by Juno Wells
Meric dropped back down into his seat, staring intently at the screen. He sat stock still, but she could see his jaw clinching and his horns were at such a sharp angle that they looked like they were pointing slightly forward. He was anticipating something. Was it related to the extraneous variable he spoke of before?
“Is the third package the extraneous variable?”
“Yes. We transported several phase grenades, which have been programed to attach to metal they find on the interior of the ship. If we are fortunate, one of them might bring down their weapons. If it does, the battle is half over without risking a single life.”
Putting both hands on his shoulders from behind, she gave him a quick squeeze. “That’s my clever and resourceful mate.”
“All ships fire when ready to bring down the shields.”
Stacy watched the firefight on the big screen. The other two ships took turns with Meric’s ship, rapid firing at the Moltan ship as it tumbled in a slow lackadaisical rotation.
Tabor announced. “Moltan shields are down to seventy percent, sir.”
Moments passes as dozens of Draconian fighters swarmed out to join the fight.
Tabor spoke again, “Their shields are down to forty percent, captain.”
“Keep the encrypted channel open to the Raspian. I’m betting the Moltan will abandon ship once their shields are fully compromised.”
Calen’s voice came on the line. “We’re seeing movement, Captain Meric. From the reading we’re getting, it looks like the unit was attached with long, interlocking metal rods. They’re retracting now. Prepare to move on my mark. We don’t know how fast this independent unit moves.”
Meric spoke up. “Let it move far enough away from the Moltan vessel that we have enough room to maneuver around it freely.”
“Understood, sir.”
Meric stood up again and began to pace slowly back and forth in front of his chair. He seemed like a warrior restless and craving the action of battle to Stacy. For all his bulk, Meric moved with grace. It was interesting how his wings sometimes gave away his emotions even when his face was schooled into the blank expression warriors were so fond of. She wondered if he knew his wings were so expressive.
Standing on the quiet bridge, waiting for the opportunity to destroy the symbiont before it could escape again, Stacy became aware that they both scented heavily of sex. They had rolled out of bed and right onto the bridge. She was much less embarrassed by that than she should have been.
26 Breaching the Enemy Ship
Meric
Every available warrior streamed into the docking ring to gear up. Meric opened the door to a bulky weapons cache with a rough jerk and began to rummage around, grabbing and clasping extra bits of protective plating to his already armored uniform. Once that was finished, he began inspecting the hoard of weapons hanging before him. Selecting the most powerful and building redundancy by choosing different types, he loaded them in holsters around his waist, before greedily adding more on bandoliers strapped across his chest.
His queen handed him several grenades from the bottom compartment. Though he would not have forgotten to get them, it marked her out in his mind as being a thoughtful mate. She was all that a warrior might wish for, and he had no intention of allowing any harm to come to her or his young. This mission was supposed to have been a simple patrol of shipping lanes that rarely had more go wrong than ships occasionally breaking down or he’d have never brought his little ones.
Stepping in front of him when he turned around, his sweet and sassy queen peered worriedly up at him. When she spoke her words probably sounded calm and confident to everyone else’s ears. “I want to go with you in case anyone gets hurt. I’m skilled in emergency healing.” Her bottom lip trembled just a bit, betraying her fear.
She could fool the other warriors and maybe herself on a good day, but not her mate and protector. Meric shook his head, knowing full well that his beautiful queen was not as confident as she tried to sound. “It would be best for you to stage a triage area in one of the larger loading bays. That way our fighters can ferry wounded from all three ships directly to you.”
He wasn’t willing to risk her. They both knew that this would always be the crux of the problem standing between them. He’d always desire to risk himself for her and she’d always want to be at his side to make sure he survived every battle. Now that his children had two parents it didn’t make sense to Meric to risk both of them on a dangerous mission. His queen’s mouth pressed into a thin line and her brow creased. She was angry but didn’t even argue the point because he was right. Warriors fight and doctors heal. If she came, he’d be torn between protecting her and fighting the enemy. That was a distraction he could ill afford when fighting for his life.
