Page 68 of Salvaged By the Alien Pirate

“Protected me?” K’vex laughs, the sound like grinding metal. “The Brotherhood is dying, Thar’Kal. A relic desperately clinging to outdated notions of loyalty and honor while the galaxy evolves beyond you.” Her mandibles click with cruel amusement. “I simply chose the winning side. The Eclipse offers something far more valuable than your precious traditions—perfect order through perfect control.”

Her cybernetic enhancements pulse with an unnatural crimson glow as she studies me. “Though I must admit, watching your primitive mate-bond being dissected has been... fascinating. The way she screams when they probe her neural ports...” She tilts her head, all six hands moving in a mockery of sympathy. “Such a shame you weren’t there to protect her.But then, that’s what the Brotherhood does best, isn’t it? Makes promises it can’t keep.”

The words ignite something primal in my soul, awakening an ancient power that burns through my veins like liquid fire. My tribal markings explode with crimson fury, casting blood-red shadows across the sterile corridor as I launch myself at K’vex with lethal grace. My wings snap wide, their span filling the space as I channel centuries of warrior heritage into pure, unstoppable force.

K’vex’s eyes widen as she realizes her fatal miscalculation. Her six arms move in a blur, each wielding a different weapon with mechanical precision, but she’s fighting something beyond her algorithms and strategic projections.

I move like shadow and storm combined, my wings becoming razor-edged weapons as I weave through her defenses. Each strike carries the weight of my promise to Neon, each movement fueled by the desperate need to reach her. K’vex may be enhanced, may have superior technology, but she’s fighting against something primal, something that transcends her cold logic.

My claws tear through her reinforced armor like tissue paper, leaving deep gouges that spark and smoke. She staggers back, all six arms moving in desperate patterns as she tries to maintain distance. But I’m relentless, driven by a force deeper than conscious thought. The bond pulses through me like a star going nova, transforming my body into a weapon honed by love and fury.

“You calculated everything,” I growl, my voice carrying centuries of predatory power as I slam her against the wall, pinning four of her arms with my wings while my claws find her throat. “Except what it means to threaten a Kyvernian’s mate.”

Her mandibles click in desperate patterns as she realizes that all her betrayal, all her careful planning, has led to this moment.She’s about to learn exactly how fatal it is to stand between a warrior and his heart’s chosen.

My markings pulse with killing intent as I lean closer, letting her see the full depth of what she’s awakened. “You betrayed your own kind,” I snarl, feeling the rage surge through me like a force of nature. “The Brotherhood gave you shelter, protection, family—and you sold us to our enemies for power.”

The fight becomes a blur of violence and desperation. My claws find purchase in her new cybernetic enhancements, tearing through delicate circuitry. She screams, the sound more mechanical than organic, as sparks fly from damaged systems. But still she fights, all six hands moving in increasingly erratic patterns as her programming starts to fail.

“The Eclipse... will break you both,” she gasps out, mandibles clicking in dying defiance. “Your primitive bond... means nothing... against perfect order...”

I lean close, letting her see the cold fury in my eyes. “The bond means everything,” I growl. Then I tear out her primary control node, watching the light fade from her enhanced eyes as her systems crash into permanent shutdown.

The victory brings no satisfaction—only renewed urgency as another wave of pain pulses through our bond. Neon’s presence feels fainter now, her fierce spirit struggling against whatever horrors they’re inflicting on her. I leave K’vex’s broken body behind, following the pull of our connection through the sterile corridors.

Chapter 25

Cirdox

IstalkthroughtheEclipseflagship’s pristine corridors, leaving a trail of unconscious guards in my wake. Blood trickles from a wound in my side where a lucky shot got through, but I barely notice the pain. My markings pulse with increasing intensity as I draw closer to her location, their crimson glow reflecting off the sterile walls like war paint.

