Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3) (8 page)

Her eyes glow orange, reminding me of a cat’s.

“Be calm, Abbey. You need to stop trying to move about. Otherwise you’ll undo all of my hard work.”

“What is all this? Who are you?”

“I am Zyara al Sirian, healer for the First Division. I’ve stabilized your wounds and put you inside a stasis tank. The bleeding has stopped, but both your legs are broken in several places. I’ve applied fibrogel to the cuts on your body. You also have several broken ribs and a collapsed lung.”

“Oh.” That all sounds rather serious. “Damn.”

“Right now I’m putting some Human blood back into your body. We were able to obtain some from the Station medics. You’re lucky that Human and Kordolian biology seem to share some similarities. I think I can work with that.”

I look down and see that one of the lines going into my arms is red. That must be the blood. I shudder, and I’m not sure if it’s the cold or what’s happened that affects me the most.

My memories are a little hazy right now, but I have a vague recollection of the skydome caving in, punctured by the claws of that gigantic, disgusting
thing
. That cockroach on growth hormones.

A feeling of disgust ripples through me, making my skin crawl. That was the grossest thing I have ever seen in my life. My horror turns to alarm as I remember the emergency shutters coming over the dome, shutting out the light.

“We have no sunlight in the dome,” I gasp. “If the oxygen filters stop working and the biomeric plant stops producing, we’re screwed.”

A blank look crosses Zyara’s face. “I don’t know anything about that. I’m sorry. I’m going to put you back under now. The stasis tank can be unpleasant. I went light on the first dose of sedative, because I wasn’t sure how you’d metabolize it.”

“Wait!” The last thing I want is to be sedated. I need to know what’s happening. “You can’t just knock me out. I don’t even know what’s going to happen to me. When are you going to get me out of this guinea pig tank?”

“Guinea pig?” She shrugs. “I don’t know what that is.”

“I want to be transferred to the Station medical bay,” I demand. “Let’s just say I’d like a second opinion. I appreciate you hooking me up to this thing, but I’m Human. I need a Human doctor.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Why the hell not?”

A look of frustration crosses Zyara’s face. “I’m sorry.” She sounds genuinely apologetic. “But General Tarak has told me not to discuss that with you.”

Urgh. That insensitive prick. Just because he got all sentimental and guilty back there when I was lying on the floor of the biomeric facility, doesn’t mean he’s changed.

“Zyara,” I growl, anger darkening my voice. “You tell that big musclehead to get his silver ass over here right now. Don’t you dare sedate me.” I’ve forgotten about the cold. I’m way too livid to think about anything else.

How dare he wire me up like this and stick me in some oversized goldfish bowl? I’m going to demand he hand me over to the Human side. He can’t just keep me here like this.

Zyara clasps her hands together in alarm. She looks shocked. Maybe it’s because I’ve insulted her almighty boss. I don’t care. I just want to get off this ship.

“Musclehead?” General Tarak’s familiar, deep voice resonates through the little speakers in my helmet, causing me to shudder. And maybe it’s just the drugs Zyara’s pumped into me, but a weird sensation courses through me, settling in my lower belly.

He emerges from the shadows, the faint blue light reflecting off his hard features. I swear a little vein is pulsating on the side of his head. And his ears do a rapid little twitch.

I’m starting to figure out what that means. He’s annoyed.

“Take me to the Station medical bay,” I demand. “I want a Human doctor.”

He scrutinizes me with those unsettling dark red eyes of his, his expression giving nothing away. The fear I felt before comes back, stronger than ever. I’m helpless and I absolutely hate it.

I don’t want to end up as some Kordolian scientist’s dissection project.

I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up a hand in that irritating, arrogant way of his. “Zyara, some privacy.”

“But Sir, I need to monitor-”
 

“I need to speak to her alone.”

The medic nods and gives him a deferent little bow before disappearing into the shadows.

Tarak steps forward, peering at me through the transparent glass of the tank. A sudden, horrific thought occurs to me and I try to look down.

Am I even wearing anything? Oh, no. They wouldn’t dare. Even aliens have some scruples, right?

