13. XYROX
XYROX
C rossing my arms over my newly healed chest, I watched Peace turn her back and search the room.
My brow bunched in confusion. What the fekk was going on here?
I was normally an excellent judge of character, and I didn’t take Peace for a liar.
I couldn’t. Everything in me screamed she was perfect, she was mine, and I needed to take care of her.
That feeling didn’t leave room for doubt of her word.
But the AI said it had previously scanned her.
It knew her name—her first name, anyway.
Since Julie and the MEDIC machine was Pleiadian tech, this had to be related to Jokull looking for her, but I’d be blasted by a thousand suns if I could figure out how.
I gathered my braids and fastened them with a scrap of fabric before heaving a deep breath and approaching Peace.
As I caught up with her, she was grumbling to herself and rummaging through metal drawers.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I believe you. You’ve got to admit it’s weird, right?” I felt her tense muscles loosen as I rested a hand between her shoulder blades.
“Very weird. But I have no idea how to explain it, and right now we need to figure out how to get off this rock.”
“Agreed.” My hand drifted down her back toward her spectacular ass seemingly of its own accord. She glanced at me over her shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Her lips tipped up on one side in a smirk.
Realizing where my hand had landed, I smirked back. “Sorry. I have no control around you.”
“Really?” Was that a purr? Definitely a purr.
The air between us swelled with need as we stared at each other for a heartbeat, then two. Peace took a deep, shuddering breath, blew it out, and stepped back. “We need to search.”
“Agreed,” was the only word I could manage as I swallowed hard and tried to drag my eyes away from hers. There would be time enough for more Peace exploration later. I was a disciplined law enforcement officer. I could do this. Yep, could totally do this. I took my own shuddering breath.
“What do you think they were doing here?” Peace asked, her voice hushed as she stepped cautiously over to a bank of monitors.
“Let’s ask Julie,” I suggested, glancing at the ceiling. “Julie, what was the purpose of this facility?”
“That information is classified. Do you have the encryption key?”
Frowning, I turned to Peace. “Maybe you should ask.”
“Why would I be authorized?” She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Julie, what was the purpose of this facility?”
“This facility was designated as an advanced research station for biological compatibility testing between alien species with shared biological ancestry,” Julie responded.
Peace frowned. “Compatibility testing?”
“Affirmative,” Julie replied. “Research conducted here sought to determine reproductive viability between Pleiadians and other species, such as humans.”
Peace paled, and my expression darkened at the distress I sensed in her. “Were they breeding test subjects?” I asked Julie.
“That information is classified. Do you have the encryption key?”
“Julie! Were they breeding test subjects?” Peace snapped.
“Experiments involved in vitro technologies such as fertilization of ovum, cloning, and genetic editing, as well as mechanical gestation in growth pods.”
Peace’s eyes widened. “Mechanical gestation in growth pods?”
“Correct.”
I picked up telepathically that Peace wanted to throttle Julie but couldn’t figure out how.
“The genetic material—the ovum and live cells for DNA—were those provided voluntarily from the test subjects? Or were they forced?”
“Most of the samples were taken without consent.” Julie’s calm, even tone belied the horror of her words.
Peace and I exchanged uneasy glances before leaving to search the surrounding rooms. The first few were storage areas—long emptied, except for the occasional shattered vial or overturned cabinet. Then we found a research lab.
The room was lined with observation tanks, all of them dark and frosted over from years of neglect.
Some were cracked; their contents spilled and evaporated long ago.
Others remained eerily intact, faintly humming with residual energy.
Peace wiped a gloved hand across one, revealing a skeletal frame within.
She screamed and jumped back, hand on her heart.
“Julie,” she said, her voice hitching with hesitation. “What happened to the subject in this tank?”
“Following the termination of the project, all remaining subjects were disposed of.”
I clenched my fists. “Murdered.”
Peace turned away from the tank, hand over her stomach. What kind of monstrous experiments was this Jokull guy running? she asked me silently.
