by L M Lacee
He watched her for a reaction as the younger male laughed and the female’s twittered. Only the older male stayed still and silent with no expression on his face but his eyes were watchful and what he saw frightened him. His sister’s mate was playing a dangerous game. This was not a prelude to a hunt where he could bait the prey. This female was powerful and very dangerous, how Sether could not see this, amazed him and increased his fear.
Melody grinned as she saw the laughter in Peyton’s eyes, especially when they heard Darby’s snort.
Kerol stared at the male in bewilderment, could the male not see who was sitting in front of him. It was not like he was a fool, although calling Melody a scallut proved he may be.
Sether was confused, this female was like none he had ever seen before. It was obvious something had happened when she had left the room. Something or someone had wrought a change on her and yet his brain could not seem to register anything other than her small figure and ordinary features. Could she be one of those earthlings, his brother Thanikis had reported about to Uthar? The ones with the wonderful, malleable DNA, he looked around at the others in the room. Were they all these earthlings and if they were, what were they doing here of all places? How did they even find out about this world? The Warriors knew nothing of it; this world was a well-guarded secret. Even the servants were extended family and had never left since coming here.
Peyton refused to be a participant in his twisted game of words instead she asked. ‘What of the Warriors found beneath the house?’
‘I do not know, what you speak of.’
‘Four thousand Warriors placed in stasis tubes in the cavern beneath this house.’
Sether felt another bead of sweat slide down his back as he twitched his shoulders. ‘I still do not know what you are talking about.’
Peyton’s eyebrows rose in amazement, for the blatant lie. ‘Are you so sure I will not kill you, that you willingly risk your life and the lives of your mate and her family by lying?’
Sether grinned and sighed heartily. ‘Again, I tell you, as you do not seem to be listening to me. I. Am. Not. Lying!’
Peyton switched her focus. ‘Orotha, who killed all the young ones we found in the grave?’
The female called Orotha flicked her eyes over Peyton, her eyes held as much contempt as her voice did, when she answered. ‘What graves? We have killed animals that have disturbed the farmers that is all.’
‘Why do you lie Orotha?’
‘I do not lie.’
‘Who Orotha, tell me or someone dies!’
Sighing, she looked at the ceiling and seemed to be counting. Then she returned her gaze to Peyton and said with a smirk. ‘Very well, if there are graves. I suppose it would be the servants they live here all yenta.’
‘I see, kill the youngest one.’
Before they could protest, Melody raised her blaster and shot the male through the head. He fell from the chair as blood sluggishly seeped from the hole in his wide forehead. His body gave one long quiver and stilled.
The older male Meins, closed his eyes on the death as the two females leapt from their chairs, dashing to the side of the dead male and sobbing. Sether’s expression shifted from hatred to fear and back again. ‘You killed him.’ He stated almost like he did not believe it.
Orotha cradled her brother’s head against her breast as she screamed at Melody. ‘You killed him, you scallut, you killed my brother. I will kill you for that!’
Melody holstered her blaster and moved back to stand with Kerol and Darby, her face set, as if it had been chiseled from stone.
Orotha then turned her hate-filled eyes on Peyton and screamed. ‘You are a Desoul!’
Peyton unmoved by the female’s words, said one word. ‘SIT!’
The males tenderly pulled their females from the cooling body and sat them back on their chairs as they sobbed into their hands. Sether snarled to Peyton.
‘You are a cold, heartless bitchre.’
‘Maybe, but I do not hunt innocents. So a win for me!’
‘Why?’ Celinna asked. ‘Why would you kill him? He was only young?’
‘Older than the children hunted by all of you. I wonder if all the parents of the missing young you have murdered are mourning their lost children as you are mourning him. Did you hunt the children and the Turqualls?’
‘Yes.’ She sobbed. ‘I did, we all did. Is that what you want to hear?’
Peyton said softly. ‘I want the truth.’
The older brother Meins answered tears staining his voice ‘Yes, we all did, we hunted as did the Emperor, his Empress. All the members of our families.’
He whispered as he hung his head. ‘It was Fantha’s first hunt.’
Disbelief held Peyton’s tongue still for a minute, finally she said. ‘There are no words I can find to describe my thoughts at the moment.’
After another few minutes in silence, except for the sounds of weeping from the females, she shook herself and stood. ‘Well okay then, Darby?’
‘Done, Star Daughter. I have all the names of the victims. They seemed to have taken pride in listing who they were and where they collected them from.’
Kerol looked at Darby and in a voice that suppressed rage explained. ‘Trophies, to remember the hunt, all hunters do it.’
Peyton felt her heartbreak at the thought of the cruelty inflicted on their victims. She addressed the four people. ‘I as Star Daughter condemn you to my justice. You know what you did wrong and show no remorse, so you will die with the world you have slowly killed with your depravity. I have spent too much time on you as it is, be thankful I do not do to you, what you did to all your victims. Take them to the cells please, Commander.’
Stunned the four prisoners looked at her, unable to believe their brother was dead and they were to die.
Sether stood and hissed. ‘You cannot do this! We have done nothing wrong. It is what we and they were created for, predator and prey.’ He looked at his brother-in-law and saw resignation and defeat in his eyes.
