Teeth & Claws_A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “Captain, fifteen minutes until we have to engage warpdrive.”

  “I’ll be there in a moment, Nikki,” I said.

  “Understood,” she replied, and then I looked at the two women.

  In some ways, Sivaha and Madalena were complete opposites. The silver-haired queen wore her emotions on her face and dripped with an unbridled sexuality. She was coy, charming, and devious. Sivaha burned like a fire and didn’t give a shit about what others thought of her.

  Madalena’s appearance and mannerisms were stoic, controlled, and disciplined. Her eyes were cold, calculating, and piercing. Her athletic body was carved from countless hours of rigorous training, and her mind had been sharpened by even more hours of strategic training. She was bred for battle, war, and the cold times between.

  But both women were also similar. They were both fighters, warriors, and lovers. Madalena’s passion was hidden below a cold exterior but was just as powerful as Sivaha’s, and Sivaha’s battle prowess was hidden beneath the surface of haughty socialite charm.

  I’d never intended to love either of them, but the bond between us left no questions about our feelings for each other.

  We would be together until the end of our lives, and our love would only grow.

  “Let’s go conquer the Nordar clans,” I said.

  Chapter 4

  Some forty minutes later we sat in our officer chairs on the bridge while we waited to exit warpdrive in Idonan space. I missed Eve sitting next to me and seeing Zea and Paula sitting on either side of Nikki, but I knew that it would only be a few weeks and then they would be back.

  “Ten minutes until we exit,” Nikki said as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

  “Got it,” I replied and then I turned to my left to look at Sivaha and Madalena. Both women smiled at me, but I could feel some nervousness coming from Madalena.

  I knew the reasons why. The Prime Valkyrie wanted to unite all the Nordar Clans to fight against the Draugr, but she wanted to do it with the least amount of life lost as possible. The Nordar Clans all considered themselves the same people, and while they warred with each other constantly, they should still unite to battle dangerous external threats.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t really what happened when Madalena’s father tried to unite them against the Draugr. They hadn’t understood the threat, or maybe they just hadn’t liked the man. Either way, King Tanal already attempted to do what I was doing and did not make much progress.

  Now it was going to be the tiger’s turn.

  “Hegeia, Uma, and Waiola!” I called back over my shoulder, and the three women quickly stood from their gunner’s seats and hurried over to me, Lux turned and raised an eyebrow and I beckoned for her to come as well.

  “Hello ladies,” I said as they knelt at the foot of my captain’s chair. “You don’t need to do that.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Hegeia said as she looked up at me with her light blue eyes, smiled at me, but still didn’t rise.

  “We are about to enter Idonan space,” I said.

  “We know, my lord,” Hegeia replied.

  “We might engage them in battle,” I continued, “will you be able to perform your duties against your clan?”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod, and both Uma and Waiola mirrored her movement.

  Then Uma began talking softly in the Nordar language while Lux, Madalena, and Sivaha leaned forward so that they could hear her better. Hegeia’s face turned red to match her hair, and then she waved her hands while Sivaha laughed.

  “What did Uma say?” I asked.

  “Nevermind, my lord,” Hegeia said. “Uma is wild.”

  “Yeah,” I replied as I looked at the blonde woman. Her dark brown eyes seemed to burn like the sun, and I guessed what she said had been somewhat risque.

  “She is amusing,” Sivaha said, and Uma turned on her knees and prostrated herself on the deck of the bridge toward the silver-haired woman.

  My wife said something quickly in Nordar and then beckoned for the blonde woman to come toward her. Uma jumped up to her feet and reached for Sivaha’s extended arm, then she pressed her forehead to the back of Sivaha’s palm and bowed again.

  “I always did like the Idonan’s,” Sivaha said as she gestured for Uma to return to the redheaded sister’s sides. “They are less complicated than the other clans.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “What did Uma say?”

