Page 35 of Xefe (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #1)

A wave of glittering gold wafted toward me. It was so dense, I couldn’t see in front of me. It didn’t seem like a force field, but it was heavy with power. Something inside of me responded to it. The Oro. This source was pure. I stepped forward.

“Don’t!” Veras’ voice came through as if in a long tunnel.

In seconds, the swarm abated, and I was in the singularly most alien room I’d ever experienced. I felt farther from Earth than ever before. The technology was mind-blowing.

Veras followed close behind. “You made it through! That is… unheard of. You must have a staggering amount of Oro in your system. The security protocol thinks you belong here. As if you are a being who made this place.”

“It thinks I’m an Aavvee?

“No.” Veras swirled his hands, and the low lighting flared to life, highlighting holograms of the universe, the stars above, even the tornadoes that roamed the planet.

All in miniature and floating around us.

Several other sections of the planets looked so life-like that I could touch them.

One looked like an alien zoo. Another, a brothel. The racing arenas. It went on.

“What is this place?”

“It is everything .”

“That tells me nothing.”

“Does it not? Oh! Before I forget, I was given strict instructions to say,” his chipper voice dropped, “I will destroy you if you mention this location. To anyone .” He focused on one of the holograms and expanded it.

“But this information, you may share with the humans, your teammates, and any of the warriors you trust.”

His voice… I heard it inside my brain, not just through my ears.

I nodded, too disoriented to ask about it.

He manipulated the hologram, expanding it until we were engulfed and standing in another lab with rows and rows of large, grey-tinted tubing.

The equipment looked like giant aquariums. But it was cold, abandoned, and very creepy.

A mist surrounded the structures. “Fear not. This is only a projection. We are not really inside this facility.”

I took a step back, instinctively knowing there was nothing good inside this place. “You better start explaining, Veras. This place is… wrong.” I shivered, completely spooked. With so little visibility, I wasn’t sure what might jump out at me.

“It is the true path of this planet. The pleasure zones and fighting arenas are all diversions.” The eerie echo of Veras’ voice penetrated my mind.

Okay. Not super weird, or spooky, at all. I fisted my hands, willing myself to go and take a look. Each pod had a window, wet with a liquid sheen. Suck it up, buttercup.

“Everything in here represents failure. This place is the physical manifestation of the Aavvee. They are thieves, usurpers. They are destructive and blunt and don’t know what to do with the sophisticated equipment they stole.”

“Who did they steal it from?” I wiped off the moisture and looked in one of the pods.

Double diablo ! It was horrific. Body parts, legs, arms…

parts of a spiked spine. These were warriors.

One of them was headless, but his body was intact.

It looked like Sunny. Same build—I could see the beginning of spikes above the elbow.

Veras droned on, either too wrapped up in his story or choosing to ignore my horror.

I’m sure he felt it because he seemed to be able to speak telepathically.

“The original people of this planet. The Nozarocans. They became so dependent on the Oro that they were convinced no one could breach the portals and the Guardians. Sadly, they were wrong, and it cost them their lives.”

“Are these…warriors?” I ripped my gaze from the gruesome scene.

“Of a sort.” Veras looked at me, and his big eyes went wide. “Forgive me, human. You are upset. I can only feel or read you when I’m looking at you.” He took my hand and patted it.

I tried not to wince. He reminded me too much of Freckles. Immediately, he dropped my hand.

“Apologies.”

I went to another pod. This one was much larger, and it appeared as if three bodies were attached to a single tube. Their coloring was much different, teal and gold, and I thought I spied wings. Similar to the supreme’s guards. Aw hell. “Are these clones?”

He tipped up his chin, the universal alien gesture for yes. “We call them Dupes.”

First thought: Who is we? Second: Guess I know where Sunny’s donations are going. I looked up and up and up. There must have been thousands of cubes above and below me, fanning out like rolling hills. I crept to the ledge and realized it wasn’t as abandoned as I thought. “Why do they need so many?”

“Genetic tourism. And protection.”

“What?”

“Imagine, the Aavvee manage to steal one of the most powerful substances in the universe that can heal the body, transform the mind… and what do they do with it? Plastic surgery. Ways to improve their appearance!” Veras was getting worked up, swinging his arms around.

“Superficial operations to look younger . An abomination.”

