~ Acacia ~
Drifting in an aimless slumber, Acacia dreamed of dark times. On a planet, deep in the Hellion system, she was at her mother’s side harvesting food. Though the work was difficult and the hours long, they enjoyed the brief reprieve from being on the mother ship. Her mother’s pale white form moved noisily among the bushes as her hands flew, picking fresh berries. It was at a time in her life when her father could still protect her. Stooped on a nearby cliff, his job was to monitor the slaves. Even at a young age, she could see the large warrior’s eyes only ever rested on her and her mother. Basking in the warm glow of his approval had meant everything to her.
Her tiny hands drifted over the bushes, and she greedily popped one plump berry after another into her small mouth. The slight curve of her father’s lips told her that this once it was okay. It was her one perfect memory, the one right before everything in her world turned upside down. The storm clouds rolled in incredibly fast on that world. Before her father could even make it to them, the skies had opened and dumped a deluge upon them. Her mother’s long, white hair clung to her slight form. Her eyes turned worried when they saw the lightning in the sky. The thunder was even more terrifying, for it shook the ground with each deafening clap.
She could remember running to her mother on shaky legs. This was always where the dream turned strange. The clouds morphed into a dark fog that grabbed and grasped at her small body. It was thick and smelled strange to her small nostrils. As her mother struggled to reach her, the ground began to move, and she slowly began to move away.
The other slaves were panicking, and her father ran full speed down from the cliff, scooping her into his arms as he made for her mother. To both their shock she slid over a rocky embankment even as his hands reached for her. He stood holding her in his arms, forcing her head away from the sight of her mother’s mangled body below. Acacia could remember watching the mud and strange fog swirl around his big black military boots. If only her mother had been wearing a pair, the ground might not have carried her away.
Jerking from her dream, she wrapped her arms tightly around her body, as the full force of her aloneness in the universe came crashing down around her. Her father was no longer able to spend time with her. His token visits were always so bittersweet.
Holding her hand down onto the floor where her human had been laying, she found it held no trace of his body heat. Being certain that Jax would have woken her if he’d taken a turn for the worst, she felt that he had taken Nick to meet with Dracon. Getting up, she cleaned herself and hurried to the Vampiere’s quarters.
The Vampiere were housed in a huge cargo hold, but over the years they had managed to collect enough space junk to create individualized family units. For some reason, the Taron separated out their slaves according to species. Since Jax and Nick were the only humans, they got a tiny room, which she suspected had once been a utility substation before the ship underwent a modern retrofit. It was glaringly obvious that they didn’t bother with the one and only Zaphredinelyn onboard their vessel. Jax had insisted she stay and she’d had no mind to argue the point.
Stepping to the huge cargo hold, she couldn’t help but notice her human was looking much better. He was sipping a nutrient packet, and his body was a lush cream color rather than the stark white she’d come to expect. Nick was a handsome male by any female’s standards. Slipping into a squatting position, she admired the way he interacted with the other males. Where the Vampiere were naturally quiet and reticent creatures, her warrior was bold and easily spoke his mind. He moved through the verse with confidence, sure of his purpose. He had a charm all his own, and she would be proud to call him her own. A tiny doubt lurked in the back of her mind that he might not want her. She shoved it away, certain that he had touched her skin and told her she was beautiful in his eyes.
Suddenly, he was standing before her. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet. “Hello, beautiful. Sorry, I passed out for weeks.”
“You are lucky to be alive.”
Drawing her into the tight circle of his arms, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you for taking care of me. I owe you and Jax my life.”
Smoothing her cheek over his, she murmured. “I was so worried for you.”
“I’m aces, I promise.”
Nodding, she swallowed thickly, shoving her worry aside in favor of meeting his needs in the here and now.
Wrapping an arm around her, he returned to the small group of vampires.
Dracon dipped his head in recognition. “What you suggest has never been attempted.”
“Which means it will be the last thing they expect. We have the element of surprise on our side as well as time.”
“Of all the aliens aboard this vessel, I believe the Vampiere would be least welcome among your people.”
“You have no idea what we’re capable of. Do you know that I probably could have overwhelmed the slow moving Taron who took me? I didn’t because they were intent on taking me right where I needed to be.”
The vampire made a sound of disbelief. “If what you say is true, you are the first to offer yourself voluntarily into slavery.”
“Slavery is nothing more than a state of mind. They can hold us, force us to work and even kill us.” Tapping the side of his head, Nick stated with conviction. “We are the ones who make ourselves their slaves by believing their garbage about owning us.”
Jax spoke up. “What he says is true. I feel differently now that I know we are destined to change the course of history in the verse. I imagine a universe without the Taron in it, and my spirit soars. To be able to put a stop to their killing makes life worth living for me.”
Her beautiful warrior spoke words meant to shake the hopelessness of slavery from a million minds. “Think of your little one living among my people. She could go to school with other children, grow into a woman with real choices in life and have a home of her own. My world has over seven billion humans. She would never have a problem finding a willing feeding partner with so many to choose from. Hell, none of you would ever have to worry about that again. My world will welcome any alien willing to fight by our side. I will see to that myself. Isn’t that worth risking your life for?”