  “Perhaps they should return to their stations?” Madalena said, and she motioned for the three women who had once been slaves to return. They did so, and then Sivaha leaned over her chair so that she could talk to me.

  “She said she’d kill a thousand of her old people if you would take her into your bed for a night.” Sivaha grinned like a cat.

  “She was joking,” Madalena said, and her lips twisted up into a bit of a smile.

  I turned to Lux and then nodded back over my shoulder toward the gunner stations. “You have not spoken to me about taking them off the cannons, so I’m guessing that you are satisfied with their skill level.”

  “Yes, Adam,” Lux said with a nod. “The three of them are surprisingly accurate and would have passed Vaish marksman tests easily.”

  “They said they were ‘rowers’ on their Idonan ship before they were captured by our navy and then sold into slave- I mean sold as thralls.”

  “Rowers are support staff on a ship,” Madalena said. “The Idonan might not have tested them for aptitude.”

  “I am satisfied with their skill,” Lux said. “We have better marksmen and women. I have actually wanted to ask you about recruiting for Persephone, but I know you are attached to some of the crew.” As Lux spoke, her eyes darted over my shoulder to where Kuroda, Rin, Yni, Kala, and Vikana sat along the right wall of gunner stations.

  “This is the first you’ve spoken to me about them,” I said as I narrowed my eyes at her, “so I’m guessing that you also do not have a problem with them.”

  “No,” Lux said with a shrug, “they are capable as well. It is just odd to have so many non-Nordar on the bridge of the king’s personal ship.”

  “I don’t care about that,” I said. “All I care about is whether or not they are capable of doing the job.”

  “They are.” Lux nodded, and her black hair bounced in her pigtails. “However, I recommend we replace them with Valkyries before our conflict with Jotnar.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Prepare everyone for combat.”

  “Yes, Adam,” she nodded and then turned to leave, but I raised my hand and she froze.

  “You heard about the assassination attempt?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Lux replied.

  “You loaded the pistol you gave me with armor piercing rounds.”

  “Yes,” Lux replied again, and she stared at me without blinking.

  “That saved my life, Paula’s life, and therefore Madalena and Sivaha’s life since they are bound to me.”

  “If there is a possibility that you were to be attacked, then you always need the best equipment.” Lux actually smiled and her dour face changed from beautiful to stunning. “I consulted on your new revolvers.”

  “They are wonderful,” I said as I looked down at the new sidearms that I had holstered at my hips. “Thank you.”

  “Yes, Adam,” she said and then the smiled faded from her lips. “May I return to my station?”

  “Sure,” I said, and she gave me another nod before leaving.

  “Lux likes you,” Madalena said as she rested her fingers on my hand. “She doesn’t like anyone.”

  “She likes you,” I said.

  “Barely,” Madalena scoffed, but I could feel the pride coming from her.

  “Five minutes,” Nikki reminded us.

  “You ready,” I whispered to Madalena.

  “Yes,” she said. “May Odin grant us victory.”

  “You pray to Odin,” Sivaha said. “I will ask Freyja.”

  “Thank you.” Madalena gave my other w
ife a ghost of a smile, and then she raised her voice so that everyone on the bridge could hear her. “Crew, prepare for battle. We won’t be on the front lines, but that does not mean we will not be attacked.”

  “Yes, Prime Valkyrie!” they shouted.

  Then we waited for Nikki.

  “Leaving warpdrive in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, exiting warpdrive,” Nikki said with a calmness my heart didn’t feel.

  A lot could go wrong with my plan.

  Persephone’s screen turned into stars, and the lines of thousands of spaceships materializing around me like flaring fireflies. I had read over a dozen reports on the Idonan home sector, but seeing their homeworld and their defensive armada still took the air from my lungs. I was bringing a lot more vessels to this surprise visit, but we didn’t have a clear idea of exactly how many that the Idonan’s would have.

