After Kelly helped Lexie finish getting dressed, they sat on the edge of their open tubes waiting. They tried to joke and talk to make the air lighter but when they heard the approaching footsteps they all shut up.
“Ready, Ladies?” It was the creepy guy from earlier.
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Hunter said.
“Good. Go ahead and lie back and make yourself comfortable. After the clear hood closes, it will take about two minutes for the full effects to take place. You will smell something sweet as the gas enters the tube and within seconds you will start to feel sleepy. Don’t try to fight it. Just let your body take over and before you know it you will arriving on Lephus.”
“See ya later Mags!” Kelly called out.
“You too Kelly. See you on the other side!” Maggie said.
“Oh man, that was so lame!” Kelly laughed.
The tube closed over her head, sealing her in. She heard a small hiss as the valve for the gas was opened and let into the tube. The sweet smell filled the tube quickly and reminded her of baking cookies. The creepy dude had been right, she started to feel sleepy as soon as she smelled the gas. Her eyes grew heavy and her limbs felt paralyzed. She didn’t fight the pull of sleep that called to her as the darkness consumed her.
Chapter 2
“Find out where that fucking ship is going!” Mark shouted at his henchmen. “And find who let her through and kill him!” He threw his shot glass across his office and it shattered against the wall dripping the amber liquid down the smoked stained wallpaper.
“Sure thing, Boss.” Three out of the four men left the office, leaving behind Mark’s top man, Bert.
“Boss, how are we going to find out where she went? Those transports go all over the damn place?” Bert lit up a cigarette.
“It should have never gotten this far! I had an arrangement with the head of the convention center. He was supposed to block any female with her name and detain them. The fuck I know how he screwed up! All I know is that Maggie has to be found and taken care of. I have too much riding on this to just blow her off.”
Mark had found out by accident that Maggie had witnessed the shooting in his office the other evening. The same evening she told him she got off work early and had gone straight home. The little bitch had lied to him. She had shown up at the club and came in through the back door which he had warned his employees of locking time and time again. Now he had this big problem of finding Maggie and disposing of her before she said anything about what she saw. Not to mention he wasn’t about to let her get away that easily. He had warned her once already what would happen to her if she ever tried to leave him and now he would show her he meant business.
******
The transport flew through space at an incredibly fast sped. All was quiet on board the ship that was bringing women to the male dominated planet of Lephus. The women had been led to believe they were relocating to start a new and better life, but that was only somewhat true.
The captain and his mate, the creepy man, had been approached by the king of Lephus and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. A transport full of women in exchange for ten million Earth dollars. All they had to do was program the wrong course into the transport’s computer system then abandon ship. It was simple. The transport would be reported as missing, a short investigation would take place then the case would be chalked up to the hazards of space travel.
What the captain didn’t plan on was the transport running into an unexpected asteroid field. The transport flew directly into the middle of the small field and had miraculously made it through without any of the large asteroids hitting the ship. It was a smaller trailing lump of rock that succeeded in crashing into the transport.
The tail end of the ship was hit and suffered a massive amount of damage. The force of the hit spun the transport like a top out of the rest of the field, missing the remaining rocks. The rear part of the ship was where most of the sleeping tubes were housed along with any crew that had remained on board. The front portion of the transport didn’t suffer any direct damage but would feel the effects of the damage in the rear.
The alarms going off would serve no purpose. Those in the sleeping tubes had no clue what happened and probably never would. Without someone to bring the sleeping women and crew out of stasis they would never regain consciousness. They would go on sleeping until someone found the badly damaged ship or it was destroyed by another asteroid.
The severely damaged transport drifted through space at the same speed they had set out on but was way off course. It sped by numerous small moons and planets that didn’t have enough gravity strength to pull it in until it reached the galaxy of Yahiri.
The Yahiri Galaxy was known for its extremely large planets. Twelve large planets circled two suns. The larger sun shined bright and was full of life while the smaller red sun was called a red dwarf. Several of the planets were inhabited with several different races, but it was the Qeterans that dominated the galaxy and surrounding area.
Qetera was the largest of the twelve planets. Its lush forests, crystal clear water, and mountains that reached beyond the clouds supported the numerous life forms that lived on the planet. The majority of Qetera’s residents were the Qeterans, better known as the Sky Riders.
The Sky Riders were an ancient race that dated back for thousands of years. Those destined to be a Sky Rider were born with the mark of the dragon on the lower right shoulder blade. The mark was only present on boys at birth and resembled the head of Qetera’s first dragon, Livjatan the Life Giver. No one is sure where The Giver of Life came from but his succeeding bloodline survived and flourished on Qetera. On the day a child was born with the mark, a dragon’s egg would be presented to the infant and the infant’s parents, to be cared for in the same manner of the infant.