He put two hands on his chest and nodded slightly. “Promise you’ll fight hard and come back alive.”
His eyes dropped down to her shoulder to where the bite she’d hidden under her uniform lay. “You are now my mate and carry my mark to prove it. I will always return to you. Unless you receive my lifeless body wrapped in my own wings, do not give up hope that I will return.”
He wondered if she even understood the reference. Dead Draconian warriors were returned to their clade with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies and bound with twine. He’d explain all that later.
Grabbing the armor plating on his uniform, his queen stated quietly. “See that you do. Your little ones need their father.” Smiling miserably, she added, “And we’ve got that regular occurrence thing to get back to.”
He fought back a smile at her reminder of the pleasure waiting for him. His wings suddenly jerked like they did when she touched his cock. He said roughly, “Any warrior would claw his way back from the underworld for such an honor.”
Wanting to say more, she knew they both had to get moving. She apparently settled on the one thing she wanted him to know, whatever the outcome today’s battle. “I love you. Come back to me.”
His chest tightened painfully. Tabor pounded on the side of the docking ring to get his attention. “Time to go, captain. Everyone’s aboard but you.”
Grasping her delicate hands, he brought them to his lips. “You have my love as well, my precious queen. If I can, I will return. If not…”
“You don’t need to say. You can count on me.”
He turned on his heel and headed for the docking ring. Grabbing the safety bar running along the top of the docking portal, he lifted his feet from the floor and gracefully slid inside with his wings tucked tightly to his body. Landing deftly on his feet, he turned to look at his beautiful queen one last time. Unable to turn away, they looked anxiously at each other until the door slammed down and locked. Eight triangular pieces of metal shot out, sealing the docking ring so the shuttle could disengage. He took a step forward, placed his hand against the cold metal, and prayed to the gods that he’d see her lovely face and hold her in his arms again. If this creature really was the queen mother, she’d not lived for a virtual eternity by being easy to kill.
A hand landed on his shoulder and Tabor said quietly, “We have survived a thousand battles, some with impossible odds, and have been victorious. An ancient symbiont in a bubble and a few Moltan will not be enough to defeat us. Her mind is probably addled with age and her body weak. The only harm she poses is spawning more of her kind and they apparently do not chose males for hosts. I am confident this will be an easy victory.”
Nodding, Meric took a deep cleansing breath. “She has survived for eons, and who knows how much of that time she was without a battle form. I fear she has some secret wisdom or trickery to use against us. Do not underestimate this being. If she is the Queen Mother, we will need to think fast and move quickly to avoid all the traps she’s laid for us.”
“All will be well, my friend, you will see.”
“All that I protect is at risk. This is the one battle we must not lose.”
“Though I am not fortunate enough to have a mate for hatchli
ngs, I would not risk my sire or brother. At least your Timric is a warrior. Phan is young and destined to become a healer. Thus he has fewer fighting skills than any other male on our vessel.”
“Why do you not lure a queen to warm your bed and your heart, Tabor? You are as deserving as any warrior.”
His friend tossed him a lopsided grin. “Most of the queens on Dracon Two bond with warriors with physical qualities to recommend them. I knew you would be selected for your golden locks. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet a queen who looks at me the way Queen Stacy of the Lionheart looks at you.”
“I think mating is all random happenstance, for I can see no reliable patterns in which warriors are chosen and which aren’t.”
There was some momentary turbulence as they docked with the strange crescent-shaped vessel that normally spirited the Moltan away when their ships were overrun. “I have never seen the likes of such.”
Tabor gaped out the portal to the ship they were attaching their shuttle to. “I believe this vessel is more of an escape pod than a ship. Perhaps they just break away to a safe distance and remain cloaked until another Moltan vessel can be summoned to retrieve them.”
