Lilith

I hold my mate as tightly as I can.

We’re locked in a dark cave, with only a faint light trickling in. Those brutes knocked Daruk out right in front of me. For a moment, I thought they killed him… but luckily, he’s still breathing.

I’m still breathing.

For now.

I have no idea what kind of punishment is in store for the both of us. Whatever it is, it won’t be pleasant. I’ve never met anyone more unpleasant than Admiral Bast or General Goran.

No matter what they do, they won’t be able to break our bond.

The love I feel for Daruk will last forever. It will last for eternity. I love him in this world, and in the next. I have no idea what happens after we die, but I know that our souls are connected.

Our bond will carry over.

Our bond is unbreakable.

“Hey,” Daruk groans as he opens his eyes slowly.

“Shhh,” I say, kissing his forehead. “You took quite a blow.”

“We’re… alive?”

“We are,” I say. “We’re locked in some dark cave.”

He tries to sit up, but I stop him. His head is resting in my lap, and my fingers trace circles on his skin.

“Be careful.”

“Ugh,” he says. “I feel like I was hit by a spaceship.”

He reaches up and touches the back of my neck. I lean in and kiss him, deeply. Our lips meet, and I close my eyes, surrendering myself to his love for a moment. No matter how bad things get, a kiss from Daruk will always transport me to a different dimension, one where there is no pain. When our lips meet, I am in heaven.

When he pulls back, I am filled with regret.

“Why are you so stubborn?” I ask. “Why did you have to risk your life for me?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he answers. “You risked your life for Yano’s.”

“I did, didn’t I? Look at us. A bunch of stubborn fools.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The door to our prison cell opens. Daruk sits up instantly, his fists raised, while my heart rate skyrockets. Is this the end? Is this where I lose my mate? My life?

Yano’s familiar face peeks around the corner.

“There you are!” he whispers.

“B-brother?” Daruk stammers. “Are you being locked up as well?”

“No, idiot, I’m busting you two out,” he whispers. “Hurry up!”

* * *

Daruk

Within the blink of an eye I’m on my feet and out the door, with a tight hold on my mate’s wrist. I’m never letting her go.

“Where are we?” I ask, as I look at our surroundings. The tunnel we’re in splits off in multiple directions. I don’t recognize this cave system.

“Below the Elder’s cave,” Yano answers. “They are somewhere upstairs, deliberating.”

“Can we go out the way you came?”

Yano shakes his head. “Negative. I snuck in right when the guards changed shifts. I can talk my way out, say I went to see father, but there’s no way you two are getting out that way.”

“So what now?” Lilith asks. “We’re screwed?”

“Not necessarily,” I growl. “Who knows where these caves lead? They might lead us to freedom.”

“Or they might not lead absolutely nowhere,” Lilith says.

“Better than awaiting death in a cell.”

“Agreed,” my mate says. “Agreed.”

I pull my brother in for a close hug. “Thank you, Yano. For everything.”

“Thank you, too. The both of you. Best of luck.”

Lilith hugs my brother as well. “Here, I want you to take this,” she says, slipping the com from her wrist. “It’s not much, but I want to give you something as a thank you. Something to remember us by. I don’t know when, or if, we’ll ever return…”

My mate’s voice trails off. We all know this is goodbye, but it’s hard to face the reality of that.

Yano bows, accepting my mate’s gift.

“Thank you. I will cherish it.”

He runs off, and we enter the cave system, heading into darkness. We are far from safe… but things are looking up. The universe is being kind to us. We might just make it out of here.

* * *

Lilith

The tunnels are long and dark. Daruk grabbed a torch from outside our cell, and the flame, growing smaller by the minute, is the only source of light we have.

Every sound, every pebble I accidentally kick makes me jump. It feels like we’re going in circles, for every cave wall looks exactly the same to me. Daruk, however, assures me we aren’t. He holds my hand tightly, our fingers intertwined. He’s never letting go of me.

We turn a corner, and Daruk freezes on the spot.

“By Zora,” he gasps. “Those bastards. Those fucking bastards.”

The tunnel opens up into a massive cavern. In the middle of this underground dome stands a massive palace, intricately decorated. It so defies my expectation that I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.

