Discovery

by KD Jones

  “You’re not angry with me for claiming you without first asking permission?”

  “No, I think we were caught up in the moment. However, we do have a lot to talk about when this is all done with. Something as important as mating should not be rushed into without discussion.”

  “I agree.”

  She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. “It will be all right. I won’t take any chances but you must promise to be safe. I need you.”

  The Goddess knew how he cared about this female. Help me to keep her safe.

  *****

  Thirty minutes later their shuttle approached the Morinian transport ship. Teagan had moved from the copilot’s seat so that LemAN could sit next to the pilot, but he surprised her by sitting next to her instead and held her hand. She was still anxious, but knowing that he was there made her feel less nervous.

  The last time she encountered the Morins, she hadn’t had to actually face any of them. She knew what they looked like—sickly yellow, completely hairless, with creepy green eyes. That was the description she was given during the culture classes, and everyone she talked to told her the same thing. So when they finally landed, she was surprised to see through the viewing screen on board the shuttle people who looked more like the Katierans. The female facing the shuttle had long black hair pulled back in a tight braid.

  “Is that the commander you were talking about?”

  LemAN nodded. “Yes.”

  “She’s pretty.” Teagan felt a little jealous that LemAN was going to meet the exotic woman without her. LemAN was smoking hot and any girl would want him.

  He shrugged. “Yes, from this distance she appears that way.”

  That wasn’t exactly the reassurance she was looking for. “I guess you have to go.”

  As his crew started to leave the shuttle, his pilot opened the compartment that was emptied earlier to make room for him and Teagan. LemAN turned to take her in his arms and kiss her. “Stay hidden and safe.”

  “You, too.”

  He turned to look at the pilot. “At the first sign of trouble, you are to leave and get Teagan to safety. We have warships circling the area prepared to defend you. Do not hesitate and do not turn back once you leave.”

  “I will protect your mate at all costs, Commander.”

  Teagan wanted to protest that she was not leaving him, but she promised him she would abide by this plan. She eased into the compartment below and watched helplessly as LemAN closed the hatch. She took a moment to pray not only to her God but to LemAN’s as well. Please God, take care of him. Goddess KatieRI, you’ve blessed me with LemAN. Please keep him safe and bring him back to me.

  *****

  LemAN had to remind himself to stay focused as he came out of the shuttle. He couldn’t let himself think about Teagan or her safety, trusting that his pilot would protect her with his life. He felt the immediate tension in the air. Warriors surrounded them, some shorter in stature than his warriors, with helmets covering their faces. The crew he brought with him were all trained warriors as well as engineers and medics, but they were clearly outnumbered.

  He approached the female standing in front of her people, whose stature showed a commanding presence. “Commander Kayley?”

  She nodded. “Commander LemAN, welcome aboard the Renegade.”

  He pointed at the armed warriors. “You can tell your men to stand down. We are outnumbered and are no threat.”

  Commander Kayley motioned for her warriors to stand at ease. Many lifted the shields of their helmets, revealing that they were females. LemAN tried to hide his shock. Perhaps the commander did not lie after all.

  “Come with me. My leader would like to speak with you in private.”

  “My crew is here to assess the damages and offer assistance.”

  Kayley flagged someone over to her. “Lieutenant Roma, show the crew to the areas that were hit the worst.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Kayley motioned for LemAN to follow her. “This way.”

  They left the docking bay. LemAN looked around at the ship, clearly older than the ones he had seen recently. He would have to ask his crew about the computer system but he suspected that, too, was a problem.

  He was shown to what he assumed was a ready room. Sitting at the table were three people. Two were men in their seventies with bald heads, whose skin was tanned and wrinkled. The other was a female a little older that LemAN, probably in her fifties.

  Commander Kayley made the introductions. “This is Leader Lidia and our remaining council members, Choy and Vickti. This is the Katieran Commander LemAN.”

  He didn’t clasp forearms with them because he still did not know if they were his enemies. He nodded acknowledgement. “Choy, Vickti, and Leader Lidia. Excuse me for my surprise. I had no idea that any Morin females survived, so this has taken me off guard a bit.”

  Leader Lidia waved to a chair for him to sit in. He noticed that Commander Kayley chose to stand by the door. She might be a female but the way she carried herself and the gleam in her eyes made him realize she would be a strong adversary.

  “Thank you for coming to our aid. I understand your people have every reason to deny us assistance after what the Morins have done.”

  “Are you saying that you are a separate entity?”

  Vickti answered defensively. “We are nothing like them!”

  Leader Lidia glared at the older male. “He hasn’t accused us of doing anything wrong. He’s just asking for us to clarify how we are different. To answer your question, Commander, we are different from the Morins that you call your enemy. We did originate from the same home world.”

  “How so?” LemAN asked curiously.

  “Many decades ago, the Mori home world had three leaders. Two of the leaders, Barnin and Crusis, decided they wanted to conquer more worlds. Their view was to destroy anyone who could be a threat and enslave those who were considered nonthreatening. The third leader, Leader Orok, wanted to use their energies to save our dying planet. Our natural resources were almost nonexistent,” she said.

