Chapter 2
GUNNOX
Even after all I’d seen in the past few suns-rises, it still struck me as unfathomable to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my rival clans inside the city of Huren. This wasn't a secret mission inside Huren territory to hunt for meat for my starving clan, but a collaboration of all three clans to defend Valose against outside invaders from beyond the clouds.
I’d been told that even a small group of Nuttaki, the insectoids who were once our mortal enemies, had joined forces with all three clans in the final battle to reclaim our world from the Gretolics. I imagined it was a sight to behold.
“The techs intercepted a message from the Gretolic’s spacecraft after they left here with the Valosian males and human females who had been held captive under the palace,” Sia Jakkar told us. Once ruler of Clan Huren, he now ruled over all three clans. “Thanks to Lennox and Aggar, they were able to record the majority of it, giving us the location of where our people were taken.”
Inside the Huren hangar, I stood between my clansman, Drekkor, and Murrox who was the Sia of Clan Jurigon, preparing to listen to a message intercepted by our clans’ techs.
“This is a recording of the Gretolics negotiating a trade with another alien species called a trollis,” Aggar, of Clan Huren, explained. “We believe they were headed to a trading port on Tirius after leaving here. Many munthis have passed and though a few have been returned, most have not. We don’t have a long-range spacecraft to go after them.”
“Until now,” Tyrk, the massive, horned Nomadican said with a cocky jut of his chin. He was one of five who had escaped the dinner plate of a giant alien along with me.
“Aye, until now,” Zaku, a large and very purple scaled Moktain, affirmed with a sly grin. “With full cloaking capabilities against all scanners, even Moktain tech, you will have the ability to travel undetected."
Zaku had crash-landed inside Trisess territory with his human mate, Ivy. After demonstrating his loyalty during a skirmish with the Nuttaki, Sia Jakkar had deemed him a member of Clan Huren and a warrior of Valose. Besides a strong sword arm, he had brought with him the expertise to aid our techs in building a long-range weapon, and the planetary shield that kept our world safe from any more celestial enemies.
Since my abduction, the passage of time had become a haunting specter, a relentless force I struggled to grasp fully. The world around me whispered tales of moments missed and experiences left unshared, painting a vivid picture of the life that had continued its relentless march in my absence.
Aggar tapped the sleek screen on the console before him, and a guttural voice suddenly filled the hangar.
"...no less than five-thousandths rillium for the Valosians,"the Gretolic was saying."The Mannocks are worth double that."
"Three for the Valosians and seven for the Mannocks."
"Unacceptable!"the Gretolic exploded."You will be wealthy beyond your dreams, trollis, with what I have aboard my ship, and well you know it."
"Eleven for the lot,"the trollis countered.
The transmission garbled before clearing."...more than that. To sweeten the deal, I have a compatible pair ready to mate."
"I have no use for bonded spirit mates, Gretolic!"
"They have yet to bond. You can sell them to a pleasure cruiser. The wealthiest beings in the Luartick Sector will pay handsomely to witness the forming of shawras when they bond. Maybe even enough rillium to trade for the tellic needed for the creation of kript you're so desperate for."
"Twelve!"the trollis shouted."That is my final?—"
The transmission abruptly cut off. Across the way, a Huren warrior named Alexxon pulled his brightly maned spirit mate, Breena, closer. I had been told they were the couple who had been sold as the compatible pair.
I had caught fragments of their tale, snippets of how they had escaped the pleasure cruiser with Ruze's help, and found themselves on a prison moon, only to be delivered to Valose by one of three reavers, Lizordian brothers scouring the cosmos for humans and Valosians.
Zaku had been the one who had made contact with the reavers and placed bounties on the heads of the missing people in hopes some would be found and returned to Valose.
“Tirius is where I last saw my mate, Zorin,” Nara spoke out. Flesh of a brilliant blue with a mane of a shocking red, she was a species called Mayran, and another member of my small group who had escaped the clutches of the giant alien. “Now that Zaku has removed all tracking devices from our vessel, not even the Moktian can track it while it’s cloaked. We need to fly to Tirius. Someone there has to know where my mate and your people were taken.”
“I agree,” Ruze stated. “Tirius is a good place to start and I can search for my missing people along the way.”
"Then it's decided." The words spilled from my lips, each syllable a declaration of war against the Gretolics who had stolen those who did not belong to them. "We journey to Tirius. Find and reclaim all those who have been unjustly taken."
“You can’t mean to go with them, Gunnox,” Drekkor rounded on me. “We have just found our way back home. Your feet have barely touched Valosian soil and we have yet to return to our home in the Trisess Forest.”
“I cannot keep from thinking about those who are still out there, somewhere lost.” It didn’t matter if they were Valosian or humans, or even Nara’s people. “This very sec, they could be fighting for their lives or praying to the Spirits to be saved. I can’t remain on Valose knowing there are so many trying to find their way home.”
“Gunnox—”
“You have a spirit mate to protect while I do not,” I interrupted, knowing Drekkor would insist on going with me. He and I shared a bond akin to brotherhood, our lives intertwined from the earliest days as younglings, a connection honed on the warrior training field. “Remain here with your mate and when I return, we can celebrate the homecoming of all the others we find.”
My gaze dropped to the soft glow of his shawra, the mated flourish etched in his scales the same as his spirit. There were hundredths of human females out there waiting to be rescued. Humans who couldn’t return to Earth because of the Yulineon patrollers Ruze spoke about.
