AydarrGoogle

by Veronica Scott

  Jamokan went down on one knee in front of her, head up and to the side, baring his neck. “I swear my loyalty to you, Jill, mate of Aydarr. I speak for my pack in this matter.”

  The others knelt as well. Jill wasn’t sure what was required from her. Mateer whispered in her ear. “An alpha would place his teeth on Jamokan’s artery to accept the oath.”

  Lords of space, what am I in the middle of? Hesitantly, Jill stepped forward, rested one hand on the huge man’s shoulder and lowered her head toward him, gently pinching the skin of his neck between her teeth then hastily releasing her bite, licking the salty and slightly spicy taste of him from her lips. She remembered the way the few drops of Aydarr’s blood had made her tongue tingle when he allowed her to place her own mate mark on his body. Silently she vowed going forward anyone else who needed to pledge fealty to her was going to have to accomplish the ritual without being bitten. “I accept your oath.” She stepped back, bumping into Mateer, who’d stayed close. “Let me get these damn bracelets off then I need all of you to get to the armory where my—uh—enforcer Gabe is waiting. He’ll give you weapons and explain the next steps of the plan. He speaks for me.” Whether he realizes it or not. She resisted the inappropriate urge to laugh since Gabe probably felt he was in command, as the senior human officer present.

  “Where will you be?” Jamokan asked, rubbing the skin where his bracelet had been.

  “First I have to talk to the Tzibir and then I’m going to free my mate,” she said as she finished removing the final bracelet from the last member of the other pack.

  “I go with you.” Mateer’s voice was more of a growl. “Timtur must come as well. The last thing we heard from Aydarr before he shut the mental link between us was that Cwamla was preparing to torture him. He may need a healer.”

  Timtur bared his fangs and displayed his impressive talons. “I’m a warrior as well, never fear.”

  She patted his arm. “I’ve no doubts. Reede, you take the rest of our pack and go with Jamokan and his men. You and Mateer stay in touch with each other. Whatever my enforcer says, obey his commands, and we’ll all get out of this alive. Now, let’s move out. Things are going too smoothly, even with MARL here to block the vidcams and lock down various areas.”

  “I’ve locked the day shift guards in their barracks and terminated their comlinks,” MARL said. “So far no one has noticed because they’re asleep.”

  “Yeah, that luck won’t hold.”

  Squaring her shoulders, she stepped around the curve of the corridor to face the cell where the Tzibir were incarcerated.

  As if waiting for inspection, they were standing in two lines, the alpha in front and his enforcers flanking him.

  “So, human woman, you outsmarted the Khagrish after all,” said the alpha. “What are your plans for us?”

  Jill came to a halt directly in front of him, separated only by the force barrier. At close range he was even more impressive, tiny iridescent scales covering his shoulders and his eyes barely humanoid in shape, with hard bony ridges above the sockets instead of eyebrows. The Tzibir weren’t as tall as the Badari but their bodies were thick, heavily muscled, and the pack plainly stood ready to defend themselves.

  As if reading her mind, the alpha gestured at his men. “We won’t die easily.”

  “No one has to die today except the Khagrish,” she said.

  He tilted his head while he studied her, the black irises in his yellow and red eyes narrowing as he focused on her face. “We are the chosen ones of the eight generation Khagrish experiment, did you know that? Yet you expect us to stand idly by while you kill them?”

  “I could leave you in the damn cell,” she said, although she had no intention of doing so. “Take your children with me and make my escape as planned.”

  He hissed. “Steal my young ones and I’ll hunt you and your pack to extinction.”

  “What I want,” she said, “Is your word you’ll remain neutral today. I’d rather you joined the fight on my side of course, help the Badari, but I’m guessing rebellion might be a step too far for you today. I’ll let you out, I’ll give you a controller so you can take the bracelets off your pack members and then I want you not to be my problem. Grab your younger generations and escape this place. Find a new home. I don’t have time to negotiate a complicated treaty right now. What do you say?”

  Mateer raised the controller he held and the alpha’s eyes tracked his motion.

