“I’ve been in the fleet for over twenty-eight years. I’m damn proud of everything you did while on the Gorison Traveler. You went above and beyond. Everyone who survived long enough for rescue to arrive is alive because of your actions, and those of Vivian Goss. The truth also came out because of you, under hellish circumstances.”
Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “Thank you.” She glanced around. “Where did the server disappear to? I don’t see him hovering over there anymore waiting for us to order.”
“He’s probably avoiding me since I complained about breakfast. Scrambled eggs shouldn’t have the same consistency as my coffee. That reminds me, request we get a new first-shift cook.”
She shook her head. “Stop being super picky. The cook was probably having a one-off this morning. Make that request next week if the food still sucks.”
He chuckled. “Assistants are supposed to blindly follow orders.”
She scrunched her nose at him. “I’m not really an assistant, though, am I? You shouldn’t have hired me.”
“You’ll keep me on my toes, Abby. I take it you’re going to keep me in the loop on what you’re doing?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for trusting me. For that, I’ll give the cook another chance.”
* * * * *
Drak sat with his males in the training room and held back a growl. The human team leader needed a good claw slashing.
Roth moved his leg, bumping his, and drew his attention. “Let it go,” he murmured.
“Rogers angers me.”
“What do you think of that female?” This from Gnaw. “She was something.”
Drak remembered her winking at them, and his amusement returned. “She put the human in his place and put him in fear of us. I wonder why?”
Roth shrugged. “Our human team leader wasn’t kind to her.”
“He’s not kind to any of us,” Maith added. “Remind me why we were sent here.”
“To make nice with the humans,” Roth stated, taking the time to make eye contact with each member of their grouping. “The new treaty between our planets is important.”
“I don’t understand why. They are a weaker race and their technology isn’t as good as ours. What are our people getting out of this deal?” Maith softly growled.
“Better trade negotiations,” Roth whispered. “They pay well for the food our people have been selling to their stations. Veslors profit. Humans also don’t cause the fleet as many problems, now that they aren’t going hungry.”
Maith snorted. “We’re fighters. I also don’t see why we are here.”
Drak silently agreed. Some of their race did grow and sell food to other races, but mostly, the Veslors were known as fierce fighters. They had a reputation for being strong allies and they were not the types to take over worlds. They defended the weaker species who lived near their solar system and were willing to battle for injustices. But United Earth seemed to be doing fine on handling their own conflicts. He couldn’t understand why they’d hired their grouping.
“We’ll do our time, help the humans with their colony problem, and leave when our help isn’t requested any longer. Our king will be grateful. He promised us our choice of unclaimed land once we’re done here. Our future will be secure when we grow old, and we’ll have our own territory.” Roth stood. “I have a feeling we’ll be sent to the planet again only too soon.”
Drak knew it was a generous offer from their king. Most Veslors had to purchase unclaimed land if they didn’t want to return to the original family grouping in which they had been raised. He definitely didn’t want to go back to where he’d been born and raised. No one in his grouping did.
None of their families had been understanding of their choice to become fighters, leaving their grouping, and the planet. The few visits they’d made to see blood relations hadn’t gone well. His own parents had tried to guilt him into growing food with them and the others. They said it was safer, and he was selfish to make them worry.
Drak wasn’t a farmer. He was a fighter.
“We already pulled an early shift and killed many Cadia today.” Gnaw grumbled his displeasure. “We should eat before they send us down to the planet.”
“We’ll fill our bellies,” Roth agreed.
Drak stood, not looking forward to taking on the creatures that were attacking the colonists on the planet. To kill them while they slept was easy, but night shifts were dangerous. That’s when the alien beasts were active. It was stupid that the humans had built a large settlement near where the flesh-eaters lived. It was apparent they hadn’t studied the biological aspects of their new world before trying to claim it…or they had drastically underestimated the threat.
