Assassin's Bride

by C. J. Scarlett

  He burst out laughing. “I love being with you. You bring me such joy.”

  “You too, big guy. Race you to the sleeping room?”

  “Sure. I’m not going to let you win. That would be dishonorable.”

  Hopping out of the cleansing room, she hit the button for the drying cycle and left him beating on the cleaning shield. Skipping off to the sleeping platform, she tried to find her clothing. Jesus, it was scattered everywhere. Pulling on her clothing, she stuffed her under garments into her bag. She took out a brush and began working it through her hair.

  Haden appeared in the doorway, looking completely dry and a little furious. “You tricked me.”

  “All is fair in love and war, my sweet.”

  “We are in love?”

  Walking over to her big naked hunk, she jumped onto her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. “Well, I’m loving every square inch of you so far.”

  His expression warmed. “I am growing attached to you as well.”

  Trying to keep the indignation from her voice, she glared at him. “Attached? I’m not some parasite or bizarre alien fungus. You know that, right?”

  Grabbing her, he pulled her close again. Cupping her face in his hands, he murmured, “Calm yourself, my beautiful queen. I meant to say that you are quickly becoming my everything that matters. I will be sorry to see this ship land if it means you will be lured away from me.”

  Smiling up at him, she laid her cheek on his bare chest. “That’s never going to happen.”

  Feeling true happiness for the first time, Venice just enjoyed the moment. Then she enjoyed watching her sexy warrior getting dressed.

  “One day you are going to tell me where each and every one of those scars came from.”

  Grinning, he shot her a hot look. “They each have a story to tell. I am the perfect mate for one who enjoys stories.”

  “I agree, my handsome warrior.”

  Chapter 12

  Rude Awakening

  ~ Haden ~

  Music Mix

  Twelve solars later, Haden arrived for his work shift to find no drones working. Three members of his crew were pacing back and forth in front of their work station.

  Approaching them, he stated anxiously, “Greetings, my brethren.”

  Jakor turned to face him with a worried look on his face. “You are late.”

  Shifting his eyes to the very alarmed man, Haden replied cautiously. “I am not. This is my scheduled arrival time. Is something wrong?”

  Jakor glanced worriedly around. “We are unclear how to proceed.”

  “Unless you give me specific information, I cannot help you.” Jakor was the one drone in the ‘verse he tried to never have conflict with. Haden owed him a life debt because Jakor’s twin spawn mate was one the men he killed when under the control of the transponder.

  The drone waved a hand toward the injector containment unit. “The injection relay is clogged.”

  “Unclog it.” Why were they acting so panicked?

  “It has started a chain reaction in the injector assembly.”

  Forcing himself to remain professional, Haden responded. “Simply flush the containment unit. Once you vent the plasma—”

  “It has been cycling all night.”

  God of chaos! The entire unit was in danger of overloading. If it blew, it would depressurize half the ship. Running towards the junction, Haden yelled. “Bring an injector repair kit.”

  Standing over the opening to the softly glowing housing unit, he could feel heat coming off it, even though it was seated all the way in the rear of the enclosure. Grabbing the injector kit, he jumped down into the unit.

  Trying not to think of the very real possibility of getting caught in a hot wave of heated steam when he released the pressure valve, he pressed on. Grabbing the valve opener, he quickly leveraged it against the proper seam and slowly pushed back the injector cover. He heard a soft thud behind him just as the assembly shot forward, releasing the plasma into the proper vent. A shield came down in front him as the hot vapor shot out of the unit. It hit the shield with such force that both drones were thrown back flat against the far wall. Recovering quickly, Haden called up to the other drones. “The unit flushed properly, restart the relay.”

  Turning to the drone who saved him with the shield, he found it was Jakor. The man had a strange expression on his face. Glancing down, Haden saw the reason for the man’s grimace. Quickly pulling the strip off the leg of his uniform, he stuck it to Jakor’s chest and activated the stasis field. Trying not to break down, Haden walked back over and picked up a cutting tool to remove the induction rod jutting through Jakor’s body. As he worked, two more drones dropped into the unit. As they helped him pry their Maruvian brother free, Haden felt numb to the horror of what he was seeing.

  Accidents happen all the time. Though drones were brought up being taught that they were highly expendable, Haden wished a thousand times over that it had been him impaled on the rod rather than Jakor. Jakor couldn’t die. How could he face Jakor’s sire, knowing he’d cost the older drone two of his sons? One son would be enough to break the older drone, two was unimaginable.

  They carefully took him to the healing unit on a hover board and explained to the healers what had happened. The healer’s grim expressions told him that Jakor’s chances weren’t good. Haden stayed in the healing unit for three long days and nights, watching over his fallen brother. The healers performed multiple surgeries, grafted tissue, mended bones, but in the end nothing held together.

  Watching the healers finally give up, Haden couldn’t get rid of one reoccurring thought. How could he let this happen? He’d killed Jakor’s spawn mate along with several other drones. He’d allowed Jakor to be injured so extensively the healers could not repair the damage. He was unfit to lead. That was a fact he could no longer ignore. What use was a drone who could not protect others?

