” she finally admitted. “Neither were working before. I guess they broke again.”
“Your systems are working properly,” a new voice said coolly. “I bypassed them.”
Skeeter squeaked in surprise while Manny emitted a low growl and moved to stand protectively in front of her. Her lips parted in surprise as she gazed at the huge male standing in the doorway to the galley pointing a laser pistol at them.
He was as tall as Krac and just as distinctive with his silver/gray skin and almost black eyes. He looked a little younger than Krac though and wore his hair longer. He was dressed all in black and another pistol hung from his waist.
Skeeter’s eyes jerked back to his when he snapped out a warning to Manny to not move. Her hands dropped to her old friend’s shoulders and she held him back against her. She would not let another die for her again.
“Manny, it’s okay,” she whispered, watching the male in the doorway warily. “He’s just like Krac.”
The male in the doorway stiffened at her softly spoken words. His eyes flashed with barely restrained rage before he concealed the emotion behind a mask of calm. He stepped into the room, his eyes sweeping the area carefully before settling back on them.
“Where is the other male like me?” He asked sharply.
Skeeter tilted her head and smiled nervously at the male. Even though he was holding a pistol on them, he reminded her too much of Krac to be afraid. Besides, while he exuded an air of danger, there was also an air of desperation that pulled at her.
“He’s not here. I think he might be looking for you,” she said with a small, nervous smile as she stepped around Manny. “You know, we aren’t going to hurt you. You can put your weapon down.”
“Skeeter!” Manny hissed. “What do you think you are doing?”
Skeeter rolled her eyes. “This is Manny. He is my friend. I don’t want you to hurt him.” She bit her lip as she remembered poor Froget. “Why are you looking for Krac? You aren’t going to hurt him, are you? I have to tell you, I won’t let that happen. I happen to love the big guy and I’m very protective of those I love.”
*.*.*
Section L stared at the strange female looking back at him in defiance. She was now standing in front of the small furry creature with her hands on her hips. She had green and yellow paint across one cheek. It looked as if she had forgotten she was painting and brushed her fingers along it. There were additional splatters of paint on her arms and clothing. Her dark red hair was piled on top of her head with strands falling loosely from the clasp holding it. Even that had not been spared as color was mixed in with it as well.
She was one of the most bizarre humans that he had encountered. Only one other female had ever looked at him with that same look of defiance. He slammed the door on the image that flowed into his mind along with the pain it brought with it. He was here on a mission.
“I hope he is capable of having feelings for you as well,” Section L said with a cold, menacing smile as he fired the laser pistol twice.
He watched as the red-haired woman’s eyes briefly widened before she collapsed. His second shot took out the smaller male. He sheathed the pistol before walking over to the unusual pair. Kneeling, he felt each of their throats before picking up the smaller male and tossing him over his shoulder.
Now, it was time to see if the male the female cared about felt the same way. He suspected from the female’s reaction to him that the male would not only come for her, he would be willing do anything to keep her safe. He would use that against the male when he came.
Section L lowered the small male into the seat of the escape pod and strapped him in. Ducking his head, he stepped out of the small vessel and sealed it. He connected to the controls and pre-set a course back toward Newport. He set a delay on the emergency transmission to go off in two hours. This would give him time to do what he needed to do before any vessels in the transport lanes picked up the distress call and came to pick the male up.
He watched as the pod shot out of the narrow tube into space before the outer door closed again. With a satisfied smile, he turned and headed back to the galley. Now it was time to take care of the female.
Chapter 27
“I don’t give a damn what you want,” Bulldog growled. “I have a location lock on the Lulu Belle. I’ll be there in seven hours.”
“I will be there in three,” Krac replied coldly. “The escape pod was picked up an hour ago. Skeeter’s co-pilot was the only one aboard. He was unconscious.”
“I’ve been trying to hail the Lulu Belle since you notified me,” Bulldog admitted. “There has been no response.”
“Perhaps it is not you that they want to talk to,” Krac growled in a low voice filled with rage.
“I knew I should have killed your ass,” Bulldog retorted. “If anything happens to my daughter, I’m going to gut you slowly for bringing her into your fight.”
Krac drew in a deep, calming breath before releasing it. If he wanted to get Skeeter out of this alive, he needed to push the overwhelming feelings threatening to drown him away. He needed to think logically, clearly, if he wanted to defeat the one or ones responsible for taking over the Lulu Belle and kidnapping her.
He glanced down at the frozen image on the vidcom on the console in front of him. The male staring back at him had made sure he was the only one who received the coded message. It was in a language known only to a very few. A language not taught, but passed down through the genetic coding of their ancestors.
I have something that you want. You have something that I want. Lulu Belle.
The last two words sent a sickening wave through him. The thought of Skeeter’s gentle soul being held by another of his kind, a monster capable of killing her without remorse and with extreme cruelty, chilled him. He would kill the bastard.
