Defying The Alliance: ERUPTION (Novokin Alliance Invasion 3) Read online

  Two plasma bolts crossed dangerously close in front of me. Now was not the time to play guessing games. Any student of history knew fighting a battle on two fronts was never prudent. Fortunately, the bodies I had already downed in the stairwell were making it hard for additional guards to invade the bridge. The shots coming at me from what I thought to be the navigational area of the bridge were wild and unfocused, leading me to believe I wasn't facing Imperial guards on the bridge, but mere techs.

  I might actually get out of this alive. I smirked to myself, giving my pistols a chance to cool down. But before I lifted my head again to fire, I felt the telltale metallic press of a plasma pistol on the side of my head.

  "Greetings Captain," came a small familiar voice that was obviously in love with itself. Asmot droned on, "It seems you won't be making that meeting with the Supreme Commander after all."

  Chapter 13

  “I didn’t sign up for this handsome.”

  "What do you expect me to do?" Trex snapped and bared his teeth at her.

  She emasculated him with a full belly laugh. "Please," she snorted between wiping away her tears, "Put those little things away before I pee myself. Fine I'll take the bridge." She held up a finger. "This one time."

  Trex stomped away from the half-Terran, half-Duskanite.

  "You go bring our girl back. But if you don't, I'm gonna show you some real teeth." Anya smiled her toothy serrated grin at him.

  Getting to cargo bay one after the artificial gravity failed had been a challenge. Almost as much as wedging his large frame into the tiny pilot fighter Anya had primed and then readied for him earlier. A skilled pilot in his own right, Trex was easily able to avoid the raging battle even though his thumb twitched to fire. By happy chance for the fleet the defense grid was down, and some kind soul had been nice enough to leave a large, gaping hole in Asmot's ship and its force field for him to fly right into. He held a sneaking suspicion a certain little captain that shone brighter than any star in the night sky had something to do with the massive ship's new ventilation system.

  He eschewed standard docking procedures and blasted his way through the already damaged hanger. He perforated a set of inner doors and crashed his single pilot fighter into one of the ship's long hallways. Pushing aside his concerns for finding another way out after he rescued Caspia, he was quite pleased with the destruction his breach had caused.

  A coiled plasma blast stung the back of his leg like a nest of angry hornets. Apparently the Novokin guards were upping their game today, favoring plasma cannons over their standard plasma rifles. Trex aimed the new weapon affixed to his wrist. The Razor's deadly engineer had concocted this energy transducer to concentrate whatever energy he absorbed into projectile explosive spheres. He launched an energy sphere powered by the Novokins’ initial attack on him at the ceiling above the guards. It not only caved in on them, but gave him a convenient access to the next level up.

  Before the dust cleared, the huge golden warrior dragged himself up through the newly created hole, quiet as a Tarcadian mouse. He emerged behind a small battalion of Novokin Alliance Imperial guards. They jockeyed for position at the base of a stairway littered with bodies. They were all firing up at something. He couldn’t see what they were so agitated about. A satisfied smile broke across his face as the warmth of realization touched his heart – his amka was at the top of the stairs. I'm coming Caspia... my little Captain.

  Trex allowed his training to take over. All doubts related to the sheer number of guards present and fears that he might not see his little Captain again fled his mind. He broke into a run and then leapt at the guards in the stairs. Nothing could stand in his way, now that he knew she was alive. Nobody could hold him back from reaching her and enveloping her into his arms. He’d keep her there and never let her go. His strained heart refused to beat without her alive and well in his universe. Cutting through the guards was but an annoyance for him. He was almost there.

  He crawled over the remains of his savage assault, reaching the landing just in time to see her small, yet voluptuous frame posed at the top of the stairway firing into the smoke-filled chaos of the bridge. His mind reached for hers. Her tangled brown mane awash in the golden flickering light of the destruction she had wrought slapped the air as her eyes searched intently the room. Her gaze met his for a moment and his heart swelled, his body came alive. Her eyes went wide with recognition then blinked a few times in disbelief. Her lips curved up the same instant a very familiar figure stepped out from the grey shadows behind her.