The cafeteria was full of humans when their grouping entered. Conversations halted. Drak ignored their stares. They got in line, filled their trays with food, and sat together at a table far from the others. It wasn’t as if anyone ever asked them to join them for meals. Being different wasn’t a good thing on a ship full of humans.
They had just begun to eat when one of the human team members, Fritz, sauntered over. He held a drink in his hand and smirked, glaring at Roth. “Rogers is sending you down to the surface on third shift. Don’t be late.” He glanced around. “We’re all sure you can handle a solo shift, since you think you’re hot shit. You’re on your own.”
Drak wasn’t surprised. The human teams seemed lazy to him.
Roth gave a sharp nod, acknowledging the order. “Third shift. Understood. Is Tiggs our pilot?”
“Yeah.” Fritz took a sip of his drink and burped.
“Do we get functioning weapons?” Drak couldn’t resist asking.
The human’s face turned red, and he glared at him. “So that bitch was right. You could hear that far away. Rogers was just kidding. Nobody would mess with your weapons.”
Gnaw swallowed his food. “You call your females bitches? I thought only animals did that.”
“Like us,” Maith added. “Isn’t that what you call us? Animals?”
Roth gave a low warning growl, an order for his males to be quiet. He always tried to keep the peace.
“We normally don’t,” Fritz spat. “But Abby Thomas is a bitch. You don’t know anything about her. She helped another bitch forcibly take control of the Gorison Traveler. The only reason she’s not rotting in prison is because Commander Bills and a bunch of other high-ups wanted to either fuck her or kiss ass to D Corp. Her parents own it. Never trust that bitch.”
Drak knew the name of that vessel. It was the reason humans had signed a peace and trade treaty with his people. A Veslor trade ship had picked up a distress signal and gone to give aid. The Ke’ters had turned against the humans during flight and murdered some of them.
“Ke’ters, right?” Gnaw shook his head and made a sound of disgust. “Everyone knows they see other aliens as food. Your king was naïve to allow them on one of your vessels. It was Veslors who had to clean up that mess.”
“We don’t have a king,” Fritz snapped. “And what in the hell does that mean? You had to clean that mess up?”
Drak lifted his drink. “Veslors responded to the distress signal and exterminated your Ke’ter infestation. We all studied the details of that conflict before coming here.”
“Abby Thomas helped that other bitch use stolen codes to take control of the entire ship and kept all the crew locked in their quarters, otherwise our people would have killed them.” Fritz’s face turned even redder. “It’s half her fault we even needed help.”
Roth slowly stood. “The only reason so many humans still live is because they were protected and the Ke’ters couldn’t reach them. A human had locked down the entire ship, putting protective barriers between the crew and the enemy. You’re saying it was the female we saw earlier?”
Fritz looked unhealthy, with his face such a deep shade of red. The color traveled from his face down to his neck. It was fascinating to watch for Drak. Maybe the male would have a me
dical emergency. It wouldn’t be a great loss. The human was unpleasant.
“She was one of them. The Gorison Traveler’s security forces could have handled those fucking Ke’ters if they hadn’t been locked in their quarters. Injured people died since they couldn’t get medical help.”
Maith glanced at him. “Injured? Had the Ke’ters bitten them?”
Fritz glared at him. “Yes. The bitch and her friend should have gotten them medical aid. Instead, they may as well have fucking murdered them by trapping all the crew in their cabins.”
Maith snorted his contempt. “You should learn more about Ke’ters. I’m a medic, and I assure you, if they’d begun to feed on those humans, to kill them would be a mercy.”
“What the fuck?” Fritz dropped his drink and lunged forward, his fists up. “I lost a good friend on that goddamn ship!”
Roth moved fast, getting between them. “Ke’ters tear open the bellies of their victims to reach internal organs they find the tastiest. They secrete a preservative fluid as they eat that will keep their victims breathing for hours to days, depending on the race.”
