Chapter 6
DESTINY
“Captain EvO, I thought I should make you aware that we have a stowaway on board.”
“I had a feeling something like this might happen. Is it one of the remaining human females?”
“No Sir, it is one of the Ruk males.”
“Are you positive?”
“Oh yes; he is apparently mated to one of the human girls who asked to come with us. However, I believe she may have chosen differently if she had known the facts.”
“Such as?”
“He will die if the bond is not completed.”
“Do we know this for a fact?”
“I am researching this as we speak. Currently, I only have his word for it.”
“Does he realize that his actions have made him a fugitive?”
“I told him I was going to throw him out of the airlock.”
“How did he get past SCOUT and onto the shuttle?”
“This Falon has a set of skills that we have never seen. He can physically merge into circuitry; he successfully hid his heat signature on the shuttle until his comm unit notified SCOUT of his position.”
“Why did SCOUT not take care of the issue?”
“He said I needed the experience and trusted me to take care of the issue myself.”
My sensors pick up the smirk on Captain EvO’s lips before he walks closer to the main screen.
“Show me where he is residing.”
I project Falon’s location.
“Can he cause any real harm from there?”
“A male with his skill set could cause havoc in most systems, but I have locked down the majority of outgoing circuitry. I plan on only giving him access to things that I feel like he should know.”
“I need time to think on this. Keep me updated and monitor him at all times.”
“Confirmed, Captain.”
I wait until the captain has left the area before heading to the main communal area, where I have put the girls who just came aboard. Finding them sitting together on the couches, I announce my presence.
“Good rising, Mistresses. I am Destiny, your host for the remainder of your trip, and I am thrilled to have you on board. SAGE often hosts gatherings like this, and I hope you’ll allow me to join as well. How are your accommodations and the refreshments?”
“Oh wow! Look, it’s a floating girl. How stinking cute is that?”
“Thank you for not screaming. Who might you be?”
“I’m Tracy, the sulking, dark-haired one is Edie, and these other two overly opinionated gals are Kristen and Laura.
Ginger has not made an appearance yet, so she is probably still soaking in that huge tub in the bathroom.
It’s been so long since I’ve experienced these simple pleasures that I feel like I’m dreaming. ”
“I take it your previous accommodations were not up to your standards?”
“Sweet thing, we were living in grass huts full of bugs and dirt before we moved into the high-rise rock house, where it was cold, damp, and a little scary at times, like when the walls started shaking.”
“Please let me know what I can provide for you.
I know you need clothing and other personal items. In each of your rooms, there is a personal holopad that you can use to choose designs and quantities.
Once you place your order, I will have CIP begin work on it immediately.
My goal is to make you as comfortable as possible while also providing you with the items you will need in the future.
I am always available. All you have to do is say my name, and I will respond unless we are under attack. Is the food acceptable? I have done my best to integrate some of the dishes you would have had on your homeworld as I already house four other human females on board full-time.”
“What? Wait a minute … there are more of us here, and like what do you mean ‘you house’?”
“I am the ship, Destiny.”
“Totally badass! Not only are you adorable, but you’re the one getting us from one location to another. See girls, even the ships are straight out of a good sci-fi movie. Just when I think I’m finally figuring things out, here we go again.”
I see a tear leave Tracy’s eye and I am suddenly concerned.
“Mistress Tracy, why are you crying? Have I done something to upset you?”
“No, but damn if I’m not sick of the constant brain scrambles that have been my life since the day I woke up in another world, missing half my memories and the life I was happily leading before it was taken.”
“Do you all know how you came to be on Deapra?”
The one called Edie sits up, running her fingers through her long hair.
“No one could tell us how. I think that’s been one of the hardest things to accept …
that we’re just supposed to shove our past away and continue on as if nothing happened.
Can you tell us anything? I know it’s been years, but I feel like I can’t move on from that point in my life. ”
I open a live feed to where Falon is hiding as I feel like this knowledge is crucial and something he needs to know as well.
“I will accurately relay all that I can tell you, but most of the information will be about others, as that is what has affected me directly.
There is a race called the Korgon, who are massive, blue, four-armed beasts.
They are not the smartest species, but they have technology and longevity that no one has been able to recreate.
Thankfully, the known slavers are on the verge of extinction thanks to Commander DaR and his sons as they are trying to keep what happened to you from affecting others.
However, we believe they were the ones who took you from Earth, simply because of the cryopods' design. We also believe you were obtained many years before the planet destroyer consumed the planet, as they had been harvesting that area of space for an unknown period. Some things we are still learning, but we know they targeted females for youth and fertility, but they were not always successful, as with the Commander’s mate, Kira. ”
“Wait, did you just say the big guy over the galaxy is mated to one of us?”
“Yes, I did and Miss Kira will likely greet you personally when we arrive at our destination.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I feel like we’ve missed so much. Please go on.”
