Page 6 of Mated to the Alien Rogue

“If I don’t make it back, you’re the new leaders. Gravin, you’ll take over as captain of theDaredevil. And Car-Raa, you’re already the leader of the Hyoo-mon females, and I’ve arranged for Duchess Rualii to have you officially recognized as such.”

“Me? I’m only a peacekeeper.”

“You’re more than that,” I said, my voice firm. “And if Captain Lee were here, she’d say the same.”

I released them. “You’re staying here and doing all the politics while I’m gone. TheMarauderfollowed you back from Fran-Key and Zol’s last mission. Go and recruit more banished Zaarn to our cause.”

Gravin groaned, his scowl so deep it furrowed lines into his brow.

A ghost of a smile played over my lips as he stormed from the room, sweeping Car-Raa along in front of him.

Then I got back to picking my team.

Kirel and Hay-Zul would stay to help. I left instructions for them to disseminate their translator chip update across the seven sectors. There was no point in trying to hide the Hyoo-mons any longer. The Grug knew we’d discovered them, and the sooner we made it clear these females were sentient instead of animals, the better. It wouldn’t stop the gray aliens from trying to sell the last ones they had in their clutches, but it would let the females communicate with people, no matter where they found themselves.

Finally, I decided on the best people for the job. Mol-Lee and Ell-Laa in one racer. Raxnor and Tark in the other. It gave me an excellent pilot, two top engineers expert in stealth tech, and my infiltration specialist. Zo-Fee would stay behind to keep making more zurilium for helmets to protect everyone from the Grug telepathy field. Sul would remain to back up Gravin. No one would be happy, but it made sense.

I’d field every protest.

I was still captain.

The racers were as fast as Mol-Lee had boasted, and two days later, I floated in theDartabove the purple and blue main continent of Zaar. The other two ships streaked past the planet, making the Zaarn officials yell protests. But my crew used a translation program of Kirel’s to pretend to be Sjisji out for a joy race.

No one noticed when their ships released slim tether lines, letting my stealth shuttle fall free to skim the upper atmosphere.

The others sped toward the horizon, the bright dots of the racers going hazy with distance before disappearing around the curve of the planet. No farewells or wishes of luck rang over comms—we maintained radio silence as an added precaution.

But they’d all said their goodbyes an hour earlier, with Raxnor adding extra instructions in his deep growl. “The facility is hidden in the middle of a grivwood forest. This isn’t a legal operation. I’d expect less resistance than a government facility, but that also means the people there won’t be worried about the repercussions of killing you.”

“They’re not going to get the chance,” I’d said. “I’ll bring her straight to theDartand fly as far away from Zaar as possible by the time you all swing back around to pick us up.”

“Infiltrationsnevergo to plan,” he’d grumped.

Now that things were finally in motion, I had to hope he was wrong.

Mother Goddess, bless your son in his endeavor today. And with that, I flipped theDartso the stern pointed toward the planet. As gravity grabbed hold, I fed just enough power to the engine to keep my speed low to not heat the air enough to make it catch fire. The special baffle Tark and Ell-Laa had designed hid the glow of the engine, and stealth material covered the matte-gray hull, hiding me from scans. I had to hope it was enough.

Fortunately, I aimed for the more deserted northern part of the continent. The secret lab facility stood in the middle of one of the planet’s largest grivwood forests, a natural preserve that was supposed to be uninhabited but for dreadwolves and urbears.

Carilia City flashed past below me, a shining dot of silver and glass gone before I could spot any specific landmarks to remind me of my lost home.

Was Mother down there now, working in her office in the Senate Building? Did Father lecture to the nineteen-year-olds hurrying to cram their last year’s worth of learning with as much information as possible? A vast majority of the males would be banished for not finding mates, just as I had been, set loose to Roam in a galaxy without anything more than their inherent knowledge and skills.

The Hyoo-mon females could change all of that—at least for those of us lucky enough to find our fated mate among them.

A river wound below, shining like a silver snake where it caught the sunlight. Villages dotted its banks, and my path followed it for a while. Then the river narrowed as the ground rose into the rocky gray peaks of the Randula Mountains. TheDarthad dropped enough altitude that I skimmed over the crest of the highest ridge by only a few feet.

A high plateau bordered the other side of the mountains, one covered with the blue of grivwood trees. It was spring, and lighter notes of purple flashed between the darker ever-blue trees wherever there was a valoree tree grove.

Raxnor had pored over maps to find the perfect landing spot, a small clearing only a half hour’s hike from the facility. I sat theDartdown as slowly as possible. As soon as the shuttle touched the ground, I had the engine off and was up out of the pilot’s chair. I scooped up a survival pack and settled it onto my back. Then I checked that the blasters holstered at my hips were fully charged.

As soon as the outer hatch opened, I darted out, running. My first footfall on the planet sealed my fate—and my death sentence if I were caught—but I didn’t let that slow me. Time was of the essence, and every second spent here unnecessarily was an added danger.

Still, a remembrance of home hit me at the first breath of the rich, resinous smell of the grivwood trees. Mother had brought me here as a child every summer, teaching me to camp and hunt as her father had taught her. Father was more of a city dweller. He’d overseen almost all other areas of my education, leaving my mother this… and politics.

The smell filled me with fond memories and even more hope. My mother loved me—the anguish on her face at my banishment had been the only time her public persona had slipped. If anything happened here, maybe she could intercede. If not for me, then for Captain Lee. Because I refused to believe that she, even as Senator Devalia, would have any part of this.

Dark blue needles crunched underfoot as I darted around a clump of purple mavnar bush, its thick waxy leaves clicking as my leg brushed them. I wore a solid black outfit, hoping it wouldn’t look out of place at the facility since it was fairly standard for Zaarn guards. But my natural skin would have blended better in this forest, if I ran naked as my ancestors had done.

---