Page 6

Trex

ONCE WE WERE BACK ON the shuttle, I joined Aza, the pilot, listening to him curse the mess he had to sort out at the controls.

I was relieved when the ship rose into the air.

While aware of the females intense gaze on my back, I resisted the temptation to turn around for a couple of minutes, considering they wouldn’t understand me anyway.

The females had not spoken to me long enough for my translator to interpret their strange language.

Calti Joele’s ability to interpret what I was saying to the humans was something I was grateful for. Her translator allowed her to converse with them in their own language.

Those who lived in human colonies in Alaran space spoke galactic common. But these tiny humans did not speak the common tongue, which meant they were not from any human colony, nor Alaran space.

I wondered where they had come from, and how they’d ended up this far out.

Turning to the warrior next to Krin, I requested he give temporary translators to the females. He moved around the ship for several minutes before I heard him speak aloud.

“Can you understand me?” he asked one of the females.

I turned in time to catch my favorite female smile at him as she responded. “Yes. I can.”

My chest rumbled at their interaction .

I wanted to be the one she smiled at that way.

“These are only temporary translators which allow us to understand one another. You can be fitted with a permanent one later,” Krin added from where he stood across from them.

When a female asked where we were taking them, he avoided eye contact and instead looked at me.

A split second of a smirk played on my lips before Krin shook his head and scowled. Krin was an excellent Commander, but he was less confident around females.

The warrior next to him responded to her question. “To our ship. It’s in orbit above the planet.”

“What will you do with us?” another of the humans asked with suspicion in her voice.

Nobody answered, and I heard her sigh in exasperation.

Turning in my chair to face the females I said, “You are fortunate you did not damage our shuttle, or we would have been required to wait for someone to come and assist us.”

The light-haired female inhaled through her teeth. “Yeah. About that. I’m a pilot and I figured...”

I glanced at her before finishing her thought. “You thought you could fly it?” I was impressed by her courage.

“Refrain from doing such an action in the future. You could have killed all of you and destroyed my shuttle.” My voice held enough of a stern tone the female blushed a deep shade of crimson.

I turned my chair back to face the console.

“What’s your name?” A melodic female voice asked. I detected a hitch in her breath and my gut told me it was the red-head.

It was clear she was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t a sense of fear that radiated from her.

“Who? Me?” I asked, turning my seat to face her.

My brow quirked as I breathed her in. Beneath the scent of sweat and dirt, I caught a whiff of a delicate floral fragrance lingering around her.

“Yes,” she croaked, then wiped her forehead.

“I am Captain Trex of the space vessel Chetok, and Commander of the Protectorate Forces of Alaran space,” I stated.

The female looked impressed by my title, and I beamed with pride.

Continuing the introductions, I motioned with my head to the pilot. “This is Aza, our versatile pilot, who occasionally doubles as an engineer.” Aza responded with a flick of his furry tail, with barely a glance over his shoulder.

I continued my introductions. “Standing at the door are Kimur and Commander Krin.”

The beauty greeted each of them with a fleeting smile, her eyes sparkling with warmth, before her attention shifted back to me.

Her gaze pierced through me, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Each time I made eye contact with the female, my mating marks flared, which left no room for doubt that it was not a mere coincidence.

Just thinking about what this meant I clenched my jaw, then with a slight cough, I redirected my gaze to the front, refocusing on what lay ahead.

If her presence alone made my chest markings throb what would happen if we touched? My thoughts were interrupted by Aza’s cursing in the seat next to me.

“What’s wrong? Did they damage the ship?”

“No. A flutzing Krilex ship is headed our way,” he ground out.

A groan of frustration escaped my lips. Great.

Our small shuttle was armed only with light phase cannons and blasters, which would not be much help if they decided to engage us. The flutzing Krilex knew this.

“Hail them,” I ordered.

“Did that. They aren’t responding.”

The shuttle rocked as they blasted us.

“I think we have our response,” Krin grumbled from where he stood in front of the door.

I cursed under my breath and angled my head toward the pilot. “Contact the Chetok and notify them we could use a hand. Then get us out of here as fast as possible.”

By precisely adjusting the ship’s angle, Aza swiftly dodged the enemy’s attack and gained speed.

The women squealed as we were jolted in our seats, causing the experienced pilot to show off even more.

“Stop scaring them’ I admonished, and shook my head.

He gave his usual mischievous grin with a quick nod to acknowledge me.

Aza was one of the best pilots we had though I would not tell him that to his face because it would go straight to his head.

He had a penchant for pushing boundaries and enjoyed flaunting his abilities in activities like shuttle flying.

A few moments later, Dril’s voice, the pilot of the Chetok, and partner of Aza, crackled through the comms. “We are above you. Give us a moment to handle the Krilex.”

