Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)

by Stephanie West

  Riley sat on the floor, as the spaceship shimmied into orbit. Back home, she’d only been on an airplane once, and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. The M’s ship was thankfully a much smoother experience, if you could get past the freaky concept of being in outer space.

  Unbelievable, Riley thought as she stared at the stars through the giant dome overhead.

  The daunting view had gotten easier after being cooped up on the ship for a few days, but it was still awesome to witness.

  It’s beautiful really.

  Riley got up when the hull stopped vibrating, and headed toward the bridge. She and June had become well acquainted with the ship on their impromptu trip. The giant sphere was built like a wheel, with the domed loading bay in the center.

  Riley grabbed the frosted glass wall to steady herself, when the ship shook. She didn’t recall turbulence the last time they were in space.

  What the fuck?

  When sirens began a staccato whine, Riley knew something was very wrong. She started running toward the bridge, as another shock rocked the ship, sending her careening into the wall. Riley staggered to her feet and managed to make it to the control room, despite the rattling all around her.

  “Exo, please, let me in,” she yelled, as she banged on the opaque door. “Please open up.” She shifted anxiously from one foot to the other.

  Riley nearly had a heart attack when she heard a horrific screeching sound over the blaring siren. It sounded like metal being rent in two.

  “Exo,” she frantically yelled, as she banged harder on the thick glass door.

  The portal slid open to reveal Exo. His large pale eyes were impossibly wide as he pulled her into the control room, then resealed the door.

  “What are you doing here?” Exo warbled nervously.

  “It’s a long story. What is going on?”

  “We’re under attack.”

  Riley knew the situation was bad before she asked. She’d never seen the pale bald man sweat before. But she hadn’t expected Exo to say they were under attack. She thought maybe there was a malfunction or something.

  Her eyes swung to the large screen at the front of the control room. A wedge-shaped vessel was attached to the hull of the M’s ship, like a giant metal leech. Riley had to lock her knees to keep from buckling.

  “What are they doing?”

  “Cutting into the hull,” Exo replied as he went to a compartment, and pulled out a weapon.

  “Fuck. What are we going to do?”

  “I’m going to erase our database, so the flesh merchants don’t learn the location of our colony.”

  “Flesh merchants!”

  We’re under attack by flesh merchants! What in fuck’s sake? Can things seriously get any more fucked up? Nope this can’t be happening.

  “Riley!” Exo yelled.

  “What?”

  She snapped out of her downward spiral, and turned her wide eyes away from the view on the screen. Riley looked at Exo wondering how he recalled her name out of all the human colonists.

  It’s the purple hair and tattoos, Kreskin.

  “Riley, your necklace is one of your people’s storage chips, correct?”

  Riley nodded.

  The Miran Sona had been kind enough to let her listen to some of the music she had on the jump drive pendant. She’d even been able to show her photographs to June. Anyone who had been taken with personal items, got to keep and use them. The M’s were cool like that, despite being kidnappers.

  “May I have it, please.” Exo reached out his four-fingered hand.

  She didn’t hesitate to hand the pendant over.

  “What are you going to do?” Riley asked, as Exo placed it on a beige circular pad atop the console.

  “I’m going to load our navigation chart onto your storage chip.”

  “Uh, Exo, I don’t know if there’s that much room on it. And if you discovered it was a memory drive, won’t the flesh merchants figure it out too?”

  “Space is not a concern. The Jurou Biljana may discover the storage chip, if they manage to breach the control room. As a precaution, I will hide the chart among one of your many files, and encrypt the data, so it can’t be copied off the charm without becoming corrupted,” Exo explained as he brought up a long list of files she stored on the drive.

  “Um, okay.”

  “Pick one of these files.”

  “That one.” Riley pointed to the Leonard Cohen song. “Hide it in Hallelujah.” It seemed an appropriate choice, if they made it out of this.

  “Good.”

  With a swipe of Exo’s hand, Riley watched a bunch of symbols scroll across the screen. It seemed like forever before Exo handed the drive back to her. With quivering fingers, Riley secured the pendant around her neck. She couldn’t believe he was letting her hold onto it.

