by Kyndra Hatch
Sensing the truth of that statement, Dani thought of the widespread human belief that Korthan food was poisonous to humans. From experience, that wasn’t true. Why would the Human Colony Alliance actively spread such lies when co-existence was possible?
The otherness that lurked within didn’t comment on that thought, but it was there.
Looking across the dark landscape, then back at the fire, Dani said, “The Earth Council of Habitable Worlds would be interested in this planet.”
K’vyn stiffened. “That’s not amusing.”
“It would not need to be terraformed. Although,” Dani threw a sidelong glance at K’vyn. “Would you miss the hellbats?”
The Korthan bristled. “Hellbats are not the most desirable of creatures, or the tastiest.” He threw a bone in the fire after devouring the meat. “But they are still life. They have a place in the ecosystem of this planet.”
Dani looked at C’hase, who raised his head with an attentive gaze.
“I guess that means he would miss them,” she said, touching her nose to the mogha’s.
K’VYN LEVELED A MEASURING gaze, the woman talking about him to her companion as if he wasn’t sitting next to them.
But he wasn’t bitter. The true marvel was how much he tolerated this particular human. He’d have fought his human friends for saying the same things.
Was it the mate bond that made him so accepting? Was it possible to truly have unconditional love?
Judging by the mogha and his all-encompassing devotion to his human Alpha, especially after the mistreatment he suffered from humans—
“How did you find your mogha?” he asked.
A dazzling smile lit up her features as she scratched behind the mogha’s ears.
“C’hase found me,” she said.
“How?”
“I was between cargo runs on Station 12 when he started talking in my head.” Turning towards him, her eyes met his, a slight frown on downturned lips. “He was in a lab.”
Mirroring her frown, he said, “A lab?”
“Yes. He and Hedge were both in there. Basically, I stole them and hid them in a cargo of chickens.”
His heart felt full. A human rescued two Korthan creatures, even if one of them was just vermin.
“I’m supposed to deliver the chickens to Colony 739. They are very expensive. I will lose my license if they don’t make it.”
K’vyn gazed at the dilapidated freighter. “I don’t think you’ll be making that delivery.”
She let out a big sigh. “They’d probably arrest me as soon as I got there anyway. Not my smartest move.” A chuckle. “I honestly don’t even have a plan.”
The red feathered avian rushed passed, followed closely by the molk, and C’hase jumped to his feet, letting out a happy yap before taking off after them.
K’vyn thought he’d seen everything in his lifetime.
“I was hoping to find Mogha from there,” Dani said. “So I can return C’hase to his kind.”
Alarm coursed through his veins.
“You cannot deny a mogha its master companion,” he said. “You are alpha for life. C’hase must stay with you.”
FOR LIFE? DANI SAT on the bridge of her ship, feet propped on the console in front of her, playing the conversation with K’vyn over in her mind. She couldn’t imagine living without C’hase, but didn’t he belong with his kind?
I belong with you, the mogha’s young voice sounded in her mind. I go where you go.
Could she keep the hellhound? She thought once she found the mogha home world, she’d be saying goodbye to C’hase.
Images of hiding him under her bed on the space station flashed through her mind. That wasn’t exactly a sustainable option.
And she didn’t tell K’vyn everything either. She had to warn the moghas. A human fleet was preparing to invade their system and terraform their world for a new colony.
Looking at her freighter, there was no way her ship was getting off this planet, but— Turning her gaze across the field of popsies, she eyed the advanced Korthan vessel.
Could she trust the Korthan? Did she have a choice?
You can trust him, C’hase’s voice sounded again.
But, why couldn’t the new colony just settle on this world? Could she tell the Human Colony Alliance about this planet? Would they lighten her sentence if she did?
The comm squelched and Dani pulled her feet from the console, stomping down on the flooring with a thud as she leaned forward, turning a knob to clear out the static.