Thankfully, I seem to be dressed in a garment that at least hides my naughty bits. It clings to my body in all the right places, kind of like a swimsuit, although my arms, shoulders and midriff are left bare. And of course, both my legs are wrapped in that strange, clear membrane.

Well, this is embarrassing. My attire leaves little to the imagination, and the General is staring.

My anger rises again. He put me in this position. And now he has the nerve to look me up and down like I’m a specimen in a zoo?

“Why are you doing this, General? Why not just let my people treat me?”

“You Humans do not possess the technology.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I would see you restored to your original state. With the injuries you’ve sustained, I don’t believe your medicine is capable of achieving that.”

“That’s not up to you, General. Let me out of here. Please. I need to speak with the other scientists. I need to alert them to the damage in the biomeric facility.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“What do you mean?” A bad feeling settles in the pit of my belly. “Why won’t it be possible, General?”

“We are no longer in Sector Nine.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” That bad feeling starts to grow.

“While you were sedated, we successfully navigated a wormhole. We are now in Sector Three, heading towards Kythia.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.” I shake my head, ignoring the jolt of pain that shoots through me as I press my hands up against the glass. “You can’t do this to me!”

Tarak inclines his head, seemingly unmoved by my distress. “Your injuries are a result of my negligence. So it is my responsibility to see you restored.”

“What about my needs in all this, General? With all due respect, I don’t
want
to go to Kythia. I’m needed on the Station. So if you’ll be so kind to just turn this ship around and get me back to Fortuna Tau, I’ll let this slide.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Again with that line. What do you mean?”

“The wormhole we returned through has collapsed, and we only have enough oxygen for the return trip to Kythia. So you are stuck, little Human.”

Little human?
I consider launching into a diatribe about condescending nicknames, but I decide now’s not the time.

“And the people on Fortuna Tau? What about the biomeric plant?”

“I left our main oxygen concentrator on the Station, along with my soldiers, because your oxygen filtering system was damaged. And because our emergency backup would only support three passengers on the return journey. Sacrifices have been made for your sake, Human. An inferior species would not usually receive such treatment. So do not test my patience, Abbey. There is no turning back now.”

“Inferior?” Oh, if only I weren’t stuck in this tank right now. I try to bang against the glass, but my hand moves painfully slowly through the thick liquid. “If I’m so
inferior
, almighty Kordolian, then why are you even bothering? Is it because you need to feel better for screwing up and turning my life into hell? So you’re taking me away from my people, just because it makes you feel good about yourself? You need to do something about that savior complex of yours, General. It will get you into all kinds of trouble.”

“Enough!” His low voice cuts through my tirade, deep and menacing. I open my mouth to speak, but the expression on his face is enough to make me re-think the expletives I was about to throw at him. That vein I thought I saw bulging on the side of his temple has grown. His ears twitch again, and his fangs are protruding.

Fangs. Oh, my.

Okay, so maybe it’s not a good idea to share my potty-mouth with a Kordolian General. For a moment there, I forgot that this guy comes from one of the most feared races in all of space.

And so far, he’s only tried to help me, in his own bullish kind of way.

We Humans don’t like to be reminded that there are guys out there who are bigger and badder than us. That’s why we keep to ourselves, and stay the hell away from the likes of these Kordolians. But if this General is on my side because of some twisted sense of duty, then I’m pretty safe, right?

Still, I get the feeling he’s not telling me everything.

I start to shake. The cold’s finally gotten to me, and my body breaks out in the worst shivers ever, making my teeth rattle in my skull.

“You’re shaking, Human.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” My voice comes out as a stutter. “This thing is arctic. Why the hell does Zyara have to freeze me half to death? I’ll start getting frostbite soon.”

“I’m no medic,” Tarak shrugs, “but I believe the cold slows down cellular damage. Still, you Humans seem quite vulnerable to cold. I will ask her to come now and sedate you.”

