Chapter 6

GUNNOX

The sting of antiseptic seared across my back as Nara's gentle hands worked to clean my wounds. I sat motionless on the cot inside the medic bay, my mind far away in the dark tunnels of the sorium mine where my spirit mate and kinsmen still toiled. Guilt and anguish warred within me, each lash across my back a reminder of the suffering where I'd left them dwell.

Her face materialized in my mind's eye, haunting me with every flicker of memory. The faint trace of her spirit whispered around my heart, gently squeezing it with an exquisite ache that threatened to suffocate me. I'd been fortunate enough to have found my spirit's complement in another female only to abandon her.

The first female to breathe life into my ancillary heart was Neylla, a Valosian who I watched succumb to a germ I had thought had been brought back by Sia Sakkar, one of two twin rulers of Clan Huren. The male had since stepped down, relinquishing his crown to Nekko, his twin brother's second. I had unjustly hated Sakkar when he had been as much a victim of the Gretolics as me.

Neylla gasping her last breath will forever be burned into my memory right alongside the gaunt human struggling under the weight of her bucket after munthis of enslavement inside a filthy mine. I had to free her before it was too late. I couldn't lose another spirit mate.

"Fucking Heliose!" I seethed. Yet I had no choice but to leave her there, the reconnaissance mission came first if there was to be any hope of freeing her as well as all of the captives.

"Sorry, Gunnox," Nara sucked the words through her teeth. "I know this has to sting."

"Not that," I grumbled. "Just furious I left them all in that place."

I closed my eyes, picturing the gaunt faces and emaciated bodies of the Valosians, their strength waning under the ruthless demands of their Gorken overlords. Fury ignited within me, scalding away the guilt. I would return for them. For her. For the other human women. No matter the cost, I would see them freed of their bonds and avenge every injustice inflicted upon them.

"I understand," Nara murmured, her voice pulling me back. "I saw Zorin. He was behind the electro-bars with the Valosians. It was difficult for me to leave without him as well."

I turned to meet her luminous gaze, resolve steeling my words. "As a warrior of Valose, I vow to free him along with all the others."

She studied me a moment, then nodded.

A rush of adrenalyne surged through me, igniting my veins with newfound determination as I sucked in a lungful of air. The need to return to the mine gnawed at my insides like a fiery beast.

My hearts thudded in time with the frantic rhythm of my thoughts. I dug my fingers into the edge of the thin cot to keep myself grounded. The urge to race back into the mine and liberate my spirit mate and my people surged through me. My scales pulsed and flashed with the same fierce determination coursing through my veins.

Ruze stormed into the medic bay, his sleek, black horns absorbing the overhead lights as he got all up in my personal space. "What part ofreconwere you unclear on, Valosian?" he growled, fangs bared.

I met his glare, unflinching. "I would bear a million lashings for her."

Ruze snorted. "You don't even know her name."

"I don't need to know her name, my spirit recognizes her as my complement. That is all I need to know." I placed my hand over my ancillary heart, feeling it pound with fervor.

"Foolish male!" Ruze bellowed, angrily striding around the room.

Nara interjected softly, "How is scenting a compatible female to become your shoulsis any different, Ruze?"

Ruze huffed, his rigid stance softening. Nara had hit a nerve and I knew the Nomadican was as desperate to find his missing mate as I was to rescue mine.

"If you're done bickering among yourselves, maybe you can get your asses to the command deck and help me plan our next move." Tyrk poked his head inside the medic bay before turning on his heel and sauntering away.

I hopped off the cot, heedless of Nara's fussing, and followed Tyrk's retreating back.

"I wasn't done cleaning your wounds, Gunnox," Nara called after me.

My wounds didn't need tending as much as I needed to plan how to free the human female in the mine who had awakened me for the second time in my life. She had breathed life into my ancillary heart, an organ I thought to never beat again.

Just like for Neylla, it beat for one purpose only —to pump adrenalyne through my veins. A hormone that increased my strength, endurance, and healing abilities for the sole purpose of protecting my spirit mate. Already, I could feel my damaged scales knitting together. With each passing sec, I felt my body becoming stronger, ready to fulfill my duty as her protector.

