Grai's Game (First Wave)

by Mikayla Lane

  Holding his free hand out in front of Risk, he attempted to hold the boy off until his father could get there. Luckily, the door opened to Banatar moments later.

  “What the hell is going on? What is that smell?” Banatar asked taking in the scene in the room. His initial reaction to Grai holding a screaming and fighting Traze against the wall, a hand up to his angry son and a cat pacing the desk with his fur fluffed out, was not what Grai expected it to be.

  Instead of the argument and ensuing explanation he expected, Banatar stormed into the room, looked around and pulled Risk back into his chair.

  “Boy, what the hell have the two of you done?” Banatar asked his son, his eyes swirling slightly as a sign of his progress in his beast bonding.

  “They have not slept in three days and have become combative. They are most likely dehydrated as well.” Grai offered to Banatar and the med tech that quickly came into the room.

  Grai held the still fighting Traze until the tech injected him with a relaxant. As his body slowly relaxed and stopped fighting, Grai easily moved him back into his chair.

  Grai’s half-breed Relian med tech looked to Banatar before holding up another relaxant for Risk. Grai was surprised that there was no hesitation when Banatar gave the tech a quick nod. Moments later, both boys were much more relaxed and calm.

  He called through the Shengari’ for a couple of the combined security to come and help the boys to their rooms and get Lagor. He expected the boys to go to sleep very quickly and wanted Lagor to show him what Gibly said the boys had found.

  “Wait! We can show you.” Traze said, hearing Grai’s order through the Shengari’. Their fingers moved much slower along the control panel, the relaxant and the lack of sleep kicking in.

  Lagor, one of his hybrids and a Valendran tact team member came into the room just as the boys pulled up a vid on the screens. They were part of the double teams that the High Councilor, and he had formed when they had arrived.

  The idea had been to make them all work together for their combined safety and security while he explained the situation and plans he already had in place on the planet. So far, they had no altercations or problems out of any of their people, and it seemed to be working better than they had expected.

  Niklosi took in the room, the smell, and the two boys who sat slumped in the chairs and knew what they had been called in here to do. He glanced over at his new partner, Decano and gave him a knowing smirk. His black eyes swirled with silver as he took in the scene in the room.

  “Amateurs.” Decano replied grinning back at the Valendran he had come to respect and admire. They relaxed against the wall behind the boys and Grai, while the boys explained what was on the screens to Grai and Banatar.

  “We found hidden files among hidden files. When we finally got them opened, we found these. Some seem to be useless, but others…” Traze explained while Risk showed Lagor where they had found the files and how to access the rest of them.

  Grai and Banatar immediately recognized the figure that came on the screen along with Dagog.

  “That’s the scum bag senator from Nevada.” Traze told them unnecessarily.

  They watched in silence as the senator and Dagog finalized a deal. The senator would betray his people, his country for cash in order to further Dagog’s plans to control the planet.

  In order to funnel cash to the senator’s private and reelection accounts, Dagog would use his other companies and other traitorous government officials and private wealthy scum to give him the money, he wanted to push votes on Dagog’s behalf.

  Votes that would enable him to seize control of the property of the citizens in that state and dissolve some of their rights. The same thing Dagog had been doing within the governments around the world.

  Another vid showed Dagog meeting with known terrorists. Handing them, weapons and money and helping them plan their next targets. There were many more vids of his collaborations with government officials, terrorists, hate groups and extremists of every kind. In each, the goal was the same.

  Create as much chaos around the world as possible. Pit everyone against everyone else. Kill as many as possible. The less that remain, the easier the population will be to control.

  “It’s like a playbook and who’s who of the fucktards trying to destroy us all.” Risk said through slurred words, the relaxant and exhaustion finally kicking in.

  Grai had been thinking the same thing. It was a playbook for Dagog, but a hit list for them. They could finally put names to most of the players working with Dagog.

  “How many more are there?” Banatar asked, excited over the prospect of knowing exactly who all their enemies were. At least the main ones anyway.

  “Hundreds and hundreds.” Traze said, his head slumping back comically against the back of the chair.

  “Lagor, you got it?” Banatar asked the engineer who had been typing alongside the boys since he entered the room.

  “Yes, sir. I have the location and control of our access. I’ll awaken Cristali and get her to help me.” Lagor replied without moving his gaze from the screen he was working on.

  Grai nodded his head and used the Shengari’ to call someone to awaken the young girl to help. Cristali was the sole survivor of the Batranti people and was extremely gifted with electronics and engineering. She worked closely with both Traze, Koda and Grai’s engineers for years. If anyone could help Lagor get the rest of the hidden files, Grai was confident that she could do it.

  Grai and Banatar nodded at Niklosi and Decano, and the two men easily pulled the young men out of their chairs and threw them over their shoulders, heading to the door.

  “Man, I can walk. You ain’t gotta get embarrassing.” Traze mumbled as he hung limply down Niklosi’s back.

  Niklosi chuckled, “Boy; I can’t have nearly as much fun that way.”

  “Shit.” Risk muttered as Decano and Niklosi laughed.