  “Why are you doing this?” The alpha asked, focusing on Jill again. “What are my people to you?”

  “Potential future allies. Sentients who’ve been tortured by the Khagrish the same as my own pack. Now do we have an agreement or not? I’ve got places to be.”

  The Tzibir alpha extended his hands, palms up. “I give you my word not to assist the Khagrish against you today. I must evaluate the future carefully to do the best I can for my people. Today the right course is clearly freedom.”

  Jill studied him, wishing his face wasn’t so reptilian, which made it harder to read. But she wasn’t leaving them in a Khagrish cell, unable to defend themselves. “All right. Mateer, set the controller on the floor.”

  As the enforcer complied with her order, Jill raised her pulse rifle. “We’re going to back away down the corridor and when we’re close to the exit into the lab, I’ll have MARL shut off the force barrier. Then you’re on your own and good luck to you.”

  Keeping her focus on the alpha, she took her time about moving away, MARL floating at her side, Timtur on her right and Mateer covering her retreat. As soon as she reached the door leading to the main complex, she gave her alien AI the order. “Barrier off.”

  Jill didn’t wait to see what the Tzibir did next as she hurled herself through the slowly opening portal, Mateer, Timtur and MARL on her heels, and set off toward the senior scientist’s quarters to rescue her mate.

  Jill led the way from the prison block. MARL kept pace effortlessly on his antigrav pad. She had to block her own unpleasant memories of being brought here for Dr. Gahzhing’s planned ‘experiments’.

  Two more doors. MARL slowed and halted.

  “How many in the room?” Jill asked.

  Three Khagrish, one Badari in a smaller room beyond.

  Weapon at the ready, Jill prepared to have MARL open the door. “We need Cwamla alive until we know what’s happened to Aydarr. I don’t care about any of the others. I’ll take whoever is on the left, you go right,” she said to Mateer and Timtur before pointing an index finger at MARL. “Go for it.”

  MARL ordered the lab’s AI to open the door at ten times the rated speed, smashing the panels into their niches. Smoke from overheated relays billowed.

  Jill fired even through the haze before she was over the threshold, dropping a man in a lab coat standing beside the desk with one blast. Mateer fired at the same time, then firing a follow-up shot. A stinging pain across her shoulder sent her reeling as Timtur wheeled to pick off a guard who’d taken a position behind a large piece of furniture. Apparently the man had gotten off one lucky shot at Jill before the pack medic killed him.

  Dr. Cwamla slapped her hand on a button on the desk and an alarm sounded in the entire complex.

  “MARL, shut that off.” Aiming to incapacitate, not kill, Jill fired at the Khagrish scientist, but the woman ducked and fled into the next room, the door closing behind her. “Open it.” Jill made an impatient gesture with her good hand, snapping the order at her AI. “Now.” Blaster at the ready, Jill barreled through the door even as the panel was sliding aside. At the scene in front of her, she halted, Mateer nearly colliding with her, Timtur at their six.

  “Come any closer and he dies,” Cwamla said, voice icy cold. She had her fingers resting on the controls for Aydarr’s bracelet.

  Jill swallowed hard as she saw her mate. Stripped to a loincloth, Aydarr was blindfolded and gagged, spread eagled on a metal table, heavy restraints at his wrists and ankles. His body bore evidence of the abuse the scientist had been inflicting
on him, huge bruises, bleeding slashes, burn marks. Various ugly pieces of equipment were nearby, splashed with blood. She thought he turned his head slightly in her direction, but she couldn’t be sure.

  “You came for him so his life must have value to you,” Cwamla said. She perched on the closest stool, waving the neuro controller. “Interesting how you and the other test subjects bonded. He’s still alive—these animals are tough.” She nudged the indicator higher, and Aydarr convulsed on the table, groaning behind the gag. Cwamla smiled at Jill. “Let’s talk, woman to woman. I had a lot more planned for him before I killed him, but I’ll spare him under one condition.”

  “Go on.” Jill was ice cold, thinking fast. If I keep her talking, can you do anything to protect Aydarr from the bracelet’s effects? She asked MARL.

