Chapter Five

Sutton

The docking procedure was like something ripped straight from a sci-fi movie. One minute we were gliding through the inky blackness of space, next a fleet of massive ships, their hulls bristling with weapons and sensor arrays, swarmed near our little craft.

I couldn"t tear my gaze away as they closed in around us. Energy fields crackled and shimmered, and suddenly we were inside one of the behemoth vessels.

The artificial gravity shifted as we were swallowed into the alien ship"s hangar bay. I gripped the edges of my seat, fighting back a wave of vertigo as Raxon expertly guided us through the final docking procedures.

The ramp lowered with a hiss of hydraulics, and I flinched as fearsome alien warriors formed up outside. They looked like something out of a nightmare, all gleaming obsidian armor and wicked blades at the ready. They were a mix of aliens, some I recognized as those held captive on the same ship as me. Others were scary-looking aliens that looked like they could eat me for lunch and not think anything of it.

Raxon rumbled something low and reassuring, but I could only gape at him in stunned silence. How was I supposed to feel safe when everywhere I looked, creatures from my worst nightmares were walking around? Even Raxon looked like an unholy fusion of feline and human, a creature purpose-built to hunt and destroy anything in its path. Yet I felt safer with Raxon than I had since the night I had been taken from Earth.

Then Raxon rose from the pilot"s station, fixing me with those blazing amber eyes. "Stay close," he growled, the low tones of his voice seeming to reverberate straight through my bones. "Do exactly as I say, and you"ll be alright. Understand?"

I could only nod, mute terror rendering me incapable of speech. Because despite his words of reassurance, I knew the truth—I was well and truly at the mercy of these alien beings now. My life was in their hands, and even Raxon"s stern promises couldn"t change that fact.

He seemed to study me a moment longer, perhaps gauging my mental state. Then, with a slight dip of his head, he turned and started down the ramp towards the waiting warriors.

I scrambled to follow, keeping on his heels as we were surrounded. Raxon barked out a series of harsh syllables, and the guards parted just enough to allow us through. I could feel the weight of their alien stares boring into me, sense the thinly veiled hostility wafting off them in waves.

We moved through a dizzying labyrinth of corridors and security checkpoints. At each one, Raxon had to submit to scans and biometric identification, receiving brusque clearance before we could proceed further. All the while, I stayed plastered at his side, trying my best to make myself seem as small and unobtrusive as possible.

At last, we entered what seemed to be some kind of decontamination chamber. A harsh, acrid mist billowed around us, stinging my eyes and nostrils as unseen scanners swept our bodies from every conceivable angle.

The mist made me choke and gag, but Raxon simply stood impassive, seemingly unaffected. To him, this must be just another routine procedure, a momentary inconvenience to ensure the safety of the ship and crew.

To me, it was like being dipped in a vat of industrial cleaners, scouring away any lingering trace of the life I"d known. When the chamber purged and I staggered out the other side, I felt raw and exposed, as if a layer of my very essence had been stripped away.

Raxon"s heavy paw landed on my shoulder, steadying me as I swayed on unsteady feet. "Easy now," he rumbled in a tone somehow softer than I"d heard from him before. "The worst is behind you. Just keep moving."

I could only nod weakly, leaning into his solid strength as we were ushered into what looked like some kind of medical facility. My heart kicked up again as I took in the array of bizarre instruments and displays, all of it humming with alien technology I couldn"t begin to comprehend.

A new set of guards fell in around us, these wearing pale blue coveralls rather than armor. They studied me with open curiosity, snapping off terse observations and notes into handheld devices as we moved.

Raxon barked something at them, his tone sharp and authoritative. A few shrank back, ducking their heads in deference before one of them—the leader of this group, by my estimation—dipped his head and gestured for us to follow.

We were led to an exam room of sorts, the walls and floors made of some seamless, sterile material. Another one of the blue-clad figures was already there, bent over a raised platform surrounded by a dizzying array of monitors and scanners.

"You will submit to full examination," the alien announced without preamble, those dead black eyes fixing on me with undisguised curiosity. "We must assess your physiology and determine potential risk factors before assigning permanent quarantine protocols."

I shrank back instinctively, a full-body shudder wracking my frame. "Wh-what? No, you can"t—"

"It"s alright." Raxon"s voice cut through my panic, rumbling and calm even as he pinned the other alien with a look that could bore holes through tungsten. "The examination will be conducted under my direct supervision, with all due care and respect." He practically spat out that last word, whiskers twitching.

The other alien regarded him for a tense moment, seeming to weigh the implicit threat in Raxon"s stance. At last, it gave a terse dip of its head.

"As you wish, Raxon. But do not expect leniency in our findings, regardless of whatever... attachment you may have formed with this creature." Its tone was brusque, almost mocking, before turning to face me once more. "Now, up onto the platform so we can begin."

It made a shooing motion with one hand, clearly expecting me to comply without hesitation. I felt rage spike through my veins at its arrogance, its blatant disregard for things like consent or personal autonomy.

Raxon seemed to sense my rising defiance. He leaned in close, pitching his voice low so only I could hear. "Easy there, little one. I know this isn"t ideal, but we need to play by their rules for the time being. Just... try to stay calm and let them do their work, okay? I"ll be right here, I promise."

His words washed over me, soothing some of the panic fluttering in my chest. I searched his gaze, found only that steady, blazing intensity and a world of unspoken reassurance shining behind it.

At last, I gave a tight nod and moved to obey, climbing up onto the raised platform with leaden limbs. The surface was cool against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine as I settled onto my back and tried not to think too hard about what fresh violations might be in store.

