*.*.*
Bran’s eyes narrowed and he shot Cooraan and Lazarus a look of disgust when both men burst out laughing. He was more than aware there was a long pink line gracing his otherwise immaculate warship. He was lucky the whole damn thing wasn’t pink. If he hadn’t ordered Lazarus and Cooraan to intervene it would have been.
“We had to stop at Newport Spaceport for a minor repair,” Bran replied. “A short-haul freighter came into the repair bay next to us.”
“Backwards,” Lazarus added, trying not to laugh again. “And crooked.”
“With the tower saying words even I’ve never heard before,” Cooraan said with a grin.
“Let us just say, the Captain is very well known there,” Bran commented.
“Well known?!” Cooraan laughed. “The captain is infamous! I was coming back to the ship when an all call was placed through the emergency communication’s system of the Spaceport that Captain Skeeter had arrived. I’ve never seen so much rushing around to secure things except before a battle. The only reason I wasn’t too surprised is because I know what she is like.”
“So, what is this infamous captain like?” Krac asked.
Rorrak growled. “A huge, dangerous pain-in-the-ass. I met her at the same time as Cooraan and Bran. She is a walking disaster area. She is Bulldog Ti’Death’s daughter. The huge Razor-tooth Triterian is very, very protective of her. I only met her once and that is once more than anyone deserves,” he said with a shudder.
“What did she do?” Krac asked with a frown.
“I’ll tell you what she did,” Bran said, pressing his lips together as he fought a laugh. “She broke his nose and almost his nuts as well as laid Cooraan and me both out.”
“At the same time?” Krac asked in disbelief. “Why would you want to fight a Razor-tooth Triterian? Even I would be challenged to defeat one in a fight.”
“Oh, we weren’t fighting,” Cooraan muttered.
“What were you doing?” Krac asked, looking back and forth between the four men.
“Dancing,” Rorrak grunted out, ignoring the laughter as he thought of the clueless redhead that had brought down the house one night long ago.
*.*.*
“Frog, daddy will never know, I promise!” Skeeter said in a soft, reassuring voice. “Who is going to tell him? I’m not. He might want to take the Lulu Belle back,” she fretted. “This is my third freighter. I promised him I wouldn’t tear it up.”
“You are dangerous, Skeeter,” Froget muttered under his breath. “You weren’t supposed to go out into space. I told you I would repair the damage to the Lulu Belle.”
“I know you did, but what about the other ship? I mean, I put a scratch on it too. It was only right to fix it,” she insisted. “I didn’t want you to have to do all the work. I was the one who… you know.”
Froget looked at the voluptuous redheaded human female walking beside him. It had been four days since she backed into the Zion Warship Conqueror, leaving a long scratch down its starboard side. He should have known better than to think she would actually listen to him when he said he would take care of the damage.
He had been working on repainting the outer damage to the Lulu Belle when another space scooter zoomed by him. He would have recognized it anywhere. Everything aboard the Lulu Belle was either pink, purple, yellow, orange, red… the list just went on and on. If it was not a standard color for normal space freighters, or anything else for that matter, it was on the Lulu Belle.
His own room was a bright lime green with huge yellow flowers and little red and black bugs that made his mouth water every time he looked at them. They looked so real he had even tried licking them off the wall. He discovered that cold metal and paint tasted like shit.
He almost had a heart-attack when Skeeter had sailed by him toward the Confederation Warship with a paint repair kit attached to the front of her space scooter. He had already contacted the Chief Engineer to apologize and wasn’t in the least bit surprised when the Zion warrior named Cooraan told him to just keep Skeeter away from the ship before expressing his condolences to Froget for being her co-pilot.
Nothing made a Goliath Amphibian species feel more confident of his early demise than having a Zion warrior issue his condolences, and sound like he meant it. Froget wasn’t sure if it was because of Bulldog or because of his daughter. He suspected it was the daughter as he ducked as she swung around to look at some cloth at a merchant’s stand totally forgetting she was carrying part of their navigation system in her hand.
