Chapter Two

Chapter Two

BrOdByc

He was tall. All the brothers were tall, strong, and muscular. Brode knew they were good-looking. When seen together, all twenty clone brothers were physically stunning humanoid men. Brushing long, dark hair from his eyes, BrOdByc relaxed outside. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he scanned the docking station at Viant. The pleasure planet. Two of his brothers stood next to him, doing the same.

On this end of the spaceship, the area was nothing more than a big stretch of tarmac with various spacecraft parked closely together. There were stacks of crates nearby, waiting to be loaded. The entire place hummed with activity. He noticed several small floating carriers work to load or unload those crates. Spaceships continued to land or take off. It was a busy, popular port.

A noisy port, with many alien species walking around. Some were shouting, trying to make themselves heard over the thrusters of the ships, and the whirring sound of the freight carriers. Many of those who exited their ships hurried into one of several alleyways leading away from the dock.

This area was just one big hive of activity. Filled with all manner of creatures in all shapes and sizes. Most were sentient, some were not. Those who weren't—were typically pets or protection animals. Another constant, almost all the aliens walking around the docks were male. Or looked male.

BrOdByc knew women could seek pleasure mates on Viant, but most of what was available appealed to the males of any species.

He and his brothers watched the ebb and flow of life through this space. Some of these species were far from having two arms and legs and walking upright. He eyed the Octapid as it scrambled from a nearby ship on eight legs. That species was relatively peaceful. Many weren't.

BaOBy, his brother and captain—the first of their kind—sighed. "It looks quiet. But I am uneasy about leaving the ship unguarded. I'll wake one of the others."

BrOdByc and ReBOrB nodded. They understood the sentiment. While they were eager to spend time on the pleasure planet, leaving their brothers and their ship—their home and source of income— unguarded, was risky.

All twenty brother clones lived on DoMicile, their ship. They rotated in and out of stasis— sleep —based on need and finances. If the credits were tight, as they were now, the ship ran with only the captain and two of the brothers.

They were all... connected. To the ship and each other. Communication was a simple thought. The captain chose one man to wake, and the ship started the process. The longer any of them had been asleep, the more time the rejuvenation procedure took.

But the last mission had required all their help. No one had been asleep longer than a day or two. Their renewal would take place in just a few minutes.

The Alien Band of Brothers were, at times, mercenaries for a good cause, couriers, or delivery boys. They took jobs to keep them in credits—and when possible they worked to right the wrongs in the universe. Fighting inequality. Helping the downtrodden and oppressed. Rescuing the souls who needed saving.

Their creator had fashioned the brothers for just that purpose.

Standing in the shadow of their ship, the three brothers searched the landing dock. Watching to ensure there was nothing unusual going on. Committing their location to memory.

Embedding their ship's coordinates in their visual memory had saved them a number of times. They could find it in the dark if they were under attack, or if their enemies' blood blinded them. More than once, one of them had suffered from amnesia. Having the ship's location implanted in their DNA guided them home or enabled the other brothers to locate them.

He shifted his gaze. Watching BaOBy and ReBOrB. They were almost mirror images of himself. Both had long, dark hair. They were tall. Exactly the same height as BrOdByc. They were humanoid, with two arms and legs, a wide chest, and lots of muscles.

A pair of Ahnoks exited a nearby ship. The beings had a halo of eyes surrounding their skulls. These beings were in constant demand as bodyguards. They were impossible to sneak up on. To rest, they only had to close half their eyelids.

He grinned at ReBOrB. Knowing his brother's thoughts were similar to his own. They were happy the creator had gifted them with only two eyes apiece. And an appearance that never failed to gain female notice.

The Band of Brothers were a striking lot. Twenty men who looked exactly alike, except for...

A scream pierced the air.

Shocking in its intensity, the sound interrupted his thoughts. Pain and anger reverberated in the notes—and something inside him shattered.

BrOdByc

The three men turned as one toward the cry for help. His captain reached out, restraining them. "Wait," he murmured. Stepping back, deeper into the shadow surrounding their ship, he pulled BrOdByc and ReBOrB with him. "Watch first," he cautioned. "Assess the enemy."

There was no question that they would help. But BrOdByc realized the captain was right. They shouldn't just run in without having a better understanding of the situation.

The dock was eerily quiet. Suddenly empty of life forms. Whatever was happening, no one else wanted to become involved.

The brothers watched silently. Eventually, two Siloth males stepped away from a ship that was parked a short distance from them. The big red aliens scanned the dock as if making sure no one was around to witness their actions or interfere. They didn't notice them watching.

The Siloth race was typically an unruly lot. The males he'd seen had a smashed-looking face set in a long head. Burgundy red fur covered their bodies, and they each had four arms and two legs, although they walked upright.

These aliens had two primary sources of income—slavery and providing breeders for hire. The Siloth kidnapped women from their home planets and sold or rented their wombs. They took many of the slaves to laboratories for experimentation. Some were kept in hostels until the women could be bred and delivered of their young. Or they sold the women to the highest bidder.

The brothers had run-ins with them before. Maybe not with this bunch, but with some who were just like them.

Captain BaOBy's hand tightened on his arm when the woman screamed a second time. His leader urged caution.

BrOdByc's heart raced. There was something about that scream that seemed to reach inside him and tug. His eyes widened. Horrified when he felt the marking bands encircling his right arm—move.

The captain hissed and released his arm when the tattoo shifted.

Right then, the two Siloth men were joined by several more. The movement pulled their attention back across the dock. One of the new men held a struggling woman. She continued to scream at the top of her lungs until the man holding her managed to subdue and gag her. It required help. Three men, each with four arms, fought one tiny Earther female. The woman came close to escaping her captors. They weren't gentle with her.

BrOdByc glared at the men and took a step forward. Only his captain's renewed hold on his arm kept him in place. The woman continued to twist and buck, but her movements were less effective, and she did it in silence.

"They have an Earther!" ReBOrB hissed.

Horror dawned on all three of their faces. The captain gave voice to their fear. "I thought the women who served on this pleasure planet were willing. After seeing this, we need to doubt if any agreed."

BrOdByc noted that two additional red aliens were carrying another woman. This one was silent and didn't twitch. She was unconscious. Or dead.

The Siloth quickly moved away from their ship, splitting into two groups before they reached the back alleyways leading from the docking station. There were multiple options headed toward town. One group went to the left, and one to the right.

He turned and looked at ReBOrB. This brother was staring after the second woman who'd just been taken into the alley on the left. His cloned twin was concentrating. Using his powers... "She's alive, but hurt. She'll need a healer, so I'll follow her."

ReBOrB was a trained medic. But his specific power centered on healing. It was good that he would follow the injured woman.

The captain sighed. "I'll stay with BrOdByc. The first woman triggered his mating bands and I'm not sure how the bond will affect him. He shouldn't be alone with her. I've already called on more of our brothers. I think we're going to need the help."

ReBOrB started and turned to look at BrOdByc. He glanced down at his right arm. At the band circling Brode's thick bicep. Each brother's marks were unique. Signifying their specific powers and used as identifying marks in their youth—before their colors blossomed. They'd also been told they were mating marks and would someday signal their mate was nearby. But it had never happened.

BrOdByc was one of the oldest of the brothers. Only the captain had more years. The two were pushing eighty, barely entering the prime of their life. This was the first time any of their marks had moved for a female.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.