Enforcer (Battle Born Book 11)

by Cyndi Friberg

  Kage finally glanced back, apparently unsure if Royce had followed or not. Royce spotted the Rodyte’s smug grin and wanted to punch him right in the face. The bastard had been treating him like a bothersome child ever since he bio-streamed onto the ship.

  “The Evonti can provide us with more ships and better weapons.” Royce waited until Kage faced him to continue. Though the overlord’s rugged features revealed nothing, challenge gleamed in his dark eyes. “Stop acting like you’re doing us a favor with this alliance. We have other options. Do you?”

  For a long, tense moment, Kage just stared at him. “If it were up to me, I’d leave this star system and find an uninhabited world to conquer. My men, however, are obsessed with releasing their magic before we depart. Unfortunately, that priority led me to you.”

  Rather than being insulted by the comment, Royce went on the attack. The Outcasts respected strength. Politeness would accomplish nothing. “Forget about what your men want for a moment. Will your abilities still work on a primitive world?” Kage was a technomage. His body was filled with integrated technology that allowed him to mimic paranormal abilities. “Won’t your implants eventually run out of power?”

  “I agreed to give you a tour of my ship, not myself.” He sounded annoyed, but the faintest hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Shall we?” He turned abruptly and continued down the corridor.

  At least he’d made it clear that Royce was to follow. That was a small improvement.

  None of the doors were marked. Apparently Rodytes knew where things were or they had a way of navigating that Royce couldn’t perceive. He knew they could communicate with each other and with the ship via implanted technology. Maybe the computer sent directions straight to their minds.

  The door to the control center looked like all the others. Kage stalked across the large open space, clearly at home in the orderly environment. Work stations lined the walls and a large hub of activity seemed centered around the station in the middle of the room. Six crewmembers faced each other, interacting with the holo-display projected in the space between them. A massive screen covered the front wall and curved to each side, providing a stunning view of Earth. The ship was in orbit above the planet, yet according to Kage, not even other Rodytes could detect them.

  “How many of the rebel ships have covert shields like yours?”

  “I’m not sure.” Kage stood to one side of the central hub facing the main viewscreen. “Ten percent of the fleet had been retrofitted last time we intercepted a report. But that was months ago. The percentage could be much higher by now.”

  Royce let his gaze wander around the room. Kage was right. He could barely comprehend what these people were doing. He knew enough about ships to know one of the stations must be navigation, another communications or tactical, but he had no way of guessing which officer performed which task.

  “Then you have no way of knowing how many ships the battle born have brought to this star system?”

  Kage locked his hands behind his back and faced Royce. “It’s irrelevant. The Triumphant is here, which means Solar Warden has zero chance of overthrowing the battle born.”

  “What is the Triumphant?”

  “It’s a mobile base. Think of Earth’s largest aircraft carrier multiplied by several hundred. It has eight flight decks with hundreds of fighters ready to launch in a matter of minutes.”

  Royce was stunned. His ships had been patrolling the solar system. How could they have missed something this significant? “This mobile base is here now? How have we missed it?”

  Kage chuckled and turned back to the screen. “This solar system would be impossible to adequately patrol with all of my ships. You have, what nineteen, at your disposal? Your random patrols are pointless. Every ship in their fleet can be undetectable to your ships when they want to be. Evonti technology isn’t as sophisticated as they want you to believe.”

  The boast arched Royce’s eyebrows. If it weren’t for the Evonti, humans would never have left Earth. Well, not in his lifetime at least. “Can Rodytes terraform planets?”

  Kage shot him an impatient look. “I’m not convinced the Evonti can either. I think they discovered the cave, just like we did, and took credit for it to impress your superiors.”

  Royce knew it wasn’t true. The Evonti had demonstrated their ability to transform barren wastelands into lush inhabitable ecosystems. He didn’t volunteer the information, however. He’d reveal what he knew if and when the knowledge became useful.

