“I am fine, as is our mate. She does not have this CTE they spoke of.” I nodded and Trax relaxed as I focused on changing the tone of my thoughts. “There are some probes you might enjoy, mate,” I advised, and I took pleasure in her cheeks turning pink.
Trax and I had certainly tested her health and fitness since we’d fucked her into exhaustion. I knew every inch of her body. If she had an ache, it was because we’d fucked her too hard. If she had a pain, it was because I’d tugged on her nipples to the point where her discomfort morphed into pleasure.
No, the scans were clear, but I would carry the health scanner on my uniform, just in case. Dropping my hand, I gave her a nod, and she stepped away.
Mikki went to Rachel’s side, and the governor’s mate was kind and friendly toward her as she explained the project she was working on. We had received information from a Coalition exobiology team that something was causing a strange disease to develop in a native animal species on Valuri.
The Fleet did not have time to investigate such matters, and as Valuri was relatively close to The Colony, I had agreed to look over their data. Animals weren’t my specialty, especially on a planet not my own. Rachel, a worthy scientist in her own right, had taken over the task when the first two Prillon warriors became ill. I’d shifted my focus to finding a cure for them while she studied Valuri’s problems.
“Is that the planet you’re helping?” Mikki asked.
I glanced over my shoulder to see vivid images of Valuri on the comm screen on the wall opposite Rachel. The planet was a chaotic mess of life. The orange star hovering in the sky above the landscape covered a large part of the sky. The cooler star emitted reddish light, which cause the ocean to have a brownish-red hue that was unlike the blue water vids I had seen of Earth. Still, Mikki stared, fascinated.
“Is that a lake or is that their ocean?”
With the images that Rachel had shared of Earth’s water, I now saw similarities. The planets were near each other, at least in universe metrics. “Ocean. But there is no they. The planet is uninhabited. At least by people.”
“You said animals are getting sick? Are they carbon based or something extreme, like sulfur?”
“Carbon, we assume.” Rachel answered her. “The planet’s environment is very similar to Earth’s, as a matter of fact. Nearly identical.”
“Even the atmosphere?”
“Again, nearly identical, although Valuri appears to have higher oxygen levels than Earth as well as a thicker cover of ozone in the higher atmosphere protecting the surface from ultraviolet radiation. With their star so close to the planet, they probably need the extra protection.”
“What kind of animals are getting sick? Land or sea?”
“Coalition satellites spotted group beachings of dead sea creatures about the size of Earth’s orcas. The smallest group they saw was seven, the largest close to thirty. They beach, then after a day or two the carcasses disappear. We figure they are being scavenged by local wildlife.”
“Are they mammals?”
“We don’t know. No one’s been there yet. The Coalition sent probes, but they gathered general data. Nothing specific about the animals on the planet. With the war going on, and no known civilization living there, exploring wasn’t a high priority.”
“So they sent it to you?”
“To us,” I confirmed. “One of the things we do here is investigate things the battleships do not have time to invest in.”
“Because you are sent here to die, and you have all the time in the world. Is that it?” Mikki’s anger simmered again, but I did not understand the reason behind it. She spoke truth.
“Yes. I work on things the doctors in the Fleet do not have time to investigate. As does Rachel. We are an asset to the Coalition, despite our diminished status as citizens on The Colony.”
“Don’t even get me started, Surnen.” Mikki waved her hand at me to indicate I should stop speaking and returned her attention to Rachel, who was looking up at my mate with a strange expression on her face. One I’d never seen before.
“I know, right? It’s ridiculous the way they treat their veterans.”
“This place is insane.”
“Yeah, well, before Jessica was matched to Prime Nial, these guys couldn’t even get brides.”
“That’s bullshit.” Mikki looked at me then, her gaze meeting mine, and I felt despair coming from her. Sadness. And rage.
“I know.”
