Striker

by Lexi Ander

  When the Oethra 7 had been retrofitted as a merchant vessel, Dargon instructed the crew to include the pipe way. Not many knew Alpha or Zeta could leave their host. It was knowledge that the Dar Massaga held close to their chest. He hardly ever ventured away from Dargon, too afraid of what would happen while he was elsewhere. With Dargon and Zeus tucked away behind a locked door, he did not worry—much.

  Traveling through the tubing, he searched the ship, checking on the crew and passengers. Amlyn, the Catalani assassin, shared quarters with Mayra and her brother, Gaex. The two Gaziniti had been shipwrecked on the Catalani planet of Catalan and were adopted into Amlyn's pride. A raid from a rival pride killed everyone with the exception of those three. When Gaex and Mayra were rescued, Amlyn followed them. They were the last members of her pride. Although it seemed strange that as pacifist as the Gaziniti were, compared to the extreme violence of the Catalani, studies had shown that the crossbred children were markedly less violent than their Catalani ancestors. Gaziniti volunteers chose to move to Catalan and integrate with the prides. They hoped that the next generations would better tolerate each other, allowing the Catalani to survive as a race. If left on their own, the Catalani would kill themselves off within another five or six generations.

  Upon first meeting them, Alpha wondered if Mayra and Gaex desired to keep Amlyn from the violence, leading them to take her off planet. After coming to know them, he quickly realized Gaex and Amlyn were officially bonded under both Catalani and Gaziniti laws, making the brother and sister Amlyn's legal family.

  With the charges pending against Amlyn for the attempted assassination of Zeus, Alpha knew of their rising apprehension. Amlyn had acted against Dargon's orders, believing him compromised by a spy from the Terrens they were running from. The outcome of her court martial would affect the three of them equally.

  Alpha peered down into the room from the small pipe tunnel running across the middle of the ceiling. Amlyn sat alone in the room. After she helped Zeus free The Gorgon, Zeus had argued she was no danger to him. Although Dargon chafed at her insubordination, he released her from the brig on probation.

  A feline face with short, swirled brown and white fur tilted up, nose twitching and sniffing, her long, thin tail flicking back and forth. "I would accuse you of skulking about,"—Amlyn's gaze roamed over the ceiling—"but since you have never left Dargon’s side in the two years I have been working with you two, can I assume you need something?" Her russet eyes betrayed her eagerness to be of use.

  The opening in the pipe only spanned three or four centimeters. Alpha began to slip through, stretching and thinning his mass out. Amlyn rose from her chair and moved to where Alpha hung and held her hands cupped palms up to catch him. He slowed his descent to pool gently into her palms.

  "Are Zeus and Dargon in need of assistance?"

  "They rest. I hoped you would aid me with something. Europa is too focused on Zeus and I would know why." Alpha proceeded to explain to Amlyn the encounter with the Qrxzl and the Feteine.

  Amlyn grinned, the glint of her fangs giving her a mischievous expression. "I have never shadowed a Feteine before. This will be fun. What kind of information are you looking for? It sounds as if they are traveling light."

  "I would go with you, if you do not mind."

  She scowled at him. "If Zeus or Dargon discover I have taken you into a potentially dangerous situation without their knowledge, Dargon will jettison me out of the airlock."

  If Alpha could sigh, he would have. Being underestimated had its pitfalls. He slunk to the floor and moved toward the wall where another one of his doorways was located.

  "Wait. Where are you going? Do you think I am that naïve?" Amlyn carefully plucked Alpha off the wall.

  "I cannot rest until I know Europa's intentions. Dargon and I will be incapacitated in a couple of weeks. I cannot leave her at Zeus’s back when we will not be able to protect him."

  "If I allow you to come along, then you must do as I say. If I deem the situation too dangerous, you are not to abandon me and go off on your own."

  "No one can know I am with you."

  Amlyn remained silent as she regarded Alpha. "You trust me to keep your secret? I am not sure there are many onboard who are aware you are this mobile. It will get around soon enough since you rode with Madux, but this is different."

  "Yes, I do trust you to keep this information to yourself."

  "Then I had better not be caught."

