A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  “You know something, Lobo, that was the tamest altercation ever,” she complained. “This world is going to be pretty boring if that’s all the angst I’m gonna get.”

  “Med-bot? Come into the living room please,” he said, still smirking.

  “What are you calling that thing for?”

  “You did say you wanted to end the suspense,” said Lobo, rubbing his hands together expectantly. “Besides, I’d just as soon dispense with all these distractions, wouldn’t you? I mean, if we just had a wedding, and I just carried you over the threshold, I’m thinking that right about now we should be starting with the honeymoon.”

  “You wanted my services, sir?” a med-bot inquired. The thing looked like it was some sort of a compact model.

  “I did,” he said, smiling. “Initiate full biological scan, female human, including gestation with gender identification, please.”

  The machine ran a little light down Maggie’s body as she stood gazing into Lobo’s eyes. “Temperature appears to be elevated. Pheromone count slightly elevated. All systems are functioning normally, and there are no obvious injuries. Gestation progressing normally, to include two female embryos, both in the same sack. Estimated gestation time elapsed is approximately seven days.”

  “Thank you, med-bot,” said Lobo, still watching Maggie’s face. “That will be all for now. Go away.”

  “Going away, sir,” it agreed.

  “Two girls,” said Lobo, reaching out to grasp Maggie’s hand and drawing her into his arms. “Well, that’s just great.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Maggie defensively, back up just enough to glare at him.

  “Well, you know how girls are, always wanting dolls and dresses and pretty things,” he said, his long-suffering sigh clearly feigned. “Why, by ten years from now I won’t be able to recognize this place, what with all the make-up and needlepoints taking over.”

  Maggie chuckled. “You are so funny, Lobo,” she told him, shaking her head.

  “Hey, no,” he insisted. “I’m being totally serious here.”

  “Sure you are,” she replied. “But now there’s just one more thing we need to do before we can call it a night. We should give Linnid a call and tell her too, right?”

  “What? And spoil the surprise?”

  *****

  Eight year old twins Aidy and Mina were pummeling their father Lobo’s shoulders playfully while their mother stood in the center of the garden facing a canvas. She held a paintbrush in one hand and an array of paints on a platter in the other, and she seemed very intent on what she was doing.

  “Come on, Mags, haven’t you finished with us yet?” Lobo complained. “If you take much longer I think I may just die, here. These two are much too rough.”

  “Don’t be such a big baby, Lobo, you know I wanted to get this finished up before we head out on the next flight, and there are only three days to go. Won’t it be nice to come back eight months from now and already find the masterpiece hanging over the mantel?”

  “Yeah, it might, if you could find any room there,” he said with a dry smirk. “There are only twenty others already blocking the space.”

  “So. I’m enjoying my hobby,” Maggie shrugged. “You’re always going on about me doing whatever makes me happy, right?”

  Lobo grinned broadly. “Yeah, you know it,” he said, nodding.

  “You promised to make me happy, too, Dad,” Aidy complained. “You said we’d get to go to the mall and buy a one gift each from you guys before we have to stay with Uncle Harbid again.”

  “And I meant it, too, my little grissop,” he chuckled. “Come on, Moms, ain’t it about time to wrap it up and go have some fun?”

  “Oh, all right,” Maggie grumbled. “I suppose it’s finally done.”

  She turned the canvas so they could see, and all three of them started laughing.

  “Mom, that’s not me!” Mina complained.

  “No, I think it’s me,” said Aidy.

  “Oh yeah, I guess so,” she agreed.

  “We can go to the store, but afterwards I think we should all stop by to see Grandpa Deeg before we head home,” Maggie said sternly.

  “Oh, no, Mom, he’s way too scary.”

  “Now, now, he’s not as bad as all that,” she grinned. “Don’t forget, I’ve got him wrapped around my little pinky.”

  “Do you think he has any candy?” asked Aidy hopefully.

  “I’m almost sure of it,” said Maggie.

  The twins cheered happily as they ran out the front gate and headed for the transport.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Maggie?” asked Lobo tiredly.

  Chuckling, she said, “Somehow, I don’t think you’re talking about our shopping trip, or the visit to your father.”

  “Oh no, baby, you know I’m not,” Lobo said, giving her a secret smile.

  “Well what are you talking about, then?”

  He laid his hand on top of the slight swell of her belly and rolled his eyes. “You know, sweetheart, it’s bad enough with two daughters piling on top of me while you indulge in your hobby. I’m really not looking forward to four!”

  “Lobo, my beloved bond-mate,” she said, grinning. “You can’t fool me, remember? I can feel just how happy you are.”

  A New Reason for Living

  An Intergalactic Romance Pt. 1

  T. J. Brandow

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

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  Chapter 1

  Donna Stevens looked at all of the recruits that stood on either side of her at the first meeting of the Intergalactic Defense Squad. She wasn’t so much sizing them up as wondering what all of their motives were. Hers was pure and simple: she craved revenge. In her large hazel eyes was a passion and empathy that transcended her intimidating manner and strength. She was statuesque and muscular, yet delicate and voluptuous. Much of the time, she kept her long, raven black hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore sparse comfortable clothes. For the first day in the defense squadron, she wore a tank top and shorts wanting nothing to retrain her movements.

