by KD Jones
He turned so that they were on their sides facing each other. “I can’t apologize for something I do not regret. I don’t regret taking you as my mate. All I can do is make this right for you. I’ll give you all the time you need to get to know me, but let me tell you this: I will never tire of you or your questions. I think you have a fascinating mind and though I may not understand everything you say or may get lost in how fast you jump from one subject to the next, I admire you and appreciate how brilliant you are.
“Next, there is never going to be another female I prefer over you. You somehow kicked down the walls I placed over my heart and made a home for yourself there. You wound yourself so quickly around my very soul, I would never be the same without you. Lastly, I loved my LoraLI but it has been years since her passing. I held on to the pain to keep others out. I would suffer nightmares of her loss for the longest time. You give me something to dream of. I know LoraLI would want me to be happy and I’m going to hold on to the happiness that I have with you for as long as I can. Life is too short to let joy pass you by.”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him. Her heart was so full she wanted to tell him but didn’t. She hesitated, wanting to wait until she was sure that he meant what he said. What she felt for him scared her, it was so strong. She would give them time to get to know each other and then, after a reasonable amount of time had passed, she would mate the hell out of him.
*****
The next morning
LemAN was going with the shuttle taking supplies over to the Morinian transport so that he could explain what his leader had approved and where they were taking them. He knew Teagan would insist on coming along with him again and, instead of preparing to argue with her over it, he pulled Lt. ComEY from his regular duties to be Teagan’s personal security liaison. First, he needed to address the lieutenant.
He was in his ready room with his second-in-command when the warriors he chose to go with him entered. “At ease, warriors. I selected you to come with me. Some I will want to remain on board the Morinians’ ship to offer them protection in case of an attack. You will bring your warships with you. If any of you have issues protecting the Morinians, I will relieve you of this mission and assign someone else. Speak now.”
One of the lieutenants stepped forward. “Is it true they originated from the Morin home world?”
“Yes, but let me remind you all that Katierans and Morins originated from an ancient race as well. The Morinians opposed the Morins and how they were using viral warfare. They failed to stop them and had to flee themselves. The Morins have been hunting them for decades. As far as we know, they are innocent of the crimes committed against the Katierans and our allies. Do you feel you can protect them despite your reservations?”
The lieutenant looked at his fellow warriors before turning back to LemAN. “I am an honorable warrior and male. I will protect them with my life.”
“Thank you. Report to the docking bay and prepare your warships. Lieutenant ComEY, I would like to speak privately with you.”
“Yes, sir.”
LemAN waited for the other warriors to leave. “Lieutenant, I have mated Teagan White.”
The lieutenant looked shocked and a little disappointed, then he schooled his expression. “Congratulations. She is an amazing female.”
“She is. Teagan admires you and has nothing but good things to say about you.”
His cheeks turned a little red. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I would like you to be her security liaison. She will be coming with me again and this time I want to introduce her to the Morinians. I don’t trust them one hundred percent, not with her life. She is too important to me.”
“I am honored. I will protect her with my life.”
“Thank you. We will be leaving in about an hour so meet us in the docking bay.”
“Yes, sir.”
LemAN looked over at his second-in-command. “If something happens to me, you have command of the transport.”
“I don’t like this. What if the Morins don’t show their faces?” BorIS asked.
“We’ll have to do something to get their attention and keep it.”
“Setting bait could be dangerous.”
“I know.” Goddess help them.
Chapter 14
“I don’t need a bodyguard.” Teagan crossed her arms over her chest in refusal.
“You’ll have one or you won’t get off this shuttle.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
She thought LemAN would make her stay on the shuttle like last time. No way was she going to do that again. It made her too antsy with worry not knowing what was happening. When they landed on the Morinian transport, she asked if she could go with him to meet with the commander and leader. He reluctantly said yes and immediately followed it up by dropping the news that she would have a bodyguard following her around. At least it was someone she was familiar with: Lt. ComEY. She turned to the lieutenant.
“I guess you’re stuck babysitting me,” she said to ComEY as they exited the shuttle behind LemAN.
He frowned. “You are not a young.”
“Never mind.” She watched as LemAN met with his men and gave more orders. The Morinian warriors, mostly women in uniform with helmets, stood around watching them with what she assumed must be suspicion. Some of them looked her way and she smiled at them.
“Hi! I’m Teagan White.”
No one greeted her but they looked curious. She was short and they were much taller, similar to a few of the Katieran women Teagan had seen.
“They are scared. Don’t take their hesitancy personally,” ComEY whispered to her.
She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Do you still think of them as the enemy?”
He shook his head. “So far I would have to say no. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.”
Well, that was an improvement. Maybe there was hope that the Katierans would one day be able to fully welcome the Morinians into their fold. It was going to have to happen since the Morinians were mostly women, and they would have to have men to help repopulate. In turn, the Katierans and their allies needed women. It could be beneficial to both races and help to bridge the gap between the two.
