Auctioned

by Stone, Piper

  The Malzeon soldiers lifted their weapons higher, a group of human soldiers stepping forward for a standoff.

  And Draze simply grunted from the hit, his body barely moving. “And I thought that humans could be trusted.”

  Sergeant Sykes laughed. “Then you thought wrong. If you really believed we would share our world with some slimy, disgusting, smelly aliens, you are... Well, we certain knew that you had plans on annihilating every human on this Earth, taking what rightfully belonged to us. We simply couldn’t allow that to happen so we decided to...” He didn’t bother finishing the sentence, merely walking around Draze’s shoulder in my direction. “And you, my dear. I’m certain you’ve proved your usefulness in many ways. Of course, mostly on your back.” He snickered, licking his lips.

  “You fucker. I will enjoy killing you,” I hissed.

  Draze lifted his head and as the electricity of our connection seemed to grow, I could almost tell what he was thinking. He was playing a game. What the hell was going on?

  “Then you decided to build nuclear weapons, prepared for another war,” Draze snapped. “As if we’d allow you to use them against us.”

  “They are poised and ready. All I have to do is give a single command.” Sergeant Sykes grinned like a happy kid.

  “And I assure you, Sergeant, we have hundreds of battleships ready to fire on your planet. Do you understand what I am saying?”

  “What?” I asked, horrified. He’d lied to me. They’d been intentionally planning an invasion after all. “You asshole.”

  “Yes, he is,” Sergeant Sykes hissed. “We all knew what you were capable of, Commander. Slaughtering every human won’t solve your problems, now will it?”

  “We will do what we need to do in order to survive. You were the ones who lied to us. We helped you survive. We offered you help as well as resources and you used our technology against us,” Draze hissed.

  “You won’t get away with this!” The sergeant lifted his weapon.

  “I assure you, the decision has been made. Either you stand down and allow our soldiers to disarm the weapons or face annihilation.”

  I glared at Draze, every angry feeling I’d had toward him flooding back. I was sick, mortified from the possibilities. We wouldn’t survive.

  “You’ll have to take them by force.”

  “Then that is exactly what we will do. Lieutenant Tragon, please make the switch with the Vipers,” Draze instructed.

  When nothing happened, the sergeant laughed. “I don’t really think you want to release the Vipers, Commander Haern, given they are entirely under my command. But I can tell you that they will enjoy crushing you like the bug you are.”

  I snapped my head in Lieutenant Tragon’s direction. He’d helped to push this to the point of destroying Earth. “You fucking bastard! You’re the one who’s been betraying your own people for years!” The second I lunged forward, prepared to snap the alien’s neck with my bare hands, Greson caught me, yanking me against his chest.

  “I wouldn’t worry about Lieutenant Tragon,” Greson said, grinning. “We have everything under control.”

  “Bullshit!” I struggled in his arms, trying desperately to get away.

  “I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse, Commander. Life on a planet that will survive.” Tragon opened his eyes wide, laughing as he shifted his hand over the console once again. When nothing happened, he hissed, blinking several times. “I don’t understand.” He directed his questioning gaze toward Sergeant Sykes, a confirmation the president hadn’t been in charge for some time.

  Draze shifted in his direction. “I think you do. You made the mistake of believing that you could control the Vipers; however, you seemed to forget that my father was the man who designed and created them. I already knew their programming, Tragon, and given that knowledge, I was able to track exactly what you were doing, including preprogramming the Vipers as well as preparing to aid in the elimination efforts of your own people. The truth is that you betrayed your own world and that of the good humans who still believe in the treaty. You simply were far too arrogant to realize that I was countering your every move.”

  “Men, attack!” Sergeant Sykes commanded.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Sergeant. Not only have the Vipers surrounded this building, but they have already been put into motion to round up your Federation officers in every city, in every town. The New World Order will be finished.” Draze’s voice boomed in the hall.

  The decision had already been made even before we came here. I’d trusted them. I’d provided information, my father’s evidence. I’d been such a fool.

  Greson pulled out another console, waving his fingers over the screen. Within seconds, the rumble of the floor was welcoming, at least one hundred Vipers entering the room, all prepared to take over.

  “You don’t seem to understand just how powerful we are,” Sergeant Sykes snapped, “and what we are prepared to do.”

  “I assure you that thousands of our soldiers have descended on this planet. With them are some of our finest engineers and scientists who are prepared to disarm the weapons that you’ve been creating.” Draze moved closer to the sergeant, a smile crossing his face. “And you, sir, have no real power. Release President Marchant. He has been held a prisoner for far too long.”

  As two of the Malzeons moved in the president’s direction, Sergeant Sykes hissed, “Not so fast, Commander.”

  “Stay out of my way or I assure you that the punishment you will receive will have you begging for your death,” Draze hissed.

  Sergeant Sykes laughed once again. “You may think you’ve won this battle, but I assure you that we have a known enemy of yours on our side and have for years. You were fools to think we’d honor a treaty with you.”

