Page 69 of Chieftain
Charick left hours ago. His last communication showed him entering the Lacaille system. His ship was fast, but it would take him days to reach where we thought Nansar was headed with Willa. The Bardaga set course for the planet Seartaun, home of the Planetary Alliance headquarters. Afterward, we sat down at a special celebratory dinner courtesy of Orzon. His attempt at making spaghetti and meatballs was well-received, even if the tomato sauce was slightly spicy. I didn't want to know where the meatballs came from since it smelled suspiciously like an old gym sock.
Khaion's announcement of our Valakana brought his crew to their feet with cheering, congratulations, and a heady amount of excitement. Since joining the Bardaga meant most gave up hope of finding a mate, possibly finding one out of the thousands of human women rescued was appealing. A statistic I once read claimed that every year, approximately 600,000 people disappear without a trace, and only about thirty percent of them are located. At least the other seventy percent had the Vaktaire looking out for them.
Khaion talked to his Siemba, relating what we discovered about Nansar, speculating on what the Aljani might be up to, and strategizing how to gather more intel. I tried to pay attention, but once Siemba relayed to Dixa that Khaion and I mated, my own comm rang. I spent the next hour chatting about our alien mates with the woman most of the Earth knew as Marilyn Monroe.
"Did Siemba have any information about Nansar allying with the Kerzak?" I cuddled against Khaion's side, wriggling happily as his fingertips stroked my spine.
“He said there have been rumblings from the Kerzak about coming into more power, but other than that, no,” my mate replied. I’d tried to ask him about Siemba earlier, but just as soon as the comm ended, the kissing started, and I found myself too pleasurably distracted. I sighed, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice.
When Khaion's comm buzzed again, I tensed with anticipation. He snagged the device from the nightstand after reassuringly kissing my lips.
"It's a message from Daicon." Khaion held the comm out where I could see it. Little good it did. I could have read Sanskrit easier than the alien version of text messaging. The farther Khaion's council traveled in search of my friends, the harder it was to make a verbal or holographic connection with the Bardaga, hence alien texting. “He sends his congratulations on our mating.”
Khaion had Bartuk send the news to those off-ship. While I couldn't figure out how myself, my mate felt the news that human women were compatible with the Vaktaire might be essential to affect their rescue.
Speaking of rescue…. “Any word on Daisy.”
Khaion spoke into the comm in the Vaktaire language, which sounded like a combination of Mandarin and German to my ears. A few minutes later, a shrill beep heralded the reply.
“Nothing yet.” Khaion frowned as he read Daicon’s reply. “He’s nearing the last Gilese mining moon. So far, he found all the mines abandoned.” Khaion paused, regarding me with concern. “Daicon said he doesn’t get a ping on Daisy’s tracker any longer.”
I laid my hand on his shoulder, feeling his arm tighten around me. “So, they might have taken Daisy somewhere else?”
“It’s possible,” Khaion admitted, brushing his lips across my forehead. “Or they might store the ship underground. The surface of the Gilese moons is uninhabitable. The mines maintain artificial climates when in use.”
“I hope Daisy is okay. I hope they all are.” My voice wobbled. Truthfully, the only thing keeping me from bursting into tears of worry was this wonderful man beside me. He’dpromised to find my friends—I trusted him to keep that promise—to keep all his promises.
Khaion shifted on his side, drawing me against his chest. "Hakkar is on an approach for the planet Vestra. His last report shows the tracker at a research facility in the jungle. Jutuk is already at the Ardeese Valoot space station…."
“Has he seen Pearl?” Hope shivered across my skin.
“Not yet. The space station houses over a million beings, my heart. It might take some time to locate her.”
“What about Clara?” Of all my friends, I worried about her the most. While my imagination of what happened to all my friends ran along the lines of a Stephen King novel, we knew the Trogvyk sold Clara to a hedonism ship. I didn’t believe for a minute they’d wanted her to deal blackjack. Did aliens even play blackjack?
"Tarook has yet to rendezvous with the Hartouk Lenaii. The hedonism ship is deep within the Erdani system, several light years from here. Still, he expects to make contact within the next two moons." Even Khaion's voice held a tone of unease. I wound my arms around his neck, feeling the rhythm of our hearts beating as one.
“Do you really think Charick has a mating thing for Willa just from catching her scent?” There was no way to discount the Sage’s change in mood after we returned from the Korfu moon. Just before boarding his ship, Charick dropped to one knee, vowing to bring Willa to my side or die trying.Thisfrom a dude that spent the first two weeks I'd known him constantly declaring his disdain for humans. He either got hit in the headduring the fight with the Kerzak, or something drew him toward Willa.
Khaion's lifted me so that our faces were even. He rubbed my nose with his sweetly while a broad smile split his lips.
God! He was gorgeous!
“Perhaps.” His voice held that sultry tone that turned my bones to butter. “My heart was yours from the moment I woke up in the Trogvyk pod with you in my arms.”
Happiness fizzed through me. “I thought you were an angel. A really sexy angel.”
Khaion’s laugh was like a warm kiss of air on an autumn day. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. A chaste kiss compared to our recent others, sweet, loving, and lingering.
“Do you really have to report our mating to the Planetary Alliance?” My fingertips trailed the edge of the black swooshes across his shoulders.
"It is required, yes." Khaion's tone wasn't concerned, but I could tell he wasn't looking forward to the task.
"Are they really that controlling?" China's one-baby rule flashed in my head. Memories of birth permits, fines, and forced abortions lurch in my stomach.
“Alliance regulations state that Earth protectors are not to interfere with humans. But I do not think they can overlook the Valakana.” Khaion brushed the hair from my forehead, frowning at the worried expression I knew rested on my features.
“What will happen if they do?”
