Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3)

by Anna Carven

  She has a habit of using Earth words I do not understand, such as this ‘batshit.’ I shrug. “We would defend Earth against any Imperial takeover.”

  “You’d better.” This tiny, delicate female is standing between two Kordolian males who tower over her, and dictating terms. She glares up at me, hands on her hips. She’s both utterly adorable and indomitable at the same time. “Secondly, what about those insect monsters and Fortuna Tau? We just left them there, and we haven’t heard anything since.”

  My ears twitch. It is an annoying, involuntary habit I cannot control. It only seems to happen when I’m with her. “I sent a retrieval craft shortly after we arrived on the Fleet Station. I am not worried about my First Division. They are beyond competent, and they have dealt with much worse without me. I am certain they already have the situation under control. I am sure the Humans will also be calling their people for assistance.”

  I’ll admit, my decision to leave the mining station was a bit preliminary, and certainly not within protocol, but I had a most compelling reason.

  “They’d better not let those things get to Earth.”

  “It’s highly unlikely. And even if they do, only the First Division and I are equipped to handle them.”

  “Are you trying to suggest that Humanity might need you, General Tarak?” She gives me a sly, sidelong glance. She almost sounds amused.

  “If the Xargek ever reach Earth, then yes.” What is certain is that I need her.

  Abbey gives me a long, hard look and seems to come to some sort of conclusion. “Fine. You guys can come to Earth. But no colonizing, no using Humans for medical experiments, and you have to promise that you’ll exterminate any oversized insects that try to eat us. Oh, and in public, you have to wear clothes. It’s a cultural thing.”

  Humans and their strange customs. I shrug. “I can abide by those conditions.” Of course, I have certain conditions of my own. She is my mate, and she will allow me to ensure her happiness and protect her. In return, I won’t stage a hostile takeover of Earth. I will do something I have seldom done throughout my military career.

  I will negotiate.

  I will be open to discussion with the Humans. They are fortunate to have her as a member of their species, because otherwise I would just take their damn planet and be done with it. However, her happiness is important to me.

  Therefore, I will show restraint.

  The scent of roasted lamperk meat reaches my nose, drifting to us on the icy wind. Both Xalikian and I look towards the skies as a faint roar reaches our ears.

  The Prince shares a knowing gaze with me. “They have found us,” he says grimly.

  That roar is the distant sound of an Imperial destroyer. “Warn the Aikun,” I snap, scanning the skies. The black, starry backdrop doesn’t reveal a thing. I do a quick mental calculation, estimating its distance based on the sound.

  “They will want to take Abbey alive. The rest of us, they want dead.”

  “How did they find us?” Xalikian’s white hair whips around his face, the dark robes fluttering. The sound of engines is becoming louder.

  I don’t answer his question, because I don’t know. Perhaps the assassin tipped them off to our location before Abbey killed him.

  My mate looks up at us in confusion. I sometimes forget that human senses aren’t as acute. She probably can’t hear it yet. “What the hell’s going on, Tarak?”

  “Imperial forces. You have to go, now.” This situation is most dangerous for her. Her body is fragile. She can’t slip into the hole in the ice and hide under the water like the Aikun.

  I will have to create a diversion. No matter; I will draw them out. I retrieve the short sword and the plasma gun from where I left them on the ice, and draw out my armor.

  “Take her into the crater,” I order, as the exo-suit molds over my body. The Aikun males are staring at up at the sky, their feast of lamperk forgotten. They glance at me in shock, probably startled to realize I’m suddenly wearing the armor of an Imperial soldier.

  Xalikian nods, his eyes on the horizon.

  “If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you, Highness.”

  “Noted, Sir,” he replies, a trace of irony in his voice.

  The destroyer is in view now. It’s gaining quickly, appearing larger as it nears. It’s a medium-sized Alpha-class craft, one of the later models designed for both atmospheric and space travel. It’s powerful, but it lacks maneuverability. The pilot is going to have a hard time pinpointing me.

