Alien Conquest Read online

  She looked from one man to the other. Their expressions contained quiet joy, making her want to be glad. A part of her recoiled whispering, just like your mother.

  Not quite. Her surrender came with a price.

  "Don't ask me to help you against Earth. I may be wicked, but I'm no traitor. I won't willingly give you any more information than I already have."

  Tranis squeezed her thigh. She heard regret in his tone. "Casualties on both sides are mounting because of this war. I'm still hoping Lidon will decipher those codes or your grandfather will give us the information we need." He gazed steadily into her eyes. "I will not torture you, Cassidy. That I promise. There is nothing that will make me harm my Matara. However, if we have no luck with other avenues of getting what we need, I may have to extract what you know."

  "You'll destroy what's left of me if you do."

  Whatever he might have said in response was interrupted by two beeps. An excited voice, speaking in Kalquorian, filled the room. Lidon and Tranis were on their feet in an instant, the former depositing Cassidy on the bed before yanking on his formsuit. Tranis answered the disembodied voice as he dressed, also speaking in the guttural language. They moved so quickly, Cassidy's eyes could barely follow.

  "What's happening?" she asked as the men put on their boots and hurried to the door.

  Tranis paused long enough to answer, letting Lidon leave the room ahead of him. "A Tragoom ship has entered our sensor range. I'm sorry, but we'll have to lock you in here while we attend to this matter."

  With that, he rushed out, a dark blur. Cassidy was left to stare at the closed door.

  ?

  Chapter Eleven

  Tranis caught up to Lidon, and they entered the bridge together. Lidon immediately went to his station and his fingers flew over command keys, bringing up information.

  "Report," Tranis said, confronting Simdow at the captain's station.

  "The Tragoom ship has just changed course to intercept. We cloaked the instant we detected them. I think their interest is in the Earther transport."

  "Time of their arrival?"

  Lidon answered that one. "Ten minutes." His gaze met Tranis'. "Three-quarters of our medical personnel and one-third of security are on Europa with the Mataras. Another five Nobeks are guarding prisoners on the Earther transport."

  Tranis' heart thudded heavily. "We're spread thin."

  Simdow's worry was obvious. "Captain, we can't get our security forces off Europa before the Tragooms reach us."

  Undermanned and outgunned. Tranis looked at the vid of the Tragoom ship, a squat mishmash of other species' ships cobbled together. The vicious race wasn't interested in developing its own technology; they preferred to steal everyone else's. He knew better than to be fooled by the almost comical assemblage of the approaching ship. Tragooms were ugly, stupid-looking brutes, but they were cunning fighters. One only had to look at Lidon's leg to be reminded of that.

  It's almost as if discussing them with Cassidy summoned the nasty things.

  He shook off the urge to be superstitious and turned his attention to the Earther transport displayed on another vid. "What kind of weapons does that transport have?"

  Lidon wasn't smiling, but Tranis heard the pleasure in his voice nonetheless. "Enough firepower to give that Tragoom scout pause. Earthers love their guns."

  "Can you pilot it?"

  "What an insulting question."

  Lidon's disrespectful reply to his commanding officer had its intended result: Tranis relaxed enough to smile. "Take a suit and get over there. Keep their attention long enough to draw them in. Fire when I do."

  Simdow looked surprised. "No prisoners for questioning why they're here?"

  Lidon snorted as he motioned Osopa to the security station to take his place. "They're Tragooms, Commander. They're looking for something to fuck and eat, and there's almost two hundred Mataras on the moon below us who will serve both purposes." Ignoring Simdow's suddenly ill expression, Lidon left the room.

  Tranis spoke to the air. "Degorsk, are you monitoring?"

  "I'm on line, Captain. I've only got four medics on board, so no heavy casualties if you please."

  "I'll do my best, Doctor."

  Tranis' stomach churned as he watched Lidon's spacesuited form appear on the vid, crossing the void between the ships. He silently cursed himself for having his crew in too many places to launch an effective defense. He'd never expected Tragooms to dare Earth's outer security in their search for supplies and food, but another Earth ship might have chanced upon the Kalquorians, and that would have been bad too. Either way, he'd allowed his excitement over capturing Hamilton and the Mataras, Cassidy in particular, to cloud his usual good sense.