  Draze shored his shoulders, another sly smile crossing his face. As if he’d expected this to happen. What the hell? Nothing made any sense.

  The sergeant shifted, nodding toward the back of the room. “May I present Kragar Visilo of the Valtar race. While you have been feasting on our women, ignoring what has been happening under your very noses, we have been preparing for another war. There are thousands of Valtar soldiers waiting, preparing. You see, after killing your people, the Valtars are prepared to take over your planet.”

  “There is only one problem. Our planet is dying,” Draze said quietly.

  Why was he not angry? Why was he acting so calmly?

  “On the contrary, Commander. They are a race who can withstand the gas. You forget that they survived a powerful war that your predecessors caused. They will offer us protection without invading our planet as your great king was prepared to do.” Sergeant Sykes was pleased with himself.

  “Interesting,” Draze stated.

  I seethed yet inched closer to Draze. I had to know the truth. The three creatures approaching were very similar in appearance to what I’d seen when Draze had transformed, although their skin was much more translucent, their eyes significantly larger. They were still magnificent, rugged creatures with long legs and powerful muscles.

  “What is happening?” I asked in a mere whisper. “What have you done?”

  Draze turned his head, his eyes begging for my understanding. “Trust me, Casey. A promise made; a treaty bound.”

  Trust. He spoke of trust while my planet remained in peril.

  “It will be a joy to kill you, Commander Haern, with my bare hands,” Sergeant Sykes stated.

  “That is where you are wrong,” another voice bellowed into the space.

  Out of the shadows the king appeared. By his side was a man I’d never seen before. He was nearly the same size as Draze, yet his uniform was entirely different. While he appeared almost entirely human, I could tell he was Valtar by the difference in his eyes. I registered surprise on Greson’s face as he stepped forward, blinking several times. He also had no freaking idea of what had been planned.

  Sergeant Sykes took a step back, his eyes reflecting shock.

  The g
ame had taken a significant turn.

  “May I present to you Prince Abanta of the Valtar race and a man I consider a friend.” King Lorowerd shifted his gaze in Draze’s direction before walking toward President Marchant.

  As President Marchant stood, the hesitation was only slight before both men embraced. “I’m glad you finally got my message,” the president said after easing away.

  “You know I’m a bit hardheaded, Silvio. I’m sorry you had to endure incarceration.” King Lorowerd shook his head.

  “I survived,” he answered. “These... soldiers have done a lot of damage. I will issue new orders, forcing the Federation officers to stand down.”

  “Good. The fighting must cease,” King Lorowerd said. He seemed tired, his gait slower than I’d remembered.

  “Would someone please explain to me what is going on?” Greson asked.

  As a group of Malzeon soldiers entered the room in order to disarm the human soldiers, the king moved toward Draze and Greson. When he spoke, there was utter compassion in his tone. “I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to spend some time with Prince Abanta, which was long overdue. We developed an understanding between our two races. They have fascinating technologies that we don’t have. We are going to save our planet with their help, but in the meantime, all weapons of war will once again be destroyed on this planet. There will be peace between the species. As long as I am king, I will make certain that occurs.”

  While I didn’t fully understand exactly what had occurred during the course of a single day, I knew that I’d been lied to by a man I’d thought I could love. The New World Order had almost destroyed humanity, the weapons a horrible creation. Yes, they’d lied to the Malzeons, but likely out of fear as well as the desire for power. However, the personal betrayal hit me hard.

  I was happy for the Malzeons. They deserved to live in a place where they could breathe the air, but so did I. I was human after all. I would do everything in my power to try to help my planet survive, even thrive. Just the way my father wanted us to.

  But there would be no connection with the Malzeons. No trust. While that would break my heart, I refused to be lied to ever again.

  Goodbye, Draze.

  He would never see me again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Draze

  Three months later

  Light.

  In the absence of light there will be darkness.

  I hadn’t really had much time to decipher the human saying until now, only my darkness had nothing to do with the Malzeon atmosphere. In the months since discovering that a man I’d worked alongside for years had actually not only worked with the New World Order but also the Valtar race, I’d learned to trust no one.

  With the exception of Greson.

  The thought at least gave me a smile. We’d settled our differences, especially since learning that Castran was Aramel’s daughter from the only woman he’d ever truly loved. His loss had prompted the changes in his attitude and his decisions, although his grief had stymied him for years.

  I was still sickened to think Tragon had provided details, diagrams, and even expertise in helping the New World Order build formidable weapons. If they’d been completed, they would have been capable of breaching the atmosphere and beyond, certainly able to destroy our battleships. What the humans hadn’t realized was that the weapons were also volatile, the concept of destroying their entire planet a real possibility.

  Our scientists and engineers had worked side by side with human counterparts, including those who’d believed in what Casey’s father had been truly preaching. There would be no harm coming to the humans. For that I was grateful.