  His mind drifted to the beautiful queen, waiting even now for him to return to his quarters. If he allowed her to claim him, she’d eventually pay the price for that poor decision, just like everyone else in his life. Looking down at Jakor’s lifeless body, Haden imagined his queen one day laying on a healing platform taking her last breath. Something in his brain locked into place. He would not allow that to happen, not ever.

  Turing towards the door, he ignored the healers calling out to him to and headed to his quarters. He’d gather his belongings and move into another room. No matter what his queen said to soothe his grief, he would do right by her. As much as he hated to let her go, it was the only way. He was a total fuck up and could not be trusted with a queen. He knew deep down in his soul she would be far safer with another drone.

  Chapter 13

  Proving Oneself

  ~ Venice ~

  Music Mix

  Three days later, they landed on the new Maruvian home world and it was everything Venice ever dreamed it would be. Breathing real air instead of the canned recirculated air of the battleship was refreshing. Smelling the light scent of vegetation and the salty breeze blowing in from the ocean felt almost like being reborn into a pristine new world for Venice. She loved every single thing about her new home world. A growly feminine voice drew her from her thoughts.

  “I will remove his spine.”

  “Don’t bother, Donella. We can’t force the man to like me.”

  “I most certainly can. Drones will do as they are told.”

  Sighing, Venice stopped paining the gold polish on the huge claw of the sentinel’s right toe. “What I mean to say is I want a male to like me voluntarily, not because we force him. You didn’t have to force Trenton to fall hopelessly in love with you if I recall.”

  Fluttering her wings behind her, she replied smugly, “I did not. He pursued me relentlessly. I like that he did not wait for me to claim him.”

  Smiling at her new friend’s enthusiasm, she went back to painting her claw. “I would like to be pursued as well.”

>   “We will find you a better male. One who is not so damaged.”

  Glancing up with a frown, Venice stared at the Golugua. “Haden’s not damaged. He was really nice and conversational. He’s grieving for his friend, that’s all.”

  “Maybe, but Armon said he never recovered from killing his fellow drones on the ship during his assassination attempt on Queen Helena.”

  “She prefers to be called General Helena. I met her during our orientation. She’s a member of Tara’s extended family. I can’t believe Haden tried to kill her.”

  “Our old queen was ruthless. I believe she forced him to wear a device robbing him of his free will. I’m sure the general could tell you more.”

  “Forget about Haden. Tell me more about your new mate, Trenton.”

  “I have not accepted him yet. He must prove himself worthy of my affections. I am a high status Golugua female, after all.”

  Gaping at her pretentious friend, Venice asked. “How the heck does he do that?”

  “You are never going to guess.”

  Putting the cap back on her bottle, Venice blew on the claw to dry the polish. “I’m all ears. Tell me.”

  Slipping off the settee and onto the floor, Donella whispered, “He’s volunteered to serve time onboard one of the battleships orbiting our world. He will be assisting with the construction of an orbital space platform in addition to protecting the planet. How exciting is that?”

  “Pretty exciting. Aren’t you going to miss him running all around, demanding that you be his queen and all that jazz?”

  Snorting a laugh, she smiled mischievously. “Perhaps that is why I have spoken with the general myself. She assigned me to the mission as well.”

  “Wow. What’s your family think of that?”

  Preening a bit, Donella replied, “Both Trenton and my father would explode with anger if they knew.”

  “You’re looking for a little action and adventure yourself, right?”

  “Of course. The trip here was thrilling and action-packed. Naturally, I want more. I also don’t see why I should give up bonding time with my favorite male.”

  “Better not get caught.”

  “Humph, as if I would allow males to run my life. Get real.” Glancing over at Venice, Donella waited to see if she gotten the human phrase correct.

  “Yep, ‘get real’ is correct. When did you start to like human things? You always said we were annoying and weak.”

  “That was before I learned about claw polish and females who rock. I have a lot in common with human queens.”

  “The commanders about lost their minds when they found you were telling everyone what to do on the training ship.”

  Laughing again, she fluttered her wings. “Drones are foolish for listening to me.”

  “So are you sure about this new mission?”

  “I wish to prove myself in battle and start my own line.”

  “You know if your father heard you say that, he would scream the walls down.”

  She preened a bit. “Let him scream all he wants. I won’t be on the planet to hear him. It is what I must do to earn my freedom.”

  Catching her line of thought, Venice nodded. “I see. If you are victorious in battle or something like that, you will be free of your father and earn his respect in the bargain. And if Trenton does not accept you as an equal, then though he may have proven himself to your father, he has proven to you he would make a poor mate.”

  “You are very clever for a human.”

  Grinning at her friend, she quipped, “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  Grinning like a mad fool, Donella added, “You are still a weak human, though.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that a million times from you. Maybe I should ask to go as well. It would be a great way to prove that I’m not weak and get some respect from you.”

