Saving Runt

by S. E. Smith

  “I will personally rip the heart out of Teriff ‘Tag Krell Manok’s chest and eat it, but not before I kill every one of his offspring and their mates,” he snarled.

  He looked at the screen when the sensor alerted him to the approach of several large warships. Programming his destination into the computer, he made the jump to light speed as they appeared on the far side of the planet. Soon it would be his warship moving freely through the galaxy, he silently vowed as the ship’s velocity forced him back against the seat.

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later: Baade Council Room

  * * *

  “Quiet down! We have a lot to discuss today, not the least of which are the dangers presented by the Juangans,” Teriff shouted above the roar of voices.

  The room became ominously quiet. Derik sat beside Amelia. He could feel her hands trembling. He knew she wasn’t afraid. If anything, she was furious enough to compete with his father at the moment.

  “It’s not funny,” she hissed under her breath.

  He looked at her with an innocent expression. “I’m not laughing,” he defended.

  She scowled at him before turning to face the front again when Teriff slapped his hand on the table. Derik squeezed her hand under the table in comfort. It was true, he wasn’t laughing—out loud.

  In the two weeks since they had returned to Baade, all hell had broken loose—if you knew what he meant, as Bert would say. Amelia’s mother had proved more resilient and enterprising than the Council had expected. She had somehow managed to open a Gateway and slip through it. Unfortunately, the doorway had not been to Earth. Rav had found out, and instead of telling the other Council members what had happened, he’d taken it upon himself to go after Anne.

  If that wasn’t enough, Hendrik had vanished as well. Now, RITA2 and DAR sat next to their young replications, Darian and Rena, who currently resembled the epitome of two bored, and slightly mutinous, teenagers. Turning his attention to RITA2, Derik found it hard to imagine any parent looking more cross and nervous at the same time as the elegantly dressed AI computer sitting at the far end of the table.

  “Where is my mother?” Runt demanded.

  Teriff shot her a pained expression. “We are working on that,” he grunted in a low voice.

  “Work harder,” she snapped.

  “I’m so sorry, Amelia. Darian and Rena were just trying to help,” RITA2 began.

  “Don’t blame me!” Darian interjected. “This was all Rena’s fault. She was the one playing with the Gateway software.”

  Rena angrily turned to her brother. “Yeah, well, who opened it the second time?” she retorted.

  “Hey, don’t blame me. I’m still in the adaptive learning mode. If Dad hadn’t posted that glowing code with the keywords ‘Stay Out!’, I never would have messed with it. That is like trying to keep Aunty Tink’s vidcom that tells the warriors what a blow…” Darian defended

  “Enough or I’ll dismantle you two myself!” Teriff threatened with a warning look.

  Rena rolled her green eyes. “I’d like to see you try,” she mumbled.

  “Rena,” DAR sternly admonished.

  She looked at her father with glistening eyes. “What? You always blame us! It isn’t our fault that we’re inquisitive. It’s the way we were replicated,” she sniffed before she disappeared.

  Darian raised his hands. “I’m just a product of my programming,” he said before he vanished as well.

  RITA2 looked at Teriff with an apologetic expression. “DAR and I are going through their memory storage. Even if anything was deleted, we should still be able to access it. It may take a while. Both are having growing issues. I think they need more space,” she said.

  Teriff threaded his fingers through his hair. “You work on finding out where Rav and Anne are, and shut down access to the Gateway for those two kids of yours. I don’t want anything else happening,” he ordered.

  “Already done,” she said with a relieved smile.

  Teriff turned to DAR. “I want you to find out what in the hell the Juangans are up to. There are reports from some of the fleet that a new leader has taken over the Juangan forces. I want to know who it is and what they are up to. They are becoming more brazen in their attacks, and I want it stopped now,” he instructed.

  “Yes, sir,” DAR said.

  RITA2 and DAR looked at each other with a relieved expression before they faded away to complete their assignments. Derik waited for his father to continue. The other members of the Council appeared to be waiting as well.

  “What about Hendrik?” Brawn asked.

  Teriff sank down into his chair. “He’ll recover. At least we know where he is. Cosmos woke me this morning yelling about how he wanted some kind of warning before we sent any warriors through. It seems that the human woman called Trudy shoots first and asks who it is later,” he replied with a grin.

  “Serves Hendrik right,” Brawn snickered.

