Page 16 of Seized by the Alien Space Warrior (Alien Romance #8)

Chapter Sixteen

T he little sound Ava made as he was squaring her bread was pure sex. A soft, feminine sound, it was enough to ignite the mate-bond that teased Aekon relentlessly. Seven hells, he was glad the table hid his stiff cock from her view and if he was on his own, he would strangle the damn thing with his fist just to sate himself. Every male at the table had their eyes on his bond-mate; her unconscious sound was like a siren’s call to all of them.

He growled, making a sound too low for Ava to hear, thank the fates, but one that let every male at this table know that she was his. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t true, he couldn’t contain himself.

She had no idea how desirable she was. Human females never did, and that was what made them so sought after. They were a drug, that once tasted could never be undone. He watched as her human brand of magic settled over the Ixod seated at the table.

She could have any one of them, if she so wished. Just not him. He clenched his teeth and concentrated on not decimating her bread. There would be no more touching Ava. No more kissing. Touching. Tasting. Or anything else his body demanded he do. No more feeding her. Such an intimate gesture was only to be between mates, and he’d succumbed at a table full of Ixod. He would need to keep his wits about him for both their sakes.

He turned his attention to Brenur and the reason why they were here, being looked after and fed. Ixod never did anything out of generosity. There was always something to be gained and he was in debt. He dug into the stew, eating because he wanted to fuel his body should Ava need him. He was still here to protect her on his current duty, after all.

“What do you want of me, Brenur?” he growled between bites.

Ava sucked in a quick breath but he ignored her glance. Brenur didn’t blink at his tone, which made Aekon feel a little better. He wasn’t dealing with amateurs.

“What do you know of Baxklet Taczod?”

Very little, if he were honest. Not a lot was known about the Ixod leader, although some said he was more dictator than an elected head. What he did know was best left alone. While the hordes acted separately they were bad news but containable. However, the whole Ixod society was secretive.

“Not a lot of information is known in the ten Quadrants about Venturi or anyone on it,” Aekon said carefully.

Brenur levelled a direct gaze at Aekon, his voice low and angry. “He is the reason we live here, in this cave. We traded fresh air and sunlight for freedom.”

“We traded everything for freedom,” York said.

“We’re here for our families. Our children,” another Ixod spoke from across the table.

“We are here because Baxklet has slowly gone insane and rules with an iron fist,” Brenur said.

“Has anyone tried to overthrow him?” Aekon said.

“Many have tried. Baxklet tortures their family and kills them in front of their eyes before he kills them. Many suffer and none can get to him. He lives behind the walls of his palace with his personal, hand-picked generals. He is too powerful and connected for anyone to get close now,” Brenur said.

“And what of the hordes?” Aekon said.

The hordes were powerful units in their own right, with their own law. A horde might have the capacity to overthrow Baxklet if they wished.

“Baxklet controls the hordes. They do his bidding as one complete unit,” Brenur said.

“What!” Aekon yelled so loud that Ava flinched.

“Baxklet merged the hordes. They don’t operate separately anymore. They are Baxklet’s horde. One horde. Any being that didn’t want to become a part of his horde was put to death as well as their families and their entire village. It was a very strong motivation to join him, even though very few wanted to do so,” Brenur said.

The controllable aspect about the hordes was that they hated each other. Each had a commander and they didn’t interact, working independently of each other. If they were connected now, they would be a terrible force to fight. The danger was real and more importantly, something the Mercenary Division and the Interspecies Council did not know about.

“Many of our families were killed before we managed to get away underground. This is the result of our escape. Up top, we would be forced to Baxklet’s whim. Here, our children are safe,” Kaico said.

“We are aware that ours is not a peaceful species. We have made…mistakes in the past,” Ser said.

“But we have grown as a species too. We know what Baxklet is—a power-hungry megalomaniac. We don’t want that for our children. We want our future to be better than that. We want it to be better than it ever has been. No more hordes. No more fighting. We want peace,” a female Ixod said and stepped forward and offered a pitcher of water before placing it on the table before them.

“You see how we are here. Here, we are truly free. If we could live our lives on the surface, it would better for our species as a whole and would lead us all in the right direction,” York said.

