by Crystal Dawn
“Very good, Subchief.” Flander replied.
“The young one has requested warrior training. Should I put him on the roster?” Liss asked.
“What say you, Kasey?” Ranni asked.
His mate looked at her brother who looked back with hopeful eyes. “Yes, but this will be based on age, right?”
“We will start him off slowly and increase the difficulty as he moves up.” Liss agreed.
“He will be watched carefully.” Ranni added.
Kasey smiled. “It will be good for him.”
“What of Hel?” Flander asked.
“She can do warrior training too if she wants.” Kasey answered.
“That’s not what I meant. What training should she be placed in?”
“She is currently receiving medical training. Hel also has received training in martial arts.” Kasey explained.
“What are these martial arts?” Flander questioned.
“It is a fighting style.” Kasey explained.
“I want warrior training and I will continue my medical training.” Hel interjected.
Kasey nodded, but Flander looked like he was about to object. “Put her in both.” Ranni decreed. Hel smiled at him. His friend didn’t look happy.
“I’m glad that’s been decided. I think I would like some of this warrior training too.” Kasey said.
Ranni looked surprised but Flander was gleeful. “Yes, let’s put them all in it.”
“Okay, we’ll see how you all do.” Ranni agreed reluctantly.
“That’s fair enough.” Kasey approved with a nod.
Everyone was done eating and it seemed all the immediate decisions had been made. “Why don’t we give our guests a tour of the ship?” Ranni asked as if anyone else had any input.
They all stood up and Flander took the lead with Hel following close behind. Liss went next, then Lane. Ranni took Kasey’s hand pulling her along with him. They started on the bridge where everyone jumped to attention the second they saw Ranni was among them. “At ease.” He instructed and they all got back to work.
They took the guests to one station at a time as Flander explained what was done at each station. There were mostly males with one female being the exception to that rule. “Do you not allow many females on your crew, or are your women not interested in the jobs here?” Kasey asked.
“A fair question. Even among your people females that are pregnant and many that have children either do not work or are in less exacting and less dangerous jobs.”
“True to a point, but there would be more females than this if those were the only ones excluded. Most of the crew on this ship have to pass full warrior’s training. The exceptions for that are medical, engineering, and some tech people. I want the best in those areas and while they must go through self-defense and monthly training, those with talent in those areas aren’t always the most physical people. Many females have no interest in going through that intensive training.”
“Why not?” Kasey asked.
“It starts at age thirteen and you live in barracks. There is no separation between sexes or ages. Everything, including bathrooms, is communal because that is the way it is during war if you’re out in the field.”
“I see.” She said and he suspected she not only saw, but disapproved.
Come, let’s go to another area.” He urged.
The ship was large and he saw how surprised they were when they were taken to the gardens and the orchards. “While we can’t supply all of our own needs on board, our gardens and the animals we raise contribute a fourth of our supplies. We also have the facilities to make most of our replacement parts from raw materials.”
“That’s impressive. Most ships have to be fully stocked.” Kasey praised.
It was true the Majuri are forward thinkers. They had designed their ships to have some areas for growing food and making spare parts for over a thousand years. Ranni thought it might even be his distant relative, Radvar that had pushed that trend forward into what it was today.
“I’m glad you like my warship.”
“It’s the first I’ve seen. I mean I’ve been on shuttles, but not a real ship.” Kasey admitted.
“I can show you hundreds of worlds and you will find something amazing about each of them. There are water worlds with mermen and mermaids. Worlds where the people live in the clouds, others where they live in giant treehouses, and even others where they all live in caves. You would love seeing so many different places.” He watched her and saw interest flare in her eyes. Maybe her exceptional mind was the place to gain an advantage.
“Where are we going next?” She asked.
“Engineering. It is the heart of the ship.”
Once they arrived, he looked at the familiar place and tried to imagine how she would see it. There were a couple people watching all the data outputs to see that everything stayed within the normal range. Two other crewmembers were either repairing or doing regular maintenance on something. This part of the ship was the most industrial looking with shiny tubes running everywhere and floors that looked like concrete. The walls were metallic also.
“What do you think?” He asked.
“I see many things that look familiar.”
“I forgot your company manufactures much of our parts and even some of our equipment. Did you work on them?”
“I wasn’t in the manufacturing section, but I did work on design for several of your systems both mechanical and electronic.”
“Weren’t you the resident genius?”
“Some said that. I just did my best. Now my company is gone.”
“They’ll rebuild and we’ll help them.”
“Why? Why would your people go out of their way so much?”
“We are not technology experts. My people are warriors. Your company supplied us with the best options so we could be even better at what we do. I don’t like to use the second best anything.”
“That actually makes sense and I’ve seen you even willing to take females on board if they are good enough.”
“Craving the best and being the best is what my people are all about.”
His mate didn’t say anything to that. Did she think him arrogant? Humans tended to believe all Majuri were that way. She would learn more about the magnificent race he was from and his superior bloodline. Once she really understood, she would be honored to be part of it.