I could not feel Rachel’s emotions, but the two human women had nearly identical facial expressions. If Rachel felt as Mikki did, I wondered that I did not see Maxim or Ryston walking into the medical lab. Perhaps they had grown accustomed to a human female’s wild emotional swings. One moment Mikki was in awe, feeling wonder and excitement, the next arousal, then rage followed by despair. My mind could not adapt so quickly.
“Let’s change the subject before I get myself in trouble. So, the creatures are washing up in groups, running in pods?” Mikki asked.
“Again, that’s the theory.”
“So, they’re social. Could be intelligent.” Mikki’s gaze was tipped up at the screen. “Okay. So, the planet has a dwarf star, orange or red, not as hot as our sun. I understand the red coloring of the water, but why does the water look so thick and muddy? Is that some kind of fungal bloom? I would be concerned about oxygen and nitrogen levels in the water, especially close to shore. That could be affecting the animals. They could be suffocating.”
Rachel glanced up at her. “A surfer and now an exobiologist?”
Mikki shook her head. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I do know the ocean. As I said, environmental testing is my specialty. I worked for a private contractor that analyzed water samples for contamination and oversaw cleanup. I was part of the emergency response crews, specifically in Hawaii and along the West Coast. Oil spills, military pollutants, manufacturing emissions, sewer waste. We specialized in using bacteria and other natural solutions to clean up whatever mess we were sent to. In my free time I spearheaded the save-the-planet campaigns, like the whale ship fiasco that got me put in jail.”
“Impressive,” Rachel commented, then looked toward me and Trax. “Besides having brass balls, your mate is a scientist like us, Surnen. She’ll be an asset here. Might even need to hire her for this project because I’m a lab rat, a biochemist, but she knows environment science and ecology.” She cocked her head toward the image of Vulari’s ocean on the comm screen. “And that is so not my specialty.”
I didn’t know what brass balls were, and Rachel was clearly not a rodent, but I understood her meaning. My mate was very brave. And she knew a lot about natural systems, living systems. Of which The Colony had almost none. We were primarily a mining planet. The few scraggly shrubs that managed to cling to some kind of life in the soil were adapted to the harsh conditions found outside Base 3’s containment fields. There would be nothing for my mate to study here. Nothing to occupy her brilliant mind. And that would be a problem, would lead to Mikki becoming unhappy.
“If the water is as polluted as it appears, I’d love to help clean it up. That’s my jam.”
Rachel laughed. “We know.”
I cut in. “The water isn’t polluted. Valuri’s dwarf star does not emit white light in the same spectrum as your sun, mate.” I had studied much of Earth after the first human brides had begun to arrive.
“I understand that. But despite the color of that star, that water does not look right. Trust me. I’ve spent years of my life in the water, and that water isn’t just red. There’s something wrong there.” Her words rang true as curiosity and awe moved through the collars. So volatile, my mate. I was not going to be able to work this way. Her presence completely wrecked my concentration. I wasn’t Everian, but I could practically scent her. I knew she had my cum—Trax’s, too— deep inside her pussy. I still had the flavor of her on my tongue. My fingers tingled with the remembrance of her silky skin. My cock stirred remembering the tight clench of her inner walls as I m
ade her scream.
I could not think straight with her in my presence. Neither would I be able to concentrate if she were elsewhere, for then I would wonder if she was well. Fuck, I was in trouble.
“A crew is heading over there in a few hours. You should come with us because we could really use your help.”
“Over… you mean you’re going to Valuri? Really?”
Rachel nodded.
“Yes!” Mikki practically clapped her hands with glee.
“No,” Trax and I said at the same time. Our responses were immediate.
My female was not leaving The Colony. I couldn’t handle allowing her out of the room, let alone off planet. “It’s not safe.”
“Oh, give me a break, Surnen,” Rachel said. “You can’t keep her locked up here. I know who she worked for, the company’s reputation. She could help us. Clearly she knows about water, about contamination. We could use her expertise and a fresh perspective.” Rachel’s words caused my mate to cross her arms and scowl at me in agreement. I was used to her naked, unused to her in the pants she wore with a long, flowing top. The soft material was cream colored but would soon be gray to match the color of her collar.