“The fugitive crashed on an uncharted world in the Mogha system,” a voice said over the comm.
The Mogha system? Was it possible that she was already that close to finding Mogha?
“Any survivors?” another voice said, authoritative.
“Unknown.”
“Proceed as planned,” the authority said. “Double back for the fugitive once the objective is complete.”
Oh, no, they were moving now. How far away was Mogha?
“We will hit the Korthans where it hurts,” the first voice said.
Hit the Korthans where it hurts?
An image of the soft expression on K’vyn’s face as he watched C’hase flitted through her mind. And what he told her about his desire to have a mogha companion of his own, that all Korthans possessed this desire—
Dani’s blood froze, stomach dropping in dread. A colony wouldn’t be placed on Paradise, because the humans wanted to terraform Mogha next, to cause as much pain to the Korthans as possible.
Stars, she had to tell K’vyn. He probably even knew exactly where Mogha was.
STANDING NEXT TO HIS ship, K’vyn’s heart dropped as Dani raced from her freighter, crossing the field of popsies straight at him. Was she hurt? Was C’hase hurt? Her frantic emotions hit him across the chest.
“They’re moving now,” she was yelling, words coming out in a panting holler as her legs swiftly carried her in long strides over the flowers.
What? Who?
Searching the sky for hellbats, K’vyn pulled his knife. But no dark clouds were rolling in, the telltale sign of the beasts’ arrival nowhere to be seen.
Replacing the knife back in his belt, the woman was at his side in the next instant.
“They’re moving now,” Dani said again, gulping in a breath, hands gripping her waist. “We’re running out of time.”
Brow furrowing, K’vyn said, “I don’t understand.”
“The Human Colony Alliance,” she paced in front of him. “They’re on their way to terraform Mogha.”
Face falling, the whole of his insides flushed downwards as time suddenly stood still.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he heard himself say, his very voice sounding as if someone else were speaking the words.
“You shot down my ship,” Dani said. “I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
“The molk crashed your ship,” he corrected.
“Shooting at me didn’t help,” she retorted.
The world around him sped back up in a rush. No time to discuss the details of the reality of how her piece-of-molk-dung freighter fell from the sky, he turned to his ship.
“L’iza, ramp,” he commanded and bound up the ramp that materialized in front of him, leaving the human standing there with her mouth hanging open.
THE RAMP OF THE KORTHAN ship appeared step by step as it did when Dani first saw the warrior.
Closing her jaw as K’vyn ran up, disappearing into the confines of his ship, her heart stopped as an orange and gray blur brushed by her legs, racing up the ramp.
“C’hase,” she called. “No!”
She froze as the pup went out of sight. Dammit—
Waiting a full minute, she peered into the ship as best she could.
C’hase, she projected her thoughts. Come back.
Without warning, the ramp completely dissipated at once, hatch where the top previously entered clanging shut with a whoosh of hydraulics.
Dani’s h
eart pounded in her ears. C’hase!
FOUR HOLO-PROJECTIONS stood before him as K’vyn clasped his hands behind his back.
“Are you certain?” A’ryk Chiste, Death Angel of the Korthan Cyborg Corps, said, projection on the right. “A move on Mogha would mean all-out war.”
Humans only believed they were at war with the Korthans. Numerous scout ships ran interference to divert humans from inhabited worlds, ran blockades. Troops occasionally clashed in bloody battles. Fighters clashed in vicious dogfights—
In terraforming Mogha, the humans would learn what war with the Korthans was really like.
“I am certain,” K’vyn said. “Their location is unknown, but an Invader fleet is heading towards the planet as we speak.”
A’ryk’s frown deepened, the other projections shifting on their feet. “How did they find it?”
The best defense the Korthans had against Invader terraforming was in simply hiding the locations of worlds. From early contact with humans, even at the height of cooperation and good will, the Korthans kept key worlds a secret. K’vyn wasn’t sure he wanted to know how they found the location of Mogha.