  The male recruits had already begun to look her over. Two of the young men that kept looking at Donna and whispering to each other looked to her to be rookies from the uncertain expressions on their faces. Donna had given them something to distract themselves from the danger of the mission ahead of them. She rolled her eyes and went on to scan the others. There were two other women as well. One looked to be African with her large, beautiful afro and dark skin. The other was another white woman with short hair and a sullen expression.

  Donna was only there because she was hell bent on bringing a Remoir Warlord named Magetor Wrembor to justice for the slaughter of the 7900 Defense Squadron on sector 7. The 7900 Squadron included her father, Daniel Stevens who was gunned down by Wrembor’s most savage soldier, Commander Drendaur Frembor. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew that her destiny would take her places that few women ever went, even in 2078, to carry out a mission few women would want.

  “Good morning recruits. Now that we’ve gotten the niceties out of the way, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Sergeant Harris. From now one you do exactly as I tell you to until you are either terminated or discharged. We have one mission and one mission only: to hunt down and execute our targets and leave no trace of our presence. We will be stealthy and clean, but ruthless. You have been chosen because in one way or another you have demonstrated the qualities that we are looking for in a recruit. Your first mission will send you straight into the belly of the beast. We will overtake the space colony, Guanthan, where the Remoirs have recently gained control. This brings them only two solar systems away from the Milky Way; too close for comfort. Our jo
b is simple: take out the Remoir guard and their rulers there. Wrembor has put Commander Frembor in charge. For those of you who know anything about Frembor, you know that’s not a good thing.”

  Donna glared and clinched her fists at the sheer mention of Frembor’s name. Then, she scanned the rest of the room to see what aliens had been chosen to become part of the Defense Squadron. There was a male Lanthan with a tall, giraffe-like neck, orange skin and two long, tube-like eyes that protruded from either side of his bulbous head. Next to him was a type of alien that she didn’t recognize. He had large, broad shoulders and a handsome, resigned expression on his face. His muscular body was covered with fine, silky hair. This alien looked to be like an attractive slightly less hairy version of the big foot legend that she used to hear about as a child. His face looked almost human with large, blue eyes and full lips. Sensing he was being watched, he shifted his eyes towards Donna who quickly looked back at the sergeant.

  “Do I have one hundred percent of your attention, Private Stevens?” the sergeant asked.

  “Sir, yes sir!” Donna said prompting the two young men who’d been checking her out to giggle.

  “And you two, Privates Johnson and Densmore, don’t think I haven’t noticed how the two of you have been distracted. This isn’t an opportunity to hook up with someone. We are here for some serious training. If you can’t handle the fact that there are members of the opposite sex here, I suggest you leave now.”

  No one responded or made a move to get up.

  “Now if we can get back to the reason why we are all here. We will be training for two weeks to make sure that we are ready for what’s to come. The Remoir are savage fighters, and I am going to need you to be even more savage. If we hit them with the right combination of stealth and might, they will be defeated before they even know what’s happening. Officer Wilkins will show you to your barracks in just a few minutes, but don’t get too comfortable. As soon as the sun rises, your training begins,” Sergeant Harris said.

  Just then, a tall officer with a crew cut and beady eyes walked in.

  “I will show you to your barracks now. My name is Officer Wilkins,” he said in a serious manner.

  The assembled group rose to their feet. As the group filed out of the building, Donna could feel the young men’s eyes on her again. She was getting ready to turn around and say something, but the African woman beat her to it.

  “If you can’t treat us women with respect, you will have to deal with me, Kadija!” she said. The young men were obviously intimidated. The taller one, David Johnson spoke up.

  “Sorry, it’s just that the ass on that one is hard to ignore,” he said, prompting his friend, Ken to make a surprised face. Donna turned around and pushed David hard against the wall of the compound. He shot her an incredulous look and lurched at her, but Ken got between them.

  “Let it go, man,” Ken said.

  “Who do you think you are?” David asked her.

  “Someone who demands your respect!” she said. The hairy alien came out of the building at that moment and nodded at Donna. She nodded back.

  “Are you through?” Officer Wilkins asked them.

  “Yes sir!” David said.

  “Good! You need to save all of that aggression for the Remoirs. We can’t be fighting amongst ourselves. Is that understood?”

  “Crystal clear,” Donna said.

  “This way,” the officer said as he led them down a tree-lined path towards a large, concrete building near the main training compound. To Donna, the whole compound seemed primitive compared to the city of Nashville where she was from. The place was surrounded by woods and distinctly quiet by comparison. She didn’t miss the constant noise of hover cars and the constant comings and goings of the dense population there.

  Soon, the males entered their barracks.

  “Female recruits, wait here,” the officer said.

