The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1)

by Dianne Duvall

  She considered it. “So it’s like a freeway encased in a tunnel that makes you shoot forward like a roller coaster?”

  “Yes. With no traffic or hazards. Ordinarily. This is the first instance we are aware of in which a ship has been attacked by another that entered the qhov’rum behind it. The qhov’rum only has one entrance and one exit. We all believe the transport and escape pods bursting through the exterior walls have likely destabilized it.”

  Well, crap.

  Ari’k motioned to the table viewscreen. “I have determined our location. We are here.”

  Taelon pointed to a speck of a planet close to their position. “Our allies the Segonians have a base here on Mila 9. But unless Sodu is able to repair comms and summon aid, it will take us four and a half months to reach it.”

  That was a long damn time. “Do we have the supplies we need to get us there?”

  Taelon’s dark eyes met hers. “No.”

  Lisa’s stomach sank. She glanced back at Abby, her tiny, fragile body barely discernable in the big bed, then turned back to the men. All stared at her. “What will we run out of first—fuel, food, or water?”

  Taelon sighed. “The transport doesn’t run on fuel. It runs on power cells that are more like your Earth batteries. They’re very compact, so we have enough spares to get us there. And the atmospheric generator will continue to provide us with life support as long as we have functioning power cells.”

  Ari’k spoke. “The food and water, however, will last a little less than two months.”

  Shit. “We can stretch it, make it last.”

  Ari’k nodded. “Such was my thought. If the four of us”—he motioned to his fellow Yona warriors—“do not partake, the nutritional supplies should last you, Prince Taelon, and the baby long enough to reach the Segonian base.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  A muscle in Taelon’s jaw twitched. “They’re refusing to eat or drink anything. They want all the food and water to go to us.”

  She stared at the soldiers. “You’ll die if you don’t eat or drink anything.”

  “Yes.” Ari’k confirmed emotionlessly.

  She shook her head. “No way. Fuck that. We’ll just ration it. We’ll figure out how little we have to eat and drink each day to survive and just consume that.”

  Ari’k shook his head. “Our duty is to ensure Prince Taelon—”

  “I know what your damn duty is,” she snapped. “And it isn’t to keep us comfortable and well fed. It’s to keep us alive. I’ve gone hungry before. Many times. I can do it again. I’m still nursing Abby, so she’ll be okay as long as I consume enough to enable my body to continue producing milk. You will not starve yourselves so we can live.”

  “I agree,” Taelon said.

  Ari’k opened his mouth to speak.

  Lisa cut a hand through the air and beat him to it. “What if you all die of thirst next week and some Gathendien ships show up and attack us? How will you protect us then? Taelon can’t fly the transport and blow them all out of the sky at the same time. And I’m guessing it will take me a lot longer than a week to learn how to help him.”

  Ari’k glanced at his fellow warriors.

  “None of you,” she insisted, “are killing yourselves. Period. So Sodu, get your ass back in the control room and work on the comms. The rest of you… figure something out.” She looked at Taelon, silently asking him to back her. These men had risked their lives to save them. There had to be another way.

  Taelon took her hand and glanced at the men. “You heard her.”

  Sodu headed for the control room she still thought of as a cockpit. The others followed.

  Taelon drew Lisa close and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t want you and Abby to suffer,” he whispered.

  “We won’t. We’ll get through this.” But her words held more confidence than her thoughts.

  Lisa was terrified.

  Chapter Twenty

  A week later, Taelon smiled and helped Lisa climb out of the roungkrup, which she more often than not called a ball turret. “You did well.” When she had asked him to teach her how to use it, he had eagerly complied. If something should happen to him and their Yona guard, he wanted her to be able to defend herself and Abby. Her hands were too small to comfortably fit the controls and she often mentioned wishing she could use something called a joystick instead, but she was a quick learner and was progressing well.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I need more practice.”