Soon, her name would become known to me. Soon, she would find refuge and safety in my embrace.

The command deck's door slid open and we filed inside, our booted steps echoing on the metal floors. Tyrk was already at the central console, manipulating the holographic display. Strange symbols and diagrams flickered as he worked to pierce the interference caused by the ore clouding the scanners.

I stood at his side, studying the convoluted maze of tunnels branching through the projection. "There must be more ways in and out beside the main entrance because the air shaft is too small for any of us to crawl through. What about the tunnel where the conveyor is housed? The ore is being hauled away from the cavern to somewhere else. Maybe we can use the conveyor tunnel to sneak inside, take out the guards, and egress the captives without alerting the Gorkens guarding the main entrance."

Tyrk grunted in agreement. "Good plan, but the signal's too degraded to trace the ore carried on the conveyor for very far."

Nara approached. The glowing bracelets covering both arms softly chimed with her movements. "Perhaps clarity lies not in banishing the distortion but utilizing it." She waved a slender hand through the display, letting the dense ore deposits guide her movements. Gradually, a path revealed itself, leading away from the mine to a vast cavern beneath the Gorken queen's palace. A tunnel to the surface revealed itself. "There's a way inside the chamber from the center of the village. It doesn't appear to be guarded."

"It makes sense the ore would be deposited beneath the queen's feet," Tyrk snorted. "The palace would be the most fortified structure on Gorka. Even more so than the entrance into the mine, so why the lack of guards?"

I thought of the nutrillium mine entrance located inside Huren territory. "If the Gorken felt it was already fortified inside their village walls, they wouldn't waste the guards."

"True," Tyrk nodded. "If we caused a commotion at the mine entrance, we could get the captives out through this unguarded tunnel."

"The Gorken wouldn't anticipate an escape through their village," Nara agreed.

"Wait…" Ruze rested his hands on the console and leaned in close to the map. "What is that?"

Tyrk squinted at the fuzzy, pulsating blob where Ruze pointed. "Probably just a glitch with the scanners from the concentration of ore."

Ruze's finger tapped on the console, causing the holographic map to shift through different levels of brightness. "But why does it appear to be diminishing? The energy stored in the ore is being draining rather than growing stronger," he observed.

"What is sorium ore used for?" I asked.

"It's a power source. A fuel, but not like rillium though. The energy harnessed in the ore isn't powerful enough to power a spacecraft." Tyrk pointed at the map. "If the ore is being consumed, maybe there's a generator under the palace to power the surrounding Gorken village."

"No. The Gorken live in crude huts." Nara shook her head, her tubular mane swishing around her slender blue shoulders. "They are a primitive culture. Other than their unsophisticated spacecraft, they don't have devices or machinery that would require constant power to operate?"

"Maybe they've evolved, because they're using the ore to power something."Tyrk's brow furrowed in thought.

"There's only one way to find out," I crossed my arms over my chest.

Ruze dulled down the distorting effect the ore was having on the scanners so we could map out every inch of the wall encompassing the village, noting every guard post and weak spot. After pouring over the illuminated map, we finally settled on the least fortified section of their defensive wall. Near the secondary gate was our best chance at sneaking past their defenses undetected.

As the twin suns dipped below the dusty horizon, casting Gorka into a shroud of hazy darkness, Ruze and Tyrk skillfully guided the ship away from the mine entrance. With every fate we traveled, I sat on the edge of my seat, grinding my teeth to dust. The very thought of leaving my spirit mate behind went against every fiber of my being. Yet, it was a necessary evil to scout out the most viable escape route for a successful rescue operation.

The red planet unfolded beneath us, its barren landscape now bathed in unforgiving shadows as we silently floated low over the surface. In the distance, the village emerged like a silhouette against the murky horizon, with the palace's jagged spires piercing the dark.

