He was probably right, but it was going to drive her crazy until she found out. She’d never been good with surprises. Until she found out? Did that mean she’d decided to go?
“Who do I apply as?” she asked, heart starting to pound. “I presume you’ve built an alter ego for me.”
He shook his head. “I thought about it, but there’s nothing connecting you with Solar Warden or any of my other projects. Besides, being my daughter might help you get approved. The rebels are too stubborn to admit it right now, but they need the support of the U.S. Military. We’ve taken some creative liberties with your backstory, of course. I’ll give you a rundown of the changes.”
She felt her jaw start to drop and snapped it shut. ”The changes are already made? But I haven’t agreed to the mission yet.”
He shrugged. “If you refuse, I’ll have the changes undone.” He paused for a beat, then asked, “So, will you do it?”
She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. She had nothing of significance holding her back, she really wanted to see Lunar Nine, and she wouldn’t be facing the challenge alone. More importantly, an alien race couldn’t be allowed to do whatever they pleased. What did she have to lose?
Your life! her inner voice shouted.
Ignoring the unwanted warning, she said, “I will.”
Chapter One
Three weeks later…
Dakar Lux raised his glass of Bilarrian blood wine and smiled at each of his brothers in turn. They sat at a square table in a relatively quiet corner of Polaris, the newest addition to the restaurant district on Lunar Nine. Kaden, Dakar’s middle brother sat on his left, while Sedrik, who was second to the oldest sat on Dakar’s right. Governor Raylon Lasenger sat across from Dakar, looking grim and overly serious, as always.
“To General Sedrik Lux,” Dakar began, “may you know success in all your endeavors. We’re all proud of you.”
“Congratulations,” Kaden and Raylon chorused, then they all drained their glasses as Rodyte custom dictated.
A server quickly refilled their glasses then moved a short distance away. The Polaris was extremely busy tonight, but the manager had still ordered the server to focus entirely on their table. Because of Sedrik’s recent promotion, he had become a sort of celebrity and the manager was determined to provide for his every need. Dakar would have basked in the attention, but Sedrik seemed annoyed by it. Still, he was the first battle born officer in the history of Rodymia to earn the rank of general. People were bound to make a fuss.
“Have you settled into the Triumphant?” Raylon wanted to know.
It had only been three weeks since Sedrik was given command of the massive ship, but he’d been interim commander of the Undaunted, and they were sister ships. “Garin’s right,” Sedrik responded, “there are differences between the two.”
“So which do you prefer?” Kaden asked.
“There’s no comparison.” Sedrik smiled. “The Triumphant is mine.”
Dakar took a bite of fire-roasted cyatta and groaned in pleasure as the rich, layered flavor spread across his tongue. “Oh gods this is good. No wonder this place has a waiting list every night.”
Kaden chuckled. “They could serve barbequed cardboard and they’d have a waiting list. We’re all so sick of synthesized food that we’ll eat anything as long as it’s grown in the ground. There are still at least a thousand soldiers vying for each chair in every restaurant.”
Kaden had a point. It didn’t seem to matter how many restaurants, clubs and bars opened on the commerce tiers of Lunar Nine, they were instantly overwhelmed with enthusiastic customers. The bustling atmosphere of Polaris was the perfect example. Every table was full, and so many people waited for seating that the crowd spilled out into the walkway of tier three.
“That’s not likely to change in the near future,” Raylon told them. “I’ve put all merchant and entertainment applications on hold until we learn more about Solar Warden. I can’t risk inadvertently approving spies to set up shop on the commerce tiers.”
Sedrik nodded thoughtfully. “A wise precaution.”
The immediate support made Dakar smile. Sedrik and Raylon were always in agreement. They both had a strict, by-the-book mentality that left little room for compromise or creativity. Dakar, on the other hand, loved to bend rules without actually breaking them. He’d spent the majority of his adult life in code enforcement, so he understood the need for laws. Still, that didn’t keep him from finding unorthodox solutions to situations.
