Striker (15 page)

Much of Alpha's life had been spent watching and waiting. He had always had the luxury of time. Now, when he needed more, time sped by too quickly. Soon, they would reach Valespian space and face what hidden dangers lay there. This left a limited period of time to ensure his family would be as safe as he could make them.

So, he stayed quiet and waited as Zeus made arrangements for Dargon to be moved to the captain's quarters on the Oethra 7, calling on the medic, Mayra, to document the medical issues the two experienced while on the surface. Alpha exercised extreme patience as Mayra took blood samples.

Zeus stopped by Madux's quarters to check on Star Eater without Alpha needing to ask. They could see he had been stripped of his clothing, and laid on the sleeping platform when Madux opened the door. "Sorry to interrupt, I simply wanted to make sure you have everything you need to care for him. Although, I am not entirely sure what else I could give you. Alpha would know—simply ask and we will get it for you."

Madux smiled warmly. "I will seek you out if I have questions."

"We will be with Dargon until he recovers." Zeus turned to leave, but paused and glanced back at Madux. "Thank you for taking care of Star Eater. He is Alpha's son, and in a small way, that makes him mine as well. I will not forget what you have done for my family."

"This is what I do, who I am. You do not owe me anything."

"We shall see about that." Zeus retreated before Madux formed a reply.

"When ... Why ... Zeus."
Alpha had not noticed when Zeus shifted to accept Star Eater. He had been so consumed with Atizen and the memories that the bug had uncovered, he had been unaware Zeus made a very important decision when it came to his firstborn. He knew how protective Zeus could be of his family, and how he held them in such high esteem. To know Zeus had placed Star Eater in the same category made Alpha glow with pride.

"I can feel your affection for Star Eater. I sense no censure or disquiet when you regard him. You do not mind if I consider him one of my own? Maybe not as my son, but a part of our family circle."

"Your acceptance pleases me: it is unexpected."

While they spoke, Zeus finally made his way to the captain's quarters. Dargon lay on the bed, appearing to be sleeping peacefully. In quick succession, Zeus secured the door, undressed, and then climbed onto the platform with Dargon. With every caress Zeus gave to Dargon, Alpha felt as if he were the one with the hands. Connected as he was to Zeus and Dargon, what they could feel through touch, sense through taste, even the emotions his bondmates felt, directly connected to him, allowing him to share the sensations.

Alpha had his own senses. He could see wherever his skin was exposed. Through the same skin, he could taste, but what he perceived was different than what Zeus or Dargon would. His palate tested the components of what made the universe. He sensed the psionic vibrations within a person. As ships moved through space, people assumed nothing floated in the vast emptiness. To him, the so-called emptiness was thick, like water. He could undulate and move through the density without the aid of a vessel. Alone and unencumbered, he and Zeta had traveled the universe as quickly or as slowly as they wished.

Zeus laid his head on Dargon's chest and closed his eyes. "What was the liquid Star Eater fell into?"

"A substance you should never attempt to touch. It is primordial, yet aware in a way. We gathered it from the heart of the universe, the place from which all sprouted, where Zeta and I were born. We would not be harmed, nor could the first children, because they are primordial life forms, but simply not as pure as the source."

"Madux jumped into the water to catch Star Eater."

"Yes, and he came away unscathed. I do not know how. The Chi-Lin seem to be engineered, appearing on their planet as if placed there. No one knows where they come from or who created them, not even the Chi-Lin."

"I thought that was only speculation, that the Chi-Lin were simply a private people." Zeus yawned.

"They may be. Rest now. We can puzzle out the mystery another day. Madux came away unharmed and nothing urgent requires your attention at the moment."

Zeus mumbled, draping an arm over Dargon before falling into a deep, exhausted sleep. Unapologetically, Alpha nudged Zeus’s subconscious deeper so he would rest better. Star Eater restored Zeus and Dargon's bodies, but a healing sleep would speed the recovery of their minds.

Moving away from Zeus, Alpha touched Dargon, verifying he, too, slumbered soundly. Content that it would be hours before the two roused, Alpha moved to the wall, slipping up the vertical surface to a small rounded doorway near the ceiling.

