At twenty-three, Tessa was one of the youngest among the crew, signing on shortly after her twentieth birthday. She was the type of soldier the military preferred for extended space missions: a loner, no family ties, with no one to make a fuss if something went wrong.
“Don’t talk, Tessa,” Maggie urged, as she squeezed her shoulder. “Can’t you give her something for the pain?” she asked the medics.
“We gave her something on board,” Rebecca advised, “but we didn’t have much and it wasn’t very effective, as you can see.”
As they moved away with Tessa, Maggie swung around, taking two steps up the shuttle ramp before Rosanna, one of the two who had carried their injured teammate from the ship, halted her.
“Seven feet tall if they were an inch,” she said in a dazed, distant voice as she came to stand alongside Rebecca. “And they were half naked, dressed in some sort of loin cloth and nothing else, with long black hair down their backs.”
Saige moved up next. The biologist had also assisted her teammate from the shuttle. As the three stood in a row, they wore the same stunned expression, all visibly shaken.
Maggie stared at them a moment, then glanced back to the shuttle. There was no movement or sound from within. She took a step forward, dread filling her. “Where are the others? Are they injured too?”
“There are no others,” came Rebecca’s broken whisper. “They were taken.”
A collective gasp rose from the surrounding group, except for their captain who was stoic as she processed the news. Seven of their scientists, including another officer, Lieutenant Eva LaCroix, their only botanist, and Eryn had not come back.
“How?” she demanded, her voice steady and cool, though inside she was reeling from the devastating news.
“As Tessa reported, we were outmanned, outgunned, out everything’d,” Rosanna replied.
“Guns? I thought you said they were half-naked barbarians.”
The three-returning glanced at one another, obviously as confused about who and what they were as she was.
“We’re puzzled over it too, Captain,” Saige answered when no one else seemed able to. As well as being in shock, she had scratches on her face and a long gash on her upper arm, visible through a tear in her sleeve. Her eyes were wide, her skin pale, and she’d didn’t seem cognizant of the blood oozing from her wound. “They looked like normal men except for their size. And they were fast; their long legs overtook the others easily. I’m surprised the four of us got away. A few even came out of the trees like freakin’ Tarzan!”
“They were ape-men?” someone behind Maggie exclaimed in horror. “Dear lord, we have to go after them, Captain. Imagine what those animals are doing to them as we speak—”
Her words, verbalizing the horrors that Maggie’s distraught mind had also conjured, were interrupted by a call from the bridge.
“Captain, we’ve picked up a ship.”
“What? Where?”
“It was hidden from us by the planet and the interference. It’s coming around from the west, fast.”
“Stealth shields now,” Maggie ordered. “I’m on my way.”
“Aye, Captain. Bridge out.”
“What about the others?” Rebecca demanded. “At least one was injured. I saw Eryn trying to help her, right before they were both taken.”
“But how?” she asked. “In the transmission, we heard your blasters.”
“They had a jammer of some kind. After our first volley, they were useless.”
“But the shuttle was armed,” Maggie pressed, needing clarity.
She shook her head. “The vegetation ended up being much heavier than expected, so we had to hike to the water source. They took us by surprise while we were gathering samples.” Rebecca’s face got tight and her jaw tensed as she continued. “It was on my orders. I fucked up. We shouldn’t have left the shelter of the craft.”
“We all agreed it was worth the risk,” Rosanna shot back at her, apparently continuing an old argument.
Rebecca didn’t seem convinced as she continued. “We had no choice except to run, leaving our equipment behind. We ended up separated as they hunted us.”
“Hunted!” Janie repeated. “Oh, my God, you mean like prey?”
“That’s what it felt like,” Saige replied as she shuddered. “I saw one of the huge beasts.”
“Beasts!” someone cried. “Were they animals or men?”
“They looked a lot like our men, although they didn’t act it. No Earth man is near as strong. I was following Eva, who seemed to know the way back, when one dropped out of the trees in front of her. He growled at her, in some unintelligible language, and tossed her over his shoulder like she was a rag doll. She fought, but he subdued her and…” Saige closed her eyes as if overcome by the memory.
“What?” Nala insisted. “Tell us.”
“He subdued her, striking her. I’ll never forget the sound of her screams.”
“He beat her with his fists?” Maggie exclaimed in horror.
The young scientist frowned, dirty fingers rubbing her brow as she shook her head. “No, it was more like an open-hand smack.”
“Across the face? What monsters!” someone cried.
“No, it was on her—”
“What?” the sergeant demanded.
“He slapped her across her backside, which was pointed skyward as she hung over his shoulder.”
The women stared, slack-jawed.
“You mean he spanked her?” Nala breathed.
“Yes, while he carried her off into the jungle.”
“This is insane,” another guard murmured in shock. “What kind of creatures run around half naked, but have advanced weapons, then attack a group of females and carry them off like brutes?”
“Neanderthals!” one of the crew answered.
“Yes,” agreed another, “like some sort of alien savages!”
“Fucking barbarians!” Rebecca spat. “We have to go back for them.”
Maggie shook her head; that wasn’t an option right now. “We need to take care of this new threat first.”