  After a few moments of trial and error, they discovered the best place for Alpha was situated around her waist. Covered as he was, he would need to tap into her nervous system in order to see. Looking through Amlyn's eyes was quite blinding. It was not that she had poor eyesight. It was simply not in the range or depth Alpha had. He hoped the difference would not hinder what they needed to accomplish.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Dargon woke slowly, feeling odd. Not ill, exactly, simply not himself. A warm body draped across his torso. With every inhale, he recognized Zeus’s scent of clouds and rain and open sky. His eyes popped open when he did not sense Alpha.

  He scanned the room, not ready to disturb Zeus. He recalled the searing agony and his attempt to shield Alpha and the kits. Dargon began to tremble as he tried to remember if he had been successful. Was Alpha's absence because he had failed?

  Zeus stirred and began to stroke Dargon's chest, making soft, soothing noises. "We are both fine," Zeus cooed.

  Dargon wanted to ask what happened, but with Alpha gone, he knew he would not like the answer. The soft noises Zeus made did nothing to calm him. Zeus must have sensed his rising panic, for he levered up onto an elbow to gaze down at Dargon. Brows wrinkling, Zeus’s eyes scanned the place where Alpha normally sat before he touched his own bare collarbone.

  "Where is Alpha?" Zeus sat up fully and glanced around the room.

  "Did the Qrxzl injure him and—did I fail to keep them safe?" he whispered.

  Zeus’s gaze snapped back to Dargon. "No, no, no, do not think that. Alpha and the kits were not harmed."

  Dargon's eyelids fluttered closed as intense relief washed through him. Zeus’s warm hands cupped his face, fingertips soothing the worry lines from his brow. Soft, supple lips feathered across his own. A low noise of need escaped his throat as Zeus kissed him unhurriedly. He tasted the salt of tears on Zeus’s mouth. He opened his eyelids to the vision of Zeus’s red eyes and wet cheeks.

  "I was terrified when I heard you scream. The Qrxzl released me and you lay unconscious on ground. I thought I had lost you, Alpha, and the kits. Such a short time—Gods! I was stupid, I did not think. Instead of demanding the Qrxzl ... I surrendered like I have always done. Instead of holding my ground, I gave them what they wanted. If I had known the extent the three of us were connected, where an injury to me meant harm to ... I would never. If the two of you were taken from me, I would beg the Gods to claim me as well. I am so sorry, Dargon."

  He could not stand the torment in Zeus’s voice any longer. He pulled Zeus into his lap, with his legs wrapping around Dargon's hips. "I did not know the breadth of our bonding either. I have heard of others linked together in a Trine as the three of us are, but I have to admit not much is known about how the connection works. Once we find Alpha, we will see what he knows."

  Zeus leaned back to gaze at him. "You gave Sohm'lan the whistle. That is what caused the Qrxzl to release me."

  He nodded. "Alpha insisted we take it. When you approached the obelisk, we instructed Sohm'lan to blow the whistle if something went wrong. Then I would move you to safety." Not that it happened that way.

  Zeus squeezed him harder. "Star Eater, Alpha's son, was summoned by the Qrxzl and when he arrived he healed both of us."

  Dargon's world reeled as his mind readjusted around the fact Alpha had a son. "I do not know why I am surprised. I guess I am still getting used to the fact Alpha has lived for as long as he has. He fought in the Arthro Wars. Until you came along, I always believed Alpha and I would live a long, goo
d life and die together. I knew nothing about who he was before, or that he would continue to live after I passed. I do not know him like I thought I did. Every day since then, it has become more apparent." Dargon was bothered by his lack of familiarity with Alpha. He felt like an outsider looking into a dirty window, attempting to glean information about Alpha, only to see bits and pieces through filmy glass.

  Zeus stroked his braid and pressed warm kisses to the side of Dargon's head. "Give him time. Alpha carries a grief so deep that I thought I would be consumed when I sensed it."

  Before he could ask what Zeus meant, Zeus told him of the events that transpired while he recovered from the Qrxzl's attack. When Zeus finished, Dargon sat in silence for a very long while. His issues with Alpha’s longevity would have to be put aside for now. At the moment, there were more pressing matters to deal with. The V'Saar. The Feteine. The possible trap they could be walking into once they entered Valespian space.