  “Let me go unharmed. In fact, protect me from the other animals while my personal assistants and I take one of the flyers. We get out of here unscathed.”

  I can dampen it but not entirely. Working on it.

  “If those were your assistants in the other room, they’re dead,” Jill said.

  “Pity.” The scientist’s face remained smooth and unperturbed, although her cheerful expression wavered ever so slightly. “Give me one of the Khagrish guards who can pilot a shuttle then.”

  Stalling for time for MARL to work, Jill asked what felt like the most expected question. “Why should I trust you?”

  “Because you have no choice?” Cwamla surveyed her, head to toe. “If I’d known how much trouble you were going to be, I’d have killed you the first morning, human bitch, Badari mate or not. I could have placated the Chimmer, given the animal another human woman to mate with, no doubt.”

  A loud explosion erupted from somewhere in the facility and the floor rocked. Dust rained from the ceiling. Cwamla left the stool, holding the controller close to Aydarr’s head. “Do we have a deal or not?”

  Done.

  MARL’s voice in Jill’s head went straight to her trigger finger as she fired the blaster without a word, blowing a hole in Cwamla. The impact of the blast knocked the alien woman into the other wall, where she slumped to the floor.

  “Get that controller away from her and make sure she’s dead.” Jill herself rushed to the examination table and wrenched the blindfold off Aydarr. He blinked at the lights and concentrated on her with dawning recognition as she undid the gag. His men worked on unfastening the restraints. Heedless of the blood, but trying not to jar his wounds, Jill hugged him as best she could.

  When Mateer freed his left hand, Aydarr stroked her hair. “I refused to accept the idea you’d died. Thank the Great Mother you survived.” His voice was thready and choked.

  “He needs water,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Let me examine him before we give him anything.” Timtur pushed into the space as Mateer helped his alpha sit up.

  “Nothing that won’t heal,” Aydarr said twining his fingers with Jill’s.

  Jill had her doubts, but she stepped back a bit to let the healer do a scan, using his powers. She found a clean towel, wet it in the sink, and attempted to wash the blood off her mate’s wounds as best she could without getting in Timtur’s way.

  The lights flickered before going out, replaced a moment later by emergency illumination.

  “We need to hurry.” Mateer glanced at the doorway as the sound of blaster shots came to them faintly, followed by another explosion. “I smell smoke. Whatever blew up may have set off a fire.”

  “MARL, status?” Jill said.

  “The AI is offline. The power has been cut, by the Khagrish. I can still affect a limited menu of the local systems.”

  Gabe’s voice in her ear cut across what the AI was saying. “Jill, you need to meet me in the human containment room. Get here as fast as you can.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  The captain cut the link without answering, and Jill swore a blue streak. Timtur was using his powers, sending energy into Aydarr, who sat straighter, his eyes more alert.

  “Not too much, my friend,” the alpha said. “I’m assuming we have to fight our way out of here, and you need your strength too.”

  “Jamokan has freed the cadets,” Mateer said to Jill. “He and his men are taking them to the landing pad per your enforcer Gabe’s orders.”

  “All the cadets?”

  Mateer nodded. “Ours and theirs. He said the Tzibir children were already gone. I believe the Tzibir pack took their young and ran, as you advised their alpha to do.”

  “Smart move on his part. At least they aren’t fighting us.” Jill was relieved the Tzibir alpha had kept his word. “Save one worry for another day.”

  “You’re injured.” Face full of concern, Aydarr slid off the table and wavered on his feet, staring at the burn on her sleeve.

  ”A mere graze. Timtur can look at it later.” Jill took a position next to him, to support him while he got his balance.

  Mateer handed him a pair of lab pants. “Found these in the cabinet—they’ll have to do for now.”

  She was dubious about her mate’s condition. He was pale and gaunt, face deeply lined as if there was lingering pain from the torture. “I need to get to the chamber where my fellow colonists are being held,” she said. “Maybe you three should head for the forest, start our withdrawal to the safety of the valley.”

  Aydarr held out his hand. “Give me your blaster,” he said to Mateer. Without a word, the enforcer passed him the weapon. Turning to Jill, he added, “I’m the alpha and I won’t abandon my pack, not while I can stand. And I’d never leave you to fight alone now that we’re reunited.” He glanced at the others. “I need a moment alone with my mate.”

  “Of course.” Mateer bowed his head and he and Timtur walked into the other office.

  I’ll be there in a minute, she said to MARL, and the AI floated after the Badari.

  Aydarr gathered her into his arms, and she rested her head on his chest, listening to the powerful heartbeat. “I thought of you constantly while we were deployed,” he said. “I vowed if I was ever blessed to see you in this life again, I’d try to tell you what you mean to me. I love you, Jill Garrison. Your safety and happiness have become the most important priorities of my life, as the Great Mother is my witness, and however much more life I’m granted, I’ll do my best to ensure you have those things. You come before all else in my heart, even the pack.” He tipped her chin up and gave her a long involved kiss, holding her as close as two bodies can be.

  When he was done, she looked at him breathlessly and cupped his cheek with her hand. “If the two of us are together, loving each other as we do, then the pack—your people, my people—will be our top priority. Neither of us is relinquishing anything, much less our responsibilities. We’ve added something infinitely precious into the mix.” She glanced at the blood-splattered lab where she stood. “It’s almost inconceivable good could come about in this horrific place, but what we have is right and true.”

  He took her hand. “Well said. And now if we don’t want Mateer storming in here, we’d better move out.”

  “All right, let’s go then.” Jill led the way from the room, and out into the main corridor. Timtur fell in beside her, with MARL floating ahead while Aydarr and Mateer came behind.

  “Guards ahead, setting up an ambush,” MARL said.

  Jill raised her clenched fist, and she and the Badari moved to a position close to the wall. “MARL says guards are waiting for us in the next corridor,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of this.”

  Aydarr opened his mouth, no doubt to protest, but she shook her head. “Watch what MARL and I can do because we have a few tricks up our sleeve.” All right, do your thing and make me invisible.

  Feeling the tingle of the distort field on her skin, Jill stepped around the corner and blasted the two guards who’d been lying in wait behind a hastily built barricade of chairs and a long table. Thanks to MARL’s tech they never saw her coming. “Grab the weapons,” she said over her shoulde
r as she continued toward the area where her sister and the others had been imprisoned.

  She was sprinting as she covered the last hundred yards, driven by anxiety over what Gabe might have found. The doors to the room were standing wide open with Gabe and Flo waiting for her. Two heavily armed soldiers from Jamokan’s pack were keeping watch on the corridor in the other direction. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Gabe stepped aside and pointed. She took one last step and recoiled, blinking.

  The room was empty.

  No sign of her other sister or the colonists.

  “No, no this can’t be,” she said, going further into the chamber. “MARL and I didn’t see anything in the records about them being moved.”

  “Well, MARL better look again because either he missed something or the Khagrish are planting false information for you,” Gabe said. “We found five people in specimen envelopes in the room and we freed them.” With a grin, he displayed an oddly shaped red device. “Works like a charm. None of them was your sister. I sent them on the flyer.” He focused more closely on her face. “You ok?”

  “Got winged by a lucky shot.” Jill rubbed her forehead, still unable to process the undeniable fact the humans had been taken away before the attack began. “I can’t catch my breath.”

  Gabe tossed the red device to Flo and put his hand under Jill’s elbow to steer her to sit. He knelt beside her. “Take it slow. Did you get your guy out ok?”

  Before Jill could answer, there was a shout and Gabe was jerked away from her. He let loose a savage kick, breaking free of his attacker’s hold, whirling to defend himself.

  “Stop, stop!” Jill got to her feet despite the dizziness, to throw herself between the two men facing off with weapons drawn. She rested her hand on Aydarr’s bare chest. “This is Gabe, my enforcer. He was just trying to make me feel better after I found out my fellow humans are gone.” Staring into her mate’s furiously glowing hazel eyes, she addressed Gabe without looking in his direction, “Lower your weapon, captain. This is Aydarr, my mate. He’s the jealous type.”