“But, Captain,” Rosana cried, “they might not have time to wait.”
“I understand that, but we can’t do a thing if this damn interference doesn’t die down. If we send another crew and lose contact…” She paused, shaking her head vehemently. “No, I won’t risk more of us to unknowns.”
“Bridge to landing bay,” came an urgent voice through the speakers overhead. “Captain, the ship is coming fast. I recommend a change in course, immediately.”
“Take us out of orbit, Lieutenant. I’m on my way.” She turned and faced her people, after making one of the toughest calls of her life. “I’m sorry. Lockwood, La Croix, and the others, they all knew the risks involved, just like you did. There are 292 other women on board that I must think about, as well. Not to mention our mission and the millions depending on us back on Earth.”
“The good of the many, eh, Captain?” Rebecca replied with a touch of censure in her tone.
Maggie bristled. They had orders and it was her job to complete them, as well as keeping as many of her people alive and healthy when they returned to Earth.
Her gaze swept over the crew, seeing a riot of emotions: turmoil, anger, fear, and sadness. When they came to rest on her first officer and dearest friend, she took a step forward, her reserved demeanor cracking.
“Do you think I don’t care what happens to them, Rebecca? Those women are my responsibility, but so are you, Rosana, Saige, Tessa, and everyone else on this ship. You know as well as I do, that not one of those women would want us to put more lives on the line for them, not to mention the billions of people on Earth who are at risk if we fail. They knew to be at the rendezvous point on time, or be left behind. Isn’t that why you four took off in the shuttle without them?” The surviving women shifted uncomfortably, shooting guilt-ridden glances at one another as that point hit home. “If there had been any other way, you would have stayed and fought fo
r them,” Maggie added. “It seems cold, but you said yourself, you were outmatched.”
“We understand, Captain. Except it’s a bitter pill to swallow, leaving our own behind.”
When her voice broke, Maggie understood what Rebecca was going through. As the officer in charge, she felt the loss more deeply, because their lives had been in her hands. It was the same guilt she grappled with as captain, and for giving orders for the landing party in the first place. Reaching out, she squeezed her distraught friend’s shoulder. Leadership was difficult and often thankless.
“I need to get to the bridge,” she stated in a more even tone. “You and the others need to be seen by the medical team.” She waved forward the other medics who were waiting nearby. As they moved in, her gaze sought and held Rebecca’s. “Once we see about this next shit-storm that is heading our way, we’ll focus on what we can do to retrieve our missing crew.”
With that, she spun on her heel and strode quickly toward the lift. Once inside and moving, she took the few seconds she had alone to lean heavily against the wall, feeling the oppressive weight of her responsibility. Leave eight good people behind to save nearly three hundred, or fight and possibly lose them all. What an impossible choice.
“Fucking hell,” she murmured as the doors opened on the next monumental crisis.
2
“There! Did you see it?”
Rothke, Commander of the Primarian Space Fleet, simply Roth to those closest to him, frowned as his attention locked on the screen in front of his best technician. Try as he might, he didn’t see what Hayden had called him about.
“It’s a minor aberration. I noticed it while doing the standard perimeter scan. A slight variance that I wasn’t sure I really saw at first, but I’ve been watching closely and it seems to be repeating at set intervals.”
“Your assessment?”
“Given its constant speed and consistent path, it’s a ship on a set course. I’m betting the alien females’ ship.”
Roth’s brows arched in surprise. “What makes you think that? Not being able to detect it fully on our scanners would mean the ship is veiled somehow. The crude weapons they carried weren’t indicative of such advanced technology.”
“We lost their small craft in the solar flare interference, but since it has diminished, they don’t show up on any of my instruments. Nothing does in this sector, except that.” He clicked a few controls, enlarging and freezing the screen, which revealed a wavy dense mass in the far quadrant. “They couldn’t have simply vanished. The only reasonable explanation is that they returned to a home base on a larger vessel.”
When he paused, he released the screen shot and they both watched the area in question. This time, when the small aberration reappeared, ever so briefly, Roth saw it too. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. The next instant it disappeared.
“Of course,” Hayden added, “my theory could be wrong.”
His commander gave him a meaningful look as he disputed his claim. “And how often does that happen?”
“Never,” the man replied succinctly. A fact was a fact.
“Exactly.” Roth grinned as he clapped his valued man on the back. “Good work. Track them and alert me if they veer from their current course. Can you scan them from this distance?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Do it, and upload a schematic into our system. I have a meeting to attend with the Princep and may need it. If he agrees with your assessment that this is the females’ ship, we may have a new mission.”
“You mean to go after them?” Hayden asked, excitement in his voice.
“If the Maker’s favor is upon us, and the Princep agrees, that ship means forty or fifty times as many females as were found on Ventorcopia.”
“It is an answer to our prayers,” the young officer breathed.
“Indeed.” Roth turned over the control center to his captain, although not the responsibility. As fleet commander that onus always remained.