What he was saying was important, but the way he delivered it was fascinating. He was so different from any alien I’d met. An over-emoter, for sure. I was into it.

“But they soon discovered their folly. The Oro cannot survive off this planet. For example, if by a miracle you kill Freckles, somehow manage to survive the process, and I send you back to Earth…”

Ouch.

“You will lose all of your enhancements. Speed. Language. All of your injuries would return as the Oro died.” He spun around and looked at me, as if he just remembered I was there. “By the way, why do you think you developed these particular abilities with the Oro?”

I shrugged. “I asked.”

One blink. Two. “Asked?”

“Sure. It’s alive. I needed help with a few things.” Kill freckles. Save Valentina. “It decided I was worthy. Or whatever.” I placed a hand on my hip and winked.

“Clever human. You understood what the Aavvee have still not grasped. They think the Oro is a weapon. It is, but it is also a living, breathing entity, native to this planet. When the Aavvee realized they couldn’t leave Nozaroc, they decided to move in.

Take over. And if you want to keep something, you need an army to protect it.

But the Aavvee are stupid. The Dupes are flawed.

They are mindless. The Aavvee have not been able to build a fully functioning soldier. Not yet.”

So that means Sunny isn’t a clone. “Sunny must not have any idea. At least he’s never mentioned it to me.

They told him they collected his man-juice to keep him clear-headed.

Are these warriors why the supreme is so willing to let Sunny return to his true mate?

” The words sounded bitter on my tongue.

I hated his stupid almax —whoever she was.

“You do not listen. Think. I told you these copies are mindless. Can a brainless warrior keep the arena safe? Guard the grounds and the aristocracy?”

“No. So that means…he’ll never let him go.”

“There is nowhere to go. The story of his home is a lie. All of the warriors working for the supreme were stolen as children or bred with Nozarocan warriors who had traveled off-planet. The supreme cannot expose his lies, nor does he have an army to replace them with.”

“Why would you show me this? What does this have to do with killing Freckles?”

“If the supreme cannot grow new warriors, he will breed them. Human DNA is extremely adaptable. They have already begun testing, and even these knuckleheads are figuring things out. But if they discovered that humans and warriors are genetically compatible? They would breed you, and every human on this planet and Earth, to death.”

Holy shit. My hands automatically went to my lower belly. Babies. “I can’t have them.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “On Earth, they didn’t want us distracted, so we were all operated on.”

“I am sorry.” Veras placed his hand over mine. “But I don’t know. There is a possibility that the Oro repairs what has been taken.”

What? The idea was outrageous. “Ignore what I just said. It’s irrelevant.” I shook off his words, absolutely not needing that discussion right now. “If I kill Freckles, how will that affect any of this?”

“Tontoh is getting too close. He will quickly decipher that humans and Nozarocan warriors are compatible. He must be taken out. I have to remain hidden to protect the planet and discover other humans. As for you, I can at least save you and your friends. Is this not worth freedom?”

There was so much he wasn’t telling me. It set off alarm bells. “Why would you care about humans?”

“Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing more important to me in the universe.”

Huh. “I need access to him. He’s always hiding behind the supreme.”

“Understood. He will be there for the Great Race. It is required watching for the whole sector. I will aid you by activating the communication device implanted in your palms. From Earth.”

My vid-phone? Yes! “Good. And we need more Oro. My teammates, too. There’s no way they can fight without it.”

“I agree.” He pulled out a vial from his cape.

And a small device. “This is the applicator. If you are too squeamish to administer it to your eye, you can penetrate any part of your body. But the eye is fastest. Share it equally between you. Remember, if you take too much, you will never be able to leave this planet. Your body will be too dependent on the Oro.” He placed the contraption in my hand.

“In the meantime, I will try to find your sister. After you kill Tontoh, I will send you instructions through the communication link.”

“You have a deal.” I practiced the simple instructions to use the applicator. “But what about Sunny?”

“He has been programmed. Memories implanted.”

“That’s why they all share the same words from their mother?”

“Yes. But they have instincts the Aavvee could never control. They know on a cellular level about their almax . When they meet their fated mate, they will experience physical changes. The Oro carries the memory of their heart’s desire.”

My stomach dropped. “Physical changes? Like what?”

His orange eyes swirled, and he chirped out a laugh. “I think you already know.”