“Wh-what,” I stammer. “How?!”

Daruk runs up to the palace, and I have to sprint to keep up with him. A cool breeze greets us, and the doors to the palace slide open when we approach.

“Welcome master,” an automated voice says.

Inside it’s a pure, technological Walhalla, eclipsing even the HF Destiny.

A drone flies up to us with a tray of drinks. On the far end of the opulent room is a buffet of meat and fish, the smell of which makes my stomach grumble. For every whim, every desire one may have, there is a drone or a robot or a device here to take care of your needs.

“Those fucking bastards,” Daruk repeats. “They forbid all technology, and what have the Elders built for themselves here? A fucking pleasure dome. This is decadent. This… is sickening.”

“You sound tense, master,” the drone says. “Would you like to visit the breeding room?”

“The b-b-breeding room?” I stammer.

“Visits to the breeding room have known to decrease stress levels by 87%,” the machine pipes up, oblivious to our shock.

“Show us the way,” Daruk says coldly.

The drone flies through the air, towards the basement of the palace. We follow, cautiously, down the stairs. What we find there defies my worst expectations.

It’s some kind of torture-basement. Everything is made from cool metal. There are long tables, with stirrups attached to them. My blood runs cold when I realize what they are for.

The drone did call this the breeding room…

“My god,” I gasp, clinging onto my mate.

“So I guess this what I had to mine all that ore,” Daruk says. “Unbelievable.”

I peek around the corner to see a long line of cells. To my shock and surprise, there are human females — shipmates from the HF Destiny — inside of the cells, all sleeping or unconscious.

I pinch my mate, nodding towards them. His expression goes from shocked to furious.

“We need to free them!” I say.

“You are right,” he growls. “Do you see a key?”

I look around for a lock or a switch, but there is no visible way to open the doors.

“Drone, open these cells,” Daruk barks at the drone.

“I do not have the authority to do so,” the machine answers.

“Damn it. Who does?”

“The control room on the second-floor controls all of the cells. But don’t you know that already, master.”

Daruk rolls his eyes. “Right. Of course I do. But show me the way, regardless.”

The machine leads us up two flights of stairs. On the second floor, there is more decadent entertainment. Just from a quick glance I see a holodeck, and several Virtual Reality-chairs, called pleasure seats back on Earth. You can strap in and experience any sordid fantasy. The only limit is your imagination. They’re tightly regulated on Earth — you can’t harm anyone in the simulation — but I shudder at the thought of what the Elders use them for.

I don’t think they have the same restrictions as the pleasure seats back on Earth.

We reach the control room. It’s a circular room, filled with screens, buttons, levers and flashing lights. Even the bridge of the HF Destiny looked less complicated than this.

On the many screens, I see footage from both the outside and inside of the palace. There must be cameras everywhere! My heart does a little leap of joy when I see where the captured human men are. They’re hewing out rock with pickaxes, their bodies covered in dirt. This must be a deeper tunnel, somewhere below the palace. I recognize Captain Shepherd, even with the grime on his face. He’s alive!

Several robots carrying rifles are standing guard, forcing the men to work. If I can deactivate the bots, then I can free the men as well!

“Look,” Daruk growls, pointing at one of the screen. “We have company.”

My blood runs cold when I see a contingent of men — Zoran and a different kind of alien I don’t recognize — arrive at the front door of the palace. We both freeze in place. I don’t even dare to breathe.

“That’s Admiral Bast,” Daruk whispers. “But who is that with him?”

The admiral is accompanied by a lanky alien, wearing a bright golden armor. His skin is so pale its nearly translucent, his hair white and long.

“Czar Baros! Welcome to my humble abode. A pleasure to have you here, always,” the admiral says. His voice reaches us in the control room through the speakers.

“I don’t understand why we have to come down here, to this dark hole. This palace ought to be built on top of a mountain! It should dominate the landscape! That’s how I’d do it!”

“Different strokes, Czar. Our people are not ready for that. Not yet.”

“Bah. What do I care. As long as you have the goods.”

“Oh, we do. We most certainly do. Just wait till you see the facility we’ve built below.”

I squeeze my mate’s arm. “Who is that?” I mouth.

“No idea,” he answers.

