Prologue

PROLOGUE

Faktil quo Laus

Faktil paused on his way to the hangar, the view through the freighter window capturing his attention.

Torment, there's so many of them. They were as thick as flies on arva shit.

He took in all the enemy vessels and the knot in his stomach tightened. He'd faced off against the Jurou Biljana numerous times, yet never had he seen so many reptile ships in one spot. Over half the enemy fleet managed to make it through the wormhole before he and his fellow warriors caught up with the scaly bastards. Even now, more ships were trickling through the rift, trailing behind their freighter.

It was surreal seeing so many reptile ships calmly drifting toward the rendezvous point. Under normal circumstances, boldly flying into a swarm of your enemy involved a lot more fighting and explosions, but this wasn't a normal situation. They were lucky they intercepted this Jurou Biljana freighter on its way to meet the fleet. It provided the perfect cover, and the reptile ships didn't suspect a thing, ignoring them entirely. Hopefully their cover held until they could spring their trap on the vile slave merchants.

"Wishing you stayed in the Delta Quadrant?" Thorac asked as he joined him at the window.

Faktil focused on the reflection of the Osivoire male. Thorac was as different as could be, bald with a bone-armored shell from head to toe, where Faktil sported long black hair, red skin, and a tail. Yet, he felt as close to Thorac as any of his Cadi brethren. Facing a common enemy tended to do that.

Faktil's gaze returned to the Jurou Biljana fleet. "That probably would've been the safer choice."

"I have a feeling safety has never been a qualification in your decision making." Thorac's bony, hairless brow arched, in part question, part challenge.

"No," Faktil snorted in amusement.

Thorac knew him well. He did have a tendency to treat danger rather cavalierly. Like most Cadi, he'd grown up surrounded by the harshness of war. It was far better to laugh than the alternative coping mechanisms. Though he wasn't laughing at the moment.

"I'm questioning how we let these vile slave merchants spread this far." Faktil shook his head in disgust, his tail swishing in agitation until he forcibly stilled it.

The Jurou Biljana plagued his home world and others in the Delta Quadrant. But at least the bastards had been trapped on that side of the cosmos—until now. Despite their efforts to prevent it, the Jurou Biljana found a way through the wormhole, and now the vile slavers were in the same quadrant as Earth.

"If we only discovered the reptiles were reproducing the rift drives sooner." Thorac grimaced.

"I suppose the scaly bastards were bound to get their hands on the technology eventually," Faktil replied. "I guess we're lucky it didn't happen sooner with the duplicitous Topus running those black markets."

"But it would've been nice if we were dealing with fewer ships." Thorac tapped on the window, indicating the enemy fleet surrounding the freighter.

"And it would've been nice if we'd been able to rescue those poor humans sooner," Faktil added.

Thorac solemnly nodded.

That rescue mission is what led them here. They had intel that a Miran Sona colony ship full of humans had wrecked on a remote planet riddled with volcanoes. Sadly, they discovered that was true. They also discovered the nasty Jurou Biljana had found the wreckage and the humans first. The scaly garbage enslaved scores of the humans, forcing them to work in their factory, manufacturing the wormhole engines. Unfortunately, they arrived too late to stop the bastards, but they'd thankfully been able to save the humans and track the reptiles here.

Faktil clenched his jaw, his tail thrashing the floor, as what the humans suffered scrolled through his mind. Humans were a tenacious, but delicate race. They were short, slight, thin-skinned creatures, lacking claws and fangs, or any decent means to defend themselves. Many died before he and his fellow warriors located the secret factory on the hostile planet.

"This time we won't be too late. We'll stop the scaly bastards before they locate Earth." Faktil spoke to his own reflection, reassuring himself as much as Thorac.

"That's right," Thorac agreed.

They stepped away from the window and continued to the hangar .

"Now comes the fun part," he flippantly commented to his bony comrade.

As dangerous as it was, he was looking forward to infiltrating the Jurou Biljana ships and planting the virus that would lead to the slavers' demise.

Thorac stopped again and turned to face him. "You sure you won't take Traveler with you?"

He appreciated the offer. Yes, it would be nice to partner with Traveler. The Dremin could breach any kind of technology, among other skills he was still learning about. Unfortunately, they all couldn't partner up with the Dremin. His situation was no different than the dozen other pilots also tasked with infiltrating the enemy.