“That sounds dangerous to me. Why would they stay near the site of a battle rather than trying to get to the nearest planet?”
Meric’s security officer fluttered his wings impatiently. “What danger is there if you are shielded from your enemy? Much can be learned about an enemy by observing their actions following a battle.”
Tabor was, of course, correct about that. The male was always thinking about and analyzing issues affecting security, whether he was in the black of space or on their new home world. Meric could think of no other that he would want at his back in battle.
The door slid open to reveal a dark, empty loading bay. When he stepped out onto the deck of the Moltan vessel, the hairs stood up on the back of Meric’s head. Calen stepped out of another docking ring and immediately joined them.
Calen glanced nervously around the room, as if expecting something to jump up out of the floor to do battle. “What do you sense, Calen?”
“Are you certain you wish to know?”
“Answer my question.” Meric’s voice sounded deadly, even to his own ears.
“I sense deceit, lies, desperation, pain, and misery.”
“Any idea how many beings are on this vessel?”
Tabor spoke up. “My scans say there are four life forms and another that is muted, perhaps underwater. We have brought fifteen hands of warriors. The odds are in our favor.”
Meric spoke quietly into his com unit. “Move out. Stick to the plan.”
Teams of ten soldiers began moving out of docking rings and heading for one of the three doors leading to the interior of the ship. Meric, Tabor and Calen headed straight for the muted signal. Snaking through seemingly endless empty corridors, they made their way to a large chamber built into an entire corner of the vessel. It reminded Meric of the old-fashioned queen chambers every ship had to accommodate their large Draconian queens. Human women shied away from them, complaining they were a shameful waste of space. Meric had repurposed the one on the Raspian to create family suites for Salon and himself. It was located in the safest area of the ship and therefore best suited to shelter their young.
Tabor spoke quietly. “I believe the chamber is about twenty paces forward and to the right. There’s an antechamber that lies between the entrance and the queen’s chamber.”
Meric switched on full armor and a thick glowing shield zipped up around his body and formed a bubble around his head. “Proceed with caution. Such a chamber is usually designed as a barrier. Expect a trap, biological agent, or even shielded warriors. Be ready for whatever they throw our way.” Several warriors passed the alarm in the ancient Dracon tongue to warriors further from him.
They were sprayed with a kind of noxious chemical as they approached the end of the corridor. Calen quipped, “Do you ever get tired of being right, captain?”
Meric shot him a disapproving look. “Now is not the time for antics, captain.”
Calen jerked his head up to look at Meric, realizing for the first time that they were now of equal rank.
Tabor kneeled to pry open the locking mechanism so they could breach the door. Long microns ticked by as everyone checked and rechecked all their weapons. “Tabor, what’s taking you so long?”
Without looking up, he muttered. “Our second trap of the day, if we’re counting whatever they tried to douse us with back there.” Digging through the mass of glowing fibers in the lock box, he grimaced. “They’ve pressure-rigged the door to blow the moment we breach it. Unfortunately, to disengage it I have to bypass a system attached to the floor. It appears to be designed to suck us down through the ship and out a docking ring on the other side.”
Calen couldn’t manage to shut up when he was anxious. This Meric knew from working at his side for many years. “I won’t disturb your concentration further. Especially to remind you about how you thought this was going be an easy victory, but then Meric said it would be riddled with traps,” the young captain said.
“Don’t start with the insulting banter, Calen. Normally I wouldn’t mind but I can’t afford to be distracted right now.”
“Just get it done already.”
Everyone went quiet again. A couple of the warriors leaned against the wall. One was using his scanner to analyze the chemicals the Moltan sprayed on them. Meric didn’t want to know that right now. There was nothing he could do about it, and his protective suit was in the process of burning it off anyway.
Calen’s voice was serious for once when he said, while staring down at his hand scanner, “I’m sensing movement, fluctuating vitals, and two beings with a strong double heartbeat.”