Upon entering the lift, he descended several levels to the large meeting room where Kerr, the Maxime Princep, leader of all Primaria, intended to give his briefing on the new female species they had acquired. He’d heard bits and pieces of what had occurred while the warriors were on the hunting planet, yet he hadn’t believed it. The answer to their problem—compatible females—falling so easily into their laps after so long seemed an unexpected gift, and one almost too good to be true. Eight wouldn’t be sufficient to repopulate their depleted numbers, although it was a start. And if Hayden’s suspicions were correct, more gifts might be conferred upon them in the very near future.
It was about time something went in their favor. As a race, his people hadn’t experienced much good fortune in the twenty years since the Rain of Fire, what they called the massive meteor storm that had devastated their home planet and wiped out many of their females. In the aftermath, radiation exposure and the resulting sickness had afflicted many more. And, of those who survived, the long-term effects were often chronic illness and, always, infertility.
In a twist of fate, the radiation had also provided them with uladite, a new means of energy from an old indigenous georesource as prevalent as dirt on Primaria. It now powered their cities, and the sale of this unique fuel source made their rapid technology growth possible. Yet, Primarians agreed they’d give it all away if they could go back in time and save their mates, mothers, and sisters.
The horrific event had such a widespread impact, that no male was left untouched in some way. His own mother and twin sister had been affected. Their loss was so painful that it had set him on a more solitary path for his life, one of service, rather than home and family that so many Primarians preferred.
Replacing his bad memories with more hopeful thoughts, he entered the crowded meeting room. Most of the warriors from Kerr’s inner circle had accompanied him on this hunting trip. They were also his most trusted leaders and confidantes, including Krager, his kinsman and heir, Lothar, the second in command of his army, and Trask, the general, supreme leader of all Primaria’s warriors and the Princep’s closest friend. Roth was included in the close-knit group as well, but while in orbit around Ventorcopia, duty prevented him from joining the hunt. It was fortunate that he had not, because those who had accompanied the Princep and helped capture the females were vying for mates, if they were compatible matches.
Being mated wasn’t something that Roth wanted. His duty to protect Primaria took precedence, and if he had a female, he couldn’t be separated from her for the long stretches he was away on missions. The physical stress, not to mention the risk of separation sickness, was too great. His only choice would be to resign his command, and that wasn’t something he was willing to do.
Taking a vacant seat beside the general, technically his superior, he nudged him with his elbow. “Trask,” he said in greeting. “I hear your alien female is extraordinarily beautiful.”
His friend grinned. “Beautiful is too pale a word to describe hair so fair it resembles moonlight, big golden-brown eyes, and her lush pink mouth the color of a Primarian sky. The same hue adorns the blush of her cheeks, the tips of her high, full breasts, and the sweet wet haven between her legs.”
“You’ve mated her already?” Roth inquired, stunned. “When were the two of you matched?”
“We weren’t. Only Kerr had the honor. After confirming his female’s compatibility, there wasn’t time for the rest of us. That doesn’t mean I didn’t do some preliminary testing of my own, with more primitive measures. Fingers, lips, and tongue are old-fashioned means, but very rewarding.”
“And you did so without a translator? I’m impressed.” He arched a brow as his friend’s grin faded a bit. “Or, do I detect trouble in Ventorcopian paradise?”
Trask shrugged noncommittally.
“Ah, so those rumors are true as well. The new females aren’t as biddable as we are used to.”
“Far from it, and some are used to being in charge, it seems.”
; Roth inclined his head, not at all surprised. “A world where the female is more assertive isn’t uncommon. Where they are the dominant partner isn’t unheard of either, although it’s rare, as in most of nature. Take Dromidia in the fifth sector, for example. We’ve traded with them in the past. Ruled by a queen, the females are the head of their household, while the men make up their labor force. They are a reasonable people, but the reverse order of things was disturbingly peculiar and it made my men rather uncomfortable.”
Not as well traveled as Roth, Trask appeared rather perplexed. Assertive females took some getting used to. “There were no males among them, so we can’t be sure in this case,” he reflected aloud, “although they seem to be unfamiliar with discipline.” Glancing at Roth, he disclosed with a half-grin, “Mine acted like she’d been shot from a simple spank on the backside.”
“Most beings are adaptable, although with females, it may take some time,” he assured Trask with a chuckle. “I’m sure you’ll persevere and win her over.”
“Agreed. That light swat didn’t go over well at all, but she’ll adjust to me and our ways.”
“If you match.”
“Oh, we’ll match,” the general replied with confidence. “You know that feeling the mated males are always talking about. The one where they knew instinctively when they met the female intended just for him.”
“What we’ve always referred to as so much bullshit?” Roth asked with a raised brow.
Trask cast a knowing glance his way. “I’m thinking there’s more truth to it than fiction, my friend.”
That sobered him immediately. “Do you mean you felt something?”
Shaking his head, Trask considered his answer for a moment. “It wasn’t so much a tactile feeling, like the jolt that is bandied about, rather more like a mental awareness. It’s difficult to explain.” His frown transformed into a self-deprecating grin that was unusual for the confident man. “Listen to me. Since meeting my little female, I’m starting to wax poetic like one. You’ll know when it happens to you.”
His By Command (Primarian Mates Book 2) Page 2