by Lil Gibson
Commander Ryder was confused beyond measure. Why such a fuss over two unattached Earth females taken for a pregnancy scan? Then when the Guardian arrived followed, almost immediately, by the Supreme Leader; he knew a moment of overpowering dread. He glanced uneasily at the females.
Zorroc held himself together by a thin spider's strand as he approached his mate and felt for a pulse. Though somewhat weak, she would survive, unlike the guards who had harmed her. He stared coldly at the males responsible, and then preceded to the COM unit. "Carpov, report to the Med-center at the Dorm stat; we have two casualties in need of immediate medical attention. Bring Angel." If he had never earned Angel's approval in the past, this would cook him for all time.
"Sycor," Zorroc commanded softly, "I want a team of ten loyal males down here now to escort these…prisoners to black-out." Then mind-thought to him and Bandoff to put blazers on stun and immobilize them in order to guarantee their inability to communicate with those who sent them. The guards sank to the ground before Zorroc had completed the thought.
Carpov and Angel arrived in tandem with the guards. As the unconscious males were carted away, Carpov went straight to Cat to evaluate her condition. Angel had confided her friend's pregnancy on the way and it became their first priority. She had been hit in the shoulder; if it had been her stomach, the chances would not have been good for the life growing within her. Next, he monitored her vitals; she would be out for some time to come, her body needed to regroup. He heard a groan and knew that Dee had regained consciousness.
Prolinc moved to her side in an instant, taking her hand and gently brushing her hair back off her face. "What happened beautiful one, can you tell me?"
"Five of them buzzed the panel with orders to take Cat, we objected. When they realized we had them beat with hand to hand, the leader pulled out a blazer and shot us. Cowardly wimps," she uttered defiantly. "Did you get them, are they neutralized?"
"The cowardly wimps will never get close to you or Cat again. The blood in your quarters, I assume it did not emanate from you or Cat."
"Like I said, they were wimps. Cat; is she alright, did the baby survive?"
Zorroc snapped his head around, his full attention centered on Dee. Did she speak of Catarina's offspring or her own. He focused on Carpov and softly inquired, "Is my mate carrying my heir?" At Carpov's nod, he sank to a chair and held his palms to his eyes before he rasped. "Will they be alright?"
"To be on the safe side she should rest for the next few days, but there does not appear to be any damage, they shot her in the shoulder, well away from her abdomen," he commented in a matter-of-fact manner.
"She did not tell me. Why did she hide her condition from me?" he asked himself, as well as the room in general.
"She tried over and over again to contact you through mindspeak and COM but you never answered her; obviously too engrossed with Bimbo and Barbie to spare a moment for your mate," Angel accused turning her back to him to check Cat's pulse. Carpov and Prolinc shuffled uneasily.
A subdued Zorroc asked, "Who are the guards that attacked them, does anyone recognize them?"
"I believe the one in charge is a member of the High Council Guard. I saw him outside the offices of Dyfainius on two separate occasions," stated Bandoff quietly. "The others are unfamiliar to me."
"Everything keeps leading back to the High Council and Dyfainius, could he be acting alone? Could it be that simple?" Prolinc posed while helping Dee sit up. Her color had returned though she remained slightly disoriented.
"Dyfainius is a very ambitious male. He wanted a match between his daughter and me badly and has been instrumental in new legislative proposals of dual lifemates. However, why go after Cat? What could he hope to gain by harming her? I would still have to produce an heir for Gattonia, if not with Cat then with someone else," Zorroc stated.
Sycor blinked and asked, "What if you lifemated with Zana and then died without producing an heir?"
"Rule would go to Zana initially," Prolinc answered for his friend, "backed by her father, but, as an elder without a male heir, the rule would fall to another house almost immediately. So he would still have gained nothing, and I would venture that his male part no longer functions, so he could not produce one on his own."
