Page 25 of Jessica's Mates
“Well, if you could hear it, then why are you asking? You know it was good.” The others all started laughing.
“Man, she got you.” Luna splashed Hadley. Everything was perfect… well, almost. We had to move, but what was a little move? I just moved to a whole other planet. It couldn’t be any worse than this.
I washed and chatted,. The water wasn’t as bad today. But then I remembered I was floating in poison water. There was a weird whirring sound and I stood up and looked over to K’Tem who was animatedly chatting with Axoh. Most were chatting… but when I spotted Makee—Brooklyn’s mute mate—and he was looking over his shoulder and up into the tree canopy, I knew I wasn’t hearing things.
“Can you hear that, Makee?” I called over to him. He stood up and looked over to me. My calling over to him had everyone now quiet, and just as I heard Brooklyn make a strange sound, I saw the dark cloud over the top of the tree canopy. It wasn’t a cloud though.
“M’Mori fleet ship,” K’Tem called out. I looked up and froze. Oh my god, what were they doing here? I felt his hands wrapping around me and grabbing me out of the water as he hauled me over his shoulder and started running.
Loud screaming came from the girls behind me as I saw their mates do the same. Males were jumping out of trees, some lower down calling out for us to run… Run where?
“Intruder alert,” was called out so many times as we made our way back to the hut. Tomlee was there. He looked at us, puzzled, then pointed to K’Tem’s bag.
“Your datapad makes the sound of brother.” I heard the beep, and K’Tem rushed over, placing me beside him as he reached in and took his datapad out.
“R’Nam.” His voice was panicked as the face of a M’Mori appeared on the screen.
“Brother, I have been trying to contact you… I have bad news.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
K’Tem
The M’Mori were here. Why had they come? For me? I had been so careful. This channel was locked, they couldn’t find me. They couldn’t, right?
“What is the bad news? Because brother, I have a whole M’Mori fleet above us.” I could see by the look on my brother’s face that he was too late to warn me.
“I have been found out; they found the link that I used to hack into their system and they have cut me off. They know you are there with the Aashi, they also know you have a Zalli warrior there too. They were not caring about that, until I tried to get the Federation to stop this. All of what was happening with the Zalli, with the Aashi. But, turns out, they are just as corrupt. I am sorry, brother. But where the mountains are, there is a force field that makes it impossible for any ship to land there, they can’t even come close. You will be safe there.”
I worried this might happen. I knew my brother would be caught one day for his hacking ways and they would come for him. Just not now. I wanted to help him. I was his brother; that was my job.
“Where are you?” I asked, worried for his safety. I saw the screen move and focused now on red dust surrounding the open spaces around him.
“I’m actually on Theros Six. I’m on the outskirts, not near the gladiator rings and slave trading. I’m alone. Mother and Father took P’Tam with them and have dropped off the radar somewhere. They know I’m here and will contact me in a few days.” That made my chest tight.
My whole family was in danger now. I wanted to tell him to come here but I knew that wasn’t possible, and with the fleet above us, would be stupid too. The M’Mori wouldn’t just let my parents and sister walk in here. They would kill them. They needed to go somewhere safe, and anywhere the Federation touched wouldn’t be safe for them anymore.
I could hear the screaming and chaos of what was happening to the clan from inside the hut. Koh had returned, and when he saw me talking with R’Nam, he asked me if it was bad, if the M’Mori intended to attack. I nodded that it was bad, but unsure if they would attack. I explained to him the situation and he left to get Vallyn and Daku.
They would need to hear this, to control everyone so we didn’t get trampled on our way out of here.
With our bags packed and the fog lifting, the entire clan was gathered together to listen to the news. I didn’t wish to be the one to bear this news with them. I was the reason the M’Mori fleet was here.
“Clan Wolf. My brother has informed me that he has tried to speak with the Federation. They are not good people, like the M’Mori who have come here. I don’t know why. If it is to kill me and Sanza, or if it is to attack the clan, or any other reason.” There were many gasps, and I was waiting for them to offer me up to them, back to my people so they wouldn’t have to deal with the M’Mori coming down here and attacking us.
“So, we need to go now.” Vallyn stepped up beside me, his hand on my shoulder. I sighed in relief. “Clan Wolf, you all know your roles. This will make things easier for us as we travel. We must protect the whole clan.”
Daku now stood beside me. “I am sending out parties of three to speak to Yaayi, Zaali, and Taanin Clans. They are most at risk of the M’Mori at this time as we leave, and we will wait for their news at the Goddess Arena.”
That gave me hope for the Aashi people. If they would follow us, they could once again be safe and prosper as a people on another part of their planet.
Vallyn announced to follow the ground warriors, as we had so much to take with us. But the sounds now coming from the M’Mori fleet above us had the females screaming and trying to run.
“Leave the damn huts, we need to go fast. I want to be in the trees. Can M’Mori climb trees?” Quinn asked me. I shook my head. We were not limbed like the Aashi, and I couldn’t climb the trees.
“No, the M’Mori cannot pass through the trees. You will all be safe up there if they come on foot. Sanza and I shall run the ground beneath you. I will use my datapad to track our location,” I explained to her and the others.
“No, no… you can’t.” Jessica was crying now, screaming and holding onto me. Koh and Tomlee tried to comfort her as I told her it would be fine.