“I don’t doubt her abilities,” I replied and Trax nodded. “We have only recently learned of her extensive list of prior injuries. She could get hurt.”
“I’m not a child. I made it here all the way from Earth, didn’t I?” Simmering rage. That’s what was pinging me now, like needles in my mind as my mate’s ire grew. “I’m not a prisoner. Not anymore. I can probably help this planet and those poor sea creatures that are dying. I can’t just let them die without trying to help. It’s not my way.”
The longing in her voice nearly broke me, but it was Rachel’s next words that won Mikki her heart’s desire.
“She is your mate,” Rachel said, looking to both of us. “She must live her life, be useful here. Maxim and Ryston understood that, and you have to admit I’m useful.”
“You saved us all, Lady Rone.” I bowed to her now, not in mockery but out of respect. When Maxim had been reactivated by Hive frequencies being broadcast within medical, she had been the one to figure out what was going on. She had solved the puzzle and helped us unmask the traitor, Krael. Captain Brooks had died, but she had saved Maxim’s life, and the rest of us by proxy. Without her, the Hive would have invaded The Colony and reactivated each and every one of us. Used us in their war. Forced us to kill our friends and our allies.
She was a smart woman, knew exactly what she was doing. I couldn’t deny she’d been instrumental in saving lives. But this wasn’t just any life we were talking about. This was Mikki. My mate. My life. My heart and hope and future. Already she was everything.
“You can’t deny, as a scientist, that we need her skill set for this project. The timing of her arrival couldn’t be better. I spent my working life in a pharmaceutical lab, not out in the field. You have to let her go with the crew today.”
Then she said the one sentence that I couldn’t deny.
“I need her help.” Rachel stood and placed a hand on Mikki’s shoulder. “I need her brain. Seriously, Surnen. We need her in the field.”
I sighed, looked to Trax. I felt his concern but also his understanding. We were going to have to let Mikki out of our sight. I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon after her arrival.
“You know I’m going with a crew of six,” Rachel said to me. “Maxim and Ryston are just as nuts as you are about security. Six armed guards on an uninhabited planet. All we’ll be doing is taking samples and doing some analysis.”
Six armed guards. The thought made me smile. Of course. The governor and his second would not allow their treasured female to be in danger. “I am not some kind of tree seed, and neither are your mates,” I countered. “But I concede your point. If Mikki can help with the project, she must go.”
Mikki’s smile made my heart leap. I had pleased her, which pleased me. But I instantly thought of my parents. The loss. This wasn’t the same. I wasn’t giving up rules and protocols to please my mate. She was going with a dedicated crew on a scientific mission. Protocols were in place. She would be with Rachel, who I was satisfied would never be unprotected. Not as the governor’s mate.
Rachel stood. “Let’s get the hell out of Dodge before Surly over there changes his mind.”
“Mate,” I called. Mikki stopped, turned to face me and Trax.
“I shall allow you to go.”
“Allow?” she countered, tapping her foot.
“Allow,” I repeated. “Rachel, she will catch up with you at transport.”
The human must have understood we wanted privacy, for she picked up her things and left, the door sliding closed behind her.
“Now, mate. You may go to Valuri, but I must have you first. My cock is hard and needs sating.”
Heat flared through the collars. Trax went to work on her pants, quickly opened them and worked them over her hips.
“Is this protocol? Fucking your mate before she heads off to work?” she asked.
I grinned. She wasn’t averse to what we were about to do. In fact, when Trax lifted her up and set her upon my workbench, removing her pants the rest of the way so she was bare to us, she didn’t resist. She helped by toeing off her shoes and letting them fall to the floor.
Opening my own pants and gripping my cock, stroking it, I stalked toward her. “Mate protocol 2.467a.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” I dropped to my knees before her, pushed her thighs wide. “Part A is eating a mate’s pussy until she screams her release.” Leaning in, I kissed my way up her thigh toward her center. I scented her arousal, saw it. Her juices, our cum still on her.
