by Luna Hunter
Drakan
Galactic Mates
Luna Hunter
Contents
Newsletter
Also by Luna Hunter
1. Hannah
2. Drakan
3. Hannah
4. Drakan
5. Hannah
6. Hannah
7. Drakan
8. Hannah
9. Drakan
10. Hannah
11. Drakan
12. Hannah
13. Drakan
14. Hannah
15. Hannah
16. Drakan
17. Hannah
18. Drakan
19. Hannah
20. Drakan
21. Hannah
22. Drakan
23. Hannah
24. Drakan
25. Hannah
26. Drakan
27. Hannah
28. Drakan
29. Hannah
30. Drakan
31. Hannah
Epilogue
Afterword
Preview of Alien General’s Baby
1. Jillian
2. Vinz
Also by Luna Hunter
About the Author
Copyright 2017 Luna Hunter.
Published by Luna Hunter at Amazon.
This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This work is property of Luna Hunter, please do not reproduce illegally.
Created with Vellum
Thank you for picking up Drakan!
This book is an entry in the Galactic Mates series, but each book can be read as a standalone.
However, if you want the full Zoran experience I recommend starting with the Zoran Warrior series. You can find the links on the next page.
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Happy reading!
Also by Luna Hunter
Zoran Warriors
Alien General’s Baby - Jillian’s Story
Alien Warrior’s Baby - Kaitlyn’s Story
Alien Soldier’s Baby - Kelly’s Story
Alien Guardian’s Baby - Isabella’s Story
Galactic Mates
Thabo - Riley’s Story
Fenrir - Abigail’s Story
Bojan - Zoey’s Story
Novak - Michelle’s Story
Dusan - Cindy’s Story
Zivan - Mia’s Story
Vukan - Olivia’s Story
1
Hannah
“One chocolate sundae for the missus,” Evelyn says as she places the bowl of ice cream in front of me.
“Evelyn!” I say. “That chocolate is cargo. We’re not supposed to eat it!”
I glance down at the sweet dessert, taking my eyes off the stars in front of me for only a moment. My best friend has literally drowned the vanilla ice cream with the premium chocolate. Figures.
She rolls her eyes at me as she places her dirty boots on my control panel. “Yes, boss.”
“And take your boots off my panel, now.”
With a sigh she follows my command. “Yes, boss.”
“And don’t call me boss,” I murmur as I stick a big scoop of ice cream in my mouth. It tastes so good it makes my toes tingle.
“What do you think those aliens want a freighter full of chocolate for?”
“I have no idea, and I’m not about to ask.”
Asking questions can only lead to trouble. I plan to head back to Earth as quickly as I can, as soon as we make our delivery.
“How long until we reach Exon Prime?”
“An hour or two, at most,” I answer.
“Good,” she answers as she folds her legs underneath her. “We do have time for some R&R, right?”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes.
“We do not — you know this, Eve. We have to deliver our shipment of chocolate and then head back to Earth in time for the next job. We can’t afford to hang out on the Zoran homeworld for a few days.”
“Oh come on,” she whines. “We’re already there! Might as well see the sights, you know?”
“Yeah, right,” I say. “And what sights would those be?”
The corners of her mouth pull up into a naughty smirk. All she’s got on her mind is mounting one of those tall, broad-shouldered alien warriors.
“That’s what I thought. Go pick up Zorans on your own time.”
“You need to give me a day off before I have some time of my own,” she complains. “It’s been, what, three months since we took a day off? I can’t keep this up, Hannah.”
I squeeze the control stick of our freighter, the CS Lance, and push down to avoid a cluster of space debris. The closer you get to a civilized world, the more obsolete satellites, discarded boosters and other waste you encounter. It gives me a moment to think about whether or not Evelyn’s right. We really don’t have time to spare… but I couldn’t do any of this work without her. She’s a grease monkey. Without her, this heap of rust would fall apart.
“Wait a second. Did you just bring me this sundae to bribe me?” I ask.
Evelyn laughs, a warm, pleasant sound, and she ties her sleek, black hair into a bun. Her cheeks, smudged with oil, have got a fair blush to them.
“You got me, boss.”
“Fine,” I sigh. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She rises from her seat and hugs me tightly, nearly causing me to spill my sundae all over my control panel.
“Stop,” I protest, “you’re hurting me!”
“Shush, you big baby,” she says. “We’re going to find some big bad Zorans together!”
“Oh god,” I say, a shiver running down my spine. “Please don’t.”
One of the buttons on my panel flashes brightly red, drawing my best friend’s attention.
“What does that one mean?”
“It means that if you don’t stop squeezing me I’m going to eject you from the ship.”
“Bullshit,” she says.
My finger hovers above the button.
“You’re calling me a liar, Eve?”
“I am, boss.”
