by Lexi Ander
"Where do you think you are going, Bespoken?" The T'Sali walked back toward him, the V'Saar skittering alongside him.
Zeus laughed. "You, my friend, are mistaken. I am Prince Zeus Vondorian of the Mar'Sani planet of Atlainticia. If you kidnap me, my brothers will hunt you down and kill you."
"Not even your brothers would venture into V'Saar territory."
The two were almost upon him. Zeus had palmed the Taser from his boot top, hiding it in the cradle of his broken arm. Whichever one touched him first would be the lucky one to experience the Taser's kiss. He knew he would be helpless against retribution from the other, for he barely stood. He gambled on the hope they wanted to take him alive.
"You do not know my brothers. They are quite protective." Zeus swayed on his feet.
The large, unblinking eyes of the T'Sali held his gaze. He did not watch Zeus's hands. He stared defiantly back and when the T'Sali grabbed his broken arm, he jabbed the Taser into the joint between the exoskeleton and into the soft skin of the wrist. Without blinking, he squeezed the trigger and shot the electrical bolt into the soft tissue.
The T'Sali convulsed and screeched, the tone so high pitched Zeus thought his eardrums bled. Zeus was backhanded; the force of the blow sent him stumbling backward several meters before he crashed onto the platform. The V'Saar bug tried to touch his companion and experienced a jolt. The electroshock would have skittered harmlessly off the exoskeleton if he had tased the armor. Instead, he had been able to get up under the thick plate, thereby trapping the current within the body. There were very few places for the current to escape.
The V'Saar tried to rouse the T'Sali without touching him. The stinger that curved over its head twitched in distress, venom dripped from its razor sharp tip. Three sets of eyes rolled when the T'Sali only gurgled a wail of pain. The bug chittered and swayed over the limp form, the extendable lower jaw snapped open and closed until all sets of eyes pinned Zeus with a deadly stare.
Zeus tried to rise, but his equilibrium was off. He could not seem to get his feet under him. He knew if he did not move he would die. The V'Saar screeched in feral rage above the body of its companion and charged Zeus. Knowing there was nothing more he could do, Zeus curled into the smallest target possible and watched the bug barrel toward him.
From overhead, a huge blue and yellow mass dropped in between Zeus and the V'Saar. He could make out the Orion with two stubbed tentacles as Rhee. Backing up to where Zeus lay, Rhee brought together the interlocking armor plates on his mantel, presenting the V'Saar with an impenetrable shield as Rhee settled protectively over Zeus.
"Prince Zeus, are you still with us?"
He signed with relief. "Your timing is impeccable."
"It could be improved. You are injured."
The strike of the bug's scorpion-like stinger struck Rhee's armor with considerable vehemence.
"This may hurt," Rhee warned before several tentacles wrapped around Zeus and tucked him firmly against the Orion's body. Zeus heard the V'Saar screech as something battered ferociously against Rhee. Rhee's body shuddered around Zeus with the force of the resounding blows.
"Rhee," Zeus beseeched, "you have to leave before you are hurt."
"Not without you."
Rhee drew his appendages in and tucked them under his body, protected by his natural body armor. Zeus felt his world turn and twirl as Rhee rolled away from the bug. Before his stomach could revolt, the movement stopped, and Zeus was heaved upward. It felt like his abdomen dropped to his feet, similar to the time he and his brothers had gone cliff diving. He clutched one of the appendages to his chest with his good arm. It did not have the suction cups the other tentacles had, likely one of Rhee's three legs. The other two wrapped around him as his sluggish mind worked to catch up.
The bug chittered below them and crashed around the shuttle bay in a rage. Blinking to clear his one good eye, Zeus discovered Rhee had them situated high on the ceiling. The V'Saar scampered in angry circles below. The T'Sali climbed to his hands and knees, seemingly in an attempt to shake off the lingering effects of the Taser.
Mar'Sani soldiers erupted from every entrance leading into the shuttle bay. Mestor and Azaes led the charge. Battle cries were shouted as the soldiers engaged the V'Saar. It took six warriors to incapacitate the one V'Saar. The T'Sali's weakness made him easy to apprehend.
Zeus moaned in pain as Rhee lowered him into the waiting arms of Warlord Sohm'lan. He struggled to stay conscious. With his brothers safe and the threat eliminated, it was time he headed back to the Oethra 7.