When the Oethra 7 had been retrofitted as a merchant vessel, Dargon instructed the crew to include the pipe way. Not many knew Alpha or Zeta could leave their host. It was knowledge that the Dar Massaga held close to their chest. He hardly ever ventured away from Dargon, too afraid of what would happen while he was elsewhere. With Dargon and Zeus tucked away behind a locked door, he did not worry—much.

Traveling through the tubing, he searched the ship, checking on the crew and passengers. Amlyn, the Catalani assassin, shared quarters with Mayra and her brother, Gaex. The two Gaziniti had been shipwrecked on the Catalani planet of Catalan and were adopted into Amlyn's pride. A raid from a rival pride killed everyone with the exception of those three. When Gaex and Mayra were rescued, Amlyn followed them. They were the last members of her pride. Although it seemed strange that as pacifist as the Gaziniti were, compared to the extreme violence of the Catalani, studies had shown that the crossbred children were markedly less violent than their Catalani ancestors. Gaziniti volunteers chose to move to Catalan and integrate with the prides. They hoped that the next generations would better tolerate each other, allowing the Catalani to survive as a race. If left on their own, the Catalani would kill themselves off within another five or six generations.

Upon first meeting them, Alpha wondered if Mayra and Gaex desired to keep Amlyn from the violence, leading them to take her off planet. After coming to know them, he quickly realized Gaex and Amlyn were officially bonded under both Catalani and Gaziniti laws, making the brother and sister Amlyn's legal family.

With the charges pending against Amlyn for the attempted assassination of Zeus, Alpha knew of their rising apprehension. Amlyn had acted against Dargon's orders, believing him compromised by a spy from the Terrens they were running from. The outcome of her court martial would affect the three of them equally.

Alpha peered down into the room from the small pipe tunnel running across the middle of the ceiling. Amlyn sat alone in the room. After she helped Zeus free The Gorgon, Zeus had argued she was no danger to him. Although Dargon chafed at her insubordination, he released her from the brig on probation.

A feline face with short, swirled brown and white fur tilted up, nose twitching and sniffing, her long, thin tail flicking back and forth. "I would accuse you of skulking about,"—Amlyn's gaze roamed over the ceiling—"but since you have never left Dargon’s side in the two years I have been working with you two, can I assume you need something?" Her russet eyes betrayed her eagerness to be of use.

The opening in the pipe only spanned three or four centimeters. Alpha began to slip through, stretching and thinning his mass out. Amlyn rose from her chair and moved to where Alpha hung and held her hands cupped palms up to catch him. He slowed his descent to pool gently into her palms.

"Are Zeus and Dargon in need of assistance?"

"They rest. I hoped you would aid me with something. Europa is too focused on Zeus and I would know why."
Alpha proceeded to explain to Amlyn the encounter with the Qrxzl and the Feteine.

Amlyn grinned, the glint of her fangs giving her a mischievous expression. "I have never shadowed a Feteine before. This will be fun. What kind of information are you looking for? It sounds as if they are traveling light."

"I would go with you, if you do not mind."

She scowled at him. "If Zeus or Dargon discover I have taken you into a potentially dangerous situation without their knowledge, Dargon will jettison me out of the airlock."

If Alpha could sigh, he would have. Being underestimated had its pitfalls. He slunk to the floor and moved toward the wall where another one of his doorways was located.

"Wait. Where are you going? Do you think I am that naïve?" Amlyn carefully plucked Alpha off the wall.

"I cannot rest until I know Europa's intentions. Dargon and I will be incapacitated in a couple of weeks. I cannot leave her at Zeus’s back when we will not be able to protect him."

"If I allow you to come along, then you must do as I say. If I deem the situation too dangerous, you are not to abandon me and go off on your own."

"No one can know I am with you."

Amlyn remained silent as she regarded Alpha. "You trust me to keep your secret? I am not sure there are many onboard who are aware you are this mobile. It will get around soon enough since you rode with Madux, but this is different."

"Yes, I do trust you to keep this information to yourself."

"Then I had better not be caught."

After a few moments of trial and error, they discovered the best place for Alpha was situated around her waist. Covered as he was, he would need to tap into her nervous system in order to see. Looking through Amlyn's eyes was quite blinding. It was not that she had poor eyesight. It was simply not in the range or depth Alpha had. He hoped the difference would not hinder what they needed to accomplish.