  Banatar shook his head at the two boys, glad that they were finally going to bed. “I can’t believe they stayed up this long.”

  “I can.” Grai said shaking his head before moving to a hidden door. Grabbing some of the trash littering the area, he began throwing it into the material renovator, where it would be broken down into its base components for reuse and recycling.

  Banatar watched Grai for a moment and marveled at how he hadn’t noticed the obvious before now. He took care of and cleaned up after his youngest brother like a father would a son. From what little he had learned of their past, he had little doubts that Grai had been thrust into the role of parent and protector of his younger brothers at a very early age.

  After spending the last few days surrounded by the survivors of extinct species and hybrids of all kinds, he was still surprised at the depth of care and concern this man showed for all of his people. Including the humans and Valendrans.

  From what he, Ivint and the Tezarian’s could tell, Grai and his brothers hid nothing from them. Scaden and engineering techs from the Valendran ships had even boarded and toured Koda’s ships and were currently helping with repairs and upgrades.

  The resources Grai had established on the planet had astounded Ivint and Banatar. Rather than take by force, he had struggled and fought hard for everything he had amassed. He had manufacturing facilities that employed not only his people, but humans in low wage, low employment areas. He paid them above-average wages with generous benefits.

  Major distribution channels, covert facilities and embedded agents around the world were just some of the tactics he used to keep up with his brother’s machinations. A lot of which was stopped due to Grai’s constant vigilance.

  Banatar no longer had any doubt that his people; his children survived today because this strange man had been assisting them without his knowledge for more than a hundred years. His respect for the man had grown over the last few days.

  Seeing his parental reaction to his baby brother really didn’t surprise Banatar as much as it solidified in his mind that there was much more to t
his man than the name of the species that spawned him.

  “Wow, they weren’t kidding. There are hundreds of videos of meetings stored in these files.” Lagor muttered to himself as he worked to retrieve everything he could.

  Banatar helped Grai clean up the trash and spills littering the room, glad that the over-powering smell had greatly diminished once it was cleaner. Once finished, both men pulled up chairs next to Lagor.

  “Show us how to pull up what you’ve saved already.” Grai requested as he grabbed his own comm.

  Banatar and Grai listened intently before Lagor turned back to his task, leaving the two leaders to view the files already retrieved.

  Ivint, Reven and Dread found them hunkered at the control panel a few hours later.

  Ivint smiled as he saw the two men with their heads bent together as they attempted to determine the identity of a man they were watching on a vid.

  “I swear that’s the head of that African Terrorist group… they kidnapped a dozen school girls around six months ago…” Banatar was saying, his eyes squinting at the screen as he tried to dig through his memory for the man’s name.

  “He beheaded all the men in the village… I know who you’re talking about! I can’t remember his damn name!” Grai muttered in frustration as he scratched his head.

  “Pull up the recognition scanner. It should work.” Reven suggested moving to stand behind the two men, his bright blue eyes now swirling with green.

  He and Ivint had been paying attention to the chatter through the Shengari’ and knew that they needed to go to Grai and Banatar in the control room.

  “It’s Baramora Oraka.” Cristali said, barely glancing up from her own screen.

  “Oooh!” Grai and Banatar exclaimed at the same time.

  “Damn that’s it!” Banatar added grinning at Grai.

  Grai just grinned and added the name to the long list they had started of all humans working with his brother.

  “How many have you found?” Ivint asked, pulling up a chair alongside Reven.

  “We are at over a hundred right now, but Lagor and Cristali are still pulling files with more vids.” Grai answered honestly, sparing a glance from the screen to give a respectful nod to the High Councilor.

  Reven whistled low, “There are that many humans willing to see others killed for nothing more than money and power?”

  “You’d be surprised what some of these people are capable of…” Cristali muttered before turning back to her screen.

  “A lot of these people are part of the cult my father started here over a thousand years ago. With nothing more than empty promises of wealth, power and enslaved women and children for their pleasure in the after-life, they will fanatically fight anyone they think stands in their way.”

  “It was the whole basis of what my father had taught them. Worship him as a God and anyone who doesn’t agree is to die. He wanted these people to constantly fight to the death. It entertained him. And if they were fighting and spreading hate and fear, then they weren’t looking too deeply into the flaws in my father’s cult teachings.”

  “It also gave him a way of using the planet’s own population as a way to destroy any possible resistance to his takeover and their subsequent destruction. The more people are drawn to watch one thing; he is working behind them to create more chaos.” Grai explained, opening the next file with a disgusted sneer.

  “Grai, it’s almost seven am. You should go now.” Cristali reminded Grai, again without looking up from her screen. The shy, quiet woman had a way of blocking out everything around her while she worked but could remember anything if she saw or heard it only one time.

  Grai looked quickly at the time on his comm. He needed to leave now if he would make breakfast with Tricia and Tristan in time. Looking behind him, Ivint and Reven had stood up and allowed him room to scoot his chair back and stand.

  “I think we’ll join you. Since we started the bonding, I’ve been a lot hungrier than normal.” Ivint said, rubbing his stomach and looking to Reven.

