Page 1 of Adtovar (The Alliance Rescue #1)

“Hi, Grandpa!”

I smiled at Willa, who insisted upon holding onto the habit of calling me Grandpa .

Granted, when we first met, I appeared significantly older than her, but thanks to my recent turn through the Garoot Healer, I now looked as youthful as my human daughter.

I definitely appeared younger than her mate Charick, but wisely decided not to mention that. I missed them both so much.

“How are you, sweet Willa?”

“Great!” Her blue eyes sparkled. The holographic image blooming from my wrist comm was small, but I could see her clearly, as if she stood before me, despite knowing we were light years apart.

I sat in my quarters on the Historia while she and her mate traveled the stars in the Bardaga .

Both ships were battle cruisers tasked by the governing Alliance to seek out and rescue abducted humans across the cosmos.

I shifted in my chair, glancing around my spacious quarters and noticing the mess of discarded clothes and empty food containers.

I’d never been particularly neat. My duties as first mate of the Historia left little time for domestic concerns.

I’d need to order a cleaning bot, but until then, I kept the comm pointed at my face and not the mess.

“We’re on our way to Tau Ceti to drop off three more females we recused last week,” Willa practically jumped with excitement. Tau Ceti was a planet designed specifically to accommodate abducted humans who could not or, for whatever reason, didn’t want to return to Earth.

“Wonderful,” I beamed at her. My heart swelled with pride for my human daughter.

Abducted, like so many others, she had fought and persevered.

Carving out a place for herself, not only by her mate’s side but also as a beacon of hope for other abducted humans, using her own experience to help rescue and guide them.

“I hear the Historia has been successful as well,” she prodded with a waggle of her brows.

“Yes,” I admitted, my lips curving into an even broader smile. “Nine females so far. All are well and happily settled on Tau Ceti.”

A short time ago, I would never have imagined finding such fulfillment in rescuing abducted humans.

But then again, I never expected to meet my Earth daughter, Willa.

Meeting her had given me a new lease on life—a life I nearly gladly forfeited to save her.

That action not only restored my youth but brought me something I had been sorely lacking. Purpose.

I had purpose once when my mate and child still lived, but the guilt over their loss had sent me spiraling down a path of despair.

When the Ulkommanian captured me during the last days of the Vaktaire-Romvesian skirmish, I didn’t resist. Going through the torture they inflicted felt like just punishment for allowing happiness to slip through my fingers.

Guilt consumed me for decades, but Willa and her mate Charick showed me that goodness and redemption still existed in this universe.

They showed me it was possible to move on from the sins of my past and find purpose and hope in the future.

“Where are you headed next?”

Willa’s question brought me back to the present, and I met her dark blue gaze, which forced a smile to my lips. Although, the current destination of the Historia was certainly nothing to be happy about.

“Budak.”

“Fuck!” Charick groaned, using a favorite curse he’d picked up from his human mate.

“What?” Willa’s gaze bounced between me and Charick, the frown creasing her brows deepening. “What’s wrong with Budak?”

I watched Charick slip a comforting arm around Willa’s shoulders. “Budak is a gladiator planet. Very brutal. I spent some time there in my younger days.”

Like me, Charick spent time as a gladiator. Like me, he carried the scars and shame from the time he fought and killed merely for sport.

“Are there....” Willa swallowed hard, her face pale. “Are there human females fighting in the pit?”

Willa, too, spent time in a gladiator pit. Thankfully, she had trained as a soldier on Earth and was able to handle herself better than most.

“Not in the pit,” I told her, feeling my stomach lurch.

“Shit!” Willa muttered another favorite curse of hers.

“They are prizes,” Charick said solemnly.

Willa’s face fell, her usually bright eyes clouding with a mix of anger and sadness.

Prizes .

The word echoed in my mind, every syllable imparting a sense of dread.

In the pit, prizes were females offered as a reward to victorious gladiators.

During my time in the pits, as a champion gladiator, I received offers of a female prize many times.

I always refused. Laying with a female slave felt like a betrayal to the memory of my mate.

Plus, the sight of those females always tore at my heart.