"I could not help overhearing your discussion and would add my thoughts," Rosik suggested, sauntering into the room to stand beside Cat's unmoving form. "I was told you had a bit of excitement down here and having a current lack of pressing duties, decided to investigate. How are you feeling Dee?" he asked, never taking his gaze from Cat as he reached out to graze the back his fingers lightly across her abdomen as if to reassure himself of her bundle's safety. At Zorroc's sudden attention, he produced an unrepentant smirk.
"I'm okay, but shouldn't Cat be coming around by now?" she focused on Carpov and Angel.
"I have given her something to relax her, she should sleep for the next few hours," replied Carpov while checking Cat's vitals once again.
"How much did you overhear Rosik?" asked Prolinc.
"Enough to have formed my own theory," he retorted, smiling at the grim faces surrounding him. He continued. "What if Cat had been eliminated and Zorroc mated with Zana in addition to one of the other women or a female from a Lower House? And what if he produced an heir and then met with an unfortunate accident?"
Comprehension dawned on Zorroc's features and he ventured slowly. "The child, if born to a lower female or woman, could possibly be granted to Zana to raise. This would never happen with a child from Catarina because of her Gattonian blood and her connection to the High House of Tuk. So if custody transferred to Zana and something then happened to me the rule would fall to Zana followed by the child, both guided by the hand of Dyfainius," he finished to absolute silence. "Zazu, and we cannot prove any of it."
Zorroc stared at his sleeping mate and began to formulate a strategy. He stood and approached, smoothing her hair that made her resemble Methuselah more than his flame, in its current state. Zazu, he had missed her. While, initially, he believed that by denying their union, Cat would be better protected, a larger part of his reasoning condensed to his desire to free him from his manic fixation with her. Not only had this path failed to keep her safe, it had become the instrument of unrelenting torture for him. Zorroc dwelled in a self-imposed hell every minute he stayed away and clearly, it had done nothing to bank his raging desire. From now on, he would choose a different tack. If forever doomed to this obsession named Catarina, then he would rejoice in it until another time came. He would take her to his quarters and formalize their union as quickly as possible. He would halt all talk of duel matings and override Dyfainius and all current proposals put forth by him and his followers.
Zorroc would first thwart and then trap him. They would never again have the opportunity to get close to his mate. She belonged to him and he would hold her above all others. The knot that had been squeezing his life force from him for the past weeks began to ease. He would rest peacefully for the first time since the Miramid landed.
"Prolinc," Zorroc barked, startling the group. "Tonight take Rosik and interrogate the prisoners one at a time. We will let them stew for the moment to increase their wariness, as well as the one who sent them.
"You will be the intimidator while Rosik will act the facilitator; you know the information we require. By weeks end, I will have handled the High Council one way or another. All proposed legislation will be tabled permanently and my union with Cat announced and formalized. Then we will proceed to trap the viper. The Dargon connection remains a mystery we must solve at all costs. We will meet tomorrow after you have rested and discuss our next move and review what you discovered from the interrogation. It is past time to make my wishes known." All nodded in formal acknowledgement. Rosik, Sycor, and Bandoff quit the room without a backward glance leaving the others to observe the turn-about in their leader.
"Carpov, I will transport my mate to my quarters and will alert you when she wakes. Prolinc and Dee, you w
ill accompany me to assure no accidents occur on the way to my chambers and we will discuss protection for Cat from there." With that, he bent and gently scooped Catarina snugly into his arms and exited the compound.
As Cat rested, the three planned a web of protection around her and made further plans to trap Dyfainius. They agreed that Dee should accompany Prolinc for the 'good cop, bad cop' interrogation since she had been one of the injured parties. When the meeting concluded, Zorroc settled beside his mate drawing her onto him and sank into the first deep sleep he had known in over three months.
Dee was getting her first glimpse of the Prolinc everyone feared and respected. His countenance, though direct and controlled proved frightening for those same reasons. She almost pitied the guard in front of them who looked equal parts terrified and mutinous. Rosik slouched lazily in a chair off to the side feigning boredom.