“Teagan, you’re with me.” LemAN took her hand and turned to follow one of the Morinian warriors.
Teagan walked next to LemAN, who squeezed her hand reassuringly. Lt. ComEY followed behind them. She was excited to be on a different transport. It was similar to the Katieran and Colonial transports that she had traveled on. She would love to check out their engine room and take something apart. She needed a new project.
She saw Commander Kayley waiting for them when they got off the lift. The taller woman looked at Teagan curiously. “Are you a Katieran female?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m human from Earth.”
“Earth? What galaxy is that in?”
LemAN cut Teagan off before she said anything else. “We’re not here to discuss my mate’s home world. I need to speak to your leader about what my people are willing to offer.”
Commander Kayley narrowed her eyes at him. “You bring a foreign species on board my transport. As a commander, I have a right to find out if she poses a threat to my people.”
LemAN snorted. “Does she look like a threat?”
Commander Kayley laughed, looking Teagan up and down. “I suppose not.”
Teagan felt a bit insulted by that. “Hey! Don’t talk about my species like that! I know I may not represent the strongest of my people but we do have warriors of our own.”
“I apologize to you and your fierce species. I am Commander Kayley of the Morinian people.” She reached out a hand and Teagan knew to clasp forearms, which was what the Katierans did.
“I’m Teagan White, engineering and communications expert from Earth.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you. If you will follow me I will take you to meet with the councilmen.”
LemAN took he
r hand again and she felt at ease. Nothing could hurt her as long as she was with him. She knew he would do everything he could to protect her. Plus, she had her very own bodyguard. What could happen?
They entered a room where three people sat at a table. Two older men and an older woman stood up and greeted them.
“Commander LemAN, thank you for your assistance. Your crew has extended the power for our transport. It gives us a better chance to find a planet that will sustain life,” the older woman said before turning her attention to Teagan.
“Hi, I’m Teagan White.”
“You are not Katieran?”
“No, I’m from Earth.”
LemAN wrapped his arm around Teagan’s shoulders. “Leader Lidia and councilmen Vickti and Choy, Teagan is my mate and an expert in communications and engineering. She has actually been instrumental in decloaking the Morin transports.”
“Really? That is most impressive. How do you do that?”
Everyone turned to look at her. She felt like a bug under a microscope. “Um…it’s nothing really, just frequency waves.”
“I would like to learn more about your frequency waves,” Councilman Choy said.
“Perhaps you and councilman Vickti could show Teagan your ship. I need to speak privately with Commander Kayley and Leader Lidia.”
Lidia nodded at the councilmen who stood and led Teagan and Lt. ComEY out of the room. Teagan glanced once more at LemAN, curious why he would want them to leave but not wanting to question him in front of people. She was trying to be more careful about showing her support of LemAN in front of his men. It was even more important to show her support in front of a different species like the Morinians. The door shut so she turned her attention to the two councilmen who looked extremely interested in what she had to say.
“So…what does your engine room look like?”
*****
“Commander LemAN, what was so important that you didn’t want your mate or my councilmen to hear?” Leader Lidia asked with suspicion.
“I spoke to the leaders of Katiera, Kiljor, Colonial Planet, and even Balar which is a planet in this solar system.”
“They all refused to offer sanctuary because we are descended from the Morins,” Commander Kayley said before he could.
“They have legitimate reasons to refuse.” LemAN felt the need to defend their decisions, even if he didn’t completely agree with them.
“What happened with the Katieran people and the virus the Morins unleashed was many decades ago.”
“The Morins returned recently and attacked our people and the people on Kiljor directly. Many died because of them and there are still hard feelings involved.”
“We didn’t know that. Of course I can’t blame them for feeling that way,” Leader Lidia said.
“Prime Leader RendEL and the other leaders are sympathetic to your situation. Leader LarIS of the Colonial Planet offered use of a mountain village for your people to stay temporarily until a suitable planet could be located.”
“Our transport may make it to this Colonial Planet but how will we relocate everyone when our ship dies?” Commander Kayley asked angrily.
“Commander! Mind yourself!” Leader Lidia ordered.
“My apologies. We’re grateful for your assistance.”
LemAN understood their concerns and didn’t blame Commander Kayley for her reaction. “Katieran Prime Leader RendEL will supply a transport to relocate your people when the time comes.”
“That is indeed very generous, don’t you think, Commander Kayley?”
“It is. I just wonder what they will want in return.”
LemAN was insulted but held his tongue. He might react the way Commander Kayley was if their situations were reversed. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be hunted for years and never have a real home. Never knowing if the enemy would find them or when.
“When do we leave?” Commander Kayley asked.
“Tomorrow morning at oh-seven-hundred. We will have to travel through the wormhole but before that I want to make sure that you have enough supplies before we leave. I have several shuttles bringing food and medical supplies.”
