by T. S. Ryder
Shay dropped into a crouch as he leaped from the small ship-to-planet transport vessel. As soon as he had arrived back in Bronæl space, he had broadcast what the Science Board had done to him and Gemma; he knew it would buy him time, that the people would demand that this blasphemy end. It had at least prevented his ship from being blown to bits as he neared the planet.
He wasn't going to sit back and wait for the Board to decide what to do next, although he was hoping that public opinion would stay with him. No, Gemma was still in danger. Who knew what Wynon was doing to her and the baby? So he had selected a half-dozen of his most intelligent fighters and they had made a plan to get his human back.
This whole thing hinged on whether he had correctly estimated where Gemma was being held, but it was a risk he had to take.
The dragoness who had ordered him to hand Gemma over to Wynon in the first place, Niqæsh, had an impressive research facility. It was one of the most iconic buildings in the city, shaped like a crashing ocean wave, and also the most controversial, since the windows were an opaque green, rather than the transparent yellow that typically was indicative of science buildings.
Transparency in research was key, yet Niqæsh prevented those outside the building from looking in on what she was doing. It would be the perfect place to perform unethical experiments on a pregnant woman.
The rest of Shay's team leaped from the transport ship, wings stretched from their backs to slow their descent just enough to avoid going through the glass. The sun had set hours ago, leaving the city utterly dark except for the Eternal Flame that was tended at its heart. Not that Stlozyn needed much light to see. Shay could feel his pupils dilating to let in more light as they crouched there.
"Alpha, I'm reading only one non-Stlozyn lifeform," the dragon to his left said, narrowing his eyes as he studied a thermal scanner.
"That is Gemma," Shay said, his muscles bunching, fighting the urge to smash his fist into the glass. There was a plan. He had to stick to it if they were going to have a chance to save Gemma. "Where is she?"
The dragon punched a few commands onto the infolink at his wrist and passed it to Shay. He plunged it into the base of his skull without taking the time to prepare himself, gritting his teeth against the pain. An image of the internal schematics ran through his brain, showing him the route to take to get to his human. He nodded once, withdrawing the link again.
"Fight well," he murmured to his crew. "And should you die, may your intelligence become one with the atoms of the universe."
It was time. Around him, his fellows dropped their chins. Smoke billowed from their forms. Wings expanded, blood-red eyes turned golden, teeth sharpened. Hands became claws, and they began to glow softly in the darkness.
Shay slapped a sonic charge against the window he was on and activated it. There was a high-pitched blast and the glass beneath him shattered into a million pieces. The dragon nearest him caught his arm, slowing his descent, then released him as the rest of the crew dove towards the scientists, fire billowing from their mouths.
Nobody noticed Shay as he rolled on the ground to absorb the impact, nor as he joined the other scientists running from the room. A few turned to fight, their own forms shifting, but Shay ignored them. His crew was the distraction. They knew the risks involved in this.
He fell back behind the scientists as he got near to his first turn. Nobody noticed when he left them. The lights flickered and dimmed, turning a pinkish-purple color. It was a warning that they were under attack. He picked up his pace, nostrils flared to pick up the scent of approaching Stlozyn. Twice he had to duck into rooms to avoid a patrol, but other than that there was nobody.
His heart was in his throat by the time he got to the room where Gemma was being held. What if he was wrong? What if all this had been in vain and Gemma wasn't here? Or worse, what if she was—
No. He couldn’t even consider that.
Wynon was in the room when he kicked the door open. Gemma lay on a bed beside her, her arms cuffed down. She was awake, though, and alive. Her beautiful eyes were wide with fear, and even from where he was Shay could hear just how fast her heart was going. He snarled, striding forward.
"Stop unless you want her to die."
Wynon's words made him freeze. The dragoness' eyes were narrowed, her breathing shallow. It was only then that he saw the needle in her hand. It was inserted directly into an IV drip that was connected to Gemma's arm. Shay snarled again.
