Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

BinjaOB

The women chose several beautiful dresses for his mate. Including a pair of what they called leggings, along with several shirts, and a pair of pants that had many pockets down the legs. Casey called them cargo pants. Which was clever, as his mate stuck all sorts of weapons and other items inside those pockets. She was thrilled, and she looked amazing.

After their shower, she dressed in cargo pants and a bright green shirt that emphasized Tanny's pale green eyes. She French braided her hair, and his.

His hair caused a stir when he walked into the conference room. Several of his brothers begged his mate to fix their hair in the same style, and when they discovered Casey and Cameron could also create the intricate braid—it was decided the women would give lessons during the space voyage to join the DoMicile.

Casey had taken the position of chef for both ships. Evidently, Brode's mate had done this on Earth when operating several restaurants. It gave her skill in managing the purchase of food and creating meals from whatever she could purchase. She had also taken over the research and planting for the hydroponic garden they discovered on the Paradise.

Binja and his brothers never cooked. They lived on dehydrated food and a variety of long-lasting fruits and vegetables they picked up when they landed on any populated planet. That changed drastically when the women became part of their family. Their lack of nutrition appalled Casey, as did their reliance on food supplements. Now, she spent hours with her husband at the local markets and even went out to visit many of the nearby farms. She was always tasting, experimenting with the things she found, and creating masterpieces in the kitchen.

His mate had been subsisting on dehydrated meat, the occasional fish she caught, and any fruit she found in the forest. Binja watched her expression when Casey brought out several bowls and platters filled with unfamiliar food. He noticed Tanner took a small spoonful from each dish and then sat with the women. His mate took a couple of careful bites, then jumped up for more.

The meeting was further delayed while Tanny made joyous sounds and filled her belly.

Binja watched his mate with the other women. They laughed, reached out and touched one another on the arm, or beamed their approval at each other.

Casey and her nurse sister, Cameron, were identical twins. Both had blue eyes and very short dark hair that had been shaved because one of the women had something wrong with her brain. The sister had shaved hers in sympathy, as had their mates and several of his brothers. Both of these women also had small spots across their faces that his brothers said were called freckles. The sisters were short. A little over five feet, while the brothers were all over six feet tall. Next to their mates and the other women, the twin sisters look tiny in comparison. Cameron had mated his brother Reb, who was the doctor of the group. It amazed Binja that his brother found his perfect match in every way, including the fact that both were medically inclined. Just as he had found his perfect match with Tanner.

The brothers soon discovered all the women were strong and capable. They were the first women discovered as mates and were the type who brought a lot of joy and laughter to the brothers.

He looked over at Catalina, Captain BaOBy's mate. She had long blonde hair. Tanny was blonde too, but his mate's hair had what seemed to be a dozen different shades of light, along with even more shades of dark. Tanny looked blonde from a distance, but when you were close, you realized that the color wasn't that easy to define. Both women also had green eyes. However, his mate's were a soft, pale green she called sage. Catalina's eyes were much darker, much brighter. Almost matching the tone of her mate's vibrant forest-green skin.

Catalina was taller than Casey and Cameron and close to the same height as Tanny. He thought both of these women neared six feet in height. Cat was a fighter. Not trained like his Tanner, but this woman had the same fierce protective streak that ran through his mate.

Someone giggled, and the others joined in. Binja realized the women were bonding, forming friendships that would support them for the rest of their lives.

When the food was cleared from the table, Binja stood at the front of the room. "We need to end this," he started. "Because I believe the Andaran has become unhinged. No. That is not what I meant. I believe he has always been insane and the last few days have taken it to another level. Going into the house where Catalina lived, where Tanner's sister and two others were kept, he felt on top of the world. Once he discovered all the women and his guards were gone, he left the house shattered, furious. Then minutes later when he was shot down in the street like vermin—his words—that blow underscored the fact that his kingdom was no longer secure. In fact, when he realized that at least one person dared to defy him, it drove the Andaran completely over the edge."

Catalina frowned. "Jacanas won't tolerate such defiance. He's liable to strike back at everyone."

Binja nodded. Then turned to Tanner to explain, "Catalina worked with him for so long she became privy to most of his secrets and learned how he would react in many circumstances. After you shot him, the guards took him back to his compound. While his wound was being treated, the Andaran shrieked his orders to everyone in the vicinity. He wanted every house, business, and the entire planet searched for the killer. But his Super Spy leader wanted to know exactly what they'd be searching for, and how they would know who shot the laser at the Andaran when they found him?"

Rolling her eyes, Catalina laughed. "That was a good question. I bet Jacanas didn't like the answer, but exactly what would his spies be hunting for? The Andaran didn't see his attacker, right? Did the guards?"

"No, no one saw her." Binja reached out and took Tanner's hand. "And she's had time to practice with the laser rifle. Jacanas sent several of his spies out to search the forest beside his compound. The Ahnok got the closest, but Tanner and I had already moved. Another of his men went towards the spaceport. The third climbed a tree along the path leading to the marketplace. I think they were looking for movement."

Catalina spoke up. "Yes. That forest was declared off-limits to anyone who lived on this planet. The locals would know that simply being in the forest meant they would be killed. It was actually smart to send some of his men out looking."