  His breath was caught in his lungs. His mind raced to comprehend the image of Asmot, the butcher known as Red Sky, the decimater of his world and the murderer of his people, standing behind his beloved, pistol raised and aimed at his amka’s head. The cumbra of Othmarvia was saying something, but the pounding of the blood in Trex's skull drowned out his words.

  Her big, brown eyes glistened with love, her luscious lips drew up at the corners. The smile in her face never faltered as he scrambled up and over the dead Novokin laden staircase. For the first time in his life, uncontrollable fear gripped his soul. Fear for losing his amka, his love, his only reason to live.

  The muscles in his legs strained. He had to reach her! He had to protect her! Trex's knees buckled when he saw the telltale orange glow as Asmot's hand cannon fired point-blank at the side of Caspia's head.

  Chapter 14

  "Mama bird this is Talon," a voice squawked over the com, "we've got sector two cleared. Only light resistance remains. Do we press on?"

  Deft fingers typed commands on the keyboard faster than could be spoken. "Negative Talon," the message Anya typed read, "move to assist unit three. Take out those heavy candidates." She needed to give Trex a fighting chance if they were going to get Caspia back, sector two was his entry point and she guessed his exit. They didn't need their rescue attempt cut short by friendly fire.

  "Aye Sir," the Talon responded before breaking off her current vector to aid the warbird Rapier in its attack on Asmot's command vessel's main cannons.

  News from the Arboretum scrolled over the optical display she favored over the main screen. This allowed for full access to what the Razor was dealing with outside, as well as real time fleet communication and status updates from her new engineering team. Jaxx was settled in, and in the middle of giving birth. His drooping ovexes were at full dilation.

  “Could you please keep the ship from rocking so much?” Came an angry yessage from the Arboretum.

  "I'll try," she typed. The moment her fingers left the data pad the Razor lurched. The Novokin heavy cruiser apparently had decided to focus all of its armaments on their ship. Joy.

  Anya was used to getting a fair amount of attention from the opposite sex. Her gaze darkened and the corners of her mouth turned up. She was also used to having a response at the ready...

  She swung her attention to the weapon station and Lieutenant Dodson manning it. "Give me a good reason why we've stopped firing Lieutenant," she growled.

  "Captain, we've lost power from the weapons’ generator. I'm trying to reroute a fix," he responded meekly, working hard not to crack under the full weight of her glare.

  Anya rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry at the confused young man. "Hold on."

  Multiple torpedoes and plasma beams impacted on her forward shields. The Razor protested violently, shaking those not seated on the ground. To Anya’s credit the shields held steady. Faster than conscious thought, her fingers danced to the control panels as if strumming a sonata on the keys and strings of a Xenobian pianitar.

  "There you go."

  Clearing his head the lieutenant gawked at his firing station, before turning questioning eyes towards Anya. "You've rerouted life support and hyper drive engines power into the weapons’ system?"

  "What's the use of breathing if you're dead? I suggest you find a suitable target and fire Lieutenant, before I help you find the answer to that question." She dragged her clawed finger across her throat for em
phasis.

  Lieutenant Dodson gulped then targeted the Novokin light cruiser that was attacking one of the smaller support ships to their port. When he fired, instead of a thin focused beam of blue blasting a hole in one of the engines of the light cruiser, a massive torrent of crackling, blue energy erased the ship from existence. The young man turned an amazed expression at Anya.

  She spun her wrist casually in the air and winked at the handsome officer. "An upgrade."

  Chapter 15

  The sting of the point blank range plasma blast tore through my skull with the pain of a thousand Kilorian honeybees.

  When my brain cleared and I opened my eyes, I was still kneeling on the floor of the Novokin bridge. How come I'm not dead? I turned to look up at my attacker. Asmot's eyes were like saucers before he rapidly fired again, once into my face three more times point-blank into my chest. The girls were not happy.