He turned to Peyton and stated in no uncertain terms. ‘Uthar will not allow this. You are dead!’
Peyton shook her head as she stared at the four people. ‘Even now, you do not see. I am saddened for you all. Your Emperor will not save you, and there will be no war. You will die because your victims cry out for justice. I suggest you make your peace with whoever it is you worship. May they have mercy for you? I do not.’
Flames appeared in her eyes, when she spoke and her voice held anger. ‘I would kill you myself but it upsets my people.’ She looked toward Janet as she said. ‘So, I will spare them having to witness that today.’
Janet looked away from those burning eyes as Melody looked at her and wondered what had happened between the two. Peyton blinked and her eyes returned to normal, she smiled sadly at Melody and said.
‘Thank you Commander, Captain and Warriors, you have done well. Darby are you ready?’
She stood and started shutting down her computers. ‘I will need a few mins.’
‘Find me please. I will be in the kitchen, Warrior Janet please remain with Lady Darby.’
‘As you wish Madam.’ Janet replied quietly.
Peyton left the room with a nod to Melody, who stayed behind and organized the removal of the prisoners.
FORTY-FOUR:
Hawk and Netta walked out from the sleepers vault just as the four people were to enter the cell, catching sight of him. Sether called out. ‘Roeah, I demand you do something?’
Hawk walked to where he and the others stood and punched him in the face. Causing him to lift slightly off his feet and fly backward until he came up against the stone wall of the cell, where he slid to the floor.
Netta grunted. ‘Well, that was something.’
Hawk grinned and rubbed his hand. ‘That felt good, lock them up Kerol. Today is a good day.’
‘Nice punch.’ Melody said admiringly from behind him.
‘Thank you.’ He replied as he turned to her. �
��I have been practicing.’
She and Netta laughed at the innocuous statement, then Melody asked him as they moved slightly away from the cells. ‘How far along are we?’
‘The wall will be down in fifteen mins and we will speed up then. We will be finished tomorrow by second- meal, if we work through the night.’
‘That is not going to happen. We will break for meals and sleep, then start in the morn fresh.’ A voice that sounded suspiciously like Peyton’s floated down the stairs.
Hawk called back. ‘As you wish, although Warrior Kolin says we can work in relays, but I will tell him no.’
‘Huh! That would work. Nice punch.’
They all grinned at her sheepish tone and with a salute to Hawk. Melody, Netta and Kerol left without another look at the prisoners.
Left alone, Hawk walked to the door of the cell and pulled the shuttered window opened and came face to face with Celinna, who had tears running from her glazed eyes. ‘She killed Fantha.’
‘You killed hundreds.’
‘Why would you turn against us? Uthar is beside himself with anger. He said it was your orders that made the Warriors rebel. You have left our home world defenseless.’
‘It was never our home world. It was the yoke around our necks.’
‘Do you not care, we could be invaded? Uthar has placed the blame of your rebellion on Thanikis, and he has been demoted. He is now bonded to the royal court.’
‘I do not care. Tell me why I should care about Thanikis or your precious Emperor. The same male who would kill me as soon as I stepped foot on Jenersar.’
Celinna tightened her grasp on the bars as she hissed. ‘Empress Quara is contacting all her family members, they will start hunting the Warriors. You know what will happen when they find them. Death will reign all over the universe, and you will be unable to protect your precious males then. When they are finished killing them, they will come for you and your precious Star Daughter next. She cannot protect you or them. Hawk release us, do not allow her to take our lives. Come home, you know we will protect you. Uthar will forgive you, if you help us escape.’
‘I cannot.’ He raised an eyebrow as he amended that to. ‘I will not!’
‘Why?’ She hit the bars with her hands and hissed again. ‘What does she hold over you? Is it credits, titles? Tell me my friend, and I will grant you the same.’
Hawk shook his head. ‘It has been many yentas since we shared any type of friendship Celinna. And as I look back on that time, with the knowledge and understanding of what real friendship is. I realize what you called friendship was in fact servitude. Those days are long past for both of us Celinna, you could never give me what she has.’
She pleaded in desperation. ‘What can she possibly give you?’
Hawk let loose one of his rare smiles. ‘A home Celinna! A home and a mate with young ones of our own.’
‘Impossible! She lies it cannot be done.’ She scoffed at his naivety as she stepped back away from the bars, saying again as an icy hand of despair slipped down her back. ‘Impossible, she lies to you and fool that you are, you believe her!’
‘Yet it is true, my Warriors are mating already.’ Hawk told her with that same smile still in place.
‘She will do what your Emperor would never do, return my brothers to me. We know about all the Warriors in stasis that your Emperor and Thanikis have hidden.’
He said as she looked away. ‘Oh, yes Celinna. We will find all my Warriors.’
Meins came to the bars and asked. ‘How can you do so?’
It was not lost on Hawk that neither of them denied his assertions. ‘We are here on this small world, why would you think we will not find the others?’
