by Juno Wells
Fluttering his wings in mild annoyance, his horns drooped back slightly. “You can’t possibly find this interesting.”
“I don’t mind monitoring tissue and organ regeneration, especially since we can use the monitor in your hands. Back in my day…”
The teen groaned, “Let me guess, you had to fly over vast distances to get to and from school and sometimes the biting rain froze the tips of your wings. I’ve heard all those stories already from my sire. I’m sure your stories are just the human version of ours.”
“You’re a smart male, so you know if you want to be a healer then dull, tedious jobs are part of the deal.”
“I know. It’s the same way with the other jobs I’ve sampled onboard this ship. They all have their positive and negative points.”
“I’m just glad to be back in the saddle again. Being part of a real live medical team again is dream come true for me.”
His eyes got big and his horns jerked up slightly as he peered up at her. “You were a healer on your home world?”
Nodding, she noted the genetic mixture that was replicating the fastest on her electronic tablet. “After Earth’s fall, physicians were about the only profession that retained both status and demand.”
Leaning on his upturned palm again, he murmured dreamily. “Yet you did not stay with your own kind. You chose to use your healing skills on our warriors.”
“I’m actually a healer of infants, but since there are none on board, I just see whoever needs medical attention.”
“Infants are small hatchlings?”
“Yes. We aren’t born from a shell.”
Grinning he responded, “That’s why you have those strange-looking navels.”
Nodding, she had to acknowledge that belly buttons probably did seem strange to a species with no live births.
Phan whispered conspiratorially, “Warriors would die of embarrassment if they had a navel. They’re for weaklings and humans.”
Stacy had to laugh at the way his people saw something as inconsequential as a navel. “I’ve heard all about how Draconians think humans are small and sickly because we didn’t have the protection of a sturdy shell during our gestation. If I had a credit for every time a warrior said that to me on Dracon Two, I could probably buy my own ship.”
“Choosing to come to our new home world was a wise decision. The Draconians know the true worth of a queen.”
A brilliant smile lit up his face. The young man was clearly under the impression his brethren were the best choice in mates from among the throngs of aliens vying for the attention of human women. She had to admit it was true. “I enjoyed a good life on Earth right up until my father began pressuring me into an arranged marriage with a total asshat.”
“Warriors should not tell queens what to do.” The slightly indignant tone of his voice communicated how much of a violation of social norms this was for a Draconian.
Smiling down at the teenage warrior, she couldn’t blame him for not understanding the patriarchy. Draconian societal structure was diametrically opposite to what she was used to.
“Human men were used to running the show for eons on Earth.”
“They must have failed in their duty to protect their queens if your planet was poisoned to the point that it could no longer sustain your numbers.”
His innocent comment encouraged her to share the truth with him. “Over the last hundred years things became more equal, and then our world started slowly dying. Our men were very protective of the females. Their inserting themselves into all the most dangerous situations costs us many men’s lives. We realized at some point that critical areas of our world had such a high level of contamination that they were causing a chain reaction, resulting in an accelerated decay of our oceans. The men insisted on stepping up to clear the contaminated areas, and many fell sick and died.”
Sitting up straight, the younger man nodded his head. “They sacrificed themselves for their queen. This shows their honor.”
“Our men were nothing if not noble. Unfortunately, they contracted a never-before-seen disease that locked onto their male DNA and practically wiped out the males on Earth before scientists could get a handle on what it was and create an inoculation to protect against it.
“That was almost twenty years ago. The horrific loss is still fresh in the minds of many. Since men were few and far between and I was an only child, my father was not agreeable to me declining the only offer of marriage I received.”
“Marriage is mating, right?”
Nodding, I sat down beside him. “Scrambling for a way out, I signed up for the Intergalactic Bridal Registry. Volunteering to be a bride was a way to make everyone happy. My father would get an heir, but more than one. Earth has had a one-child-only rule for the last decade. It worked for me because I would get to not only chose the species, but the individual I married.”
“Your father was protecting his line. This is noble as well.” The young male’s face contorted into an expression of empathy. “Unfortunately the ship carrying you to your destiny was hit by raiders. It is good we were there to rescue you and the other queens.”
He was not wrong about that either. Being rescued by Draconian warriors had been a stroke of good luck. Women were practically worshiped as gods by the almost exclusively male population.
From a medical standpoint, they were fascinating, because dragon DNA had been added to a mixture of humanoid genetic matter to create a race of super warriors. Being an educated person, Stacy didn’t believe in fairytales. Then some of the brides began sending back images of small dragon-like creatures they encountered on the shorelines of several distant planets. Then occasionally there were images of full-grown dragons, which were used for transportation on some worlds. They seemed wild with their huge flapping wings and smoky breath. There were no verified reports of them actually breathing fire but she was learning that anything was possible.