“And why are you telling me all this? Why should I care if you’re ruled by a dictator? It’s payback for what your species has done to others throughout the ten Quadrants as far as I’m concerned,” Aekon said.

Brenur nodded. “We have harmed many. I am not going to deny that. It is a past we hope to make amends for.”

“Not just harmed. Destroyed!” Aekon pounded his fist down on top of the table, hitting it so hard the bowl and mug in front of him jumped.

“Aekon?” Ava’s small hand covered his fist.

He expected to see horror at his outburst and was shocked to find only concern on her face. The whirlwind inside dissolved as fast as it had started. His fist relaxed beneath her touch. His chest eased and he could breathe again.

“It’s not something we are proud of, but we have made a start, such as it is,” Kaico said.

“And what does this have to do with us?” Aekon asked.

“Baxklet is a danger not just to our species, but to the ten Quadrants,” Brenur said, his hand tightening around his cup.

“This is already a known fact. The Interspecies Council step in when needed. We have a larger fighting force than your species alone. He has never been an issue before,” Aekon said.

The fractured hordes were also the only reason the Council had been unable to stop them as a whole. There had been no ‘whole’. Skirmishes were squashed as they arose.

The Council also recognised species develop at their own rate and they as a whole had decided that the Ixod needed time to advance. Interaction and progress too early had resulted in disasters with some planets in the past. Some had wiped themselves out with advanced technology gifted by the Council. In the case of the Ixod, although they had space-faring technology, they had yet to advance as a society and so the Interspecies Council had kept back.

“Many of the resistance have died to bring me this news, Dhasu. I would merely ask that you listen in return. We have tried to stop Baxklet, but we are small and he has the whole planet on his side, too scared or unwilling to stand up to him,” Brenur said.

Something about Brenur’s grim expression made Aekon stop. His gaze flicked over the others at the table. A pervading grim sense had stolen over all of them. Even though their bowls were half eaten, nobody continued to eat. Nobody even moved. He knew this look. The foreboding before the bad news.

“I think we should hear what he has to say.” Ava’s soft voice seemed so out of place in this room of heaviness.

“Go on,” Aekon said, his voice tight.

“Baxklet has developed antimatter technology,” Brenur said.

Aekon scoffed even though his blood ran cold. “Impossible. Not even the best and brightest of all the species has been able to do that.”

The Council had an elite technology division. They recruited the best scientists and engineers through the ten Quadrants and led the way for all. The latest efforts were focussed on terraforming former uninhabitable planets that could sustain life.

“He stumbled on it, admittedly, but believe me, he very much has developed this technology,” Brenur said.

“And how do you know this? Hearsay?” Aekon said.

“He disintegrated my parent’s township off the face of the planet to see how the weapon would work,” Kaico said, his voice quiet.

Silence hung heavy in the air. His shoulders slumped forward.

“My parents. Siblings. Friends. Gone in an instant.”

“Oh, Kaico. I’m so sorry,” Ava said.

Ava had a beautiful heart, despite what the Ixod had done to her.

“The technology Baxklet uses is strong enough to annihilate a town and he wants to expand it to annihilate a whole planet,” Brenur said. “Then he will attack the ten Quadrants.”

Ava gasped, her hand hovering over her mouth. “It would mean the death of millions. Billions. The universe would be at his whim.”

York nodded. “That is his aim. Unless the planet bows to him, of course. Then they will survive, although what type of survival they would have is dubious.”

“But…what can we do?” Ava said.

That was the million credit question on the tip of Aekon’s tongue. They’d been rescued at great lengths and it seemed immense risk to Brenur’s resistance for nothing to be expected in return.

“Don’t be fooled, Ava. We aren’t being offered a choice,” Aekon said.

“Let me put it this way,” Brenur said. “When you crash landed, you thought to reach a transmission station to send a communication for help.”

Aekon levelled a long stare at Brenur, saying nothing.

Brenur sighed. “There is no need for your hostility, Dhasu. It is merely what I would think to do also, but it is impossible.”

Ava gasped, tensing beside him as Aekon growled.

