Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3) (27 page)

“I was protecting you,” he mutters eventually, shooting Xal a dark glare. “The rulers of Kythia demanded I give you to them. I refused.”

Oh. Tarak protected me from the Powers That Be. I resist the urge to hug him. He might look scary, but that hard exterior hides a tender, protective heart. However, all this handing-over business sounds quite serious. “General, what exactly makes me so valuable to you Kordolians? As a Human, I assumed your people wouldn’t give me a second glance.” I’m not liking where this is going.

Tarak turns his back on Xal. He puts his big, warm hands on either side of my face and meets my gaze. His red eyes are wide and clear; I sense no deceit there. “When you got the nanograft, back on the Fleet Station, they did some tests without my knowledge.” His voice is soft. The wind picks up, whipping at my hair, chilling the tips of my ears. “They found something quite remarkable.”

“What, Tarak?” My voice cracks a little.

“Humans and Kordolians are compatible.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can have offspring together.”

“Oh.” My heart skips a beat. He runs his rough thumb gently down the side of my face, from the corner of my eye to my jawline. The sensation sends shivers up my spine. I don’t know what to feel right now. I don’t know whether to be angry and shocked that he omitted that particular detail, or overjoyed. Oh, the children we’re going to have together. “Is that why you’re keeping me around?”

“No.” He rests his thumb under my chin, tilting my face upwards. He almost seems angry. “You are not a female whose sole purpose is to bear offspring. You are my mate, and I need you by my side. I
need
you. I am not going to let you fall into the hands of those who would tear you apart and use you; those who would destroy you. Do you understand, Abbey of Earth? You are mine, and no-one, Kordolian or otherwise, is going to take you away from me. I will do everything in my power to protect you, even if I have to wage war against my own people.”
 

Oh, my. My heart, seemingly on hold, flutters back to life.

“You’re
not
going to start a war because of me,” I whisper, as the wind starts to howl. Behind us, the Aikun males are babbling on in their own language, and I hear the sound of lamperk flesh being chopped. “Although that’s very sweet of you,” I add, almost as an afterthought. Only Tarak could make the idea of starting a war seem romantic.
 

“No,” he shakes his head, much to my relief. “A war on Kythia is not my intention. I have devised a more suitable plan.”

“Of course you have,” I say gently. “That’s why we’re out here in the middle of the badlands, meeting a Prince who doesn’t want to be found, but who somehow still has his ear to the ground. We’re about to discuss the fate of the universe, aren’t we? And he’s somehow involved, and you have cryptically mentioned Earth a few times now. We’re going back there, aren’t we?”

“We are.” He shakes his head, half-amused, half-astonished. “Astute female. That is why you’re my mate.”

He’s such a
 
sweet, stubborn, infuriating male. “Well, let’s hear this plan of yours then, General.”

Tarak

I gesture towards Xalikian, indicating he should join us again. He was perceptive enough to give Abbey and I a moment of privacy while I discussed a certain issue with her.

It was the least he could do, after tactlessly bringing it up in the first place.

It went better than I had hoped. But that is how she is. She speaks her mind, but she’s thinking on her feet, always adapting. She has observed and listened and come to her own conclusions. She does not carry on with drama and angst like those cloistered Kordolian females.

I am fortunate.

The Aikun males have dissected the lamperk. They have skinned it and kept the black hide for curing. The soft white flesh has been cut into small cubes. They are busy setting up the heat source for cooking.

The Prince looks at Abbey and I curiously as he nears. He has wrapped himself in my black robes, covering his naked body. I do not have problems showing my body to her, but suddenly, I don’t want her to see other naked males. Besides, Humans seem to be sensitive about such things.

I haven’t seen Xalikian for several cycles, and he’s changed since he escaped the Palace. There is a hard edge to his gaze now, and even though he’s lost none of his charm, life in the Vaal has made him lean and tough, like the tribesmen he considers his brothers.

The resemblance to Vionn and his late father, Ilhan, is striking. He’s inherited his mother’s haughty, aristocratic bearing and his father’s compelling amber eyes. His charm and cunning seem to be his own. I hope he hasn’t inherited any his parents’ madness.

“You have heard the latest from the High Council, then,” I say, pulling Abbey close. “Sooner or later they will be heading for Earth, looking to take Humans for their experiments.”