"We already decided, Traveler is going with you." Faktil shook his head and continued into the hangar. "Look who it is." Faktil gestured to the Dremin they were just talking about.

Faktil grinned at how much the silica being resembled an overgrown fried egg as it scuttled toward him. The Dremin had a dozen pale tentacles covered in cilia that fanned out around a central bulbous, orange mass, which looked just like a yolk.

A yolk the size of my head. Now that's one big egg.

The amusing observation aside, he wasn't really sure this was Traveler. The Dremin had no eyes, no mouth, nothing reminiscent of any creature he was familiar with, and no defining characteristics that he could discern. It made differentiating between the Dremin impossible. Although since there were currently only three of the silica beings on the vessel, his options weren't vast.

"You are Traveler, right?" Faktil clarified.

"Have my other two companions overcome their reticence to approach you flesh bearers?" Traveler flatly replied. Though the Dremin's voice always possessed an artificial quality, it was uncharacteristically monotone at the moment.

How do they talk without a mouth? Faktil studied Traveler. From what he understood, they were capable of sending signals directly to his language implant. Still, that was rather vague. There was a lot that wasn't known about the Dremin, because they literally just discovered the unique race.

All that aside, there was something about Traveler's tone that captured his attention.

"Was that sarcasm?" Faktil snorted.

"It was. Did I do it right?" Traveler asked, their voice taking on more warmth and a jovial quality.

"You need to stop teaching Traveler these things." Thorac jabbed Faktil. "The Dremin are going to have a skewed impression about how to communicate with us."

"Did I offend you, Thorac? Faktil said humor is sometimes offensive, but I didn't truly mean to upset you, since we will be working together." Traveler placatingly stroked Thorac's leg. One of Traveler's other tentacles made contact with Faktil's shin. "You are correct. Thorac has no sense of humor," the Dremin privately commented, which they could apparently do when directly touching a person, like a version of telepathy.

"I can still hear you!" Thorac declared.

Faktil laughed harder, gripping his stomach. He had no doubt Traveler did that on purpose. Traveler was the first Dremin to make contact with ‘flesh bearers,' as the silica beings referred to most of the known sentient races in the universe. Rather than being reticent like the two other Dremin aboard, Traveler was curious and picking up the concept of humor beautifully.

"Since the two of you get along so well, perhaps you'd be better suited as partners." Thorac critically eyed them, though there was a glint of amusement in the male's red eyes.

"I also feel your concern," Traveler agreed. "All you flesh bearers are so delicate, but Faktil is mushier than you." Traveler prodded Faktil's calf while tapping the hard bony plate of Thorac's shin. "He could be easily injured on this mission."

"Mushy?!" Faktil smirked at his friends.

He appreciated their concern, but Traveler's description wasn't flattering in the least. He was fleshy and didn't have natural-born bony armor, but he was hardly a brand-new warrior.

"That's why you two are infiltrating the great big destroyer and I get the tiny little X-class cruiser," he reminded the pair.

Thorac's eyes narrowed on him, unimpressed by his reply. Truthfully, size-wise the destroyer and X-class cruiser were comparable. The only reason Traveler was going with Thorac was because they needed to quickly get control of the enemy destroyer's weapons. The Dremin could literally infiltrate unseen, worming into small cracks and through the ship walls.

"We have a solid plan." Faktil grabbed his comrade's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Our cover is good. We're delivering spare rift drive parts." Faktil gestured to the crates being loaded onto the cruisers, which actually contained the nano tech virus that would give them control of the enemy vessels. "I'll be wearing a combat shell programmed with a reptile disguise. I will be fine."

Or as fine as possible under the circumstances. But he wasn't going to add that part. Regardless, they had to stop the Jurou Biljana before they located Earth, stripping the planet of its people and resources .

"I know," Thorac sighed in resignation, then clasped Faktil's forearm. "Go with the goddess."

"Go with the goddess." Faktil grabbed Thorac in return and nodded. He reached down and shook the end of Traveler's extended tentacle. "Be safe. You're not invincible either."

"I have become accustomed to you, flesh bearer, so don't cease to exist after we part," Traveler replied.

"I will certainly try," Faktil chuckled as they parted.

With a final nod, he boarded the cruiser assigned to him.

Hopefully the goddess is with all of us. They needed to stop the Jurou Biljana before the scaly abominations could spread their misery to this galaxy.