  The Relentless rounded the planet and the moon came into view at the far corner of the display. Lunar Nine, the Rodyte outpost hidden on the dark side, was his primary concern, his objective. The battle born were now entrenched there. They set up a headquarters and reopened a spaceport that had been abandoned decades before. They came and went as they pleased, utterly indifferent to the opinions and demands of human governments.

  “So if driving them off the moon isn’t an option, what do you suggest?” Royce hated to admit it but Kage clearly knew more about the battle born than Solar Warden had been able to learn.

  “You’re vastly outnumbered and outgunned.” The overlord’s tone was conversational. He was stating facts, not trying to provoke as he’d been earlier. “Your only hope is strategic ambush. Catch them unaware and annoy the hells out of them.”

  Royce understood the concept, but he had to be more than an annoyance if he hoped to gain any ground in this battle of wills. “You know them better than I do.” The admission brought Kage’s head around and his gaze appeared less hostile. “What specifically will ‘annoy the hells’ out of the rebels?”

  Kage gazed past him for a moment, likely gathering his thoughts. “The battle born can’t think outside the box, creativity and individual thought are literally beaten out of them. Everything is regimented, scheduled, orderly. Disrupt their routines, attack supply runs and intercept communications. But avoid any real loss of life. Don’t give them a reason to launch a full-scale attack. Earth won’t survive if they do.”

  “Death by a thousand cuts?”

  “Exactly.” A cruel smile parted Kage’s lips.

  Royce shivered, making a mental note never to piss off the overlord.

  “If you make the day-to-day operation of Lunar Nine all but impossible, they might reopen negotiations. It’s really you’re only hope.”

  Royce nodded, his mind rushing on ahead as he sorted through possibilities.

  * * * * *

  The cabin Alyssa shared with Kelsey was small and utilitarian, with two narrow bunks, a shared corner desk, and a tiny bathroom. Kelsey made a beeline for the terminal inset in the desktop. Alyssa crossed to the large viewport centered on the wall between the bunks.

  “Nothing yet,” Kelsey announced.

  Alyssa nodded then turned to the mesmerizing vista offered by the viewport. She’d been aboard the Fearless for almost three weeks and it was still hard to believe that the planet, with its familiar land masses and vivid blue oceans, was Earth. She’d applied to the transformation program hours after meeting with her father, but it had taken five miserable days to hear that she’d been approved.

  Then came the secretive procedure made necessary by Solar Warden’s threats. She was told to report to Denver International Airport and retrieve a message from the information desk. The message told her to check-in with a charter airline, but no one would reveal her destination. She was allowed one carryon bag and no electronics. After the flight attendant confiscated her cell phone, promising it would be mailed to her current address, the charter jet had flown her to Galveston, Texas, where a cab was waiting to take her to the port. A small tour boat carried her, and four other young women, to the middle of nowhere.

  It was only as Alyssa was “bio-streamed” onto an unseen spaceship that she understood what all the cloak-and-dagger nonsense had been about. Royce Marsden, leader of Solar Warden, had warned the battle born that taking any female from U.S. soil would be considered an act of war. So the
clever Rodytes guided their potential mates into international waters before removing them from the planet. And none of the females knew their destination until it was too late to warn Solar Warden, or anyone else. No doubt the port would be changed with each departure, keeping the U.S. military one step behind.

  Kelsey sighed with uncharacteristic impatience. Generally Kelsey was calm to the point of appearing cold and emotionless. “I feel like I’m back in college, waiting for test scores to go up on the board.”

  “And we both have to pass this test,” Alyssa muttered. They suspected that the common areas, perhaps even the cabins, were under continual surveillance, so they were careful what they said. They both knew they had genetic matches, but neither knew anything about the men they’d matched. “I really don’t want to go through this alone.”

  Kelsey shot her a warning look. “I promised your father we’d take care of each other. Either we both make it or neither of us goes.”

  “Agreed.” The exchange made sense within their cover story.

  Kelsey stilled and settled her assessing gaze on Alyssa’s face. “Are you having second thoughts about all this?”

