by Maia Starr
"Yes sir, right away! Launching now!" The base master shouted back.
"Luqan! Get my ship ready!" I shouted at her.
"Yes!" She shouted as she ran out of my living quarters. I quickly dressed pulling on my boots while Adriana grabbed my arm. There was an enormous amount of fear in her eyes.
"Terik! They are there to steal large amounts of flagion!" She shouted.
"How do you know?" I asked her.
"Because I am the one that told them where to find it," she said as she began to cry. "I am so sorry, Terik. I didn't think they would come. When I told them my circumstances were different. Everything was different. I'm so sorry. I was excited about the discovery. The power that the flagion holds on Earth is unimaginable. I am a geologist and I was sent to find it here and promised that I would be able to study it on my return to Earth. But then everything changed, I met you and I fell in love with you. You must forgive me."
"How could you? You are not the woman I thought you were! You are a criminal! You are just as bad as Mordikye! Who are you? You have fooled me!"
"No, it is not like that, Terik. Please, you must believe me. I beg you to hear me out. The way it happened is not the way you think. I did not use you and manipulate you. I know it looks that way but…"
I cut her off. I was pissed. I was outraged. But most of all, I was hurt and my heart was broken. She had used me and I fell for it. I even put my life at risk for her, and she was playing me all along. But I had no time to deal with this when I had to stop the theft from happening. "Get out of my way. I have work to do," I said as I pushed her away. She fell to her knees and cried.
"Guards! Guard this woman and do not let her out of your sight until I return!" I shouted to the guards outside my living quarters as I left. It was unbelievable. How could I have been so blind? Now, looking back, it was obvious. She was so interested in taking samples when she could. It was a classic maneuver of a plundering scheme, but because it came wrapped in a beauty that captivated me, I did not see it. If it had been a male asking me to show him these areas and take samples I would've seen right through it, as scouting for a bigger robbery. But I was blinded by her scent. "Shit!" I shouted at myself. How could I have been so stupid?
When I arrived at the ravine the cargo ship was lowered to the ravine floor and the Drackon warriors had the crew at gunpoint.
"Who are you? Who sent to you?" I asked as I approached. I was boiling over with anger and I needed to take it out on someone.
No one answered my questions. I punched the first human male right across the face.
"Tell me who you are? Why are you here?" I shouted again.
"Sentinel! The navigation reads coordinates for Earth. It seems to be an earthship but it is crewed by outlaws from Riolb." A warrior said as he came out of the plundering cargo ship.
"I should have known. Take them all prisoner. Examine the cargo hold for how much damage they have done to the ravine. Report back to me," I said angrily. I was furious. How could she do this to me? How could she do this to my planet?
It was unforgivable. The wedding was off. She would be a prisoner.
Chapter 12
DR. ADRIANA ADAMS
I stood there in chains in front of King Jarith Rykor and Queen Marissa. I did not protest my guilt, but I hoped for mercy and understanding.
"What do you have to say for yourself Dr. Adams?" The king said.
"I apologize. I was wrong. The circumstances are not what you think. I wish to plead my case in private to Queen Marissa, if she will hear it."
Everyone was silent and shocked by what I said. It was an unusual request but I knew it was the only way.
"Your request is granted," Queen Marissa said. She stood up and motioned for me to follow her into a private chamber.
"Tell me what happened," she said.
So I began to tell her how it all started. I told her about the dig in Montana and about Richard and Xander Black, who was now in custody of the Drackon. I told her about how the mission to search for the flagion was one I thought meant everything to my career. But when I met Terik, I truly fell in love with him. But by that time it was too late, because I had already given the information about the location of the flagion to Richard since I thought I was being sent back to Earth. I told her every single detail. She listened. At the end of it she finally said, "You remind me of myself from many years ago."
"I do?" I said surprised by her response.
"Yes, I was in a similar situation. I did it for my career as well. But I was fortunate enough to have the heart of the King, who forgave me. He trusted me and believed me. Of course, he didn't until after he cooled off. The Drackon temper is a notorious one and it takes time. I believe you, Adriana. I shall plead to my husband to pardon you. But I cannot force Sentinel Vuna to forgive you. That is altogether a personal matter and it is possible that you will be banished back to Earth." Queen Marissa said.
I broke into tears, "I do love him, Queen Marissa. I love him with all my heart. I never thought I could love someone so greatly. But there is more to it. You see we did not wait to be wed before coupling, and I am… I am…"
"You are pregnant with his offspring?" She said to me lifting her eyebrow.
"Yes, I am. He does not know it. I do not know what to do. He will not want the offspring anyway. He hates me.”