Ranni had heard stories from others that had mated humans and they each had reacted differently. Some had embraced the mating, some had run, and some had fought against it. In the end, all had given in. It was inevitable when faced with the strong pull between fated mates. The need was overwhelming and even a Majuri with all their strength couldn’t successfully fight the attraction.
Kasey was like a magnet to him on every level possible. His desire for her burned his body like a flame, his heart ached to be close to her and his mind urged him to speed the bonding. He knew deep down that haste would push her away. Patience wasn’t one of his gifts, but for her he would try.
“Why don’t we go to the star gazing room?” Ranni asked. They all headed to the elevator and took it to the highest level of the ship. They entered a room not unlike an auditorium with seats circling upward and a small pit area where a speaker could give instructions.
Ranni gestured to the seats and they all sat down in one section. As soon as they were seated, the ceiling began to move and the view of space was incredible. “Your seat leans back so you can see without craning your neck.” Everyone moved their seats back and they all stared out into a star filled sky.
“We can watch movies here too.” Flander explained.
“What kind of movies do you watch?” Lane asked immediately interested.
“Mostly we watch fights and war movies.” Flander replied.
“I’d like to see some of those.” Lane admitted.
“Let’s finish up with the shuttle bays and it will be time for lunch.” Ranni suggested. They filed out and took the e
levator but this time they went down into the bowels of the ship.
It was busy in the bays with shuttles coming and going and supplies being loaded for the people on the planet. They were running low on supplies and would have to leave soon but Ranni had his prize at his side. Another ship would come with supplies now that the Grabbers knew this planet was under the protection of the Majuri.
The tour was finally concluded and they headed back to the cafeteria to eat lunch. A com went off then another. Both Ranni’s and Flander’s coms buzzed. Ranni answered his first. “Ranni here.”
“We have more information about the prisoners the Grabber’s have taken off planet. It’s a nearly complete list.” Goss, one of his security officers informed him.
“How did you manage to get this additional information?” Ranni asked.
“We intercepted a list the Grabbers sent out to clients. These people are being auctioned off first. There will be another auction next week for all the remaining prisoners.” Goss advised.
Ranni looked at Kasey who was eating and talking to Hel. Would the information on the list be good news or leave them guessing until the final list came out? “Did you check the list for people of interest?”
“I did and there were some.”
“Send me the list of the people of interest. Right away!”
“It will be done.”
Ranni’s com buzzed again. It was the list and he was nervous about looking at it. If he could get her parents back for her, it would change her attitude and make it more favorable. If not, he had one more chance. Looking at Lane, he felt for the boy who needed his dad. Ranni’s father had never been that kind of male. Lane’s father had and he missed him. Their mother had been a nurturer too like his mother. He hoped for success for so many reasons.
Pulling up the list, he searched. There was only one Haygood, Milly. He was certain it was her mom and he would get her back no matter what he had to do.
Chapter 7
Human Cargo
“Now that we’re through with lunch, why don’t the rest of you check out the gym?” It wasn’t a question, Ranni was ordering them to go away. Kasey knew he wanted to discuss something with her and she wondered if it had anything to do with the call he’d had on his com.
He held his hand out to her as he said, “Come.”
She took it without hesitation. There was relief in his eyes. Had he really worried that she would refuse him here in front of all his people? Surely he knew she would be discreet about any doubts she might have about their relationship or him? Kasey followed him to their room and once they were inside and the door was secure, he turned to her.
“I’ve gotten some information on those captured from your planet. I believe your mother may be alive.” He handed her his com so she could look at the list.
Kasey felt dizzy and had to sit. It was good news that her mother was alive. She scrolled down the list and found her name. But, did that mean her father was dead? “Are these all the names?”
“No, they are selling another group later.”
Hope was such a fragile thing yet it was easily reawaken. What did he expect in return? She looked at him expectantly. Surely he would tell her.
“I expect nothing. This is something I want to do for you. We will plan carefully and get all your people back.”
“How?”
“We will be planning this afternoon. The auction isn’t for a few days yet and we need to do this in a way that they won’t know we did it. If they suspect, they will take their other captives faraway and we may not recover them.”
That made sense since all the Grabbers cared about was money. They caused so much misery, but it didn’t matter to them as long as they made the money they wanted. “I want to go to the planning session.” She expected him to argue since she was a female and his race didn’t consider them equal.
“Okay. We need to leave now.”
Color her surprised. She’d been prepared to fight for her right to be there and he’d given in. Kasey felt a sense of disappointment. Maybe she was beginning to enjoy verbally sparring with him. It seemed she was enjoying more than just looking at his incredibly handsome face and sexy body. She wanted to resist his appeal, but she feared it would be a losing battle.
He led her down the hall to a meeting room filled with male warriors. Even though she knew there were some female warriors, it seemed there weren’t any at the level required to be in on planning missions. From what she saw, females had a long way to go before they would be taken seriously.
