“I have a few theories,” I said, thinking out loud. “One is that whoever sent us that path—and I’m certain it was deliberate—failed to get the rest of the coordinates or was interrupted before he could set up the other whispers. The second is that they had a glitch which accidently sent out that signal, and they are now hoping and praying that we didn’t notice. And the third is that this is actually a setup, and they’re just baiting us.”
“Baiting us?” Raven asked. “What makes you think that?”
“Their nearly non-existent escort,” Chaos responded in my stead. “The two liveships flanking the middle one are low-grade. We all know the General doesn’t give a shit about his Soldiers, so it’s not surprising that he would have their eggs and larvae travel on his cheapest vessels. But that middle ship is top of the line. He wouldn’t use it unless it carried something very precious. Which raises the question, why is it so poorly defended?”
“They are within their space, though,” Legion reflected out loud. “Technically, they would have little reason to feel the need for a massive escort as we currently do not have large fleets in the sector.”
“Correct, although long-range scans seem to indicate some ships might be moving to rendezvous with them, but it’s too early to be certain yet. And this is why I’m not sure if they are baiting us or if some ally is deliberately giving us a hint,” I said, banning the haunting image of the blond-haired hybrid that flashed before my eyes.
I’d only seen him twice, and both times he’d affected me in a way I didn’t want to dwell upon. Raven tilted his head to the side, his penetrating gaze making me squirm. He’d been growing far too perceptive over his years as head psychic trainer of the Vanguard. My close friendship with his mate had made him even more attuned to my moods. Some things, I preferred kept private.
“Some ally like Bane?” Raven asked, making my stomach flip-flop.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But I don’t think so. Based on our history with the hybrids, they do not ask for help and do not contact us for anything. However, if we happen to be in the same location, and they can aid us, they will.”
The Warriors nodded in response to my comment.
“So, what do you recommend?” Rage asked me.
“That you forget about your scouting mission, and that we put together a small fleet to go destroy those breeding ships and find out what the heck is inside that fancy liveship,” I said with conviction, crossing my arms over my chest.
The men exchanged a look which reflected the same uncertainty I’d been warring with before finally settling on this decision.
“You are our best analyst,” Chaos said in a serious tone that revealed how conflicted he felt. “I can count on one hand the number of times you’ve been off. But this one not only sounds like a bit of a long shot, it really does feel like a trap. How strongly do you feel about pursuing this?”
I took a second to review all the facts in my head before answering. The women of the Vanguard were equal partners with the Warriors. While Legion and Chaos ‘unofficially’ co-led the Vanguard and took most of the decisions especially regarding missions, Soulcatchers, Portals, and Shields all had a say. Our words held weight. Our men’s lives rested in our hands, and we didn’t fuck around with that.
“I’m not going to lie,” I said at last. “This is riding equally on facts and instinct. My gut says we need to go, something big is about to go down. The General has been quiet for too long, so we know he’s up to one of his twisted experiments again. I am convinced these whispers are deliberate, and that they aren’t from Bane. He would have simply contacted Ayana rather than play games. So, my suggestion is that we go in two waves, the second one as backup in case it is indeed a trap.”
Chaos exchanged a look with Legion who nodded his assent. My chest warmed with love for the unconditional trust these Warriors showed us, ‘their girls’ as they often called us. They were as close to our hearts as any blood relative—closer even in some cases. We’d gone to hell and back with them and will continue to do so until the threat of the Kryptids has been eliminated or die trying.
“Do we have enough time to intercept?” Legion asked.
“If we depart by morning, use the Baryan Wormhole, and travel at warp speed, we should intercept them around here,” I said indicating a white dot a little past halfway through the path. “This would be the ideal scenario as there aren’t too many Kryptid-controlled planets in that area that could send troops as reinforcements.”
“Since this is your discovery, I’m assuming you want to join?” Legion asked me.
“Of course,” I said. “Plus, I want to perform further analyses along the way. I’m asking for more data from our allies in the region.”
“Very well,” Legion said. “That means Chaos will lead it.”
“As if Ayana would have allowed you to leave with your two-month old baby,” Raven said teasingly.
“She will have to make her peace with it sooner than later,” Legion said. “And so will I.”
“But not today, old man,” Raven said mockingly.
“And you’re not going anywhere either, kiddo,” Legion retorted tauntingly, which made the others chuckle. “You’ve got a fresh batch of new Aspirants to train.”
Raven made a face at being reminded he was half the age of all the other Warriors. But thankfully, he no longer seemed to chafe as much at being babied by them.
“You two are excused,” Chaos said to Legion and Raven. “The rest of us have a mission to prepare.”
Chapter 2
Bane
I paced the deck overlooking the training ground fifty meters below us where over a hundred of my baby brothers were practicing dodging incoming projectiles while in flight. There was something soothing about the soft hum of their wings as the boys hovered above ground. As much as I hated our sire, I loved every one of my siblings and not just because our dragon blood demanded it.
“You cannot defy his orders,” Dread said, tension oozing out of his voice. “We’ve pushed our luck too many times lately.”
“I will not hand them over to him!” I snapped, immediately regretting raising my voice. Dread was my mother’s second living son, and the main reason I hadn’t gone insane years ago at the hands of the General. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I placed my hands on his shoulders, resting them atop the rounded tips of the bone spikes lining them. “He will sacrifice them,” I said with bone-deep conviction. “He doesn’t just suspect we’re not loyal to him, he knows. If we bring them to Zekuro, I have no doubt he will force me to kill at least a few of them—if not all of them—to prove my loyalty.”
Dread recoiled, his multifaceted eyes widening and his face, so like mine, taking on a troubled expression. “I know Khutu cares for nothing and no one aside from himself, but sacrificing his hybrid warriors seems beyond wasteful, even for him. He may sacrifice us, but our young siblings are still malleable enough for him to try to indoctrinate them.”
“No, brother,” I said, shaking my head. “Like us, they’ve bonded with their mothers in the womb. They can never turn against humans or anyone humans consider as allies.”