His blue eyes sparkle mischievously. We could slip away into darkness, leave the captured humans to their horrible fates… but that’s not who we are. Both of us are ready to risk everything. We’ve risked our lives before, and we’ll do so again.

Neither of us can rest until all these humans, all of my friends, are freed.

We’re going to face Bast and Baros one way or another. All we need to do is figure out a plan that’ll give us an edge, a chance of emerging victorious.

Admiral Bast sits down in one of the lounge chairs, a drink in hand. Perfectly relaxed — with a basement full of slaves. Just looking at his smug face fills me with rage.

“I am very pleased with your progress, admiral,” the czar says. “To be perfectly blunt, I thought all Zorans were slaves to that human filth. Blinded by those babymakers. I’ve been thwarted before by your kind,” he says, his voice filled with hatred and venom. “I have been ridiculed, defeated, made a mockery of. Well, who’s laughing now?”

“I am different from most of my kind, your imperial majesty,” Admiral Bast answers. “You are right about that. I know where a human female belongs. On her knees. Or on her back. Whichever way you want her, really.”

The two men laugh. I’m so angry my skin feels like it’s burning. I’ll give them something to laugh about…

“I have brought you a gift,” Czar Baros says. “A token of our friendship. You see, when you first reached out to me, and said you wanted my help in defeating the humans, I figured this was another ploy of King Vinz and his merry band of generals. To say I was skeptical is an understatement. You know what they did to me on Mika? One lowly human, with the help of her Zoran mate, poisoned me with some alien love potion. I had them in my grasp… and they escaped from right under my nose. Ruined my relationship with the Kua at the same time. They’re pathetic… but you, admiral. You are a man of strength. I respect what you’ve accomplished in such a short time. The Zoran Empire will be born again, with you as the new emperor.”

“You flatter me, your imperial majesty,” Bast answers.

“To seal our friendship, I have brought you a gift. My nemesis, for you to enjoy. Bring her in!”

Four tall, pale alien soldiers march into the room, carrying a large metal box. There are chains all over the thing, more than seem necessary to me.

“What’s that?” the admiral says, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Don’t worry,” the Czar laughs. “This bitch has a tendency to escape. I wanted to make very sure she’s not getting away this time. Open the chest, boys.”

The soldiers go to work, removing the many, many chains and locks on the metal box. The czar rises from his seat and grabs the lid of the box. I grab Daruk’s arm, holding him tightly. I can only imagine what kind of horrible monster he’s keeping that box…

“Admiral, I present to you… Grace Winters.”

He opens the box, and to my surprise, a young, human woman jumps out. She’s wearing a muzzle, her arms chained behind her back, a ragged leather dress covers her body. She struggles, trying to free her arms, growling and cursing at her captor.

Admiral Bast raises one eyebrow. “Am I supposed to know this human?”

Czar Baros taps the human’s cheek, a creepy smile on his thin face. “She might seem harmless… but this bitch has cost me more trouble than you can imagine. Led a slave rebellion! Stole and crashed my favorite ship! I thought she died in the crash… but no. You just won’t die, will you?”

The alien czar yanks on Grace’s chains, causing her to curse at him. She may be chained up, but Baros has not broken her spirit.

“She evaded my troops for months, scrounging to survive… but we finally caught her. It was her sister, Aria Winters, who humiliated me so in front of the Kua. Well, who is laughing now?”

The czar hands the chains to Admiral Bast, whose eyes lit up.

“This is my gift to you, admiral. I am sure you can find a good use for her; use her body as you will. Now, let us toast to the Zoran and Nezdek alliance!”

The Nezdek!

I’ve heard that name before, but I hadn’t put two and two together quite yet. They invaded Earth a while ago, abducted a whole bunch of women… but, according to the Federation, we defeated them. However, from the looks of it, they’re far from defeated!

The admiral is not acting alone — he’s allying himself with a known slaver and murderer.

“We have to get this news out,” I whisper to Daruk. “Show the people what is going on underneath their nose! That they are being lied to!”

“You’re right,” he answers. “But how?”

A lightbulb goes off in my head. “My com!” I handed it to Yano — what if I can reach him, stream this conversation directly to him? I had no signal before, but that was because I was trying to lock onto the HF Destiny. Perhaps I can contact him using this control room!