"Zeus!" his brothers frantically called.
"Put me down, Sohm, before my brothers overreact," Zeus whispered.
Setting Zeus on his feet, the Sohm'lan did not move away but made Zeus lean back into him. He did not fight the firm hand, grateful for the support when the wave of vertigo did not subside. Mestor and Azaes stalked toward him, bellowing for a medic.
"Zeus! If you were not already hurt I would … what were you thinking? You had no one to guard your back!" Mestor yelled.
"I had Rhee," Zeus said. "I am not dead, merely injured, and even though I have missed these conversations with you, I need to get back to the Oethra 7. If you will, please allow us to borrow a shuttle. I would appreciate it."
Azaes crossed his arms, his biceps stretching the fabric of his uniform and highlighting the well-formed muscle underneath. "There is no need for you to return to the Oethra 7."
Zeus's heart thumped painfully in his chest. Was he too late? Had he run out of time and they left?
"We need to catch up to and assist the Oethra 7. They are on their way to Valespia, but they are being tracked by psi. It is pertinent the information the ship is carrying is delivered to the imperial crown princes. We have to protect them." Zeus knew he was babbling. Two sets of twins swam in his vision, and he felt nauseous. He had to convince them to help Dargon before he passed out.
Mestor frowned. "Where is the medic?" he yelled over his shoulder.
"Does this have anything to do with the captain of the Oethra 7?" Azaes asked.
The denial was on the tip of his tongue, yet he could not give it. Would his brother understand the connection he felt for Dargon? Whether or not he chose to pursue a relationship, he still had a responsibility to Dargon as his Marked.
"The mission the crown princes sent the Oethra 7 on is important, and I have committed myself to seeing their assignment through to the end."
The twins wore identical smirks. His prolonged silence before his answer spoke volumes. If he had felt well, he would have found a shuttle without their permission and blasted his way out. The need to get to Dargon and verify that he was free and unharmed was almost unbearable.
"I guess the fact the Oethra 7 is docked in scout bay four would please you then?" Mestor grinned.
"What do you mean?" Zeus asked. "They are here? Dargon promised to jump if I did not made it back within the allotted hour. What was he thinking?" Warlord Sohm'lan gripped Zeus's good shoulder to steady him as he took a step forward.
Azaes held up his hands in a placating gesture. "It seems they are as committed to you as you are to them. Captain Kal-Turak contacted us when you had not returned. I offered an armed escort, which he readily accepted."
"Zeus!" Dargon entered the shuttle bay followed by the Chi-Lin, Madux, who towered over everyone, along with Mayra and two Orion. Dargon scanned the immediate area, nose scenting the air until his eyes fell on the V'Saar bug. Dargon roared Zeus's name again, the single word almost unintelligible. His muscles rippled under his skin, and Zeus feared Dargon would transform then and there.
Zeus sensed Dargon's distress. He started a wobbly trek across the platform, Warlord Sohm'lan keeping a steadying hand on him. Rhee walked to his right, and his brothers followed on the left. When Dargon spied Zeus, his long, powerful legs ate the distance between them with their feline swiftness and grace. Surprised at how relieved he felt to see Dargon, the knot in Zeus's chest released its strangling grip as
he devoured the sight of the captain of the Oethra 7.
Dargon's face was stony as he studied Zeus. "Mayra! Zeus is injured."
The only thing keeping Zeus from collapsing had been the need to find a way back to the Oethra 7 and her crew. Seeing Dargon and knowing he was safe stole Zeus's remaining strength. Dargon surged forward to catch him as he slumped to the floor, his limbs crumpling in upon themselves. Darkness engulfed him in a tidal wave. Distantly, he wished so many people had not witnessed his fragility before the darkness swept him away in its wake.
Dargon leapt forward and caught Zeus as his eyes rolled up in his head. He snarled at the warlord who reached out to take Zeus from him. Dargon would not let Zeus out of his sight again if he could help it. In his periphery, Prince Azaes laid a restraining hand on the warlord's arm. Dargon called again for Mayra, his voice breaking as he spoke Zeus's name.
"You must be calm, Dargon. He is vulnerable now, and we must see to his safety." Alpha reached through Dargon to try and ascertain the extent of Zeus's injuries.
