Angel 6.0
Episode V
EMISSARY
Published by Travis Luedke
Copyright 2015 by Travis Luedke
Book Cover Art by Willsin Rowe
http://willsinrowe.blogspot.com/
FIRST EDITION
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Adult Reading Material (17+)
Contains scenes of graphic sex and violence unsuitable for underage readers
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Publications by Travis Luedke
ANGEL 6.0
The Nightlife Series:
Young Adult novels by TW Luedke (Travis Luedke)
the shepherd
Angel 6.0 Emissary:
Abducted, enslaved as concubine to alien Cats, then rescued and mated to the Prince.
Princess Angel must embrace her destiny as the Emissary to the Emperor. Can she do what is necessary to stop a galactic war that threatens everyone she loves?
Born of illegal genetic engineering, Angel is not quite human. She’s never known her place in the universe. Stolen by the Gran, a fierce race of warrior Cats, she survived enslavement as a concubine. Beloved by the Prince, he mated her, removed her slave collar and declared her Princess of the Empire of the Gran – despite her love for the pirate Cesar.
Now Angel is thrust into the center of galactic war and forced to choose sides between humanity and her surrogate family of Cats.
Facing war and the loss of her loved ones, Angel is appointed Emissary to the Emperor. The fate of both species depends on her to bridge the gap between the corrupt politicians of Earthside and greedy, war-mongering Cats.
Angel 6.0: Emissary, is the final episode of a space opera romance series from NYT and USA Today bestseller Travis Luedke.
Angel 6.0 The Series:
Born of illegal experimentation on the human genome, I've been taken for a ride across the galaxy, enslaved to the warlike race of Cats called The Gran. They think I'm some kind of upgrade, a new slave stock to be bred.
Though many would resent me for the decisions I have made, they never experienced my struggle to find love and meaning in a world where I do not belong.
A freak of nature, the humans don't want me.
Far more valuable than they could ever know, the Cats don't appreciate me.
Lost in the conflict between two galactic empires, the pirates can't save me.
Standing at the center of an interstellar war, the Earth Defense Council never saw me coming.
I am Angel 6.0 and this is the dark, wicked, violent tale of my life.
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” ― G.K. Chesterton
Chapter 1
Explosions rocked the station under my feet. I was stunned. Disbelieving. The Defense Council and their secret fleets of Shadow Class warships had somehow found us on the far side of the galaxy. I’d never have thought it possible, if not for the walls and floors shaking – proof that the Royal Palace of the Allied Federation of the Gran was under attack.
Cesar had come for me. Amazingly, the DC followed, and now everyone I loved was at risk.
Prince Rollick, my newlywed mate, a three meter tall caramel-black striped Cat, pulled me ever faster down the corridors, racing towards the launch bays. My human lover, the pirate, Cesar, raced at my side. How I’d managed to love and please both males … still trying to get a handle on that.
None of it mattered now. All concerns fled my mind, replaced by the singular need to survive.
Cats dodged left and right through the corridors – yowling, barking, snapping, and growling – a fury of striped fur and gnashing teeth. Dressed in battle gear, several of them glared as if I was to blame for this attack.
Maybe I was.
“Chancy! Azad!” Cesar screamed for his men who darted across the corridor in front of us.
We caught up with his crew and they fell in at Cesar’s side, jogging behind him. More people affected by the insanity of my life. I should have done the universe a favor and walked out an airlock when I had the chance, and the inclination.
Huffing and looking every which way with eyes wild in panic, Chancy yelled at my back. “What the feckin’ hell? The bloody walls are coming down around us!”
Azad bellowed over the top of him. “The Cats are growling like this is our fault! Who’s attacking? The DC?”
Cesar and I both nodded and his men clamped their mouths shut to match pace with Rollick’s swift jog. We were at a dead run.
In the blur of Cats swirling past, I noticed how often their furious looks turned our way to land on Cesar and his men. Running hard behind the Prince, a sick idea occurred to me – I might soon face an impossible choice. My mate, the Prince of the Allied Federation of the Gran, or my pirate lover, Cesar. With the Peace Treaty in shambles, humans had become the enemy of the Gran. How could I stand with the Prince and keep Cesar at my side?
Though I wasn’t exactly human – not like Cesar and his men – most Cats didn’t see the difference. Apart from a handful of friends among the royal family, the Gran considered me a hairless bitch that didn’t belong, a usurper in the royal house. If not for Rollick, I’d have been executed by the Traders Guild, a bunch of xenophobic fatcats. I owed the Prince my life, and I had technically pledged it to him – as his mate.
I prayed to a universe that rarely listened. I prayed my loyalties would never be torn between Rollick and Cesar.
The Emperor’s guards met us at the ramp to the Royal flagship and sealed the airlock portal behind us. We boarded a sleek silver craft, shaped like the long, tapered spear points of a triton poised to thrust across the galaxy. The corridors matched the opulent, gorgeous finish of the ship’s exterior. I hoped it was equally well equipped for war.
