Theron Destiny (Brides of Theron) (27 page)

“If I may ask, where are we headed?” Hano questioned the soldier that was leading them to the Emperor.

“The Emperor right now is in his private quarters and has requested that I escort you there.” the soldier answered, eyes forward, not looking at the two warriors.

They continued down the corridor and eventually came to a double red door. The soldier placed his hand to the door lock on the wall. The lock went from red to green and the door clicked open. The soldier shoved the door open and stepped aside, waving the two Therons in. Once inside it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room.

The deep, loud, disembodied voice that seemed to emanate from the walls actually startled both warriors, “Come forward.”

Both warriors moved forward towards the sound of the voice. The room was extremely large and long. The floor was covered in a thick carpet the color of blood. The walls were black and completely bare except for the dim lights emitted from the ceiling. There wasn’t much furniture in the room.  The warriors grew more apprehensive as they walked deeper into the room.  As they drew closer to the voice, a large object started to become visible.

Sitting behind the massive shape was the emperor. He sat there, his gaze unyielding, at the two warriors as they came to stop on the other side of the large desk. He leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair. No one spoke and the silence felt threatening.

“I see that you have finally arrived Lars. Is the female with you?” The Emperor still stared at them.

Growing more nervous at the thought of the emperor taking the female, Lars answered, “I have the female with me.  She is injured at the moment.”

“I will have my physician sent to your quarters to attend to the female directly. I hope the injury is not too serious or anything that cannot be treated.” A smiled played at the corners of the emperor’s mouth.

“She was injured in our escape. Hano here has been seeing to her care. There is no need to send a physician, but I thank you for your concern.” Lars was trying his best to inform the emperor that the female was his without trying to insult him.

“How was the journey to our reclaimed base? Uneventful, I would hope.”

“It worked out well. The Therons were a little busted up when we left. I would hope by now that they are permanently out of commission.” Lars was really starting to become uncomfortable with the Emperor line of questions but didn’t have much of a choice in answering them.  Though, enough was enough.

“Emperor Gatton, I mean no disrespect but why are you so interested in my female?” Lars eyed the emperor with some concern as he sat beyond the imposing desk.

Gatton rose from his chair and moved around the desk to stand in front of much taller men.

“I am curious to see what an Earth female looks like. I have never had the pleasure of traveling to that planet. I would like to see what it offers in the form of females. As for the Therons, my ships had them engaged in an easily won battle. I haven’t had a recent report. However, I am confident that they were taken by surprise. I would have loved to have seen the look on their faces when they came out of the worm hole and saw that there was no escape.” The Emperor’s black eyes watched Lars’s movements.

Hano was shifting uncomfortably. He really hadn’t paid much attention to the Emperor’s appearance the last time they had met. Unlike the Theron’s who were tall and muscular, the Emperor was rather short and stocky. His had eyes no pupil to them and were the color of the deepest ebony, revealing no emotion and making it very hard to tell if he looking at you or somewhere else in the room. His uniform, similar to the one he wore the last time they met, was immaculate. He crossed his thin arms over his deflated chest and stared. That’s what unsettled Hano the most, his eyes. The emperor’s eyes terrified him.

Hano took a chance in speaking, “Emperor, we would be happy to show you the location of the planet called Earth. There are many opportunities there to seek out females. The planet is full of them and they come in all shapes, sizes and even colors.”

Both Lars and the Emperor turned their attention to Hano. Lars looked very pissed off while the Emperor’s looked rather surprised.

“You did not tell me about this planet Lars when we first spoke. I am definitely thinking now that I would like to visit this planet and see what else it has to offer other than females. Tell me Hano, do you know how many inhabit this planet?” The Emperor’s attention was now fully on Hano.

Hano looked to Lars but received a blank look.

“I am not sure about the exact number but I remember hearing that it is nearing six billion. They are rather primitive compared to us. They have no knowledge on how to travel through space and the majority is under the impression that their planet is the only one that contains life.” He had straightened his back and his arms were at his sides while he spoke to the Emperor.