  I’m sure General Daegan is behind this. It’s so typical of him. That pompous idiot always tries to win his battles through firepower, without understanding the conditions. He’s fought too many easy wars, whereas my troops are always sent to handle the difficult planets. He’s too used to winning to be able to strategize properly. And sending only one destroyer? That’s just plain arrogant. How the fuck does he expect to blow us to smithereens and take Abbey alive with that thing?

  I do not enjoy fighting our people, even if they are Daegan’s soldiers, but if they threaten my mate, I swear to Kaiin I will take them down.

  Abbey

  I’m looking around, wondering what’s got the males all riled up when I hear the noise. It’s a faint rumble at first, then it grows into a roar. Tarak has activated his armor, and I get the feeling all hell’s about to break loose.

  The Aikun males have disappeared, slipping down the ladder into their ice hole, abandoning the white meat of the lamperk.

  Tarak growls at Xalikian in Kordolian, much to my annoyance. I’m struggling to get a grasp on what’s happening.

  Xalikian taps me on the shoulder. “We have to run,” he urges. “A battleship is coming.” I look across to Tarak, who’s activated his exo-armor. “What’s he doing, then?”

  “He’s going to do what he always does. He’s going to deal with it.”

  Of course he is.

  “Don’t you dare do anything stupid, Tarak,” I yell, as Xalikian guides me across the ice. “And you’re not allowed to die, General.”

  “Don’t worry, amina. This thing can’t kill me.” Typical Tarak; he’s as arrogant as always. But with him, it’s not all false confidence. If he says it won’t kill him, then it won’t kill him. He grins then, a fierce, fearless grin, his crimson eyes filled with bloodlust. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful and more intimidating in my life.

  And this bundle of savage, silver badassery is all mine.

  “Let’s go.” The Prince is beside me, pointing in the direction of the black mountain. “Back to the crater. We’ll hide in the underground. He will be fine. Trust me, he’s seen and done worse. Can you keep up, or do you want me to carry you?”

  “I think I’ll be fine.” I’ve got this newfound speed, thanks to the nanites the Kordolians used to repair my legs.

  I wrap the scarf around my face, protecting myself against the wind-chill. We set off as the roaring sound becomes louder, Tarak sprinting in the opposite direction. Sweet male. He’s creating a diversion.

  Despite the bulky Skaz-coat, I’m able to keep up with the Prince easily.

  These new legs of mine are totally sweet.

  As we reach the base of the mountain Xal turns, holding out a hand. “Need a leg up, or can you do it?”

  “I’ll give it a try.” When it comes to hills and mountains, even on Earth, I’ve always found going up easier than going down. It’s something to do with balance and momentum. I start to run up the steep, rocky slope and find I can manage just fine.

  We scramble up the hillside and I bend forward into the wind, gaining momentum and using the weight of my body as a counter-balance. About half-way up, I start to get winded and a dull ache begins in my legs.

  I ignore it and keep going. Beside me, Xal’s easily keeping pace.

  I’m starting to breathe heavily.

  “Are you all right, Abbey?”

  “Fine,” I grate, forcing myself to ignore the pain. The lip of the crater is in sight now, and I look for easy
footholds, each step becoming harder.

  Despite the fact that it’s absolutely freezing, I’ve broken out in a sweat. I take a deep breath, the air slow to fill my lungs through the thick scarf.

  The top is just a little bit further.

  The wind is beating at my back, almost pushing me up the slope. Behind us, the roar of engines becomes deafening. A series of explosions rocks the ground.

  I’m dying to look back, but I don’t dare. I have to trust Tarak’s judgement on this.

  He told me to run, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to rush back there like an idiot and put myself in danger. That would just weaken his position and make him vulnerable.

  I’m not going to do that to him, so I just have to trust him.

  We’re almost at the top now, and my legs are burning. But I’ve come this far, and death-by-spaceship is not something I have on my bucket-list, so I let out a scream, willing my body beyond its limits, and haul myself over the edge.