  “I agree. I’m starving. How about you, Banatar?” Reven asked.

  “Yeah, I could definitely eat. Since Lagor and Cristali are saving the files, we can pick up when we get back.” Banatar stood and stretched, the hours he’d spent in the chair looking at the files with Grai had cramped him a little.

  Grai waited while Banatar stretched before leading them out of the control room and headed towards the main dining hall on the Echo Four level.

  They had only gone a few steps before Grai was stopped by one of the hybrid women.

  “Grai, we need to think about getting the children reunited with their relatives as soon as things calm down a little. I know, now is really not the time. However, with the High Councilor and the other Valendrans here now, they are getting very curious, about whether or not they have families.”

  “I hate to say it, but I think some of them are worried that their families don’t want them because they have been here…” Megan paused for a moment and looked to the High Councilor before lowering her eyes, her words trailing off.

  “Nothing could be further from the truth!” Ivint countered heatedly.

  “Perhaps the High Councilor, Banatar and I can speak to them after breakfast and assure them that they have not been forgotten. By any of their people.” Grai suggested, hoping to quickly erase any fears the children may be having.

  “That would be wonderful! Thank you!” Megan said, her smile making her golden eyes swirl with the blue of her beast.

  Megan skipped down the hallway towards the children’s level, Ivint following her movements as Grai added a trip to the children to his schedule for the day.

  They got another few hundred feet down the hallway before they were joined by Dread and Viper, who followed in step behind Ivint and Reven.

  “How are the bondings progressing? Have there been any problems?” Ivint asked. They all knew that he was wondering if anyone was showing signs of madness or violence, but knew he wouldn’t ask it outright.

  “Everything has gone very well. We have had no unusual problems at all. I spoke with Drago earlier, and he said that dozens on the ships, including Scaden and Cari, have fully bonded and are adjusting perfectly. Amun and Jess are also close to full bonds.” Dread replied, his pride in the beast species evident in his tone.

  Dread had never understood the Valendrans desire to sever their connection with their beasts and was glad to see that the Valendran beast species was again being allowed their freedom through their hosts. Dread didn’t believe that any species should be subjugated in such a fashion. It had never been the intent of any of the world Gods for it to be like that.

  Ivint smiled to himself at the news that Scaden and Cari had already fully bonded. He expected no less from them. The first mated couple of a hybrid and Valendran. First Valendran twins. Now the first mated and beast bonded couple. They were determined to leave their mark on both worlds it seemed, he thought with pride.

  The animated conversations in the dining hall didn’t slow at the arrival of the group. If anything it got louder as a wide variety of people called out greetings. Grai and the others returned the waves, nods and calls while making their way to the center table.

  It was the longest table in the room and was traditionally reserved for the section commanders who needed to be able to get in and eat quickly at times. Grai, Ivint, Banatar, Reven and the Valendran commanders also shared the table now as well. Including Dare and Balduen, who were already seated on the far side of the table.

  Grai left the group and made a beeline for Tricia, who was leaning down and tucking a blanket around Tristan as he lay back in a stroller near the head of the table. Tricia believed that even though he was in a coma, he could still hear and she wanted him to hear, and remember the sounds of his friends and family as much as possible. As an encouragement to fight, to come back to them.

  Grai wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but he was willing to believe or try anything if it brought his s
on back to him. Walking to the stroller, he leaned down and easily picked up the frail little body into his arms and hugged him closely.

  “How’s my little warrior this morning?” Grai asked quietly, unable to keep the gruffness out of his voice.

  He closed his eyes as he fought the wave of sorrow that hit him at the feel of Tristan’s ribs poking through the thin shirt that covered him. He was deteriorating so fast, he thought, feeling crippled by the pain that thought caused him.

  It wasn’t until he heard the silverware clatter to the table and a chair scrape across the floor, before he looked up to see Dare walk out of the room, Balduen on her heels. He closed his eyes and cursed his stupidity in not hiding his emotions better. He did not intend to hurt them in any way.

  “It’s alright. She’s having a hard time, but she’s coming around. She’s a smart girl. Give her time and she’ll be fine.

  Grai wasn’t sure who at the table was more shocked at Banatar’s words, him or… everyone else. He was more than happy to note that he wasn’t the only one staring open-mouthed at the man.

  “What? It’s true! Now sit and eat and enjoy your family, we have a lot to do today and a lot to go over.” Banatar said pretending to ignore the stunned faces around him.

  Granted, Dare was his daughter, and he loved her more than life, but Grai hadn’t done anything to her. Her captivity and impregnation orchestrated by his father’s people before he took over. Banatar hated what she had gone through, but knew that placing the blame on someone whose only crime would have been not stopping it to save his own son, was unfair. He knew Dare felt that way as well. Her stubbornness was the only thing keeping her from admitting it.

  Banatar could see that it was getting to her, the true love and affection that Grai had for his son and Tricia. His kindness towards his people and patience with their needs and his obligations to them.

  He was a good leader and a kind man, and it did not go unnoticed by any of the Valendrans or Tezarian’s.

  Chapter Eleven