  Just thinking about Casey forced my balls to tighten and my heart to ache. I hadn’t blamed her for not wanting to talk with me any longer. After all, I’d lied to her, although I’d had my reasons. I’d also been responsible for taking her away from her beloved Earth, following the blasphemous rules that had been set forth with the treaty.

  There hadn’t been a day in which I hadn’t thought about her at least once. We were millions of miles away, yet I could still feel her touch on my skin, could hear her lilting voice. If only I’d been a different man, a better man.

  While I’d kept my distance, I’d made certain that she was safe, even moving back to the apartment she’d lived in, taking over the position of leader of her detective division after her boss was arrested for his work with the New World Order. President Marchant had requested handling the arrests and criminal proceedings of his people on his own turf, and I couldn’t blame him even though certain humans deserved nothing less than death.

  What I continued to have concerns about were the threats that had been levied against several people, including the president, who was forced to live with his family under heavy security. The Vipers had all been reprogrammed and they’d been a significant help in restoring order, but they couldn’t be everywhere at all times.

  The person who refused protection was Casey. She wanted to live her life a free woman. I cringed at the thought. She continued to place her life in danger by her refusal to admit she remained a target. Perhaps I was a fool and should have kept her with me, but her misery would have produced complete hatred. She deserved better.

  I moved toward the window in my quarters, gazing up at the sky. While there was no possibility of light as of yet, the Valtars’ extensive scientific work had shown promise as well as hope that one day, we could live out in the open again. At this point, we’d provided living quarters for a number of their people, promising every refugee a place to live once the planet became more inhabitable.

  It was a win-win for everyone.

  Or so I’d been told.

  Integrating two very different species had its share of challenges. So did forming a new government. The king had indeed put together a formidable plan of reshaping our legislative powers, abolishing the monarchy in favor of establishing a more democratic government. He’d learned much from President Marchant during their interesting friendship.

  As far as President Marchant, his incarceration had been in place for almost a full year. A year of Sergeant Sykes running the operation, forcing the president to make the horrific statements under duress, threats of killing Silvio’s family. If only I’d seen the signs earlier. The king blamed himself, although in my mind we were all culpable for the events that had occurred.

  In the end, there could be peace among three very distinct species.

  Our soldiers were still rounding up rogue Federation officers, helping President Marchant restore the freedoms that had been originally promised. I’d spent countless hours making certain our new government’s formation was exactly as the king had set forth while never setting foot on Earth again.

  There was no reason to go and I wasn’t certain my heart could take being so close yet so far from Casey. I’d left the various tedious tasks on Earth to Greson, which he seemed to enjoy. King Lorowerd had made good on his promise, freeing the females who’d been falsely accused of crimes they hadn’t committed. Others remained, but they seemed happier than being in a prison cell.

  And there had been more hybrid children born, allowing the king’s hope of families being welcomed on Earth to come true.

  For the most part.

  It would take time.

  There were still factions who hated Malzeons and always would, but thankfully, the skirmishes were all but nonexistent.

  I heard a request to enter my quarters and sighed, honestly not wanting to be bothered. I hadn’t allowed myself down time in several weeks, work my only solace. As I turned and realized the visitor was Greson, another smile formed on my face. At least a friend.

  I moved toward the door, waving my hand and waiting until the door opened.

  Greson stood with his hand planted on the exterior wall, his shoulders slumped, obviously not expecting I would allow him entrance. When he lifted his head, his eyes shimmered.

  “Brother. It’s been too long.” He moved quickly insid
e, embracing me in a manner I would never have thought possible.

  I accepted the hug, although I could feel my body tensing. “How are things on Earth?” I quickly moved away, heading immediately toward the bar.

  “Things are as to be expected.”

  I chuckled hearing his cautious answer. He’d become quite the politician during the last months. “Tell me the real story.” I gave him a curious gaze before filling both glasses.

  He stood stoically for a few seconds before sighing. “Things are tense but getting better. I’m not certain there will ever be true peace. The damage done by the New World Order was significant.”

  I took long strides in his direction, nodding several times. “As to be expected. It will take time.”

  He accepted the drink, lifting his glass. “To the future.”

  “To a new government.”

  “Ah, yes. How is that coming?”

  “As to be expected,” I said, grinning. “We will have everything in place within sixty days.”

  “How is King Lorowerd?” Greson asked quietly.

  “His health is failing rapidly. That’s why it’s important to have everything finished as soon as possible.”

  He shook his head, sadness creeping into his expression. “If only things could be different.”

  “They are different, my friend.” I took a gulp of my drink, waiting for him to finally tell me why he’d returned.

  Greson cleared his throat. “I’m certain you’re wondering why I’m here.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “I’m going to contact Casey.”

  Of all the things he could have said to me, this was only a slight surprise. He’d also lamented over the loss, admitting his adoration of her over several drinks after our departure. Maybe he had more courage than I ever could.

  “You don’t need my permission,” I finally said.

  “I think it’s only fair that I told you in person. The rules of the auction are still in effect.”