“There is something else going on,” Krac replied instead. “Skeeter found something besides Violet when she went to the Parts shop on Pryus.”
“What?” Bulldog snapped.
“Her navigation system wasn’t working correctly. I found the original navigation module from the Lulu Belle on a shelf in the shop. I suspect she found a replacement while she was there. I noticed that Froget had been working on it, but I was focused on repairing the other systems that weren’t working and did not complete a diagnostic on it,” he analyzed.
“That damn girl can get in trouble without even trying,” Bulldog finally said in a gruff voice. “I guarantee she didn’t know what in the hell she was grabbing. The girl is an okay pilot, but she doesn’t know anything about repairs.”
“Then why in the hell did you let her pilot a freighter?” Krac growled. “I should be the one gutting you just for that!”
“Have you ever seen her with tears in her eyes?” Bulldog replied, his voice softening. “She was determined to find something that she could do to make me proud of her. She just didn’t have a clue that I’ve been proud of her from the moment she crawled out from under the storage unit, snapping and growling at me before she wound her tiny arms around my heart. We talked while you were gone.
She finally admitted she wants to focus on her art. I expect you to support her desire as well.”
Krac heard the emotion in the huge Triterian’s voice. It was strange to believe that a creature as fierce, deadly and cold-blooded as Bulldog could have feelings like that. A shaft of pain swept through him when he realized he could have been describing himself. He suddenly felt very vulnerable.
“Why do you call her Skeeter?” He asked in a husky voice.
Bulldog’s soft chuckle echoed through the communications console. “She was a little bitty thing, all wild red hair and long skinny arms and legs. I bought Tila from one of the mining facilities that we stopped at shortly after finding her. Tila had spent time on Earth when she was younger, so she was familiar with human offspring. Lulu Belle was always getting into everything and curious. She annoyed the hell out of my crew, but no one but Tila or I could pick her up and move her without her snapping and biting them. Tila said Lulu Belle reminded her of the small creatures back on Earth known as mosquitoes. She said they were small and annoying and had a tendency to draw blood. The region where she lived at she said they were often referred to as skeeters. One of the crew heard Tila and soon everyone on board my ship was calling Lulu Belle that. Lulu Belle heard it and liked it so much, she wouldn’t answer unless you called her by that name.”
Krac felt his chest tighten as he thought about Skeeter as the frightened little girl that she had been. The fact that she had survived was a miracle from the records he had tapped into while at Bulldog’s compound. What was even more of a miracle was that someone as beautiful as her could love a creature such as him.
“I’m approaching the Lulu Belle now,” Krac responded. “I will contact you once I have taken control of it.”
“Find and protect my daughter and kill the bastards,” Bulldog replied. “If you don’t, I will.”
*.*.*
Krac felt the weak connection the moment he stepped aboard the freighter. The faint brush of awareness of the other male. He had no doubt the other male felt it as well. He skimmed his palm over the panel near the doorway. In seconds, he knew that the programming for the defense and security system had been changed. He jerked his hand back when a slight surge of power sent a jolt through his hand.
“Smart bastard,” Krac muttered under his breath as he blocked the warning when he tried to access the PLT he had reactivated. Without it, he would have to search for where not only the male was, but Skeeter. “Where is she?”
“She is secure,” a voice echoed across the wide cargo bay. “I’m impressed. I did not expect you for several more hours.”
Krac watched as a tall male stepped out of the shadows. He immediately did a scan. Two weapons, laser pistols, were at the male’s waist. Their build and muscle density were approximately the same. This model was younger than him. There was the possibility of a difference in combat experience, but that was no guarantee.
“Where is she?” Krac asked, sliding the curved blades he liked to use into his hands. “Did you harm her?”
“You have feelings for her? She said she loved you,” the male remarked with a cool smile. “You have lost the ability to hide your emotions. That makes you vulnerable.”
Krac felt rage build inside at the male’s mocking tone. He rotated his wrists and rolled his shoulders. He would cut the bastard’s head from his shoulders.
“It also makes you more dangerous,” the male added as he paused about three meters from him. “It also gives you a reason to fight against what is to come.”
Krac paused at the softly spoken words. His eyes narrowed on the male who stood watching him with cool, calm eyes. He winced when he felt the mild pressure again before stiffening in shock.
Can you hear me?
What the….
Good. We are linked.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Krac snarled as the voice faded from his head.
“I was not sure it would work. If we are to be successful, it is imperative that we have every advantage possible. I am… Seal,” the male replied. “The Leader knows me as Section L.”
Krac remained wary as the male took another cautious step toward him. The cool mask on the male’s face changed as anger flashed through his eyes at the mention of The Leader before being replaced again. He felt the pressure in his mind again, but this time was able to block it.