“What about your com?” Daruk asks, as I start opening menus, trying to find a way to send out a signal using this alien control panel.

“I’m going to try and reach Yano,” I answer.

“You’ll have to hurry,” Daruk says, “because my father is here.”

On screen, General Goran runs into the palace. “They’ve escaped!” he screams. “The prisoners, they’ve escaped!”

“What?” Bast growls. “How?!”

“I have no idea,” Goran answers. “But they can’t have gotten far. I called for a full sweep of all the tunnels. Wherever they are, we’ll find them.”

My skin crawls. We’re so close to ending their reign of terror… but if they find us now, it’s all over.

Daruk grabs me and kisses me deeply. “I’m going to confront them, and buy you as much time as possible.”

I see in his radiant eyes he’s made up his mind. Arguing him would be senseless.

I nod. “Good luck baby.”

* * *

Daruk

I slowly descend the stairs.

After everything that’s happened, it comes down to this.

Facing my own father in an underground palace, built on lies. I feel strong, powerful, unbeatable… but I’ve never faced anyone with as much prowess or experience as my father.

This will test my limits.

I might die.

But if I do, it will be for a good cause. I can die knowing I lived honorably. The Elders won’t be able to say the same thing.

“Hello, father,” I say, turning the corner. “I heard you were looking for me.”

My father’s eyes narrow the moment he sees me. The admiral looks surprised, while the Nezdek czar has a wide smile on his taut face. Grace struggles against her chains.

“World class entertainment, admiral,” he says, giddy.

Father unsheathes his sword, pointing it straight at me.

“You are no son of mine,” he growls. “I will put you down like the dog you are.”

“Perhaps you will, perhaps you won’t. Do me the favor of answering my questions first.”

“And why would I do that?”

I raise my palms. “I am unarmed. No match for you. If I am to die, at least do me the courtesy of explaining why.”

Father growls, but Czar Baros claps his hands excitedly.

“Yes, yes, let’s tell him. I want to see the hope drain from his face, I want him to know just how worthless how little act of resistance is! Excuse my enthusiasm, admiral, general, but I still have some pent-up issued with Zorans.”

“Fine,” Admiral Bast says. “What do you want to know, boy?”

“Everything,” I growl. “Why did we really defect? Why did we really leave Earth? Why do you hate humans so?”

Father snarls at me. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? If you still haven’t figured it out, you’re even dumber than I thought. You truly are no son of mine. But very well, I will explain. Slowly, even you can follow along. You remember King Vinz, right? That cretin you worship? He overthrew the Emperor — and doomed us all. The aristocracy, the elite, the elders… they had it much better in the Empire. Unlimited food. Unlimited women. Anything they desired.”

“Under Vinz’s leadership, our home planet was destroyed,” the admiral says. “He allied us with the humans. The humans! The years of abundance were instantly over. We had to survive on the scraps the humans were kind enough to feed us. We were kings… under Vinz’s leadership, we were reduced to beggars.”

“All that stuff about ‘returning to our roots, living in the wild, building Zoran character’… those were all lies?” I ask. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “You live here like kings, while we, regular Zorans, survive of what we find in the fucking bushes?”

Father laughs. “Now you’re getting it. The old prey on the young. The strong prey on the weak. That is the law of the jungle. That is how it’s always been. That is how it will always be.”

“And what about the Nezdek?” I ask. “How do they fit in?”

“Simple. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. The Nezdek know the humans make better pets than allies. Together, we will grow New Exon until it matches the old Zoran Empire in grandeur. Our strength, matched with their resources, will make us both filthy rich. We will rule the universe. A new era of Zoran dominance is upon us… but you, son, won’t be around to see it. I’ll make sure of that.”

“You are insane,” I growl. “Utterly and completely insane.”

Father raises his sword. The metal gleams in the light, and my fists ball up. The moment is finally here.

“Surrender and I’ll make your death painless,” father growls. “You are unarmed. Helpless. Spare yourself the trouble.”

“I don’t need weapons to kill you, father. You have been dead to me for a while now.”

“Stubborn until the very end, I see. Fine. You die now, son.”