  “There was a fight between the three leaders over use of a viral agent. Many of our people had been used as test subjects with Barnin and Crusis’s approval. When Leader Orok discovered this, he knew that he had to take his people and leave. The home planet was nearly dead anyway. So he made secret plans. Our people were ushered in the middle of the night to several transports to take us from our home world and search for a new planet that would sustain life. Unfortunately, Barnin and Crusis’s warriors were waiting for us. Many died trying to make it to the transports. Out of five transports that held a couple of thousand each, two made it off the planet.”

  LemAN felt their loss as his own. The pain on their faces was clear. He didn’t sense any lie. “So there is another transport out there with your people?”

  Leader Lidia smiled sadly. “We sincerely hope so. For safety’s sake the two transports separated and went in different directions in hope that the Morins would not find them. Some of us were mere children when we left Mori. Others were born while en route to a new home. We have lived on three other planets in the last few decades.”

  “Why move around so much?” LemAN couldn’t help his suspicions.

  “The Morins, though I doubt Barnin and Crusis themselves still live, are still searching for us. They have found us time and time again, capturing some of our females and killing more of our males.”

  LemAN thought about what he was learning. Some of what they said made sense. “We had people captured by the Morins and told that there had been a few Morin females.”

  Leader Lidia nodded. “I hope that they did not suffer too greatly.”

  Silence fell as everyone in the room knew those women were probably dead or near death. Morins were not merciful to those who were not as strong who opposed them.

  “How did you find yourself on the other side of the wormhole?”

  Commander Kayley snorted. “By accident. We saw a battle tak
ing place and while no one was looking, we went through the wormhole. We even thought we found a planet that could sustain life that didn’t have anyone but lower level creatures inhabiting it. Just as we were trying to transport our people below, the Morins showed up and gave chase. We’ve been trying to go back through the wormhole but have been blocked at every turn. We have kept our distance from planets with intelligent life because we did not want to bring the Morins into their world.”

  “Besides fixing the ship, what else are you wanting?” LemAN asked, knowing there was more at stake.

  “Sanctuary. Help us find a place that our people can call home.”

  “I will have to discuss that with my leader.”

  “Of course. I understand. If you could try to get us an answer quickly that would be the best. My crew’s assessment of our ship is that it can maintain no more than three days’ travel before it dies.”

  LemAN stood up and nodded at them. “I will see what my crew can do for your ship and I’ll contact my leader.” He followed Commander Kayley out of the room, wondering what his leader was going to say to all this. Would he get approval to aid the enemy?

  Chapter 11

  Teagan kept trying to peek out of the storage space she was hiding in with the pilot. She was anxious to find out what was happening. Her hyperactive system was demanding she take some kind of action. Her foot tapped against the floor and her fingers itched to take something apart.

  “Patience, Teagan. He’s not going to return any faster,” Lt. BobET said as he used his digital tablet to check the security around the shuttle.

  She glanced at his tablet and noted about five warriors—female warriors—were keeping watch over the shuttle outside. “What do you think about all this?”

  Lt. BobET snorted. “About the female warriors or about our people helping the enemy?”

  She could hear the hate in his voice when he said the word enemy. “We don’t really know who these people are. We shouldn’t judge them so quickly.”

  “You’re a kind person, Teagan. You don’t know the harm that the Morins caused when they used a virus to try to kill us all off. Some of my family was nearly wiped out. Our people aren’t able to reproduce as we once did. Even the commander…”

  Teagan sat up straighter. “Even the commander what?”

  “I probably shouldn’t talk to you about that.”

  “Are you hinting about his previous mate and child?”

  “He told you what happened?”

  “That LoraLI died while giving birth and their young did not make it.” She knew this already. Why was he bringing it up? “LemAN told me all this.”

  “I just don’t see how he could aid someone who is responsible for his mate’s death.”

  “These people may not be the same as the original Morins. You need to keep an open mind about it.”

  “I don’t owe them anything but suspicion.”

  Some things she couldn’t fight or argue with, and one of those was prejudice. Only knowledge and a willingness to see the other person’s side could aid that.

  “Let’s not judge these people until we get to know them first.”

  Lt. BobET shrugged and turned away from her. She felt very uneasy with LemAN gone.

  “The commander is returning.”

  Teagan glanced at the tablet and sighed with relief at seeing LemAN’s image come up. She couldn’t tell what his expression was but he carried himself purposefully straight to the shuttle.

  Not waiting any longer, she shoved the hatch open and popped out just as LemAN entered. She rushed over and threw her arms around him. He returned her hug and patted her back reassuringly.

  “How did it go?”

  “Let us wait until the crew arrives with the report on the condition of the transport.”

  She listened as he spoke with Lt. BobET, wishing she could have a private moment alone with him. That would have to wait. The crew returned and boarded the shuttle. She sat back and watched LemAN in his element.