The Emperor let out a hearty laugh, “They must be very primitive if they believe that they are the only life forms in the universe! Yes, I would like to visit this planet. Possibly even set up a new base. This planet sounds like it has great possibilities that I must take advantage of especially if it can sustain 6 billion primitive life forms.”

Hano and Lars glanced at each other then looked back at the Emperor causing him to laugh again.

“Don’t worry Lars. You and your friend will receive fair compensation for your information. I might even put you in charge of running the base on this planet. What did you call it?”

“Earth” both men replied together.

“Well then, Earth shall be receiving visitors soon. But first I would like to see this female you have brought with you. Please, lead the way.”

The party of three turned to walk out of the Emperor’s quarters. Once they were back out in the corridor the Emperor immediately sensed that something was not quite right. He gave the air around him a sniff with his flat nose. The soldier that had led them to the Emperor’s quarters now reappeared and looked flushed.

“Sir, the base has been breached. There are intruders near the entrance of the base!”

“What do you mean we have been breached? I told you to secure the base and monitor the entrances during the storm! You fool you may have caused the death of us all!” He didn’t give the soldier a chance to reply before he reached into his uniform jacket and took out a laser gun. The soldier went flying backwards when the orange beam hit him in the center of his chest. Empty eyes stared up at the ceiling.

“Fail me, Lars and you will end up like him. I do not tolerate anyone who does not listen and follow my orders implicitly.” The Emperor slipped the weapon back into his jacket. “Find out who is here and kill them.” He didn’t accompany Lars and Hano. Rather he retreated in the opposite direction disappearing quickly around a corner.

“Shit, who the hell could it be? There is absolutely no way the Therons could know where we are. It must be a rebel group from within the planet.” Lars took off at a run. Hano followed but had the sinking feeling he knew exactly who was breaching the base.

As the two rounded the corner they came face to face with a group of Drylon soldiers who were fighting off the rebel group at the other end of the corridor. Shots were being fired in every direction. The soldier right in front of Lars fell to the side with a scream as one of the random shots landed in the middle of his abdomen. Lars replaced the man’s position and fired straight at a target.  His target fell to the floor dead.  However, what didn’t go unnoticed to Lars what uniform the rebel was in.

“What the fuck are Pernmocks doing here? They have nothing to gain on this freaking planet. Keep firing and push them back!” Lars and the others continued to cover the hallway with heavy fire. They were able to start pushing the Pernmocks back. When they were at a juncture with another corridor, Lars shouted over to Hano.

“Hano take some men and move down that way and see if you can flank them from behind.”

Hano and four soldiers sprinted down the corridor and out of sight. The Pernmocks in front of Lars continued to fire their weapons, taking out two more soldiers. This wasn’t happening. These pestering Pernmocks were going to mess up everything he had worked so hard for over the last few weeks. How in the hell did they manage to time an invasion at the same time he finally escaped the Therons with his prize?

He stopped firing as the soldiers pushed the Pernmocks back further. He thought for a moment. Something was definitely not right here. This could not be a coincidence. He only just arrived and now the Pernmocks were here, too? No, something was definitely not making sense.

He left the soldiers fighting the Pernmocks and charged off in the direction that Hano had gone in. He could hear firing and fighting coming from all directions now as he moved down the longer corridor. He needed to get to the damn female and make a quick exit.

“Where the fuck did Hano go?” He asked to the surrounding air. The sounds of the pulsar blasts were getting louder and louder so he slowed his pace. He didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire. He needed to get off this Gods forsaken planet now.

“Screw Hano, he’s own his own.” Lars followed the route opposite to the one that the Drylon soldier had taken when he had led them to the Emperor’s quarters. He was almost back to the room where Avery was when he stopped dead in his tracks. There in the door way of the room that he placed the female was the unmistakable uniform of a Theron warrior.

“What the…” It started to sink in. “No fucking way is that possible.” He was filled with rage. Footsteps could be heard coming from behind him. Within seconds Hano and a group of soldiers appeared. Lars looked at Hano then back at the Therons that were clearly inside the room with the earth female. A lightening flash of realization hit him.