  "Does Alpha normally wander away on his own?" Zeus asked.

  Dargon scowled. "No. Very rarely does he leave my side, and usually those missions are undisclosed." He buried his nose in the crook of Zeus’s neck. "I cannot be seen without him, even if I put on a shirt to hide his absence, the crew would notice and question. Dar Massagas never cover their Alphas."

  "He should have thought of that when he snuck away. I cannot think of anything so urgent that he could not have waited until either of us woke," Zeus snapped.

  Before Dargon could reply, a hail sounded at the door. Dargon allowed Zeus to shoo him into the lavatory. The door might not have been replaced, but the room was still out of the way; no one could peer into it from the main cabin door.

  "Warlord Sohm'lan, is there something wrong with my brothers?" At the note of alarm in Zeus’s voice, Dargon considered joining him. Sohm'lan would not reveal any secrets. But was anyone with the Warlord?

  "No, Prince Zeus, they are well but have requested yours and Dargon's presence as soon as possible."

  "Of course. We will dress and be right there."

  "Your bodyguards will wait in the hallway for you," Sohm'lan replied.

  Dargon wondered why they thought Zeus needed protection while on board The Gorgon. Even though Zeus explained what had happened, he could not help but wonder what exactly he missed that would warrant the extra precaution.

  He left the lavatory as soon as Zeus thanked Sohm'lan and he heard the door hiss to a close. "Why do you need bodyguards on your brother's vessel?"

  Zeus slid open the compartment that held their clothing. "For one, they have two V'Saar emissaries on board. Although they are guarded, one of their numbers did attempt to murder Alpha. I assume the other reason is the Feteine. Europa's interest in me has not gone unnoticed. I guess there may be a third reason: I am a Mar'Sani prince, and I am never without a guard at home.”

  Zeus convinced Dargon to wear his military uniform instead of his normal skirt and tunic. The red uniform buttoned all the way up to his collar, hiding Alpha's absence. Once they were dressed, they stepped out into the corridor to be surrounded by eight Monticore.

  Zeus frowned. "Why so many?"

  "Prince Azaes ordered your Mahte'Lan to be guarded as well," the highest-ranked officer in the group answered. "We will treat him no differently than the empress or Prince Azaes's betrothed. Captain Kal-Turak is your future spouse, and he and his symbiote bear royal children. We will protect them with our lives."

  Dargon watched as Zeus struggled to remain composed at their avowal of loyalty. When the Monticore were in a private setting, their stony, stoic expressions often showed fondness when they dealt with Zeus. What had Zeus done to be so loved by his guards?

  "Thank you," Zeus whispered, his voice rough with suppressed emotion. The squad leader bowed.

  Dargon's slipped his fingers through Zeus’s for support as they were escorted to Zeus’s brothers. Unsure why Zeus was so affected by his people's acceptance of their relationship, he made a note to ask later.

  They were led to the stateroom where the group normally ate breakfast. Three robots that Dargon assumed were Feteine sat at the large table with Prince Azaes. Prince Mestor stood in the corner near the couch where Amlyn sat ramrod-straight. With a perfunctory glance about, Dargon ignored the conversation and crossed to Amlyn, who was not supposed to venture from the Oethra 7.

  She stood as Dargon approached, a sheepish expression crossing her face before being replaced by a blank countenance. Mestor stepped close to embrace Zeus, who had followed. Unsettled by Alpha's absence, Dargon refused to let go of Zeus’s hand. Very softly, as if he thought someone listened to them, he said, "Amlyn has been visiting today. We appreciate her efforts."

  Dargon did not dare ask for clarification. Something had happened while he and Zeus recovered. Amlyn stepped into the middle of the semi-circle created by Dargon, Prince Mestor, and Zeus. What was going on that she needed to be surrounded like a captive? Dargon steeled himself of bad news; she was in enough trouble already and Dargon dreaded to hear what else she had done to add to her short list of crimes.

  "Come then, let me give you a tour," Prince Azaes's voice caught Dargon's attention.

  When he glanced over his shoulder to the table, he noticed the white Feteine staring openly at Zeus. An unbidden thrum of warning escaped Dargon. He bared his teeth when her gaze met his.

  "Europa, please." Azaes strode around the table to place himself between the Feteine and Dargon.

