Saved by the Alien Warrior Gandrox

by Eden Ember

  Saved by the Alien Warrior Gandrox

  A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance

  AARAN BARBARIANS Book 1

  EDEN EMBER

  EVE LAIRD

  Cover by Eve Laird

  Edited by Perfectly Plotted Books

  Copyright 2020 Eden Ember & Eve Laird

  All rights reserved.

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This work is property of Eden Ember & Eve Laird, please do not reproduce illegally.

  About the Aaran Barbarians Series

  For an Aarran warrior, there’s only one thing stronger than their will to defeat the Zeta Empire and that’s the primitive hunger that can only come from finding their fated mate. None imagined that the sweet whisper of love could exist in the midst of so much violence and death. Perhaps that’s exactly where it’s needed most.

  Join the valiant, brutal and fierce barbarian warriors as they discover just how much stronger love is than hate.

  Saved by the Alien Warrior Gandrox

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  AARAN BARBARIANS

  About the Authors

  Eden Ember

  Eve Laird

  Chapter 1

  ALLEGRA

  The instrument panel showed a dangerous drop in fuel. We’ve used too much. I pounded the comm. “Jules, please check the fuel lines for leaks.”

  “Yes, Captain,” she replied.

  I turned worriedly, peering at the radar. To reach Zeta, we’d need to refuel again, but I couldn’t understand how. Both Jules and I were certain about making it when we stopped at Sector 1800 in the Zario Alpha System. There was no way we’d make it into the Cantor System on the amount of fuel that we had. Earth Relief had mapped all the refueling stops along the way, and Sector 1800 was the last one before reaching Cantor. A few outposts appeared on our long-range sensors, but they advised us to pass them due to the possible presence of space pirates.

  Jules came back, red-faced. “Allegra, there seems to be a small leak in the lower hull, it’s spilling out slowly. There’s no way the Narada will reach Zeta.”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. “That means we must land at an outpost before we reach the Cantor System.”

  “Earth Relief said we shouldn’t--”

  “I know what they said. They weren’t careening through space on fumes either. We will do what we must do to carry out the relief mission,” I replied.

  Elsbeth pulled up the star map and grimly pointed to the tiny dots framed in orange triangles. The Earth Relief had outfitted the Narada for this mission and they specifically told us to avoid the orange triangles.

  “We have no choice.” I stared at my crew members, blinking heavily.

  “We risk encountering space pirates at these places,” Elsbeth warned.

  “You really believe in space pirates?” Jules asked.

  “There are such things. And yes, I know it’s risky. I fear that we won’t even make it there,” I replied.

  Suddenly, the alarms blared. The fuel level had dropped dangerously low and we needed to refuel now or die trying. I grabbed the controls, taking the ship off autopilot which settled the blaring alarm.

  “Nearest point coordinates,” I barked at Elsbeth.

  “Two niner, eight, twelve, eighteen,” she answered. Worry lines etched over her face as she stared hard at me.

  “Setting course for those coordinates,” I said, but the empty fuel alarm blared once again. We had just enough to propel us toward Zarsola, the crude planet framed with the orange triangle on the radar. Our propel sequence would get us there, but just only. From there, it would test my training.

  We shuddered in that direction; the Narada shaking violently during entry into the atmosphere. “Prepare for crash landing,” I screamed.

  It wasn’t enough time; it happened too fast. The flash of the burn settled around the craft, which sometimes would have been a promising sight. It usually meant that we wouldn’t explode on impact, if we survived that landing. I gripped the controls and Elsbeth screamed. Behind me, crewmembers were yelling and crying. The ground of Zarsola zoomed ahead, way too fast. It wasn’t as if I could apply the brakes; spaceships didn’t have real brakes. I reached up and cut the power completely, stopping the last of the forward propulsion, hoping to save us somehow. Too fast, the Narada met the ground in a jerking thud and skidded along, much faster than it should. Luckily, we landed in soft vegetation, avoiding the busy community by a narrow margin, according to the sensors. My eyes squeezed shut as I pulled back on the controls, which lowered the landing pikes. These were of no use. The Narada spun around, screeching to a halt, the plume of dust and debris rising and then falling upon us.

  “Is everyone okay?” I asked as I pulled myself free from my secured seat. The ship rested partially on an incline and I stumbled backward, as my sense of balance spun.

  The small Narada didn’t fare well in the crash. Steam billowed from the broken cooling system. A slight cry escaped my lips as I helped the four members of my crew out of the broken ship. Jules limped to Elsbeth, who had a gash on the side of her face. My poor crew had been through it over the last three months of flight, through the network of wormholes and into a system we’d never before been. For many of us, this was a first time flight outside of our own Terran System. For Syria, she’d been on an Earth Relief mission before, taking aid to the Hudspeth System when they had a catastrophic volcano that put their world into peril. She alone directed us as we navigated through space, being our rock. All of us brought our training in both combat and medicine to the failing Zeta Empire in the Cantor System. They had hailed for help when the uprising first started, and we jumped up to volunteer for the opportunity to provide medical aid. The five of us being trained nurses meant our expertise was invaluable to the poor citizens suffering under the war-torn planet of Zeta.

