Chapter Ten

The blaring sound of an alarm woke her, and she sat up in bed with her heart racing. MX was right beside her, having woken at approximately the same time. They shared a concerned look as they both moved to slide out of bed. She was only briefly distracted by the tempting sight of his buttocks as he moved around to collect his clothing. Seeing him do so jarred her to do the same, all while the klaxon continued blaring.

When she was dressed, she moved to stand beside him as they approached the exit of his quarters. “What is it?”

“It’s a proximity alarm,” said MX, looking grim. “Something has breached our barriers and is close enough to the base to set off the alarm.”

The news made her tremble, and it was difficult to draw a deep breath for a moment until she remembered how to breathe again. “Do you think it’s the synthetics?”

He shrugged as he led her down the corridor, falling into line with the others who were moving rapidly down it toward the exit. “I don’t see how it could be, but I also don’t know what else it could be.”

It was a grim answer, and she was pleased to be surrounded by cyborgs carrying serious firepower. As they neared the exit, she realized Raven was keeping the civilians inside while the cyborgs ventured out, clearly armed and ready to fight.

When she looked at MX, she was startled to see a gun in his hands. It hadn’t been there a moment before, and she cocked a questioning brow in its direction.

“Someone handed it to me.” He leaned forward and pressed a rough kiss to her lips. “Stay here until we know what’s going on.”

She let out a low sigh. “Fine, but I want you to teach me how to defend myself and everyone else when this is over.” She was tired of being left behind, feeling helpless, while the others went out to defend them.

He nodded, looking distracted, but she intended to remind him of her request later. He slipped in with the cyborgs heading outside, and she waited with the others hovering inside. Carrie stood beside Gwen, and the women were embracing. Their fear was obvious, reminding Heather of her own that she had tried to block out.

The separation of the crowds went seamlessly, and soon most of the cyborgs were outside. Heather felt like she held her breath the whole time as she waited to find out what was going on. Finally, FLD stepped inside, and his lack of fear was reassuring. “You should come see this.”

She was encouraged by his demeanor, as were the others around her. It was obvious from the way Gwen and Carrie stepped apart, their spine stiffening with resolve, and a new lack of fear suffusing their expressions. It likely matched her own, but she didn’t take time to inquire on their emotional state as she turned to follow FLD out of the room, squarely in the middle of the humans pouring outside.

When she finally got a glimpse of what had disturbed the barrier, she stumbled to a halt. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at the unfamiliar structure parked near the base. Parked wasn’t quite the term. It looked like it was anchored into the ground, and it was huge. The ship—though she wasn’t certain if that was the right identifier—looked to be at least four kilometers in diameter. That was just a guess, because she couldn’t see it all from her vantage point.

MX slipped up beside her, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her closer to the edge of the crowd. Somehow, he managed to maneuver through the others until they were standing in the front row, and her eyes widened when she saw Freydon Rote. “What’s he doing here?”

MX just grinned. “As soon as everyone’s quiet, he’ll tell us all again. He explained it briefly to DVS, and I overheard it, but he wanted to make the official announcement to everyone.”

Gradually, the crowd calmed, and it was quiet. At just the right moment, Freydon started speaking, though no mouth part appeared on the gelatinous matter composing his face. “Congratulations on defeating your enemies and finding your mates—at least some of you. Your next challenge is to fix the planet, and I’ve brought some help for that.”

It seemed to be a predesignated signal, because two sets of feet appeared on the ramp leading from the large vessel. They were green, but not like a reptile. More like a nice summer green, and the skin appeared smooth. Heather’s eyes widened with surprise when two women came completely into view as they left their ship. They were on the shorter side, both with flowing black hair, and adorable pointed ears that made her think of an elf.

“Everyone, this is Melia and Peila. They are the captains of this vessel, and their species is Grecopan.” Freydon’s eyes twinkled as he glanced around the crowd, seeming to be deliberately focusing on a couple of the male cyborgs. “You’ll be pleased to know Grecopans are compatible with humans, and there are several mate matches among you.”

DVS step forward, arms across his chest. “We appreciate the gesture, Freydon, but what are we supposed to do with more people? Our resources are carefully allocated, and we have a monumental task ahead of us. I’m not sure adding more mouths to feed is the right answer at this time.”

Once again without a mouthpiece, Freydon still managed to chuckle before speaking. “I think you’ll change your mind in a moment, Davis. The Grecopans are a terraforming species. Even with their skills, it will take decades to fully reclaim this planet, but it can be done. It will be done. You can take my word on that, since I exist outside of—”

“Time and space,” said several people in the crowd at the same time.

Freydon looked briefly discomforted, but then shrugged one of his jellylike shoulders. “I suppose I’ve mentioned that a few times.” After a moment, he chuckled again.

Then he appeared to turn serious, though his gelatinous being made it difficult to be certain. “Two generations ago, the Grecopans encountered a virus on one of the planets they were terraforming. It didn’t affect the women, but it rendered many of the males sterile. The Grecopans are willing to help you terraform the planet in exchange for being allowed to stay, mingle with your group, and find their mates. They have their own resources aboard, including vast hydroponic bays. I think you’ll find integrating with them will be beneficial and not a hardship. What do you say, General?”

DVS’s arms dropped away from his chest, and he traded a look with Carrie. Heather was happy to see him look to his mate for her input before he decided for everyone. He nodded once she had, looking firm. “We’d be happy to help them and vice versa. Thank you once again, Freydon.”

“It’s a pleasure to help all of you, General. I’ve been doing this for a long time and made millions of matches, but your group is among my favorites. I’ll miss checking in with you.”

“You can come see us again, whenever you’d like,” said DVS, looking a little uncertain as he issued the invitation.

This time, a mouth part appeared on Freydon’s face as he smiled. “I might pop in for a visit then at least once more.” He winked at Carrie before turning to Melia and Peila. “I’ll leave this operation in your capable hands, alongside the general’s. I wish you all the best of luck.” With those words, Freydon was gone.

“What do you think this all means?” asked Heather softly of MX.

He shrugged, but his expression was full of hope. “I think it will be a good thing for all of us, and for the planet. I suppose we’ll just have to see, but Freydon hasn’t been wrong yet.”

She reached out and took his hand, remembering the night before, and how they had bonded. “You’re certainly right about that.”

******

You’ll get to see Freydon one last time in the epilogue to this series, which is coming soon: