Chapter 3 Julie
The Kadrixan warship loomed in the middle of the valley, looking very much like a predator in wait for its prey.
It was a monstrous thing of blackened metal and neon lights, very much in line with the future goth aesthetic that graced the inside of the Kadrixan stronghold.
The hull was scarred from past battles, but it still gleamed in the sunlight.
It sat parked right next to the swimming pond that Clara and I had built together.
The dark, massive ship looked completely out of place next to the little waterfall and the smooth stones we’d selected and placed by hand.
The contrast was jarring. A weapon of war beside the place where Clara, Brianna, and I enjoyed a mojito—made with real mint, since that stuff grew like weeds on almost every known planet—just the other day.
I wiped my palms on my pants, my stomach twisting. I was nervous. This would be my first time in space. My first time leaving Vokira.
Three years ago, I hadn’t even left my sector of Nova Vita except to visit Dana’s place, a highly monitored apartment provided by Omnia Pictures.
Now, I was about to board a ship that looked like it had been forged in the depths of hell itself.
Not that I believed in such things. If hell existed, then it was surely inside one of Utopia Project’s secret labs.
The air smelled like damp earth and metal, a weird mix that did little to calm my nerves. The low vibration that ran through everything didn’t help. I assumed it was coming from the ship, even though I didn’t hear anything, not even the hum of an engine. At least I wasn’t doing this alone.
“You look like you’re about to puke,” Annabel said, nudging me with her elbow.
I shot her a glare. “Thanks. That helps so much.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice.
She grinned, her dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re welcome.”
Annabel was one of those people who always seemed unshakable, like nothing in the universe could rattle her. Maybe it was because she had a former Exotech super soldier at her beck and call.
Igor lumbered up beside her, his massive frame casting a shadow over both of us.
The guy looked like he could bench-press a shuttle and ask for extra weight.
The experiments they’d done on him had left him with strength that bordered on inhuman.
It made him the perfect guard. But Exotech had also messed with his head, controlling him for most of his life with neural shocks.
The poor guy. Before meeting him, I’d never thought I’d feel sorry for a super soldier.
But now I understood what they’d gone through.
They were victims, just like everyone else under the heartless corporation’s thumb.
I was certain that, given the chance, Igor would love to take his revenge.
But he was also terrified of his old owners taking over his brain again. And rightfully so.
Annabel had been the one who’d removed most of the receivers and transmitters from his brain. And it explained why Igor had more than a little obvious crush on the woman. To him, she’d saved his life and given him true freedom.
There was one implant she couldn’t remove since it was too close to the brain stem or something, which was why he sometimes wore a tinfoil hat. I wasn’t sure how much it helped, but it made him feel better.
For this trip, they’d made him a foil-lined helmet so he wouldn’t draw more attention than he was going to anyway.
“Ships are safe,” Igor rumbled, his voice deep and slow. “No need to fear.”
“Thank you, Igor,” I said.
Now that he was on our side, Igor was a total sweetheart. A little slow at times, but who could blame him? He never had a normal childhood, having been an orphan sold by the colony of Nova Vita to Exotech for their research.
“You two are coming along to check out the market, right?” I asked.
Annabel nodded. “Yep. Did you know Igor’s been to Halcyon Station before?”
“Really?”
“I don’t remember much,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Bullshit.” Annabel waved her phone in my face. “We managed to recover several images from his ocular implants. It was two years ago, so things might have changed, but the market was full of tech. I’m excited to see what we can find.”
It was crazy to me that even after everything, they could still pull up images from two years ago.
I was grateful that these two were coming; my stomach-churning nervousness had dissolved, and I was actually smiling.
Besides, Igor was a menace, and people would think twice about messing with anyone he was with.
Maybe I could explore the market with them once the negotiations were done.
Chris showed up next with several men and women I didn’t recognize. I did recognize Charlene though; didn’t she major in Earth languages? She’d definitely help clear up any misunderstandings.
Aak was right behind him, with Maddy all red-eyed and clinging to him.
Aak was one of the few native Vokiren who’d decided to stay at Ellaston instead of returning to his people.
With the Kadrixans and the other mated couples around, their cross-species mating was much better received here than it was among his people.
Aak had immediately volunteered to act as a guard for the trip the moment he realized it would be off-planet.
His people had never thought it possible to leave the planet until humans arrived, descending from the skies and beyond the stars.
He’d be the first Vokiren ever in space, and his excitement was impossible to ignore.
Maddy was less gung-ho about leaving good old terra firma and would be waiting for him to return. It would be their first time apart for more than a day since they were rescued from the Exotech lab.