  Now we had no way of coming to Zeta as we crash landed on Zarsola, one place they had warned us to avoid. Space pirates ravaged the rough community and the only way we’d be able to find help would be to put our combat training into use.

  “What now?” Addison asked as she peered around the wreckage of our ship.

  Syria smiled. “We hitch a ride to Zeta,” she said as she marched toward the settlement.

  “Hold up, Syria. I’m still the leader of this group. I’ll buy a ride to Zeta,” I said as I matched her steps.

  “Okay, boss woman. Lead the way,” she replied as she held out her hand.

  We approached the outskirts of the settlement and I adjusted the implant behind my ear to understand the alien dialect much better. Small shuttles were perched along the hangar. An alien with bulging eyes and a pot belly approached, his enormous eyes roaming over us curiously.

  “We need to buy a ride to the Zeta Empire,” I told him.

  He harrumphed. “Six pendels each for flights out.”

  I sighed. “We don’t have currency,” I replied.

  “Then you don’t fly out,” he said and turned away.

  “Wait, we need to get to Zeta. How can we pay for this? We crash landed on your planet and our ship is destroyed.”

  The alien turned back toward us, his eyes roaming over
each one. “You work and pay for the flight. Or you work out a deal with a pilot.”

  I peered around at the ships settled into the spots for refuelling and supplies. Rough characters milled about, giving me the creeps. I trusted my gut judgment.

  “What will we do?” Jules asked.

  I turned to Syria. “I think she had the best idea,” I said.

  “Hitch a ride?” she asked.

  I smiled as a plan formed in my mind. The Torq Runner sounded like a transport ship. I held up my finger to my crew. “Wait right here.” I marched toward the ship. The alien commander spied me and stepped out, narrowing his eyes, no doubt trying to figure out what kind of being I was.

  He stood tall, around seven feet, with blue-tinged skin with the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Muscles appeared to be built upon muscles; he’d be a force to be reckoned with in a fight. I smiled, hoping that I might be as appealing to him as he was to me.

  “May I ask, is the Torq Runner a transport ship?”

  The brute alien narrowed his eyes at me. “Who wants to know?” he asked.

  “I do. I’m a medical worker on course for Zeta. Our ship crashed and we need a lift.”

  He laughed, a deep resounding vibration emitting from his throat. “We are not a passenger ship. Speak to Orglog,” he said and dismissed me.

  I got the feeling that he didn’t want me sniffing around. I disappeared around the building, hiding in the shadows and listening closely. As I listened to their jargon, I strained to understand what they were saying. My implant only caught bits and pieces of phrases. I heard weapons and Zeta. Oh, they must be a pirate ship bringing arms to the Zeta Empire. I didn’t care if they were for or against either side. My only concern was in getting my crew to Zeta. I rushed along back to the crew who were waiting nearby.

  “It’s about time you returned. I nearly came after you,” Syria told me angrily.

  “Hey, be calm. I had to do a little detective work,” I said as I pulled her back to the other three.

  “Now listen, this may be unconventional, but if we want to get to Zeta, we need to take drastic measures,” I said.

  “Just how drastic?” Addison asked.

  “Well, the Torq Runner isn’t a transport ship.” The heat rushed across my face. I knew the barrage of questions that were forthcoming.

  “What kind of ship?” Elsbeth asked.

  I looked at the ground. “Pirate.”

  “No, absolutely not. That’s just stupid, Allegra,” Jules said as she kicked a stone on the ground.

  “What choice do we have?”

  “We can get jobs and save the pendels for passenger flight,” Syria replied.

  “Look around, this is a rough-shod place. Do you think anyone here will want to hire us for a decent wage? They’d capture us and sell us into slavery once they figured out we’re Terrans. We don’t have a choice. The decision is irrevocable. We stowaway on the Torq Runner and once they land, we sneak off and find the other Earth Relief workers.” I turned from them, hoping they wouldn’t argue with their captain.

  We paused and hid before the aliens of the Torq Runner saw us.

  “Just what are we doing?” Jules asked angrily. An RN by profession, she trained as a combat engineer. She normally enjoyed a peaceful existence in the engine room away from any danger.

  I spun around on the group. “Listen, we strike now or risk being stuck on this God-forsaken planet. We’ll stowaway. This is an enormous ship, it will be easy to find spots to hide. They will never know. There’s just five of us and they are going to Zeta,” I told them.

  “How do you know?” Elsbeth asked.

  “I heard it. Look, if this is what we must do, we do it. Out here it’s a survival mindset. My instincts tell me that this is the best thing we can do right now,” I said.

  We waited for the sun to set before sneaking aboard the Torq Runner. Beings all over the galaxy were the same when it came to needing rest and sleep. The crew of the ship had disappeared to a little dive along a major road. The hull door lay open, and beings milled around the hanger, but nowhere near the ship. We slinked up the open hatch, quickly making our way inside with Jules in the lead. She knew where we could go that they likely wouldn’t look; in the walls behind the engine room.