  “That is a very good idea, small human. You must figure out a way to benefit the mission to be accepted.”

  “What strength did you bring?”

  “I have good leadership skills and take the initiative to solve problems as they arise.”

  “I remember how you fixed the gravity when things went sideways on the ship.”

  “Think hard, Queen Venice. You must be good at something besides storytelling.”

  “I am pretty good at fixing electronics.”

  “Our mechanics are very different, but I could teach you. Taking you along would be economical and you might prove useful somehow.”

  “You are so good for my ego. But I suppose anything is better than sitting around here, mooning over the one drone who refuses to have anything to do with me.”

  “That is very true. Next time, pick a less damaged drone.”

  Gazing at her arrogant friend, Venice pretended to ponder her suggestion. “Maybe we would could give them all brain scans from now on.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. We’ll get one for Trenton just to make sure he’s not damaged.”

  Venice made a mental note that Goluguas apparently didn’t understand sarcasm.

  *****

  Sitting in the large and practically empty war room, Venice and Donella sat face-to-face with General Helena. The dark haired woman wore a crisp black uniform with a single gold star on her collar.

  “It’s really nice to see you again, general.”

  “You as well. How have you been settling in?”

  “I find myself wanting to contribute to our colony in a more meaningful way than simply telling stories.”

  “I was surprised to discover what a big deal stories are to the Maruvians. Please don’t underestimate the importance of your contribution.”

  “I consider that a nice hobby, but I wonder if I might be assigned to the team building our new orbital platform. I know a little about electronics and feel I could be useful.”

  Donella leaned over the table to speak. “I can attest to the fact that she does not eat much. Therefore, regardless of how helpful she is, taking her on will require very few additional resources.”

  Rolling her eyes at Venice, Helena responded politely, “I’ll admit, I hadn’t thought of that particular benefit.” Turning to Venice, she asked, “Are you sure you feel comfortable among mostly drones?”

  “Sure, they’re all more scared of me than I am of them.”

  Smothering a smile, Helena responded casually. “I should think so. Prior to being rescued by me, the penalty for displeasing a queen was death.”

  Venice bolted forward in her chair. “Say what?”

  “Yep, they were just flushed right out an airlock.”

  “Wow, that’s harsh.”

  “The Maruvian queens also had a habit of culling their young. They would look over the eggs and destroy any that didn’t seem perfect. Some of the more zealous queens continued culling even as the infants grew into toddlers and began to fly.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “Which is why you need to know where their fear is coming from. If you understand, you will in a position to be sensitive. Many drones who had to carry out such orders still suffer from those memories. Though they walk, talk and work many are still damaged by their experiences under the leadership of their former queen.”

  Donella spoke up. “Venice already had an experience with a damaged drone. Haden accepted her attention and then cast her aside with very little explanation.”

  Rushing to his defense, Venice explained, “He was real nice. He lost a friend during a malfunction in engineering. I might simply not be what he is looking for in a mate.”

  Helena steepled her hands together in front of her and sat back in her seat. “Haden never got over being forced to wear a transponder. It is a device that forces the controller’s will upon the wearer.”

  “I have heard he tried to kill you.”

  “That is not a very accurate way to describe the situation. I challenged his former queen to the rite of conquest and wa
s victorious. She fitted him with a transponder and sent him to assassinate me. He fought against her control right up until the last minute. He even punched himself in the head in an attempt to render himself unconscious.”

  Venice’s eyes filled with tears. She could see him in her mind’s eye doing something like that. It occurred to her to wonder if his aversion to being controlled by a female was the reason he enjoyed being in control so much with her. Gazing at the female general, she felt a great deal of empathy for her. “I’m sorry that happened to the both of you.”

  Waving her hand nonchalantly, Helena explained, “Luckily some drones came upon the carnage in the hall and ran to check on me. They stunned him and the healers managed to get the device off him. I honestly think this has had more of a lasting impact on Haden than myself.”

  “I got the feeling he was still pretty torn up about it. I can’t believe something like that is even possible.”

  “It just goes to show what we should always expect the unexpected.”

  “I will remember your words, general.”

  “We have shuttles going up to the battleships three times a day. Just stop by the armory and gear up then catch a shuttle. I will add you to the mission and you’ll be assigned a unit upon arrival. Hope you look good in black, Venice.”

  Smiling at the general, Venice nodded. “The uniforms are really cool.”

  “They’re more than cool. I designed them myself. They’re made from a polyresin fabric that wicks moisture away from the body, can function as wetsuit and doesn’t restrict movement. You will get several sets along with an armored set that can withstand a direct hit from a laser pistol.”

  “I really love this world.”

  “You and me both. We are having a going away party for some of the drones in our family who are making another run to Earth for brides. It is tonight, and you are invited.”

  “We’d love to come. Thanks for thinking of us.”

  “Be prepared to be pestered for a story. Don’t be shy about telling my family to bug off.”