by L H Whitlock
Brock didn’t reply for a long time. “You fucked her didn’t you?”
Ulrick gripped his glass in an effort to calm his temper, it shattered, spilling his drink and chunks of glass to the table. “You will not use such language when discussing my mate,” Ulrick hissed, wiping his hand on his pants and picking up the broken pieces of his glass. “Do not ask questions which you already know the answer to.”
Brock yanked the bottle from Ulrick’s hand and threw it across the room. It shattered, spraying red liquid onto the walls. “You cock-sucking sonofabitch!”
Ulrick jumped to his feet and kicked his chair aside. It fell to the floor with a bang. His body tensed and fists trembled. He wanted to punch Brock’s irritating face, but Lily would never forgive him. He allowed his breath to exit slowly before replying. “I know how you must feel.” Picking up his chair, he calmly met the other man’s heated glare.
Brock’s chest rose, his nostrils flaring with each heated breath. “You don’t understand a damn how I feel. We would have been together, maybe even started a life together. You don’t understand how it feels to have someone you love stolen from you.”
Brock and Lily together? Ulrick nearly failed to hide his scoff, but for his mate’s sake he continued his pleasantries. “I know exactly how you feel. I was alone for centuries. I watched my friends fall in love, get married, and have children. It was a miracle finding Lily, and though I understand your pain, I cannot part from her. I would not survive it. Let her be happy.” Ulrick walked over to where the broken glass littered the floor and knelt to clean it up.
Brock moved next to him, wiping up the spilled liquid with a cloth. “I first met Lily when she was about twelve.” The man’s voice was heavy. “Her camp was attacked by Golan. I found her in a burning field.”
Ulrick was aware of how the two met, but if talking was going to prevent a conflict that would cause him to get in trouble from bashing the idiot’s face in, then he was willing to listen.
“Vincent, that two-faced, motherfucking bastard, and I, rescued her from the fire. Over the years she trained, fought, and grew strong. In all the horror we have been through we found salvation in each other. With her I could laugh, I could relax and forget that we were in this godforsaken war.” Brock held out his bottle.
Ulrick studied the bottle warily for a moment before taking a sip.
Brock huffed. “We talked about leaving a few times. Running from this fucking war, but she was too damn noble. Wouldn’t leave anyone behind.”
Pride washed over Ulrick. “Yes, she wants peace for every civilization.”
“She could have lived a happy life in the safety of one of the resettlement areas, but when she saw what Golan was capable of doing, she didn’t want anyone else to lose their home.” Brock took a long drink from the bottle, a line of booze dripping down his chin.
Ulrick nodded in agreement.
“She’s not only brave. She’s a fucking light. She’s already lost too much.” Brock locked eyes with Ulrick’s. “You better not let her lose anything else. She loved Sara. She was her closest friend. If you betray her, I swear I will cut a hole in your chest.”
“On my life I would never hurt her. She is my salvation. My miracle.”
“Then prove it.” Brock stood, took a long swig of juice and left without saying another word. His metal arm clanged against the door frame, the alcohol clearly having its effect.
Ulrick made his way back to Lily’s room, wanting nothing more than to wrap her in his arms.
39
Lily lay in Ulrick’s arms, their largeness making her feel safe and horny as hell. She took a deep breath. Their scent’s mixed together; floral soap and the spiciness of deep space. Mmm, I wonder if he is a morning lover.
A clang at the door stirred the masculine man. His breath tickled the back of her neck and he wrapped his arms around her, his hands cupping her breasts.
Gloria’s voice filtered through the door. “Hey El…can you talk for a minute?”
“Be right there.” Lily lifted herself from Ulrick’s warmth. He propped himself up on his elbow, his hair ruffled and eyes gleaming.
Lily opened the door. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah, just wanted to see if you’re okay. Sorry if I interrupted something.” Gloria accented her battle uniform, black pants, boots, and a matching vest, with teal lipstick and plum eye-shadow.
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” Lily assured the woman.
