Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3) (13 page)

Even though I now hold half of their military in the palm of my hand. The nobles are blinded by their own arrogance.

“Councillor Sivian,” I say mildly, disguising my rage. “Are you accusing me of treason?”

She responds with a deceptively gentle smile. “Of course not, General. We are all aware of your exploits in the expansion efforts and the fight against our eternal enemy, the Xargek. I was merely suggesting a course of action. Surely you’re not so attached to this feeble Human that you’d put her welfare above the needs of your own race?”

“And if I am?”

“Then this becomes an insurmountable dispute. One that needs to be resolved at all costs.”

I shake my head slowly. “No, Councillor. There is no dispute here. The human is mine, and you and your scientists will not touch as much as a single hair on her head. If you wish to carry out experiments, find another subject at your own expense.”

“General Akkadian!” An outraged male voice rings across the chamber as one of the Councillors stands. Luron Alerak. An idiot with yellow robes and metal piercings bristling from both ears. “You will not address the High Councillor with such disrespect. Or do you forget that you survive here by the grace of the Empress alone?”

A harsh laugh escapes me. “Do you forget that I have half of the Kordolian military under my command, Luron? The Empress acts graciously because I agreed to peace.”

“Outrageous! You go too far, General!”

“The Human is mine,” I repeat. “There will be consequences if any harm comes to her.” I turn to leave, a cold fury rising inside me. The thought of handing Abbey over to be experimented on makes me want to hurt someone. And the headache behind my eyes has become a thousand times worse.

If I don’t leave now, I may very well do something violent.
 

Shocked murmurs break out as I turn my back on the Council. But as I start to walk out, a familiar voice rings through the chamber. “General Akkadian, I don’t recall you being dismissed.”

I turn slowly, and find myself face to face with the arguably the most dangerous being on Kythia.

“Empress Vionn.” I look up towards the gallery, where she is standing at the railing. The Empress smiles, baring her fangs. But there is no warmth in her crimson eyes.

I stiffen, refusing to stoop to the ridiculous, customary bow that she loves. I receive twelve disapproving stares from the Council, but I hold my ground.

I’m no longer afraid of the High Council. There’s nothing they can do to me now. They hadn’t realized how much influence I held in the military until it was too late. Being a war hero has its perks. My soldiers are loyal to me only. And Kythia needs us. The Kordolian race is nothing without its army.

The Empress waves a slender hand, her sharpened, obsidian fingernails glinting under the overly bright lights. “The rest of you, get out. I will have words with the General alone.”

“But Infinite Mother,” Luron whines, the trinkets in his pierced ear clinking as he shakes his head. “Akkadian is a savage. You cannot-”

Vionn stalks over to the Councilor and slaps him in the face, her sharp nails drawing blood. A trickle of black seeps down Luron’s pale cheek. “Do not presume, Child.
Never
presume on my behalf.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath as the stabbing pain behind my eyes intensifies. Luron spews forth a stream of groveling apologies, bowing repeatedly as he backs away. The other Councilors follow him in haste.

We all know who holds the true power on Kythia. Ever since Emperor Ilhan died, Vionn has been spreading her influence. Her power multiplies like billions of unstoppable Xargek larvae.

Detestable female.

With the chamber empty, the Empress grabs the railing and leaps to the lower floor, landing in front of me, her loose robes billowing around her. Her wild, untamed hair is darkening with age, and as she moves closer, I see faint lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth.

No matter how powerful she is, the Infinte Empress cannot defeat time.

“I’m disappointed in you, Tarak. I never thought that you, of all Kordolians, would become attached to a lesser species. And to show your weakness in front of the entire High Council? Are you becoming soft, General?”

“What do you want, Vionn?” I freeze as she stops just in front of me. She’s so close I can feel her warm breath on my face.

“I want to understand what’s going on inside that hard head of yours, General. You know our species is dying out. That there haven’t been any females born in the most recent reproductive cycle. And yet you withhold an important clue that could lead to our survival. A reproductively compatible female. Is celibacy your problem, boy? Is abstinence clouding your judgement? You know, I can help you with that.” She draws her fingers down the side of my face, her long nails grazing my skin. “Why is it, that of all the males I’ve desired, only you have been immune to me? Are you defective, General?”