  Shit. Don’t fuck this up.

  “We should’ve found a way to fortify our vessels against these people, after the attack on Cila and Zer,” Exo babbled to himself as he typed on the console.

  Riley observed the screen with mounting horror. The image showed the interior of the central loading bay. There was now a gaping hole in the floor.

  Oh, sweet mother of god.

  The creatures spilling into the loading bay reminded Riley of a television series, where the people would shed their skin, to reveal a frightening green reptile beneath.

  “Exo, you need to hurry.”

  Riley shook in abject terror as she watched the flesh merchants board the ship. There was no way they could repel the horde of giant reptiles. Riley was more frightened than when she learned she was going to prison. This shit, made that event look like a walk in the park.

  “Stay behind me,” Exo warbled, as he pointed the alien gun at the sealed bridge door.

  If it was possible, Exo was paler than normal, and his voice shook more than its usual twitter.

  Those freaks cut through the belly of the ship, and they’re packing serious heat. We’re so fucked. What the hell is Exo going to do with a single gun? Riley’s eyes darted from the door to the display screen, then back again.

  “Don’t lose that charm around your neck,” Exo reminded her. “I almost have the vessel’s database erased. Just a moment more.”

  Riley gripped her necklace. She wasn’t a rocket scientist, like her friend June, but she knew how imperative it was to hold onto it.

  “I know. You don’t have to explain it to me again,” Riley replied. Her voice was a bit more caustic than intended. “The scaly dudes can’t know the location of New Earth. I got it.”

  “But, if we make it out of this, it’s our only hope to find home,” Exo stated morosely.

  If we make it out of this, it’s our only hope to find home, Riley parroted.

  “Home,” Riley snorted hysterically.

  To think, the New Earth colony had become her home, and she was grasping the only hope to return there. Up to this point, life had been one cruel joke after another. That seemed to be her lot. It was really starting to piss her off.

  “Fucking bullshit,” Riley cursed fate in disgust. “You know what, fine, bring it on!”

  It was long past time she took the bull by the horns.

  “Can’t we call the planet full of demons or something?” Riley asked.

  “I sent a distress signal, but it won’t reach them in time.”

  “Just great.” Riley hugged herself.

  “No, it’s not great,” Exo replied.

  “That was sarcasm.”

  The sound at the door made Riley jump. The doors rattled again, and she nearly collapsed.

  “The scaly bastards are trying to break in. I hope you’re done.” Riley had a hard time speaking over the lump in her throat.

  “I am.” Exo pointed his gun at the doors.

  He fired when the door cracked open. Exo’s aim was dead on, but you can’t hit someone who’s not there. Riley frowned in confusion, wondering what the scaly creatures were up to. She coughed when a noxious smell g
reeted her.

  “I need to vent,” Exo choked, then collapsed before he finished his sentence.

  Sweet mother of god, Riley cried out silently, as she slumped to the floor.

  She fought to stay conscious. Being knocked out, was really starting to get old. But no amount of struggle held back the encroaching darkness. As her mind drifted into oblivion, Riley wondered where she’d wake up next, if she woke up at all.

  Cyprian de Praefectus

  Cyprian crouched on the tarmac, aimed, then fired at Ashtoret, his friend, and fellow warrior. The general’s shot intentionally went wide, but it looked good for any of the smugglers that happened to be watching him.

  A lot had happened in the last few weeks, to lead up to this confrontation on the airstrip. When Cyprian started this mission, he expected to discover a small faction of disgruntled dissidents had been abducting the Toufik. Ever since Daimio Kagan freed the hairy citizens, there had been a portion of Cadi who were up in arms. It was only a matter of time before something like this occurred. But when a dozen missing Toufik, turned into over a hundred, they knew they had a serious problem.

