Page 15 of Warrior (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #2)

Shock widened my eyes. Nansar was Duke Ako's eldest child—a product of Ako's dalliance with a human concubine. By all accounts, Nansar took after his mother in temperament. The Vaktaire considered him an ally in our resolve to protect the Earth. It was said that his hand more than once kept Duke Ako’s fetishes from spinning out of control.

“Now we have to kill him. “Dumbass appeared dejected by the idea. I might be starting to like this male.

Bored rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't mind being known as having bested a Vaktaire.”

Something dark and wicked crossed Cocky's face. "I guess killing him is one way to secure him." He yanked a knife from his belt; a tiny thing, though, the blade wouldn't make it through my pelt.

“Wonder if they’ll give us a reward” Bored stepped closer, pulling a dainty little knife of his own.

“What kind of reward?” Cocky wondered aloud.

“Money,” Bored snorted, then his lips twisted into something that might have been a smile. “I know something else I’d rather have.”

“What?” Dumbass seemed less interested in my fate and more interested in the control panel of the skiff.

“I know,” Cocky answered Dumbass’s question with a chuckle.

“Like you don’t want the same thing.” Bored shot at him.

“Of course, I do," Cocky admitted with a laugh. “Everyone with a cock wants it."

A rumbling started deep in my chest; the sound not yet audible to their paltry ears.

“We’re not allowed on her level.” Dumbass pointed out. ‘It would upset the younglings and affect the yield. Nansar said we were not to hurt the human.”

My blood grew hotter, scorching through my veins as I struggled to stay lax. If something went wrong, the last thing I wanted was for these fuckers to realize Daisy meant something to me.

Something very dear.

“We don’t have to do it on her level.” Bored suggested an insidious waggle to his eyebrows. “There are a million different tunnels to take her where no one can hear her scream. "I've always wanted some human ass, and hers looks good."

“You know,” Cocky snorted. “We can always toss her in the pit when we’re done. They’ll just think she got lost in the mine and died.”

It broke.

The thread of control I held onto while they spoke about Daisy ripped, fraying apart to leave edges of wicked sharpness. The roar rumbling in my chest released, bellowing from my throat in a mix of rage, vengefulness, and an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time.

Fear.

Fear heaped upon fear, making it difficult to breathe. Fear of Daisy being at the mercy of bastards like this. Fear of what they would do to her soft, sweet body and fear that by leaving her side, just for this little bit, I might have condemned her to that torture.

I lunged from the chair, my hands settling on the first guard.

Bored’s neck snapped under my hands, as a whine of surprise burst from his mouth before going eternally silent.

Cocky jerked out his knife, but I spun, grabbing the blade by the hilt, and using it like a lever to pull him into a hug.

He fought as hard as he could, almost managing a disastrous slash through my enviro-suite.

I kicked him in the chest and sent him sprawling.

With my hands bound, I couldn't move freely, but killing the bastards who fantasized about harming Daisy was all that mattered. As he clamored to his feet, I moved closer. He stabbed at me again, but I dodged to the side, letting him think he would succeed, then spun and locked his arm. Slitting a man’s throat double-handed isn’t ideal, but as long as Cocky went down with a gurgling grunt, what did I care if it the cut was straight or not?

Only one left.

The knife felt sticky against my fingertips, dripping with the gore from the last few moments. Dumbass backed away; eyes wide with horror. He gulped, watching as I flipped the blade in my hand, eyes settling on the center of his chest.

Dumbass wasn't dumb enough not to realize he was about to die. He was the youngest of the three, a waste of life. He pressed against the side of the ship, terrified eyes shining. I drew back my hand to throw.

Fuck.

Something stayed my hand, the very something I’d killed to protect.

Daisy.

The rage and fear in my gut stopped tumbling, replaced by something warm and calming.

She did not mind when I killed for vengeance—she supported what I intended for the guard that hurt Ewok.

She would most like support the death of these two.

But the young guard wasn't like the others.

He'd tried to intervene in the disgusting fantasies of his comrades.

She wouldn’t want me to kill him.

Fuck!

Dumbass’s eyes darted from me to the control panel and back. I still held the knife in a throwing position, but my body relaxed.

“Why did you keep touching the hull, even though you knew it would shock you?” I wanted to know if he was indeed stupid or smarter than I gave him credit.

“Wh-what?” His throat bobbed with a gulp.

"Why did you keep touching the hull, even though you knew it would shock you?" I repeated the question again, slowly, enunciating every syllable, even though I knew damn well he had a translator implant. I could see the slightly discolored skin at his left temple.

The Aljani swallowed hard, his eyes losing some of the fear. "I wanted to see if I could find a way into the skiff."

“Why?”

The young guard’s eyes hardened. “I thought if I could get into the skiff, maybe I could pilot it.”

"Ahhh," I breathed, twirling the knife through my fingers just to intimate him. "You thought you'd found a prize.

His snort was high-pitched and angry, like I'd somehow insulted him with my suggestion.

“I didn’t want a prize,” he snapped. “I want to go home.”

My eyes narrowed ominously. “A warrior—a soldier who deserts his crew does not deserve to live.”

The Aljani turned his gaze from me, staring out the porthole. “I’m not a soldier,” he muttered.

No shit!

“You wear the dress of the Aljani guard,” I nodded to the collar of his uniform peeking from under his enviro-suit. "You carry their weapons."

He let out a deep moan, sliding down the wall until he sat, knees drawn against his chest, head hanging. “I’m as much a prisoner as that human female.”

“Tell me.”

The gaze he flashed at me was a mix of anger and surrender. "What's the point? You're just going to kill me.

"I will definitely kill you if you don't talk."

Pale blue eyes stared momentarily, followed by a deep, shuddering sigh. “They conscripted me.”

