Chapter 19 – Motok
“Venya,” I pleaded, my voice hoarse. “Breathe. Please.”
“I am,” she promised, lifting her head. “It’s shocking but I’m alright.”
Nodding in relief, I kept her snug against my chest. “This goes deeper than we feared.”
My brothers wore grim expressions. Valtus barely contained the rage I could see within his dark eyes. None of us believed the treachery of the council could reach so far.
“Orion, did the blueprints indicate where they intended to build?”
“Yes, on –”
Before he could answer, Valtus interrupted. “Cryton.”
Orion shook his head. “How did you know?”
“I had my own suspicions. I set course for Cryton when we left Vindar. It was the most logical course of action. The files that I scanned in the Capitol contained similar Intel. I wanted to eliminate Cryton before we moved to another planet or system.”
Giving my First a nod of approval, I agreed. “Well done. How long before we arrive?”
“Maybe another hour.”
“What’s the plan?” Rexnor cracked his knuckles, glancing at my mate with a fierce look of both pride and determination.
I knew my brothers would protect Kerra with their lives. None of us would allow any human females to be sold into slavery. Kacie was already lost among the many others we’d found but that didn’t mean we couldn’t stop more of these purchases from taking place.
“We scan for any bio-signs and invade, bringing any survivors back on board the Vindicator. If we meet resistance, we eliminate our enemy. All blasters will be set to Kill.”
Three pairs of eyes met mine. None disagreed.
“I want to go with you.”
Kerra’s small voice spoke the words that filled my heart with dread.
“No,” I answered curtly, refusing to budge no matter how much she hated my answer. “You carry our child in your womb. I will not allow you to leave the ship until I have secured the planet.”
She made a noise in her throat like she wanted to argue but didn’t. “Fine.”
“You are too precious,” I explained, although it wasn’t necessary. “I love you too dearly to put you at risk.”
“I know,” she replied with a sigh. “I understand.”
We stood in silence with my brothers and Valtus until Cryton came into view.
The majority of the planet was tropical and resembled the rainforests of Earth.
Hot, humid, and dangerous with creatures that were as deadly as the atmosphere.
Oxygen was plentiful where the plants grew but below ground in the caverns it was nonexistent, extinguished by harmful gases that bubbled up from the core.
Several habitats were sprinkled throughout the region, but scans provided evidence of a large settlement built in the center of the rainforest. Interference with the scans blocked our readings and we were unable to detect how many bio-signs were present.
There was no way to know how many human captives, slavers, or other species inhabited Cryton.
I hoped for one bio-sign only. Senator Rymar.
“We take three transports with warriors. Dauntless. Vengeance. Enterprise. I want ten more ready in case we run into any trouble. Every station is on alert. No one makes a move without my signal.”
Valtus nodded, sending the instructions to each of our battle cruisers. “Done, Commander.”
Turning to Kerra, I caught her amused expression. “You have interesting names for your ships.”
“Yes, Valtus and I both enjoyed the victorious names we found in human literature and social media.” My lips quirked upward mischievously. “Do they meet with your approval?”
“Yes,” she admitted with a laugh. “Quite daunting and foreboding.”
“Told you so,” Rexnor added with a smirk. “It was my suggestion.”
Kerra winked at my brother before her expression grew serious. “Be careful.”
After a brief kiss, I left her on the bridge with the flight crew. If anyone tried to board in my absence, there were plenty of warriors to protect my female. “I will. Stay on the bridge.”
The other two transports were already on the ground when we landed in the only available space that wasn’t too close to the settlement.
Armed and ready, we pushed through the overgrown vegetation and approached the set of buildings from the south.
Valtus confirmed multiple bio-signs from his scanner as we moved in.
The readings were still unreliable. We didn’t know if they were human or not.
The first building was used mostly for storage.
We entered quietly and moved through, noting the abundance of crates and supplies.
Only a small gap separated this building from the next.
From the scans, we knew there was one more that stood empty.
Vehicles, a singular transport, and machinery filled the interior.
Gulping, I understood the significance. This planet was being prepared for a large number of inhabitants.
According to the blueprints, the settlement would serve as a holding facility for captives and a small breeding house, as well as an auction block.
Resisting the urge to growl, I kept moving, shocked to find little to no resistance.
A few guards had been posted – nearly all of them Zhorn – and we eliminated each one without great effort.
The bodies were stashed in closets or behind crates.
We left no evidence of our arrival, continuing to pass in and out of each room, from building to building.
The schematic didn’t do the settlement justice.
It was much larger than I originally realized.