I clench my teeth as her chemical scent surrounds me. It’s harsh and cloying, a pale imitation of Abbey’s sweet perfume. The Empress leans close and draws her black, pointed tongue across my cheek. “I haven’t been able to feel true pleasure since Ilhan died. You know as well as I do that this generation of males isn’t the same. With such a brutal military to protect us, ordinary civilians have become soft.” She places her hand at the opening of my trousers, her claw-like fingers resting on my cock. “You, on the other hand, would make me a most suitable mate.”

She strokes my dick through the thin fabric of my pants, before snorting in disgust. “Disappointing. Not even a twitch. Are you perhaps fond of the other sex, boy? Or maybe you desire the Human female. Would you willingly dilute the Kordolian gene pool with that filth? Why, oh, why, do all the males with a shred of promise act like raving lunatics? Even that uncivilized son of mine has gone insane.”

Unable to take it any more, I grasp her wrist, pulling her hand away. “My sexual preferences are none of your business, Vionn.” My headache is excruciating now, threatening to bring me to my knees. My vision starts to blur a little. I squeeze Vionn’s wrist and she smiles, showing her fangs.

“Oh, I like a male who isn’t afraid to hurt me. None have had the balls to try, aside from you. They forget that pain can be a great aphrodisiac.”

Her words cause me to release her in disgust. She laughs. “It’s too bad about your Human pet. I can see you’re quite attached to it. But we’re arranging to have it brought here as I speak. You’ll just have to replace it with another Human, the next time you’re passing by Sector Nine.”

Something inside me snaps, and the next thing I know, I have her pinned to the floor, my hand around her neck. The black nanites respond to my will, forming an armored glove around my hand. The hard, impenetrable material of the exo-suit bites into her pale neck.

White hot rage erupts at the thought of Abbey being at the mercy of this bitch. I could squeeze my hand now and drain the life from Vionn, so easily.

For a sliver of a moment, so quickly I almost miss it, fear flickers in her gaze.

And then, she’s laughing. It’s more of a faint, noiseless wheeze, but she’s laughing. Her dark red eyes shine with a mixture of desire and amusement. She’s enjoying this. Revulsion creeps through me. “You can’t bring yourself to do it, General. Go on, kill me and invite war. Our species will not survive another civil war. Or the loss of another female. You can bring about our downfall, right here, right now, if you wish.”

I wrench my hand away in disgust, stepping up off her.

The Infinite Empress, ruler of Kythia and the declining Kordolian race, is insane.

I leave her lying on the black floor of the Council chambers, her long hair strewn around her head like a wild crown. A mad laugh echoes through the room as I escape, my skin crawling with disgust. The agony behind my eyes pounds incessantly, sharp and insistent.

“Go, Tarak. Try and save her. You’re already too late.”

And all I can think is that I need to get to my Human before they do. They will dissect her and destroy her, because they don’t value any other life besides their own.

I know it all too well, because I was the same, once.

Abbey

As I turn away from the pool hall, the sounds of splashing water echoing through the huge space, two more Kordolians appear. But unlike the military guys, they’re both wearing white robes, similar to those I’ve seen on Zyara.

And these two males don’t look so friendly.

They don’t seem surprised to see me, either. Uh, oh. I’m getting a bad feeling about these guys.

I look around for somewhere to go, but they’re blocking the only exit, and the pool area is a dead end. There’s nowhere to hide.

“Can I help you guys?” I blurt, trying to edge around them. They stare back at me, stone-faced, not saying a word.

Okay, so they’re definitely not friendly.

And the lead guy has something in his hand. It looks like a needle of some sort. I try to weigh up my options. They’re advancing on me and muttering to each other in Kordolian. I decide I don’t want to be a part of anything they’ve got planned.

I feint to the left, then dash to the right, evading them and making for the exit.

Run!

They shout in their strange tongue, rushing after me, but I’m faster, and I pump my arms and legs, racing across the common area. These new legs are working a treat. Somehow, I can run really, really fast.

What the hell did they do to me?