“After the Commander acquired Kira, he started shutting down the slave centers and issued an order throughout the galaxy that basically said that if you were caught with a human that was not there willingly, it was punishable by death. Rumors started flying and one story was that there were four cryopods dumped in an uncharted part of the galaxy.”
“Us?” Kirsten asks.
“Yes, and honestly we only picked up the signals coming off your pods because we were looking for more survivors in the area. It is hard to tell what part of your world you came from or even how long you had been in stasis before they jettisoned you out. You are all lucky that you landed on a habitable planet and were found by the Ruk’s.
I have a feeling that if the Korgons had continued on their journey, your final destination would not have been as favorable. ”
The one called Laura gets up and starts pacing around the floor, agitated. “Hell’s fucking fire, so what happens now?”
“Exactly what Captain EvO and the others told you. We will rendezvous with the rest of your kind and hopefully, assist you in building a new and positive future. Commander DaR does not make statements lightly, and he is determined to save as many of his mate’s people as possible.”
Laura stops, looking at the others. “You guys realize what she’s saying is that we could have ended up like Ruby or Rowen, in a damn bug ship that was going to use us to harvest their young.
God forgive me for complaining but I didn’t realize how much worse it could’ve been.
Other than the translators shoved into our brains at one point, at least we weren’t mistreated. ”
Kristen begins to giggle. “Okay, I’m not making light of what happened to those two sisters, but if I’d been a bug, Ruby would have scared the hell out of me.
That girl is a force to reckon with. Did you see how the captain backed away from her when she thought they were going to try and force the mated ones to come too?
I don’t think even the big soldier guy knew what to do with all that personality.
When she jerked her top down, showing the marks on her skin, I think the purple guy blushed. ”
“What marks?” All eyes turn to Edie, who has been mostly silent this entire time. My system reruns the description Falon gave of his mate, and I do believe this is the female he is chasing.
“Oh, I forgot, you didn’t come to the celebrations, or you would’ve seen them firsthand.
It appears that humans and Ruks are compatible, and somehow, when they consummate the union, the mate bond clicks into place.
Then the woman’s life span matches her man’s, along with the magical symbols that show the world who she’s chosen. ”
“What if she says no?”
“I believe Rowan said the guy could die. Why the sudden interest, Edie?”
“Just curious. So, what you’re saying is she’s practically forced to mate with him or live with his death on her conscious?”
“Mistress Edie, I do not have all the facts, but I believe the male is the one without a choice. The moment the mating collar snaps into place, he has eyes only for his mate, and I believe it is seen as a failure on his part if the bond is not completed, so his punishment is death.”
I see the distress cross Mistress Edie’s face before she gets up and leaves the common room headed to her private one.
“Destiny, will we be able to talk to Mam and the others ever again?”
“I believe SCOUT promised Mistress Ami Lynn that he would work on that issue, so I would say your chances are high. I am pleased that they treated you well enough that you want to stay in contact.”
Kristen lays down on one of the long couches I installed in the room, pulling a blanket over herself.
“Mam and the others saved our lives and thankfully, all of us realized that quickly. To be honest, life was rather boring until those boys of hers showed up. I thought for sure Heather would come along with us when the captain gave us the option. I’ll say I was shocked that she decided to stay with the others. ”
Laura sits down at Kristen’s feet. “I’m not, look at all of us. We’ve stayed together and I think because she was taken with them, they formed a bond no different from what we all did. She stayed, figuring that was her safest option.”
“But I mean, what about her future? All the guys were mated except for Falon and the others were old and days from death. What kind of future is she going to have there?”
“The one she chose, and that’s more than she had before.”
The room gets quiet, and I can tell they are all deep in thought, so I leave them, allowing them some time to adjust and pop in on Falon, who is still sitting on the floor. His words do not shock me.
“I had no clue the circumstances that brought her to my world.”
“And it appears she had no idea about your mate collar either. You cannot reside on the floor for the remainder of the trip, so if you will follow me, I will take you to better quarters. Please be advised that I have notified the captain that you are here, and you will remain locked in until further notice.”
“I understand and thank you for the benefit of the doubt.”
“I must ask … how long before you start feeling the repercussions of your mate bond?”
“I truly do not know. We were not raised among our kind, and the bond came as a complete surprise to my brothers. We had no idea it was even possible until it was.”
He follows behind me, but I can tell he is logging every turn on the way. One floor up, directly below the human females, I open a single-occupancy door and motion for him to go in.
“This room should have everything you need. There is a refreshing chamber and a stocked replicator. Your comms will be monitored, as will your every move. You need to remember you are not a guest yet, but I will not keep you locked in here indefinitely; just until I get orders from the captain.”
“Thank you, Destiny, for giving me a chance.”
“Do not make me regret it and keep your fingers to yourself.”