“I have my sources.” Xalikian wears an enigmatic expression. His tone changes, becoming bitter. “My mother’s behind this. She sees all other races as animals. She believes in the supremacy of the Kordolian race, and she won’t spare anything or anyone in her quest to produce the perfect lineage, even if it means extracting biological material from other species. The next time I see her, I will make sure I finish what I started. She will die by my hand.” His golden eyes are as cold as the frozen sea we’re standing on. It doesn’t surprise me. Xalikian has suffered so much at the hands of his mother, the Empress.

I shake my head. “Vionn is a lost cause. You are better off concentrating on what needs to be done now.” I wrap my hand around Abbey’s smaller one, our fingers entwined. “I have decided to withdraw my entire fleet and the First Division from the High Council’s jurisdiction.”

Xalikian blinks, staring at me in shock. “They’ll sic General Daegan and his soldiers on you if you break away, you know that.”

I let out a derisive snort. “Daegan is an idiot. Let him come. If he is stupid enough to take me on, I will destroy him.” Daegan is a Noble who rose to the rank of General through connections and favors. He hasn’t seen real combat in his lifetime. He’s the sort who commands battles remotely, hiding behind strategy advisors and officers. I am not afraid of Daegan. His fleet is comparable in size to mine, but my soldiers are in a different class.

The only ones who would suffer in a war between military factions would be the ordinary classes, Kordolians who don’t have the backing of a Noble House. The High Council would hastily conscript them into a pointless war.

“Anyhow, the High Council can’t wage war if they can’t find us.”

Both Abbey and Xalikian stare at me, looking perplexed.

“I have ordered my commanders to make the Fleet Station untraceable, cutting off all communication with Kythia. All non-military personnel have been ejected, and it is being moved as we speak. A holographic representation has been left in its place. They won’t know until it’s far too late.”

Unexpectedly, Xalikian laughs. “That’s genius, General. You’re stealing half the fleet from right under their noses.”

“I can’t steal what already belongs to me, Prince.” The Fleet Station is mine, and all the soldiers on it are under my command. The fighter craft on it are mine to command. There is no fucking way I’m allowing such artillery into the hands of the Nobles.

Abbey squeezes my hand, turning towards me, so her face is protected from the wind. Her cheeks have become flushed again, a faint pink color spreading across them. So that happens when she’s cold, as well.

“You mentioned something about Kordolians heading towards Earth to take Humans,” she says, suspicion clouding her voice. “Please tell me you have a plan to stop that.”

“I was coming to that.” I meet Xalikian’s gaze. “Earth is habitable. Humans and Kordolians can have offspring. It seems like an ideal location for the scenario we have previously discussed.”

“A Kordolian settlement, outside Kythia?”

“A breakaway. For any who wish to be free of the Empire and the corruption of the Noble Houses. For those who would consider taking a Human mate. Some of us would rather see our entire race die out than take a non-Kordolian mate. They are obsessed with outdated ideals; with purity. I am not one of those.”

“What’s my role in all this?”

“We need a figurehead. You are popular enough amongst the ordinary classes, a cult figure to ordinary Kordolians and alien servants alike. Kordolians would follow you, even to Earth. I’m just a soldier. A war hero in their eyes perhaps, but I can’t inspire loyalty in civilians. You, on the other hand, have had diplomacy training. You can open negotiations with the Humans and apply for asylum on Earth.”

“I never expected to leave Kythia,” Xalikian says cautiously. “Even though I’m out here in the Vaal, I’m not entirely disconnected from the civilized zones. There are things I’m working on here, and Earth is impossibly far. It’s a six-cycle trip, isn’t it?”

Abbey holds up a hand. “Hang on just a second.” She gives both Xalikian and I a pointed look. “Planning an invasion of Earth is all well and good, but as the only representative of Earth here, I’d like to bring a few negotiating points to the table.”

The Prince inclines his head. “Certainly, Abbey of Earth. Unlike my mother, I don’t believe in haphazardly colonizing planets, and I recognize your right to speak on behalf of your people. What are your concerns?”

“Firstly, I get the feeling there are two sorts of Kordolians. Insane, and not-so-insane. You and Tarak here obviously fall into the latter category. I don’t even want to think about what the batshit-crazy ones would do to Earth, and to Humans.”