“You son of a bitch, you lead them here didn’t you?”

Hano slid to a stop but the rest of the soldiers raced on by him and past Lars. He didn’t think his turncoat actions would be discovered so quickly.

“Lars, no I…” he started to say but was cut off.

“Shut up, you bastard! I knew I couldn’t trust you!” Lars swiftly aimed his weapon at Hano and fired straight at his chest, right where his heart would be, not missing the target.

Hano’s body slammed against the wall then slumped forward. Lars took off back in the direction he had come. He had lost the female and his former right hand man. All he could think of now was how to get out of here alive.

Chapter 27

Zeb couldn’t believe the sight before him. Avery lay on the bed completely still. She didn’t even respond when he had drawn back the covers to see who was in the bed. He kneeled down next to the bed and reached out to caress her hair. She looked so small and fragile lying there with her face battered and bruised.

“Nea hela, I am here.” He was no longer concerned with the commotion that was occurring right outside the door of the room. All his energy was focused on his mate. His fingers softly touched the uninjured side of her face and ran along the bottom lip. “Nea hela. Please, open your eyes.”

She stirred slightly as he continued to caress her face and lips. One eye opened slightly then shut again. He let out a breath when he saw the small movement. Her lips moved as if trying to speak. He leaned in further and put his ear to her lips.

“Zeb…” he heard softly against his ear.

“Yes, Nea hela. I am here to take you home.” He saw a tear slip past the lids of her good eye as it closed again and didn’t reopen. From the doorway one of the warriors with him shouted,

“Commander, we must leave now!”

Zeb scooped Avery into his arms and made for the door. The warriors were still engaged in a fire fight with the Drylon soldiers. There was no way to get back down the corridor without the Drylons shooting them all dead as soon as they turned their backs.

“Kurtz, we are pinned down. I have found my mate but we cannot escape the room that we are in!  We are blocked in by Drylon soldiers.  Kurtz, do you read me?” Zeb was frustrated now. He’d be damned if he had come this far to let the Drylons succeed in killing them all.  He promised to protect Avery at all costs and now was his chance.

“Did you really think that I would let one of my oldest friends perish on this dead planet?” Kurtz’s voice was music to Zeb’s ears. “We got them pinned between our team and yours. Bring your forces in our direction and we can get the hell out of here!”

“Thank the Gods! Kurtz, I owe you a great debt.” Zeb’s men continued firing at the remaining soldiers that were sandwiched between them and Kurtz’s team. One by one they each fell to the floor. Soon the firing stopped and the corridor became eerily quiet once again.

“Move Zeb! Let’s get out of here!” Kurtz and his men were now at the door of the room. The Theron warriors on Zeb’s team took the lead. Zeb followed with Avery unconscious in his arms. Kurtz’s team brought up the rear right behind them. The group moved as fast as they could through the winding corridors. An occasional burst of gun blasts came from the behind them but the Pernmocks that trailed the group were able to take out those few remaining Drylon soldiers crazy enough to follow them.

Finally up ahead they could see the entrance to the base. Sand and dust continued to blow into the corridor at an alarming rate but they had no choice but to head straight out into the raging storm.

“Cover your mouths and noses!” The lead warrior shouted to the group. Kurtz moved up next to Zeb and pulled out a covering.

“Put this over her head. There is no time to put the re-breathers back on!” He had to shout above the roar of the winds as it poured into the base. He quickly secured the covering over the face of Zeb’s mate, careful of her injury. “Here let me tie this to your face.  With your mate in your arms you will not be able to do it yourself.” Kurtz quickly covered Zeb’s mouth and nose with a cloth. “Let’s go.”

Without any hesitation the group moved out into the storm. Sand pelted their eyes and uncovered skin. The winds threatened to lift the huge men off their feet and send them skyward. Kurtz had grabbed hold of Zeb’s arm in order to keep him from going off course from the waiting fighter. Behind them now there was nothing but howling winds, sand and dust. No Drylon had dared to venture out into the storm.