Chapter 13
Rykar
Two days had passed since the mating marks had appeared on my skin, and I was still adjusting to the intensity of the bond between Maya and me.
The Sola hadn’t opened her exterior to let us leave, but neither of us was particularly eager to go.
I found myself reluctant to be separated from Maya for even brief periods.
A possessiveness I’d never experienced before coursed through my veins like molten metal.
We’d made love many times over those two days, driven by the fresh bond that demanded constant reaffirmation of our connection.
Every touch, every kiss, every moment of intimacy seemed to strengthen something fundamental between us.
But beneath the euphoria of our new relationship, I carried a constant knot of anxiety in my chest. The legal threats from LunarLink Surveys hadn’t disappeared, and I was terrified that corporate forces might find a way to take her from me before we could establish a proper defense.
During the periods when we weren’t lost in each other, we’d been in constant communication with both Destran and human authorities.
The other lords had rallied around us with solidarity, and it seemed I had been accepted as one of the lords—something that would have felt like a fever dream only a few short weeks ago.
Savair had taken point on coordinating with Earth-Lunar Council representatives, while Scaron had begun preparing defensive strategies in case diplomatic solutions failed.
The ancient Sola—my Sola—had undergone remarkable changes in those two days.
She’d fully emerged from the underground chamber where we’d first found her, rising to the surface like some impossible flower blooming from stone.
She was smaller than the other Solas in the connected city, perhaps a third of their size, but she was undeniably complete and possibly still had some growing left to do.
Her exterior had healed from the diseased gray we’d first encountered to a healthy blue-silver that shifted and pulsed with her moods.
She hadn’t put down roots yet, instead resting in the depression that had formed when she’d broken free from the ground.
I could feel through our bond that she was still deciding whether this would be her permanent home or if she might choose to relocate elsewhere.
She was still healing, still growing into her full capabilities, but I could sense fatigue as she continued to recover from her long dormancy.
The only lami she produced was the small amount that trickled from the fountain near her heart chamber—just enough to meet my nutritional needs as her bonded lord and some for Maya if she chose to drink it. She’d have to, eventually, if she were to match her lifespan to my longer one.
I stood now in the observation chamber she’d grown for us.
Maya’s hand was clasped firmly in mine as we looked out through the transparent wall at the activity on the horizon.
The chamber was one of several new spaces the Sola had created.
This one was positioned to give us a clear view of the approaches to the connected city.
What we saw there made my jaw clench with barely controlled anger.
Corporate ships were hovering in a carefully organized pattern about two kilometers away from the Sola cluster.
Not the diplomatic vessels that should have been handling first contact protocols, but sleek military-style craft that screamed private security forces.
I counted at least twelve ships, more than enough to overwhelm any resistance the settlement might offer.
“They’re really here,” Maya said quietly, her voice tight with a mixture of fear and resignation. “I kept hoping the legal challenges would slow them down, give us more time to find a solution.”
I understood her emotional turmoil and wished I could erase her guilt over bringing this crisis to the Destrans.
We were both afraid of what LunarLink Surveys might do to both her and the Sola, and all I really wanted to do was enjoy the life we’d just begun to build together.
The combination made my protective instincts flare with an intensity that surprised me.
“They won’t take you.” My voice carried a certainty I didn’t entirely feel. “Whatever they think their contract gives them the right to do, they won’t take you from me.”
The communication panel near the observation window chimed with an incoming transmission. I activated it, and immediately a crisp, professional voice filled the chamber.
“This is Captain Anastasia Chen of the LunarLink acquisition vessel Prosperity. We’re requesting immediate communication with Dr. Maya Chen regarding violation of contract clause 47-B and unauthorized appropriation of corporate property.”
Maya’s hand tightened in mine. The fact that they’d sent someone with her surname wasn’t lost on either of us. That was a psychological tactic designed to make the confrontation feel personal and familial rather than corporate and hostile.
“This is Dr. Chen,” Maya replied, her voice steady despite the circumstances. “I’m not in violation of any contract terms. My equipment was damaged during a geological survey, not stolen or appropriated.”
“Dr. Chen, our records indicate that your scanning equipment has undergone unauthorized integration with an unclassified alien technological matrix. Per the terms of your employment contract, any alien technology recovered during company operations becomes the exclusive property of LunarLink Surveys. Your bio-fusion with said technology makes you a hybrid asset subject to company authority.”
The clinical way Captain Chen described Maya’s connection to the Sola made my skin flush with furious red patterns. They were talking about my mate as if she were a piece of equipment rather than a living person.
“I’m not corporate property,” Maya said firmly. “I’m a human being with the right to self-determination. And the Sola isn’t technology—she’s a living, sentient entity capable of making her own choices.”
“Corporate legal analysis disagrees with your assessment, Dr. Chen. The entity in question exhibits technological characteristics consistent with alien machinery rather than biological life. Your integration with its systems makes you subject to the same ownership classifications.”
Before either of us could respond to that outrageous claim, my comm device chimed with an urgent incoming transmission from Cleo and Zara. “Stand by, Prosperity,” I snapped, and muted the Prosperity’s transmission. I activated the secondary channel to allow Maya’s coworkers to speak.
“Maya!” Zara’s voice was higher than usual, carrying nervous energy that meant she was either very excited or very frightened.
“We’re in serious trouble here. The corporate security forces have declared survey team members—that’s Cleo and me—‘contaminated by association’ and subject to immediate quarantine for decontamination. ”
“Decontamination?” Maya’s voice sharpened with concern. “What does that mean?”
“They’re being deliberately vague about the specifics,” Cleo interjected, her tone carrying a clipped, serious tone I knew meant she was very worried.
“But they’ve remotely disabled our transport vessel and informed us that we’re not permitted to leave the Destran city until the decontamination process is complete. ”
“That’s insane,” Maya said. “You weren’t even present during the Sola awakening. There’s no possible contamination vector.”
“I don’t think contamination is what they’re really worried about,” Zara said, her usual scientific excitement replaced by genuine fear.
“I think they want to interrogate us about what happened, maybe use us as leverage against you. They’ve already demanded that I turn over all my personal notes and unfinished reports on atmospheric data and analysis results. ”
I heard a stubborn edge creep into Zara’s voice, which I’d learned meant she was digging her heels in about something scientific.
“I told them if they want my research, they can come get it,” she continued.
“But, Rykar, Maya, this whole operation is completely illegal. They don’t have Earth-Lunar Council authorization for armed intervention on Destran territory.
The partnership treaty specifically prohibits this kind of military action without prior diplomatic negotiation. ”
“The treaty provisions won’t matter if they can enforce their claim before official channels can respond,” Cleo pointed out grimly. “They’re banking on being able to extract what they want and disappear before Earth Defense forces or Destran military assets can intervene.”
Captain Chen’s comm pinged urgently.
“Hold on, Cleo.” I put their channel on hold and opened the Prosperity’s again.
Immediately, the captain’s voice cut through.
“Dr. Chen, we have access to your colleagues’ transmission channel and can hear everything they say.
Please inform them that cooperation with corporate security is not optional.
Their exposure to uncontained alien influences requires immediate medical and psychological evaluation.
As for your own situation, we’re prepared to offer you comfortable accommodations aboard our vessel while the legal status of your technological integration is resolved. ”
“That’s not happening,” I said, speaking directly to the corporate captain for the first time. “Maya is under the protection of the lords of Destra. She is bonded to me, lord of this Sola, and that makes any attempt to remove her an act of war against our people.”
“And you are?”