He charges at me, raising his arms above his head and swinging the sword down at me. I catch the blade with both of my palms, like catching a fly, stopping the blade inches before it would cut my face. I jump and kick him in his chest and he stumbles back. Before he can find his footing, I deliver another kick, his sword flying out of his hand.

“See?” I growl. “Now it’s your turn to surrender.”

“Never,” father answers.

He swings his fists at me. I dodge the first strike, but the second connects. I stumble and he jumps me, his fists moving in a flurry, raining down on me. Blood fills my eyes, reducing my vision. We roll on the floor, our hands on each other throats, fighting for survival.

As I feel my breath slipping away, everything turning black, my thoughts turn to Lilith.

My mate.

My love.

I feel privileged for having known her. I wish I could spend an eternity with her, but the time we’ve spent together has been magical. It has given my life meaning.

If I die now, I die happy.

* * *

Lilith

“Get off him, asshole!”

I kick General Goran in his face as hard as I can. He flies back, and Daruk gasps for air, his golden face turned blue.

“Another one?” Czar Baros says. “How many are there?”

Grace looks surprised to see me — I bet she wasn’t expecting to meet another human out here.

“Don’t worry,” the admiral answers as he stands up and pulls out a gun. “This is where it ends.”

He points the gun at me.

I stare down the barrel, frozen in my spot.

Is this the end?

Meow!

A second before he pulls the trigger, a big ball of fur lands right on his face, clawing him up.

Peanut!

He must have followed my scent, all the way here! My cat sinks his claws right into Admiral Bast’s skin, latching on like a predator. Admiral Bast stumbles around, firing his gun wildly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I duck down, the shots barely avoiding me. The admiral grabs Peanut and throws him at me. The cat lands in my arms, hugging my chest tightly. Bast’s face is covered in scratches, blood trickling down his chin.

The four Nezdek warriors burst through the front door, alerted by the sounds of battle. I help Daruk up to his feet, while our enemies surround us.

“Enough!” Bast thunders. “You die here, you die now.”

“Maybe,” I say. “But you’ve already lost.”

“How is that?” he says, waving his gun at me.

I nod at the front door. “Zoran warriors are heading here right now. What do you think they’ll do when they see your little pleasure house?”

“I don’t give a fuck what they think,” he barks. “They follow orders. They’re drones. Mindless cogs, just like all the machines here. They’ll string you up because I told them so.”

The veins in his neck are bulging as he spits the words at me.

“All you need to do is give them an enemy, and they go feral! Is it my fault for manipulating them when they want to be manipulated? When they want to have an enemy? You, my dear human, you make a perfect enemy. No, I have not lost. I have won.”

“Think again, bastard,” I say. “I just broadcasted every word you said.”

General Goran’s eyes go wide, while the Nezdek czar finally seems to realize he might actually be in trouble.

“Liar!” the admiral screams.

The front door of the palace burst open once more — this time by a pack of Zoran warriors with their swords drawn.

“There you are,” the admiral says. “Arrest these cretins.”

The Zoran soldiers part… and Yano steps forwards, clutching my com in his hand. My plan worked!

“Admiral Bast. General Goran. Czar Baros. We have all heard your confessions. You are all under arrest. You will face a trial, and this time, justice will be served.”

The three men are at a loss for words. The four Nezdek warriors, seeing that they’re heavily outnumbered, lower their halberds.

“Wh-what,” the admiral stammers. “S-seize them!”

“Give up,” I say, walking up to him and snatching the key to Grace’s chains from him. “You lost. Face it.”

The three men’s faces turn as white as ash while I free Grace. She throws her arms around me. “Thank you!” she says. “Thank you!”

“You’re more than welcome,” I say.

After hugging me, she walks up the czar and slaps him so hard he falls off his feet. “There’s more where that come from,” she says, rubbing her wrist. “Believe me! You’re going to wish you killed me when you had the chance.”

The Zoran warriors place the chains on the three men and lead them outside, to their cells. They are so flabbergasted, they don’t even fight back.

Daruk hugs me tightly from behind as we watch our enemies led away. My heart feels like it’s going to burst, tears rolling my face from joy.

After everything, after evading death so many times…

We won.