The technician moved in close, tapping a series of commands into a nearby console. A low hum built around me, making my hair stand on end as those unseen scanners flickered to life.

Emerald beams of light swept over my prone form in dizzying patterns, bathing me in their eerie radiance. Displays flickered and scrolled with a constant stream of data and physiological readouts, far too dense and encoded for me to decipher.

All the while, the technician studied the incoming information with a series of thoughtful hums and dipped snouts, occasionally tapping out new commands to adjust the scan frequencies.

I fought to keep still despite every instinct screaming at me to run, to flee this nightmarish place and hide myself away from the cold, impersonal scrutiny of these alien beings. Only Raxon"s looming presence at my side kept me tethered, reminding me that no matter how bizarre or terrifying this situation became, I wasn"t truly alone.

At last, the technician seemed to find what he was looking for. With a final tap of his console, the scanners powered down, leaving me blinking against the harsh overhead lights.

"Fascinating," the alien murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He turned towards the other guards, who had been watching the proceedings with undisguised interest. "You were correct to bring this specimen before me, Raxon."

My breath caught in my throat at his clinical phrasing, the way he so casually stripped me of any sense of personhood and individuality. I was just a "specimen" to be studied and cataloged like some kind of curiosity in their labs.

Raxon rumbled low in his throat, lips peeling back to expose a hint of fang. "That"s enough of that talk. She has a name—Sutton. And she"ll be addressed accordingly with all due respect. Is that understood?"

The technician blinked, seeming taken aback by the barely contained menace in Raxon"s tone. For a long moment, the two squared off in a battle of wills, the weight of the unspoken challenge stretching between them like a taut filament ready to snap.

Then, just as the tension became nearly unbearable, the technician gave a curt nod. "My... apologies. You"re correct, of course. I"ll endeavor to use more appropriate phrasing when referencing the spe—when referencing Sutton."

He swiveled back towards the still-flickering monitors, mouth working as he parsed through the streams of data. "In any case, the scans have yielded some rather remarkable findings about your... about Sutton"s physiology. Quite remarkable indeed..."

Raxon took a step forward, his tone a low warning rumble. "Well? Out with it, then. What did your scanners uncover?"

The technician lifted his head, features unreadable as his dead black eyes bored into me. "She is a universal breeder."

I frowned, feeling a flicker of unease at the strange phrasing. "A... universal breeder? What does that mean?"

"It means," the technician replied in a carefully measured tone, "that your genetic code renders you physiologically compatible for... intermingling with a vast array of species across the galaxies."

The words hung in the air, heavy and obscene, as the full implications sank in. I felt my cheeks flush bright red, a combination of visceral horror and outrage roiling in the pit of my stomach.

"You... you can"t be serious," I managed at last, bile burning at the back of my throat. "That"s... that"s not possible. I"m human, from Earth! We"re not some kind of... of galaxy-wide sex slaves meant for your twisted amusement!"

I could feel the weight of the guards" stares growing heavier, more predatory. As if they suddenly saw me in an entirely new light—not just a curiosity to be studied, but an exotic prize to be hunted and claimed.

Raxon seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere as well. He snarled something harsh and guttural, one paw dropping to the wicked blade hanging at his hip as he positioned himself between me and the rest of the room.

The technician lifted both hands in a placating gesture, features carefully neutral. "Peace, Raxon. I meant no insult or indecency, merely an objective assessment based on the genetic data. The fact that your... that Sutton is compatible with cross-species breeding is simply a natural consequence of her biology, nothing more."

Raxon"s muzzle wrinkled in a feral snarl, but he made no move to draw his weapon just yet. "You"d better pray that"s all it is. Because if I find out you or any of your ilk have more despicable intentions towards her..."

He left the threat hanging, raw menace dripping from every syllable. The technician swallowed hard, giving a shallow nod of understanding.

"Of course, Raxon."

Fury and shame burned through me. I wasn"t some kind of twisted sex slave, damn them! Raxon seemed to sense my rising panic. With a snarl of rage, he placed himself between me and the others, one hand dropping to the blade at his hip.

"You"ll not lay a hand on her," he growled in a tone that brooked no argument. "Sutton is under my protection now, by the ancient rights of the Kal"doren. Any who challenge that will taste my steel."

The technician shrank back, eyes widening as he took in the unmistakable threat. "O-of course, Commander. No insult was intended, I assure you."

But his platitudes fell on deaf ears. Raxon simply turned to face me, amber eyes blazing with an intensity that made me shiver.

"You"ll remain at my side until this is sorted out, little one," he rumbled in a voice that wasn"t quite an order, yet left no room for argument. "Unless you object?"

My throat worked soundlessly as I studied the fierce alien warrior looming over me. Part of me wanted to rail against his high-handedness, this archaic ritual of "claiming" me like a bloody possession.

But the greater part, the one ruled by cold pragmatism over foolish pride, knew the truth - Raxon was likely the only thing standing between me and worse violations at the hands of these depraved aliens. I was safer with the monster I knew.

So I swallowed my defiance and gave a tight nod. "No objections. Not for now, at least."

Raxon"s eyes glittered at my assent, a fleeting look of male satisfaction passing over his leonine features. Then it was gone, buried beneath his usual inscrutable mask.

"Wise choice," he rumbled as he turned away. "Now come, we"ve lingered here too long already."

I fell into step beside him, the weight of a thousand unspoken questions pressing down with each stride we took away from the exam room. Just what had I gotten myself into by accepting this alien"s protection?