“I would like that.” A wide grin took over my face as my chest swelled with warmth. “You are an intelligent female, my heart. You don’t give yourself enough credit. I can teach you all about immex capacitors and connecting fibrous tubing, anything you’d like to learn.”
“You’re right, Zikkar, she doesn’t give herself enough credit,” Gia said, wiping her hands on a clean cloth. “You’ll be an expert by the time Zikkar finishes tutoring you, Ro.”
My gaze raked over my female, thoughts of what she had taught me sent a wave of heat rippling through my veins. Her mouth stretched around my cock while her hand cradled my heavy sack, she had taken my seed into her body, lapping up my spill as she found her own release. My scales pulsed with hot blues and silvers before I caught myself and willed my natural camouflage to calm.
“We’re all done here, let’s head to the hangar,” Rowan said, sealing her words with a soft, brief kiss on my mouth. My heartsthundered in my chest, the taste of her lingering on my lips as we broke apart.
“Well, I’m off to the medic bay,” Gia announced, handing Rowan the cloth to wipe her hands. “The newly awakened girls are still recovering, and I want to lend a hand.”
“Come with us,” Rowan said, and a flicker of her guilt zipped through me. Her friendship with Gia held a special place in her heart, and she didn't want to leave her behind.
“Rowan's right,” I chimed in. “You should join us.”
Gia smiled softly. “Thank you both, but the girls need me more. I’ll catch up with you two lovebirds later.” She gave Rowan a reassuring hug and me a little wave before departing.
Hand in hand, Rowan and I followed the winding path through the city to the hangar, the weight of my world temporarily lifted from our shoulders. As we entered the cavernous space, the scent of metalloid and energized nutrillium greeted us, along with the sounds of clanking tools and humming machinery.
“Here we are,” I said, gesturing to the various spacecraft around us. “These are all the crafts we’ve gathered. Some still fly, but most are being used for parts on the projects we've been creating.”
Rowan's eyes widened as she took in the sight, her curiosity piqued by the complexity of it all. I led her deeper into the hangar, passing by the various spacecraft, then paused in front of a small round, silver craft with an ominous aura. “We were fortunate to have collected this Yulineon patroller from the jungle,” I explained. “The immex capacitors from this craft are being used to stabilize the various energy sources we feed intothe generator Zaku designed in order to increase the dome’s shielding.”
“That belonged to one of the Yulineon’s? The beings who have orders to kill humans on sight, no questions asked?”
“Yes. When Rose, Wynnter, and I were working outside the dome to create the portal, this ship landed and we encountered the Yulineon,” I said, recalling the fight that ultimately killed the alien. Wynnter had gone with Zaku to dump the body in the sea and collect the craft that would help strengthen the dome against their impending attack. “Unfortunately, the patroller had set up a biometric scanner with an outbound signal and although we can’t be completely sure, chances are good the Yulineons know there are humans on Valose.”
“You think they’ll return because of us?”
“Yes. Zaku said Universeval Rule dictates that all off-world humans are to be terminated,” I said. “If the Yulineons are on the way, we must increase power to the dome. It would also be to our utmost benefit if the long-range weapon were ready when they attack.”
“Then I guess we better get to work.” Rowan squeezed my hand.
“Over there is where I left Hexxus to calibrate the couling rods to replace the virst bars that aren’t strong enough to carry the power load needed between each cellpod,” I explained as we crossed the hangar to where I found my mentor hunched over a workbench, his attention focused on the readouts of the device attached to a couling rod.
“What is that, Z?”
I followed the direction of Rowan’s curious gaze. “The console Aggar and Lennox removed from the Grite ship we dislodged from the top of Mount Jurigon and flew to the island where you awoke.”
“Why did it need to be removed?”
“It was easier for Lennox to modify the console with the needed translator. A transmission was intercepted from the Gretolic craft that left here with our males and human females.”
“The one I was fortunate enough not to be on?” Rowan gulped.
“One and the same.” I nodded gravely. “The language was strange and some of the transmission was broken, so Lennox fitted the console with a translator. We discovered it was the Gretolics negotiating a trade for the males and females they abducted with another alien Zaku called a Trollis.”
“Gia told me she heard the people had been sold,” she shuddered. “I wonder if…Do you think my sister was among those girls?”
“There’s no way of knowing who the females were that were taken off Valose. Marie discovered a storage room beneath the palace filled with females when her and Draggar were taken prisoner by the Gretolics. By the time we were able to attempt a rescue, the long-range craft had left Valose with most onboard,” I told her. “But Zaku has reached out to a group of reavers, and placed bounties on all Valosians and humans, requesting that they be returned to Valose in exchange for nutrone. I can feel your anxiety if it were my own, my heart, but your sister may not have been among them.”
“I hope not. I wish with all my heart that she’s still on Earth.” Her gaze brightened with unshed tears as she searched my face.
“I pray to the Spirits she is safe on your world,” I whispered softly, yearning to ease the weight of her sorrow. “I promise we are doing what we can to have our people, as well as yours, returned, but we don’t have enough fuel to power any of the long-range crafts to go in search of them ourselves.”
“Gia said Nekko left with a group of warriors to search the crashed ship for fuel sources.” Her eyes lit up with hope. “If they find any, does that mean a search party will fly into space to look for them? Or maybe take us back to Earth?”
“Perhaps a search,” I grimly shared the troubling information I knew would only bring her more grief, “but the number of Yulineon patrollers monitoring the space around your planet is so great, Zaku assures us that attempting to land on Earth would be certain death.”
A sharp ache gripped my hearts, resonating the echo of her spirit that grew stronger within me. In that moment, her profound grief unfolded like a delicate flower, painting a vivid picture of the harsh reality she faced—the likelihood of never setting foot on Earth again or reuniting with her beloved twin.