The holo-screen showed the Krilex being fired upon. A single blast from the Chetok had taken out the weapons section of the ship.

“Looks like they’re leaving,” said Aza, running a hand across his head and grinning before easing the shuttle toward the Chetok.

“ Flutzing griks know they are outgunned.”

“Take us in,” I said.

THE CREWMEN ESCORTED the females off the shuttle and into the shuttle bay area of the Chetok while Krin and I hung back.

Fortunately, the females showed little distress after our run-in with the Krilex. Their agitation seemed only mild at this point.

While their behavior caught me off guard, I reminded myself of what they had likely already faced, being seized by the Zinids and almost being trafficked to the Krilex.

I never knew human females were so tough.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I was grateful we had managed to intercept the females transfer to the Krilex.

Krin shared his thoughts with me. ‘The Krilex may put up a fight to get the females back.’ His eyes narrowed in the corners as he looked at me.

Nodding, I pursed my lips in agreement. ‘ Perhaps. We need to talk to the Calti and return her to her people right away. Then we’ll handle the situation with the human females.’

It was essential for me to learn more about what the Zinid’s and their overlords, the Krilex, were plotting before making our next move. And it was my responsibility to put a stop to their activity in Alaran space.

WHEN WE STEPPED OFF the ship to join the others in the shuttle bay, we looked at the group of females surrounding the Drakkari female, their voices overlapping in a flurry of questions.

With quick steps, I made my way to the group, sensing the tense atmosphere as I directed my attention to the Drakkari diplomat. “Calti, your people have been notified that we’ve located you.”

I scratched my chin, avoiding the other females, even though one of them huffed in frustration.

The air was heavy with the mingling scents from our ship and the females, causing my nose to twitch.

My attention shifted to the torn clothing my favorite female was wearing. Watching her struggle to untangle her matted, dirty hair, I felt a wave of compassion. Her face glowed a deep red.

To avoid causing her more embarrassment, I shifted my gaze to the Calti and cleared my throat.

“How long have I been gone?” the Drakkari female asked in a curt tone.

“Ten rotations,” I proclaimed, pushing my broad shoulders back.

Despite the magnetic presence of the female standing next to Calti Joele, I attempted to stay focused.

At that precise moment, my communicator chimed, signaling an update from a member of the bridge crew.

“Captain, we are scheduled to meet the Drakkari fleet at Javar Outpost. We are two rotations away from reaching our destination.” After responding to the crewman, I faced the Drakkari female to relay the message.

She acknowledged me with a quick nod. “Did the Zinids take anyone else from the station?”

“You’re the only one we’re aware of. It’s unclear whether you were a specific target or if the abduction was random. All Alaran ally space stations and outposts will receive additional patrol vessels to boost security as soon as we can supply them.”

Calti Joele’s lips curled into a wry grin. “This incident underscores the growing requirement for more Protectorate Forces.”

“I agree.” I clenched my hands into fists over the situation we faced.

The Krilex and Zinids were ramping up their incursions into our territory, and it would only worsen unless we stopped it.

It remained a mystery why the enemy persisted in infiltrating our section of heavily guarded space recently, when they’d avoided us for many tenris. Something else had to be going on here.

I couldn’t help it. My eyes darted to the captivating human before I quickly returned my attention to the Calti.

Joele’s lips formed a slight curve when she noticed my distraction.

“If it’s alright with you, I would appreciate some rest and good food?”

“Certainly.” I nodded and turned to Commander Krin, asking him to escort the Drakkari diplomat to her quarters.

She bowed her head in a Drakkari salute. “Thank you, Captain.”

With a half nod, I moved backward, giving them space to leave.

I turned my attention back to the fiery-haired female, who had been observing me with wide eyes.

Our eyes met in a lingering gaze and locked. Her captivating green eyes reminded me of rare Tulian gemstones. Her lips, so captivating, hinted at a smile that made me yearn to feel their softness against mine.

I caught the other three females looking at me from the corner of my eye. One of them coughed, then asked when they would be brought back home. I brushed off her question because I wasn’t prepared to discuss our next steps.

Once again, I found myself wondering how they ended up in Alaran space.

Standing there, the heat of my mating marks intensified, and I begrudgingly tore myself away to fulfill my responsibilities as Captain.

My personal feelings about the situation would have to be dealt with at a later time.

Taking charge, I assigned one of my warriors to escort the females to the Medi-bay, where they would be fitted with translator implants and have any injuries examined.

The young warrior acknowledged with a quick nod.

I looked away from the enchanting human, touching my mating marks as I walked away.

The loud thumping of my heart in my chest made me believe everyone was aware of it.