  His smile turned wry. “You’ll have plenty of time for it while we head for Mila 9.” Time he was already utilizing to teach her to pilot the transport. That would take longer because there were a lot more controls and the universal translator the computer medic had implanted in her only translated audible language. It didn’t render her capable of reading Lasaran text.

  Sodu was having little luck repairing long-distance comms but steadfastly continued to try. Taelon had always thought the Yona’s inability to feel emotion regrettable, but he had to admit he envied their inability to feel frustration and impatience. Worry and helplessness.

  They had begun to ration food and water the day Lisa refused to let the soldiers deprive themselves of nourishment. About halfway to Mila 9, they would travel close enough to Kuiper Comet 21 for Ari’k to land on it and extract a goodly supply of ice. Once thawed, their filtration system would remove deuterium from it and make it safe to drink, reducing their need to limit their water intake.

  But they had no source of food other than what the transport carried.

  He and Ari’k had decided to ration the food so that it would last six months instead of just the four and a half it should take them to reach Mila 9 to allow for unexpected delays. That permitted each of them the equivalent of one meal per day. He and Ari’k divided each day’s portion into three snacks, not just to assuage the hunger that inevitably arose, but also to keep Lisa from realizing he and the other men took turns eating less than one meal per day so they could give her extra and ensure she would consume enough nutrients to keep both her and the baby healthy.

  He didn’t like deceiving her. But the first time he had heard her stomach growl and tried to offer her his portion, she had smiled and shaken her head. “I’m fine, Taelon,” she’d said, unperturbed. “I told you. I’ve been hungry before. I’m used to it.”

  He had not liked that at all, hence the subterfuge.

  Though she still ate far less than he’d like, Lisa produced more than enough milk to keep their daughter plump and happy.

  Abby giggled somewhere behind him.

  Warmth rushed through him. Their daughter was a never-ending source of joy for him, no matter their circumstances.

  Lisa chuckled.

  Taelon closed the floor panel, rose, and turned around.

  Abby sat in one of the seats down the aisle, a strap across her lap providing support in case she lost her balance and toppled over the way she did sometimes.

  Ari’k sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her, his expression and voice impassive as he covered his face with both hands, then opened them and said, “Peekaboo.”

  Abby giggled and wiggled and waved her tiny fists.

  Again the stoic warrior covered his face with his hands, then opened them. “Boo,” he stated.

  Again Abby chortled and kicked her pudgy little legs in delight.

  Ari’k covered and uncovered his face. “Peekaboo.”

  Abby giggled and tossed her bunny at him.

  Ari’k’s expression never changed as the stuffed animal bounced off his forehead and fell to his lap. Handing her the toy, he covered his face and resumed the game the baby never seemed to tire of.

  Lisa wrapped an arm around Taelon and leaned into his side. “You’re getting pretty good at that,” she told Ari’k, laughter in her voice.

  “Boo.” Ari’k shook his head as Abby giggled and reached out to him with a big grin. “I fail to understand why this entertains her.” He gingerly clasped her proffered ha
nd, so tiny next to his own. Her pale, pink skin provided a deep contrast to his darker, tanned skin with its grayish hue.

  Abby curled her fingers around Ari’k’s index finger and tugged, waving his hand around.

  Something flickered in the warrior’s expression, so quickly there and gone that Taelon couldn’t identify it. Then Abby released him and the game began anew.

  Lisa watched them with a smile. “When you cover your face, to Abby it’s as if you’ve left the room. Then when you uncover it, it’s as if you’ve suddenly reappeared.”

  Yihrus sat on the sofa. His injury had healed, eradicating the need for a sling. Now he divided his time between scanning space for other ships and trying to understand the entertainment value of Ari’k and the baby’s play.

  Kuxa lay on the floor, his torso dangling down inside the second roungkrup as he sought to repair the damage and make it operational once more.

  Sodu continued to work on comms.

  Lisa’s hand trailed a path up and down Taelon’s side. Though the caress was innocent and idle, it nevertheless made him wish they were both naked and alone.