  He hoped his crew and the women of Europa wouldn't pay in blood for his lapse in judgment.

  * * * *

  Cassidy sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what to do. The clan had left her alone for the first time since her capture. She'd given up hope of escaping the Kalquorians and didn't even want to escape now. Still, she needed to do something.

  She stood up and crossed the small space to the aliens' version of a closet. She tapped the wall as she'd seen the men do, and a tall slice of its surface slid out, along with a row of suspended formsuits and her underdress.

  Cassidy slipped on the underdress. Being clothed made her feel more ready for whatever might happen next. She stroked a formsuit, the stretchy silky material cool without the warm Kalquorian body filling it out. The blue trim told her it belonged to Tranis, and she held the sleeve of it to her face, inhaling. Clean, it offered her none of his scent, and she closed the closet feeling cheated.

  What was happening now? Would they attack the Tragooms? What were Tragooms doing so close to Earth anyway? Too many questions and no one was around to answer them.

  She looked up at a small square high on the wall. The Kalquorian ventilation system was no doubt much more efficient than what the Earthers used. She would barely be able to slip her arm in there, much less use it as an avenue of escape from the room.

  Lidon's monitor vid was no help either. The green characters floating in mid-air, a cacophony of squiggles, dots and lines, told her nothing. She couldn't read Kalquorian.

  There wasn't even a window to look out of and perhaps see the approaching Tragoom ship. While Tranis and Lidon's expressions had been bland when they left the quarters, the speed of their departure had betrayed the danger. Cassidy knew real trouble could be in store.

  If the Kalquorians and Tragooms engaged in battle, she worried Earth security would detect the exchange. Monitoring in this area was sparse, but it existed for the span that went from the wormhole, just two days away, and the outer security border beyond Neptune. A fight might get Earth's attention, bringing a squadron to Europa to investigate.

  If Cassidy and the other women the Kalquorians had seduced were 'rescued' by Earth…

  She shuddered.

  And here she was, locked in and helpless to do anything to save herself. She had to rely on hope and her clan's skill to protect her.

  The thought brought her up short. Did I just call Tranis' clan mine?

  She'd given herself to them, agreeing to be their Matara, to spend the rest of her life with them. Of course it was her clan. But the ease and naturalness of her acceptance of the three men as her mates startled Cassidy.

  Acceptance isn't all, is it Cassidy? There's a lot more, if you'd just admit it.

  She shut down the thought, terror sparking in her chest. She couldn't consider such things, not now. She had to be ready for whatever happened next. If only she could get out of this damned room!

  Restraining an urge to bang on the locked door, Cassidy paced the cramped quarters.

  * * * *

  Lidon took the bridge of the Earther transport, barking orders as he pulled off his spacesuit. "Man the weapons."

  The ranking officer, a young Nobek named Dov, nearly fell over himself complying. "Yes sir."

  Lidon's han
ds ran over the helm controls, quickly memorizing the layout. He brought up a vid showing the approaching Tragoom ship. "Be ready to fire as soon as our spy ship de-cloaks."

  "All systems armed." Dov's eyes were bright. "Will they attack, Commander?"

  Lidon grinned. "It won't be any fun if they don't." He guided the transport towards the oncoming Tragoom ship, easily mastering the controls. "Can I pilot this ship," he muttered. Tranis should have known better than to ask such a question.

  "Time to be Earther-pissed," he informed the small crew. "Com transmit."

  "Transmitting, Commander."

  Lidon closed his eyes for a moment, recalling General Hamilton's patterns of speech, his accent and cadence. When he had the voice in his head, he spoke. "Attention, Tragoom ship. You have entered Earth-controlled space. This is a hostile act. State your intentions and prepare to surrender your vessel. This is your only warning before we open fire."

  At his nod, the Nobek handling com duties shut off the transmission. Lidon's fingers flew over the helm controls, never taking his eyes off the vid projection of the Tragoom ship. They were still coming.

  "No response from the Tragooms, Commander."

  Good. I'm overdue for a fight.

  "Commander? We're stopping?" Dov kept his question respectful.

