by K. L. Wallen
Commander Dorn Gharm now has to locate honored guests who have unique psychic talents. One, Gabriella Mendez-Powers, daughter of Kodiak, has been located but has yet to be approached. She, apparently, has the same psychic talents as her Navajo father. Commander Gharm is waiting on his Fleet Commander’s authorization to approach her. The situation with her is delicate since her father is an elite assassin. Kodiak already put Dorn on his ass once during a friendly round of sparring, while Kodiak was blindfolded!
*.*
Twelve-year-old, Dakota Shasta stepped off the bus and ran across the Fairground parking lot. She left a wake of loud crunch and screech sounds as pebbles ground against each other, as she pounded her feet hard on the gravel. Dakota was on a mission, and she was mere seconds from running out of time. A sense of panic fueled her to run faster. Twenty-five yards ahead was the alien who was going to take her and her mother to their new life. A wonderful life. A life where her mom would have a husband who loves her, and Dakota would finally have a dad who loves and accepts her too. If she could reach the alien in time. “Wait. Don’t go,” she puffed out.
Chapter 2
Dakota knew she was going to be in a load of trouble as soon as her mom caught up with her, and her mom always caught up with her. Didn’t matter. Dakota was determined. Regardless of their earlier argument, it was time for her mom to move on with her life. Spending their lives on the run, hiding who they truly are, has taken a toll. Dakota understands her mom moves them, often, out of love and protectiveness, still, a transient life is not what her mother deserves. She sometimes wishes she had as much control over her motor mouth, as does her mom, but she doesn’t. It’s this lack of control that has caused them to move repeatedly over the years. Soon, if she could only reach the giant alien before he disappears, their lives will change for the better. At least, according to her deceased grandmother, Serena, and great-grandmother, Maude.
They had told Dakota that there is an alien warrior waiting on a different planet for the two of them, who would give them a life full of adventure, love, and security. Serena and Maude had never lied to Dakota, so she had no reason to doubt their declaration this time.
A winded Dakota skidded to a stop in front of the large man and his friends. She tried to hide the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. This was no time for smiles. Dakota was about to deliver a bit of shocking news. “Mister,” Dakota tugged on the shirt of the very large alien man.
Commander Gharm looked down at the youngling. “Yes?”
“Your brother’s death wasn’t an accident. He wanted you to know.” Dakota held still while she waited to see how he would take this. She knew from past-experiences that he would either ask her questions or tell her to get lost. She hoped it would be the first.
Dakota started pivoting on her toes. She ignored the eruption of softly spoken whispers coming from the big alien’s companions. Dakota always found this part—the part where the person takes their sweet time processing her news—uncomfortable, since she wasn’t a very patient person. She became antsy and nervously whirled around to scan the parking lot. She needed to know how much time she had until her mom catches her.
“Mister, my mom’s coming.” Dakota tugged rapidly on his shirt again. “She’s not going to be happy with me.”
Sherry looked at the hyper young girl and asked, “Sweetheart, where’s your mom?”
“She’s coming. She always comes,” Dakota replied nervously.
Sherry shot her husband a quick glance. “Sweetie, you shouldn’t be out here alone. Why don’t we wait with you until your mom gets here? Will that be okay?”
Dakota looked up at the kind lady. “Okay. She’s gonna be mad though. She told me not to come but I had to.”
“Why?” Sherry prompted.
“Because we’re supposed to go to his planet!” she pointed at the huge alien man. Dakota lifted her chin and looked up at the huge man. “Not for you. For Attilius,” Dakota explained.
Commander Dorn Gharm was still processing her statement about his brother and wondered if she meant to talk to him, at least until she mentioned the first name of their esteemed leader. “Attilius Thalmar?” Commander Gharm asked.
“Yes! For him. He will love us and be my new dad. But your brother wanted you to know he was killed.” Dakota spied her mom’s white S.U.V. and winced.
Nolan recognized the stunned expression on the Commander’s face and intervened. He asked the young girl, “What is your name? I’m Nolan and this is my wife Sherry.” He gave her a gentle smile.
