by Lucee Joie
PROTECTOR OF THE STARS
GALACTIC UNION BOOK THREE
by
LUCEE JOIE
COPYRIGHT © 2019 by Lucee Joie
Cover and internal design by Lucee Joie
Time break design: OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay
Cover images by DepositPhotos
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The characters and events portrayed by the author are fictitious, and are used as such. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Contents
Title Page
Chapter One: Danika
Chapter Two: Bivir
Chapter Three: Danika
Chapter Four: Bivir
Chapter Five: Danika
Chapter Six: Bivir
Chapter Seven: Danika
Chapter Eight: Bivir
Chapter Nine: Danika
Chapter Ten: Bivir
Chapter Eleven: Danika
Chapter Twelve: Bivir
Chapter Thirteen: Danika
Chapter Fourteen: Bivir
Chapter Fifteen: Danika
Chapter Sixteen: Bivir
OTHER BOOKS BY LUCEE JOIE
Chapter One: Danika
I try not to gawk at everything around me. Being lost in the galaxy outside of Earth is my new normal but it is also a recent occurrence. Bruxland is a sea of strangeness that I just want to explore.
It feels even more remote to be here than onboard the Galactic Union’s ship. At least there were other humans on board. Here, now that the others have left, there is no one that I know, no one that is familiar to me. I wrap my arms around my middle and cling to the hope that Shirley and the others will return soon, that I won’t be trapped on this new planet forever.
However, I have to put all of my worries and concerns aside for the moment. Instead, I have a life that needs saving.
Marir leads me into the darkness of the building. Apparently, we need to prep to move as soon as possible. This patient may be deathly ill but his life will be in further peril if we remain at our current location.
I pinch my lip between thumb and forefinger as we walk. Our pace is brisk, I can sense the urgency as Marir charges ahead. I quicken my pace, to let her know that I am close behind, that I am capable of moving faster.
The building is familiar to me as we enter. Not because I have been there before but because it reminds me of every nightclub ever. It is bland on the outside and bleak on the inside during daylight hours. I am sure, though, that under the harsh glare of lighting and with the crush of bodies and blare of music, it looks awesome at night time.
For now, though, I follow Marir down dingy corridors that are scuffed with marks on the walls and the smell of damp.
“He is in here,” Marir says as she pauses at a door. Opening it carefully, she peeks her head through, as though expecting the worst and bracing herself against it.
I can smell the threat of death even before I have followed Marir through the doorway. Stepping inside, I can see the dark bump of someone in a makeshift bed. Really, it is just an old sofa and its stuffing spills out in places.
I rush towards the person. Already, I have my emergency kit out, the one which was taken from the Prennia before I left. However, I need to assess the damage first.
Peeling back the bedcovers, I ask for Marir to turn on the overhead lighting. She obliges and I watch as the man grunts in pain once the harsh glow hits his face.
His pallor is off and I’m not even sure if that is because of his injuries or his race. The Brux are green in complexion, even under the harsh conditions on board the Leonida. However, this man’s coloring is different still and his antenna hangs down against his forehead. I glance at Marir, comparing the two. Her coloring is less waxy and there is a blush of color in her cheeks that is missing on the man’s face.
“What’s his name?” I ask as I continue to assess the situation.
“Bivir,” Marir replies and I lean over him, making sure that he is looking at me before I speak.
“Bivir, my name is Danika. I am a human who has been trained in medicine. I am not a qualified doctor. However, I can perform some minor procedures.”
“You are a Magni…” Bivir replies and I assume he is referring to what his race calls their own nurses. “So beautiful…”
I ignore the last comment and continue to gently poke and prod the man. When my assessment is over, I roll back onto my heels and look over my emergency kit.
“His wound is substantial,” I say as I gather supplies. “However, I think I can treat it. My main concern is the festering that is going on. That’s what is creating that smell. I need to cut out any dead skin and thoroughly clean the wound. Once that is done, I can stitch it and we can think about moving him.”
I can hear Marir suck in a deep breath. She expels it in one long shuddering sound and I wonder if she will cry.
“Are you sure?” she finally asks and the waver in her voice betrays her true emotion.
“I am fairly confident. There doesn’t seem to be much internal damage that can’t right itself given some time. However, I need some sort of drug or medication that will numb the area while I work on him. I only have a small medical kit and it doesn’t really accommodate surgery like this.”
“We have nothing like that here,” Marir says. “Will recreational drugs work, though?”
“Depends on what you have,” I reply. “Anything that will dull his senses will be helpful.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Marir says as she stands and crosses the room.
When she exits, I start to flush out the wound. I try to be as gentle as possible but Bivir still clenches his teeth and hisses every time I touch him.