  Teriff grudgingly nodded. “I’ve ordered support for the residents on the planet side of Quadrule Five. Reports indicate the moon itself was not attacked; the Juangans were focused on destroying the communication satellites first. Quadrule Five is a strategic location due to its position near the edge of where we know the Juangans roam. The Juangans have always avoided attacking such an ambitious target in the past, but under this new leadership, that has clearly changed. I suggest that we move to yellow alert until we confirm that this is an isolated incident,” he finished.

  “I agree. The attack felt different from previous ones,” Derik said, looking around the table.

  “It was my understanding that the Command ship and all of the Juangan crew were eliminated,” Brawn said.

  Derik nodded. “They were, but I’m telling you, there was something different about this attack. As Father stated, the Juangans don’t attack settlements. They usually focus on smaller, easier targets like merchant and cargo freighters,” he argued.

  Brawn nodded. “I agree, then. Yellow alert until we have more information,” he conceded.

  “What about my uncle—and Marcelo? Have you decided what you are going to do to them? They helped us, you know,” Runt suddenly asked.

  Teriff waved his hand. “They are to be returned to Earth under strict supervision,” he stated.

  “What kind of supervision?” Runt asked suspiciously.

  “RITA and FRED are handling it,” Teriff gruffly asserted. “If there isn’t anything else, this meeting is adjourned. I’ll inform your brothers of what was discussed. It is Tilly and Angus’ anniversary, and there will be a party for them. Tresa warned me that I better not be late,” Teriff added, standing up.

  “Do you really think that she is okay?” Runt wondered as they walked along the corridor back to their quarters.

  Derik knew Amelia was asking about her mother.

  He gripped her hand. “Yes. She knows how to take care of herself. She has proven that many times. Plus, Rav went after her. If nothing else, trying to keep him from getting himself killed will keep her on her toes,” he joked in a light-hearted voice.

  She nodded. “That’s true. You guys seem to have a knack for getting shot. Look at Hendrik,” she agreed.

  He stopped and pulled her around until she faced him. In the last two weeks, there had been one distraction after another. Last night, he’d finally had a chance to contact Angus Bell. He had wanted a human male’s perspective on what he should do next. Angus had suggested that since Amelia wasn’t interested in a big wedding and they were technically already married according to his people, Derik might want to take her on a special trip called a Honeymoon.

  “I was thinking that we could try to go away again—this time someplace a little closer,” he said.

  “Hmm. I’m not so sure. Is there a place where we won’t be shot at?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “Yes, I know the perfect place. Do you like the beach?” he asked.

  She looked at him in surprise, then her expression became thoughtful. “You
know, I don’t know. I’ve never been,” she confessed.

  “I think you’ll love it,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll even show you how to fly the shuttle on the way there.”

  Her eyes lit up with delight before she bit her lip. “I don’t know how to swim. I don’t even have a bathing suit,” she fretted.

  “I’ll teach you—and where we’re going, you won’t need to wear anything,” he promised.

  “Oh—okay. When do we leave?” she asked with a growing smile.

  “Right now,” he chuckled.

  Still holding hands, they took off running down the corridor. Several warriors stepped to the side, giving them plenty of room when they saw them. Derik understood their envious expressions and could sympathize with them now that he knew what he had almost missed.

  He had never expected to be gifted with a bond mate. At seventeen, he’d thought his life was about to end. Instead, a beautiful goddess wielding a hammer had given him a chance to reap the rewards of the ultimate gift from the Goddess—a mate with a brilliant spirit who made his life an amazing adventure every day.

  “Derik, I forgot to tell you something,” she breathlessly laughed as they neared the exit.

  He slowed down and paused at the door. “Yes?” he asked.

  She took in a deep breath, shook her head, and stepped closer to him. Rising up on her toes, she held his shoulders and looked him in the eye. He touched her cheek when he saw the slight sheen of tears in her eyes.

  “What is it?” he worried.

  “I wanted… I just wanted to tell you that I love you,” she murmured before she brushed a soft kiss across his lips.

  He looked at her with a tender expression and brushed his hand along her flushed cheek. “I know,” he softly replied. “I’ve always known, my beautiful Amelia.”

  To Be Continued…

  * * *

  Rav’s Warrior Woman:

  Cosmos’ Gateway Book 8

  Can two souls from different worlds maintain a temporary truce long enough to discover where they have unwittingly been sent through the Gateway? Their very survival may depend on it!

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