  Lidon seized on the opportunity for a lesson. "If you check the read-out for Earth's long-range sensor net, you'll see this is a void area. We can engage the Tragooms here without alerting the defense grid of our presence." He swept a glance over his young crew. "Never forget all your enemies, even while you must direct your attention on the immediate threat."

  "Yes, Commander."

  He was gratified to see the eager absorption on each face. His Nobek underlings were a good lot; they simply needed the seasoning that only combat could provide.

  A slight fluctuation in the field on their starboard side told Lidon the spy ship had kept pace with them. He hoped the Tragooms were too interested in the transport to take notice. The spy ship had defenses, but not enough to fight off their closing enemy. It was built for subterfuge, not battle.

  "Tragoom ship will be in weapons range in five seconds." Dov growled in anticipation.

  "Lock on and prepare to annihilate." Inwardly, he urged on his enemies. Don't make this too easy on me, you misbegotten waste of rotten flesh.

  He hated Tragooms.

  A ball of fiery light bloomed at the bow of the Tragoom ship. "Brace for fire!" Dov yelled. Lidon was blinded by the burst of white-hot glare, but his fingers flew over the helm with calm assurance, rolling the transport in a steep dive to avoid the blast.

  The flare subsided. An instant before his eyes adjusted, Dov's angry voice filled the bridge. "The spy ship took a direct hit! The bastards knew it was there!"

  "Return fire! Hit them with everything!" Lidon roared. His guts clenched as the spy ship's cloak failed and the vessel swam into view. It drifted drunkenly, the thrusters on one side blown completely off. The hull of the entire forward section was a blackened, twisted mess. The crew's quarters were located at the stern along with Medical, so Cassidy and Degorsk would still be safe. But the bridge was nestled in the center of the bow.

  Tranis…

  The spy ship joined Lidon's bombardment of the Tragoom's ship, its weapons systems still intact. The quickness of the return fire allowed him hope. Someone was still alive and fighting on the bridge. The protective bulwarks around the braincenter of the spy ship had done their job.

  Lidon piloted the transport around the Tragoom ship, finding the most vulnerable parts for Dov to fire on. He ignored the impulse to get between his enemy and the spy ship, to protect his clan from further fire. He had to take the enemy out.

  "Direct hit on Tragoom ship. Heavy damage to their weapons array." Dov sounded positively gleeful as he pounded on their foes' defenses.

  "Incoming fire! Brace for impact!"

  Lidon held onto the helm station as the transport shuddered around him. "Open com to spy ship."

  "Com open."

  "Captain, I've got this. Get out of here." He listened for Tranis' voice, but no one responded. The spy ship had stopped firing and seemed to be drifting dead in space.

  Dov howled with triumph. "Locked onto Tragoom's engines."

  "Fire barrage!" Lidon bared his fangs.

  Blooms of yellow, orange and red flowered on the Tragoom ship as explosions shook the haphazardly constructed vessel. Lidon watched the fireworks as they spread over the enemy.

  "Direct hit! The Tragoom ship is going critical."

  "Tranis, break off! Go!" He held his breath.

  For a wonder, the spy ship moved away, its progress a drunken spiral. Lidon had no choice but to leave it behind as he piloted the transport a safe distance from the doomed enemy.

  Too slow. They'll never get clear in time.

  "Commander, destruction of Tragoom vessel is imminent. Brace for shockwave!"

  The enemy's ship blew to bits. Lidon could only watch, his lips set in a grim line, as the spy ship toppled end over end when the shockwave hit it.

  Let the gravity field hold.

  He tried not to think of the members of his clan tossed around to break against the walls of their rooms. Especially not Cassidy, so tiny and fragile. As the transport groaned around him, holding resolutely still in the shockwave, the spy ship tumbled past their position. Lidon's stomach churned. For every member of his clan that perished, he'd take out a thousand Tragooms. For Cassidy, five thousand.

  The wave passed, and Lidon set off after the spy ship. The stricken vessel slowed its momentum, and he allowed a small sigh of relief. Someone was still alive on the Kalquorian ship's bridge, bringing it to a gradual stop. The gravity field on board must have held.