“Aren’t all the members of Solar Warden human?” Dakar hid his grin with a sip of Bilarrian blood wine. Because he was the youngest of the four Lux brothers, often the only way he could participate in a conversation was to take the opposite position. He’d grown rather good at provoking debates and arguments down through the years.
“Your point?” Sedrik narrowed his gaze, clearly recognizing Dakar’s contrary tendencies at work.
“As long as all the restaurateurs are nonhuman, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Have you forgotten about the Outcasts?” Raylon asked, his expression comically similar to Sedrik’s.
The question caught Dakar by surprise. Was it a clever deflection or had an important development not yet reached his ears? “What about them? I thought they’d backed off after Garin bought them off with the Relentless.”
“That ship was not a payoff,” Raylon snapped. “It was a calculated concession meant to—”
“He’s pushing your buttons,” Kaden warned. “Pissing people off is his idea of amusement.”
Suddenly Sedrik laughed and the tension melted from his stern features. “He’s right. Dakar has a twisted sense of humor.”
Raylon tossed back the rest of his g’haut and shuddered as the potent liquor burned its way to his stomach. “Do you know about the Outcasts or not?”
“Apparently not,” Dakar admitted. “Have they been misbehaving again?”
One of Raylon’s slashing brows arched. “You could say that. Kage struck some sort of deal with Royce Marsden.”
Shocked by the casual announcement, Dakar looked at his brothers. Clearly he was the only one at the table who hadn’t already known. “The Outcasts are working with Solar Warden?” Though Dakar had never met Colonel Royce Marsden, he’d heard all sorts of rumors about the human commander. Two weeks ago, Marsden confronted Vox, a Bilarrian mage and close ally to the battle born, telling him that any removal of human females from U.S. soil would be considered an act of war. “How in hells rings did that happen?”
Before Raylon could explain, Wade Yorak, Commander of the Fearless stormed up to their table. His craggy features were deeply flushed and fury burned in his dark eyes. He clasped his hands behind his back and faced Sedrik. “Sorry to interrupt, General Lux, but I’ve been chasing your shadow all day.”
Sedrik wiped his mouth before offering the agitated commander his full attention. “It wasn’t intentional, I assure you. It was just one of those days.”
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” Kaden asked. “This is a celebration.”
“I apologize, but it can’t wait. This will only take a moment.”
“What can I do for you?” A hint of impatience crept into Sedrik’s tone.
Wade Yorak was a friend of the family. They’d known him for decades. It was doubtful any other commander would have dared such an imposition. “I officially request reassignment, sir. It doesn’t have to be a command position. I don’t even care anymore. Just get me off that ship.”
The brothers exchanged surprised looks. The resolve in Yorak’s expression was shocking. He was a seasoned warrior with many years of command experience. What in creation had caused this urgency?
“What specifically is the problem?” Sedrik asked.
“I have a mate, so I know females can make males crazy. However, I had no idea that twenty-two females would utterly abolish anything resembling discipline. I’m a war dog, sir. I don’t have the patience, nor the skills, to deal with
what is going on aboard the Fearless. I respectfully ask that you transfer me before I do something we’ll all regret.”
“The fact that you have a mate is a primary reason why we chose your ship for the orientations,” Raylon reminded. “Is it possible things will settle down once the novelty wears off?”
“The novelty will never wear off. That’s part of the problem. In a week or so, this class of females will move on to Lunar Nine and a new class will arrive. New females, with new potential mates, and new flirtations. I’m old and set in my ways. I can’t throw the entire crew in the brig and I don’t deal well with chaos.”
Sedrik’s lips pressed into a disapproving line, but the sudden sparkle in his eyes told Dakar he was actually fighting back laughter.
“Who is your first officer?” Raylon asked. He was technically a civilian now, but he’d spent decades at the side of Apex General Garin Nox, so it was hard for him not to offer advice.
“Inshek Loax. He’s a solid second, but he’s young and inexperienced.”
Raylon accepted the information with a nod.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Sedrik asked. “The Harvest lost her commander two days ago. Supply runs aren’t glamourous, but they’re essential.”