"I do not think he hates you. You must tell him about the babe. Whatever happens after that, at least you know that he knows the truth. You would not want him to find out later and for him to think you are withholding information from him when he already does not trust you," Queen Marissa said to me. It was a wise statement and something I did not think of before.
"You must tell him now," she said as she walked towards the door. "I will summon him in here."
She left the room and I began to panic. Terik had not spoken a word to me since the day that he saw me as a traitor when the ravine was almost plundered. I was nervous. What if I said the wrong thing again?
"The Queen is forcing me to be in here with you but I do not have to speak with you,” He said as he walked in. There was fire and anger in his eyes.
"I am pregnant," I said to him quickly. It was like ripping off a Band-Aid, you just had to do it very fast.
He was shocked. I thought I saw a smile come across his face but then it quickly vanished as he said, "How do I know it is not Mordikye’s? You are a deceitful human female. How do I know you did not couple with Mordikye and that it is his offspring you carry?"
"I know you do not trust me. On Earth there are tests to prove paternity. I assume there is the same here. A test to prove that the offspring is yours."
He was silent for a long time and then said, "Yes, there is a test. But that does not change what you did. I do not understand why you did it."
"I don’t expect you to understand because you haven’t let me explain. If you would just listen… I spoke to Queen Marissa and gave her the entire story, and she believes me, and is going to ask the king to pardon me. If your queen believes me, maybe you can too."
He looked at me and took a deep breath and then sat down and said, "I'm listening."
So I began to tell him the same story I told Queen Marissa, starting with the Montana dig. I told him everything. He listened to the entire thing. After I was done I looked at him. He seemed very sad and confused. I walked over to him, and dropped to my knees in front of the chair. I grabbed his hands in mine and said, "Please, Terik ,give me another chance--if not for me, than for our offspring. Do not let him suffer for my mistakes. It is unfair. He will need you. He cannot be raised on Earth without his own Drackon, without his father. Can you not forgive me? Do you not love me?"
"I do love you. That is why you hurt me so much. Your betrayal is beyond anything I have ever experienced."
"I know. I will try to make it up to you and regain your trust with everything that I can do, but what about now? What is to be done with me?"
"I guess if the queen forgives you and believe
s you, so can I. You are my everything Adriana, from the moment I saw your photo. I knew. I do believe you. Perhaps if I were sent to another planet, I too would become obsessed with a land resource of that planet and be blinded by its beauty and power as well. I do share that obsession of elements with you. I may have done the same thing."
"So you forgive me?"
"I forgive you, if you will forgive me for being so cold and for arresting you? It was not what I should've done. Will you still consider being my human female wife?"
"Yes, without a doubt. I will be your wife and give birth to our son."
He pulled me onto his lap and curled his body around mine. I felt sheltered. I felt safe. He moved his lips over mine and kissed me deeply. I felt sweet relief wash over me. I did not deserve his forgiveness for what I had done, but this love we shared was greater than both of us. We could not be parted.
Months later I was the wife of the Drackon Land Sentinel Terik Vuna. I had been given a full pardon by the King and Queen and accepted back into their company. The Queen had finally told me her story, and I understood why she was so helpful to me. But the greatest joy of all was the birth of our Drackon high-bred son, Vikka Vuna. He was a tricolored Drackon weredragon and he brought Terik and I closer together. I never thought that my geologist life would lead me to being a geologist on another alien planet, with an alien weredragon for a husband, and a son that I adored. It was an overwhelming adventure that felt like it had only just begun. There was much more to come in this new chapter of my alien life. I was ready for it.
THE END
Drin: Drackon Mates
(Drackon Mates)
By Maia Starr
Chapter 1
DR. FELICITY MALTRA
I was on the flight deck of the ship when the distress call was received.
"Captain Jones, we are receiving a distress signal. It is coming from a Drackonian ship!" the communications master shouted.
"Let's hear it!” the captain shouted back. We all stepped closer as the signal was played back to us. It was a series of beeps and it was unlike any Earthling distress call.
"Are you sure that is Drackonian?" Captain Jones asked.
"Yes, this series of sounds matches with the Drackon."
"How far away?” the captain asked.
"Three clicks away."
Everyone was silent as the captain processed this information. Though we all knew what had to happen; it was the law.
"Log the distress call. I, Captain Jones, grant the A.R.S. to respond to the distress call according to Article 462 of the Earthling and Drackon Accords. Coordinate a flight path directly to the Drackonian ship."
"Roger that, captain," the communications master responded. The crew went into action as I stood beside Captain Jones.
"Do you think it is a trap?" I asked after noting the worried look he had on his face.
"A good captain prepares for anything. But we are required to answer the call, just as the Drackon are required to answer a distress call from an Earth ship. We can only hope that it is not a trap, considering that we are a research vessel and not a battleship."
