by Luna Hunter
It’s a scan of Jillian’s body. My eyes are drawn to a small cluster of cells located in her center. It can mean only one thing.
She’s pregnant.
I’m simultaneously elated that she’s carrying my child, and worried over Dimtri’s involvement.
“I suppose congratulations are in order, general,” Dimtri says. “You have unwittingly completed this mission’s true objective. We had our suspicions that the humans were compatible with us, and your tryst has proven it.”
“Where is she?” I growl.
“In a safe place,” Dimtri says. “For her own safety. I felt you were getting a bit too attached to the human. I wouldn’t worry about her anymore if I were you. When we arrive on Exon Prime tomorrow I’ll present her to the Emperor. I’m certain he will be most pleased.”
Dimtri is smiling widely at me, an ear-to-ear grin. He locked Jillian up just to spite me, and now he is enjoying every second of the torment etched across my face. For the first time in our rivalry he’s got a real leg up on me, and he is keenly aware of it.
“I demand you let her go,” I roar. “This is my ship, and she’s my mate!”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Dimtri says. “She’s too valuable an asset to us. Don’t worry, you’ll get your human female once we colonize their world. Their planet is dying. Their women will line up for a chance to live on Exon Prime. And if not, we’ll take them by force.”
“It wasn’t a question,” I say.
“Is that a threat, General? Are you about to condemn yourself to death, plunge our species into a civil war, all for a human mate? She’s the answer to all our problems, and you would sacrifice thousands of lives for your own misguided emotions?”
Yes. My hands are balled into fists, itching to beat the senator to a bloody pulp, but I somehow manage to control myself. He’s gotten the drop on me, and if I strike now, harm may come to Jillian — and our unborn child. I have to make sure she’s safe before I make my move.
“Give me a reason, Vinz,” Dimtri hisses. “Give me a reason to wipe you and all other generals from the face of this universe, please.”
I relax my hands. My jaw hurts from clenching it so hard.
“Very well,” I say, biting down on my tongue. “I see your point.”
I turn and storm out the door, Dimtri cackling maniacally behind my back.
You may have won this round, Dimtri, but I intend to win the war. However, first I have to see Jillian.
I have to see the mother of my unborn child.
11
Jillian
I pace up and down my cell. It’s the only way to keep warm — it’s damn near freezing in here. Dimtri did some sort of strange test on me and then his men escorted me off to the dark underbelly of the ship, giving me no explanation. An hour or so later Kelly was chucked into the cell with me. She had the results of the test, and caused such a ruckus outside the senator’s office when she tried to find me that he had her locked up here as well.
I feel guilty for being happy I’m no longer alone. Well, except for the two Zorans standing guard outside my cell, but they haven’t said a single word despite my pleas. They are wearing the emblem of the High Command, so I know they’re not Vinz’s men.
It’s only a matter of time before he comes down here and rescues me, I tell myself. If nothing has happened to him…
“Let’s have the talk,” Kelly says. She’s sitting on the bed, her feet tucked under her. She’s remarkably calm for the situation we’re in, but she never seems fazed by anything. “Tell me everything. How is he down there?”
I roll my eyes. “Is that the first thing on your mind? We’re locked up, and you want to talk about the general’s member?”
“Yes, yes I do,” Kelly says. “Now spill it.”
“Fine.” I show big he is with my hands, and her eyes open up wide.
“No way!”
“Way,” I smirk. Okay, maybe a little distraction from our dire straits is not so bad after all. “You can’t tell anyone, got it?”
“Oh come on, this is news! Like actual, interstellar news! The first human-Zoran couple. The gossip mags would pay me a fortune for this scoop,” she jokes.
“Don’t you dare,” I say. “I’ve got so much dirt on you, I can bury you alive.”
“Is that a challenge?” Kelly laughs.
“I’m allowed to have an adventure. Or two.”
“Girl, you can have as many adventures as your heart desires. Lord knows you’ve earned it.”
“I’m glad you approve.” I smirk.
“So what’s next? Do you expect him to burst through the door any minute now, looking for you?”
“Actually, yes,” I say. “He’s coming on very strong. He called me his ‘mate’ and said some stuff about a ‘clan’. I’m not really sure how I feel about it, to be honest. I mean, he’s amazing, but I don’t know if I’m ready to be a Zoran general’s mate, you know?”
“I don’t know if anyone is ever truly ready to be a growly alpha alien’s mate,” Kelly smirks. “Just roll with it.”
“That’s what I’m doing. Not that it matters at this point. First we have to bust our way out of here and then synthesize that cure and get it to Claire.”
“He’ll be here any minute,” Kelly says. “If I know Vinz, he’ll let nothing stop him. Certainly not that Dimtri or any of his goons.”
Kelly hasn’t even finished her sentence or we hear a rumbling outside.
“Let me through,” a low voice growls.
“W-we can’t,” the guard responds. “Dimtri’s orders.”
“Who would you rather cross, Dimtri or me?”
There is a pause, and then the door swings wide open. Vinz stands in the doorway, looking bigger than ever, every muscle in his body bulging. The guards walk away, staring at the ground, afraid to even make eye-contact.