Meric stepped closer to look at his screen. “By the gods, I hope the queen mother isn’t spawning. She’ll be looking for a host. Can you tell if any of the beings are female?”
Calen shook his scanner and hit the side of it with his palm before resetting the scan. “No, something is messing with my readings. “I can’t lock on to any of the life signs long enough to get a proper scan.”
Meric could feel this mission going sideways, and the last thing he needed was to lose her again. “Tabor, now would be a good time to get us into that room. There could be queens that need saving.”
“I’ve made my way through the first trap and am almost finished with the second. I get the feeling this was all designed to slow us down. To what end, I do not know.”
Finally the door slid open and they were faced with crackling plasma currents shooting back and forth across the room. “Tabor…”
“I’m on it, captain.”
“Now there is only the fluctuating heartbeat and one other person, captain.”
“We’re losing this battle before we even started it.”
Tabor tore into the side panel of the doorway and began pulling out more filaments. “The Moltan are clever and don’t like fighting their own fights. Remember, Jasper told us that during his interrogation? It makes sense that they have layer upon layer of barriers to protect them.” The comment came from a warrior waiting nearby.
“It means they are weak and have no faith in their ability to best us in battle.” Meric glanced over to the warrior who spoke. He was young and inexperienced, but now was not the time for a teaching moment so Meric replied darkly. “Keep your eyes open and be on guard. Beings who are too weak to fight often use the element of surprise coupled with ingenious weapons.”
Finally, the plasma dissipated. Tabor stepped into the room first and motioned them to follow. It took less time to get though the final door. What they saw on the other side truly shocked Meric and the others, if their gasps were any indication. The glass bubble had been broken and the queen mother dragged out onto the cold metal floor. A huge warrior who looked more animal than humanoid was busy cutting a large wedge from the queen, who was barely moving. Dracon’s fire, what the hell is he doing?”
Meric stepped forward with his weapon in his head. “He’s unable to make his escape with the queen mother, so he’s taking a tissue sample for them to study.” He spoke even as all the warriors rushed forward. The creature took multiple shots but managed to make it to the back of the room and shoved the gory, oozing chunk of tissue though what might have been a garbage chute. Meric shouted, “Lower your weapons to stun. I want him alive!”
Tabor shouted, “Stay back from the queen.”
The bleeding alien turned on them with an angry snarl. He appeared just as Jasper had described. He towered over them with a glowing crown of horns growing out of the top of his head. Ugly fingers shot out of its hooves where the hoof met the wrist. The creature’s hooves were the size of Meric’s head. He could easily see why Jasper and the other slaves thought the Moltan were invincible. Meric had brought down larger and stronger enemies. This one knocked over three of his warriors just by swinging out one arm. He snarled and went for his weapon. “Concentrate all your weapons on his chest, center mass.”
Even as his warriors obeyed his command, the creature dropped onto all fours, making it impossible to shoot the fleshy part of his body where by rights, armor plating should be. Meric soon discovered that the Moltan moved quicker and was surer-footed on all fours. However, when he was on all fours, his fingers retracted into his hooves, so he couldn’t use his weapon. He was doing fine just stomping, biting, and throwing his warriors around.
Fortunately, Meric had brought a special weapon for just this type of situation, a tiny weapon used exclusively by Draconian queens. He pulled it out, aimed at the creature, and fired. The force of it staggered the beast back, making Meric happy that he’d been holding it in reserve all this time. Thrown from his feet, the creature growled, turning almost feral. Meric had to hit him twice more with the most exotic and powerful weapon in their arsenal before the enemy dropped to the floor.
Four of his warriors put a stasis field around the Moltan and loaded him onto a hover disk. Meric, Tabor, Calen and the six remaining warriors stepped forward to form a ring around the dying queen. She really was a mostly faceless pale white blob. Calen spoke first. “It’s hard to believe this creature is the root of a thousand years of misery for our people.”