Ulrick’s rumble from the bed suggested that he strongly disagreed.
“I was just worried about you. I know how close you were to Sara and…I just-I’m just really sorry.”
“Let’s get some tea.” Lily glanced at Ulrick apologetically. He flashed her a lazy grin.
Lily stepped into her boots and left the room, not bothering to change from her sleeping pants and tank top. “So, how are you doing?”
“Well, I’m doing okay considering.” She smiled at Lily. “Just sad.”
“Me too.” They paused as they passed the medical room. “She was a good friend.”
“Yeah, she was the one who helped me when I first came on. I really liked her.”
Once they got to the kitchen, Lily pressed a button on the food generator and tea poured into her mug. She handed it to Gloria and repeated the process for herself. They walked to the common room in silence and sat on a sofa facing the glass windows.
Lily sipped her tea, relaxing as the warmth spread through her body. She looked out of the window; the emptiness of space was almost unnerving. A speck of a star shined in the distance, probably many hundreds of thousands of light years away. Lily wondered which star it was. Was it newly born? Or was it upon its dying year?
“I heard that Rowan is meeting us at Aray to go over strategy and prepare for battle.” Gloria tossed a blanket over herself and Lily.
“Yes, he will arrive in a few rotations.” The two sat in silence for a moment.
“So, how are you and Ulrick getting along?” Gloria asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“Uh…just fine.” Lily gulped her tea.
Gloria giggled.
“Yes, yes. Everyone get lucky. But not me.” Alberta walked into the room still in her night pants and crop-top showing off a tattoo of her home world, a white planet etched with gray lines, on her mid-drift. Rings circled it at peculiar angles with one side reaching up under her crop-top, and the other dipping below her pants toward her hip.
“How Mr. Muscles bed?” Alberta blurted, pulling a snort from Gloria.
“I am not telling you that. You nosey body.” Lily glared at the pilot.
“From sounds last night, pretty hot stuff,” Alberta decided.
Gloria threw her head back with laughter.
Lily felt her cheeks heat up. Damn her. “Don’t be jealous, Allie, we can stop by the market and get you a night with a bot.”
Alberta grinned. “We approaching A’ Gonen. Be ready’s soon.” She left the room, laughing all the way.
40
The team stood on soft, fuchsia grass. The over-grown, delicate blades swayed in a gentle breeze. Trees rose in the distance, their trunks thick and mighty with branches supporting clusters of purple and green leaves. The smell of salt, carried in from the ocean, tickled Lily’s nose.
Brock and Gustavo dug a hole next to the light blue sea. Lily stood on the edge where the water met the fuchsia grasses. The blades wandered into the water creating a field beneath the calm sea. A black fish nibbled at the ground, disrupting the dirt into frothy clouds that slowly disbanded as the fish moved to graze on the next patch of grass.
Through the moon’s champagne sky and pearly white clouds, Aray was visible, looming above like a silver disk.
“We are ready.” Ulrick stepped up beside her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She sighed and silently walked with him to the burial site.
Sara lay in the bottom of the hole wrapped in white blankets, as was custom
to her native world. Though they were not on Alvernon, Lily knew that Sara would be happy with her final resting place. Lily grabbed a clump of dirt, broke it apart, and allowed it to fall through her fingers into the grave. “I love you forever and into the stars.”
Alberta stepped up next to her, tossed a handful of dirt into the grave. “Love forever into stars,” she repeated Sara’s native phrase of admiration.
Brock and Gustavo followed then they all worked to push the dirt into the grave until Sara was safely tucked away. Gustavo, Gloria, and Alberta were picking flowers a few yards away. Already, vibrant orange and yellow petals surrounded the burial site, but she agreed with the others, Sara deserved more.
A critter in the distance hopped on two oversized legs. The creature approached unafraid of movement or people. Its nose twitched and long black whiskers extended from the plump cheeks. Its ears were far too long for its body, tripping it up every other hop. Lily laughed. It tilted its head and stared at her curiously.