  If that mess wasn’t enough, a distress beacon was received from Exo. They’d only been able to make out two words; Jurou Biljana. It wasn’t a coincidence the vile reptiles were lurking in their solar system, at the same time the Toufik went missing. So now he wasn’t just rescuing the Toufik, but Exo, a human stowaway named Riley, and the Miran Sona vessel. That’s how Cyprian found himself playing the part of a traitor, fighting opposite his friends.

  The sudden explosion that rocked the hangar, sent Mave and his cohorts scattering. Cyprian hit the ground to avoid flying shrapnel.

  “What the torment?” Mave bellowed over the din.

  “Son of a metcor,” Cyprian cursed.

  June hinted to steer clear of the transports, but sweet mother of creation. The last thing he expected was a goddess damned explosion.

  “Take care of these bastards,” Mave yelled to his fellow smugglers, as he wildly gestured toward Ashtoret. “And someone get into that hangar, and figure out what’s going on.”

  June, Tytus’ new and unexpected human mate, was trouble. This confirmed it. The general could only imagine how human females were reared on Earth, to produce such aggressive little creatures. Yet all three of the humans he met thus far were spirited. Providence had even been a member of the Earth military. Cyprian wouldn’t mind a race of female warriors so much, if it weren’t for the fact the humans were so delicate. Their bold antics were enough to give a seasoned warrior a heart attack.

  Cyprian looked at the carnage and smirked. Twisted metal was all that remained of the rota and supply wagons at the front of the hangar. Fire and smoke billowed from the wreckage. The general had no idea what June did to cause the explosion, but it was impressive. It not only distracted the smugglers, but was proving to be an effective barrier. Hopefully it would give Tytus enough time to commandeer the smuggler’s cruiser, filled with abducted Toufik.

  The general shook his head, and turned back to the battle raging on the tarmac. Cyprian fired at Ashtoret, and the males he brought to the airstrip. It was difficult fighting, without actually fighting. He was used to hitting what he aimed for.

  The roar of the cruiser engine captured his attention. Cyprian glanced at the hangar, as the large vessel parted the smoke and emerged. The general knew Tytus was at the helm, when the cruiser pointed its weapons on the smugglers. However, Bohdan’s dead body falling to the tarmac clinched it.

  Cyprian ducked, avoiding a shot that came from the cruiser hovering overhead.

  Dammit, Tytus, that was close!

  Cyprian knew Ashtoret and Tytus were attempting to bolster his cover, but that parting shot made his hair stand on end.

  Ashtoret took the first opportunity to evacuate, now that Tytus was providing cover with the stolen cruiser’s disrupters. Cyprian relaxed as he watched his fellow warrior’s escape unscathed. He quickly schooled his features, so Gio wouldn’t see his amusement.

  “Should we follow them?” Gio asked.

  The young smuggler had clearly gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd.

  “If you want to end up like Bohdan over there, go ahead,” Cyprian replied as he gestured to the mangled body on the tarmac.

  Cyprian stood to his full height and assessed the casualties, then strode over to Vintor.

  “This went better than expected,” Vintor said, after making sure they were alone.

  “It did. Our cover is still intact, and we don’t have to worry about freeing June, or the Toufik, the idiots recently abducted.”

  There were still another seventy Toufik missing, but at least it wasn’t twice that number. Cyprian was glad his hairy friend Thunder had just been liberated. The male and his clan had been willing to act as Cyprian’s captives, so he and Vintor could infiltrate the band of smugglers. The last thing the general wanted, was for the clan to actually be abducted.

  “And the smugglers are down one cruiser.” Vintor cast Cyprian an ornery smile. “It looks like Mave survived. That’s good. I guess,” Vintor added flatly.

  “His time will come.” Cyprian clapped his coconspirator on the back. “We’d have a difficult time learning where the rest of the Toufik, human, and Exo are being held, if Mave got his head blown off.”

  “True. I guess we better meet up with the band of bastards.”

  Cyprian pasted on his best pissed rogue general face, as he and Vintor joined the group of smugglers. The confusion on Mave’s face was satisfying. Cyprian planned to twist the knife further.