“I’m Dakota. Dakota Shasta.” She held out her hand to shake his hand as she was taught to do when meeting an adult for the first time. She smiled when he shook her hand. Dakota then held her smaller hand out to Sherry. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Both of you.”
Sherry shook Dakota’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you also, Dakota. You have a very pretty name.”
“Thanks. Is he okay?” She lifted her thumb in the Commander’s direction. “He’s not asking me questions, or telling me to go away,” her voice drifted off.
A very stunned Commander Dorn Gharm dropped to his knees. “Dakota?” He waited until she held his eyes.
“Your eyes are all wrong,” Dakota softly remarked as she stepped up to the giant alien.
Dorn didn’t address her remark and was glad she said it low enough that Sherry and Nolan appeared not to have heard her. The MacKennas’ are unaware of what Nica calls “their demon eyes.” The Pzian warriors put in contacts when dealing with humans. “Dakota. Can you tell me who killed my brother?” He watched as she sucked in her bottom lip and nodded her head.
*.*
“Dakota!” Christine Shasta yelled. She spotted her wayward daughter and ran to her. “There you are honey. It’s time to go,” she exclaimed.
Dakota winced at her mom’s panicked voice. “But mom,” Dakota didn’t get a chance to finish her plea.
“Please excuse us,” Christine said as she took Dakota’s arm and turned her away. She stopped short when the ghostly figure, that only her and her daughter could see, blocked their way.
Christine closed her eyes and gave a little shake to her head before relenting. “Fine,” she said under her breath and turned back to the alien who was still on his knees. “I don’t want any trouble. I just want to take my daughter and leave. Promise me that you’ll let us leave and I’ll give you the message from your brother, Finis.” Christine waited until the alien nodded his head. “Finis says the senior mechanical technician sabotaged his ship after he discovered that he was trying to recover deleted cap information,” she paused. “Yes, it’s cap. So, the man, alien, he,”
Christine took a step back and started talking faster. “He was trying to take it from one of the ship’s databanks. Your brother was going to inform his commander as soon as he returned from his assignment and let him know. Only, he never survived the ‘accident’. He says to check the records, the senior technician signed off on the cause of the systems failure. That would be the same one who your brother caught red-handed. I’m so sorry for your loss.” She took her daughter’s wrist and tugged.
“I’m sorry, too. Your brother is here,” Dakota told him right before she let her mom pull her away. She didn’t go with a heavy heart because she knew that the big alien would find them and take them to his planet.
Dorn recovered quickly and leapt to his feet. Before they could get more than a few steps away, he was in front of the duo. “Finis is here?” He looked pleadingly from daughter to mother.
“Go ahead,” Christine softly told Dakota.
Dakota shook off her mom’s hand and took hold of the big man’s hand. She could only wrap her smaller hand around his outer fingers. “He wanted you to know the truth and to ask you to watch over his youngling. Huh? Oh, his little girl.” She pulled in her bottom lip again before adding, “You don’t know.”
Dorn shook his head no. He was unaware that his younger brother had completed the breeding contract.
“Finis’ mother knows but he wants you to watch out for his little girl too. He says that she’ll need your protection when she’s older.” Dakota held his hand tightly. “You have a niece. Finis wants to know that you’ll watch out for her. He can’t go to the,” Dakota shifted her eyes to the side of Dorn and up, “to the land of the gods and goddesses until he knows that you’ll watch out for her. He has tears in his eyes. Like you do. He said he was going to tell you when he saw you next.” She stepped up and wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid the side of her head just above his stomach.
“I will protect her,” Dorn assured his brother.
“He’s gone now,” Dakota softly spoke. She then stepped back and took her mother’s outstretched hand.
*.*
Adal Lucia looked sympathetically at her commander when he transported to and then walked off the bridge without a word. She’d been monitoring Dorn, Tyce, Ivanoff, Blaize, Maxon, Rort, and the MacKennas. “I’ve set coordinates. We’ll have you home in a few minutes,” she told Nolan and Sherry.
“Thanks,” Sherry replied and went quiet. She wasn’t the only one who was shaken by the day’s events.
“Ivanoff, we’ll need your guidance,” Adal remarked as Ivanoff reappeared on the bridge after seeing Nolan and Sherry home.