“Oh Frog,” Skeeter breathed, stepping closer to look at the sheer gray material. “Isn’t it beautiful? Look how it sparkles. I bet I could make a beautiful cover for over my bed with that.”
“Skeeter, we need to see if they have a replacement module for the navigation. Yours isn’t going to last too much longer. I’d like to replace it so we know where in the hell we are. Space is a very big place to get lost in,” Froget muttered.
“I know but isn’t this beautiful? I want four meters of this, please. Frog, will you take it back to the ship for me while I go see if Artemis can help me find a part for this. I want to see Tila as well. Artemis says her hair is back to its original blue.”
“I really should come with you,” Froget said, looking back and forth in exasperation as Skeeter carefully counted out the credits for the material. “You go straight there. I will come for you in two hours. Nowhere else, Skeeter.”
“Jeez, Frog,” Skeeter scowled as she glanced down over her shoulder at him. “You sound just like daddy.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “He didn’t hire you to babysit me, did he? The last guy he hired never came back from the bathroom. Neither did the guy before that.”
“The guy before….?” Froget choked out. “How many co-pilots have you had?”
“Four, five counting you,” Skeeter said, smiling her thanks to the tall, red vendor. “I think daddy fired all but one.”
“What happened to the one?” Froget asked with a feeling of dread.
“Oh, he joined some religious sect on Cramoore,” Skeeter replied with a shudder. “I’ve heard they do horrible things to the men there before they can join. Such a waste, he was really cute before I found out he was only interested in me because of daddy’s credits.”
Froget paled and his left hand moved down to cover his family jewels. He was very popular among the females of his species. He knew exactly what they did to the males on Cramoore.
Froget gathered the material in his arms and looked back at Skeeter. A curse escaped him when he realized she was already moving further down the crowded marketplace on Level 3. He shifted the material and scurried after her. He was not about to take a chance of being sent to Cramoore. He’d carry half the damn market if he had to but he wasn’t about to let Skeeter out of his sight.
No, he thought as he hopped to catch up with his ditzy captain, I’m going to get her back to Bulldog then retire from this life and go back into the family business. At least I’ll live longer and still be in one piece.
*.*.*
Skeeter laughed with joy and handed the navigation module to Artemis as she ran up the steps leading into the narrow apartments that belonged to Artemis and Tila. The ghostly pale figure of a female returned her laugh and opened her arms to engulf Skeeter in a joyful hug. Skeeter leaned back to grin up at her former nanny. She fingered a strand of the long, dark blue hair before wrapping her arms back around the slender waist and holding the closest thing to a mother she had ever had.
“I missed you, Tila. Daddy misses you too. I heard him say he should have just killed Artemis when he asked for you instead of giving in,” Skeeter sighed. “How have you been?”
Tila threw back her head and laughed. Bulldog Ti’Death had purchased her twenty-two years before from a slave trader to care for his new daughter. Tila had fallen in love with her tiny charge and had been grateful to escape the heavy labor of the mines that she had been sold to. Lulu Belle had been a lively little girl with a big heart and
had grown into a beautiful young woman with an even bigger one.
Tila could see how the tiny little redhead had captured Bulldog’s heart. She had thought he was a dragon come to save her after all the members on board the transport had been killed by raiders. Lulu Belle had been hidden away by her parents in a desperate attempt to save her from a life of horror or death.
The transport had drifted in space for several days before Bulldog’s larger shuttle came upon it. Lulu Belle had crawled out from under a hidden storage area growling and snarling until she saw Bulldog. One look and she had thrown herself into his six arms and held on to him with as much strength as her tiny arms could hold. From that moment on, she had been under the protection of one of the wealthiest and most feared species in the known star systems.
“I have been well. I am glad your father did not kill my mate. It would have made me very sad,” Tila replied with a twinkle in her eye. “Come, let me fix you some tea. I made some of your favorite cookies as well when Artemis told me that you had docked. What took you so long to come visit? I expected you days ago.”