  The hairy creature turned as if to give a goodbye glance to the females as he walked into the concrete building. Unlike the looks the young men had been giving Donna, his seemed only polite and friendly.

  “What is he?” Donna wondered aloud.

  The short, blonde girl spoke up for the first time. “They are Barringes, a peaceful group of Earth allies that live on a forested planet two galaxies away.”

  “Why would they want to be a part of our this Defense Squad? I get why the Lanthan is here: the Remoirs just about destroyed their entire planet,” Donna stated.

  “Same reason as everyone else, I suppose. The Remoirs would bring the entire known universe under their control if they could. By the way, I’m Laura, she said with a slight smile.”

  “Donna,” she answered, shaking her hand. Donna liked Laura immediately. With her stocky frame, short hair and lack of make up, Donna could tell this was no girly girl.

  “So what brings you into the defense squad?” Donna asked.

  “My family lived at the space colony, Derinval on sector 7. Almost everyone I knew was either slaughtered or taken prisoner. I was only a little girl at the time, but after that I knew what my mission in life was.”

  “You lost someone at sector 7 too? My father died defending that very same colony,” Donna said. She liked Laura even more now.

  “Yes, my mother and father managed to survive, but my brothers died defending the colony,” Laura said.

  “We will make them pay for what they’ve taken from us,” Donna reassured her.

  Just then, Officer Wilkins came out of the barracks and began to wave to the women.

  “Follow me to your barracks, female recruits,” he said.

  “What about you, Kadija? What brings you here?” Donna asked.

  “I have lost family and friends to the Remoirs as well. My family is from Tanzania. My uncle served the United Federation Army that was attacked at the colony of Hemoran when I was very young,” she said with a proud look in her eye.

  “It seems we are all united in our hatred of them,” Laura says.

  “If I have my way, they will all be destroyed!” Kadija said in a commanding voice.

  “That’s the spirit!” Officer Wilkins said as they reached another nondescript concrete building some distance away.

  “Here are your sleeping quarters. Dinner is at zero eight hundred,” he said matter-of-factly and quickly disappeared.

  Donna bunked with Laura, taking the bottom bed. Laura climbed up into her bed and made herself comfortable. Donna put her hands behind her head and thought again about her life back in Nashville. Her mother had begged her not to go just before her departure, fearing that she could meet a similar fate to her father.

  “This is my destiny, mother. You know that,” Donna had insisted.

  “Just promise me that you will return home once your mission is accomplished. I lost your father, and I can’t bear the thought of losing you as well,” her mother, Patricia said between her tears.

  “I will, mother, I promise,” she said as she pulled away from her mother, held her by her shoulders, looking deeply into her mother’s eyes.

  Donna had paid for college by serving in the National Guard which she had received a lot of her initial training. Just after she was accepted at Vanderbilt University, a virtual letter came up on her communication screen from the Defense Squadron informing her of the mission that she’d been selected for. After that summons, her college ambitions were shelved for the time being. The opportunity to avenge her father wasn’t something that she could pass up. In fact, her obsession with revenge and the hurt she had experienced from the loss of her father had kept her from entering into any serious relationships. Subconsciously, she did not want to allow herself to get too close to anyone for fear of losing them. Many young men had tried to woo her to no avail.

  Just as Donna began to drift off to sleep, a loud bell rang, announcing that it was time for dinner. Donna, Kadija and Laura walked together to a series of buildings in the center of the compound that were also unadorned concrete structures. The mess hall reminded Don
na of the place where she went to summer camp many years ago. The whole training compound seemed like a remnant of the twenty-first century that was little touched by modern conveniences. Ken, David, and the Lanthan were already there sitting at a table. Donna and the other females sat at their own table when the women arrived. The Lanthan sipped his soup and seemed to have little interest in communicating with anyone else.

  “Where’s the Barringe?” Donna wondered aloud.

  “Do you always say what you’re thinking out loud?” Laura teased.

  “Sorry, it’s a bad habit of mine.”

  “I thought I saw him off in a field on our way over here,” Laura stated.

  The meal consisted of a stew of some kind. It had a rather loud smell, but went down easy enough when Donna tried to eat some.

  “Not as bad as my Aunt Clara’s Brunswick stew,” Donna said, making Kadija and Laura laugh.

  Chapter 2

  Donna walked home from school talking to her friend, Laney about the homework assignment that neither one of them wanted to do. As soon as she walked into the doorway of the modest, one-story hover house her family lived in on Baltimore Street, she saw a look on her mother’s face that she wouldn’t soon forget. Her mother’s jaw was trembling, and her face was stained with tears.

  “Donna dear, come here to me,” she spoke in a trembling voice.

  “What is it mother? What’s happened?” Donna asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

  “It’s your father, dear. Something’s happened in Sector 7. The Remoirs came and attacked your father’s squadron. He didn’t make it.” It took a moment for the news to sink in, but as soon as it did Donna could feel the blood drain from her face and the tears begin to flood her eyes. Then, like a loud alarm rang, tearing through the moment.