  He shifted the arm he’d wrapped around her from her shoulders to her hip. Keeping his eyes on Ari’k and their daughter, he slowly drew his fingers up Lisa’s side, under her arm, until they brushed the side of her full breast.

  He heard her breath catch softly and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Faint color rose in her cheeks. “Ari’k, do you think you could keep Abby occupied for a bit so we can catch a little uninterrupted rest?”

  The color in Lisa’s face deepened.

  “Yes,” the warrior replied simply.

  Before Lisa could protest, Taelon ushered her past them, through the infirmary, and into the bedroom.

  “Let me know if she needs a diaper change,” Lisa called before he closed and latched the door. She looked up at Taelon and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I know what you’re thinking and no. No way. We can’t do this.”

  “Oh, but we can.” Dipping his head, he captured her lips in a deep, devouring kiss that expressed all of the pent-up desire that left him hard and aching. He slid his arms around her, lifted her onto her toes, and drew her up against him. Despite the wealth of unoccupied time on their hands, he had not made love to her since the battle. With four big warriors living on the transport with them, the only private space they had was the bedroom. And until now, Abby either slept between them, napped on the bed alone, or needed his or Lisa’s supervision, forestalling amorous activity.

  Lisa kissed him back, tunneling her fingers through his hair and rubbing her breasts against his chest for one precious minute before she drew back. “Abby needs us.”

  “You said yourself that Ari’k is good with her,” he countered, slipping his hands down to grip her lovely ass and crush her against him. Drek, he wanted her. “He and the others can handle caring for one small infant for a while.”

  She moaned, rising onto her toes again and arching into the hardened length his clothing constrained. “They’ll hear us.”

  Probably. “Sodu and Kuxa are making noise with their repairs.”

  “Not enough to drown us out!”

  He kissed a path down her neck, slipped one hand up to palm her breast. “We can be quiet.”

  She trembled. “Not that quiet,” she whispered as he drew his thumb across one sensitive peak. She lifted a shapely leg and locked it around him.

  Taelon thrust his hips forward, driving his hard cock against her center. “They’re Yona,” he reminded her as pleasure shot through him with every rock of his hips. “They don’t feel emotion.” She clutched him tighter. “They don’t feel desire.” He nipped her neck. “Won’t feel embarrassed even if they do hear us.”

  She nodded, breath coming faster. “Okay. Just don’t be loud and hurry before Abby needs to be fed.”

  Triumphant, Taelon flew into action, yanking off her clothes and doffing his own. They tumbled onto the bed, bare flesh against bare flesh. He moaned. “I’ve missed this so much.”

  “Shh,” she hissed on a laugh. “It’s only been a week.”

  “Far too long,” he insisted. He kissed his way down her neck, over her collarbone, and between her breasts. He wanted desperately to palm those large mounds and take a taut pink peak into his mouth, tease it with his tongue, nip it, suck it. But he had learned early on that such tended to bring forth her milk, something that embarrassed her when they were intimate.

  So he bypassed the beauties and continued down until he could drag his tongue over her clit. She started to moan but quickly cut it off, biting her lip instead while she buried her fingers in his hair and pressed him closer. He loved watching her as he stoked her desire, teasing her with licks and flicks and undulations. Taunting her with his teeth. Sucking and stroking. Loved the way she tossed her head against the pillow. Loved the way she arched up against him. Even loved the way she fought to contain her moans and gasps of pleasure.

  He inserted a long finger into her warm, wet sheath, then added another, curling them up and stroking her the way he knew she liked.

  Her muscles tensed as her movements grew more intense. Then she threw her head back and cried out as she climaxed, the tight walls of her core flexing around his fingers and nearly undoing him.

  Before Lisa could recover and realize she’d cried out loud enough for the others to hear, he rose above her, positioned his cock at her entrance, and plunged inside.