I watch as the festering yellow pus washes out with each cleaning. There is so much infection here that I worry if I really will be able to save him.
“I have some Umbra,” Marir says as she blusters back into the room.
I have no idea what it is or what it does but I take it anyway. “How much is usually given?”
“The whole thing is added to a drink,” Marir replies. “It renders the person drinking it unconscious.”
Ah, so they have date rape drugs here as well. While I am horrified, I am also thankful in this instance. It will be the perfect drug to use to perform the sort of surgery that I need to do.
I just hope that Bivir survives the procedure as I am not entirely sure what will happen to me in this foreign land should he die.
I try not to think about the consequences as I encourage Bivir to drink from the cup I offer.
Chapter Two: Bivir
She is like a Magni, one of our celestial beings. Her hair feathers out as she leans across me, tickling my face but I welcome it. I am not sure if she is here to help or to claim me for the afterlife. Honestly, I really don’t care which one it is because so lo
ng as she is there with me, I will be happy.
“How do you feel?” she asks. Her voice is low and I can tell that she is concerned.
My sister bounces in next to her and her face is lined with worry. She looks haggard, thinner, or something, and I wonder how long I have been out of it.
“Everything hurts, Magni,” I reply.
“My name is Danika,” the woman replies. “I have just patched up your wound and disinfected it. Your sister wants to move out shortly but unless you feel up to it, I won’t allow it.”
Ah, so she is a Shade, not a Magni. However, I continue to think of her as a mythical being rather than a healer. She is too beautiful to be counted among the Nostrals, who are our only healers on this planet.
Or, they were until the Galactic Union took them from us.
Marir pushes in next to me, filling the space between myself and Danika. I want to tell her to move so that I can continue to gaze on the Magni but, instead, I smile at Marir and her face slackens, the worry lines smoothing away.
“I was so scared,” Marir says as she takes my hand.
“How long has it been?”
“Four days.”
“Has the emperor retaliated at all?”
“He hasn’t had a chance since he has had his own problems on board the Leonida,” Marir smirks at me before looking towards my Magni. “Danika’s group managed to escape the breeding program and are now on the run from Emperor Thahars. So, those small rebellion numbers you were worried about seem to have doubled over the last few days and we now have a serious group forming against the Union.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Now, maybe we can get our parents back from servitude.
Chapter Three: Danika
Bivir has been delirious for the past two days. I have sent Marir off to find some drugs similar to what we call penicillin. When quizzed, Marir said that there was a drug that can fight infection but she didn’t know how to obtain it now that there were no Nostrals left to service their medical facilities. I was horrified to learn that most hospitals were closed. The only ones left open were run by the equivalent of witch doctors and herbal healers.
I worry about Bivir’s life as a result of this primitive planet.
“My Magni has returned…” Bivir says as I sponge his forehead with cool water until Marir returns.
It is all I have by way of medical assistance. Mostly, I do it to keep myself occupied, to try and ignore the fact that this planet has been ravaged by the Galactic Union, and all for the sake of power.
When I was held captive, I thought that was the most terrible thing that could happen. Being raped by the Ochek was probably the worst I will ever have to endure in this lifetime–I hope at least.
But what has happened here on Bruxland is something else, a new level of cruelty on account of the Union. As I try to ignore Bivir’s raging temperature, my mind wanders to other scenarios in which medical assistance is vital. What do women do here during childbirth? Do they have vaccines as we do? What happens if someone breaks an arm, or falls from a height? An insurmountable list of scenarios presents themselves and my stomach churns with fury.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Bivir. It is mostly just to fill the time since I imagine that he feels like death on a hot day.
“Everything burns, Magni,” Bivir replies. “But, the sight of you makes it worth it.”
For all of the strangeness of my situation, Bivir has certainly been endearing. I know it is the fever hallucinations talking but it is nice to be adored like this after my time in captivity.
I think back to that first day when I woke up and discovered that everything had changed, that my whole life was literally gone now. The last thing I remember from my time on Earth is finishing my normal night shift and heading to my car. There had been a blinding light and then, nothing.
From that moment on, my life had been a huge battle. It is horrendous to discover that you are suddenly merchandise, that you are expected to mate with a strange alien being that not only treats you like dirt but also having to grapple with the notion that aliens actually do exist.
I try not to dwell on my early days aboard the Leonida. Mostly, I just cried. Well, that and trying to work out how to either escape or kill myself.
It had been a bleak time. Yet, it would get worse. My breeder was a brutal man named Nalar. He liked to punch me. The bruises he left seem to get him off. Still, after a time, he had grown weary of me. Maybe the novelty has worn off, maybe the fact that I cowered every time he entered the room had gotten old. So, he sent me off to auction.