She has a habit of using Earth words I do not understand, such as this ‘batshit.’ I shrug. “We would defend Earth against any Imperial takeover.”

“You’d better.” This tiny, delicate female is standing between two Kordolian males who tower over her, and dictating terms. She glares up at me, hands on her hips. She’s both utterly adorable and indomitable at the same time. “Secondly, what about those insect monsters and Fortuna Tau? We just left them there, and we haven’t heard anything since.”

My ears twitch. It is an annoying, involuntary habit I cannot control. It only seems to happen when I’m with her. “I sent a retrieval craft shortly after we arrived on the Fleet Station. I am not worried about my First Division. They are beyond competent, and they have dealt with much worse without me. I am certain they already have the situation under control. I am sure the Humans will also be calling their people for assistance.”

I’ll admit, my decision to leave the mining station was a bit preliminary, and certainly not within protocol, but I had a most compelling reason.
 

“They’d better not let those things get to Earth.”

“It’s highly unlikely. And even if they do, only the First Division and I are equipped to handle them.”

“Are you trying to suggest that Humanity might need you, General Tarak?” She gives me a sly, sidelong glance. She almost sounds amused.

“If the Xargek ever reach Earth, then yes.” What is certain is that I need her.

Abbey gives me a long, hard look and seems to come to some sort of conclusion. “Fine. You guys can come to Earth. But no colonizing, no using Humans for medical experiments, and you have to promise that you’ll exterminate any oversized insects that try to eat us. Oh, and in public, you have to wear clothes. It’s a cultural thing.”

Humans and their strange customs. I shrug. “I can abide by those conditions.” Of course, I have certain conditions of my own. She is my mate, and she will allow me to ensure her happiness and protect her. In return, I won’t stage a hostile takeover of Earth. I will do something I have seldom done throughout my military career.

I will negotiate.

I will be open to discussion with the Humans. They are fortunate to have her as a member of their species, because otherwise I would just take their damn planet and be done with it. However, her happiness is important to me.

Therefore, I will show restraint.

The scent of roasted lamperk meat reaches my nose, drifting to us on the icy wind. Both Xalikian and I look towards the skies as a faint roar reaches our ears.

The Prince shares a knowing gaze with me. “They have found us,” he says grimly.

That roar is the distant sound of an Imperial destroyer. “Warn the Aikun,” I snap, scanning the skies. The black, starry backdrop doesn’t reveal a thing. I do a quick mental calculation, estimating its distance based on the sound.

“They will want to take Abbey alive. The rest of us, they want dead.”

“How did they find us?” Xalikian’s white hair whips around his face, the dark robes fluttering. The sound of engines is becoming louder.

I don’t answer his question, because I don’t know. Perhaps the assassin tipped them off to our location before Abbey killed him.

My mate looks up at us in confusion. I sometimes forget that human senses aren’t as acute. She probably can’t hear it yet. “What the hell’s going on, Tarak?”

“Imperial forces. You have to go, now.” This situation is most dangerous for her. Her body is fragile. She can’t slip into the hole in the ice and hide under the water like the Aikun.

I will have to create a diversion. No matter; I will draw them out. I retrieve the short sword and the plasma gun from where I left them on the ice, and draw out my armor.

“Take her into the crater,” I order, as the exo-suit molds over my body. The Aikun males are staring at up at the sky, their feast of lamperk forgotten. They glance at me in shock, probably startled to realize I’m suddenly wearing the armor of an Imperial soldier.

Xalikian nods, his eyes on the horizon.

“If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you, Highness.”

“Noted, Sir,” he replies, a trace of irony in his voice.

The destroyer is in view now. It’s gaining quickly, appearing larger as it nears. It’s a medium-sized Alpha-class craft, one of the later models designed for both atmospheric and space travel. It’s powerful, but it lacks maneuverability. The pilot is going to have a hard time pinpointing me.

I’m sure General Daegan is behind this. It’s so typical of him. That pompous idiot always tries to win his battles through firepower, without understanding the conditions. He’s fought too many easy wars, whereas my troops are always sent to handle the difficult planets. He’s too used to winning to be able to strategize properly. And sending only one destroyer? That’s just plain arrogant. How the fuck does he expect to blow us to smithereens and take Abbey alive with that thing?