An IV? What base techniques was Wynon using that would require a medical practice that hadn't been used since the dark ages of science?
"I underestimated you," Wynon said, inclining her head at him. "I didn't think that a dragon with so much emotion would be able to outthink both me and a member of the Science Board. We were foolish in our arrogance."
"And you are foolish to still hold that needle," Shay replied. Flames burned his tongue. "I will allow you to walk away right now if you put it down. Otherwise, I will take your head off your shoulders."
Wynon's eyes widened. Smoke curled from her nostrils, smelling of pungent fear. "Such violence. And you think that you deserve a place on the Science Board?"
"I have done more to expand our knowledge than your benefactress. Perhaps, if logic dictates we betray our ethics and perform experiments on unborn young, it is time for more emotion on the Board!" He didn't look at Gemma, knowing he would lose his mind and attack if he saw so much as a bruise on her. Her small gasps of fear were enough to nearly drive him over the edge as it was. "You know me, Wynon. When do I bluff? Get out now, while you still have the chance."
The dragoness hesitated. Her eyes narrowed. "Swear that you will not attempt to harm me."
"I swear by the atoms of the universe, you will come to no harm by my hand or orders if you leave this room this instant."
Wynon nodded, disconnecting the needle. She headed past Shay, pausing when she was right beside him. "It's only saline solution. The human contains the cure for our species, I know that now more than ever. I would not sacrifice our people for my own life."
"Leave," Shay snarled, and the dragoness slipped from the room.
"Shay."
He finally allowed himself more than a brief glance at Gemma. She was struggling against her bonds, but the air in Shay's lungs seemed to have all dissipated. The flames in his belly burned low and cold. He was unable to believe what he was seeing. It had only been a day since he had last seen Gemma. And yet in that time, her belly had swollen with at least four months' worth of growth.
What sort of internal damage would this accelerated growth to do her? To their baby? His knees felt weak and, for a moment, he was tempted to go after Wynon and tear her apart, despite his vow. How could anybody do such a terrible thing?
"Shay," Gemma repeated, her voice pained and terrified.
The dragon shook his head, shoving Wynon violently from his thoughts, and hurried to his human's side. He quickly unstrapped her and she threw her arms around him. She began sobbing, and Shay stroked her hair, whispering gently.
"It's okay. You're okay."
"I thought I was going to die," she whispered. "I thought—"
"You're safe," Shay promised.
From here it would only take five minutes to get outside to where his transport was waiting for him. If Wynon hadn't alerted security. If his crew was still keeping the scientists occupied. He needed to move quickly; there was no time for stealth.
Shay released Gemma, stepping back. Gemma cried out, reaching for him, but he closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. He had never been particularly good at partial shifting, but he focused on his lower body, bringing the beast within to his legs. His robes parted as his lower limbs grew, becoming longer, stronger. He scooped Gemma up then, gritting his teeth to keep the shifting isolated to his legs, and charged from the room.
They passed Wynon, making her shriek. Shay rounded a corner to see a dozen security officers waiting for him. His wings sprouted from his back, wrapping around Ge
mma's body as he charged at them. He ignored the calls for him to stop.
"Don't shoot him!" Wynon screamed from somewhere behind. "He has the human! She can't be harmed!"
Shay burst through the guards, snapping his wings back to knock them away. He kept running, clutching Gemma tightly in his arms.
An energy field dropped in front of him. He was only just able to stop himself from running straight into it. Shay whirled around. A second field dropped. He panted, looking around wildly.
Desperation clawed at his throat. He had to get out of here–had to get Gemma out of here. Shifting his human where she still clung to him, he activated the communication device that linked him to his ship.
"Hack the cameras," he gasped at the dragoness who answered. "Get all the footage of what's happening, now!"
Just after the dragoness confirmed she was in, Niqæsh stepped around the corner. Wynon was right behind her, and a dozen security guards followed after. Niqæsh's eyes were narrowed, her hands clenched at her sides.