  Chapter 2

  GANDROX

  “Damn Kwobus. They won’t stop hunting us until we’re dead, every one of us,” I said as I pulled up the hatch. The crew and I powered the Torq Runner and lifted it from Zarsola.

  “Setting shields in place, going into stealth mode,” Xorg said as he pulled the control down and set course away from Cantor. He peered at the sensor screen, his jaw tensing.

  I leaned over, seeing it too. We painted a heat signature on the Kwobus ship and it lifted moments after we did.

  “Shields down, we’re hitting hyper speed and flying the flarbon out of here,” I said as I tapped the system to boot the hyperdrive. The Torq Runner could flash into hyper-speed faster than most ships out there, including the cumbersome Kwobus Kzar. The ship trailed us until I slammed the hyper-speed control and we tore into faster than the speed of light. The thrill of the lurch put a smile on my face. I doubled down on the propulsion, causing a vibration to make its way through the ship. The crew whooped while maintaining balance.

  “And to think, that alien thought we were a transport ship,” I said as I lifted the glass of gorloll just in time for the celebratory drink as we continued to travel at hyper-speed.

  “What kind of being was that alien, anyway?” Elgan asked.

  “Terrans. Haven’t you ever seen them before?” Xyru replied.

  “Terrans, huh? Interesting. I’ve only heard of them but never seen one up close like that. Rather pretty beings, though,” Elgan commented.

  I snorted. “Terrans. Yeah, that’s a lot of mess there. She said there were only five of them. No thank you. The Torq Runner is not in the business of carrying passengers.”

  Razko busted onto the bridge, his blue face turning red. “Commander, there’s something you need to see,” he said as he punched on the screen and showed the cargo hull behind the engine room.

  I widened my eyes trying to make out what was there, and hunkered down along the wall were five Terran females including the one who had asked if they could gain passage on my ship.

  “What are they doing on my ship?” I spat angrily. With Razko and Elgan on my heels, I marched down to the cargo room and opened the door, startling the lot of the females. They stared at me, wide-eyed and scared. Yes, good, they should be scared.

  “What in the name of Decators are you doing on my ship?” My voice boomed and echoed through the metal chamber.

  The one who approached me on Zarsola stood and advanced. She must be their leader, their commander. I towered above her, trying to impose my brute strength to strike fear into her, but she didn’t seem phased by it. She came to me, toe to toe, and lifted her chin. Eyes the color of an archun nut and her short hair to match. Full lips parted and her voice filled the air causing me to groan deep within, an ache I didn’t know I could have.

  “Please, forgive us. We had no choice. We need a ride to Zeta and this seemed the best way for my girls and me,” she said.

  My eyes snapped to Elgan, who started to speak, and I gave him a curt shake of my head. Now for the fun, to toy with our unwelcome guests about where they think they are going. The reverberations started low and deep and ended up in a full laugh. Elgan caught on and laughed too, but Razko stood back, giving us an eye of disapproval. Too bad, my ship, I can toy with them if I like.

  “You, your name?” I asked of the leader.

  She straightened her spine. “I am Allegra Steele, commander of the Narada. I head up a team from Earth Relief for the Space Corps coming to the Zeta Empire bringing aid. We are medical workers trained by the Earth Relief for war-torn locations,” she said.

  “Allegra,” I said. The name rolled off my tongue smoothly, and I smiled. Despite my initial reaction to the stowaways,
I liked this feisty Terran. “I am Gandrox Thorrig, commander of the Torq Runner.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said as she smiled.

  Pleasantries aside, I got right to the point. “You were hoping to buy a ride to the Zeta System. You chose the wrong ship to stowaway on. We’re on the run from the Kwobus. They seek to eliminate us, and I’m sure, anyone else associated with us.”

  Her beautiful face fell into a frown. “You’re not going to Zeta?”

  “No, we are running from the Kwobus. We help those deserving, but not in the same manner as you. We are a transporter, but not for medical use,” I told her. I didn’t want to reveal too much about what we actually did. Most others didn’t take kindly to our type of aid when we deliver weapons and other arms to help the helpless defend themselves.

  “We need to get to the Zeta Empire. Earth Relief sent us for this specific mission,” Allegra said.

  “Seems you’ve lost contact with this Earth Relief. Your plans have changed. I’ll see what I can do. Razko, please lock them in the cargo bay. You’ll have use of the facility there and we’ll bring you food and drink,” I said as I waved my hand dismissing the lot of females.

  Alarms blared as I returned to the bridge. “What now?” I asked as I took my station and peered at the screen. The Kwobus Kzar tailed us by 2,000 leagues. Damn Terrans took my focus off our current situation and caused me to lose sight of the fact that they planted a location beacon on the ship back at Zarsola.

  “Elgan, find the beacon and destroy it,” I bellowed to my crew member. His stone face peered at me and with a curt nod he disappeared to find the mark.

  I didn’t have time to deal with the Terrans. When I walked away, I could hear Allegra calling out for me.

  “Please, Gandrox, there is no need to keep us locked away. We--”

  I didn’t hear the rest of her plea as the door was shut and locked. If she only knew what I had going on here she would hunker down in the corner and behave herself. She shouldn’t have led her small crew onto my ship in the first place.