  “So, I lost my chattel because your males robbed the province refugee camp along with a large plantation nearby,” Cyprian growled at Mave, not even pausing for pleasantries, as he confronted the leader.

  “At least you didn’t lose your cruiser. If Bohdan wasn’t dead on the tarmac, I’d let you watch me gut him,” Mave roared, blaming the dead smuggler for leading Ashtoret to the airstrip.

  “Let me tell you how this is going to go.” Cyprian stepped into Mave’s personal space. “I’m going to do you the honor of loaning you my ship. And in return for my generosity, you are going to take me to the auction, where you’ll pay me twice the value of the Toufik I lost. If I’m satisfied with what I find, we can move forward with this partnership.”

  “And if I say no?” Mave snarled. The male had been annoyingly tight lipped about his operation.

  “No problem. I’m sure the exceedingly honorable Jurou Biljana will wait in orbit with your first shipment of Toufik, while you find another vessel,” Cyprian remarked sarcastically, as he turned and started walking away with Vintor.

  The silence was palpable for those few steps. Mave was no doubt surprised Cyprian knew who was behind part of this plot.

  “We leave in an hour,” Mave growled.

  A cocky smile spread across Cyprian’s face. He held up his hand in acknowledgement to Mave, as he and Vintor continued toward their cruiser.

  “Looks like we’re going off-world,” Vintor commented. “You up for the challenge?”

  “Challenge? All we have to do is sabotage the Toufik auction, steal back a Miran Sona ship, and find a missing human,” Cyprian chuckled.

  “Yeah, it’ll be good to see a bit of action again,” Vintor grinned back.

  Chapter 2. Welcome to Distraho

  Riley

  Riley jerked awake, but couldn’t move an inch. Where some people awoke all discombobulated, she had always been instantly lucid. Riley clearly remembered the flesh merchants attacking the M’s ship.

  Where am I? Riley wondered as panic ensued.

  She froze, the second she heard a foreign voice nearby.

  “As you can see, your merchandise is fine. The female is waking,” the garbled voice said.

  “When will she be up for auction?” A different voice asked.

  “Auction, my ass,” Riley growled, as she opened her eyes, and tried to focus them in the bright light.

  Showing o
ff her surly attitude probably wasn’t the best idea, since she was strapped to a table. Riley was so incredibly angry, it just popped out. Never in her life had she felt this level of rage. Riley could feel the acrid emotion burning through her veins. It felt like a living thing crawling beneath her skin. Riley doubted she could prevent the reptiles from auctioning her off, but she refused to go quietly.

  “It appears the language implant is working,” the first voice replied with its strange wavering intonation.

  Riley’s eyes swung to the speaker. It wasn’t one of the reptilian pirates. The creature looked more like an octopus, with a bulbous head and a beak for a mouth. It’s billowy, bald head was covered in iridescent spherical markings, that shifted from yellow to blue. But it was the creature’s eyes that freaked her out more than anything else. The pupils were an unnerving sideways figure eight shape.

  The walking, talking cuttlefish said they gave you a language implant. What the hell else did they do while you were knocked out? Focus, scatter brain.

  Riley looked down at herself. She was buck naked, strapped to a freaking exam table. Riley took stock of all her parts. Everything was intact, but it felt like every inch of her had been worked over.

  “Let me go, you bastards,” she yelled as she futilely began to struggle against her restraints.

  “You said you gave the female the mood moderator, to control these violent outbursts,” the reptile hissed. “We told you these beings are aggressive, despite their size.”

  Riley looked past Cuttles to see two of the reptiles. She stared menacingly into the speaker’s beady yellow eyes.

  “Release me and I’ll show you aggressive,” she taunted.

  What the hell is wrong with you? Keep your damn mouth shut, Riley railed at herself.

  She should’ve been paralyzed in fear, but Riley couldn’t get past her seething anger at the fucked-up twist her life had taken. This was leaps and bounds worse than when she’d woken up in the New Earth colony.

  “It would seem the mood moderator is having an unexpected effect. The female is responding adversely to the hormones being released,” Cuttles replied to the overgrown iguana.