Page 49 of Alokar
The Prime looked unsettled, her lovely features creasing with worry. Duke Ako’s expression mirrored her concern.
“Trogvyk are the species most widely known to visit Earth and traffic in human slaves,” The Prime offered, the faint smile she gave holding no humor whatsoever.
“Is that where humans get the idea of little gray men with big heads?” I asked, curiosity momentarily overriding my sense of dread.
“Hardly!” Helene snorted, her elegant features twisting in a mix of amusement and disgust. “Trogvyk look like hairless cats.”
I shivered involuntarily at the mental image, and the arm Ewok had wrapped around my shoulders tightened reassuringly.
“What exactly is the consortium?” My mate asked, echoing the very question that burned in my mind.
The Prime drew in a long, heavy breath, her luminous gold-cobalt eyes darkening. “We do not exactly know. But from what we have been able to piece together, it is an organization bent on exploiting Earth and its people. They are well-protected, operating in shadows so deep that even our most skilled operatives struggle to identify them. Siemba and his spy network have been able to uncover very little, despite months of reconnaissance.”
“The Alliance has recently taken Earth into protectorate status, which means the planet and its people are under Alliance protection,” Duke Ako explained, and I noticed his arm slipping around his mate’s shoulders protectively as he spoke. “There are some who do not welcome this change, who see it as interference in what they consider a most profitable venture.”
“Yaard was among the most vocal opponents of Earth’s protectorate status,” Xabat, the War Chief, frowned. “Perhaps when news of his death spreads, it will undermine others who followed his ideology.” I could sense the calculating mind behind those intelligent purple eyes, already strategizing how to use Yaard’s demise to the Alliance’s best advantage.
“We can hope,” the Prime agreed, though her tone carried little optimism. “But in the meantime, we must investigate every mention of the consortium, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Until we can ferret out who controls this shadowy entity, we cannot take decisive action against them without risking innocent lives.”
“You have the Kerzak’s pledge of assistance,” Ewok declared, raising his fist to thump against his heart in what I now recognized as a warrior’s sacred vow. “I do not plan to wear the crown for long, but I will institute laws condemning the detrimental treatment of humans. Yaard has followers among my people, and I will take every measure necessary to root them out. My sister will stand with me, even when she is queen.” He turned to smile at me with such adoration that it made my heart flutter, picking up my hand and brushing his lips over my knuckles. “Vienda will love you—I’m certain of it.”
I hoped so with every fiber of my being. We would depart for Kerzak in just a few days, accompanied by Daicon, Daisy, and little Jordan, beginning a new chapter of my life among the stars. I was genuinely looking forward to spending time getting to know my new family. If Vienda was anything like her brother, I knew I would love her too.
“We set a course for the Reinald system within a rotation,” Captain Adtovar announced, his fingers drumming a steady rhythm against the surface of the table, long pearlescent horns catching and reflecting the overhead light. “Intelligence suggests the upcoming slave auction on Akiddee Prime will feature several humans.” He turned to Ewok, giving a formal nod of respect and acknowledgment. “Again, you and your mate are welcome aboard theHistoriaanytime. I would be honored to have a warrior of your caliber serving aboard my ship.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Ewok replied, his honey-brown eyes flashing with pride.
I knew my mate had his heart set on joining theBardagawith his parents after our visit to planet Kerzak, but I settled my hand on his muscular thigh, giving a gentle squeeze to convey that I would follow him anywhere—to distant worlds, through dangerous missions, across the endless expanse of space itself. No matter where we traveled, my heart, my true home, would always be by Ewok’s side. And from somewhere in heaven, I felt my dad smiling down on us.
The sudden urgent tapping on the office door made me jump, my nerves still raw from memories of Yaard and concerns regarding the consortium.
Ako and Helene shared a confused glance, their eyebrows raising in unison, before he called out, “Enter.”
The devil-looking alien entered—Rickon. I’d met him earlier. While he was nothing but courteous and charming, it still seemed odd to see the physical embodiment of humanity’s concept of the devil casually walking around, engaging in polite conversation.
“Lady Prime, My Duke, Duchess Helene, please forgive the intrusion,” he said formally, his dark crimson fist thumping over his heart, his forked tail swishing behind him with nervous energy. “But we have just received a DNA-coded message for the War Chief.”
Xabat’s head jerked up sharply, his dark purple eyes narrowing as confusion and something that looked suspiciously like hope warred across his features. “That is not possible.”
“What’s a DNA-coded message?” I asked, my curiosity piqued more by Xabat’s reaction than by the mysterious message itself.
“It is a highly secure form of communication that can only be opened by someone who shares specific DNA markers with the sender,” Captain Adtovar explained, his own expression reflecting the confusion that seemed to permeate the room.
“This has to be some kind of mistake,” Xabat shook his head, thick black hair that resembled dreadlocks slapping against his broad shoulders with the force of his denial. “I have no family. Not anymore.”
“The genetic markers are unmistakable,” Rickon insisted gently, a hint of sympathy coloring his deep voice.
Rickon placed a sleek communication unit—that looked suspiciously similar to an oversized iPad—on the polished surface of the conference table and tapped one of the glowing buttons with the razor-sharp tip of a clawed finger. What appeared to be a miniature static tornado emanated from the device’s surface, spinning hypnotically as it waited for genetic confirmation.
Xabat stared at the swirling vortex for a long, tense moment, his breathing shallow and rapid, then slowly drew a dagger from his belt. He pricked the tip of one massive finger, drawing a single drop of dark blood that gleamed like an emerald in the ambient light. Lifting his hand slowly, trying to control the faint trembling of his fingers, he let the drop fall into the static tornado.
Slowly, the chaotic image began to clear and coalesce, morphing into a tiny but perfectly detailed hologram of a being that unmistakably resembled the War Chief—only younger, slenderer, lacking the powerful warrior’s build.
“Xytol?” Xabat stuttered in complete shock, his voice cracking with emotion as his eyes began to shimmer.
“Brother!” The holographic image sighed with profound relief, his shoulders sagging as if a tremendous weight lifted. “Thank the goddess this message found you.”
The hologram glanced nervously over his shoulder, worry etching deep lines across his youthful face, as if expecting danger to materialize at any moment. “You have to help me protect her,” he pleaded desperately, his voice breaking with barely contained panic. “You have to help me, brother, or the consortium will take her away forever.”