  “Your admirals have all arrived, and I have opened up communications with them,” Madalena said, and then the row of five men and three women appeared on the side of Persephone’s screen on the right side. After Madalena and Sivaha, these were the most powerful people in my kingdom, and I’d grown fond of them in the last week we had spent planning this confrontation. Four of them were from the Vaish navy, and four of them were previously Skyad Blood Overlord Clan, but we had all planned and worked together for this day.

  We were ready for Idonan to refuse my demand for them to kneel before me.

  “Their armada is scrambling to intercept us,” Nikki said.

  “Send out the communication request,” I said.

  “Done,” Madalena replied.

  “They have two-hundred and thirty thousand vessels,” Sivaha said.

  “That is a bit more than what we expected,” I replied, and then I turned my eyes up to the admirals on the screen. “You all have your orders. The Prime Valkyrie, Queen Sivaha, and I will issue orders to the correct flanks. Prepare to engage.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the admirals all replied in unison, but we had already gone over this plan, and their ships exited warp or hyperdrive in pretty much the exact position they needed to be in to form a series of offensive bowl-shaped formations.

  “Our message has been accepted by the Idonan,” Madalena said, and my back relaxed a bit.

  “On screen,” I said, and the face of an older woman appeared on Persephone’s front display. It was hard to tell exact age in space because of various planet atmospheres, but the woman had the usual hard Nordar steel eyes, gray hair pulled back in a tight braid, and a face creased with frown lines.

  “This is Admiral Kiuys,” the woman said. “Vaish, you are--”

  “I am Adam, King of the Vaish,” I interrupted her. “Tell your king to answer my communications or I will slaughter you all.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Kiuys said quickly, and her eyes betrayed her surprise for half a moment. “We will need ten minutes.”

  “I will wait,” I said, “but not a moment longer. Hold your armada or I will assume you are buying yourself time and proceed with my attack.”

  “Understood,” she said as she bowed her head. Then the screen went black, and I turned to my admirals.

  “Expect them to attack suddenly, but we will hope they will come to their senses.”

  “Their fleet has stopped moving,” Nikki said a few seconds later, and I nodded.

  “At least we know they weren’t expecting us,” Sivaha said. “King Toriton is probably sleeping.”

  “Our calculations put us here at ten in the morning their time,” Madalena said.

  “Exactly,” Sivaha said. “That man is the softest of all the kings. They are the best clan for us to take first since they will put up the least amount of resistance.

  “My lord,” Admiral Birger said, and we turned our attention to his face on the screen. “My probes are approaching the far angle of their planet, Nordar-Ido, and their armada on that side is still moving.”

  “Sneaky,” Sivaha said.

  “Madalena, open communications with Admiral Kiuys again,” I said.

  “Done,” the Prime Valkyrie replied, and I saw the older woman appear on screen.

  “Your armada is moving on the other side of Nordar-Ido,” I said. “We will now attack you until your king answers communications with me.”

  “Wait!” she shouted, but I gestured for Madalena to cut off the communication.

  “Admirals,” I said as I turned to the eight faces on my screen, “engage per our plan, be prepared for me to call a halt.”

  “Yes, my lord,” they all said in unison.

  Then my entire armada engaged their hyperdrive as one.

  The Idonan fleet between us and their homeworld hadn’t completely turned to address us, so we appeared on the starboard flank of them. We’d decided on bowl-shaped formations for the various parts of my fleet so that they could easier perform coordinated vertex strikes on a single target and burn through any potential shields.

  The eight different admirals split their fleets into groups of coordinated squadrons that were being fed orders through either Madalena or Sivaha’s terminal on Persephone. We had already planned three different scenarios for our initial attack so the battle would run as I had discussed, but the two queens would direct any changes to the plan during the heat of battle, and the admirals would figure out how best to coordinate their fleets to our wishes.

  At the moment, my wish was that the Idonan knew what it meant when they defied me.