“Are you alright, Jillian?” He says as walks inside. He scoops me up effortlessly and sits us down on the bed next to Kelly, his large hand resting on my belly.
“I’m fine,” I say, flabbergasted. “Why are we locked up, Vinz?”
“Dimtri locked you up to spite me,” he answers. “Did you manage to run the tests?”
“Yes, thanks to Kelly,” I tell him. “She managed to run an analysis, undetected.”
“And?” he says excitedly. “Can we save your kin?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. I don’t know how to break the news. I’m afraid it’ll shatter his world — but he has a right to know.
“There’s good news and bad news,” I say. “The good news is that yes; I think we can find a cure using the antibodies in your blood.”
“What’s the bad news?” he says. “Is it too dangerous?”
“The bad news is that it appears your DNA has been maliciously tampered with.”
Vinz’s eyebrows furrow, his palm still resting on my stomach. “What do you mean?”
“These are just preliminary results, as we didn’t time to do a full analysis, but… there’s some damage to certain strands that may indicate a loss of fertility.”
Silence.
“What Jill is trying to tactfully say is that something is poisoning you,” Kelly blurts out. “And you may lose your ability to have kids.”
Vinz scrapes his throat. “How is that possible when you’re pregnant with my child?”
“P-p-what now?” I stammer.
Now it’s my turn to be gobsmacked. Kelly clasps her hands in front of her mouth, cheering loudly. “Oh my god! You guys!”
“You are pregnant,” Vinz says, patting my belly. “With a Zoran child.”
The world spins in front of my eyes. I’m not ready. I’m so not ready for this.
“Th-that can’t be right,” I say, but the look in Vinz’s eyes says it all. He’s telling the truth. And he’s happy about it.
“I didn’t think that was possible,” I stammer.
“Neither did I,” Vinz answers. “It’s a miracle.”
His hands stroke my belly, and I rest my head against his chest. For a second I close my eyes as I let the news sink in. Of course I always wanted a family of my own, but I never thought it would happen so soon. Or with a Zoran general!
“Now what’s this about my DNA?” he asks.
I’m too flabbergasted to talk, so I let Kelly do the explaining. The damage we’ve found and the low birthrate on Exon Prime that Vinz told me about; that can’t be an accident. They’re linked.
“How did this happen?” Vinz asks. “Why did Zoran healers not see this? And how come Jillian is pregnant, if what you say is true?”
“It’s plain as day, so the only reason I can think of is that they didn’t want to,” Kelly says. “And why Jill is pregnant none the less, well, my best guess is both of you are still super fertile,” she smirks. “Is there anything you can think of that may have caused this? Anything you’ve eaten or drunk in the last few years that you didn’t do before?”
Vinz thinks hard for a second, before his face lights up.
“Quino,” he says. “It has to be quino.”
“The black bars?” Kelly says, making a face.
“Yes. The High Command instated those as mandatory meals for all soldiers, right around the time the troubles first started. Since then, no warrior has fathered a child. I’ve never made the connection. I didn’t know trust the High Command, but I never thought them capable of such villainous treachery to our entire species.”
His jaw clenches, and every muscle in his taut body tenses up.
“I have to go,” he says, getting up to his feet. “I have to prepare.”
“For what?” I ask.
‘For war,” he answers.
He starts to walk off, but I grab his arm. “Vinz, wait! What happens to us? Are you not freeing us?”
He looks down at me, and his thumb brushes my cheek. “Tomorrow we arrive on Exon Prime. Dimtri will present you to the Emperor. The entire High Command will be there. It is the perfect time to strike. Don’t worry, my mate. I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me, and play along.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat, as the pit in my stomach grows. Sure, I’ll play along as the bait as you, the father of my child, orchestrate an assassination of the entire ruling class of your entire species. No biggie.
With that he leaves, closing the cell-door behind him, leaving me and Kelly with a whole lot of news to wrap our heads around.
“You’re going to be a mom,” she coos. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks,” I say. “I think.”
I’m so not ready for any of this!
12
Vinz
How could I have been so blind? All those years the answer has been right in front of me. Right inside of me. In all of us.
Poison. The High Command has been poisoning our species for years. It all makes sense now. They stayed in power because of the troubles — of course they masterminded it! They genetically engineered our species weakness to profit from it, and profit they did.
Now the humans will be hailed as a solution, their planet conquered, their women enslaved and their riches stolen. All to ‘cure’ something the Command itself caused.
Not if I have anything to say about it.
I have fought countless battles, I have fought hordes of Ygg, I have risked life and limb for the Empire. Now, I will use those same skills to bring that same Empire to its knees.
Once I reach the safety of my private quarters, I tap my wrist-com to hail General Tyr. The direct line between two generals is the most secure connection in the entire universe — it’s the only thing I know for a fact Dimtri won’t be listening in on.
Please be in this sector, Tyr.
I need his help. I could face the High Command on my own, and probably win as well, but I also need to keep Jillian, Kelly, and my child safe from harm.
Pick up the damn com, you bronzed piece of—
“Vinz.”