"This human has had her pregnancy accelerated," Shay shouted. "In one day you have progressed her pregnancy by four mouths!"
"I am doing what is necessary," Niqæsh snarled. "Surrender your unborn child to further research or die."
"It's unethical to experiment on those who cannot give consent."
"What do I care about ethics? Our people are dying! I think I'll kill you, too. You've always been one of those dragons who thinks he deserves more than he does. I'll be doing our people a favor by ending you."
It was all Shay needed. "Did you catch that?"
"Yes," said the dragoness through his comm. "Shall I broadcast?"
Shay smiled as Niqæsh's eyes widened at the voice. "Yes."
Chapter Eight
Public outrage spared Shay a private trial, which could have been disastrous in his situation. The Science Board knew that they couldn't simply sentence him for disobeying a direct order. Some of the members who had remained quiet when Niqæsh had told him he had to hand over Gemma and their unborn child for experimentation were even publically declaring their support for him now.
Niqæsh herself was also on trial and suspended from her position on the Science Board. There were quite a few petitions circulating calling for her power to be fully stripped from her.
But as much as the public had his back, Shay was not immune to discipline. He had not only disobeyed direct orders from the Science Board, but he also perpetrated violence against fellow scientists and encouraged the same from his crew. That wasn't going to just go away.
Shay passed the scanner over Gemma's enlarged belly and along her back as she lay on her side, reading the information that was returned to him. They were under house arrest while his trial was underway. While the explosive acceleration of her pregnancy had been stopped, the damage was already done.
"The baby appears to be healthy," he assured his worried human as she chewed on her lip. "Wynon didn't damage our child.”
He could not say the same for her spine. Not only had the pressure of having such a quick growth of pregnancy damaged her spinal column, but the fact that Wynon had kept her on her back the whole time had only made it worse. If she hadn't already been jailed…
"My legs are still numb." Gemma lifted one foot and winced as she turned it in a circle. "That can't be good, can it?"
"No," he responded honestly. "And we won't know the full extent of the damage until after the baby is born and we can do more powerful scans."
He fiddled with the controls on his scanner until Gemma reached out and put her hand over his. His fires were burning low, and when he glanced up he saw his worry reflected in her eyes.
"Calm down, you're freaking me out. Let's talk about something else. You're going to give your justification at your trial tomorrow, right?"
Shay let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Normally the justification is only after four months of evidence has been delivered to the Justice Board, but given the situation, they have agreed to allow me to speak first so that I don't have to worry about it after the child is born."
He put a hand on her stomach. They had been under house arrest for two months now, and Gemma could go into labor any day. He only prayed that it wouldn't be until after he had delivered his justification. He thought he had good reasons for doing what he did. After all, if he hadn't, he might not have Gemma or their child at all.
"I want to talk to them as well."
Shay shook his head. "You're not strong enough."
"So put me in a wheelchair. I'm strong enough to talk." Gemma narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm a lawyer, and I've spent the last two months studying your laws. I've been preparing my speech. I want to explain in my own words what it felt like."
She had a point, but Shay was worried about the stress it would put on her. Her health was already precarious. The amount of energy required to grow the child so quickly had eaten up most of her fat stores. She was thin and breakable now.
"I can see by the look on your face you think I'm not strong enough." Gemma narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, I'm going whether you want me to or not. So am I going to have to walk, or are you going to help me?"
Shay smoothed the hair from her forehead and kissed her gently. "Oh, my love. You are a stubborn woman."
"You’d better believe it," Gemma crooned back. A wincing look came over her face. "I need to use the toilet."
Shay scooped her up into his arms and headed for the bathroom. Gemma slung an arm around his neck and he buried his face in her hair. How had he gotten so lucky to get a woman like her? It might be Stlozyn belief that the atoms of the universe were cold and uncaring, but perhaps they had made an exception in his case. Meeting Gemma could not have happened just by coincidence.