“Of course. Here are the license plate numbers to both Tyce’s potential honored guests and to Dakota and her mother.” When he saw their confusion, he sent a photograph of the plates to the view screen and elaborated, “It’s a transport identification marker human’s use. These letters and numbers will tell us who the transport belongs to, and the address. I’ll work with Varun and the other techs.” Ivanoff walked over to Varun’s workstation and demonstrated how to hack into Oregon’s Department of Motor Vehicles. After that, he provided instruction on vital records, school registration and records, and then social media. It was when they entered to the perspective guests names into social media sites that the bridge was abuzz with activity.
Blaize joined the technicians to search for information. As head of security, this was information that he needed to learn how to obtain. “This planet is unlike any other that I’ve encountered,” he muttered. “Focus on Dakota and her mother first. Dorn will be expecting a profile immediately. Transmit the information as you locate it to him. Varun and I will assemble the information in chronological order.”
“The humans are very sociable,” Ivanoff remarked. He came across a video from four years ago. “Look at this. This news feed is dated June 20th, 2013 and has to do with an airplane crash. It’s about Dakota and her mother.” He sent a copy to the data pads of the warriors currently on the bridge, Commander Gharm, and to the large view screen.
“Where is this Florida?” Adal asked after noticing a sign in the video feed. She turned to the view screen when Varun placed a map in the corner of the screen and highlighted the state of Florida. “Oh, so it’s part of the same continent. Did Dakota and her mother, Christine, live there long?”
The Pzian warriors on the bridge froze when a tear-filled, eight-year-old, Dakota exclaimed between sobs, “I told my teacher. And my mommy told my teacher, not to get on that plane. He wouldn’t listen to us.”
Bylt, one of four technicians, assigned to this mission, replied, “They moved the day after this was published. They’ve moved four more times since then, until they ended up here in Oregon.”
“I suspect Christine Shasta is moving them again right now,” Ivanoff stated and then explained his reasoning. “Adal, Commander Gharm has completed his video call. We’ll have a fairly complete portfolio on Dakota and Christine Shasta within the hour.” He paused only momentarily as Adal left to go speak with the Commander.
Glossary
Aliens: from the Guardian Warship
Commander Dorn Gharm is 50, stuffy, and has no interest in obtaining a life-mate. He is perfectly happy to run a tight ship. He has bred one son who is preparing to serve on another warship. Dorn did not life-mate his son’s mother; he entered into a basic breeding contract with her.
Warrior-Healer Favian Bax, age 37, is curious about human medical practices and interpersonal relationships.
Warrior Tyce Owynn, age 32, specializes in Interspecies Relations as his secondary vocation. He believes one alien species is just like any other alien species! He carries out his duty with courtesy, diplomacy, precision, and caution. He will protect the interests of the Pzianian Empire from all other races who seek to interfere, manipulate, or infiltrate.
Warrior Ivanoff Chipil, age 58, is second technical officer and father to Warrior Rort Chipil. Ivanoff was in the second part of the first galaxy series set, and has been temporarily assigned to assist and guide Commander Gharm on the continuation of gathering information and honored guests.
Warrior Rort Chipil, age 32, is a geologist and one of Ivanoff Chipil’s sons, from the first set the galaxy warrior series. Unlike his brother, Newf, he is anxious to find an honored guest to mate. Newf is remaining on the Guardian Warship during this mission, unless called to assist by Commander Gharm.
Warrior Maxon Lindrt, age 33, is a chemist. He dabbles in plant and insect life. Maxon is curious, but hasn’t given much thought about settling down with a life-mate.
Warrior-Senior Technical Officer Varun Osiri, age 34, is one of four technical officers aboard the transport ship. He is on the ledge about a life-mate and humans. More so, against the idea. He sees them as weak, yet is intrigued after hearing about the human females that Fleet Commander Scorpak returned to Pzianian.
Warrior-Security Officer Blaize Pulten, age 34, is about to be blindsided by a pretty human female! His duties are so demanding and dangerous, that the thought of entering into a contractual breeding with a Pzian female has rarely crossed his mind. He knows he will not have time to devote to raising a youngling, even part-time. When the urge to be around younglings presents itself, he can indulge in his brothers’ younglings, then be on his way, doing what he loves most.
