Chapter 65

Chapter

Sixty-Five

Fiona

M y heart stilled as the alien on the screen introduced himself. It wasn’t like I was ignorant of other beings in the universe. I was on an alien planet, after all, and living among Drexians, who were decidedly not human. But this Taori was nothing like the Drexian warriors who could pass as larger, more muscular humans. No one would mistake the horned creature and his impossibly blue eyes as anything but otherworldly.

He leaned closer and a pendant hanging from his neck swung forward. “To whom am I speaking?”

Vyk shifted beside me. “I am Commander Vyk of the Drexian Empire, security chief for the Drexian Academy. ”

The alien who had called himself Ruun inclined his head. “I am a science officer for the sky clan of the Taori, which is why I am here.”

“Where?” Vyk asked. “You do not appear on our tracking systems, although you did set off our sensors.”

The Taori frowned. “We should not have set off your sensors.”

“You have stealth capability?”

Ruun moved his head from side to side, as if accepting this reluctantly. “We can fly behind the veil.”

The alien’s speech was unusually formal for someone who looked like such a terrifying badass, but I was intrigued by him. I’d heard about the Kronock and their lizard-like appearance, but this was my first encounter with an alien with non-humanoid features.

Vyk braced his hands on his desk. “I assume you are here because of the swarm.”

“I am. Your people assisted mine on Gerron. Now we are here to render aid to your planet and academy.”

“Tell me about the Sythian swarm,” Vyk said. “How do we defeat it?”

Ruun let out a strangled laugh. “The Sythian swarm is difficult to defeat because it is unpredictable and adaptable and will never stop.”

I shot a look at Vyk. That did not sound good.

“They are not a typical enemy,” the Taori continued. “They do not reason or employ strategy. They cannot be negotiated with or threatened. They only consume. ”

I swallowed hard. The Kronock had attacked Earth, but when our forces had fought back—supported by the Drexians—they had retreated. It sounded like the Sythians would not.

Vyk cursed under his breath. “Then how do we win? How do we survive?”

“You don’t.” Runn locked his gaze on Vyk. “The only way to survive the Sythian swarm is to avoid it. Even if you decimate their numbers, they will regenerate and continue to feed.”

Vyk shook his head roughly. “There must be a way to destroy them. Every enemy has a weakness. No species is indestructible.”

Ruun grunted. “They are not immortal or indestructible. They do die, and it is not difficult to kill one or even many, but there are so many of them and they move with such vicious speed that it is easy to be overwhelmed and overrun.”

The thought of a swarm of feeding aliens descending on the academy made my stomach churn. The stone corridors had been intimidating at first, but now they were home, and the thought of them being overrun was horrifying.

“What about tricking them?” I asked.

Both aliens turned their attention to me, and Ruun cocked an eyebrow.

“I know that’s what you did on Gerron.” I gave the Taori a hint of a smile. “I read the reports and studied the strategy. You tricked them with holograms.”

Ruun nodded slowly. “True. That was a plan developed by a Drexian and his human mate, if I am not mistaken. ”

I knew that it had been Nina, Ariana’s cousin, who had been a part of the plan, but that bit of information didn’t seem relevant to the moment. What was important was that they had successfully drawn the swarm away by a holographic sleight-of-hand. If a swarm’s strength was its hive mind and lack of reason, it was also its weakness.

“What about doing something like that here?” I asked. “Could we use holographic technology to hide the planet so the swarm wouldn’t stop? If they don’t know we’re here, they would have no reason to pause their hunt for things to devour.”

Ruun sat back and absently stroked the tip of one horn. “Hide an entire planet?”

I spotted a long tail swishing behind him and tried not to stare. The Taori also had long, fur-tipped tails like lions?

Vyk emitted a low rumble. “Drexians do not run from battle.”

I put my hands on my hips and pivoted toward him. “This isn’t running. It’s protecting your home world. Feel free to attack the swarm in space if you must, but we can’t leave Drex and the academy like sitting ducks.”

Vyk silently mouthed the words “sitting ducks” to himself as I turned back to Ruun.

“Why don’t I talk to a few of the engineers here about setting up a holographic screen while you and our security chief coordinate efforts for an attack on the swarm after it passes us by?”

Ruun tipped his head to me. “You are not the first human female I have encountered who has been as fierce and clever as any Taori.”

I wanted to ask him where he’d encountered human females, if he hadn’t been on Gerron when Drexians made first contact with the Taori, but there was no time, not when we had a planet to hide.

Ruun slid his gaze to Vyk. “Is she your mate?”

“She is mine,” Vyk growled without a moment’s hesitation.

I glanced at him as a flush of pleasure made my heart trip in my chest.

He returned my gaze, his eyes flashing heat. “Yes?”

I bobbed my head without speaking as he curled an arm around my waist.

“I thought as much.” Ruun chuckled. “You have the same bewitched look I have seen on several of my Taori brothers with human mates.”

If that bothered Vyk, he didn’t show it.

“After we evade and destroy the swarm, I look forward to introducing you to many of the bewitching humans here.”

Ruun grinned. “I will hold you to that.”

I didn’t have time to wonder what the women at the academy would think of the Taori as I stepped from Vyk’s grasp and backed toward the door. “Good luck coordinating the battle. I need to find some Irons.”