"What about the rumors?" I whispered to him, trying not to upset the rest of the crew.
"The rumors of hostile attacks against Earthlings? None of that has been confirmed. It is only hearsay for now," he said looking at me.
"It was hearsay enough that I was not going to be allowed on this ship even though I am the more qualified doctor. The rumors are enough to keep any human female from boarding any ship, other than a Drackon bride cargo ship," I said to him.
The captain gave me a look and I knew that he wanted me to drop it. I knew that he had a lot on his mind and I wasn't helping. But I couldn't help myself; I was a brash bully when I wanted to be, and that usually was when I wanted answers.
“What is a Drackon ship doing in this vicinity anyway?” I pressed on.
"I'm not sure. It is very unusual. Perhaps their navigation is down and they have been floating off course. But, Felicity, just in case, make yourself useful and stop pestering me. Perhaps you should prepare the infirmary for wounded. There is no telling what state the Drackon ship might be in and the condition of its passengers."
"Yes, Captain, right away," I said as I left the flight deck and moved quickly through the A.R.S. and made my way to the infirmary. This was my domain. Even though I was not supposed to be here. I had gained my position on this ship after I was passed up for it and they had given it to a male doctor.
"Dr. Maltra, we regret to inform you that you will not be on the A.R.S. due to recent changes in the Drackon environment," the Research Council Master said to me the day that I was passed up for the position.
I remembered standing there with my mouth wide open because I knew that I was getting the position; it had practically come to me. They had headhunted for me for this particular research position, and suddenly they were telling me it was no longer mine. I was no longer going to be the assigned doctor for the crew on a research mission in deep space. I didn't understand what I was hearing as I stood there in his office.
"I don't understand. You guys came to me. Now you are flip-flopping on me—of course you are. That is what you do here, isn't it?" I said before I realized that my smart mouth was going to get me in trouble again. I had a penchant for saying what was on my mind when I was angry, and it always got me into trouble. This was one of those times.
"Watch it, Dr. Maltra. Don't forget my position here. Don't talk back to me. You must accept these new circumstances; it is out of my hands," he said crossing his arms over his chest.
"What exactly are the circumstances?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and tapping my foot on the floor.
"It is a very delicate matter. There have been rumors of hostilities against humans from the Drackon race. They have not been confirmed, but because of the suspicion, Earth has halted all human females from entering space unless they are a registered bride with a Drackon waiting for them on Mooreah. Even then, we don't know if it is safe. But those women have signed their lives over to the Drackon warriors and their safety is the responsibility of the Drackon. But that is not you. You are an employee of this research facility, and if anything should happen to you at the hands of the Drackon, then that is this company's responsibility. Therefore, you are a liability, and we would rather avoid it by sending a male," he said.
"Are you freaking kidding me?! You are basing this decision on rumors! What are you, a high school teenager? Want me to help you pick out your prom dress next?" I said in my saucy way.
He slammed his fist on the top of his desk and furrowed his eyebrows at me. "Now hear me, Dr. Maltra! The decision has been made, and Dr. Smith is going in your place. Now get out of my office! I will not put up with your insults any longer."
I narrowed my eyes at him in anger. I was going to be on the A.R.S. whether he liked it or not. Turns out, fate was in my corner. Two days before the A.R.S. was set to leave, Dr. Smith became very ill and very contagious. Since they did not have time to find another, I was once again given the position. A research ship could not launch into deep space without a doctor on board, so it was either me or millions of dollars wasted preparing the mission. Of course, they chose me over the loss of money.
That is how I ended up on the A.R.S. preparing the infirmary for any wounded passengers, whether they be human or Drackon. There was only so much I could do until we knew what we were dealing with. I couldn't lay out instruments, because if we ran into a hostile situation, I could not have medical instruments flying about, so I did what I could. A part of me was very excited that it might be Drackon wounded that I would be working on. Their biology fascinated me, and they weren't bad to look at either. The attractive weredragons were unlike anything I had ever seen. Even after fifty years of them intermingling and interbreeding with humans, they were still the most fascinating alien race that we humans had ever encountered.
This thought about the unique biology and masculine physical fo
rm of the Drackon warrior was interrupted with static over the loudspeaker. “Dr. Maltra, the Drackon ship is in sight."
"Copy that. On my way to the flight deck now," I said as I moved quickly to the flight deck to strap into a seat. My heart was racing that this research assignment had become something much more exhilarating by the simple act of receiving a distress signal. One that we were obligated to respond to. Ever since the humans and the Drackon had agreed to allow interbreeding and created an accord, there had been peace between the two races, and part of that peace included helping each other out in space.