  This time was far more annoying than the last, but not nearly as painful. I squinted into his awestruck face – "Ouch."

  I tried to push him away from me with both hands and instead I ended up launching him across the room in an arc of green energy. I stared down at my hands, still crackling and sizzling with the same green energy from his plasma pistol. Ass-mot was some twenty feet away, smoking and groggy, yet still preternaturally pretentious.

  When I turned back to where I thought I saw Trex, a moment before tall, purple and jerky decided it was okay to shoot me in the face, my heart skipped. He really was here! My beautiful, golden barbarian had come for me. And by the goofy look on his face I knew he was just as surprised as me about what had just happened. However he shook it off and bounded toward me like a Kalurian Wolf, scooping me up into his massive arms as we collided.

  "What did I tell you about picking me up in public?" I fake shouted with as much pretend anger as I was able to muster. It had about as much effect as my real anger did the first time he scooped me up with those big steel pipes he called arms on the promenade of the Proteus Deep space station 5. Only this time, he showered my face and hair with luxurious kisses. Nuzzling into his chest, stroking his light, silky chest fur didn’t help my case. Oh, look a nipple. My naughty was coming out to play.

  When I finally pried him away, he grinned with those big curved lips of his and I felt my heart flutter. "Apologies my Captain, if you wish you can spank me later." Not a bad suggestion I have to admit, and a wicked glint flashed in his eyes. Maybe I should be concerned? It seemed my alien had a naughty side too. This may have to be explored in the future. But right then I just needed to enjoy the warmth and protection of his massively strong arms. I was home once again. Safe.

  A plasma burst exploded over our heads, raining super heated bits of slag down on us, snapping me out of my comfort once again. Can’t a girl get a moment with her alien? Ass-mott was back on his feet, and running for the port side of the ship. His personal escape pod. Trex roared in warning, the gold hue of his skin catching the light of the burning control panels. His hair was wild with fight and the blood of our enemies. He looked and sounded like a Takadian lion. Yum, he was so hot! A wanting moan escaped my lips.

  My protector had apparently misinterpreted my noise. His entire demeanor softened, and he focused all of his attention on me. "Are you all right, are you hurt?" He asked, worry with a tinge of fear coating his voice.

  Now he was turning into a mother hen. "Put me down and I'll see," I commanded, though not really wanting to leave his arms.

  Trex gently lowered me on to the floor, and I started to sway. Maybe I wasn't in quite as good a shape as I thought. Trex pulled me close to his chiseled body, steadying me. Is it wrong I just wanted to sink my teeth into his chest and let the rest of the universe go to the eight infernos?

  Two massive explosions engulfed the throne Asmot had made for himself on the bridge, scorching it down to little more than blackened nub. I looked over to see Asmot himself, scowling at the scene. Ha! Take that you praking piece of purple sire-praking skeck!

  Trex glared at the man, the butcher who killed his family and destroyed his world, now stood in front of the open escape pod door. I felt my large alien tense under my touch, before he dropped his head level to mine, his beautiful green, eyes capturing me with their ferocious gleam.

  My heart shattered. I understood.

  Chapter 16

  I held my breath waiting for Trex to leave me. To say goodbye forever. To go exact the blood vengeance he had sworn over the graves of his people before he ever met me. To put to rest the souls that consumed his every waking thought thereafter. After all, Ass-mot was within his grasp. Who could blame him?

  He continued to stare deep into my eyes, his face solemn and unreadable. Then the right corner of his lip curled up ever so slightly and a large strong hand slid down my back and patted my butt.

  "Let's go my little Captain," he said.

  I was speechless. He scooped me up again, but this time I didn't waste time chastising him for it. After all my hands were busy sliding around his neck. And my mouth was occupied kissing his brow, his cheeks, his nose and then those sexy, succulent lips of his as he settled us into the only escape pod on the starboard side of the ship.