  *****

  “What have you found?” LemAN asked his crew.

  Lt. GeRY from engineering spoke first. “Sir, their thrusters are badly damaged. Even with adjustments it will only hold a few days.”

  Lt. RogER was next. “I also found that their rations and supplies are almost out. They will need to relocate to a planet that sustains them because their transport will eventually not be able to support life.”

  LemAN ran a hand through his hair. This was worse than even the Morinians told him. He would have to contact his leader and the leaders of their allies to see if anyone would want to offer sanctuary. He could also try to talk to Leader Toro. Perhaps, since it was the closest habitable planet, the Balar people would open up their homes.

  “Fix what you can and we’ll send supplies over. Also, have any of you seen the Morins on board?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Just keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”

  The pilot moved forward to speak, clearly not happy. “Commander.”

  “Yes, Lieutenant BobET?”

  “Why are we helping the enemy?”

  “These people are not our enemy at this time.”

  “But they’re Morins! They should all be dead!”

  LemAN glanced around at the rest of his crew. Some of them had the same expressions of hatred that BobET did. Then he looked over at Teagan who was hugging her arms around herself.

  “Just because someone is different from you does not mean that they are our enemy. Yes, they originally came from the home world that the Morins did, but they have been hunted for many, many years. Sometimes we have to give others a chance to prove themselves to us. I don’t expect your fear and anger to simply go away, but you have a duty. I expect you to push aside your personal feelings and do your job.”

  All the males nodded and mumbled, “Yes, Commander.”

  He waited for the crew to get what they needed to start work and leave the shuttle then turned his attention to the pilot.

  “Lieutenant BobET, is there anything else you want to say to me?”

  “I just don’t think we should help them. They made it this far alone; we should let them continue on without interference.”

  “Lieutenant, you heard what your fellow crew members said—these people will die. Also, the Morins are hunting them. We would be leaving females and young vulnerable to their attack. You, as a Katieran warrior and a male with pride, should not believe it’s okay to allow that to happen.”

  Many expressions raced over his face. LemAN could understand his reaction. He expected the leaders would also share the same mentality. He, out of anyone, should hold a grudge against anything Morin, but life taught him that females and young were precious and a gift and should be protected no matter what. It was what the Goddess would want him to do. He had to follow his conscience.

  Finally the lieutenant sighed. “I understand and will do my duty.”

  “I expect no less. Could you go out and check the outer shell of the shuttle before we head back to the Horizen?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  LemAN waited until he was completely alone with Teagan before pulling her back into his arms and kissing her. He inhaled her scent and felt some of the tension ease from his body.

  “Are you okay?” Teagan asked, laying her head against his chest.

  “I’m better now that I have you in my arms.” He pulled her with him as he moved to sit in a seat and had her sit down over his lap.

  “You look worried.” Teagan caressed his face with her fingers. Goddess, she was good for him.

  “I feel like the weight of responsibility for these Morinians, their lives, are in my hands. It’s a lot to handle. I don’t know how the leaders do this.”

  She kissed his lips softly and pressed her forehead against his. “There’s no one more qualified to handle this situation than you. What can I do to help?”

  He smiled. His mate was amazing and kind. He felt truly blessed to have her in his lif
e. “Nothing yet. First, I have to discuss with the prime leaders and see if I can get approval to further aid them and where we can take them.”

  “Why not back to Katiera?”

  “If Prime Leader RendEL agrees then that’s what we’ll do, but we already have problems with the purist rebels regarding bringing Earth females to our world.”

  “They will totally lose their minds over bringing what they consider the enemy to your home world.” Teagan finished his thought.

  “Yes.”

  There was silence as they both held each other. LemAN was grateful she understood that sometimes he just needed the quiet to work things out.

  The pilot returned and began startup procedures. LemAN took the copilot’s seat.

  “Why are we going back to the Horizen?” Teagan asked, taking a seat behind LemAN.

  “I need to contact the leaders and discuss with them the next step. I want to do that on our transport so that we can ensure a secure line.”

  Thirty minutes later they were back on board the Horizen. Before they got off the shuttle he addressed both Teagan and Lt. BobET.

  “Do not speak of what we found yet. I don’t want to draw tension among the crew.”

  “Aye aye, captain!” Teagan said, doing some kind of salute with her hand.

  “I’m not this captain.”

  She giggled. “It’s just a saying.”

  He glanced at Lt. BobET who shrugged that he didn’t get it either. His mate sometimes used humor when she was nervous. He could use a good laugh, though nothing at the moment seemed funny.

  They were greeted by curious crew members on the docking bay but no one discussed details. LemAN wanted nothing more than to go back to his quarters with Teagan and make love to her again, but he didn’t have time for that. She must have known what he was feeling.

  Teagan stopped and turned to him, leaning up on her toes. She kissed him and then released him. “Go do your conference call. The sooner you get your work done the sooner you can come home and make love to me.”

  Was she a mind reader? Did she know what she meant to him? “I will hurry. Are you going to be in my quarters or yours?”