Prologue

PROLOGUE

Author Note: The following contains a brief recap of what's happened so far in the Rakui Warrior series. If you don't want to know these back story details, skip ahead to Chapter 1. You can find all the books in the Rakui Warrior series here.

The Terran'a Plight:

It began with hope and excitement—12 female college students embarking on a Year of Interstellar Education. The Terrans left Earth with dreams of exploring new worlds, only to crash-land during a solar storm. They landed on UD237, a primitive planet inhabited by the Rakui, a tribe of golden-scaled warriors.

The students soon discovered that Earth Gov had betrayed them. Their crash site wasn't random. They were purposely dropped on UD237, and their educational program was really a top-secret military experiment called Operation Species Survival Mode (codenamed BIOMAN). The true purpose of the experiment: to test human adaptability and reproductive potential with alien species.

To prepare for their year in space, the Terrans were injected by symbionts, living organisms designed to help them better adapt on alien planets. Accompanying microcomputers called Terran Enhancement for Adaptation and Survival beyond Earth (TEASE) were implanted in their wrists. The implants allowed the students to the monitor the various vital signs and biological activities detected by their symbionts.

The Terrans' TEASE implants were also central to Earth Gov's experiment. Using remote programming capabilities, the government used the symbionts to manipulate the students' hormonal responses, intensifying physical attraction and reproductive urges, thus ensuring the success of Earth Gov's secret program involving the Terrans and the Rakuis.

Kenzie, one of the stranded students, was the first to bond with a Rakui warrior, Trauhn, forming a deep and unexpected romantic connection. Despite the cultural differences and inherent UD237 dangers, their relationship flourished, and Kenzie became pregnant with Trauhn's child.

As more Terran females and Rakui warriors paired up, the students uncovered additional information about Earth Gov's sinister plans. Jade, the group's most tech-savvy member, utilized ancient Rakui technology to intercept Earth Gov communications detailing more about Operations Species Survival Mode. These details hinted at a larger conspiracy, revealing that the women were pawns in a broader scheme.

The Rakuis' Plight:

The Rakuis were once an advanced civilization on a distant planet, choosing to live a simpler, more primitive tribal lifestyle after civil wars destroyed their homeworld. They rebuilt their lives on UD237, but the loss of many tribe members, especially females, left the Rakuis on the brink of extinction. The arrival of the Terrans brought hope of survival to the tribe when mating bonds formed between some of the warriors and the young females, and kits were rapidly conceived.

The Village and its Dynamics:

The Rakui village is a blend of primitive and natural elements. The communal fire pit is surrounded by huts and caves, each serving different functions. A river along one of the village's boundaries provides water for drinking and bathing. The North Caves house the Elders and unmated Terran females and is vigilantly guarded. The village thrives on the cooperation and growing understanding between the Terrans and Rakuis, each learning from the other, despite occasional conflicts with dangerous rogue aliens and predatory wildlife.

The Cavern of Memory and Zavra:

The Rakuis' history is preserved in the Cavern of Memory, a sacred cave housing an ancient computer from their ancestral ship. The computer is powered by Zavra, an artificial intelligence (AI) that has access to vast knowledge of the Rakuis' past and the technology they lost. Jade, one of the Terran women, works closely with Zavra to unravel Earth Gov's secrets.

As new mating bonds form and mysteries unravel, the stakes have never been higher. The future of both the Terrans and the Rakuis hangs in the balance as they work together to face the dangers on UD237 and the growing threat of Earth's evil plans.