  I find myself hanging.

  What the hell?

  Xalikian is grabbing my arm, and I’m staring down at an impossible drop. My heart flips into my throat.

  The lip of the crater ends abruptly in a steep cliff, and the bottom is hundreds of feet below.

  This isn’t the way Tarak went when we ran down this mountain the first time.

  “Next time you’re going to jump over the edge, warn me first, Abbey!” Xal is looking down at me, his eyes wide with shock. He mutters something under his breath in Kordolian. It sounds like the same curse-words Tarak uses. “The General would rip my head off if anything happened to you.” He’s visibly shaken.

  With one arm, he hauls me back up, and I scramble onto a solid bit of rock that’s shaped like a little platform, my heart pounding. I realize I’m shaking. “S-sorry. I thought there would be a ledge, like the place where we came up.”

  I take a moment to catch my breath, stealing a look at the wasteland below.

  A sleek triangular-shaped battleship has appeared. It’s matt-black and about half a football field long. An impressive set of artillery bristles from its underside and I cry out in dismay as a bolt of plasma strikes the icy ground, causing chips of ice to fly into the air. It leaves a huge, glistening crater on the white surface.

  Where the hell is Tarak?

  “There,” Xalikian points, and I make out a tiny black figure running around on the ice. From up here, he looks so insignificant; almost ant-like.

  The odds against him seem impossible.

  Tarak switches direction and the ship tries to follow him, turning around. But it’s slow and cumbersome.

  Ah. That’s where Tarak has the advantage.

  He can run really, really fast.

  “He’ll be fine,” Xal reassures me, taking my hand. “We need to get out of sight. They will have heat sensors onboard that thing. They may have spotted us already. If you move ever so slightly to the left here, you will find a set of footholds.”

  I peer into the darkness and see what he’s talking about. There are pieces of metal jutting out of the cliff face, leading down into the darkness. They’re about the length of my arm, forming a precarious looking ladder.

  “So we have to climb down that thing.” At least my phobias are limited to closed-in spaces, and not heights.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Let’s go, then.” I swing over the side and my feet find the first rung. Xal follows me and we descend into the inky blackness, climbing down this odd, makeshift ladder.

  From a distance, I hear an almighty crash. The mountain shakes a little, a few pebbles dropping onto us from above.

  What the hell is Tarak doing out there?

  “The ship’s crashed,” Xal says softly.

  I want to go back up there and see. I want to make sure Tarak’s okay. But I force myself to continue the descent.

  Everything’s gone eerily silent now, save for the sound of my labored breathing and the howling wind swirling down into the crater. Eventually a stone ledge appears, and Xal and I stop to rest.

  There’s a bit of light here. I look down and see another ledge below us. From the side of the cliff, a waterfall has appeared, sending a fine mist across a forest of giant, glowing blue mushrooms.

  If we weren’t in a life-or-death situation right now, I’d stop to appreciate the stunning beauty of the scene below. It’s the first sign of vegetation I’ve seen on this bitterly cold and dark planet. I really can’t wait to get back to the sunshine.

  “There’s a cave past here,” Xal informs me, pointing towards a dark hole in the rock face. “We will be safe there.”

  This mountain is full of surprises.

  We enter the cave and I fight with all my willpower against the sense of panic that threatens to overwhelm me. There’s nothing like ending an escape from almost-death with a descent into a dark crater, followed by a retreat into a mysterious cave. For some reason, my dark-vision goggles don’t work as well in here. Everything is shadowy and indistinct.

  “There aren’t any monsters in here, are there?”

  Xal is quiet for a moment. That’s not super reassuring.

  “Xal?”

  “There shouldn’t be,” he says cautiously. Great. He goes silent for a bit. “I can see why he chose you as his mate,” he says eventually, his rich voice echoing throughout the empty space. From somewhere deep inside, I hear the steady plop, plop of dripping water. “You are brave, Abbey of Earth.”