“It prevents them from bleeding out and puts their bodies into almost a stasis condition, except they aren’t sleeping…and they feel the pain,” Maith added.
“The process allows Ke’ters to come back to finish their meals hours or days later,” Roth informed the ignorant human. “They only eat what is alive. After the organs, they’ll begin eating skin next, saving the brain and heart for last. It’s a terrifying and agonizing way for their victims to die. Once they’ve started feeding, it’s already too late.”
“And your weapons are ineffective against the Ke’ters,” Gnaw added.
“That’s bullshit! If those bitches hadn’t locked up the crew, the injured could have been saved.” Fritz had drawn a crowd of humans with his shouting. “They’re murderers for doing that!”
Maith shook his head. “You’re talking about replacing missing organs and tissues with transplants, correct? Restoring what had been eaten? It wouldn’t work. The secretions from the Ke’ters make it impossible. Think of a slow-acting poison or genetic changer. With enough secretions, it’s just an agonizing slow death for the victim. If the Ke’ters have begun to feed, it’s too late to save a life. To kill them is a mercy. It would end the suffering of the victims.”
“What’s going on here?” It was another human in a high-ranking outfit, judging by the amount of metals positioned over his jacket front.
“They’re defending what happened on the Gorison Traveler,” Fritz bellowed.
Roth gave a slight nod of his head to the human in charge. “We were explaining Ke’ters. Your race hasn’t been exposed to them for long, but ours has fought them for decades, ever since they began to attack us. They are a scourge against any race they encounter, looking for live food sources. He was accusing one of your females on this vessel of murdering the victims because they couldn’t receive immediate medical help. We were explaining that there is no way to reverse that damage if a victim has begun to be eaten by the Ke’ters. It’s already too late.”
The human with all the decorations grabbed Fritz by the arm. “Walk away now.”
Fritz turned redder in his face but spun, stomping toward the exit.
The human cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about that. I’m familiar with what happened on the Gorison Traveler, and we owe your people an enormous debt of gratitude. I’m Warren Dell. I won’t bother you with my rank and title, since I know you’re not familiar with it. But I hope that wasn’t an example of how you’re being treated on this ship?”
Roth, their peacekeeper, offered his hand. “I’m Roth, leader of this grouping. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Warren Dell nodded. “Come to me if you have any problems. We want our joint effort to be highly successful. Veslors are magnificent fighters. It’s an honor to have you on Defcon Red.”
Drak wanted to list his grievances to the human but remained silent. Roth was in charge, and he hadn’t shared how they were being treated, which spoke volumes. They weren’t going to complain.
The human walked away and they resumed eating.
“This is a bad job,” Maith muttered. “Humans hate us.”
“Not all humans are bad,” Roth reminded him. “That human who just left seemed nice enough. The female stuck up for us, too.”
“It would be more pleasant if the human teams we’ve been assigned to work with weren’t so resentful,” Drak had to point out.
Then Abby Thomas’s image entered Drak’s thoughts. He hadn’t thought humans were as attractive as Veslor females, since they appeared so helpless and fragile to him, but now that he knew the female had been responsible for the Gorison Traveler incident, it changed his opinion.
The information made her very appealing. She must be very brave.
Chapter Two
Abby watched the feeds from the security screens. There wasn’t anywhere aboard Defcon Red that she wasn’t allowed. Howard had given her full clearance. She no longer had to hide her real motive for being onboard, and she had the commander’s permission to investigate to her heart’s content. He had joked that she could hack any system anyway but he didn’t want her to break any laws.
Anger burned as she saw the group of Veslors head toward a waiting transport shuttle. It was clear that it was being prepared for flight. A quick scan of a bar on level four showed Team One there, not in uniform. She reached up and tapped the com link in her ear.
Howard answered immediately. “What’s wrong, Abby?”
“I knew Rogers would pull some shit. Guess who’s about to be sent down to the surface without the human members of S.T.T.01? Rogers and his team are in a bar getting drunk. No other surface team is assembled in the flight bay to go with the Veslors.”