"Well, one of his men won't be returning. Tanner was a sniper in the army and she proved the laser rifle is a silent and effective weapon in her hands. When I was in the compound, I heard enough to know that the Andaran doesn't quite trust his spies. However, the Ahnok guard convinced him to let the SS gather more information. They would do this before they searched every building in the city without knowing what they looked for." Binja frowned. "Yet the Ahnok is one of the three he sent out into the forest."

Chortling, Catalina explained, "That is so like Jacanas. Make him mad, and even if you were right, you would get grunt duty. The Ahnok is definitely his favored guard. Normally willing to do everything Jacanas asks him. I've never seen him deny his boss any request."

Tanner sat up straight. "Wait. The Ahnok is the one with a bunch of eyeballs going around his head, right? He keeps a house close to where my sister was. I followed him one night. It's what I've been doing for months, following the Andaran everywhere he goes and eventually getting inside the dozens of buildings the black, scary alien entered on any given day. I studied his routines, strengths, and weaknesses. I also followed his spies when they left the compound in the evening to see where they went. I can tell you that most of the time, what I discovered was horrible. All types of women and children from several alien species were locked away and abused. They were used as slaves, tortured, and more. It was difficult to resist rescuing everyone. But I didn't have anywhere to keep them, and I couldn't help them and continue to search for my sister. I hated making that decision. But the Ahnok guy has several female slaves. I heard him tell one of the other guards that Jacanas wouldn't like it if he found out that he'd taken some of the leftovers instead of killing them. He enjoyed knowing the women trying to stay alive in his care, knew too much, and that the boss was afraid of them."

The dark blue brother said, "If you could remember some of the locations, we could begin liberating both the Ahnok's captives as well as the Andaran's."

Catalina waved toward the papers in front of her. "I have a list of all the properties he owns. Maybe we can match some of them to what you remember?"

Tanner raised an eyebrow and pulled her backpack toward her. She pulled out a notebook and pushed it toward Catalina. "I am both military and police trained, which means I take phenomenal notes. I've included not only the address of every place I broke into, but also information on how I got in, along with what I found. The numbers one through ten on the side of each address are my take on the urgency of rescue. Ten is critical. If I lived through saving Candy, I planned to go after the others."

There was silence in the room as Catalina and BaOBy looked through Tanner's notebook. Bao looked up and smiled. "You included a map, a list of everyone the Andaran has spoken to in the last five months, and marked his daily routine." The admiration for her work was clear.

Tanner nodded, "Yes, there is also some information on how to avoid detection from the Andaran and his guards—how to escape his psychic notice. I figured out how close I could get to the Andaran before he grew suspicious. You need to keep a distance of ten feet or more from him, or if he is extremely excited about something… five feet is enough."

There was awe in Catalina's voice. "You've detailed every bit of his daily rituals. We can strike a day or two ahead of him so that everywhere he visits will be empty. He'll go completely mad."

Binja spoke up. "That is a great idea. Clear out all the tens on Tanner's list and then move on to the nines, and so forth. Tanny and I can focus on the spies. If the Andaran starts to lose his bodyguards, I believe he'll bolt. Since we've taken or disabled all his vehicles, he'll have to go on foot. It will be interesting to see where he goes. Someone needs to monitor him at all times, and we'll pick up the chase when he leaves his compound. I think it's time to destroy the factories that are polluting the air. Catalina knows where they are, so we won't have to search, and once that happens, he'll realize he's lost his hold on the people of Viant."

Catalina nodded. "Perfect. The first thing he'd want to do in retaliation is dump poison into the air and access all his monetary caches. We can take care of both. Designate rescue teams and have BOlaBe blow up the factories." She turned and looked at the fuchsia-toned man standing by the door. When he grinned at her, she turned to Tanner. "Bol is our Master of Destruction. He can blow anything to pieces."

Tanner grinned. "Now, that's a handy skill."

Laughing, Catalina nodded. "I know, right? If everyone gives me their approximate coordinates each morning along with where they're heading, I can tell you where to find the closest money stashes. There are hundreds of them and they are all over this planet. We should probably have a hit team for the largest amounts. But the smaller ones we'll leave unless someone is nearby."

Bao nodded. "It makes sense. So, we are all in agreement? The highest priority is to rescue everyone we can. Once we've completed that project, we can make sure the Andaran and his guards don't live to meet the Galactic Alliance's emissaries. Along the way, we collect as much of the money as possible. The Galactic Alliance will want to claim it all. But Father wants us to use some of it to help those the Andaran held captive. We'll also use some of it to relocate those we can."

"Sounds like we have a plan. Tanner and I will take one of the smaller hovers." Binja turned to his mate and explained, "We can travel faster, and the small ship becomes invisible if needed. Great for tracking and observation. We can load it with supplies, including another laser rifle, and camp in it when we need to."

"That sounds fantastic." She beamed at him.

Cameron had been quiet for most of the discussion. Now she gasped and looked at Tanny. "You were a marksman! The brothers have been storing everything they liberated from the Andaran in the smaller hold on the first floor. I've been going through everything and pulling out the medical supplies. I opened a couple of boxes of guns, Tanny. Guns that look like they came from home!"