This was a large-scale operation. Humans would be sold by the hundreds if not thousands.
Valtus made a noise of disgust as he reached the same conclusion. “We need to destroy this settlement completely. They can’t be allowed to bring captives here.”
“Agreed.”
“There’s a lot of bio-signs in the next room. We must proceed with caution.”
Three guards were posted at each of the doorways, a total of nine. All were Zhorn. There was a reason so many slavers were armed and remained behind. Captives were huddled together inside. My warriors spread out, each of us attacking on my signal. “Move. Now!”
Valtus and I took down our three guards without any problems. A scuffle across the room caught my attention and I noticed one of the Zhorn raising his blaster, prepared to shoot Orion.
I didn’t think, just propelled my body forward and slammed into him amid the screams and cries of terror from the human females.
They didn’t understand what was happening.
Chaos erupted as we fought off the Zhorn and finally defeated the final remaining guards.
Seven females stared at us with wide eyes, frightened and trembling.
I lifted my hands after placing the blaster back in its holster. Unsure if the humans had been given a translator, I tried to explain we didn’t mean to harm them. Several shook their heads. One cried out. Two were whimpering and crying. Only one appeared to understand.
“You’re not going to hurt us?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m Braxtharian. We’re here to rescue you.”
She didn’t fully believe my words but nodded, taking control of the group. They were led toward the transport where they would dock with the Vindicator. I sent a message to Kerra and asked her to meet the women and provide what comfort she could.
We found nearly thirty more captives. All the females were guarded heavily.
After the last group was on its way back to my ship, I sighed. “I had hoped to find Rymar.”
“We haven’t breached the entire facility,” Valtus answered crisply. “I suggest we descend to the lower levels. All of the buildings are above ground but anyone in charge would retreat in the event of an attack.”
He was right. “Then we resume our search.”
Our uniforms were equipped with a layer of protection against harmful chemicals or airborne threats.
We lifted the hoods and visors into place as a dozen of my best warriors, my brothers, and Valtus opened the hatch marked as hazardous and entered the lower levels.
The schematic suggested that four tiers were built and the lowest could provide life support for nearly a span.
We found nothing in the first three tiers.
No guards. No bio-signs. No sign of any captives.
It made sense. Humans couldn’t breathe and survive in such conditions.
I almost thought our effort was wasted until I heard what sounded like a female’s desperate scream. My entire body froze as I recognized the voice of my own Venya, eerily similar to Kacie Hargrave.
Impossible.
Valtus growled, moving without my permission as he burst through the next door, firing his blaster and singing his uniform in several spots.
Blinking, I couldn’t believe what we found.
A human female was being accosted, her clothes ripped and yanked from her body as none other than Senator Rymar used one hand to choke her into submission.
A cry of rage erupted from Valtus as I watched in disbelief.
He launched into a vicious attack. I’d never seen my First react so violently.
He didn’t hesitate to beat Rymar, pummeling fists into his soft, overweight gut and subdue him without much effort.
Shocked, I didn’t move as the female clutched her tattered clothes around her slender body.
She looked at each one of us like we would harm her at any moment.
Only when Valtus shoved Rymar toward Orion, did I finally comprehend his actions.
“We’re not here to harm you,” I promised the female.
She didn’t believe me, backing away in fright.
Valtus’s quills rose up from his back in a protective stance as he snarled at the rest of us. “Stay back.”
“He was going to rape me.”
Her whispered words of horror were spoken only to Valtus. He made a sound of extreme suffering, his hands rising in the air as he approached her. “I would never harm you. No one will touch you. I swear it.” Another sharp sound rose from his throat, meant to soothe.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Valtus had used his personal mating call.
The female’s eyes filled with tears and spilled over, sliding down her flushed cheeks. “I need help.”
She nearly collapsed as he darted forward and lifted under her knees, bringing her in close to his chest. He cradled her as if she was the most precious and vulnerable jewel in existence. Watching in awe, I realized I had a similar reaction with Kerra the night she was attacked on Earth.
“Keep me safe, please,” the female asked before her eyes fluttered and closed.
Valtus’s concerned expression met my gaze as he pulled an extra suit from his pack. Carefully, he enclosed her in the protective gear and lifted her once more, allowing no one else to touch her.
“She needs the med bay.”
Nodding, I signaled to my warriors as they hauled Rymar away and I followed Valtus to the transport.
He said nothing on the return trip to the Vindicator, leaving my side without instruction as he made his way to the medical bay.
I didn’t know what to say to Kerra when I returned to her.
How did I tell my Venya that I thought her sister was alive?