  “I wasn’t until Indigo explained about scent marking.” She shivered, unable to stop the reaction.

  Moving closer to the viewport, Kelsey asked, “Are you a virgin?”

  “No.” Alyssa’s face flamed and her answer sounded too emphatic even in her own ears. “My experience with men is limited, but I’m not a virgin.” It was true, but the topic never failed to irritate. “When did it become shameful for a woman not to sleep around?”

  Kelsey laughed as she held up both hands, palms out. “Don’t bite my head off, princess. It was just a question.”

  “No it wasn’t.” She turned back to the viewport and crossed her arms. “It was an accusation. Even my father acts like there’s something wrong with me because I haven’t had a hundred lovers by now.”

  “It wasn’t my intention to insult and I apologize if it came across that way.” Kelsey moved to the other side of the viewport, putting herself in Alyssa’s peripheral vision. “But if sex isn’t a problem for you, why does the idea of being marked by one of your potential mates make you so uncomfortable?”

  Shocked by the question, Alyssa looked at Kelsey. “You have no problem with getting naked with a man you barely know and letting him ‘touch and taste’ you until his scent covers your skin?” She fought back a moan as Dakar’s image appeared in her mind. Alyssa had slept with a grand total of two lovers. Both had been fellow hackers, highly intelligent, yet passive. In a word—beta. Battle born soldiers, like Dakar, were alpha, physical, aggressive. Dominant. Whoever she chose to mark her would do his best to seduce her, overwhelm her with pleasure and eventually claim her as his mate. She honestly couldn’t decide if she was horrified or titillated by the idea.

  “You never made out in the backseat of a car or got restless while watching a movie?” Challenge rippled through Kelsey’s question. “It’s a few kisses and some touching. No big deal.”

  “No. It’s part of the bonding process. There’s nothing casual about it.”

  Kelsey’s voice changed, hardened. “That’s why we’re here. If you can’t go through with it, you’re wasting our time, and theirs.”

  It was a none-too-subtle reminder that Alyssa’s hesitation was threatening the mission. “I have every intention of going through with it. You don’t need to worry about that.”

  Kelsey stared at her for a long, silent moment, clearly unconvinced. “I’m going to take a shower. If the results arrive, wait for me, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  A long sigh of frustration escaped Alyssa as Kelsey walked into the bathroom. Alyssa’s claim had been an outright lie for the benefit of whoever might be watching. Neither she nor Kelsey had any intention of bonding with a potential mate. Still, the Rodytes needed to believe they did. She needed to appear excited and intrigued by the possibilities. Kelsey was playing her part more convincingly than Alyssa.

  She hadn’t been sure what to expect when she arrived on the Fearless. She’d been half afraid they’d be thrown into a room with a bunch of horny soldiers who would fight over which female to claim. Instead the orientation had been structured and in-depth, offering detailed information, some of which she was anxious to share with her father.

  Much of the history had been familiar to Alyssa. She knew battle born children were the product of an abandoned war practice. Rodyte warriors no longer captured Bilarrian females hoping to breed offspring with magic abilities. But the stigma of being half Bilarrian still plagued the battle born. Bilarrians, with their obsessive focus on magic, were the enemy in a long and bloody civil war. No one allowed the battle born to forget they were nothing more than a means to an end, a failed experiment.

  It was hard not to empathize with the rebels. They were fighting for freedom and equality. They didn’t want wealth or political power, expected nothing to be handed to them. They simply wanted control over their own futures and the opportunity to succeed.

  Once it was known that she and Kelsey both had males to choose from, they would be subjected to a series of interviews. If they passed the interview process—which Alyssa was confident they would—they’d be taken to Lunar Nine. Visiting the outpost definitely appealed to Alyssa, but there was one mammoth hurdle obscuring her way before she would have the freedom needed to complete her mission. Unbound females must be escorted anywhere they went. The only way she’d be allowed to move freely about the outpost was if one of her potential mates marked her with his scent.