‘She will not, Uthar and Thanikis will not allow it!’ Orotha told him starkly as she sat on the floor beside her mate. Hawk did something he had picked up from the females, he shrugged. ‘I pity you for your beliefs. You should have read your histories on who the Star Daughter is. Regardless of your thoughts, the safety of my Warriors is assured, and she has returned to me something I thought was lost forever.’
‘What could a small plain thing like her, give you. The great Commander Roeah?’ Sether asked as he struggled to stand.
Holding his smile in place, Hawk refused to be drawn into an argument. ‘The return of my dignity and honor!’
‘No, my friend, you never lost your honor or your dignity.’ Said a very feminie voice from behind him, startling him into turning swiftly to confront her.
Esther smiled as she walked toward him. ‘I have never met a more dignified male and as for your honor, it may have become tarnished a little, but lost? Never! You are the second most honorable male I have ever met, and I was mated to the other.’
Esther reached up and placed her hand on his cheek and for once he did not react. ‘I recognize an honorable male when I see him.’ She then looked over at the female Celinna and the others that came to stand with her and scathingly told them.
‘If you had seen in him and all the Warriors what we see. You would have helped them, not used him for your own ends. If all is fair in this universe and there is an afterlife as our Star Daughter tells us. I hope you dwell in pain and torment for what you did to all the ones you hunted here on this planet. But I hope you rot in hayda for what you did to my boys. These fine strong honorable males. Go to your death with the knowledge that he saved all his Warriors and found love and acceptance.’ Fiercely she told them. ‘You and your kind never broke him and could not stop him.’
She looked up at Hawk and said. ‘I came to tell you that your meal awaits you my friend, and you are wanted.’
Hawk took her hand and kissed the back of it saying. ‘Thank you Esther, my friend. Allow me to escort you to our meal.’
He then placed her hand in the crook of his arm and together they entered the lift, not looking back even when they heard Celinna calling his name.
‘You do realize?’ He said as the doors of the lift closed on the yells of the desperate people.
‘My Warriors and I are many hundreds or more of your Earth years older than you.’
‘And your point?’
‘I do not think I have one.’
‘As I thought, and if I was you. I would remember that.’
Causing him to smile as he felt the flame in his needar grow a little more.
FORTY-FIVE:
By first-meal the following day, Helen and her ladies had stripped the kitchen down to the floorboards. Trina and Willian with the aid of their army of helpers had done likewise in the house and vaults.
By mid-morning all the stasis tubes were finally loaded on the ships and the Turqualls had returned and been shuttled up to the Warship. The planet was bare of life, apart from the people in the cells.
Before they left orbit, Hawk sent out the disarming code and a contact code for the Warriors in case any were in this sector. At the same time Peyton sent out a similar message to the stars in and around that part of the universe to look for sleepers. Hawk ordered the ship Commanders to wait for two days before returning to where the planet had been.
When they did it was to find only empty space. The Star Child as promised, had made an example of their might. It was a frightening realization for those from Earth and another harsh example that they were no longer in a benign universe. There was not one person on the ships, male or female who was not affected by the power the Star Child had shown, or the responsibility their leader, the Star Daughter carried.
The ships Commanders once more sent the convoy through a wormhole to escape the galaxy that had far too many reminders of what ultimate power could do.
Two nights later, just after eve-meal. Netta carried in rugs to the star lounge and was amused to see Hawk shifting tables and couches around. It appeared someone else had the same idea. ‘Greetings, Commander.’
‘Greetings Netta. As we are alone and as Madam has stated. We are well on the way to becoming friends. Please call me Hawk.’
‘Thank y
ou and we are, so what are you doing?’
‘It would seem the same as you.’
‘Yeah, I thought she would need this. Have you seen her?’
Hawk straightened the rug Netta placed on the floor as he said. ‘No, not in the last two days, she is hiding Melody states.’
‘Probably, should we go dig her out?’
He grinned. ‘Darby says no, to wait a little longer, then send in Esther.’
‘Oh, well, she would know.’
Hawk nodded as he looked over at the tall for a human female with blue tipped hair. Netta was startling attractive with her gray, amber ringed eyes. As an Elite he felt her needar call to his. It was almost the same sensation he had felt when he had seen Dinas again. This was something he decided he needed to think and discuss with Dinas when he was freed from stasis.
He said now as he moved a chair into position.
‘I have observed the lounge gives her comfort.’
Netta nodded. ‘We are funny like that, and I do not mean laughing funny. I mean in what we find comfort with.’
‘I have found each of you find comfort, in so many different ways.’
‘What have you discovered?’ She smiled while she finished placing the tables around the room and was surprised to find she was really interested in his observations. She took a seat as Hawk went to the new dispenser and ordered them tea. He returned with her cup. ‘Thank you.’
Another thing he noticed, they were always polite, always courteous and not just to him or his officers but to each other and his Warriors as well.
‘You are welcome.’
Netta grinned, education ran both ways it seemed. ‘So Hawk, what have you observed?’
As he made himself comfortable in the large armchair, he told her. ‘Peyton finds comfort here and with all the people she is making into a family. Darby finds it in her data and on her comp’s. Melody in routine and training or caring for the Warriors. Heather in her abilities and research and you Netta, you find comfort in your skills with your knives. I have been told you are very good with them.’