“Conscripted?” My shock showed with the way the word blurted from my lips. “I did not think Duke Ako believed in conscription.”

"He doesn't. All the guards on this moon work for Nansar.” The pale blue eyes rolled in exaggeration.

“I was an apprentice to the robotics master on Ajaxiaun.

I'd always wanted to work with robots." His sigh was heavy and regretful.

"One day, Nansar and a group of his guards came into the shop.

When they found out I had no family, he conscripted me.

That's what a lot of us on the moon are, orphans with no one who cares.

Except for those like Taitus and Zhune." Dumbass made a face that told me he referred to Cocky and Bored.

"They and some others are disgraced military or prisoners.”

“Have you been through warrior training?” I wonder why I asked. I knew damn well he hadn't.

"They showed me how to use the blaster. That was it.

" He shrugged. "When we arrived on the moon, the captain said our service was just for show. Younglings doing the work just needed our presence to keep them afraid. They brought in the human after the guard assigned to the care of the younglings became too attached and tried to mount an escape.” Pale blue eyes flickered over the interior of the skiff.

I did not miss the yearning held in his gaze.

“Spotting your skiff was the most excitement since I got here.”

“What was the plan for the skiff?” I watched him intently.

“We were told to find the pilot and dismantle the skiff for parts." The pale blue eyes rolled again. “I hoped I could get past your security and use it to get off the gods forsaken moon.”

The knife felt too heavy in my hand, and I laid it on the floor, considering. “What is your name?”

"Xaden." Relief tinged his voice. "My name is Xaden."

"Here's my problem, Xaden." I pursed my lips, pondering a solution. "One of your comrades radioed the base that they captured me. But as you can imagine, I have no intention of being a prisoner."

Xaden smiled, and for a flash, he looked no older than Ewok and the other younglings.

“I need to get back to help the human and the younglings, so I can't let you go.

Even if you swore you wouldn't talk, there is always room for error.

" I ignored the flash of fear in his pale eyes, "I need to make your comrades think I am dead or gone, so no one keeps searching for me.

Plus, we need to get rid of these two." I gestured to the two corpses.

The smile on Xaden's lips grew deeper. “I have an idea.”

I listened while the young guard laid out his plan, which was rather impressive for someone without strategy training.

"You can pull this off?" I asked, watching him retrieve his comm.

“I don’t want them hunting me either,” he huffed.

I grabbed the medi-unit from the cabinet, along with as many supplies as I could stuff in my duffle.

The bag was worn, a participant in many battles, and it was Xaden who suggested wrapping it in the suit of one of his slain comrades to keep the acid from eating through the leather.

I helped him cover the dead in tarps, moving them closer to the airlock for jettison later.

“You are a man of honor,” Xaden gave his impression of the Aljani salute.

"No, I'm not," I grunted, then smiled. "You live simply because the human—Daisy—would not have liked it had I killed you.”

A large gulp bobbed his throat. "Will you give her my thanks… for my life?"

"I will." That he wanted to honor Daisy gave me a warm feeling in my chest. "Are you ready?"

Xanden’s lips hinted at a grin, and he drew his comm unit close to his lips.

“Aljani 7-3 to base, Aljani 7-3 to base.” His voice was a scared, raspy whisper. He sounded terrified.

"Go ahead, Aljani 7-3."

"The Vaktaire overpowered us. Taitus and Zhune are dead. I managed to hide in the storage area…”

Damn, this kid was good. He should be on some of those Earth entertainment videos.

“Subdue the prisoner.”

Xaden looked at me and winked. “I can’t I …. Oh gods….”

I sucked in a deep breath, whooping out a battle cry.

“No… please… no,” Xaden rasped as he placed the communicator in the palm of my hand. I crushed the device with a single flex of my fingers.

“You owe me a life debit Aljani,” I told him, dusting comm remnants from my hand.

Xaden drew himself up and issued a curt nod. “It is my honor to be in your debt warrior.”

“I call on you for repayment.” I nearly chuckled at the comical way Xaden’s eyes widened.

“When you are away from the moon, I need you to send a message to my warship, the Bardaga. The comm coordinates are already in the system. Tell my chieftain what transpired here and that a human woman and twenty younglings are held prisoner on this moon and his war chief requests assistance for escape.”

The light blonde hair fell across his face as Xaden nodded. “It is my honor.”

“Don’t let me down,” I scowled. “I will track you through the stars to hasten your death if Daisy or the younglings are hurt because of your failure.”

Xaden’s gulp was audible in the silence. “I will not fail you warrior.”

“The override code for the piloting system is 2270422,” I told him, satisfied I’d terrified him sufficiently to guarantee he would send the message.

“What will you do?” There was a tenor to his voice that made me think Xaden actually cared.

“Go back to the younglings and the human and look for a way to escape.” I shrugged, pulling the helmet of the enviro-suit into place.

“Early morning is the best time to attack the guardhouse,” Xaden suggested. "Most of the guards sleep in. You might be able to get to the dock and steal a ship, with no one being the wiser."

“From your lips to the Valana’s ears,’ I muttered.

"Good luck to you, warrior." Xaden saluted me again, taking time to ensure his moves were perfect. “I will not fail you in delivering the message.”

I gave him a curt nod, stepping through the steamy hatch and into the acidic air. I moved away from the skiff but remained at the edge of the henge to ensure he had no difficulties departing. A strange warmth burned in my chest as I watched the skiff lift into the sky. I wasn't sure why.

If Jutuk, Tarook, or any of my Vaktaire brethren learned what I'd done, they'd be stunned. They'd accuse me of going weak, possibly send me to the healer for evaluation. But Daisy….

Daisy would be proud of me—and that’s all that mattered.