  "Commander, the spy ship is severely damaged. I read no power from the engines."

  "Be ready to board and render aid to the injured. Tranis, what is your status?"

  Lidon's heart sank when Simdow answered. "First Officer here, Commander. The captain is injured. Emergency medical to bridge! Captain Tranis requires immediate treatment."

  He's still alive. My Dramok lives, and as the Book says, 'while the body draws breath, hope is kept.'

  Degorsk's voice was a relief as well. "I'm on my way. What is his status?"

  Over Osopa's orders to seal off the areas blazing with fires, Simdow answered. He'd forgotten to shut off the com. "That shockwave knocked him across the room. Head injury, bleeding heavily from several wounds. Osopa, make sure the power is cut to the engines and nonessential functions. Remove all oxygen from the sealed off areas to put those fires out."

  Lidon waited for a lull, letting Simdow attend to the most important tasks first. At last he was able to speak. "First Officer, we're nearly to your position and will board shortly. What is the status of the ship?"

  "Most systems are offline. We have backup power only, which is being routed to life support and medical. No defense, no weapons, no navigation, no thrust. This ship is dead."

  Lidon heard the raw panic edging Simdow's voice. Had the first officer been a Nobek, Lidon would have had someone punch the man in the face to clear his head. But Dramoks were a different breed and required more delicate handling.

  In a trusting tone Lidon transmitted, "Acting Captain Simdow, I recommend you send all weapons crew to the Earther transport. Only minor damage has been sustained over here. We'll keep guard while you make repairs." He added in a respectful voice, "With your permission, sir."

  Lidon's quiet confidence turned the trick. After a moment of silence, Simdow responded with more assurance. "Acknowledged, Weapons Commander. As soon as you are in position, your team will be sent over. I leave the defense particulars in your capable hands."

  He broke communications. Lidon wanted nothing more than to board the spy ship and see to Tranis' condition himself, but he had his duty and his orders. Still, there was one thing he could do.

  He opened his personal channel to Degorsk. "What's going on with T
ranis?"

  "It's going to be awhile before I can answer that, Lidon. He was apparently trying to run several stations himself after some of the men were hurt from the Tragoom's attack. He wasn't locked down when the shockwave hit and the bridge experienced a fluctuation in the gravity field. Ricocheting off the stations and walls hurt him pretty bad."

  Lidon swallowed. "Cassidy?"

  "She's fine. I sedated her just before the fighting started, much to her dismay. Grav held in our quarters, fortunately." His voice took on an angry tone. "Tranis, lie still. You're pouring blood, you idiot."

  A weak voice that sounded nothing like Lidon's Dramok slurred, "Fight - fight Tragooms."

  "The threat is over. Sedate him. Stay down, you stubborn, cracked skulled-"

  "Degorsk, you're com's still open," Lidon prodded with a gentle tone. His heart thudded painfully.

  The Imdiko's voice cut off in mid-curse. That Degorsk spoke with so much temper told Lidon volumes about Tranis' condition. When the medic was frightened, he veiled it with impatient vehemence.

  Tranis will be fine. He's young and strong, and Degorsk knows what he's doing.

  But the words of the Book of Life rang in his head: Make death your friend, for it gives life its sweetness. Nothing is taken for granted when mortality is respected and revered.

  Damn little comfort in that, and the Nobek fought against a tide of angry helplessness. Sometimes even the most closely held faith failed a man, leaving him to flail in the darkness. Understanding that didn't make it any easier.

  With tremendous effort, Lidon concentrated on his duties.

  ?

  Chapter Twelve

  The sounds of the door whispering open and Degorsk's soft voice muttering dragged Cassidy from sticky sleep. She fought to open her eyelids. What she saw helped her push her way out of fog-shrouded slumber.

  Degorsk looked tired as he smiled at her. He guided a hover stretcher next to the bed. Stretched on it was Tranis. Her Dramok tormentor and lover was unconscious, his dark skin grayish in pallor. A thick covering hid most of his bulk until the other man pulled it free, revealing the sturdy, nude body livid with freshly healed-over wounds and blackened bruises. Cassidy gasped and forced her dull limbs to move so she could sit up.