I dread to think where I would have ended up had Beth not escaped with Horgeer and Ece. I am eternally grateful to them for saving me from a fate worse than my previous one.
When the prospect has arisen to actually help, to do my best to not only heal a person but to assist in bridging a union between the Ocheks, humans, and Brux, I jumped at it. No woman should ever have to go through what I did.
As I sponge Bivir’s forehead, I wonder about our group, about what they are up too. We spoke of making radio contact when we parted ways. However, there has been no news back from them yet. After my time onboard the Leonida, of being kept in the dark about everything that was going on around me, the burn to know things has dimmed even if I am curious about our next move.
It makes me think of the women still on board the ship and of what their fates may be. I am sad as I think about them, of their hopeless situation and I wish that we could free them. As the desolation washes over me, I distract myself by talking to Bivir.
“Your sister will be back soon with medicine that will help with your fever,” I say.
Bivir reaches up, his hand shaking as his fingers brush along my arm. It is a delicate movement yet it leaves a burn along my wrist as though he has branded me but in the most delicious way. It has been a long time since I have felt such a touch, that a single moment can awaken me like this. It reminds me of Earth, of the man that I left behind and I close my eyes briefly against the anguish that my fiancé, Peter, must have felt when I went missing.
Bivir’s hand has paused and now rests on my arm. The weight of his fingers is minimal and I opened my eyes once more.
“You are sad?”
I nod my head. “Just now, you reminded me of my fiancé.”
I don’t add that it was his touch that has awoken me, not his appearance. That is too personal a thing to say to this man that I have only just met and is so sick that he might not survive. I won’t torture him like that.
“Fiancé?”
“It’s a word to describe the person that I am going to marry,” I explain before grief washes over me once more. “Or, was. I guess there is no chance of ever returning to Earth and finding him now.”
I knew that we couldn’t go home, not yet, at least. It is the very place that the Galactic Union is now scouring. They expected us to return there immediately. Coming here was a way to stay under the radar and I hope that Bivir and his people actually allow us to land here, to be sheltered by them.
“Tell me about your rebellion,” I say to distract myself again.
But, Bivir has drifted off to sleep again, his fingers still clinging to me.
Chapter Four: Bivir
As I open my eyes, the sunlight burns. I stop fighting the urge to see the world around me. To be in this sort of light means we are no longer in the previous place that housed us without asking questions.
No, we were on the move again.
I stagger my breath as I feel myself being lifted high into the air. The grunts of people sound out as more movement happens. Then, the bright light is gone and I can feel the cool surrounds enveloping me. Opening my eyes, I take in the new room.
As I do so, I hear Marir call out, indicating that we are leaving. The room rocks as her instructions start the caravan. I can see the woven fabric of the walls, a bleached out beige color that allows some light through but not the blinding light of the sun. It is cool here for th
e moment but should the day warm up, it will get much hotter later on.
I still feel the heat of infection as we rumble on but it is muted now, as though I am finally healing. The caravan is on the back of a giant Urqos, no doubt. We are a primitive planet, there are no spacecraft or hover devices for us. Instead, we rely on animal power to get around. Personally, I prefer it. Having heard stories of technology, I would much rather the slower pace of my home planet.
Looking around, I spy all of the cushions surrounding me and, finally, the beautiful Magni. She reaches out and puts her cool hand against my forehead. Closing my eyes, I relish the sensation. I have burned for days now, an endless sea of heat that has consumed me. Even when I sleep, it is there, reminding me that death is close. Her hand is like a salve and she heals me with her touch.
“Your temperature seems to be easing,” she says and I open my eyes once more.
“It is your magic, Magni,” I reply.
“My name is Danika,” the woman returns. She has been correcting me constantly but, to me, she will always be Magni.
“Never mind, what your name is, I feel much better.”
“I think the medication is working. We only have a small amount, though. That is why we are traveling already. I wanted to wait another day or two but the medicine won’t last that long. Instead, we are heading to Fakkat. Apparently, this is the location of the medicine you need.”
I have heard of Fakkat. It is close to my own hometown but I have never been there. It is deep in the forest at the base of the mountain range that our town is situated in. Many prefer not to visit Fakkat since it is merely a one Urqos town.
“You will be here the whole time?” I ask and Danika nods her reply.
“I need to make sure that you are comfortable, that you are not in any pain. How do you feel now?”
I think about it a moment. My body still hurts, particularly around the wound. However, the mad heat has settled. I no longer feel the burning quench of fatigue and delirium. Although, it is still there, at the edges, ready to close in on me once more.