“We will discuss the possibilities at a future time,” the delegate from Korth said, projection on the left. “For now, the Korthan Citizen Warrior Brigade will arrive in two days.”
“The Death Angels are enroute,” A’ryk said. “But I’m in the Zeta System. I won’t make it in two days.”
“The Galaxy Ship will protect his Korthan and mogha allies,” Captain K’ursick, second from the right, said.
“The Korthan Cyborg Corps will arrive on the Galaxy Ship,” L’den said, second from the left.
“This will be a rescue mission,” the delegate said. “Unless the Death Angels have figured out how to detect which Invader ship carries the seed torpedo?”
A’ryk’s lip curled as the delegate looked at him. “There isn’t any one ship that carries the seed. They switch it up each time. We won’t know until the torpedo is launched.”
“Then it’s too late,” K’vyn said with a frown.
The Invaders were clever. To K’vyn’s knowledge, they’d never been able to stop a targeted planet from being terraformed. When the humans set their mind to a planet, they succeeded. A dozen Death Angels could show up and shoot every human ship down to the last one, but that one remaining would still launch a seed torpedo into the planet. K’vyn was convinced all Invader ships had the terraforming seeds.
“You are the closest ship,” A’ryk said. “You must travel to Mogha to warn them post haste.”
There was no radio comm capability on Mogha. The only way to warn the inhabitants was to go there directly.
“I will be there within the day.” K’vyn nodded his head forward in a quick bow of acknowledgement.
“The Galaxy Ship will be unable to land on Mogha,” Captain K’ursick said.
“The scouts are on their way, too,” L’iza said. “We will load as many mogha as possible on each ship and take them to the Galaxy.”
“KCC fighters will escort them,” L’den of the Korthan Cyborg Corps said. “We will ensure each scout makes it to the Galaxy safely.”
“The Citizen Brigade will position around the Galaxy,” the delegate spoke up.
“And we will shoot as many of those monsters as we can from around the planet,” A’ryk promised, gaze intense.
Nodding slowly, K’vyn rubbed his chin. Since it was impossible to defend against a seed torpedo when they didn’t know which ship would be launching the damnable thing, this was always going to be a rescue mission.
Scout ships would evacuate the mogha and head to the Galaxy Ship. Korthan Cyborg Corps fighters would escort each scout, shooting away any Invader that got near. The Citizen Brigade would protect the Galaxy, and the Death Angels would hold off any Invader ships approaching the planet—
“A solid plan,” the delegate said. “Concur.”
Each Korthan repeated the word with a nod.
“Execute,” he said next and the projections began winking out.
Just as the projections dissipated, C’hase trotted into the cockpit, antennae high as he explored.
“Ah, you found your mogha companion,” A’ryk said, soft smile gracing his features. “Congratulations.”
K’vyn froze. A’ryk was his friend, but this was not the time or the place to explain what was really going on.
“He’s a hand full,” he said, deciding to play along.
The Death Angel’s grin grew wider. “Yes, they can be.” Then A’ryk sobered, silver eyes hardening. “The Invaders must be stopped. I will see you in three days.”
The hologram of A’ryk dissipated, K’vyn watching the curious pup sniff along the wall. Yes, the Invaders must be stopped. They would succeed in terraforming Mogha, but they would not succeed in the extinction of the inhabitants. Life without mogha companions would be meaningless for all Korthans.
L’iza’s holographic form materialized next to C’hase.
“I got the pup,” she said. “Time to go.”
Frowning, K’vyn said. “You know I can’t abandon my mate.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Oh? You’ve accepted the human after all?”
The mogha sniffed at the holo-form, tail held straight up.
“I’ve accepted that Dani is my mate.”
Chapter 8
Dani wasn’t ready. She simply wanted to say goodbye. She did not mind that the Korthan took C’hase, wanted him to, but she had hoped to have a chance to say goodbye to the pup.