“We appreciate that but why wait until tomorrow? It would make more sense to leave immediately to avoid encountering the Morins again,” Leader Lidia asked.
Before he could answer, Commander Kayley spoke.
“They’re going to use us as bait.”
“What?” Leader Lidia asked, shocked.
LemAN answered them honestly. “It is true. We are hoping to get their attention and have them follow us through the wormhole.”
“I can’t approve of any plan that purposely puts my people in jeopardy.”
“This solar system has one planet that has already been attacked by the Morins. They are now part of our growing alliance. We cannot leave them here to deal with the Morins on their own. I can assure you that your people will be protected. My transport will be escorting you and there will be other alliance transports on the other side of the wormhole.”
“How do you know that the Morins are even in this solar system still?” Commander Kayley asked.
“They need females. They won’t abandon their efforts easily.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We will make it appear that we are going back to Balar while your transport heads directly to the wormhole. Teagan created a program that can detect and decloak the Morin transport. We will keep a small distance so that the Morins believe they have a clear shot at you.”
Commander Kayley paced back and forth. “This is not a good plan. The power from the weapons system will be rerouted to life support and to the engines. We will not be able to defend ourselves.”
“I have warships prepared to dock that will be traveling with you. I assume you would prefer to keep command instead of letting my second-in-command step in.”
“Kitana! No way are we giving up control of our transport!” Commander Kayley glared at him.
He held up his hands to calm her. “I do not blame you. I would want to keep command as well. Will you at least allow my warships and warriors on board for your protection?”
Leader Lidia spoke. “We appreciate your assistance and your protection, Commander. Your warships are welcome to dock at your command.”
“I will have them come as soon as the supply shuttles depart. I will leave my engineering crew here to help keep the power diverted appropriately.”
“We appreciate all your efforts.”
LemAN stood and walked out of the room with Commander Kayley keeping pace with him. He could sense her emotions, which she was trying hard to keep under control.
“You do not trust me, do you?”
Commander Kayley didn’t deny it. “I’ve only trusted two males in my lifetime. The first was my father who taught me how to be a commander. The second male betrayed me. So you’ll have to excuse my hesitance to put any trust in a male, especially one that is a stranger to me.”
“I have my reasons to distrust you as well, but I am willing to overlook that to do the right thing.”
“We’ll see if your actions match your words, Commander. Let’s go find your mate. Where would she want to visit first?”
He smiled, knowing his mate very well. “The engine room.”
Chapter 15
She laughed at something one of the Morinian engineers said. The older man, Chief Engineer Lassen, was so sweet. He reminded her of someone’s grandfather. He probably was someone’s grandfather. It was weird but she hadn’t seen any children so far. Maybe they were keeping them hidden for safety reasons.
“So this is the generator line that was switched to redirect power?” She pointed to a chip in a wall panel.
“Yes.” Lt. CarvER answered. Teagan was grateful that someone she was familiar with from the Horizen was there. She had walked into the engine room and faced a room full of mostly older men. As soon as she saw CarvER, she smiled and relaxed. He introduced her and, though they were hesitant
to speak with her at first, once she proved that she understood engineering they opened up to her.
The engine room door opened and LemAN entered followed by Commander Kayley. “Hi.”
He came straight for her and took her in his arms despite everyone present. She felt heat rise to her face.
“We need to leave,” he told her.
“Okay.” She turned to the Morinian men. “Thanks for showing me everything, guys.”
“You are welcome to come back any time you like. We find your ideas fascinating.”
She let LemAN walk her out of the room. He seemed pretty tense so she didn’t ask any questions. Commander Kayley was walking on her other side and Lt. ComEY was behind them. Teagan remembered one of her crazy ideas.
“Commander Kayley, would you allow us to put a few small satellite dishes on the hull of your ship?”
LemAN gave her a questioning look. Maybe she should have asked him first but sometimes when ideas popped into her head she acted before thinking it through.
“What are these…satellite dishes to do?” Commander Kayley asked.
“Teagan designed them to use with a program that will detect the Morins, basically decloaking them.”
“Actually, I’m thinking that I might be able to expand the program’s use.”
“How so?” LemAN stopped walking and looked down at her.
“I haven’t worked it out yet.”
LemAN began walking again. “I’ll send the satellite dishes on the next supply shuttle.”
Commander Kayley smiled at her tentatively. “It would be good to be able to decloak the Morins. I’ll have my warriors attach these satellite dishes when they arrive. Thank you for your help.”
“It’s no problem.” Teagan wasn’t used to being thanked for anything.
*****
An hour later
Their shuttle landed in the Katieran docking bay. Once the locks were in place and the door open, Teagan followed LemAN out of the shuttle. He took her hand and she waited next to him while he gave his crew orders about the satellite dishes.