“Because we are captives here?” he said.

“Because Baxklet has increased the strength of the securi-net. The planet is locked down tight. There are no communications in or out of Venturi. Not from a normal transmission station in any case,” Brenur said.

Aekon gritted his teeth. “You lie.”

“Calm, Dhasu. It is very much the truth. It was strengthened right after you crash landed. You were probably the catalyst for that but I will help you escape this planet.”

“And all you ask for in return is..?”

Brenur huffed, looking somewhat amused. “You don’t trust well, do you Dhasu?”

“There has been little an Ixod has done in the past to earn any trust from me,” Aekon said, wanting to slap the amusement off Brenur’s face with the use of his claws.

Red flashed through his nodes. He gritted his teeth, willing the damn things to go back to their comatose state they’d once been in. Brenur’s half grin faded and grimness settled over his flat features. “I have a sympathiser who works at great risk to himself for us in the factory that manufactures the weapon.”

“Go on,” Aekon said, his voice tight.

Brenyur hesitated for a moment, and when he spoke his tone was low and even. “I am trusting you with this information so that you will trust me in return, Dhasu. My spy, Krono, is one of the lead scientists tasked with expanding the range of the weapon. He understands that if Baxklet has something this powerful, not only his life and the life of his family and everyone on this planet will be at risk, there will be nothing left in the ten Quadrants to call home. Baxklet is insane enough to blast everything out of existence to get what he wants.

“Krono will help us steal the key component that generates the antimatter. He will enable a breach in the barrier to get you out. The lab where he works also controls the securi-net around Venturi. We will help you escape and you will take the component to the Council. It will be the proof you need to show them. The Council needs to know what Baxklet is doing and they need to know how to defeat him. For the sake of everyone’s lives.”

“Why haven’t you tried to do this yourself? You don’t need me to steal a component and take it to the Council,” Aekon said.

“We were planning to do this. We just needed an exact location in order to smuggle the component off surface. We couldn’t chance the component getting lost or worse still, falling into the wrong hands. I’m sure you know there are many mercenary species in this universe. The central control of your Interspecies Council is well-hidden,” Brenur said.

Aekon grunted. It was. It had to be. The head office was a space station cloaked with invisibility shields. What the Ixod didn’t know was that the station was never at one location for long. In order for it to remain a top secret, it moved about the ten Quadrants as a safeguard should it come under attack. If the station was destroyed, the Council would be at risk. Only a few knew the location of the station at any one time.

“It seems I fell into your lap at the right time,” Aekon said.

“An opportune happening, to be sure but one I am desperate enough to use to my full advantage,” Brenur said.

Brenur’s plans were shaky. One chance and one chance only. There was no backup. And it meant that Aekon had to trust every single Ixod sitting at the table. His claws popped through the surface of the table.

“It is the only way you will escape Venturi with your human, Dhasu,” Brenur said.

“You could be lying to me for all I know,” Aekon said.

“I could be lying. I could also have left you for the Forsica, but if I had, you and your female would be in much worse shape than you are now. You should also know that I am desperate enough to trust a stray Dhasu that crash landed on my planet with an injured human female. Our two species have not exactly been on friendly terms in the past. It’s not the strongest plan I have had for such an important task. It seems as though both of us have to rely on trust for this to be a success,” Brenur said.

Heat flooded his veins and red flashed across his nodes as he narrowed his eyes and stared at Brenur. He didn’t like this. Not at all.

He didn’t like being hedged into a corner. He didn’t like that fate had played him right into Brenur’s lap. He didn’t like that Brenur used Ava as leverage. And he sure as the seven hells didn’t want to rely on any Ixod for Ava’s safety.

He didn’t care about himself. He could tear through all of their throats with a slash of his claws, but Ava was soft and delicate and deserved to find her place at the Sanctuary. She deserved to live and have a good life with a male that could look after her properly. He hated that there was no other option to save Ava but above all else he hated the fact that they were here because of him.

He inclined his head without breaking eye contact with Brenur, ignoring the way his mind screamed that everything about this idea was bad. He would be putting Ava into more danger but there was no other option.

“Let’s work out the details.”