Ulrick was talking on his RAB, he threw out his arms and his voice raised.
Lily moved closer so she was within earshot of the conversation.
“What! How far away?”
“We only have thirty minutes.” The voice on the other line was panicked.
“Get everyone off Aray immediately, complete evacuation. Now!”
“We have already begun the evacuation and will be in orbit around A’ Gonen.” A Hilian male that sounded like Bru said.
Lily’s heartbeat accelerated. What is going on?
Ulrick turned to her. “We have to go now. Golan’s fleet is thirty minutes away.”
“Back to the ship!” Lily yelled out. The creature’s ears rose at the sound of her cry. Her team asked no questions, they ran with her back to the ship.
“Taking off nows,” Alberta said through the ships comm once they were back on board. They ascended, the grass below blowing violently in the turbulence. Lily looked out the window and knew this may be the last time she saw Sara’s final resting place.
“Golan is approaching with a massive fleet,” Ulrick said, his words cut through her thoughts.
“How did they find us?” Brock asked.
“We do not know,” Ulrick admitted. “We are evacuating Aray and preparing for battle.”
“Let’s kick some ass,” Gloria said, pulling a few short, half-hearted laughs out of the crew.
Lily never imagined Gloria being enthusiastic about combat. Then she watched her lodge in a clip backward, and knew she was still the same woman she met the first time.
They lifted out of the atmosphere. Golan’s ships were already coming into view, hanging like asteroids in the distance.
41
Hilian ships filled the space between the moon and Aray. They were designed by the Developers utilizing the most advanced weaponry available but, even with their tactical advantage; Golan outnumbered them by a staggering amount. The Renegade wasn’t expected for another rotation but that gave her little hope. Their fate would be decided much sooner than that.
“Should we rush them? Use the single fighter units?” Brock asked.
Lily shook her head. “We don’t have enough fighters for that, and, if the Hilians are not trained it will be a disaster. Ulrick, what is the light-second range for their weapons? Do you recognize the model?” Her heart pounded and her muscles tingled with anticipation.
Ulrick gazed through the magnifiers; if he was anxious he certainly didn’t show it. Lily hoped she looked like she was holding her shit together half as well as he did.
“They are models XH-889, HH9 and XH-900. The light-second range for these ships is between 0.5 and 1,” Ulrick answered.
“Alberta, how far out are they?” Lily asked.
“Four light seconds, they be in range ten minutes.” Alberta’s thick accent held a hint of excitement. “We only gets 0.5 light second accuracy with piece of crap ship.”
Gloria turned from her perch at the window. “What’s that mean?”
“Their accuracy range is 0.5 seconds. They cannot lock onto their targets before they get within 0.5 to 1 light seconds of us. Anything earlier will most likely miss,” Lily responded. “What is the range for the ships the Developers designed?”
“The Hilian’s have a range of 0.8 to 1.2 light seconds,” Ulrick answered.
“Have the Hilians activate their shields and camo. If they can’t see us, they can’t hit us. Prepare for attack in five minutes,” Lily instructed.
Ulrick punched a button on his RAB. “Voen, move the Hilian troops into formation. Activate stealth and shield systems.”
“With pleasure,” Voen replied. His normally monotone voice held a hint of giddiness, or was that just her imagination?
The Hilian ships shimmered as their shields activated then disappeared, making the cluttered battlefield appear barren. Now they would spread out, making it difficult for Golan’s ships to connect.
“We can’t fight?” Gloria looked up from the control panel. Panic clouded her eyes.
“Not a lot we can do until we are in range, it’s pointless to fire missiles that won’t hit. If we can re-format our electron particle beam weapon and give it a longer range we can at least scramble their mechanical components,” Lily suggested.
“Gustavo…can you do that?” Gloria asked, twisting her fingers in her lap.
“Of course, sweet cheeks.” Gustavo’s grin was a little too large given their current circumstances, but, then again, he was always a joker. He pulled out a tool kit and started tearing apart a control station.