Sedate? My shoulders slump and I close my eyes. You know it’s bad when the only way you can escape your situation is to sleep. I let out a deep sigh, my warm breath misting up the faceplate again. “Dope me up then, General. And please, be a good boy and wake me when we land.”

Tarak

She’s quiet now, after letting out her anger. Does this tiny female ever run out of energy? Even with the wounds she’s sustained, finding herself in unfamiliar surroundings, she manages to find the strength to challenge me.

I am rarely ever challenged. This feeling is new for me. And she has a point.

Why did I insist on taking her back to Kythia? When I saw her, injured and broken, lying helpless on the floor, a feeling came over me.

I wanted to make things right.

How very un-Kordlian.

And a deeper, more primal part of me simply wanted to take her. To protect her. Mine.

I left the rest of the First Division on the mining station. My soldiers didn’t question my orders, intent on hunting down every last Xargek larva. They know we’ll be back to retrieve them, even if backup has to come the long way. Until their mission is complete, Fortuna Tau is under Kordolian control. If the Station proves to be strategic in our fight against the Xargek, I may even consider keeping it.

They did not question why I was taking this Human female back to Kythia. My soldiers obey me without question. And apart from that crazy female mechanic, the Humans didn’t dare stop me. Zyara raised curious eyebrows, but didn’t say a thing.

For the rest of this journey, she’s my responsibility. Mine.

Her eyes flutter as she stares at me through the clear glass of her respirator. They appear green now, a blue-green filter cast across her face by the liquid in the stasis chamber.

She looks small and vulnerable, her fragile body surrounded by various lines and monitors. She’s shaking uncontrollably.

I did not realize Humans were so vulnerable to cold. It must be unpleasant for her. Kythia will be unpleasant for her. But we’ll worry about that when we get there.

Sedation will be a mercy as we complete the final leg of our journey.

She puts a hand up against the glass, as if to reach out to me.

Her brown hair sways gently in the liquid, forming a soft, moving crown around her pale face. Her body fascinates me. Unlike Kordolian females, who are long-limbed, muscular and lean, there is a softness to her. Although hidden by a fitted, black garment, I can make out the swell of her breasts, full and rounded. Her nipples are erect, two perfect, symmetrical points. I imagine them beneath my fingers, taut with arousal.

Her stomach is exposed, a smooth plane of pale skin leading to rounded hips.

She is small but her body has curves. She has a loveliness to her that is distinctly Human and entirely feminine. And right now, she is completely vulnerable.

I find myself aroused. Her appearance stirs my base instincts. To dominate. Control. Protect. The thought occurs to me that I could keep her on Kythia, when she has healed.
 

But I know she would fight me, each and every step of the way.

That thought stirs my arousal even further. Underneath the exo-suit, I am hard; painfully so. And my headache is starting again.

I push the insanity from my mind, reminding myself that she’s hurt.

There is something desperately sad about seeing her like this, broken and trapped, shivering and alone.

I will ask Zyara to sedate her.

But I cannot tear my gaze from her.
 

“What are you waiting for, General?” Even though her voice cracks, she manages to inject a hint of mockery into the question. “Knock me out already.” Her teeth are chattering. She brings her arms up, hugging herself around the chest, trembling.

Alone.

A strong impulse overtakes me there and then. I need to touch her. To be by her side. To stop this infernal shivering of hers. I walk over to the side of the tank, mentally commanding my exo-suit to retract. Billions of microscopic nanites dissolve, entering the pores of my skin, making their way back into my bloodstream. I haul myself up at the side of the tank.

“Wh-what the hell are you doing, General?” Her sometimes brown, sometimes green eyes have gone wide.

“Making you warm,” I answer. I pause for a moment, suspended at the edge of the tank, surprised by my own actions. I did not think. I reacted instinctively. “If you wish.”

She doesn’t protest at first, her lips parted in surprise. And for the first time, I see hunger in her gaze.

I don’t wait any longer. I plunge into the tank, allowing the blue liquid to engulf me.

Abbey

My jaw drops as Tarak does something and his nano-armor just melts away, dissolving back into his skin. What the hell? The nanites can go
inside
him?