Dargon woke slowly, feeling odd. Not ill, exactly, simply not himself. A warm body draped across his torso. With every inhale, he recognized Zeus’s scent of clouds and rain and open sky. His eyes popped open when he did not sense Alpha.

He scanned the room, not ready to disturb Zeus. He recalled the searing agony and his attempt to shield Alpha and the kits. Dargon began to tremble as he tried to remember if he had been successful. Was Alpha's absence because he had failed?

Zeus stirred and began to stroke Dargon's chest, making soft, soothing noises. "We are both fine," Zeus cooed.

Dargon wanted to ask what happened, but with Alpha gone, he knew he would not like the answer. The soft noises Zeus made did nothing to calm him. Zeus must have sensed his rising panic, for he levered up onto an elbow to gaze down at Dargon. Brows wrinkling, Zeus’s eyes scanned the place where Alpha normally sat before he touched his own bare collarbone.

"Where is Alpha?" Zeus sat up fully and glanced around the room.

"Did the Qrxzl injure him and—did I fail to keep them safe?" he whispered.

Zeus’s gaze snapped back to Dargon. "No, no, no, do not think that. Alpha and the kits were not harmed."

Dargon's eyelids fluttered closed as intense relief washed through him. Zeus’s warm hands cupped his face, fingertips soothing the worry lines from his brow. Soft, supple lips feathered across his own. A low noise of need escaped his throat as Zeus kissed him unhurriedly. He tasted the salt of tears on Zeus’s mouth. He opened his eyelids to the vision of Zeus’s red eyes and wet cheeks.

"I was terrified when I heard you scream. The Qrxzl released me and you lay unconscious on ground. I thought I had lost you, Alpha, and the kits. Such a short time—Gods! I was stupid, I did not think. Instead of demanding the Qrxzl ... I surrendered like I have always done. Instead of holding my ground, I gave them what they wanted. If I had known the extent the three of us were connected, where an injury to me meant harm to ... I would never. If the two of you were taken from me, I would beg the Gods to claim me as well. I am so sorry, Dargon."

He could not stand the torment in Zeus’s voice any longer. He pulled Zeus into his lap, with his legs wrapping around Dargon's hips. "I did not know the breadth of our bonding either. I have heard of others linked together in a Trine as the three of us are, but I have to admit not much is known about how the connection works. Once we find Alpha, we will see what he knows."

Zeus leaned back to gaze at him. "You gave Sohm'lan the whistle. That is what caused the Qrxzl to release me."

He nodded. "Alpha insisted we take it. When you approached the obelisk, we instructed Sohm'lan to blow the whistle if something went wrong. Then I would move you to safety." Not that it happened that way.

Zeus squeezed him harder. "Star Eater, Alpha's son, was summoned by the Qrxzl and when he arrived he healed both of us."

Dargon's world reeled as his mind readjusted around the fact Alpha had a son. "I do not know why I am surprised. I guess I am still getting used to the fact Alpha has lived for as long as he has. He fought in the Arthro Wars. Until you came along, I always believed Alpha and I would live a long, good life and die together. I knew nothing about who he was before, or that he would continue to live after I passed. I do not know him like I thought I did. Every day since then, it has become more apparent." Dargon was bothered by his lack of familiarity with Alpha. He felt like an outsider looking into a dirty window, attempting to glean information about Alpha, only to see bits and pieces through filmy glass.

Zeus stroked his braid and pressed warm kisses to the side of Dargon's head. "Give him time. Alpha carries a grief so deep that I thought I would be consumed when I sensed it."

Before he could ask what Zeus meant, Zeus told him of the events that transpired while he recovered from the Qrxzl's attack. When Zeus finished, Dargon sat in silence for a very long while. His issues with Alpha’s longevity would have to be put aside for now. At the moment, there were more pressing matters to deal with. The V'Saar. The Feteine. The possible trap they could be walking into once they entered Valespian space.

"Does Alpha normally wander away on his own?" Zeus asked.

Dargon scowled. "No. Very rarely does he leave my side, and usually those missions are undisclosed." He buried his nose in the crook of Zeus’s neck. "I cannot be seen without him, even if I put on a shirt to hide his absence, the crew would notice and question. Dar Massagas never cover their Alphas."