Silence greeted her for a long second. “You’re saying Rogers is sending our allies down alone at night? There’s not another team with them?”
“Yes. I’m in a control station watching the live feeds. The only human team member on the flight deck is the pilot. And he’ll drop them off and fly back to us. I’ve been assured we don’t risk those shuttles staying anywhere near a fight since it’s too costly if they get damaged. Rogers did give them weapons, at least. I just hope they work.”
“Goddamn it! I’m on my way to stop them.” He cut coms.
The control operator next to her turned his head from where he sat, his eyes wide. She stared back at him and shrugged. “If someone acts like a xenophobic pig, I’ll squeal on them. No hesitation.”
He faced forward again. She bit back a smile as she leaned toward him. “May I please have your seat for a moment?”
The operator paused but then slid his chair over. She accessed his station, pulling up internal communications, and connected a direct link to the flight-control room. Her fingers flew as she typed out an order to halt all shuttles from leaving until Commander Bills arrived. It was received and acknowledged.
Abby backed out of the system and then straightened. She turned her head, seeing the operator in the chair gaping at her. She winked.
“How did you do that? These systems aren’t supposed to be linked that way. We can only make verbal calls from this secure location. You just sent a message from the office of Commander Bills.”
“D Corp made and programmed most of your systems. I know how to link them. Thank you for your help.”
She turned, leaving the control station. The nearest lift was to her left. She briskly reached it and went to level two. No way did she want to miss the fireworks in person.
Dozens of the flight prep and repair teams were on the deck as she entered the large shuttle bay. They shot her odd glances but no one approached her to ask what she was doing there. It meant word had probably spread who she was. Some looks weren’t friendly.
Abby ignored them and walked to the small room that contained flight control. It was technically called a tower, even if it wasn’t one.
The guy seate
d at the desk looked up at her entry. “May I help you? This is a restricted area.”
“I’m Abby Thomas, personal assistant to Commander Bills. I’m authorized. Did you stop the shuttle about to take off?”
He gave a nod, not looking happy. “I contacted S.T.T.01. Rogers. It was his order they go down. He’s on his way.”
“Good.”
She hated the stupid titles given to fleet personnel. Bradley Rogers, AKA asshole, would arrive soon to find out why the shuttle had been grounded.
Loud footsteps sounded, and she moved out of the doorway, turning. Howard wore his fleet jacket over his upper body and had shoved on boots, but he wore sleeping pants that were bright red. She hid her smile as he entered.
“Where the hell is Rogers?”
The flight tower controller paled. “On his way, sir.”
Abby hesitated. “May I?” She looked at Howard and waved at the desk station that controlled the flight bay.
Howard hesitated. “What do you want to look for?”
“The flight logs and crew members aboard.”
“Why?”
“Call it a suspicion. You know I have good instincts.”
Howard sighed loudly and pointed at the tower controller. “Get your ass out of that seat.”
The control officer stood fast. Abby moved forward, dropped into his seat, and went to work. She pulled up all the shuttle logs for the past week, searched who had been on them, and noted the times.
“Sir,” the controller sounded nervous. “Is this even legal?”
“Abby works for me, and all the information on those damn computers is at my disposal. Are you questioning me?”
“No, sir!”
“The Veslors have been assigned thirteen trips to the surface over just the last seven days that I’m checking. This would have been number fourteen. That means they’ve been pulling double shifts every day,” Abby announced, feeling furious. She pulled up more information. “Tactical Team One only went with them on four surface trips. Teams four, six, and nine were with them the other times.”
She typed more and then stood. “I forward all the details to your personal data pad. Rogers has been working them on back-to-back shifts, hardly allowing them any down time to sleep or relax. They haven’t been given a single day off since they arrived last week.”
Mission: Guardian Angel (Veslor Mates Book 2) Page 2