“This does not explain why you chose to accept an assignment aboard our vessel.”
“I’m used to doing something productive with my time. I can’t just lie around the beaches of your new home world while warriors spray me with sunblock all day.”
Shrugging, he replied blandly. “Many humans love such pursuits. It is the right of a queen to be cared for by her males.”
“I need more. My specialty is pediatric neurosurgery, but since there are so few infants on Dracon Two at the moment, I’m just operating as the general healer aboard the Raspian.”
“We are delighted to have you. If not for you, we would be flying without a queen.”
“You’d be fine without a queen. What you really needed was a doctor. Anyway, that captain of yours is more than competent to see you safely through your missions.”
“Captain Meric is the best warrior among us. He can lift more, run longer, win every challenge, and solve every mind puzzle the computer simulation throws at him.” Lowering his voice, the younger warrior whispered. “He has even been tested by a human queen and not been found lacking.”
Stacy tried to shove down the hysterical laughter threatening to bubble up and shoot out of her mouth. Tested by a human queen indeed. There was nothing like a little idle hero worship to round out the day.
Pressing her lips together for a brief moment to get control of her giggles, she stated seriously. “Your captain sounds like a real warrior’s warrior.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he is a good role model for young warriors such as yourself.”
Grinning broadly, Phan was clearly happy to hear her say nice things about the leader he admired. “What you say is true. I wish to grow up to be just like Captain Meric when I come of age.”
“You will make a wonderful warrior, no matter how much like our illustrious captain you turn out to be.” Their hot captain was something special. Even Stacy could see that. He had the bearing of a general, but was never anything but polite and respectful towards her. Truth be told, the Raspian was beginning to feel m
ore like home every day. The huge ship was filled with several hundred warriors who were as polite and respectful as any woman could wish. She’d even managed to get the medical unit set up the way she wanted.
Eyeing her expectantly, he stated quietly. “Our captain would make a worthy mate for a human queen.”
Good grief, how had she not realized he’d been working up to having that conversation with her? “I don’t think he slows down long enough for most queens to get a good look at him, much less get to know him.”
“Captain Meric takes meals with my sire every domer, I mean Sunday. Would you like to join us?”
“You might want to talk to your father before you start inviting women to dinner.”
“I will, though I know he’d be pleased to dine with you.”
Suddenly, their casual chitchat was interrupted by the sound of blaring alarms and the emergency lights around the top of the room began blinking. Jumping to her feet, Stacy yelled to be heard over all the noise. “It’s time to earn our pay, Phan. Begin preparing for incoming wounded.”
The young warrior sprang into action, joining the other members of the medical team pouring into the medical unit. They worked in unison to pull a stack of hovering platforms down to accommodate the injured. Several more fired up multiple three-dimensional scanners. Stacy got busy pulling out hoverboards of supplies and stacked them a hand’s width apart near each platform.
A metal-on-metal scraping noise had her looking out the huge portal to see the battle platforms sliding around the ship. She’d seen the huge platforms in action when she first arrived on the ship. Captain Meric had insisted upon giving her a tour of the ship, introducing her to warriors and demonstrating safety systems before he would allow her to work in the medical unit. He’d personally instructed her in how to use the escape pods and had her practice until she could demonstrate proficiency. Pressing her into the captain’s chair, he’d explained all the various defensive and offensive weaponry. It would have been a real nuisance, but he’d been polite and courteous the entire time. Being cross with him just wasn’t in the cards that day.
The lights dimmed for a moment before the emergency lighting came to life. She knew that was because all available power was being redirected to whatever emergency was brewing. Stacy’s gut twisted as she worried about their safety. The entire ship shook, alerting her that the rotating external battle platforms were locking into place. Unsure what was happening, she prayed their battle-hardened captain knew what he was doing.
3 Battle
Meric
Tearing into the Moltan ship’s shielding with a vengeance, their laser cannons made short order their underpowered defenses. His crew targeted their engines and navigational array. A neutralizer was attached to the outer hull to interfere with the use of their weapons. Once they were dead in the water, the fighters were dispersed to mop up any enemy fighters and board the vessel.
His warriors were tasked with taking control of the enemy vessel to help fend off the two that would be on top of them within moments. The trick would be to hold out long enough for the fighters to secure the enemy ship. Though it was not a particularly worthy war prize, the ship would serve his new home world well in the capacity of a trade ship, once it was properly retrofitted with decent shielding and proper defensive capabilities.
Turning his attention to the two incoming Moltan vessels, Meric knew instantly that they were newer and outfitted with effective weaponry. Both ships were superior to the Raspian and that got his full attention. Though the Raspian was an impressive ship, it was becoming clear that he’d have to win this battle on strategy rather than might.
“Rotate the ship for position between the two oncoming vessels and advance towards them at maximum speed, Kaldok.”