  It only took a fraction of a second for the hyperdrive to end, and then the orbit around Nordar-Ido turned into a fireworks display. Plasma lines drew arcs through the void and caused shields to pulse or dissipate like shattered glass. Heavier plasma balls danced across the void like angry raindrops, and hulls of ships twisted like burning flowers. Drones took to the vacuum like an infinite swarm of hornets, and it became almost impossible to tell what exactly was happening during the conflict.

  “Status report?” I asked after thirty seconds of intense battle had passed on the screen.

  “We have lost twenty-two, they have lost three hundred and eighty-one,” Madalena said as her fingers danced across the smaller screen of her officer chair.

  “Who is taking the most damage?” I asked.

  “Jetuyn,” Sivaha said. Jetuyn was an admiral from the Skyad clan, she was about as young as my sister, and was said to be a tactical genius. The other admirals had shown her a great deal of respect, and she had given us plenty of ideas during the planning phase of our attack.

  She had also asked to be assigned the riskiest position, so while I wasn’t that surprised about her losses, I wished they were lower. Every ship I lost was one we could have used against the Draugr, but I was also counting the Idonan losses as my own.

  Still, they needed to know what would happen if they defied me. This wasn’t cutting off my nose to spite my face. This was setting the stage for the future relationship I would have with the rulers of the Nordar.

  They would do as I said, or they would die. I couldn’t fuck around with politics or any of that other bullshit. The entire galaxy was about to be devoured by god-like beings, and the other Nordar clans needed to get off their asses and help me defend every living being.

  The tiger in my soul screamed after I watched the battle for another minute. He wanted to jump into the fray and notch up a kill count. He wanted to make our enemies burn and melt, but we had decided that I needed to stay out of direct space combat until our opponent’s numbers were thinned. Besides, I couldn’t talk to the other rulers if I was in a dogfight.

  “Numbers?” I asked after a few more minutes of battle had progressed. It looked like we were hammering Idonan hard, but I also knew that they had another arm of their armada that was going to pop out from behind their planet at any moment.

  “We’ve lost eighty, they have lost one thousand and twenty-eight,” she said.

  “Small numbers for how long the battle has gone,” Sivaha said.

  “What do you mea
n?” I asked.

  “We outnumber them significantly,” Sivaha said. “So, they should have lost more than half a percent of their forces.”

  “They are heavily shielded,” Madalena stated as she read her display.

  “But they didn’t know we were coming,” Sivaha said. “I think the other side of the planet was the weak side. Nothing we can do about that now.”

  “Hold the strategy,” I said. “We outnumber them, and they are taking more losses.”

  “The Idonan King is asking to communicate with you,” Madalena said.

  “Put it on screen and get ready to issue the command for a cease-fire.”

  “Done,” the Prime Valkyrie said, and the image of a handsome man with a wide nose and cleft chin appeared on the screen. He had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and his jaw was clenched as if he was trying to crush his teeth into dust.

  “What is the meaning of this, Vaish?” he growled, and I noticed that his eyes were red, and he had dark circles under them. Sivaha might have been right about him sleeping in.

  “I have come to unite the Nordar Blood Overlord Clans,” I said. “Your admiral showed me disrespect, and now your navy will pay the price.”

  “Unite the clans?” he growled. “That was Tanal’s game. I heard word you killed him and took his daughter as a wife.”

  “Your word was correct,” I said. “You may halt your armada’s defense, and I will halt my attack, then you can come aboard and submit to me.”

  “Submit to you?” the man’s eyes narrowed. “You are out of your mind. I--”

  “Cut communication,” I said to Madalena, and the handsome man’s face disappeared from my screen.

  “Ha!” Sivaha laughed and clapped her hands together. “Husband, have I told you how much I love you today?”

  “You don’t need to tell me,” I said. “I feel it from you.”

  “He is attempting to communicate again,” Madalena said.

  “On screen.”

  “King Adam Vaish,” the other man said carefully. “We should discuss your intentions while not in the process of war. My clan is reasonable, but we prefer diplomacy over acts of violence.”