Mayra arrived pulling a hydraulic stretcher. Gently, Dargon laid Zeus on the pallet and Mayra started working before he withdrew. Both Dargon and Alpha caressed and cupped the impossibly pale face. Zeus had flawless alabaster skin, but the pallor he wore now was that of sickness and injury. Oily sweat covered him, tinged with the bitter odor of pain. Dargon cupped his hand to Zeus's cheek, noticing the stark contrast of his own golden color against Zeus's unnatural chalky complexion. He wished Zeus would open those silvery white eyes, just once so Dargon could be reassured he would live.
Alpha did not help as he recited the catalog of injuries Zeus had sustained. Dargon's pulse thrummed faster as Mayra worked to cut away Zeus's uniform, revealing what Dargon knew from Alpha's growing recitation. The black material camouflaged the blood from the numerous wounds. The Mar'Sani soldiers gathered around, grim and somber as they looked on.
Mayra ran the bio-scanner from head to toe. The feminine electronic voice sounded tinny in the quiet, cavernous shuttle bay. "Subject: male of unknown species. Iron based blood AB negative. Contusion on the posterior of the cranium with minor swelling of the brain. Cracked right cheekbone. Broken clavicle. Dislocated left shoulder. Compound fracture of the humerus. Six cracked ribs. Suggest stitching for the ten centimeter long laceration to the upper right back above the shoulder blade and the fourteen centimeter laceration to front right thigh …"
The scanner continued the assessment in that infuriating monotone. Mayra had started treatment, injecting the anti-shock serum, antibiotics, and set up an IV while the Orions cleaned and field bandaged Zeus's various minor wounds.
"Dargon, it was amazing he was standing, much less having a logical conversation," Mayra said as she worked.
"He is Mar'Sani," Mestor replied, making it plain nothing less was expected of a prince of the people.
"He is the Striker," Warlord Sohm'lan whispered with deep respect. The gathered soldiers murmured their agreement. As Dargon regarded the brownish scaled warlord, he bowed reverently to Zeus. A brief moment passed before the gesture was repeated by the soldiers present. The twins appeared proud and grim.
A scuffle drew Dargon's attention to the captured T'Sali and V'Saar bug. Alpha's anger spiked at the sight. Running his hand one more time through Zeus's dark hair, Dargon left his Marked in Mayra's care.
Alpha rippled against his skin. "It is time we spoke to the V'Saar."
Dargon's darkening mood mirrored Alpha's rage. They had grown close over their years together, and separating their individual emotions was, at times, impossible. Aggression bounced back and forth between him and Alpha, building a raging fire of retribution. Stalking across the bay platform, he grabbed the bug by its spindly throat. The fragility was a deception that had led to the fall of many an inexperienced soldier.
"Who sent you?" Dargon growled, the responding noise from Alpha echoed in his head.
The V'Saar cackled as Dargon shook him. The bug bled from the various wounds delivered by the Mar'Sani warriors. The venomous stinger had been severed from its body and twitched a meter away. He had seen these things in battle and knew it was not close to dying yet and still extremely dangerous.
Alpha roiled against Dargon's skin at the touch of the bug. A vision of a life that did not belong to Dargon flashed in quick succession before his eyes. A tale of war, blood, and profound loss made Dargon catch his breath. He felt an old suppressed sorrow engulf Alpha, and for a slow heartbeat, Alpha was overcome by memories he usually kept locked away, even from Dargon. Dargon sensed how shaken Alpha was at the thought that Zeus could have been taken and consumed by the bug.
An ancient bloodlust shoved Alpha's grief aside. Dargon was pulled along as Alpha rode the wave of fury. "Kill the V'Saar," Alpha sneered. "Those of his kind only know violence and hate. They manipulate and cannibalize, leaving only carnage and destruction in their wake. They live to create havoc and then swoop in to swallow down the despair. There is no rehabilitating them. They devour the worlds in their path, stamping out any semblance of life and enslaving those they can use until that use is gone."
Dargon's attention was snagged away from Alpha's memories when the bug replied.
"You will not win against us." The translator worked hard to convert the V'Saar's chittering. "We are many. You are broken with your opinions and debates. We are one in our resolve. We are one in our actions. While you scramble in your confusion, we will subjugate you. Some will be made our pets and others our cattle."
"Let me," Alpha hissed.