Warrior Engineer Adal Lucia, age 46, she will assist Commander Gharm with navigation and operations on the transporter. She has one daughter who is an Environmental Control Specialist on the Promise Warship.
Warrior Technician Obard Bylt, age 45, assists Senior and Secondary Technical Officers.
Warrior Technician Ninjk Mrirux, age 51, assists Senior and Secondary Technical Officers.
Aliens and Humans From Set One:
The other aliens and honored guests, in set one, are Bidziil Hashke, a.k.a, Kodiak (human, undercover work including assassinations), who will be featured throughout set two; Veronica (Nica) Archer (human, political consultant), who will be featured throughout set two and will be life-mating Commander Traven Scorpak in five years’ time; L.C. (human, Lieutenant Colonel) Mitchell Cavanaugh who is a brilliant military strategist; Olivia Phillips-Scorpak (human, communication expert and Kodiak and LC’s goddaughter) married Warrior-Security Officer Zepar Scorpak; Samantha Linder-Scorpak (human, professional hacker and closet psychic who foresaw the demise of the Pzianian planet) married Warrior-Technical Officer J’Quil Scorpak; Dr. Jenna Roberts (human, specializes in prosthetics) will be life-mating with Warrior-Healer Gorgo Scorpak; Bryony Johnson (human, Botany and chemistry) love interest of Warrior-Scientist Phataz Scorpak and Warrior-Pilot Codis Thrash; Aaliyah Clarke (human, Astrobiologist) will be life-mating with Warrior-Pilot Abruok Riken. Last joining was Ellie Taralucci (human, romance and sci-fi writer) who is traveling to meet Co-Leader Bronis Scorpak.
Bronis Scorpak, Co-Leader of all of Pzianian. Father to Fleet Commander Slotan, Traven, Gorgo, Phataz, Zepar, J’Quil, Breneem, and Bolano. Warrior, trainer, advisor, and confidant to Pzianian Leader Thalmar. Bronis holds the second highest position on planet but has no desire to become Pzianian Leader. He has contracted with seven women, producing eight sons. None of the women he bred became his life-mate. He is most interested in Ellie.
Attilius Thalmar, Current Pzianian World Leader. He has one son, Pravel, and no daughter
s. Thalmar has no intention of passing on leadership of the planet to his son.
Privok, Deceased. Mighty leader who developed the technology to alter male and female D.N.A., creating a superior warrior race. With this technology, males and females grew in size, strength, speed, and stamina. Females were now only slightly smaller in height and weight to their male counterparts. The problem was that the altered D.N.A. corrected imperfections with each generation and many feared what their race will even become. Under his leadership, the vast majority of family units dissolved so emotions would not interfere with duties. He took many females to breed. His primary philosophy centered on the fact that it is logical to build a force that no other race can compete with, and it is not logical to take over other planets and spread your population so thin that maintaining our own planet would undermine security. Fair and mutually beneficial diplomacy was encouraged.
Vonna, Privok’s justifiably bitter first mate, guided the females of his world. She encouraged females to be self-reliant, logical, and strong. Under her guidance, female communities were established and breeding was contractual and catalogued. Females were free to seek out the strongest breeding partners.
Pzianian, One of many planets in the Kepler Stars Systems. Geographically Pzianian is larger, has about half the population, and is very clean.
Pzian Citizens protect other planets and races when able, unfortunately, they often learn of the devastation after their enemy, the Crovaks, have committed the atrocities. Thalmar has been recruiting Crovak citizens but has not been able to get the ones he needs in the right positions with knowledge to help thwart attacks.
Pzian offspring, a.k.a., younglings. Parents shared joint custody and equally supported the child. At age five, the offspring would be sent to an academy for warrior training, diplomatic relations, and secondary occupations. Parental visitations were limited in order to dissuade attachments that may cause future problems in time with war. Male and female Pzian warriors typically try to work out a schedule so they may have their children, by different partners, together so the half-siblings would know of each other. Only high-ranking officials are able to garner more time bringing the siblings together because they’re expected to follow their parent’s example and hold leading roles in Pzianian society.