Staring at the Korthan ship, she waited for it to lift off the ground. Emotions warred within her; she had hoped to say goodbye to K’vyn as well—
There was a popping sound at the hatch, opening as the stairs seemed to magically appear again. Warmth spread through her body at the sight of C’hase in the opening, his antennae twirling as he spotted her.
But there was something else entirely at the sight of the tall, black uniform-clad Korthan standing next to the mogha. Her stomach fluttered as he began climbing down the steps.
“Take C’hase,” she said. “Warn the moghas.”
His eyes met hers, an intensity behind those mesmerizing silver eyes sending goosebumps across her skin.
“I’m not leaving without you.” His husky tone made her toes flex.
And then he was at the bottom of the steps, pulling her into a strong embrace, the feel of his abdomen against her breasts making her knees weak.
You are mine, the otherness said in her mind, feeling the words deep in her soul.
And then his lips were upon hers, soft touch beckoning her mouth open, tongue swiping against hers as the kiss deepened. She felt weightless as a tingling surge spread from the point of contact throughout her entire body.
Pulling back, he broke the connection. The words echoed in the back of her mind as he gazed at her, that same affection shown to C’hase directed at her, a promise behind those piercing silver eyes.
And she knew the voice was his—
“It was you,” she said. “It was you the whole time.”
The warmth that made her heart swell, the voice that wasn’t C’hase, the otherness, the call that he was coming during the hellbat attack, the calls to his mogha—
The last thought made her grin. “You thought I was your mogha.”
“If I had known it was so much better than that, I’d have arrived sooner.” He returned the grin.
Will you come with me? His voice sounded in her mind and she could hear it perfectly, no doubt that it was K’vyn’s voice.
Yes, she answered.
MOLLY CLUCKED IN DANI’S arms while she and K’vyn stood below the hatch of his ship, crate of chickens in his hands. The stairs dissipated as they approached, hatch snapping shut.
What the?
“L’iza, we don’t have time for this,” K’vyn said, chickens voicing their unhappiness with being trapped in the crate.
L’iza? Who in the stars was that?
The
hologram of a Korthan woman suddenly appeared next to them. Dressed in a yellow synth suit the same yellow as the highlights along the wings and hull of the ship, she crossed her arms.
“You do not have permission to bring those avians onboard,” the hologram said. Her voice had an electronic lilt.
Permission? Wasn’t this K’vyn’s ship?
“These creatures are useful,” K’vyn said. “We mustn’t abandon them to the hellbats.”
The hologram bent at the waist, leaning to study the birds, their heads turning in jerky movements.
“Don’t look very useful to me,” she said, standing upright again.
Was this hologram a projection of someone on the ship? Or was L’iza some advanced form of artificial intelligence? Humans would kill for that technology—
C’hase trotted up at that moment, Hedge sitting at his regular perch on the mogha’s head.
The hologram scooted backwards two steps. “I will take the chickens, your mate, and your mate’s mogha. But the molk stays.”
Dani blinked. The AI called her his mate—
“I have a plan for the molk,” K’vyn said.
“If the plan is to eject it out the airlock into space, then I’m onboard,” L’iza retorted.
Dani placed herself between the hologram and her mogha.
Don’t worry, K’vyn’s voice said in her mind. Nobody is ejecting Hedge out an airlock.
You called him by his name, she said. Does that mean you’re starting to like C’hase’s pet?
“This molk has proven useful,” he said out loud, as much to Dani as to L’iza.
“But still a molk,” L’iza said. “I cannot detect his movements until it is too late.”
Of course, because a molk will crash a ship. Looking at her freighter, Dani understood L’iza’s stance. Still, though, she did not think C’hase would allow them to abandon the little guy. Molly let out a soft cluck.
And Molly would miss him too.
Setting the crate of chickens on the ground, K’vyn disappeared beneath the ship. L’iza leveled a measuring gaze on her.