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. “Itwasmy 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.”