We arrived at the bridge command center where the Emperor stood growling and yipping at his officers. “Launch and call the fleet to my position! The colonies are defenseless!” The Emperor and his officers turned to look at Rollick, me … and those behind me. All eyes settled on Cesar and his men. Awkward.
Rollick chattered into his wristcom requesting his armaments. He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly and left us standing beneath the scrutiny of his father, the Emperor, as he exited the room. The Prince was suiting up for battle.
The Emperor waved his hand in dismissal and the Cats at his command resumed their tasks as though we didn’t exist. At over three meters tall, a head above his son, the Emperor towered over me. I could stand on my own shoulders and barely look him in the eye. The Emperor dropped to one knee, face to face, and his eyes pierced me with a searching intelligence. “Do you speak for Cesar? Will you certify he is not an enemy of the Gran?”
I had always appreciated the Emperor’s directness. Now, not so much. I almost opened my mouth to boast on my lover’s behalf, but I stopped. I looked to Cesar, and snippets of his past words floated to my mind. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of … I’m not the man you think I am … I’m not the
man you want me to be.”
I addressed my lover face to face. “The Emperor asks if you are an enemy of the Gran. I don’t believe so, but why the fuck are the DC attacking us – following on your heels?” Cesar had arrived two weeks ago, and the timing of this DC attack prompted inevitable conclusions.
After standing on the chopping block, naked to all of Catdom, facing execution, I had reached the point where I no longer feared anyone or anything. I transcended considerations of propriety. I didn’t care if my accusations offended Cesar – I needed to hear the truth from his lips before I made a foolish promise to the Emperor.
Cesar’s sharp, dark eyes flicked to the massive Cat knelt in front of me, then back to me. “I did not come here for war. I came to trade minerals for tech, and for you, Angel.”
I expected as much, yet he’d avoided my question. “Why and how have the DC followed you? Why are they attacking?”
Cesar rubbed the stubble on his chin, giving a moment of thought before he answered. I hadn’t allowed him time for proper grooming. In the past three days I hardly let him leave my bed. Though he had other agendas and business to attend, Cesar was mine. As Princess to Prince Rollick, this was my one indulgence, my wedding gift of sorts, Cesar. I had claimed him, and I intended to keep him.
After another flicker of nervous tension across his face, Cesar finally spoke up. “When I stole the Shadow Class cruiser from the DC, I suspected they could track the ship ... to a point. They detect when I’m in range of their sensors, but it’s not precise. I’ve escaped them several times with the stealth mode.”
He ran his hands through his short salt and pepper hair. “I never imagined they could track me through all those jumps across the entire galaxy. We’re thousands of light years from home, Angel. Shit, one reason I came this far was to get away from the DC. Fat chance a neutrino signal will reach our solar system in the next hundred thousand years. If the DC tracked me, I have no idea how the fuck they did it.”
He dug deep into my eyes with his unflinching gaze. “I told you the DC had a fleet of Shadow Class warships. They’ve been planning something like this from the day they signed the treaty. As always, Angel, we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The story of my life.
His heart rate hadn’t changed much, and his respiration remained steady. I felt his tension, but nothing more. I couldn’t sense deceit in his eyes, face, or biorhythms. If Cesar lied to me, he was the smoothest liar I’d ever met.
I translated Cesar’s words into the growl-click-snapping language of the Gran and watched the Emperor’s shrewd face. I thought I knew this Cat, thought I could trust him, but the Gran and their alien reasoning had surprised me several times. I never made assumptions.
The Emperor rose to his full height and watched Cesar while he spoke. “If he truly holds enmity for the human Defense Council, will he join us in defense against them?”
Again I almost spoke for Cesar and stopped myself. Instead I translated for my lover. Cesar grinned, a sly sharkish smile that always made me wonder what sort of man I’d fallen in love with.
“I’ll gladly join the fight. I’ve been fighting the DC for over a decade. But I need the word of the Emperor in return. I want assurances the Gran will not attack Earthside and Luna, or enslave human civilians. Promise me the Gran will not retaliate against human civilian populations.”
I translated and the Emperor’s vertical slit amber eyes flicked back and forth between us. “Make no mistake, Angel, the Gran respond to this threat with lethal force. I promise to try to curb our ferocity away from civilian locales. I am Emperor, not dictator. In war, the Gran are not known for civility and rationale.”
I nodded and began to translate, but the Emperor interrupted me. “First we must survive the day. Will you and your males join me to defend against this treachery from the DC?”
I translated to Cesar and he sighed. “Let’s hope he holds enough influence to keep them away from Earth. You have an in with the Cats, Angel. Please do what it takes to block them from using Earth as a slave labor depot. It’s bad enough they have the worker drones.”
I kissed him. “I’ll do what I can. No one listens to me apart from the Emperor’s family. The Traders Guild hate me.”
Cesar squeezed me tighter in his embrace and then looked up to the Emperor. I loved that I could be together with Cesar despite the disintegration of everything else around us. My lover spoke with his voice of authority. “I and mine will take up weapons and fight at your side.”