After interrogating the team individually, it became clear they had no knowledge of questionable doings or political manipulations concerning the earth women or Cat specifically. They had been following simple straightforward orders to deliver selected women for pregnancy scans. They had been appalled when the Commander had pulled his weapon and fired on the women.
The Med-tech was harder to read. He admitted to orders directing him to examine certain females for carrying but remained reluctant to discuss further details pertaining to a detected pregnancy. After being divested of his clothing and placed in refrigeration for an hour, his memory improved and he admitted to a further directive pertaining specifically to the woman, Catarina. In the event she tested positive, she was to be detained and await further instructions from the High Council.
Now the Commander stood before them, the one that had fired on their women. "The others, under your command, have informed us that you were in charge of this mission and the one who fired on the two unarmed women. Your team has been most co-operative and we expect no less from you. Now, now enlighten us as to your precise orders, Commander Ryder," Prolinc requested with deadly calm.
"Nothing unusual, we were ordered to round up certain women who had not yet been tested for possible contraception in order to evaluate the success of the Leader's program of procreation. The woman, Catarina, appeared the first on our list that morning," he responded nervously, beads of moisture forming on his upper lip and forehead.
"How long have you been in charge of this program?" Rosik inquired, yawning loudly.
"It," he squeaked then cleared his throat and proceeded. "I received orders from the High Council to commence just this morning; that little she witch and her roommate resisted, so I proceeded to use what means required to assure compliance. I vow to you we did nothing contrary to the orders of the High Council."
Prolinc measured his words with precision and asked, "Are you aware of the identity of this little she witch?"
The Commander blanched that the words turned back on him held such menace. Why would they bother with one small insignificant whore? She was just an earth woman of no importance; one that he did not damage permanently nor any offspring she might have been carrying. Add to that the direct orders he had received, what possible problem could there be? Still, he sensed a trap about to be sprung. "She is no one of any possible worth, just an earth woman come to spread her legs to any and all who would take her."
The facilitator straightened in his chair while the Earth woman growled dangerously, only this time, he had no weapon to protect himself from her. Sweat now seeped into his collar. He waited, frozen into place by this unwarranted display of outrage.
Rosik stood and faced the prisoner, vibrating with the effort to hold himself in check. So much for the good cop, bad cop scenario, Dee surmised, because the good cop looked like the one ready to separate Ryder's head from the rest of him while the bad cop looked to be his only possible salvation. Dee sure wouldn't lift a finger in protest.
"What is the penalty for firing on the Divitta?" Rosik hissed.
"Death without hearing," Ryder rasped, clearly at the end of his tether. "But she cannot be the Divitta, Zana will be Divitta. All affiliated with the High Counsel have been informed of this although no formal announcement is expected until the end of moon tide." He licked his lips and continued, "You have been misinformed; the newcomers are nothing but vessels for our seed. She is but a low birth Earth female."
"She," he corrected both inside and out of the Commander's mind, "is daughter to Princess Nancia, of the House of Tuk and carrier of the next heir to Gattonia," Prolinc stated succinctly. "If your fire had endangered the Divitta or the child growing inside her you would already be dead; as it is…do you have any last words for yourself or your unit before you are terminated?"
A puddle formed at Ryder's feet but, other than that, he remained composed and resigned. Dee had seen enough; it was time to step in. "Of course there could be a way to save yourself and the others if you’re willing to swear fealty to the Divitta and Divo, above all others. Don't you agree Linc? Rosik?" It had been the plan all along to use him as a spy to get the proof they needed to snare Dyfainius and any others acting with him, but at the way the vibrations swirled, she thought it prudent to remind them of their intended goal. Dee watched as their two sets of eyes cleared of bloodlust and returned to the Commander, who obviously retained no loyalty, what-so-ever, toward Dyfainius after being set up for potential termination. Assured of Ryder's co-operation, he departed with new orders.