I gathered her into my arms and held her close. Whatever they are, I plan to stop him.
Count me in.
Our bonding marks thrummed between us, and our heartbeats slowly calmed until they beat as one. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, then the lips, I released her. She sighed, pushing back her long, platinum braids and resumed searching the area, carefully avoiding the large tanks.
As we searched, Peace’s anger became more palpable. I wasn’t surprised when she thought, Let’s make sure no one ever uses this place again.
Nodding my approval, I gathered her close to soothe her, also needing to feel her warmth after the horror we’d just experienced. “But first, we need to find a way off this rock.”
She nodded, and we continued our exploration of the rooms. Moving deeper into the facility, we finally found something useful for escape—a communications hub.
It was in disrepair, but it was something.
A console dominated the center of the room, its interface dark.
I crouched beside it, prying open a panel.
“If we can reroute power from the emergency reserves, we might be able to get a signal out,” I said, glancing at Peace. “Find me something to work with.”
She rifled through the nearby storage lockers, gathering a bundle of old cables and a rusted toolkit. “How’s this?”
I nodded and set to work, my fingers moving with practiced efficiency. Peace watched me, chin in hand. I could clearly hear her thinking over everything we’d seen so far. I had just crawled halfway inside the console on my belly when she finally spoke out loud.
“I wonder why the MEDIC is in such good repair, and all of this looks like it was deliberately destroyed?”
“Don’t know,” I answered through gritted teeth as I fought with a rusty bolt. “Maybe Julie didn’t belong to him.”
“Who else would …” Suddenly, a spark jumped from the console, and a faint hum filled the room. I smirked, backing out of the console to stand. “We’ve got power.”
The screen flickered, static warping the display before clearing into a long-range transmission log. Most of the channels were dead. But one still had a faint connection.
I tapped the panel. “If anyone is receiving, please respond.”
For a long moment, there was nothing.
Then, a burst of static.
A garbled voice cut through. ”—opy … who … transmitting?“ I didn’t recognize the language he was speaking, but the translation in my ear was clear enough.
Peace’s eyes widened in shock. “I can understand him,” she hissed.
I tapped my head. “Translator implant. Julie said they gave you one. I have one from the academy.”
Nodding, she turned to the screen and raised her voice: “We need help. We crashed on—“
The transmission screeched and crackled so loudly I winced. “Are you receiving?” I adjusted the frequency. “Hello? Please identify yourself.”
The transmission sharpened, clearing just enough to be understood. “This is Captain Helos of the freighter Silverlight. Your signal is weak. Please repeat your location.”
I exchanged a glance with Peace before answering. “Stranded on a deserted ice planet, Arktaryn Prime. Coordinates transmitting now.” I tapped the communication console, which thankfully adhered to the galaxy’s official coding.
“Stand by.” There was another pause, then Captain Helos responded, “We’re a couple of rotations or more from your location.
We’ll need to hyperspace and then find a suitable landing spot near that mountain you’re transmitting from.
It will take us a couple of rotations before we can safely render aid.
We’ll transmit when we are in your atmosphere. Out.” The signal cut out.
Peace exhaled, a small, relieved smile tugging at her lips. “Looks like we might have a way out after all.”
I nodded, but something in my gut nagged at me and I’d learned to always trust my gut. “Did you find any blasters or charge cartons in your searching?”
“No. But I have some power left in my blaster. Why?”
“Just better to be prepared, that’s all. We’ve got a couple of days to look and prepare ourselves. Hopefully, this Captain Helos is legit but …”
“Peace? Are you there? Can you hear me?”
We both jumped when an unknown male voice came from back down the hall in the MEDIC room. We sprinted back to the main room, our eyes scanning the space.
Did you hear that? Peace asked telepathically.
I nodded.
“Peace. Turn around.”
Do you know what language he’s speaking in?
Pleiadian.
Oh, fekk.