Dracon lifted his chin. “It’s something worth dying for if it gives my daughter true freedom.”
“Will you speak to your people?”
Nodding, the man watched his little one crawl from a small flap in his door. “I will do all within my power to aid you in your mission.” Picking up his little one, he gazed at Jax. “Are you sure you are well enough to trade?”
Before he could answer, Acacia spoke up. “If you will accept me, I would be happy to give in his stead.”
Staring at her for a long hard moment, Dracon nodded. “As you wish, among my people females are often preferred feeding partners for children.”
Drawing the tiny child into her lap, Acacia offered her wrist. The little one struck hard and fast, sinking her teeth into the pale blue flesh. Vampire children often didn’t have the finely honed and disciplined feeding skills of adults, so Acadia wasn’t too surprised, that the little one acted impulsively. Pulling back the child’s long hair, she relaxed into the experience. Her ears overheard the males speaking again.
“My people are not used to having a formal leader. You must prove yourself worthy of being followed.”
“Look, when it comes to fighting, I’m highly trained. Seals are the Navy’s elite fighting force. Though there are few of us, we are the ones called in when the situation calls for extraordinary skill.”
“You certainly brag like a warrior.” Dracon’s humorous reply seemed to offend her new mate.
Staring at the man, Nick jerked his head one time before speaking. “The chances of being abducted by a stranger on my world is one in a half of million. The chances of getting abducted by aliens are too astronomical to even speak of. Yet here we are, standing on an alien space ship and I’m already running the odds on this conversation with you going bad.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My best-educated guess is there is a one in about hundred thousand chance our conversation will end in violence, maybe a little less because your child is present. If you attack me, there’s a good chance the first indication will be you dropping your left leg back into a formal fighting stance. I noticed you’re right hand dominant so, you’ll to brace yourself to attack with that hand. Since you’ve received formal military training, you’ll turn on me when I least expect it and go for any vulnerabilities, you pick up on as we fight. If you’re your left leg goes back, I’ll spin around and take out your knee with the heel of my right foot. It’s the quickest way to defuse the situation.”
The man gasped, “I would never do such a thing.”
“It doesn’t matter if you do. I’m specifically trained to test my opponent’s responses, recognize fighting patterns and anticipate my opponent’s moves. Since I’ve been talking to you, I’ve run scenarios on at least half a dozen potential threats. It’s so deeply ingrained into my personality that I do it without even thinking about what I’m doing. The fact is, I’m not just a warrior. I’m a US Navy Seal, earning his Trident. I’m the evolution of thousands of years of formal military expertise condensed down into one human form. I’m seriously not bragging when I say that comparing me to any other warrior is nothing short of an insult.”
“I believe what you say is true.”
“I honestly don’t care if you believe it right now or not. By the time we reach Earth, you and every other hostage on this ship will be a believer. Let your people know that gathering intel on the Taron and protecting Earth is their ticket to freedom. They can die in the air with the Taron or enjoy a new life on my home world.”
A alarm sounded off, and everyone in the room stood up and turned to the door. Though Nick seemed confused, everyone else knew the alarm was meant to alert them to present for the Taron elite. Dracon shoved his little one behind him and took a protective stance in front. The room became eerily quiet.
Acacia didn’t have to wonder what they wanted. There were here for Nick. The collars they all wore monitored their movements, and they would, therefore, know he was now up and moving around. The door slid open, and three Taron elite walked in. Nick stepped out to meet them, with Jax at his back. Reaching out, they slapped a metal cuff on each man’s wrist. Squawking something that sounded like you work now, they turned on their heels and left.
Nick sent her a questioning look. “That was all kinds of weird.”
Sighing she approached. “It is a communication device like the Taron use to communicate with each other. They hate interacting with slaves and I believe they mean for you two to relay information to the slaves. We have developed ways to communicate among ourselves, but no one can speak the snarls of the Taron except the two of you. They will want regular reports on the progress of whatever duties you assign.” She watched the units begin to vibrate. A micron later, a small holographic image appeared. They watched an assortment of cargo being moved from area to another. An image of a crate being popped open and the contents being scanned danced through the air.
Dracon immediately volunteered. “The Vampiere usually perform such functions. Would you like me to assign a crew?”
Nodding, Nick responded. “Yes, please do.”
Holding up his wrist he gestured to the device. “This worries me. It doesn’t come off, and if they can send messages to us, they can probably listen to what we’re saying.”
Dracon nodded. “We will see to that. In the meantime, we need to get the assignments done. Slaves get eliminated if they are not useful.
Jax’s communicator buzzed. Another three-dimensional image jumped up into the air. It showed a huge spill getting cleaned with little cleaning bots. Acacia headed for the door. “I will see to this situation. I recognize the section and have released the cleaning bots many times before.”
Nick started to object. Before he could get too wound up, she stated soothingly. “This is our life. Do not worry for my safety, for none here would harm me but the Taron and they loathe the underworld.”
“Come straight back, okay?”
Nodding, Acacia took comfort in his protective stance. Perhaps he was growing real feelings for her. Her spirit soared at the thought of them being mated for life.