Chapter Seventeen
"Rocky, what are you doing with a female on top of you," Nadia whispered inquisitively, staring with unblinking amber eyes which closely matched Zorroc's own. "You said you would never bring a female to our private chambers until you had lifemated; and she looks nothing like Zana. She looks more like a midget with broken fire-hair," she concluded decisively.
Zorroc groaned and glanced up at the openly curious entity ogling his mate with relation to his prone form. Zorroc smiled inwardly at her description of Catarina's lengthy, unruly mass of auburn ringlets, which tended to expand and undulate with exposure to humidity or wind. It differed greatly from the straight, weighty manes specific to Gattonians. Their reaction to his mate's hair ranged from delighted wonder to repellant scrutiny. He, himself remained spellbound and fascinated by the vivid color, springy texture and the way it wrapped around his fingers naturally as if wanting to secure and hold him. He enjoyed brushing and playing with the spherical tresses, though he would never openly admit it. "Nadia, you will leave my chamber immediately without uttering another sound and meet me in the small salon in five minutes." As his sister moved to comment further, he cut her off with an authoritative growl and then watched as she exited with all speed.
He noted, not for the first time since returning home, that his sister had blossomed into a stunning young female. Her long limbs had grown from gangly awkwardness to reed like agility. She had turned into a beauty before his eyes. He wondered if Prolinc had noticed the changes and how it might further complicate his situation.
He eased Cat off and onto her side before covering her gently with a thick comforter. She looked younger than Nadia, cuddled so peacefully on his mat and his heart expanded when he thought of the precious cargo she housed.
Nadia tracked the movement of the changing Gattonian sky while trying to figure out this latest change in Zorroc. He had been restless, distant, and irascible since returning home; like a beastie finding itself caged for the first time. She had thought it merely a by-product of returning to his daily responsibilities after experiencing the relative freedom afforded him on his voyage that caused his discontent, but now she questioned that theory. She’d had ample time to study the two asleep and, as usual, her powers of observation held her in good stead. The soft cloud of hair covering the female's features revealed only a small contented smile. It looked similar to the half smile her tornika, Spooka, donned in the middle of a particularly satisfying dream, no doubt conquering the secret realm of the monzu. Her brother really tipped things, however. He held her possessively,
even in slumber like a rare prize he would never relinquish. He, too, looked contented and more relaxed than she had seen him since the Dargon attack. Zana would not be pleased.
In the fourteen months since the departure of her brother and Prolinc, Zana and Nadia had become fast friends. The first weeks after their departure left her feeling utterly bereft without the anchor of her family to fill her days. She had been deserted for the greater good of Gattonia. Zana swept into her life like a burst of swirling energy. She made everything fun and exciting and for the first time Nadia had a girlfriend to share time with. She had grown up almost exclusively in the company of her aunts, tutors and brothers. She had always considered Prolinc in the same light as Zorroc, and they both had coddled and spoiled her as only big brothers could. But Zana treated her as a grown up and a peer, filling her in on all the gossip of the High Council and courts and, of course, talking about the time when she and Zorroc would lifemate and they would become real sisters. Zana had confided that her father, in touch with a group of brilliant off- world scientists, were on the very brink of a cure for the Dargon virus and that she and Zorroc would be able to have as many offspring as they wished. Nadia had been sworn to secrecy on this though, because she wanted to surprise him. Even if the treatment failed, she assured Nadia, her father intended to fix it so Zorroc could have two lifemates and she would not have to be bothered with procreation at all. A female could lose her figure having offspring, she had confided, and she wanted to remain beautiful for Zorroc well after she took her rightful place at his side.
All this brought her back to the couple holding onto one another, forming what appeared to be one complete entelechy. Was she an Earth-mate as they were currently being coined? If so, why would he not choose Zana to be his first and this other one later? At her brother's determined footsteps, she could hear the answers striding her way.
