by T. J. Quinn
Taking a deep breath, Jax spoke, trying to keep to the major issues. “They fabricated some type of language program from your blood, imprinted on bacteria or something. Naturally, they gave it to me. It didn’t’ knock me out like it did you, but it’s been pretty hard on my system. They feed us, but nothing you would recognize as food. There are thousands of us slaves in the lowest level of the ship. They take us out when they need cheap expendable labor.”
“Are they working you to death? Acacia looks fine.”
Shaking his head, he responded. “They work us hard, food is tight, so I do extra chores for other slaves in return for extra things we need.”
“Shit, I’ve been down for a while. The two of you have been doing extra to get me well again, haven’t you?”
Jax swallowed thickly, refusing to look at the man who seemed to be everything he wasn’t. “There are only a few ways for a man like me to earn.” His mouth went dry before he could get the words out.
“Whoring is nothing to be ashamed of if it keeps you alive.”
Jax found his humor. Snorting a weak laugh, he pushed the words out. “Women are few and far between on these ships. The few there are, will not be interested in weak ass human men.”
Grinning, Nick flung back. “Speak for yourself.”
“Anyways, the men are pretty desperate for company.”
“Male whoring is a tough road for a man to hoe. If you got yourself a boyfriend, well that’s just fine by…”
Laughing, Jax shoved the ignorant man, “Shut the fuck up and let me get through this.”
“Yea, yea, there are lots of men and no women. Naturally, men are interested in getting some. Get on with the story before I fall asleep.”
“You know how we always wondered if there was intelligent life in space. Come to find out, there are lots of different species. So far, I’ve met about twelve different kinds of people, and two of them are single sex.” Holding up his hand when Nick opened his mouth, Jax explained. “They seriously don’t have males or females. They’re literally all one gender. There are several races where the men prefer other men and most of the other ones just swing all ways. The bottom line is none of the males are going without, so they ain’t gonna be interested in trading scarce resources for what they’re already getting for free.”
“That’s all fucking fascinating as shit, but can you cut to the damn chase. What do they value enough to trade?”
“You aren’t going to believe me, but I’m gonna tell you anyways.”
“Spit it out or so help me…”
“Blood. I’ve been trading blood, maybe a little too much.”
“You…say what? Repeat that please.”
“The most resilient and adaptable creatures on this vessel live off the blood of others.”
Nick immediately held his hand up to Jax’s forehead. “You don’t feel like you have a fever. How many fingers am I holding up?”
Staring at the man holding up three fingers like a moron, Jax shook his head. “I didn’t believe it either until I saw them feed. They bite you on the neck, just like we think of vampires.”
“And the bobble heads just let them wander around turning everyone else into creatures of the night? That does not make rational sense.”
“It’s not like that. They’re just a species of people who get their primary nutrition from drinking blood, like a tick or a mosquito. Only the Vampiere are really nice people. Hell, I’d describe them as shy even.”
“They call themselves the Vampiere?”
“Vampires are real, dude. I think we got the stories because some of them crash landed on Earth a really long time ago. How else would we know the name for them?”
Nick’s face scrunched up into a disapproving scowl. “Be honest, are you shitting me?”
Pulling up his sleeve, Jax showed him delicate bite marks from a recent session of feeding. “I have arrangements with a family to feed their little one. Kids drink from your wrist. Adults drink from your neck. Don’t ask why, because I honestly don’t know.”
Nick muttered thoughtfully. “I guess that isn’t so fantastical. You look anemic.”
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”
“Twice as long as you thought you could, cause I’m on the job with you now.”
“Like you’re gonna let a vamp drink from your body. That’s seen as a sign of weakness here.”
“Think I give two hoots in hell what they think? For me, this about us sucking it up and saving Earth. If I have to save our goddamn planet with a little vampire attached to my wrist, then that’s what I’m goddamned doing.”
“I can’t see us being able to save Earth. You don’t know what their weapons can do. That last planet they took was a hundred times more advanced than Earth. They had a defensive shield around the entire planet and thousands of space fighters. Taron just blasted right through all of it. These fuckers don’t invent anything themselves. They steal technology from every world they conquer, growing stronger and more unstoppable with each attack. How can anyone compete with that?”
“Oh, we’re going to kick their asses alright, ‘cause Earth has something no other planet did. They’ve got us. You and I are going to make all the difference.”
“Yeah hero, whatever you say.”
“I can’t do this alone, Jax. We have to do it together.”
“I thought, I was just some slimy good for nothing gun runner.”
Mimicking Jax’s former outrage at being called a gun runner, Nick spat his own words back at him. “You were an arms dealer. There’s a damn difference, you know.”
“Whatever, man. I’m gonna get some sleep.”
Grabbing Jax’s arm, Nick jerked him back down. “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but we need to be on the same page. Back on the boat…”
“It was a goddamn yacht, not a boat.”
“Whatever. Look, when I stunned you and tried to call for a pickup, they told me your yacht had jumped into the future because of some malfunction with the alien ship.”