I press the button.
“Collect call incoming from Tampa, Earth, Human Federation,” a robotic voice says. “Do you wish to accept?”
“See!” Evelyn says.
“Hush, or I will fire you out the airlock,” I joke. “I have to take this.”
Evelyn picks up the now emptied bowls and heads to the canteen, sticking her tongue out at me. I quickly run my fingers through my unruly hair, trying to look as presentable as possible.
“I accept the call.”
The disgruntled face of my next-door neighbor back in Tampa fills the small screen in front of me.
“Hannah?!” he bristles.
“I’m here, Mr. Pullman.”
“When are you coming back?!” he says. “I’ve had it up to here with him!”
“Two more weeks, George, my flight plan hasn’t changed.”
“It’s not worth it,” he says, shaking his head. I can see the veins at his temples are about to pop. “He doesn’t respect me, he doesn’t listen, he’s a menace, I’m telling you! I’ve had it with his temper tantrums!”
“Brock means well,” I tell him. “He’s just a bit… different.”
“I don
’t care!”
My neighbor goes off on a rant, explaining everything that’s wrong with my little brother, like I haven’t heard it all countless times before from counselors and teachers alike. When he’s done ranting he informs me this’ll be the last time he’ll babysit for me, before the feed cuts out abruptly.
I rest my head in my hands, sighing deeply. How do I explain to Evelyn that I have to cancel her outing on Exon Prime? So soon after I made her happy…
I whirl around and see my mechanic is sitting on the steps, her knees pulled up to her chest.
“H-how long have you been sitting there?” I stammer.
“Long enough to know you need a hug,” she says, getting up.
I accept the offer and rest my head on her shoulders. I realize that I’m exhausted. We’ve been trucking along for months, trying to scrape the money together as fast as we can without taking a moment’s rest.
“Brock means well,” I say.
“I know.”
“It’s not his fault our parents died and he has me for an older sister.”
“Hey,” Evelyn says. “Look at me. He’s damn lucky to have you for an older sister, alright?”
“I don’t think lucky is the right word. Not after what happened…”
“You bust your ass for him, Hannah. You can’t carry all of this weight on your own. You deserve a break as well from time to time.”
“You heard Mr. Pullman, we have to hurry back,” I sigh.
Evelyn nods. “I understand, but I still think that one day off won’t hurt. How is the saving going?”
“We need to do at least eight more intergalactic shipments before I can buy a place of our own and send Brock to a private school for the gifted, so that’s… one more year, maybe two, depending on the jobs.”
Evelyn straightens her back. “You can’t work non-stop for the next two years, Hannah. Neither can I.”
“I know,” I say. “I just want to help Brock.”
“You are not helping him by living like a monk, though.”
“I am!” I say.
I can’t imagine sitting on some beach down on Exon Prime, sipping cocktails and watching bare-chested Zoran warriors lather each other up while my little brother is a millions of miles away in the care of my grumpy neighbor and his four bratty kids. I simply can’t do it.
“Let’s get back to work,” I say. “This shipment isn’t going to deliver itself.”
Evelyn shakes her head at me. I know she’s disappointed in me, but I don’t care. As long as I don’t disappoint Brock. He’s all that matters to me.
I return to my seat, wiping the tears away. They are no help to me. I grab the control stick and push forward, speeding up the engines. The sooner we’re out of here, the be—
“CS Lance, please slow your approach and prepare for inspection.”
What in the—?
“Who is this?” I ask, tapping my com.
The line crackles with static. “This is the ZMC Dreadnaught. Slow your approach and prepare for inspection, or we will be forced to terminate you. Over.”
Terminate?
In the distance I see the beautiful Zoran planet of Exon Prime loom up — but its purple and green surface is hidden away behind countless rows of ships.
Oh no.
A military blockade!
This day just went from bad to worse.
“Evelyn, get your ass back up here! We have a situation!”
2
Drakan
My king stares at me, his lips pulled into a tight line. His eyes, normally as hard as granite, now have a gleam of doubt in them. The holographic image flickers from the interference of an entire planet trying to communicate with each other all at once.
“They are coming,” he says. “I do not know how many. I do not know when. The only thing I know for sure is that they are coming. Protect Exon Prime. At all costs.”
I nod decisively, the honor making my broad chest swell. The defense of our homeworld is entrusted to me: General Drakan. I’ve prepared for this moment my entire life, without believing it would ever come to pass.
And now the moment has come.
I’m ready.
“What will you do?” I ask.
“I will come back as soon as possible,” my king answers.
“If I may—”
“I know it’s not safe, but I don’t care,” he says, cutting me off. “You’re not the first person to tell me that. I’m not some helpless royal. I’m a general, a warrior, same as you. My place is on my homeworld, defending it to my last breath.”