I passed on Cesar’s pledge and the Emperor clicked his approval. He strode past us, indicating to follow by the wave of his claws. I pulled Cesar and his men behind the Emperor who led us to a room down the corridor – an armory. The cream-colored walls were covered in various pieces of metallic armor and weapon components. Rollick stood in full body armor, adjusting his gauntlet for comfort. He squeezed his fist and lit a white-hot torch blade that wrapped the knuckles of his right hand. He grinned from ear to ear, but the Gran do not smile from pleasure. Rollick was prepared for war.
The Emperor instructed one of the Tech Cats, “Fit them with suitable armor and weapons.”
The Cat blinked, stunned. He looked at me like I’d suddenly grown a cock and balls from my chest. The Emperor growled, and the Tech blinked again and looked to his Emperor. “Sire, they are too small.”
The Emperor flicked his claws in dismissal as he clicked at the Tech. “Princess Angel and her entourage require your special talents. Make armor and gauntlets to fit. Customized.”
Apparently Cesar and his men had been adopted as my entourage. I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot at the ridiculousness of Gran logic.
The Tech leaned in closer to the Emperor with a whiny growl. “Sire, she is female.”
I watched the end of the Emperor’s patience unraveling before me. He snarled. “With proper armor and weapons she could best most Warriors!”
The Tech shivered in disgust and nodded. He grabbed a small ball from the table in front of him and threw it in the air. Defying the artificial gravity of the Emperor’s flagship, the ball floated towards me. It emitted a pink light which scanned me, then Cesar, Azad and Chancy from top to bottom. The scan results popped up on a holovid display and the Tech mewled as various pieces of metal floated off the wall to his waiting hands. He whined complaints under his breath as he fitted metallic pieces that assembled themselves.
Chancy snorted. “You’re not crammin’ me into metal underpants. No thank you.”
Azad and Cesar snickered. I wrinkled my nose at Chancy. “If you don’t mind having your balls burnt off, makes no difference to me. Gran armor is highly effective against plasma rifles.”
Chancy reached between his legs and felt himself with a worried look. “If you’re wearing one o’ those cuttin’ torches, I guess I need some protection.”
I would never live down the fact I’d castrated Captain Cronin of the Traders Guild, my former owner. I’d been defending myself and the Prince, but these damn males couldn’t see past my choice of attack targets.
The Cat approached me first and assembled little bits of metal starting at my feet and working up my legs. Without pause or warning he reached up the loose see-through fabric of my skirt and wrapped my delicate parts in metallic pieces. My pussy was officially armored.
The men cordially looked away as the Cat tech felt his way up my body, attaching various pieces of armor that locked together with magnetic-nanotech. No idea what most of it did, but it was light and relatively comfortable. Probably titanium and platinum blended with who knows what else. Back when I wore a slave collar around my neck, Cesar and Azad tried to identify the blended alloys – some of the metal was an unknown composition.
My golden bra came off, and I caught Chancy ogling an eyeful of my breasts as the tech felt me up with his rough claws, attaching armor around my chest that connected to over-the-shoulder pieces. Amazingly, the stuff fit like a glove, smoothly wrapping the contours of my slim t
orso. I’d been butt naked in front of these men before, but I still felt my face burn with embarrassment as I submitted to this uncomfortably intimate process.
The Emperor watched with a keen eye as the Tech worked his way to my left forearm. “Fit her with an Imperial Shield. The Princess deserves every protection.”
The Cat did a double take on the Emperor, then nodded and reached for another metallic device on the wall. He attached it to my left forearm, a circular node that twisted and hummed.
The Emperor squeezed his left fist and snapped his arm out. “This activates your shield.”
I mimicked him and a bright meter-wide circular energy field popped up in front of me, seemingly tethered to my left wrist, centered on the glowing-humming node attached to my armor.
“Most Gran Warriors are too proud to carry shields. They believe it reduces honor in combat. I believe the survivors enjoy the luxury of debating the honor of their combat.”
I grinned at the Emperor’s sly humor and the awesome shimmery shield device emanating from my wrist. The Emperor flicked his arm back and opened his hand, then nodded for me to do the same. When I did it, the motion deactivated my shield. Flick one way, the shield activated, the other way, deactivated.
I could have serious fun with this.
The fidgety Tech drew my attention as he wrapped my right forearm and hand with a svelte metallic gauntlet. I watched in fascination as the Tech adjusted the gauntlet to a perfect fit. The gauntlets I’d used before were made for much larger hands, Cat hands. Not this one. The Tech stepped away from me as he finished and I squeezed my right fist closed. With the finger-pressure buttons activated inside the gauntlet grip, a white-hot torch blade arced across the front of my fist. About twenty-five centimeters wide, a half-moon shape of brilliant blazing energy hummed with life at the end of my arm. I loved the Gran battle gauntlet, especially this one – made for me. These blades cut through anything, even steel … or Cat balls.