Jax sank back down into his former position, as shock ripped through his chest. “Shit, that actually makes more sense than you know. I heard each ship has a crazy pilot and they use some type of mutagenic substance to move the ship through time and space. They were complaining about some unauthorized jump when we came on board. The big heads were the most freaked out that I’ve ever seen them.”
“Well, I spoke to a guy from over a thousand years in the future, and he said you and I are in their history books. They called us legends, ‘cause we pulled together, stayed strong, and gathered up enough intel on the big blue bastards to turn the tide of war. I know we can do this because we’ve already done it.”
Sitting up straighter, Jax felt a surge of pure adrenaline spike thought his system. “Fuck yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Giving him a swift jerk of his chin, Nick stated smugly. “Glad to have you on board. Think about it for a minute. I’m a goddamn Navy Seal, and you’re the most notorious arms dealer in the entire world. Though we come from very different backgrounds, you and I were created for mission impossible.”
“I’m in one hundred fucking percent, man. Now, where do we start?”
“No idea.”
“Didn’t they tell you what to do?”
“No, the message was actually one I left behind for myself. It was one of those get your head out of your own ass and save the world speeches.”
“Yeah dude, Iv’ve noticed you’re real good at those. However, motivational speeches ain’t gonna be particularly helpful in terms of figuring out the nuts and bolts of overthrowing an invincible enemy.”
“No enemy is invincible. You just have to find their weaknesses. Everybody has them.”
Rubbing his chin, Jax responded thoughtfully. “I’m supposed to feed Dracon’s little one in an hour. Maybe if we get there early, we can bend his ear. He’ll help us if he can.”
Pulling on his clothing, Nick asked, “What abou
t Acacia?”
“Life in the underworld is unpredictable. Let her sleep.”
“What’s the underworld?”
“It’s where we are, nimrod. The Taron ships are huge, and the most vulnerable part is the lowest level.”
“So naturally, that would be the very place they select to house their slaves.”
Snorting a laugh, Jax answered sarcastically. “Well they sure as hell ain’t gonna house their elite soldiers down here.”
Nick shook his head, responding harshly. “I feel like that dude who fell asleep for thousand years and just woke up.” A sly smile slid onto his face. “It would really suck, only I have bestie, a beautiful blue babe, and the mission of lifetime on my hands. It’s enough to make a guy like me just real damn happy.”
Gesturing towards the slumbering woman, Jax quipped. “Well, the beautiful blue babe’s real nice. And she already told everyone that she’s yours, so there’s that to look forward to.”
Jax thought it was funny just how quickly that bit of information put a smile on the battle-hardened soldier’s face. The difference between having Nick at his side and struggling through the situation alone was profound.
Before, he’d forced himself to carry on only because he’d worried about what would happen to Acacia without his help. Jax was ashamed to admit it, but he had dreamed about all the ways he could put an abrupt end to his miserable existence. There were times over the last month when it would have taken so very little for him to have crossed that final line, times when the darkness of death beckoned to him like a long lost lover.
In the blink of an eye, his world had righted itself. Now, he had hope and purpose, and it was because of one man, who challenged him to be better than he was before. Holding his head up, Jax felt genuine pride growing in his chest for the possibly the first time in his entire life. It was something his soul badly needed, and he knew in an instant that he would fight like hell to keep it.
Chapter 5
A Warrior For Me
~ Acacia ~
Music Mix
Drifting in an aimless slumber, Acacia dreamed of dark times. On a planet, deep in the Hellion system, she was at her mother’s side harvesting food. Though the work was difficult and the hours long, they enjoyed the brief reprieve from being on the mother ship. Her mother’s pale white form moved noisily among the bushes as her hands flew, picking fresh berries. It was at a time in her life when her father could still protect her. Stooped on a nearby cliff, his job was to monitor the slaves. Even at a young age, she could see the large warrior’s eyes only ever rested on her and her mother. Basking in the warm glow of his approval had meant everything to her.
Her tiny hands drifted over the bushes, and she greedily popped one plump berry after another into her small mouth. The slight curve of her father’s lips told her that this once it was okay. It was her one perfect memory, the one right before everything in her world turned upside down. The storm clouds rolled in incredibly fast on that world. Before her father could even make it to them, the skies had opened and dumped a deluge upon them. Her mother’s long, white hair clung to her slight form. Her eyes turned worried when they saw the lightning in the sky. The thunder was even more terrifying, for it shook the ground with each deafening clap.
She could remember running to her mother on shaky legs. This was always where the dream turned strange. The clouds morphed into a dark fog that grabbed and grasped at her small body. It was thick and smelled strange to her small nostrils. As her mother struggled to reach her, the ground began to move, and she slowly began to move away.
The other slaves were panicking, and her father ran full speed down from the cliff, scooping her into his arms as he made for her mother. To both their shock she slid over a rocky embankment even as his hands reached for her. He stood holding her in his arms, forcing her head away from the sight of her mother’s mangled body below. Acacia could remember watching the mud and strange fog swirl around his big black military boots. If only her mother had been wearing a pair, the ground might not have carried her away.