One by one, everyone arrived. The core group was comprised of the leaderly and diplomatic types, those who were there to do the actual negotiations.
Then there was me, the official media. There were also a few of the science-minded and techy types, who were there to shop the market and bring home whatever was useful.
And the rest of our group were big, burly men of all species, there to make sure the rest of us got back alive, guys like Igor and Aak.
There were also a few Kadrixan warriors, including one male I’d spent a few hours with last rutting season. What was his name?
Damn it. I couldn’t remember. The rule during the rutting season was to keep things casual and not get too attached, since it was one of the times Kadrixan males produced bonding hormones for females who were not their mates.
Getting attached to the wrong warrior was a recipe for disaster, so I followed the unwritten rules and kept things casual.
The warrior clearly remembered me as well because he grinned and came to stand next to me.
“I did not know that such a beautiful female would be on the team.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a gesture that looked oddly human.
“I admit I do not remember your name. Though I remember… other things.”
I hid a smile behind a hand. Of course he did.
“It’s Julie.” I stuck a hand out like I was meeting him for the first time, even though I already knew I was not his mate because we’d already touched. If I had been his mate, my touch would’ve dropped the poor guy on his knees. Love at first touch. It was kind of romantic.
He took my hand anyway. “I’m Ashtrr. And I will be your pilot.”
“Pilot, huh. I never knew.”
My smile disappeared the moment I heard the low growl of warning from behind me. I released Ashtrr’s hand and whipped around.
Grtirr stood there with a frown on his face, wearing the same skintight uniform as Ashtrr.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him out of his medic robes.
Kadrixan medical robes reminded me of religious clerical attire from old Earth, but they were black with neon-green details and looked more suitable for a cyberpunk Nosferatu than for a doctor.
“Ah, Grtirr, Trsak. We are all here then.” Ashtrr nodded to the grumpy medic like he wasn’t sustaining a low, angry growl through the entire interaction.
I’d known Trsak and his mate Kat were coming along. Trsak was the Kadrixan communication specialist, and Kat spent her life navigating political situations; she was on the negotiation team.
But I hadn’t known Grtirr was coming with us.
Why had no one told me this?
I sent Dana a “what the fuck!” look, and she looked just as confused as I was. Don’t tell me the grumpy, overprotective medic found out I was going and decided to play chaperone. Oh, hell no!
“Why is she here?” Grtirr demanded.
Oh-ho! So he didn’t know I was going.
“Julie is not healthy enough to join us on this trip.”
Not this crap again!
“Says who?” I demanded. “According to my medical reports, I’ve had normal kidney function for over a year, and I have no deficiencies.
I’m in perfect health.” I hadn’t wanted to go on this trip at first, but now that Grumpy Grtirr was actively opposing it, you betcha I was going if it was the last freaking thing I did.
“Grtirr.” It was Krxare who spoke. “We had her medical files reviewed, and they say she is more than healthy enough for this trip.”
“She isn’t going.” Grtirr reached for me.
The moment we touched, my heart started the stupid racing thing it did whenever he had to touch me for my medical screenings. But before he could snatch his hand away like he usually did, Ashtrr was there putting himself between us.
The two growled at each other until Krxare yelled, “Enough.”
Chris stepped forward, looking like he had no patience for any of this on a day like today. “Julie will be there on behalf of the Ellaston Gazette. If you have a problem with it, the expedition can proceed with one less guard.”
Then Chris hooked his arm through mine, and we started walking toward the ship.
“Thanks,” I whispered for his ears alone.
Then, as if that simple action decided it, everyone was wishing us good luck, and we were all filing into the warship.
Was an entire warship overkill for transporting less than two dozen of us and a handful of sample ore?
Sure, but the other parties involved and everyone else watching this monumental exchange didn’t need to know the warship was mostly empty.
The point was to make everyone think we had a whole damned army.
It was a fake-it-till-you-make-it sort of deal. We couldn’t actually bring more people with us, because Nova Vita would use this chance to attack Ellaston otherwise. Guerrilla tactics always came in handy for the underdog.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said as Chris guided me to the seat I was supposed to stay in for the duration of the liftoff. “I don’t know what the head medic has against me.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s his problem, not yours,” Chris murmured before moving over to his seat.
The seats were more like pods, with harnesses that held us in place and a clear, glasslike shield that closed over our faces and bodies.
Since none of us humans had actually traveled in space before—except Kat, who’d been off-planet once with her former corrupt politician boss—we were supposed to wait for a Kadrixan to come make sure we were strapped in properly.
Just take a wild guess who showed up to fix mine.
You got it! Mr. Grumpy Medic himself.