Chapter 15
“I have good news,” he announced as he directed Luna down a new corridor, his hand grazing the small of her back.
She shot him a hopeful look. “What’s that?”
“The diplomats I contacted worked fast. They quickly arranged a secret humanitarian rescue mission, and they are confident all the patients—or rather, prisoners—from Zalora Biotech have been found. They are providing medical care and working to reunite the former prisoners with their families.”
Luna came to a halt, and he turned to face her. A radiant smile lit up her features, and his pulse increased when she reached for his hands and laced her fingers through his. Her reaction pleased him, and he resolved to send gifts to the diplomats to thank them for their quick action.
“That is wonderful news,” Luna finally said in a voice thick with emotion. Her smile wavered a bit and she blinked back tears.
He gathered her closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Thank you, Balarr. You are an exceptionally kind male,” she said. “You could’ve taken me back to New Vaxx immediately, but instead, you stayed on Earth long enough to make sure the other medical prisoners got help.”
Exceptionally kind? Not for the first time in her presence, the tips of his ears grew warm. But he decided to accept the compliment, just as he’d accepted her praise when, earlier, she’d called him very sweet.
He cupped her face and peered down at her, overcome by a wave of tenderness for this female who’d just become his mate. She was wearing some of the dark green clothes he’d replicated for her, and he thought the color suited her.
“You’re very welcome, Luna. Though I must point out—all I did was send a few messages.”
She opened her mouth to reply, when a shudder racked the ship.
Alarmed, Balarr scooped Luna into his arms and rushed to the bridge.
The shudder had felt like the impact of weapons fire, though he found it strange that the auto-navigation features on his ship hadn’t taken appropriate evasive maneuvers.
Something was wrong. Coldness suddenly gripped him.
He vowed he would do whatever it took to keep Luna safe.
He’d planned to remain on Earth a while longer so he could hunt the doctors and surgeons from Zalora Biotech down.
But if he had to return to New Vaxx to ensure Luna’s safety, he wouldn’t hesitate.
He reminded himself that he could always come back and seek his vengeance at another time—while his mate remained in the safety of his home in Starzzia.
The door to the bridge zipped open upon their approach, and he hurried inside and set Luna in the co-pilot’s seat.
After a quick glance out the main viewport and spying nothing amiss, he rushed to the main communication console.
His fingers flew over the various screens as he worked to determine the cause of the violent shudder that had struck the Cormma.
The radar screen was suspiciously blank. On his way to Zalora Biotech, the radar had picked up multiple zones of conflict—areas that should still be lit up. It didn’t make sense.
“Balarr?” Luna whispered in a shaky voice. “What’s happening?”
He glanced over his shoulder and tried to give her an affectionate look.
“I’m not certain. The radar screen is malfunctioning.
It won’t allow me to see any nearby vessels or areas of conflict.
I’m working to correct the problem. If the radar is malfunctioning, that would explain why my ship’s auto-navigation protocols failed to evade the weapons fire that likely caused the massive shudder.
But please do not worry, sweet Luna. My ship can withstand weapons fire from most known alien vessels.
Even if they—whoever they are—manage to hit the Cormma again, it likely won’t cause any serious damage. ”
“Okay,” she replied with a grateful nod, appearing a bit calmer than before. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
He attempted to shoot her another affectionate look, but given the seriousness of the situation, he doubted he was managing to appear very friendly. So, he returned his attention to the console.
At last, he figured out the problem—someone had placed a blocking shield around the Cormma.
Clearly, whoever had done it, had calibrated their weaponry to pierce the very shield they’d placed around his ship.
Thankfully, the shield was already weakening, and it didn’t take Balarr long to cause it to falter completely.
The radar screen suddenly lit up, revealing numerous Vaxxlian cruisers in the vicinity. But were they friend or foe? He growled as he thought about the Threxals.
He hailed the nearest ship, only to receive no response. That answered his question—foe.
He continued hailing the nearby ships, but none of them responded. Fluxx. He was surrounded by Threxals, and they were moving closer.
But the Threxal ships were in poor repair. They also didn’t possess the latest updates to their systems. He scanned the approaching ships and took note of each vessel’s individual weaknesses. Then he input the data into the Cormma’s auto-defense protocols.
“Don’t worry, sweet Luna,” he said as he continued his work. “I have a plan, and I will defeat these vile extremists.”
“Extremists?” She stood up just long enough to peer out the main viewport. “Balarr, I can see over a dozen Vaxxlian cruisers. Are they allied with the Vaxxlian cruiser who fired on your ship earlier?”
“Yes, they are part of the same group—a rebel Vaxxlian group known as the Threxals.” He felt guilty that he hadn’t provided her with an update about the prior encounter they’d had with the Threxals, as well as his meeting with Commander Harnn.
But in his defense, he’d been too distracted by her beauty and his urgent need to claim her.
One glance at her in nothing but a towel, and he’d nearly forgotten about the incident entirely.
“Threxals? Who are they?” She cast another look out the viewport, then finally returned to the co-pilot’s seat.
He quickly went on to explain the Threxals radical ideology that threatened the VAMOB program, as well as his conversation with Commander Harnn.
“If there are only about fifty Threxal ships on Earth, why are over a dozen of them converging on your ship? Do you have something they need?”
Her questions caused him to pause and think.
Yes, he did have something they needed—the Cormma itself.
They likely wanted to steal the technological advancements on his vessel, particularly the auto-navigation protocols as well as the auto-defense system, the latter of which was still in its prototype phase, though he’d hoped to have it finished within the next moon cycle.
Fluxx. He couldn’t allow the Threxals to get their hands on his technology. But even more importantly—he couldn’t let them threaten Luna’s safety.
They’d just mated. She was precious to him.
His protectiveness for her grew. He would die protecting her, though he sincerely hoped it didn’t come to that. He wanted to spend a long lifetime with her. Besides, if he died, how would he keep protecting her?
Once he got the auto-defense system’s prototype up and running, he released a victorious growl. He would kill the Threxals. Then he would kill the surgeons and the doctors who’d hurt Luna. No one threatened or hurt his sweet human female and got away with it. No one.
He stepped back from the console and glanced out the viewport as the first Threxal ship exploded in a ball of fire. Then he lifted Luna in his arms and walked to the pilot’s seat. He sank down in the chair and cradled her close, nuzzling his nose to hers.
“I will keep you safe, Luna. I promise.”