  He watched as Prince Azaes and a small Monticore army escorted the Feteine out of the room. "What is going on?" Dargon snapped when the doors were securely shut.

  Amlyn lifted her shirt, revealing Alpha wrapped around her torso. "He asked for my help. I could not deny him only for him to skulk about alone while pregnant. You would have had my head."

  He touched Alpha and his symbiote began to slide up his fingers, slipping under the sleeve and up his arm. A part of Dargon relaxed as Alpha resumed his customary position.

  "One of the chimera noticed her trailing the Feteine. We were able to distract them before they discovered her." Mestor crossed his arms, a deep scowl twisting his brow.

  "Do not be angry with Amlyn. She went along to keep me safe," Alpha murmured tiredly.

  "What were you up to?" Dargon unbuttoned the top three clasps to loosen the fabric around his neck for Alpha's comfort.

  "With all that happened today, and the way the Feteine regarded Zeus, I wanted to know why. I do not trust them. Their actions are questionable and I want to know what issues they bring to our doorstep."

  "For the love of all things holy, you had Amlyn follow her because she stared at me?" Zeus demanded aloud.

  Alpha mumbled incoherently before he promptly fell asleep.

  "Azaes and I noticed she was preoccupied with Zeus," Mestor cut in. "It is the reason we requested Europa to accompany us in the shuttle, and why Azaes is personally giving them a useless tour of the ship right now."

  "Why does someone not ask them about their single-minded curiosity?" Considering it related to Zeus’s safety, Dargon thought that would be the first thing anyone would do.

  "Diplomacy. We do not want to offend them and possibly lose their support," Zeus sighed. "If an ambush awaits in Valespian space, their help will be necessary."

  Dargon frowned. "If their actions bring their intentions into question, then leave them. We cannot afford to have someone we do not completely trust at our back." Only with difficulty did Dargon not yell. As it was, his voice echoed slightly in the room and only the pointed clearing of a throat stopped his tirade. When did the door open?

  He spun on his heel to see Prince Azaes and the three Feteine standing just inside the doorway. Dargon had given them a cursory glance earlier. Now, he boldly looked them over. He would not allow anyone with ill intentions among his family or crew.

  The one who could not take her eyes off of Zeus appeared better maintained than the other two. She had shiny white paint, polished chrome cables probably designed to resemble
hair by her maker, and her face was segmented to allow for human facial expressions around her mouth, cheeks, and nose. Even now, her blue eyes gazed past Dargon at Zeus.

  Behind her stood a dingy yellow Feteine, with its paint chipped around the bendable body parts, such as the arms and legs. Unlike the white Feteine, the face was flat. The only features were the egg-shaped mouth and rectangular visor that glowed blue instead of eyes.

  The third Feteine appeared to be military grade, with dull, steel-gray plating, and stripes of red highlighting the shins, thighs, breastplate, and forearms. 'War Dogs' was printed across the upper chest. The head had a slightly lupine look with an elongated snout below dark amber eyes with red pupils. Huh. That must be where the name 'War Dogs' came from.

  "Which of you is called Europa?" Dargon barely kept from snarling.

  The white Feteine tore her gaze from Zeus. "I am Europa Astarte. Who would you be?"

  "I am Captain Dargon Kal-Turak, Mahte'Lan to Prince Zeus Vondorian. Do you know nothing about customs or courtesy? Or do you make it a habit of offending people with whom you have loosely allied with?"

  Europa's face, which was until now void of emotion, pulled into an expression of surprise, her hands rising in a placating gesture when Dargon jabbed three fingers in her direction.

  "No! Do not change your expression just to allay suspicion. Either use your facial program or do not. Be consistent or I will believe you are attempting to manipulate the situation. You will explain yourself this very instant, or I will demand Prince Azaes drop you off on the next planet."

  "Dargon," Prince Mestor warned.

  "No, I already told you what I think. They brought Atizen to the Qrxzl in the first place. They allowed the Qrxzl to injure Zeus and myself. At any time, they could have interceded. They did not intercept Atizen when he attacked Zeus and Alpha. And now they stare rudely at Zeus, uncaring that their action is unwanted and makes us uncomfortable. I would know why. Now."