“How’s he going to do that?” Brock asked.
“He is going to get an electron gun from the monitor. From there you got me.” Lily watched Gustavo’s project with mild fascination.
“This is man’s work,” Gustavo stated when Lily leaned over his shoulder.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say hot-shot.” Gazing out the window, she saw the first of the Hilian missiles collide with Golan’s fleet in eerie silence.
Space had a funny way of seeming serene. Even the most violent of actions held no significance. It was only a nanosecond, a miniscule event in space’s existence. Whether it was a star exploding into a supernova, or the destruction of a ship, space gave them no acknowledgement.
Lily studied the battlefield; they were between Aray and A’Gonen. From this distance the moon appeared as a fuchsia ball with light blue patches and white clouds texturing its atmosphere. Lily wondered with a fleeting thought if the creatures on that world would ever evolve into an advanced life form.
The Hilian droids hit the fleet of enemy ships. Flashes of light indicated a successful impact.
“Allie, how fast is the debris moving?” Lily asked.
“Very fast, way faster than ships. We have to maneuver around,” Alberta explained.
Strips of metal from the destroyed fleet propelled toward A’ Gonen, they caught fire in the atmosphere and plunged to the surface like artificial comets. Alberta maneuvered sharply out of the metal’s path. Gloria toppled off of the chair and hit the ground with a surprised cry. Gustavo pulled her up. Lily stumbled and knocked against the steady wall of Ulrick’s chest.
Brief flashes of light revealed a volley of missiles from the enemy. Lily’s breath caught, a bead of sweat dripped down the side of her face. Silence filled the control room as they waited to see if the missiles hit. After a few moments she audibly released her breath, they were still outside the accuracy range.
“Someone trying to communicate,” Alberta said through the comm.
“Send it through.” Lily waited as the image appeared on the holo-screen in front of her. Golan’s thin form, masked with shadow, came into view. The tip of his nose and the tops of his sunken cheekbones were notable in the dull light. His skin looked a sickly gray, his eyes shining an unnatural yellow. Thin, shoulder length hair clung to his head, though Lily couldn’t tell what color it was.
Golan’s eyes blazed in hatred. “Ahh, Ulrick and his Ja�
� Keo Gruna. You think you can hide with your shields? We have enough firepower to cover this entire area. It won’t matter if we miss a few times,” Golan taunted, hanging onto the ends of his words a little too long.
“Golan, this is enough. Step down or we will destroy you and your entire fleet.” Ulrick’s voice remained steady.
“I should have killed your little mate when I first discovered who she was, but I wanted you to suffer. I will enjoy draining her blood in front of you.” Golan leaned forward, showing the points of his teeth and cauliflower ears.
Ulrick clenched his fists and stepped forward, blocking Lily from Golan’s gaze. “You are done Golan; a threat on my mate’s life is means for execution.”
Lily cut them off. “Hit them,” she instructed Alberta.
Alberta set off the electron particle beam weapon.
“Dammit!” Golan slammed his fists against the table. “Someone get the weapon system back up now! I want them destroyed. Mother—” His screen turned to static. Lily couldn’t help the satisfied smile that overtook her.
Lights flashed from the enemy fleet. The ship next to theirs burst into a flash of fire that was quickly extinguished in the vacuum of space. The warship swayed, slammed into the Home Ship’s shield, and plunged toward the moon.
“Shield at fifty percent.” A robotic voice repeated over and over.
“Alberta. Turn that fucking thing off. Voen, instruct everyone to fire at will,” Lily ordered.
Voen failed to respond.
“Voen, did you get the order?” Ulrick’s voice held a dark edge.
The real battle began. Missiles from both sides collided across the battlefield. Some broke apart on the shields, others pierced through, destroying the ships in flashes of fire. One round tore through a grouping of Hilian ships in front of them. Alberta jerked the ship out of the way, throwing the crew to the floor.
Lily landed hard, bolts of pain shooting through her hip as she pulled herself back to her feet. She staggered and reached for her weapon controls.