  I shake my head. “I’m just surviving. There’s nothing brave about that. I should be out there helping Tarak in some way. But I can’t do anything right now.”

  “Oh but you have helped him.” Xal gestures towards a big flat boulder, and we both sit down. “He’s different, somehow. Before, he would allow himself to be dictated to by the Empire, even though he holds a lot of power himself. But now, something has given him the strength to seek change. I’d say that something is you.”

  “Don’t be silly. He’s the sort that’s going to do what he wants, when it suits him, each and every time.”

  A soft laugh escapes Xal. “You see, that’s what I’m talking about. There’s no-one else on this planet who would dare say that about him. It’s so rare that anyone will challenge him to his face. You’re exactly what he needs, Abbey of Earth. Someone has to keep him, one of the most dangerous beings in the universe, in line. And he’s totally besotted with you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s remarkable.”

  “If that’s the case, then it’s a two-way street.” I shrug. “And what about you, Prince? Why are you here, hiding in caves and hunting ice-monsters, instead of ruling your people? And why do you let the General boss you around?”

  Beside me, Xal stiffens. “It’s complicated,” he says, and his friendly tone disappears, his voice turning cold. “Let’s just say that not is all it seems on Kythia. As for the General, he once had orders to kill me. He refused, for reasons known only to him. And ever since, we’ve stayed in touch.”

  “As I said, he does what he wants.” I bring my knees up against my chest, curling up into a little ball. I thought the cave might be a little bit warmer, because there’s no wind in here, but just like everywhere else on Kythia, it’s freezing. “I wonder why you guys are different. I mean, no offense, but I’ve run into some Kordolians who are downright evil. You and Tarak on the other hand, you guys seem to have standards.” It’s more of a loose statement rather than a question, but Xal makes a noise of agreement low in his throat.

  “You know, I’ve often wondered the same thing.”

  “So, are you coming with us to Earth, or what? It sounds like the future survival of your people is at stake. And we have females, Xal, lots of them. The ladies would go nuts over a guy like you.”

  Xal sighs. “It’s increasingly looking like the only option. I’d better get out of the Vaal before the High Council starts causing the Lost Tribes a great deal of trouble. They shouldn’t suffer just because they’re sheltering me. And someh
ow, I get the feeling Akkadian will drag me to Earth by the horns if I refuse his offer. He really wants an out, and he’s genuinely concerned about the welfare of our race. So he’ll do whatever it takes to get me there. He’s just asking me first so I can preserve my dignity.”

  “Exactly. You know how he gets.”

  “And I am still looking for a mate.” A cynical laugh escapes him. “I would rather jump into the boiling lava pits of Keldork than hitch myself to one of those vicious Kordolian females from the Nobility.”

  “Well, there you go.”

  Agreement reached; mission accomplished. Tarak can thank me later. Now, we just need to sit and wait for him to single-handedly take down a Kordolian battle cruiser.

  Abbey

  I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I wake to the sound of soft voices murmuring in Kordolian. Where the hell are we? Oh yeah, the cave. I remember waiting in the darkness, chatting with Xal, speculating, and worrying.

  Tarak’s low rumble is music to my ears. That means he’s alive and safe.

  I curl up into my Skaz-coat, feeling toasty and warm, drifting back into a half-sleep. The events of the past few hours float through my mind in a confused, hazy mush, almost as if this were all a dream.

  Then warm, rough hands are tracing along my neck, tenderly caressing the side of my face, brushing through my hair.

  “What the hell did you do, Tarak?” The words come out as slurred, mumbling sleep-talk. My eyes flutter open, but all I see is blackness. Someone’s removed my dark-vision goggles. “I heard a crash.”

  “If a destroyer tries to change direction too quickly, it stalls. It’s the first thing we learn in flight school. I simply made them change direction too fast, drawing them into the error. But then I took pity on the soldiers and gave them a choice. Run back to the civilized zones, or die. Naturally, they knew who I was, so they ran. It’s not their fault if their commander is stupid.”