Jerking from her dream, she wrapped her arms tightly around her body, as the full force of her aloneness in the universe came crashing down around her. Her father was no longer able to spend time with her. His token visits were always so bittersweet.
Holding her hand down onto the floor where her human had been laying, she found it held no trace of his body heat. Being certain that Jax would have woken her if he’d taken a turn for the worst, she felt that he had taken Nick to meet with Dracon. Getting up, she cleaned herself and hurried to the Vampiere’s quarters.
The Vampiere were housed in a huge cargo hold, but over the years they had managed to collect enough space junk to create individualized family units. For some reason, the Taron separated out their slaves according to species. Since Jax and Nick were the only humans, they got a tiny room, which she suspected had once been a utility substation before the ship underwent a modern retrofit. It was glaringly obvious that they didn’t bother with the one and only Zaphredinelyn onboard their vessel. Jax had insisted she stay and she’d had no mind to argue the point.
Stepping to the huge cargo hold, she couldn’t help but notice her human was looking much better. He was sipping a nutrient packet, and his body was a lush cream color rather than the stark white she’d come to expect. Nick was a handsome male by any female’s standards. Slipping into a squatting position, she admired the way he interacted with the other males. Where the Vampiere were naturally quiet and reticent creatures, her warrior was bold and easily spoke his mind. He moved through the verse with confidence, sure of his purpose. He had a charm all his own, and she would be proud to call him her own. A tiny doubt lurked in the back of her mind that he might not want her. She shoved it away, certain that he had touched her skin and told her she was beautiful in his eyes.
Suddenly, he was standing before her. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet. “Hello, beautiful. Sorry, I passed out for weeks.”
“You are lucky to be alive.”
Drawing her into the tight circle of his arms, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you for taking care of me. I owe you and Jax my life.”
Smoothing her cheek over his, she murmured. “I was so worried for you.”
“I’m aces, I promise.”
Nodding, she swallowed thickly, shoving her worry aside in favor of meeting his needs in the here and now.
Wrapping an arm around her, he returned to the small group of vampires.
Dracon dipped his head in recognition. “What you suggest has never been attempted.”
“Which means it will be the last thing they expect. We have the element of surprise on our side as well as time.”
“Of all the aliens aboard this vessel, I believe the Vampiere would be least welcome among your people.”
“You have no idea what we’re capable of. Do you know that I probably could have overwhelmed the slow moving Taron who took me? I didn’t because they were intent on taking me right where I needed to be.”
The vampire made a sound of disbelief. “If what you say is true, you are the first to offer yourself voluntarily into slavery.”
“Slavery is nothing more than a state of mind. They can hold us, force us to work and even kill us.” Tapping the side of his head, Nick stated with conviction. “We are the ones who make ourselves their slaves by believing their garbage about owning us.”
Jax spoke up. “What he says is true. I feel differently now that I know we are destined to change the course of history in the verse. I imagine a universe without the Taron in it, and my spirit soars. To be able to put a stop to their killing makes life worth living for me.”
Her beautiful warrior spoke words meant to shake the hopelessness of slavery from a million minds. “Think of your little one living among my people. She could go to school with other children, grow into a woman with real choices in life and have a home of her own. My world has over seven billion humans. She would never have a problem
finding a willing feeding partner with so many to choose from. Hell, none of you would ever have to worry about that again. My world will welcome any alien willing to fight by our side. I will see to that myself. Isn’t that worth risking your life for?”
Dracon lifted his chin. “It’s something worth dying for if it gives my daughter true freedom.”
“Will you speak to your people?”
Nodding, the man watched his little one crawl from a small flap in his door. “I will do all within my power to aid you in your mission.” Picking up his little one, he gazed at Jax. “Are you sure you are well enough to trade?”
Before he could answer, Acacia spoke up. “If you will accept me, I would be happy to give in his stead.”
Staring at her for a long hard moment, Dracon nodded. “As you wish, among my people females are often preferred feeding partners for children.”
Drawing the tiny child into her lap, Acacia offered her wrist. The little one struck hard and fast, sinking her teeth into the pale blue flesh. Vampire children often didn’t have the finely honed and disciplined feeding skills of adults, so Acadia wasn’t too surprised, that the little one acted impulsively. Pulling back the child’s long hair, she relaxed into the experience. Her ears overheard the males speaking again.
“My people are not used to having a formal leader. You must prove yourself worthy of being followed.”
“Look, when it comes to fighting, I’m highly trained. Seals are the Navy’s elite fighting force. Though there are few of us, we are the ones called in when the situation calls for extraordinary skill.”
“You certainly brag like a warrior.” Dracon’s humorous reply seemed to offend her new mate.
Staring at the man, Nick jerked his head one time before speaking. “The chances of being abducted by a stranger on my world is one in a half of million. The chances of getting abducted by aliens are too astronomical to even speak of. Yet here we are, standing on an alien space ship and I’m already running the odds on this conversation with you going bad.”
“I don’t understand.”