Despite our cloaked presence, each movement of our ship left a subtle imprint on the dusty ground below. The air stirred with our descent, swirling up clouds of fine particles that threatened to betray our stealthy approach. Ruze touched down just outside the village outskirts, mindful of every displaced mote of dust that could expose our presence to any lurking threats.

It was decided myself and Tyrk would sneak into the village while Nara and Ruze waited onboard the ship. Since the Nomadicans were the only ones who knew how to fly the Moktian craft, one of them had to remain onboard at all times.

"I'm trusting you not to go rouge again, Gunnox," Ruze warned, as I holstered my plasma gun and took the comm Ruze offered.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Tyrk clapped me on the back before clipping his comm to his belt and holstering his weapon.

"Stay quiet and only use the comm if absolutely necessary." Ruze wagged a claw-tipped finger at us. "Remember, the cloak only conceals you visually. You can still be heard. No weapons unless you have no other options to get out alive."

"Yes, mother," Tyrk smirked and joined me at the hatch. "We'll remember. Now drop the ramp, sundown is shorter on Gorka than on most planets and time is wasted on your nagging."

Ruze cursed under his breath, muttering something about the stubbornness of insolent Nomadican males. He pressed the button and the hatch silently opened, the ramp extending to the ground.

Tyrk and I emerged, swiftly activating our cloaking devices on our wrists. On silent feet, we moved down the ramp and then glided through the wavy ripples of the invisible barrier that protected the ship from prying eyes. With a final glance back at our hidden vessel, we hugged the defensive wall and waited for the changing of the guards.

The air was heavy with tension as we watched the guards exchange positions at the secondary gate, their steps echoing softly in the stillness of the night. Despite the need for concealment, my scales deepened to blend seamlessly with the darkness around me as I blinked dark-penetrating lenses in place.

With a silent signal from Tyrk, we kept silent and advanced toward the opened gate. As the guards changed posts, their attention was focused on the exchange of duties and not on our footprints being left in the dirt as we stealthily moved behind them. As we raced through the bustling village, we were careful to avoid any contact with the Gorken milling about. Our eyes remained locked on the unguarded entrance to the tunnel.

With a sense of disbelief and apprehension, we reached the tunnel entrance and slipped inside. My scales bristled, and I couldn't shake the feeling of how that had been far too easy. We'd made it inside and to the entrance without issue, so I prayed it was simply the Spirits showing us favor. I exchanged a determined look with Tyrk before cautiously following the steep descent of the male-sized tunnel.

Senses on high alert, my ears perked and cupped as I reached out to capture the faintest sounds echoing from the chamber. Footsteps approached, heavy and deliberate. I quickly signaled to Tyrk, my hearts pounding as we pressed ourselves against the rough walls of the tunnel.

If we were caught now, I might lose the chance to save my people and my spirit mate, condemning them to a fate of perpetual enslavement in the oppressive depths of the Gorken mines.

A fiery pulse of adrenalyne surged through my body, fueling every muscle and synapse with an intense rush. As the thudding footsteps grew louder, I could feel the raw strength coursing through me, ready to unleash in a split second. My fingers tightened into coiled fists at my sides, poised for battle against the looming threat of the Gorken and their entire village. Despite my promise to Nara and Ruze, I knew if we were caught, it would be an all-out war —a fight for survival where surrender was not an option.

Tyrk's hand gripped my arm like a vice, his fingers digging into my flesh. I turned my head to catch a glimpse of him through the waves of his cloaking device. He gave his head a hard shake and I nodded in response, unsure if it was a promise to fight until our dying breaths or a silent plea to stay hidden in this tunnel and pray we didn't get caught by the Gorken heading toward us.

We pressed our backs flat against the tunnel wall as a Gorken guard trudged by, his massive frame taking up most of the tunnel. One of his stringy appendages lightly brushed my forearm, but he kept going, blissfully unaware of our presence.

Once the Gorken's heavy footsteps faded into the distance, we both sagged in relief. My senses remained on high alert as we continued on, one cautious step at a time. I kept my ears on a swivel, cupping and turning to pick up on any more potential threats approaching from either direction.

As the tunnel ended and we emerged into the chamber, we froze at the sight before us.