  She sucked in a breath, then lowered her hands to his ass. “You feel so good,” she said, half whisper, half moan.

  “So do you, dashura.” He claimed her lips once more, driving his tongue inside and stroking hers with the same rhythm he drove his cock inside her. Drek, he’d missed this. She was so beautiful. Made his body burn. Made him crave more and more until he knew he would never get enough of her.

  She arched into him, matching him thrust for thrust. Her small hands tightened on his ass, squeezing and urging him on as she broke the kiss. “Harder,” she gasped. “Faster.”

  He happily obliged, pounding into her.

  “Yes,” she hissed. “More. I need you so much.”

  Every word, every stifled moan, every stroke of her hand fired his blood.

  Taelon held nothing back, burying himself deep inside her with every hard thrust and driving her to a second climax.

  He covered her lips with his, softening her cries.

  Her warm sheath fluttered around his cock, squeezing and releasing, spurring on his own orgasm. So good. He wanted it to never end.

  At last he collapsed, bracing his forearms on the bed to keep the bulk of his weight off her. Resting his head on her chest, he listened to the racing of her heart as his own threatened to crash through his chest.

  How he loved her.

  A knock sounded on the door.

  Lisa stiffened beneath him. “Shit. Do you think they heard us?”

  Definitely. But Taelon didn’t know why that would lead them to knock on the door. Swearing, he left the bed and—keeping his lower body out of sight—opened the door just enough to poke his head out.

  Ari’k stared back, little Abby in his arms. “Yihrus has detected a ship headed our way.” He held out the baby.

  Taelon quickly took her. “Friend or foe?”

  “Undetermined.” He spun and strode away.

  Taelon slammed the door and turned to Lisa. “Hurry and get dressed.” He placed Abby in the center of the bed, then grabbed a couple of cleansing cloths. He handed one to Lisa, then used the other himself before dragging on his pants.

  “Do you think it’s the Gathendiens?” she asked as she swiftly dressed while keeping an eye on Abby to make sure she didn’t tumble off the bed.

  “I don’t know.” He shoved his feet into his boots and dragged his shirt over his head. “As soon as you’re dressed, join us up front.” Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I love you.”

  “Always.”

  Lisa’s hands shook as she
finger-combed her hair back from her face. Her mind raced as she stuffed her feet into her shoes and made cooing responses to Abby’s baby babble. Who was coming?

  Not Lasarans. Taelon was certain of that. They were too far away to have reached them so quickly and might not even know what had happened yet.

  Gathendiens?

  It seemed the most likely, but she hoped not. Only two of the three weapons systems were functioning.

  Think positively, she lectured herself. Things could be worse, after all. They could’ve been stranded out here with only a day’s supply of food and water and no functioning weapons systems. That would’ve been beyond fucked up. So maybe it wasn’t the Gathendiens or—hell—someone else out to harm them. Maybe it was one of the escape pods.

  She perked up at that possibility. Maybe it was Eliana or one of the others.

  Grabbing Abby, she kissed her cheek and headed to the front.

  Kuxa still lay on the floor, his torso hanging down inside the second roungkrup. But his efforts to repair the damaged weapons station had acquired a new urgency.

  Yihrus and Sodu were in the cockpit. Yihrus piloted the craft while Sodu manned the comms station, listening intently with one hand on his ear. Taelon and Ari’k stood beside the table viewscreen in what she had come to think of as the family room. Both leaned down, hands braced on the shiny surface, and studied it intently.

  “Is it one of the escape pods?” she asked hopefully as she joined them.

  Taelon shook his head without looking up. “It’s way too big.”

  Ari’k magnified the area that interested them. “And moving too quickly. I don’t think even the Kandovar could match its speed.”

  Her heart sank as she stared at the screen. The image it projected resembled radar, showing their current position and that of the approaching craft. Lisa watched the glowing red dot shoot toward them. “Is it the Gathendiens?”

  “I think it likely,” Ari’k murmured.