“Protocol 2.467b is fucking her until she forgets her name,” Trax added. “Both of us.”
There was no such thing as protocol 2.467, a or b, but she didn’t know that. When I put my mouth on her, she didn’t care either, tangling her fingers in my hair. It seemed we’d found some rules she wouldn’t fight.
9
Mikki, Planet Valuri, The Beach
* * *
The twisting torment of the transporting to another world left me doubled over, gasping for air.
“That stinks,” I complained to Rachel, who stood next to me in a similar condition. She smacked me on the shoulder through the thick protection of the space suit I was wearing and grinned.
“Never get used to it, but it beats spending ten hours cramped in coach on an airplane back home.”
“True.” I stood and looked out over the new horizon of an alien world and forgot that two seconds ago I’d felt like I was dying, my chest squeezed and my head pounding as if it was about to explode. “Wow.”
“Right?” Rachel was already moving toward the water, directing one of the six large warriors to position her lab and sampling equipment that had transported with us. Everyone but Rachel was covered head to toe in the same black and gray space suit with cool, Star Trek inspired helmets. Since Rachel was with medical, her suit was dark green. Rachel had said this was their first visit to the planet, even though they’d been monitoring and testing for weeks. The data had come back that the planet was habitable, meaning the oxygen levels could sustain life—thus, the plants and greenery I could see beyond the beach.
Protocol—Surnen wasn’t the only one who followed the rules—dictated we wear full life support until a crew could confirm we wouldn’t drop dead from some random gas or imbalance. I was used to being in a bikini on a beach, not covered from head to toe.
It was midday, a small reddish-orange disk hovering directly overhead. I couldn’t gauge the temperature, not with the space suit on, but it looked pleasant. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure what a nice day looked like in this place, but to me, it was beautiful. Coral, rose and soft yellows filled the sky, making the clouds glow like cotton candy. The sky wasn’t blue, not like Earth, but the color I’d only ever seen just before the sun rose, when the sky was mor
e pink than blue.
Through the space helmet, I glanced down at the sand, for it was the thick, movable stuff that made my feet sink with every step. Joy rippled through me, and I was shocked to feel tears streaking down my face as longing for this—the water, the sand, the open sky—welled up in me like a tsunami of emotion. I thought I’d made peace with never seeing the ocean again.
I’d been wrong. So, so wrong. Grief at the loss felt like a dormant volcano suddenly about to erupt.
“Mate, are you well?” Surnen’s voice came through my comms, and I shrugged off the melancholy swamping me. I was familiar with the deep-water masks from scuba, but they’d never had communications built in. Hearing someone clearly, as if they were right next to me instead of on a different planet, was cool but unfamiliar.
He must have felt my pain through the collars. Damn things. Was this my life now? The men in my bed knowing everything I felt, even when I was on another planet? My pussy still ached, though, a reminder of how much I liked his bossiness, of the rules he had. Some of them, I liked. No, loved. I was never going to forget protocol 2.467a or b.
“Answer me, Mikki.” His stern tone was a reminder that I had new adventures ahead of me, with or without the ocean. I would simply have to learn to love rocks. I could do that. Right?
“I’m fine,” I replied. “I guess I was passed out when I transported from Earth. I’m not used to the feel. God, it’s like using a portkey in Harry Potter.”
“You have transport on Earth?” Surnen asked. I couldn’t miss the surprise in his voice.
I laughed. “No. A woman wrote a book about something like it. Never mind.”
“I feel your pain, mate,” he replied, his voice sharp with his familiar sternness. “It is faint, but I feel it nonetheless. Perhaps you should return to The Colony.”
“We just got here. I’m fine.” His suggestion that I transport back effectively buried every other emotion beneath anger. I was not going to return just because this place, even at first glimpse, reminded me of Earth, of what I would miss on The Colony’s barren terrain. Not happening. “If you can’t handle it, just take your collar off, Surnen. I have emotions. I feel things. I’ll let you know if I need you.”
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