But I don’t have time to contemplate my newfound speed right now, because two other white-robed Kordolians have appeared, blocking off the way to the General’s quarters.

Cutting me off. Shit.

I look around, but there’s nowhere to go. The two males who were in the pool have appeared behind the robed guys, still naked and dripping wet, yelling and adding to all the confusion.

If I wasn’t so terrified right now, I’d roll my eyes. What is it with Kordolian males and nudity?

Everyone’s started screaming, and I can’t understand a word of it. The unfriendly guys advance on me, tall and intimidating, marching forward like robots.

There’s nowhere for me to run, nowhere to hide.

Where the hell is Tarak when I need him? As I try to evade the Kordolians, one of them catches me by the wrist, his grip like steel. Like the General, these guys are insanely strong. I flail about, trying to wrench away from his iron grasp.

His buddy comes up behind me, and the other two guys also close in. I’m outnumbered four to one.

The soldiers are staring at the scene before them in shock, still engaged in a rapid-fire back and forth with the white robe guys. “A little help here,” I gasp, appealing to them with a desperate glance.

They stare at me in confusion, but just as I sense I’m getting through to them, something sharp pokes me in the back of the neck.

Feels like a needle.

Oh, shit.

My last thought, before I black out, is that I really need to stop letting these Kordolians sedate me all the time. Then, my vision goes hazy, and everything fades away.

Abbey

When I open my eyes again, the world blurs slowly back into focus. Kordolian voices murmur all around me. My head is spinning.

I try to move, but something is pinning down my arms and legs. Something hard and inflexible is clamped around my wrists and feet. The restraints have sharp edges. I think I’m bleeding a little.

And it’s bloody freezing cold. There’s no warmth in this Kordolian world. Everything is dark and cold and inhuman. They’ve lived without the warmth of a star for so long they’ve turned into creatures of darkness and ice.

I’m strapped down on some kind of table, and I’m totally naked.

Oh sweet Earth, how I miss you right now. I preferred life when it was simple, when I could just retreat into my room and watch silly twentieth-century movies on Netcom in my pajamas, with a bowl of ramen.

Oh, for the good old days.

I shudder, closing my eyes again as a white-robed figure passes close to me. I feign unconsciousness.

This is beyond bad.

Drugged and strapped to a table on an alien space station? That only means one thing. They’re about to turn me into a giant lab rat.

The frigid, hard surface of the table is brutal against the bare skin of my back and ass, My body trembles slightly, threatening to erupt into full-blown shivering.

I am so sick and tired of this damn cold. If I ever make it back to Earth, I’m having a month-long, warm bubble bath.

What would be better than a long, hot soak right about now? A long, hot soak with a grumpy, bossy, silver alien? There would be something so oddly satisfying about seeing General Tarak covered in fluffy bubble bath suds.

A robotic machinery sound brings me back to reality and I mentally kick myself for thinking such stupid things at a time like this. I’m about to be dissected by aliens and I’m thinking about that muscle-headed jerk, naked? The word delirious comes to mind. Maybe it’s the drugs they shot into me.

Speaking of the jerk, where the hell is he, anyway? My anger rises, mingling with a growing sense of helplessness. He’s the one who got me into this situation, and now he’s letting these robe-wearing assholes turn me into a human guinea pig?

I hope this isn’t what he intended all along. I really hope he hasn’t sold me out.

Because that would be rather disappointing.

I almost thought we had a little connection going on there.

And he keeps invading my thoughts with his damn nakedness.
 

I freeze as a pair of cold, gloved hands touches the bare skin at my neck. I fight with every ounce of my self-control to keep from moving. Because some instinct tells me I shouldn’t let them know that I’m awake right now. The hands trace down my chest, resting at my breasts, before examining my stomach. They poke and prod and feel around, and I fight to keep from wincing in pain.

Seriously dude, I’m not a fucking beanbag.

The creepy alien hands descend to my pelvis, moving over the prominent bones of my hips, tracing down to my pussy, running over the soft, sensitive flesh. I bite down on my lower lip, drawing blood. It’s the only thing that’s stopping me from screaming right now as revulsion courses through me. This is like every bad, twentieth-century alien movie coming true all at once.