“Oh, I had a little accident then we were having problems with the thrusters and then the navigation module started acting up again. I didn’t want to tell daddy. I was afraid he’d want me to come home again. I thought if Frog and I could fix it first, then everything would be alright. I’m hoping Artemis can help me find a new module that isn’t too expensive.”
“Artemis will be happy to help you if he can. Now, tell me what you have been up to. Are you still working on your art?” Tila asked as she poured a cup of hot tea for them both.
Skeeter was thankful Artemis had pulled Froget into the other room. She wanted time alone with another female. Skeeter only had a handful of female friends, well, one really and that was Tila. She knew she could discuss anything with her and right now, she was interested in the topic of males. She had never really noticed or paid attention to them until Terry, her co-pilot who suddenly decided to join the monks on Cramoore. He had been her third co-pilot and her first and only lover. It had broken her heart when he disappeared a day after she had tried to talk to her dad about her feelings for him, at least until she found out he was only interested in her daddy’s wealth.
“Tila, how did you know that Artemis was the male for you?” Skeeter asked hesitantly. “I mean. How did you know he was ‘the one’ for you?”
“Oh little one,” Tila replied with a soft smile. “You are growing up. First, I will tell you about how I knew Artemis was my mate. Second, I will tell you what you should and should not tell your father once you have found the male for you.”
Chapter 5
Zion Home World:
Krac could feel the tension building between his shoulder blades. He was being stalked. He couldn’t see a damn thing in the tall ferns running along each side of him, but he could sense he was not alone. His eyes shifted as he glanced around the foliage covering the large area.
The feeling of being watched… followed… had been with him the moment he had slipped over the tall wall separating the thick forest running along the back of the compound. A low curse escaped him as he froze. He turned in a slow circle. He knew he wasn’t alone. He was never wrong!
He turned back around and took several more steps forward down the narrow path. He paused again when he heard the faint sound of a twig snapping behind him. Stepping into the shadows of a nearby tree, he silently sank down into the high ferns that bordered the sides of the path.
Settling into the thick ground covering, he paused – listening. Another muffled sound to his left had him rolling onto his back. His arms moved in front of him protectively as a small dark figure burst out of the ferns and tackled him.
“Gotcha!” The voice shouted in glee.
Krac suddenly found himself struggling to get a grip on the wiggling bundle of pent-up energy that had flown into his arms. His head fell backwards as tiny size three feet barely missed his chin and nose. Lying back against the soft ground, he found himself staring up at a small, rosy face that was framed by a mass of delicate, wild blond curls. Tiny arms reached out to grab him in a fierce hug.
“Uncle Krac, I captured you!” The chubby little figure crowed.
Krac held the wiggling body of Violet Jefe up above him as he lay on his back in the flattened fern bed of Kordon and Gracie Jones-Jefe’s upper garden. Vivid green eyes, shining with innocence, excitement and triumph, stared down at him in delight. Her tiny face was covered in dirt with only small patches of pale skin peeking through. Leaves and small twigs were tangled in her blond curls and she was wearing….
“What are you wearing now?” Krac asked in confusion.
“I’m a princess,” Violet proudly said as she put her bare, dirty feet on his chest and, still holding his hands so she wouldn’t fall, stood up. “See.”
“Yes, I can see,” Krac said with a twist of amusement. “I did not know Princesses wore pants under their…”
“Mommy said it is a tutu,” Violet replied in a huff, flopping back down on his chest and running her tiny fingers along his cheeks. “She said I was a baller… baller…mena. But I said I wanted to be a warrior princess. Daddy said I could be whatever I wanted. Did you come to see my baby brother? Mommy had him here. She didn’t have time to go to the hose-it-al. Daddy had to help mommy instead and he said I could wear my pants so I wouldn’t cry.” She continued to run her fingers along his face, as if tracing it.