Bruised and broken from their handling, with spirits as crushed as their bodies.

“How many?” Willa demanded, the sadness in her expression shifting to anger in the blink of an eye. My human daughter was a warrior through and through.

“Only one human, from what we know so far.”

“I’ll know you’ll save her,” Willa told me with a nod of confidence. “But will you do me one favor?”

“What?” I would do anything in my power to give what she asked but decided to play it cautiously—in case she wanted me to tell Charick I loved him or something equally distasteful.

The deep blue eyes danced again, but her face was a mask of seriousness. “Keep your ass out of the pit. You don’t have to fight anymore.”

My heart swelled at her protectiveness. She knew all too well what my time as a gladiator cost me.

Willa was determined that I find happiness in my new life—a second chance she called it.

I let my gaze settle over her and Charick, feeling affection warm my soul.

We were all different species, each of us from separate words, yet we had made a family as precious as any borne of blood.

“I will stay out of the pit,” I promised. Hopefully, with the strategy we had in place, I would not even have to travel planetside.

“Promise?” Willa crossed her leanly muscled arms across her chest and glared.

“I promise.” I raised a fist to my chest and tapped three times, the signal of a sacred vow for an Aljani like me.

Willa opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a low, mournful horn throbbed through the air.

“What the hell is that?” she grumbled, rubbing her ears. “It sounds like a dying cow.”

“It’s the call for officers to report to the bridge.” I reached over and muted the speaker.

Willa made a face. We talked every week, but there always seemed to be an interruption.

“We’ll see each other soon,” she promised. “Word has it that Isabella Rayne is giving a concert on the Ardeese Valout in a couple of months. Maybe we could meet up for that?"

“What is an Isabella Rayne?” I did not recognize the moniker. If it was Earth-related, I knew enough about humans to know it could be anything from a person to a tooth cleanser.

Willa’s eyes widened, incredulously. “Isabella Rayne? She’s a famous singer from Earth that we rescued and....” Her voice trailed off, noticing the confusion on my face, and her expression twisted into one of exasperation. “You know what? Never mind, you aliens are ridiculous.”

Charick and I shared a commiserated grin.

“I love you, Earth daughter,” I laughed, watching Willa trying to hang on to her aggravation and lose to a giggle.

“I love you too, Grandpa.”

The horn sounded again. For me, no doubt. Duke Ako was an excellent captain but suffered from impatience.

With a nod and a smile, I hit the small gray button that ended the comm, feeling a sense of warmth settle around my heart like a hug.

I adored Willa. Charick was what humans referred to as a son-in-law .

Despite research showing that most fathers and sons-in-law did not get along, the bond between us was one of deep respect and genuine affection, though I’d never admit it to him.

I stood, stretching and feeling the vertebrae pop in my back.

A short span ago, this would have caused me pain.

My time in the Garoot Healer not only healed the stab wound that nearly took my life but refurbished my body to the glory of youth, erasing the aches and scars from a lifetime spent as a gladiator.

During my captivity, the Ulkommanian enhanced my physical capabilities, increasing my size, strength, speed, and sensory perception beyond those of other Aljani.

I’d sworn to Willa to stay out of the pit, but curiosity tickled at my brain.

I’d been a formidable gladiator even in my later years.

I couldn’t help but wonder about my prowess now.

I pushed the thought aside, straightening my uniform.

I had a new purpose now—a new reason not to fight.

My feet pounded against the metal grates of the corridors as I strode through the ship, exchanging nods with my fellow crew members.

As First Mate, it was my responsibility to oversee the bridge crew, manage daily operations, and maintain the safety of our vessel.

In Duke Ako’s absence, I was in command.

Those who passed me nodded in respect for my position, symbolized by the navy tunic and pants I wore—an officer’s uniform.

A visual reminder of my duty to lead them safely on our journey through the stars.

Two double doors slid open with a faint swish as I stepped onto the bridge.

The space held an array of intricately designed workstations, each with its own unique purpose.

A commanding helm chair sat at the front, reserved for the captain.

A massive screen lined the walls, displaying crucial information and stunning views of the vast expanse of space.

It was a hub of activity and technology, buzzing with energy.