“Where is the female?” He demanded.
“She is resting in her cabin. I stunned her, but there is no permanent damage,” Seal responded quietly.
“What do you want?” Krac asked. “You said the Leader knows you as Section L. Who is the Leader?”
Seal sighed in frustration, glaring down at the floor before he looked back at Krac. Frustration was clearly evident on his face as he returned Krac’s steady gaze. So was the anger that darkened his eyes to midnight.
“I don’t know,” Seal admitted. “If I did I would have killed him long ago. The only contact I have is through a special comlink.”
“Yet you are here because the Leader sent you,” Krac remarked, moving slightly closer.
“Yes,” Seal responded shortly. “Your female took a navigational module that the Leader wants. I am to terminate her, and you if given the opportunity, and return with it immediately.”
“I’ll show you termination,” another dark voice growled.
Krac and Seal turned at the same time as Bulldog moved silently out of the shadows. The smooth scales covering his face and neck a brilliant dark red and cold fury blazing from his eyes. He fired two of the six laser pistols in his hands.
Seal’s body lifted off the ground as the powerful double blasts hit him in the chest. Krac yelled out as the younger Allbreed flew through the air, landing almost five meters away. He sheathed the blades and raced forward.
“Damn it, Bulldog. He has information that could help the Confederation and the Earth councils,” Krac bit out as he bent of the still figure of the male. “I thought you said you were seven hours out.”
“I lied. The bastard was talking about terminating my daughter,” Bulldog snorted. “If he isn’t dead, I’ll rip his guts out to make sure of it.”
Krac ignored the furious Triterian, instead focusing on the damage to the male’s chest. Even as he ripped open the black material covering Seal’s shredded chest, he could see the male’s tissue reforming and sealing. Relief washed through him even as he wondered what in the hell was going to happen next.
“You can’t rip his guts out until we know what is going on,” Krac replied, glancing up where Bulldog stood over his shoulder. “If he has harmed or tries to harm Skeeter, I’ll be the one to rip his guts out.”
“I would prefer to keep them, if you don’t mind,” a faint, hoarse voice muttered. “This is… this is bigger than you think.”
Krac’s face turned grim as the male shut down his system to preserve the blood loss as his body healed itself. He gripped the male’s arms and rose. With a nod of his head, he glared at Bulldog.
“Grab his feet. We’ll take him to medical,” he snapped. “I need to find Skeeter. He said she was resting in her cabin.”
Bulldog grunted as he grabbed Seal’s legs with his two lower hands. “She better be or I’ll start breaking bones faster than he can heal them.”
Chapter 28
Krac’s fingers shook as he gently traced the delicate outline of Skeeter’s cheek. Her hair was spread wildly out over the soft gray pillow. A tender smile curved his lips at the dried paint on her.
“She is well?” Bulldog’s gruff voice asked from the doorway.
“Yes, just sedated,” Krac responded, continuing to tenderly caress her. “She is beautiful.”
“She is the sun. She gives life to the world around her,” Bulldog murmured. “I will watch over the other male. If I’m lucky, he’ll try to attack me and I can watch him try to heal himself again.”
Krac shook his head and bit back an amused chuckle. “How did you manage to maim and dismember with Skeeter around? She faints at th
e sight of blood.”
“I know,” Bulldog muttered, turning to leave. “I had to cut back a lot until she left home. At the rate she was going through co-pilots, I made up for it though.”
Krac glanced over his shoulder at Bulldog who had paused to study him. “Thank you for that, especially for the one called Terry.”
Bulldog’s face creased in a huge smile and his eyes twinkled with a devilish sparkle. “That one was done with extreme pleasure. That bastard would have never be able to use another man’s daughter again. I made sure of that… before I killed him.”
“I thought he was at Cramoore,” Krac said in surprise.
“He had an accident on the way there,” Bulldog smirked. “A very unpleasant one. I’d better go. I have no idea how fast that bastard can heal himself.”
Krac nodded, turning back around to gaze down at Skeeter. Her lips were parted now and she was snoring lightly. His throat tightened as he released the fear he had buried when he discovered she was in danger.
He carefully scooted her over and climbed onto the bed so he could lie down next to her. The moment he stretched out, she released a soft sigh and rolled over. He slid his arm under her and pulled her closer, wincing slightly when her knee connected with his groin before she settled back down.
“I love you, Lulu Belle,” he whispered as he stroked her. “I love you so much it frightens me to think of something happening to you.”
He sighed and chuckled when she responded with a soft snore in his ear. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stared up at the twinkling lights. His mind running over all the information he had gathered and the strange comments of the male called Seal. The one that concerned him the most was the male’s last statement.
This is… this is bigger than you think.
A shiver of unease ran through him. He hoped Bulldog refrained from his threats of gutting the male. He had a feeling things were about to go to hell fast.