Moving immediately to carry out his orders, the navigational officer asked, “May I ask our strategy, sir?”
“I only see one path to victory. I mean for us to do the last thing they expect. We will jump between the two of them, unload every weapon we have, and then jump away before the blowback tears us apart.”
Calen spoke what sounded like agreement. “Firing at such close proximity, should rip right through their shielding.”
Meric nodded, leaning forward in his seat. “After immediately recharging our weapons, we repeat the maneuver, keeping them as far from the queens as we can.” Standing, he looked around at his shocked crew. “If we let them surround us, they have the advantage. This is the option that provides the most risk to us, but the most protection to the queens we are tasked with defending. It also has the advantage of being totally unexpected. Using our weapons in close proximity will be a force multiplier, because the blowback from our weapons will be exchanged between the two ships because they are so close together.”
As he set the coordinates in the computer and initiated the move, Kaldok asked, “What of the queen on board this vessel, sir?”
“I have a team who will evacuate her, should we lose this battle. It is the best we can do in this moment.” Meric had made arrangements for his family to take her, along with the elders, into escape pods if battle did not go in their favor. They had cloaking technology that might keep the pods off the Moltan’s scans. It was the best he could do under the circumstances.
“I hope it is enough, sir,” Kaldok said
“I’m more worried about the hundred queens on the Yuroba freighter. They won’t have protection at all if we lose this battle.” Meric pushed his hair firmly back from his forehead. The ships were excruciatingly close.
Calen’s bright, young voice piped up. “Then we’d better win. Right, sir?”
The tension on the bridge was palpable, as the Moltan ships and his bore down on each other. Meric was certain of his decision. In a blur the Raspian jumped into position between the two enemy vessels. Kaldok’s calculations landed them in the specific spot they needed, traveling at a speed that matched the Moltan ships.
Meric spoke loud and clear. “Fire now, hard and fast.”
The Raspian shook under the strain of firing all her weapons at once. Though it was theoretically possible to do such a thing, it was doubtful that any captain besides himself had been brazen enough to try it. To do so with a queen on board would be considered pure insanity by his brethren on Dracon Two.
However, Meric understood battle protocols better than most warriors. He knew that shielding didn’t harden until the vessel stopped. A captain could either have speed or maximum shielding, but not both. Even advanced technologies were forced to conform to certain laws of physics. This is the knowledge that drove him to make this unusual decision.
Sure enough, the barbs found purchase. Penetrating their shielding at close range caused massive amounts of damage to it. Getting them out of the blowback from the weapons fire was critical to the success of his plan. Like so many things in life, success was a combination of strategy and execution. In the blink of an eye they dropped behind the two ships.
He felt the outer hull shift to compensate for the limited damage they took from the energy bursts of being so close to their own weapons’ fire. A series of visuals on the screen showed that each weapon they had just discharged was now recharging.
The enemy ships were slowing, clearly trying to mitigate the damage his weapons had just inflicted on their shields before he could recharge his weapons.
His crew sounded off at their partial victory. Though their cheers were a bit premature, even Meric had to admit to being gratified by their success. Early success in battle often leads to a false sense of security. He’d not allow that to happen. The moment their weapons were at full charge Tabor looked to him for approval to inflict a second round of damage to their enemies.
“Let’s try it one more time before they have time to perform repairs or move extra weapons into that area.”
Kaldok’s voice rang out. “Executing jump now, sir.”
Moments later they were in position and unloading weapons again. This time the enemy was better prepared to c
ounteract the Raspian’s attack.
“They’ve initiated a tractor beam. It’s holding us between the two vessels.”
“That is a bit of cleverness on their part. It means that whatever weapons we unload, we will be forced to endure the full blowback of our own energy weapons.”
“What are your orders, sir?”
Staring at the screen, Meric thought over his limited options and decided to take another calculated risk. “Drop shielding on the antar side of the ship, unload everything we can on the lutar side. Then concentrate all our energy on shielding to the lutar side to protect us from the blowback. We risk them doing damage on the unprotected side, but they don’t seem to weaponize their entire ship the way we do.”
“Executing your commands now, sir. Ready to fire at your command.”
“Fire, we have nothing to gain by waiting.”
Meric watched his orders being executed. The ship shook under their feet. Meric merely reached out one hand to steady himself on a grab bar and waited for the reports to come flooding in. The resulting damage was extensive but not life-threatening.
“Sir, we have the Yuroba vessel moving into position. They’re mounting a fight and doing a damn good job of staying out of the enemy’s retaliatory laser fire. Our fighters have successfully taken the Moltan ship and have joined the fight. Our remaining fighters are getting in their stings as well.”
“We may yet survive this fight.”
Suddenly, the lutar-side ship broke away and began a slow, uncontrolled roll away from the battle. Another round of victory shouts sounded off around him, but Meric was intent upon finishing what he started.