  I didn't even stop as he closed the hatch behind us, I just kept kissing. Well, I groped a little too, but it was mostly kissing. The feel of his lips and his face, the maddening intoxication of his delicious scent… I nuzzled into his neck and for the first time in a long time I felt – satisfied.

  Before I knew it Ass-mot’s ship was far behind us and we were surrounded by the empty black vastness of space. I finally pulled away from him. Brushing the hair out of his eyes, I was slightly afraid of what I might find when I looked into them. Sadness? Anger? Regret?

  "Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.

  Trex gave me a wickedly wonderful grin. "I am perfect," he boasted. His tail punctuated his sentence, taking certain uninvited liberties with my backside.

  I gave him my best you stink-like-skeck look before I pressed on. "But Asmot got away. What about your oath, your vengeance, your family –?"

  "You are my family," he announced with authority. He pulled me closer to him. How much closer I could get already in his lap I wasn't sure, but I'd be damned if he didn't try. And if I didn’t let him. He delicately lifted my chin so we were eye to eye. "You've been my family since the first day we met. I tried to tell you the last time we joined. You come first in my life my little Captain, my amka." He slowly slid a hand on my side and ended with it on my belly, "and he will be my family too."

  Realization of what he meant struck me. Shot me point-blank in the gut. My jaw dropped and for the first time in my life I was speechless. Then it warmed me to my core.

  “You are with our young in your belly my amka. He would inherit my ability to create and absorb most types of energy. That is the reason you survived Asmot’s plasma blast.” Adoration and a tender love sparkled in his eyes making me woozy, warm and tingly inside.

  I was pregnant. We were pregnant. As if flipping a switch the indignation at his assumption overtook me.

  "You mean she will be your family too." I stated firmly, trying to look put off.

  "It matters not my amka, as long as we are all together."

  I guess it really wasn't worth pretending to fight it anymore. I loved this man.

  He tried to bring his full lips to mine again but with great force of will I splayed my fingers on his chest, holding him back away from me. "You know what today is?"

  He shook his head no. I feigned an annoyed astonishment. "Today is our anniversary. Two months ago today I met you on the Proteus Deep space station 5."

  Now was his turn to give me a funny look, but nothing, nothing was going to spoil my surprise. I raised my righteous chin. "Well, it doesn't matter if you forgot. I got you something anyway."

  My sweet barbarian was totally confused. I held up a small blue circuit board I had stashed on the floor of the escape pod earlier.

  "Thank you," he said cordiall
y. "I apologize I did not think to get you anything. I will not fail our next anniversary," he said emphasizing each word while he puzzled over the hastily pulled piece of circuitry.

  Wow! Somebody trained him well. Seriously though. I shook my head. What a goofball. "It's the stabilization circuit board, from the other pod. Look," I pointed out the large window.

  From our vantage point we saw Asmot's escape pod shoot away from the ship, spinning wildly. Trex laughed once, and then lowered his gaze away from the scene in front of us.

  "What?" I exclaimed punching his solid arm. Ouch. "The thought of Asmot flopping around in an escape pod filled with his own vomit and excrement isn't a good enough gift from your woman and child?"

  A smile tugged to the corner of those luscious lips and I needed to run my hand across his face. "It was very thoughtful of you," he confessed before leaning in for more lip locking.

  I held up a hand to stave off his sexy attack. "But not exactly what you wanted, eh? Okay, so here," I reached down and grabbed a second circuit board, holding it up for him to see. This was much smaller than the other, green and held mostly conduits of silver suspended in an orange gel.

  His eyes widened, "Is that…?"

  I dipped my head a slow nod, letting him know that yes, this was the navigational circuit board from Asmot's escape pod. What can I say, best girlfriend ever.

  We both turned to watch Asmot's pod spin out of control as it sailed across the sky, directly into a red giant. Poof, no more Asmot. No one even heard him scream.

  Trex turned back to me, eyes glistening, his body trembling when he whispered, "I have nothing to give you."

  The darkness of space was awash in the bright red light of Asmot's exploding ship.