According to Universeval Rule, the Yulineons were charged with eradicating humans on sight, but they were safe on Valose. After the germ decimated our female population and my spirit mate along with them, the human females were a chance for my species to avoid extinction.
I still couldn’t get over Sia Jakkar and his mate, Lily’s youngling, Aurra. The tiny hybrid had the silver scales and pointed ears of her sire with the dark mane of her human mother. For the first time in a long while, I felt a surge of hope for the future of Valose.
As the decision hung heavy in the air, a flurry of activity and chatter erupted within the hangar. With a sense of purpose driving each step, I accompanied Ruze, Tyrk, and Nara out of the hangar and over to the dome’s gate where the Moktian Galaxy Cruiser waited. Behind us, followed a collection of all three clans. The hum of anticipation filled the air, mingling with echoes of resolve as we exited the dome.
“Are you certain this is what you want to do?” Kyrran narrowed eyes on me.
“There are more of us out there,” I nodded. “Lost. Not just from Clan Trisess, but from all the clans. I want to help find them and bring them home. Look at where we had found ourselves, Kyrran,” I said hotly. “As Nara said, if the Gretolics can manufacture kript, they can distribute our people all over the uncharted Universe. The Lizordians might be out there looking, but they don’t have kript to journey to unknown planets.”
“I know and I understand but still hate that you’re leaving.” Kyrran offered me his forearm to clasp in a show of respect. “May the Spirits show you favor.”
“And you,” I clasped what he offered then turned to his mate, Raven. "I was mistaken. I underestimated the Valosian people and their acceptance of you as Kyrran's spirit mate. But what do I know? The Spirits have their own plans. If only I could be half as fortunate as Kyrran."
“Thank you, Gunnox.” Raven stepped forward, shocking me when she kissed my cheek. “That means a lot.”
Kyrran’s scales flashed in warning, a low growl erupting from his throat.
I recoiled, putting some distance between us. “Fucking Helios, female. Are you trying to get me killed?”
“Sorry,” she giggled. “It was just a harmless gesture of thanks to a friend.”
“Earth has some odd customs,” Kyrran cleared the warning from his throat as he spoke to his female. “You need to give me fair warning me next time you decide to gift another male a harmless gesture.”
I bid my new friends farewell and navigated through the throng of my clansmen congregated near the shell of Huren’s protective dome. Drekkor, Sia Tikkot, and Synnox stood by, their expressions mirroring a mix of worry and pride.
"May the Spirits show you favor, old friend," Drekkor's deep voice rumbled with genuine concern.
Sia Tikkot clasped my shoulder firmly, his eyes reflecting unspoken words of brotherhood. "We'll be waiting for your return."
“Thank you, Sia.” It felt strange to be addressing the male as ruler of Clan Trisess. Having challenged Havvar for the crown once it was discovered he had collaborated with the Gretolics, the scout had won the right as clan leader.
Synnox, Drekkor’s younger brother, surprised me by pulling me into a brief but tight embrace. We had never been close despite my close friendship with his sibling. "Come back in one piece," he whispered hoarsely.
“I will, along with as many Valosians as I can find,” I answered with the weight of my conviction settling on my shoulders with equal parts determination and apprehension as I left the familiar behind and ventured toward the unknown.
The air was thick with a charged silence as I stepped onto the deck of the Moktian Galaxy Cruiser. Even sitting still, the vessel pulsed with energy. With Kyrran’s mate’s kiss still warm on my cheek and the well-wishes of my clan still echoing in my ears, I took a seat in the back and strapped in.
As the hatch sealed with a hiss, I let my gaze wander over my alien comrades. Nara stood by the viewport, her alien figure outlined by the lush vegetation of the Huren jungle. The ethereal glow from her sleeves of bracelets cast dancing lights on her azure skin, a stark contrast to the harsh reality waiting for us.
Tyrk stood opposite Ruze around a three-dimensional star map projected up from the command console. I didn’t feel the need to join their discussion of the fastest route to a planet which I had never been.
Both stood in profile. Both of the same species, yet recently acquainted. Their horns, black as the void between stars, swept back from prominent brows. Flesh of a hue I learned from Raven was called bronze, was heavily marked in inky contrast of thick designs.
Ruze leaned over the console with silent intensity. His fingers moved with practiced ease, plotting a course to Tirius while the ghost of concern for his lost shoulsis and male companion flickered across his features.
The air within the spacecraft grew thick with anticipation, each breath we drew laced with silent vows to those we sought to reclaim from an uncertain fate. Our collective resolve wove an invisible tapestry, its threads spun from our unbreakable will to defy the odds and bring our people home safely.
"Course locked in," Ruze announced, breaking the quiet that had settled around us, his voice steady yet tinged with the weight of unspoken fears. “Grab a seat, Nara.”
Nara nodded and reclaimed the same seat that had brought her to Valose. Her bright yellow gaze lingered on the viewport, perhaps imagining the feel of Zorin's hand in hers once more. With a swift movement, she strapped in, a silent testament to the hope of a reunion she fiercely held.
Ruze and Tyrk settled into their seats at the command console, their hands flying over the controls with practiced ease. The engines came to life, vibrating through the hull of the ship.
I sat in tense silence, feeling the liftoff begin, and watched with longing as my home world shrank away. It was a bittersweet sight yet filled with apprehension for the adventure ahead. I made a silent vow —the next time I set eyes on Valose, this craft would be filled with my kinsmen.