“Supply runs will be paradise after what I’ve endured for the past three weeks. You can’t imagine how irrational—” He stopped himself and sighed. “I will collect my belongings immediately and report to the Harvest.” He started to leave, then paused and looked at Sedrik again. “Thank you, sir. I know this is an indulgence.”
Sedrik didn’t argue. They all knew it was true. “He’s our only battle born commander with a mate. I’m not sure I can trust an unbound male with the Fearless.”
“Zilor Nox has a mate,” Kaden pointed out.
“So do you,” Dakar countered just for fun.
Sedrik shook his head. “Garin wants Kaden aboard the Intrepid. He’s made that abundantly clear.”
“And what AG Nox wants, AG Nox gets.” Dakar muttered. Garin was a damn good soldier, but most worshiped him like a god. Dakar had basically grown up with the Nox brothers so he wasn’t quite so enamored.
“That’s one of the advantages of being an apex general,” Raylon told him. “Zilor is still in training. What about Koto Tarr?”
Again Sedrik shook his head. “He’s worked too hard to earn the respect of his crew. He stays on the Crusader.”
“What about Jakkin?” Kaden asked. “I’d hate to lose him, but he’s more than ready for command.”
Jakkin Arvik was Kaden’s first officer. Dakar didn’t know him well, but Jakkin’s reputation was impressive.
Sedrik nodded thoughtfully. “He has put in for every command position available, including the Harvest. I’ve never seen an officer more anxious for his own ship.” His gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at Kaden. “Does he have the right sort of temperament to deal with a situation so volatile it sent a war dog running for the hills?”
“I’ve never seen him rattled,” Kaden said. “In fact, he’s often the one calming me down.”
“You could make him interim commander,” Raylon suggested. “Use it as a sort of trial period.”
“That would leave Kaden without a first until I make the final decision.”
“I’m willing to give it a go, temporarily,” Kaden assured. “Jakkin deserves his own ship.”
Sedrik responded with another nod, clearly lost in thought.
Dakar smiled. The reaction was so Sedrik. He never made any decision without careful consideration. The conversation resumed and the mood lightened, but Dakar remained distracted. The twenty-two females that had utterly disrupted the Fearless would soon be headed to Lunar Nine. He needed to learn more about their behavior so he could better prepare for the promised chaos.
A lazy smile lifted one corner of his mouth. Or maybe, like all the affection-starved battle born soldiers, he was just desperate for a glimpse of the human females.
* * * * *
“Are the guards going to follow us around on Lunar Nine or will we finally have some freedom?”
Chelsea’s ever petulant tone made Alyssa want to smack her, but she’d been wondering the same thing for the past hour. She, and twenty-one other human females, had been aboard the Fearless for the past eighteen days and armed guards had shadowed their every move. She wasn’t sure if the commander didn’t trust them or if he didn’t trust his crew. Either way it was annoying.
Indigo, the most personable of their three instructors, tucked a strand of multicolored hair behind her ear as she explained, “That’s entirely up to you.” She sat on the table that served as a desk in their makeshift classroom. It had been obvious from the start that the ship wasn’t equipped for entertaining visitors. Everything was severe, functional, and militant. Indigo was the one exception. The other two instructors were soldiers and they delivered information with military precision. Indigo was the human mate of a battle born officer who had gone through the transformation program herself. She was lively and quick to laugh, with an outgoing personality that made it easier to pay attention. Her hair was bright blue with pink and green accents. Her clothing was always colorful with a touch of whimsy. Today she wore a full, ankle-length skirt and sleeveless top. The absent kicking of one of her legs billowed the skirt as she continued, “Unbound females must be protected, but guards are only one way of ensuring your safety. Another is a scent marking by one of your potential mates.”
Alyssa looked at Kelsey, her roommate-bodyguard, allowing her horror to show. “Scent marking? Do I even want to know how that’s accomplished?” She whispered the questions just loud enough to reach Kelsey’s ears.