“Where is your father now?” Krac asked, trying to decide the best way to deal with getting up as Violet looked like she was quite content to sit on his chest and run her fingers along his face. “And how did you know I was here?”
“Daddy told mommy he wasn’t going to let you sneak in no more,” Violet said with a frown before she leaned down and touched under his eye. “He put up a wall of pretty pictures so he could see. Do you want to see grandpa? He is supposed to be watching me while mommy and daddy and my baby brother take a nap. He smells funny and cries a lot.”
“What do you mean supposed to….” Krac’s voice faded when he heard Bazteen’s deep voice calling Violet’s name with just a touch of desperation. “Are you hiding from him again?”
Violet giggled and lay down on his chest so he was forced to wrap his arms around her as she buried her face in his neck. He felt her nod her head and giggle again. She peeked up at him.
“I did just like you taught me,” she whispered. “I was really quiet while he wasn’t looking.”
Krac groaned. He was going to be on Kordon’s shit list again. It was bad enough that Kordon kept giving him the evil eye every time he even glanced at Gracie, now he was going to be blamed for corrupting his daughter.
Well, he thought with a touch of amusement, I did show her some tricks to use when playing ‘hide-and-seek’. It was Gracie’s fault for making me join them the last time I came here.
“Violet Cora Jefe!” Bazteen called out again, closer this time. “Little one, please come out. Your parents, not to mention your Mi’Madue, will never let me watch you again if you don’t come out!”
“He isn’t saying the magic words,” Violet whispered.
“What are the magic words again?” Krac asked quietly.
“All-y in come free,” she responded. “Mommy says that is when you can tell where you are without getting caught.”
“How about if I distract him?” Krac offered quietly. “But, you must promise to stay right here until he says the magic words.”
He watched in confused amusement as Violet peeked her head up before she buried it back in his neck with a silent nod. Krac carefully rolled onto his side and laid Violet down on the soft ground next to him. A feeling of wonder washed through him as he gently released the tiny body. She was so small and fragile and so much like her mother. They were both incredibly unusual females.
He nodded when Violet stared up at him and put her tiny index finger to her lips. He rose up out of the ferns and stepped back onto the path just as Bazteen turned
around. A grin curved his lips at the dark glare that flashed over Bazteen’s face.
“Hello, Bazteen,” Krac said calmly, brushing dirt and leaves off his broad shoulders. “Is Kordon here?”
*.*.*
Bazteen stared disgruntledly at the huge male standing just a few feet from him. His eyes swept over the huge gray form of the assassin standing calmly in the secured upper garden of his oldest son’s home. If it wasn’t for the fact the bastard was on their side and had saved Gracie’s life, even if he was the one who kidnapped her in the first place, he would have ordered him killed on sight. Of course, he had been about ready to kill Roarrk as well, even after his son explained Krac’s position within the Earth’s council and why he and Krac had decided to use Gracie as bait.
“He’s downstairs,” Bazteen replied as his eyes shifted just enough to sweep the area around Krac. “What do you want?”
“I promised to protect the descendants of the Freedom Five,” Krac replied softly. “Gracie is not just a descendant, she was a member. I have news that concerns her safety.
Bazteen’s eyes immediately went back to Krac’s face. After a moment, he released a heavy sigh. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Where is she?” Bazteen asked, his lips twisting in amusement.
“Where is who? Gracie?” Krac asked with a raised eyebrow.
Bazteen shook his head. “No, Violet. I know she was with you. Where is that little princess hiding this time?”
Krac shrugged. “I am not at liberty to say. But I can tell you this, you must say the magic word before she will appear,” he advised as he walked past Bazteen.
Bazteen’s chuckle echoed through the garden. His eyes following the huge male who had no idea that he had been on the receiving end of Violet’s artistic talents. Bazteen shrugged. Krac would find out soon enough. He turned back and sighed loudly before calling out the magic words. His face creased into a chuckle when he saw Violet’s tangled blonde hair and mud covered face popped up out of the ferns.