Without warning, the symbiote's dark green form flowed down Dargon's arm, engulfing the hand that clutched the V'Saar neck. He molded and hardened a part of his body around the spindly column, stretching toward the creature's face. The dark green, pink-veined body oozed over the extendable jaw and up the hard angles of the oblong countenance. Three sets of eyes rolled in an expression of abject fear as Alpha completely covered the bug's head.
Alpha nudged Dargon, and he gave over to his symbiote, allowing him the freedom to use his body. "Has it been so long that you have forgotten us?" Alpha hissed. "I am surprised the outcome of the Arthro War was so easily forgotten by your people, to even dare to come here. Maybe it is time I remind you what has escaped V'Saar memory. You were warned we would kill your queen if you tried again to take what was ours."
The bug wailed and thrashed weakly against Dargon's grip. He knew the creature was stronger than that, but his link with Alpha let him see the pressure the symbiote was placing on the V'Saar's mind. Alpha's hatred for the species was overpowering. Confusing clips of Alpha's memory bled through and overwhelmed Dargon. He did not understand what he was seeing. He only knew that Alpha was deeply affected by the state Zeus was in.
The bug went limp in Dargon's hand, and Alpha withdrew to settle back in his place on Dargon's collarbone. The V'Saar was not dead but had become submissive, compliant. Dargon had never seen or heard of such a thing from a bug. He became aware that they were surrounded by the Mar'Sani soldiers. Princes Azaes and Mestor regarded him with new respect as he released the bug to kneel at his feet.
"When he is ready, we hope that Alpha will share the story of this war his species had with the V'Saar," Prince Azaes said.
Dargon nodded, listening to Alpha. "He says he will gladly speak of it after he sees to Zeus. He says the bug will cooperate with you now. When you are finished, have it dropped at the Grid. The V'Saar has a message to deliver to his queen."
He barely waited for Prince Azaes's acknowledgment before leaving to seek out Zeus. When he boarded the Oethra 7, Madux was waiting for him.
"Amlyn is in the infirmary," Madux said. "Mayra sedated her while the nanites repair her injuries. She thought Zeus would be more comfortable in your quarters. He awakened and asked for you when he was settled."
Dargon squeezed Madux's arm as he passed by. There were things he needed to do, but first he would check on his prince. He paused for a moment outside his quarters even though Alpha u
rged him to enter. Dargon rested his forehead against the cool metal of the door. "We need to talk."
Alpha was silent a moment before he replied. "I am sorry I did not confide in you earlier."
"Would you have—given time?"
"We have tried hard to forget where we came from, what we endured in order to reach a sort of peace. I did not want to tell you, in hopes the V'Saar would continue to stay behind the barrier. I should have shared it with you after Sanaili 4. If I had suspected they had expanded their influence and had reached the humans, I would have handled things differently."
Dargon concentrated on taking deep even breaths. Alpha was his confidante, an intimate lover and friend. He had believed Alpha was as open with him as he had been with Alpha. A relationship such as theirs relied on complete trust; the Dar Massaga were vulnerable to their alphas. Dargon felt raw at the moment, knowing that the faith, the same assurance, was not returned to him.
"Dargon, you know I love you, have always loved you."
He shivered as Alpha caressed his skin. "You did not tell me you had lived so many lifetimes, or that you would outlive me. You did not tell me you were incomplete with just me. Is my reaction, the mating heat I experience around Zeus, something you caused?" He closed his eyes. "Do you want Zeus instead of me?"
He wished he could pull back the words as soon as they tumbled from him. If the answer was yes, he did not want to know. He and Alpha had been together since he reached puberty. He could barely remember the time before, when he had been alone, and the thought that Alpha would leave terrified him. He would be broken.
"I am sorry my reticence has made you distrust me." Dargon felt Alpha's sorrow. "I only wished to keep you from enduring my pain. The society, the culture we were originally born in, was a place where what you, I, and Zeus could be was normal. It was the blending of three races that bore the ancients. The genocide the V'Saar enacted on our planet killed everyone in our families except the Zetas and us. After the war, we traveled the galaxies and discovered the Dar Massaga. Your species was so like … we could not pass you by and not offer ourselves to you. We— I have been happy and would never give you up. This attraction between us and Zeus, I thought I would never find … would never be complete like that again."