“No, he won’t pee on you,” Indigo assured, apparently having heard Alyssa despite her quiet tone.
A chorus of groans, “Eww”, and “Disgusting” erupted, but Indigo just laughed.
“The Rodyte sense of smell is significantly more powerful than ours,” Indigo went on. “They can identify each other by scent. This is especially true with rivals. If a Rodyte male detects another’s scent on a compatible female, it makes him agitated and uncomfortable. In other words, he’ll leave you alone.”
“So how do they put their scent on us?” Chelsea sounded genuinely interested for a change. She was a pretty blonde with a curvy figure that was sure to please a potential mate. Still, Alyssa felt sorry for whoever ended up with her. She was bitchy, self-obsessed, and flirted with anyone who so much as looked at her. Alyssa was pretty sure faithfulness was not a priority in Chelsea’s life.
Indigo scooted off the desk and moved closer to her students. The women sat at tables facing the instructors. The tables had been arranged in three rows. “Unlike humans, Rodytes are not capable of producing offspring with just anyone. It requires genetic compatibility.”
“Is that true when they mate with Rodyte females?” one of the others asked.
“Yes. I thought it was just an evolutionary misstep, but I recently learned that it’s a side effect of genetic engineering that goes clear back to before they were driven out of Bilarri.”
Because Rodytes couldn’t control magic, they’d been driven off their homeworld and forced to settle on a primitive planet called Rodymia. Alyssa and Kelsey had already known much of the history before joining the program, but it was interesting to hear it from the battle born perspective.
“Anyway,” Indigo was saying, “when a genetically compatible couple encounters each other it triggers a physiological reaction called the pull. Scent alone will usually trigger the pull in the male, while the female generally requires taste and touch before she feels the attraction.”
“What does this have to do with scent marking?” Chelsea griped. “You already told us about the matching program.”
“It’s all part of the same process. Once compatibility is determined, the male can mark the female with his scent. The mark lasts for about a week and it will drive his rivals away, so he can have the female to himself.”
&nb
sp; “Are you avoiding the issue or do you just like to talk? How does he mark her?”
Chelsea’s rudeness made Alyssa’s palms itch. Someone really needed to teach that bitch some manners. Hoping to avoid attention, Kelsey and Alyssa always sat in the middle of the second row. Chelsea and Heather always sat in back, which put them in the middle of the pointless power struggle.
“With touch and taste.” Indigo’s smile and the mischief in her eyes made the rest obvious.
“So making out with a potential mate will put his scent on me?” Heather, Chelsea’s roommate and sycophant, used the same impatient tone.
“Her bitchiness is starting to rub off on you,” Kelsey warned without turning around.
“I heard that,” Chelsea snapped.
Kelsey did turn around then. She looked Chelsea in the eyes and said, “You were meant to, asshole. If I ran this ship, I’d have tossed you out the nearest airlock by now.”
Applause and laughter drowned out Chelsea’s response, but her glare promised retribution.
Ever the peacemaker, Indigo calmed everybody down. “Their attitude could use some work, but the questions are legitimate. And to answer yours, Heather, scent marking requires more than a few kisses. Scent is transferred skin to skin.”
“Ooh”s and more laughter followed and Alyssa shook her head. “I can’t wait until this is over.” The comment was meant for Kelsey, but she didn’t care who heard her. Her fellow females were exasperating. All of this might not seem so absurd if she wasn’t just going through the motions. Knowing it was only a mission kept her from taking any of it seriously. It also gave her a mild sense of superiority. She couldn’t imagine what sort of life these women had if they felt mating with an alien they’d only known for a matter of days was a better option.
“Are you sure they’ll stop with scent marking?” one of the women in the front row asked after the silliness subsided. “If I’m naked and in his bed, why wouldn’t he just claim me?”
Indigo moved in front of her before she answered. “The only thing stronger than the Rodyte sex drive is his sense of honor. You’re his mate. He hopes to spend the rest of his life with you. He’s not going to do anything you’re not ready for him to do.”
Enforcer (Battle Born Book 11) Page 2