He breathed in her sweet scent–he only hoped that by coming into her life, he hadn't ruined it.
***
Gemma wasn't certain her speech to the Justice Board was the most inspiring one. Stlozyn were all about logic; emotion was looked down on as the root of all evil.
Well, maybe not that bad, but close. Gemma shook her head as she directed the chair she sat in–a hover chair, which she could move in literally every direction–towards the gangplank of Shay's ship. She had given her speech, recounting exactly what her imprisonment had been like, right after Shay had given his justification.
After the sentence was declared–Shay had to provide remuneration to the crew members who had broken laws by following his orders–he was reinstated as Science Alpha on his ship and told that his justification was worthy of his actions, though he was warned not to be so emotional in the future.
"Let's get you to bed," Shay said, and Gemma agreed.
Her back was killing her, the pain bringing tears to her eyes, and her legs felt like two wooden blocks beneath her body.
"Home, sweet home," Gemma trilled as Shay closed the door to his quarters behind them.
She hadn't seen Shay's quarters on his ship, and she was surprised at how basic everything was. The room she had had before was like the most luxurious hotel in comparison. Shay had a large bed, a wardrobe for his uniforms, a private bathroom with a shower and no bath and a small food processor that was only good for small snacks, rather than meals.
"So why was my room so luxurious while you have something like this?" she asked, as he lifted her into the bed. She was sick of lying on her side all the time, but it really was the most comfortable position for her at the moment. Not that she would call it 'comfortable'.
"Every ship of this size is fitted with a room for members of the Science Board, should they desire to visit."
"So I was in the presidential suite?"
Shay laughed at the look on Gemma's face. "Essentially, yes."
"Yikes," she muttered. "You guys are seriously Spartan."
"Sparta is known for its stringent warrior culture. We're scientists. Violence is based on emotion. It's an abhorrence." Shay's expression became thoughtful. "Although they did have a methodical approach
to war, which in some ways was almost scientific."
Gemma smothered a giggle. He was just too cute in these moments, despite the fact that he was tall and stacked and ought to be intimidating rather than adorable. "No, silly. It means that you don't have a lot of luxuries. At least not on ships. Your apartment on Bronæl was far fancier than the presidential suite."
"On a space-bound vessel resources are much more precious."
His personal comm beeped, indicating an incoming call. Gemma settled down, rubbing her aching back as the baby started moving, pushing against her skin as if it was trying to stretch. She never really felt the baby kicking, though, something she was still furious about. Wynon had stolen half her pregnancy from her.
Shay activated his comm and the holographic image of one of the dragonesses from the Science Board appeared. Gemma saw Shay's shoulders tense, and he angled himself away from her so the dragoness couldn't see her.
"Science Alpha." The dragoness nodded her head. "I thought you would like to know that Niqæsh has been stripped of her position, and her research buildings have been taken from her. Her personal wealth will be distributed towards the fund for ethical research, as well."
"That is good to hear. Thank you for informing me."
"This also means that her position on the Science Board is empty. On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend you the offer to fill it."
Gemma pushed herself up, eyes brightening. A grin spread over her face. This was what had always Shay wanted. To be the youngest dragon ever to be on the Science Board. To her surprise, however, he didn't look happy. A frown creased his brow.
"Thank you for the offer. I will have to discuss it with Gemma."
The dragoness nodded. "Of course. We will give you three months to make your choice."
Shay nodded, and the image flickered out. He sighed heavily, exhaling a lungful of smoke that made Gemma's eyes water. She waved it away, narrowing her eyes at Shay.
"Why didn't you take the offer? It's what you’ve always wanted."
"No. I wanted to earn my place on the Board, not have it offered because the Board needs to save face after one of them was found promoting unethical practices." Shay shook his head, his lips thinning. "I do have many accomplishments to my name, though… it might have nothing to do with what I am to the public right now."