  The thought of being kissed and caressed by a battle born soldier was disturbing on multiple levels. Their harsh lives and brutality showed in every move they made. They were aggressive and intense, even when they were being polite. If she was alone with someone like Dakar—Dakar again. Why did her mind keep returning to Dakar?

  A distinct beep drew her attention to the workstation. They’d just received a message. She walked to the desk and verified that it was the promised test results then knocked on the bathroom door. “The results just arrived. Hurry up.”

  Kelsey emerged a few minutes later wrapped in a light blue bathrobe. Her auburn hair was damp, and curiosity made her light brown eyes shimmer like polished topaz. “Did you peek?”

  “No. I waited like I said I would.”

  “Then you can go first.”

  “Not a chance.” Alyssa made a face, then slipped back into her cover story. “If you don’t have matches, the rest is moot. I’m not doing this alone.”

  “Fine. Open mine.”

  Alyssa triggered the message addressed to Kelsey. It opened on the holo-display, a neat list of seven names. Three of the names were accented, appearing brighter than the rest.

  “Highlighted names indicate a compatibility index of ninety percent or greater,” Alyssa read the notation at the bottom of the display, then her gaze locked onto one of the highlighted names. “Holy shit. Jakkin Arvik. Did you know? Is this why you stopped him in the mess hall?”

  Kelsey shook her head, looking pensive and unsure for the first time since Alyssa met her. “I had no idea. I don’t know why I stopped him. It just sort of happened.”

  “You and the commander are genetically compatible.” Alyssa wasn’t sure why she felt the need to say it, but the fact slipped out. And his name was highlighted. They weren’t just compatible. They were almost a perfect match. Alyssa swallowed past the lump in her throat. None of this was real. They were playing roles and their actions would eventually lead to betrayal. Neither of them dare form an attachment with any of the battle born.

  “Open yours,” Kelsey urged.

  No longer sure she wanted to see, Alyssa hesitated. Did she really want to betray the rebels? If what they said was true, their cause was just. They were freedom fighters.

  Freedom fighters determined to steal our women. Her inner voice sounded just like her father. They’re invaders, deceivers. We can only guess at their true agenda. Now
get back to work!

  Alyssa released a quiet sigh and opened the message addressed to her. She only had three genetic matches, but two of the three were highlighted.

  “We still have to pass the interviews,” Kelsey reminded, “but I’m not nearly as worried about that as I was about this.”

  Alyssa barely heard her friend’s words because of the buzzing in her own ears. Both of her highlighted matches had the same last name. In fact, they were brothers, Sedrik and Dakar Lux. Her heart lurched and she looked at Kelsey. “You might have snared a commander, but I’ve matched a general.”

  Clearly surprised, Kelsey looked at the names again, then burst out laughing. “Way to go, princess. Daddy will be so proud.”

  * * * * *

  Dakar could barely contain his laughter. Fate had a wicked sense of humor. “Are you sure they didn’t know?”

  “The results were just released,” Jakkin insisted. “There is no way they could have known.”

  They had just arrived at Jakkin’s cabin when both were notified that their names were among the potential mates delivered to the human females. That both had made the list of potential mates was surprising. Then they realized they’d just been speaking with the very humans to which they’d been matched. Dakar found it extremely amusing, but Jakkin continued to scowl.

  “Is Kelsey your only match?” Dakar asked, hoping to lighten the commander’s mood.

  “No.” He groaned. “I’m compatible with Heather too. I’m sure I’ll be at the top of her list after threatening to throw her off the ship.”

  Dakar made a dismissive sound. He had no use for melodramatic females. “Kelsey was much more interesting anyway, if you ask me.”

  “What about you? Is Alyssa your only match?”

  “She is, but Lexie was compatible with my brothers as well as me. So it’s more than likely Alyssa is compatible with Sedrik, which means I don’t have a chance.”

  “You don’t know that. Lexie chose Kaden over Sedrik. Rank isn’t everything.”