“Do you think it’ll come to that?”
“I do,” he answers. “Don’t take this lightly, Drakan. I seriously think the galactic order, and perhaps even our continued survival as a species, is at stake here.”
I find this hard to believe. Our warriors have never lost a battle, let alone a war. We live and breathe conflict. Every single Zoran is trained in the art of combat. However, there is no one more dedicated to the Zoran people than King Vinz himself. If he says it’s serious, it’s damn serious.
The transmission cuts out, and I take a deep breath and push my shoulders back. Thousands of ships are currently circling our homeworld, creating a blockade, and they are all waiting for my command.
We don’t know where the Tyk’ix will strike from. All of our scouts have gone dark, and we stopped receiving messages from the Alliance half a day ago. The last thing we heard was a cry for help, and then nothing. King Vinz was on Earth when he received word of the Tyk’ix betrayal. Even though it was top secret, the news spread like wildfire.
We have to assume the worst.
I double-check my weapons — a blaster and an axe strapped to my waist — and walk towards the bridge of my ship. My ship, the ZMC Dreadnaught, runs like a well-oiled machine. Every soldier on my crew has been handpicked by me. They are the best the Zoran military has to offer.
“Gentlemen,” I say, addressing my crew.
Everyone snaps to attention.
“You have all heard the rumors. I’m here to tell you they are true.”
I see a few quick glances are exchanged between my soldiers.
“The Tyk’ix have betrayed the Alliance, and staged a coup. They have something planned, and it must be big, for them to take such drastic measures. We are on the highest alert possible until further notice. Assume they are coming. Assume you will be called into action at any moment.”
There’s an electric current in the air. I take a deep breath. It’s so tense in here you can almost taste it. These are the moments I live for: when men look to me for guidance. Where other men might lose their heads, I find focus.
“Any questions?”
Silence.
“Back to work, men.”
Everyone turns back to their stations while I stride over to Janko, my second-in-command, and the only Zoran I’d ever trust with my life. He’s been my leader in the field since the Academy. He’s as tall and broad as I am, but where my skin is a fiery red, his is as blue as a stormy ocean. A general is only as good as his soldiers, and we’ve put together the best company the universe has ever seen.
“Janko, how is the chatter?”
“They are all tense,” he answers. In front of him are a dozen screens, each one showing a direct broadcast of the command center of one of the many, many ships circling Exon Prime at this very moment.
“Not all are military. There are merchant and recreational vessels here as well. Do you want me to force them to stand down?”
“No,” I answer. “They want to serve their kind, same as us. Let them.”
“Yes, sir.”
His voice drops to a whisper as he leans in.
“Do you really think the Tyk’ix are going to attack Exon? That’s unheard of! They are no match for our firepower!”
“We have to assume the worst,” I repeat. “Vinz is on edge. I’ve never seen him like this before — something has got him rattled. The Tyk’ix must have some trick u
p their sleeves. I want to be notified of everything. The smallest detail. Got it?”
Janko nods. “Got it. Speaking of the devil… I have an incoming freighter asking for permission to land on Exon. Human.”
“Humans?”
What are they doing out here? Humans are small and weak creatures, lacking both our physical and moral strength. We have no need for them or their goods.
“Name is CS Lance. According to their shipping manifest, they are transporting chocolate.”
“Sjo-ko-late? What’s that?”
Janko raises his eyebrows. “You’re telling me you’ve never had chocolate before? You’re missing out, sir.”
I glare at my second-in-command. “Is it some kind of human treat?”
“Something like that. It’s only the best tasting thing this side of the galaxy.”
“Impossible,” I gruff. “Everyone knows cuhla is the best.”
“I don’t know.” Janko shrugs. “This stuff is mighty fine.”
His love for the human sweets disturbs me, and I find the timing of the human freighter too perfect to be a coincidence.
“Tell them to dock on the ZMC Dreadnaught. I will inspect their cargo personally.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Janko says. “Their papers check out. It’s just a freighter.”
My nostrils flare. “I will see to it personally, Janko. That’s an order.”
He sees the anger in my eyes and his smirk disappears.
“Yes, General,” he says.
I straighten my shoulders and look at the human freighter approaching in the distance. Importing human goods? What is Zoran society coming to?
I will thoroughly inspect that ship, from top to bottom and inside out if need be.
3
Hannah
Our ship is being pulled towards the imposing warship by its all-powerful tractor beam. There is nothing we can do but sit and wait.
“Evelyn,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. “Please, please tell me you’re not smuggling anything. Please.”
If the Zorans find anything untoward on our ship, I can only imagine what they’ll do to us. Lashes? Imprisonment? Quartering? Fired into the surface of the sun itself? Nothing would surprise me. They are tough-as-nails warriors, born and bred killers.