General Tyr’s stern face stares at me, his holographic image filling the room. He matches me in height, strength and build, only his skin is bronze where mine is silver. Besides our skin tones, he matches me in every way — which is why we’re both generals. Ever since we met at the Academy we’ve been close as brothers: Both as much friends as we are rivals.
“What trouble do you need rescuing from now?”
I bite my bottom lip. I hate asking for help, especially from Tyr, but I don’t have a choice. For a second I consider hanging up and taking Dimtri and the Emperor down single-handedly – how glorious that would be! – but I can’t risk it. I can’t risk Jillian.
“Tyr,” I say. “Are you in the Alpha quadrant?”
“As a matter fact, I am.”
“Good,” I say, taking a breath of relief. “You’re going to want to hear this.”
I break him the news. I see the veins in his neck bulging as rage courses through his veins.
“And you trust these humans?”
“With my life, Tyr.”
“I’ll have my men run some tests, but if what you say is true, then there is only one way forward.”
“Agreed. We take them down. The Emperor, Dimtri, all of them.”
“Agreed.”
“Tomorrow, Dimtri will present the humans to the Emperor. Everyone will be there, it’s the perfect moment to strike. I need you there, because…”
I hesitate for a second. He has to know, but as a brother, he’ll needle me to hell and back for it.
“…because one of them is pregnant with my child,” I say. “I have to protect her. At all costs.”
Tyr smirks at me, a wide, ear-to-ear grin. “You? General Vinz? The silver butcher of Cotonia IV? Impregnated a mate? A human mate? Am I getting my facts straight here?”
“Yes,” I growl. “Yes.”
He laughs. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Neither did I,” I admit, “but you understand I have to save her. It’s the reason why Dimtri is so obsessed with her. He wants to conquer their planet, enslave their women. We can’t let it happen.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got your back, Vinz.”
We discuss the finer details of our assault.
Tomorrow, everything changes. It’s a new dawn for Zorans everywhere. The High Command will be overthrown… or I will die trying.
13
Jillian
I’ve barely closed my eyes all night. How can I, after everything that has happened? If you told me a month ago that getting semi-kidnapped (I certainly didn’t have much say in it) by Zorans would be the least of my troubles, I would have taken the first shuttle down to Earth and hid in a jungle somewhere. Well, I would have, if there had been any jungle left.
Now I’m actually, for real kidnapped by a Zoran Senator, who according to Vinz, is going to present me to his Emperor in a few short hours.
Oh yeah, and I’m pregnant. With a Zoran baby.
And Vinz is planning to overthrow the entire High Command and bust me out of the Emperor’s palace. What’s next? Flying off into the sunset on a hovering motorcycle?
So yeah, I can’t really sleep right now.
Kelly slept like a baby however. “Morning,” she says, stretching her arms above her head. “Are we there yet?”
“No,” I snap. “How can you sleep right now? Aren’t you freaking out?”
She smiles at me. “Relax, Jill. Would you be mad at me if I told you that getting kidnapped by alien royalty has always been on my bucket list?”
I throw my pillow at her. “This is not the time for your jokes!”
“It’s the perfect time,” she says, throwing the pillow right back at me. “It’s the only thing I can do, now. We have to trust Vinz to come through. Do you?”
“I do,” I answer. At least, I really, really hope so.
“So do I,” Kelly says. “So we have nothing to worry about!”
I wish I had an ounce of her optimism and carefree attitude. I have zero knowledge on how Zoran pregn
ancies go, so I have no idea what to expect — this worries me quite a bit! I wish Vinz was here…
The engines kick in to slow us down, the rumble reverberating all throughout the ship. Slowly but surely, the spaceship comes to halt.
“I guess we’re here,” I say, taking a deep breath.
“One alien home world, coming up,” Kelly says. “What?” She says after I give her a look. “You can’t tell me you’re not curious.”
The doors to our cell opens, and Senator Dimtri stands in the doorway. He’s wearing that same awful, yellow garment he had on back on the Vonnegut. Even though he’s taller than me, he’s still quite a bit shorter than Vinz. It’s hard to believe they’re actually the same species – Vinz is tall and broad, while Dimtri is comparatively quite lanky with no muscles to speak of.
I guess what he lacks in muscle he compensates with cunning and trickery.
“Welcome to Exon Prime,” he hisses. “Follow me. The Emperor awaits us.”
Kelly and I follow him down the winding, dark halls of the ship, flanked by his guards on either side. They take us to a shuttle, and my heart flutters with joy when I see Vinz is waiting for us inside.
I run over and jump into his arms, pressing my lips firmly against his. I can’t stop myself – this could be the last time we see each other. He kisses me back, his arms holding me tightly.
“Are you done?” Dimtri says as gets on board with us.
“Sorry,” I mutter as Vinz puts me down on my feet. I interlock my fingers with his, gripping him tightly. I’m never going to let go. I feel a slight prick – and that’s when I notice the charcoal-colored axe resting on Vinz’s hip, the weapon decorated with golden lettering and ceremonial symbols.
“The general here kindly offered to help escort you to the palace,” Dimtri says with a smarmy smile.
The shuttle bay doors open, providing us with a breathtaking view of the Zoran home world. For a second I forget all about my predicament as I gaze upon the alien planet.