Those chosen by the gods to be a Sky Rider would then search the universe for their one true life mate. Over the years numerous Sky Riders went without finding their one true mate, however, those without a mate by the age of forty would be granted the choice of marrying another female. A Sky Rider would instantly recognize his one true mate the moment their eyes locked onto each other. While many Sky Riders found their one true mate on Qetera, there were those riders who succeeded in finding their mate off-world. Once a true life bond was formed nothing could break the bond unless the gods granted their permission for a dissolution of the bond.
The ruling House of Bragnar on Qetera had been blessed with three sons who all bore the mark of the dragon. Etor, the eldest, was the ruling lord of Yadell, the capitol city on Qetera. Kharis, second born son, ruled the city of Ashme. Vulmar, the youngest son, ruled the city of Nallume. But, it was Etor who ultimately ruled all of Qetera after his father, Folmar, stepped down from his rule because of his deteriorating health.
Folmar had been the only male child of the former ruler and sole heir to the throne of Qetera. When the gods saw fit to bless Folmar and his wife, Aravae, with three sons, Folmar decided to divide the ruling of Qetera among the three. Each son was provided a city to rule as their own, but with the understanding that Etor was Head leader because he was the oldest.
As each brother came of age Folmar released his claim to the throne. There was no doubt in his mind that his three sons would rule Qetera in the same manner as the previous rulers had. All life on Qetera was to be protected, most of all the females and children. Without the females, the Qeterans would cease to exist, so at all costs, the males of Qetera vowed to protect them with their lives.
The Sky Riders also had the task of keeping their dragon safe even though they had a mind of their own. A dragon would only listen to direct commands from its male or the male’s mate. A dragon was linked to a Sky Rider until the death of either the male or the dragon. If a dragon was killed the Sky Rider would not be presented with another egg. It was heart breaking to see a Sky Rider lose his dragon but it was not uncommon. Those dragons that lived until their male’s death were either taken by the gods if old ag
e was the cause of death or sent to live with the other dragons who had lost their male.
The most miraculous thing about the dragons was they could change in size as needed. While on the planet the dragons would remain in their larger state, but could shift to a smaller size if called into their male’s home. If the dragon was required to travel on one of the warships, they were required to remain in their smaller stature until they reached a planet big enough for them to change.
Etor Bragnar constantly patrolled the surrounding galaxy of Yahiri for any threats. He was off-world more than he was home which aggravated his dragon, Rhaegos. While Etor felt it was his duty as ruling lord to patrol the skies, he was also in search of his true life mate. At the age of thirty-four he was fast approaching the age when he would have to take another female as his mate in order to preserve his bloodline.
Not that he was without female companionship since he could have just about any female he wanted, he knew there was something missing from the relationships he had with the females. He knew most of the females only wanted to be with him because of who he was and his family’s status. Those were the females he didn’t keep around for long because of their selfish, greedy ways. Every mission he went out on, he prayed to Qultyx, the god of love, he would find his one true mate, but each time he returned home he returned empty-handed.
Reports had reached Qetera that their archenemy, the Lephusans, were stirring up trouble in the outer reaches of the galaxy. The Lephusans were a cruel race that sought to capture the dragons of Qetera. They believed they were the true descendants of Livjatan the Life Giver and they did everything in their power to capture the dragons. The report also stated the Lephusans were in need of females because their own females were not reproducing at a consistent rate. Every year fewer and fewer infants were born on Lephus and those that did survive the birth often died within the first year. The Lephus believed if they mated with a race outside of their own, they could increase their numbers and their chances of conceiving a child with the mark of the dragon.
As far as Etor knew the Lephusans had been unsuccessful so far in finding females they could breed with. He regularly sent out men to scout the surrounding galaxies for any news of the Lephusans. It was while he was out on patrol that word reached him from his brother, Vulmar, the Lephusans had made contact with a planet called Earth. He sent the order out that any and all warships or transports heading in the direction of Lephus were to be searched and any females found aboard were to be taken into custody. It was on such a mission that Etor’s warship “The Arabis” came into contact with a transport that would change his life forever.
Chapter 3
“Commander Etor, there is a ship approaching at a high rate of speed.” The young Qeteran officer put the approaching ship up on the viewing screen.
“Try to hail the ship,” Etor said. He turned his full attention to the viewing screen.
“I already tried, sir. There was no reply.”
“Open up a line for me,” Etor asked of the man.
Etor waited patiently as young officer worked his magic with the computer system. “The line is open, sir.”
“This is Commander Etor of the warship Arabis. Please identify yourself.” He stood in front of the screen with his legs spread and arms folded. No response came back after several minutes went by. “Identify yourself.” He was growing tense. “Scan the ship for life forms.”
Again the warrior clicked away on his computer. All was quiet on the bridge as the Commander waited for identification of the foreign ship.
“Sir, the report shows five life forms aboard but barely alive. What do you make of it, Sir?”
“I don’t know, but we are going to find out. See if you can latch onto the ship and slow her down. I want to bring her in and see what’s on that ship.” He continued to watch the screen. Something was definitely wrong with the ship. Not getting a response only meant one of two things: either it was a trap of some sort or those on board were dead or dying. He needed to be cautious and keep all eyes open. He wouldn’t put it past the Lephusans to try and pull off an unsuspecting attack.