Every eye was on her as Ranni led her to the seat beside his and pulled out the chair for her to sit. “Most of you know or know of Kasey. She is mine. You may all sit now.” They all sat in the seats waiting empty behind them. It seemed no one sat when Ranni was on the way until he granted them permission. His status as heir apparent gave him more power than the average subchief or any subchief for that matter.
“Flander, start the meeting.” Ranni directed.”
“I need the list displayed.” Flander directed and it popped up in the center of the table. “All these people need to be freed, but Milly Haygood is our main target. She must be recovered without injury.”
“Is that all?” A young Majuri officer asked.
“No,” Flander chuckled. “There is a second list that will be auctioned at a later date. We need them too.”
“As soon as those on the first list are freed, the Grabbers will run to the other side of the galaxy.” The same officer observed.
“If it was easy, it would already be done.” Flander taunted. “Come up with an idea.”
“Attack their ship and free all their captives?” The young officers piped in.
“Olgive, we don’t know where their flagship is.” Flander explained. “By the time we find it, these captives will no longer be on it.”
“Then let’s intercept the shuttle or shuttles carrying the prisoners off the flagship.” Olgive suggested.
“That would save those prisoners, but they would go far away to sell the rest of them.” Flander explained.
“What are the Grabbers after? I know they want money, but what do they buy with it?” Kasey asked.
“That’s a sad story. The Grabbers once had their own planet but it was attacked by a nearby enemy and wrestled from them. They took to their ships and headed out to unknown space. It was easier for them to steal from others than to settle on an uninhabited world and start over again so this began their new way of living. Now it is all they know. They live to steal and steal to live.”Olgive explained.
“That is sad especially since it shows they have poor leadership.” Kasey observed.
“If you were hoping to trade for your people, all the Grabbers want is money. It is against our customs to pay for prisoners. We are Majuri and we take what we must.” Ranni explained.
“So do the Grabbers.” Kasey compared.
“We are not like them.” Ranni denied.
“No, you conquer while they scavenge.” Kasey agreed.
“I’m glad you see the distinction.” Ranni approved.
She didn’t think he would understand that she disapproved of his ways. Both races took what wasn’t theirs. “So how will we get our people back?”
“We’ll have to go after the buyers and do it in a way that they will not alert the Grabbers. Many of their customers are loyal and give them repeat business. If we can track them, maybe we can discourage human trafficking.” Ranni said.
“It’s a good idea on the surface, but do you have any idea how hard it will be to get into their system and track down all the information?” Olgive asked.
“No, but Kasey can work with you on the technical issues.” Ranni offered.
Kasey saw the disgusted look on Olgive’s face. Were all these guys sexist? Probably. “Subchief, she’s just one person and may not have any technical knowledge.”
Flander choked and she realized he was trying to hide his laughter. Yeah, he wasn’t doing a good job. “I hav
e worked in data entry.” Kasey explained. Olgive was about to freak out. “It’ll be okay. We can manage miracles. “
“We’ll start in the morning. I’ll bring Kasey to you after we eat breakfast. Everyone understand the plan?” Ranni asked.
A chorus of yes and head nodding followed them as they exited the room. “Where are we going?”
“I thought you might feel like a nap.” Ranni suggested as he led her back to their room. Oddly enough, she did feel tired.
Once in the room he suggested a hot shower would sooth her tired muscles and her frazzled nerves. He left to do whatever it was that subchiefs do while she went into the bathroom and turned on the water and set the temperature. Steam filled the room as she stepped into the shower. Hot water was relaxing and she felt loose and unsteady on her feet.
Exiting the shower, she dried off quickly and collapsed into bed barely having the sense to raise up and pull the cover out from under herself before throwing it over her. Sleep claimed her and at some point the dream began. It was nothing like her usual dreams, it seemed so real.
Ranni came into the room and he stripped naked and got into bed. She was aware of him, but not completely conscious. Her body moved toward his until she was in his arms where she’d wanted to be since she’d met him. Pressing against him felt marvelous and she wondered why she hadn’t just given in at the start instead of running.
He rolled her until she faced him and he lowered his mouth to hers kissing her with fiery desire. “I want you so much.” He whispered in her ear. “I thought I’d never get to kiss you.”
“Mm, I like your kiss.” She said softly. “Kiss me again.”
Ranni did as she’d asked him too. Heat enveloped her as his mouth and hands worked her into a fever. Although she had nothing to compare this to, she was sure it was amazing by any standards.
She opened up to him allowing his exploration of her mouth. They both moaned passion driving them crazy with need. He stroked her hot skin with his hands and she enjoyed the feel of them on her soft skin. Her arms slid around his neck trying to pull him even closer because she couldn’t help but respond to him. Kasey didn’t really want him to stop and he knew it. It was obvious he had no doubt, never had doubted, that she was his destined mate.