Etor watched as the green tractor beam shot out from the under belly of his ship. Within seconds it had hold of the ship in question and was in the process of slowing it down. All eyes in the room were glued to the screen as the ship drew closer. It became clear that the ship was a transport but of unknown origin. The closer it approached they could all see that it was heavily damaged and spinning out of control.
“Send out a second beam to stop the spinning. I don’t want it to slam into our ship.” He gave the order then waited.
The second beam shot out to latch onto the transport in a different position. The tractor beams on his ship were the best available but not always helpful. If need be he would have to swing the Arabis out of the way if the smaller transport didn’t slow down and stop spinning.
“She’s slowing down, Sir,” the officer announced. “We should be able to bring her in then board her.”
“Good job. Stay here and monitor the ship. I’m going to see what is on the transport.” He left the bridge in a hurry. With only five life forms on board, the transport might just be a cargo ship bringing in supplies. The only way to find out though was to board her and look with his own eyes.
He pressed the comlink on his shoulder. “Thallan, meet me in the airlock. Bring a team of about seven men with you.”
Thallan, the head of his troops, immediately responded. “Yes, Sir.”
Etor raced to the airlock that would attach to the damaged ship. Before boarding the ship, he would have to make sure there was viable air to breathe. By the looks of the damage to the transport, it had suffered a direct hit of some sort. As far as he had been able to tell there weren’t any charred marks on the spinning ship, so that meant it hadn’t been attacked by another ship. It could have been hit by any number of things floating out in the vast open space.
He waited for Thallan and his men to meet up with him. As he waited he watched as the transport slowly inched its way to the airlock. He felt the shudder when the two ships bumped together then the sound of the airlock locking the two ships together. The necessary tests needed to be run before he even attempted to open the door to the airlock. He didn’t want to suffer the same mistake as other ships had when they failed to run the safety tests before entering a distressed ship.
Thallan and his men arrived at the airlock at the precise time the air monitor gave the all clear. His men were armed with stun guns just in case the ship posed a threat. The airlock opened with a loud hiss and swung open.
Etor was the first to enter the transport ship and found it in almost complete darkness. The lights in the corridor were barely glowing so that meant the ship was almost out of power. Cautiously, the team moved farther into the ship checking every room they came across.
“Let’s make our way forward. Keep your eyes peeled for hiding crew members.” Etor moved forward shining the light on his gun as he went. The blaring sound of an alarm went off startling the group. “By the gods!”
The group came to a junction in the corridor. Etor had half the men go to the right and the rest went with him to the left. Each team preceded with caution after the alarm stopped its incessant blaring and silence took over again making the ship have an eerie feeling to it.
He was about to enter a room when his comlink went off. “Commander, we need you to come see something.”
“On my way,” he responded and headed in the direction the other team had gone.
He found the men in a room off the corridor all standing stock still. He stepped into the room and shined his light through the room and what he found stunned him beyond belief. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing as more light filtered into the room.
“What the fuck?” he said to no one but everyone.
The room contained sleeping tubes and each was occupied with a female. He had no idea where the women were from but he was going to find out.
&n
bsp; “I want the ship’s logs checked to see where these females came from. Thallan, can you tell if they are still alive?”
Thallan sent a two man team in search of the bridge to search the computer logs. Etor stood close to the nearest sleeping tube and knew he was about to hear news he didn’t want to hear. Thallan worked feverishly at the tiny computer panel on the front of the tube that controlled the air in the tube. Nothing.
“Sir, the tubes are off. I believe the female inside is dead.” He stood up to speak to his commander. “The only way to make sure is to open the tube.”
“Do it,” he said.
He and Thallan pried open the lid of the tube. Thallan checked the woman’s neck for a pulse then shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Sir. She’s been dead for quite some time now. The seal on the tube kept her body from spoiling.”
What the hell happened to these poor females and where did they come from? It was such a waste to see such beautiful creatures lying in their tombs as if they were simply sleeping. He knew the females had been in stasis but for how long? His gut twisted painfully as he thought about the females going to sleep with expectations and never waking up.
Pounding footsteps came running into the room. The two men returned breathless with a chart in hand.
“Did you find out anything?” he asked.
“Sir, the ship’s log shows there are more of these sleeping tubes.”
He paled at the news. “How many more?”
“The ship shows it can carry up to fifty and they all appear to be filled.”
“By the gods and goddesses!” He ran a hand through his hair. “Every tube needs to be checked and we need to find the crew.”
“Yes, Sir,” the room full of men replied.
One by one the tubes were opened only to find that the female inside was dead. Etor took his group and headed back to where he was when he had been called and found it was more of the sleeping tubes. He worked right alongside the men as each lid was pried open. Each time he had to shake his head no because he was too choked up to speak. Room after room they went with sad hearts to find all the females dead.
Lost Among the Stars (Sky Riders) Page 2