Through our bond, I feel Neon’s presence growing stronger—but it’s wrong, distorted by whatever they’re doing to her. Each pulse carries fragments of agony that tear at my soul, feeding the primal rage burning in my blood. The bond-sickness claws at the edges of my consciousness, a creeping darkness that whispers of time running out. But I refuse to acknowledge it. Refuse to consider failure when my mate needs me.

The research wing rises before me like a temple of steel and glass, its entrance guarded by pulsing force fields and automated defense turrets that spring to life at my approach. The security systems are impressive—state-of-the-art targeting arrays andoverlapping energy barriers designed to be impenetrable. If I were thinking tactically, I’d fall back, find another approach.

But this isn’t about tactics anymore.

My wings snap wide as I launch myself forward, moving faster than their targeting systems can track. The first turret manages only a single shot before my claws tear through its housing, ripping vital components free in a shower of sparks. I use the momentum to spin into the second, my wing edge shearing through reinforced metal like paper. The third and fourth fall just as quickly, my centuries of combat experience expressed in a dance of lethal precision.

The force fields crackle and hum, their energy matrix designed to repel any conventional attack. But there’s nothing conventional about a Kyvernian warrior fighting to reach his mate. I drive my claws into the field generator’s housing, ignoring the searing pain as electricity arcs across my skin. My tribal markings flare brighter, drawing on reserves of strength I didn’t know I possessed. With a roar that shakes the corridor, I tear the generator free, the force fields collapsing in a cascade of failing power.

Through the reinforced observation windows ahead, I catch glimpses of medical equipment that makes my blood run cold—neural probes and monitoring stations, each one designed to extract data through pain. The air carries the sharp tang of ozone and antiseptic, undercut by something worse—the metallic scent of my mate’s blood.

I move with deadly purpose now, each step carrying the weight of a promise. The Eclipse thinks their technology makes them invincible? They’re about to learn what real power looks like.

Kira stands in the center of the lab like some cybernetic goddess of death, her mechanical enhancements humming with lethal intent. Elite Eclipse troops flank her, their weaponstrained on my position with mechanical precision. But it’s what lies behind her that nearly shatters my control.

The medical lab doors explode inward as I tear through the final security barrier, my wings mantling with killing fury at the sight before me. Neon lies strapped to a medical chair, neural probes violating her implants while monitoring equipment records every moment of her agony. Her body arches against the restraints as they push deeper into her mind, but even now, even through this nightmare, I feel her fighting. My fierce little hacker, refusing to break even as they tear her apart.

“Welcome, Captain.” Kira’s synthetic voice carries that terrible artificial warmth as she emerges from the shadows. “I was wondering when you’d join us.” Her enhanced eyes pulse with cruel calculation as she assesses me, no doubt cataloging every injury from my fight through her guards. “Though I must admit, you’ve exceeded our projected arrival time by several minutes.”

Blood trickles down my side from where an Eclipse guard’s blade found purchase earlier, and my left wing aches from deflecting concentrated weapons fire. But pain is nothing compared to the hollow ache where Neon’s presence should be. My wings spread wide, casting crimson shadows across the sterile lab as a growl builds in my chest—a sound carrying centuries of predatory promise.

“The bond between you is fascinating,” Kira continues, circling me with unnaturally fluid movements. Her cybernetic enhancements gleam beneath the harsh lights, each gesture precisely calculated for maximum psychological impact. “The way her neural architecture has adapted, merged with your primitive biology... The research division will be particularly interested in studying the changes.” She flexes her enhanced limbs, combat protocols visibly engaging. “Once we’ve properly extracted them, of course.”

The threat to my mate shatters the last threads of my control. My roar of primal fury shakes the medical equipment as I launch myself at her, wings mantling with lethal intent. She’s blindingly fast—her Eclipse modifications giving her inhuman speed and precision. But she’s fighting for data, for control. I’m fighting for my heart, my soul, my very reason for breathing.

Kira’s enhanced reflexes let her dodge my initial strike, her cybernetic limbs a blur as she counters. The blow that catches my injured side sends fresh waves of agony through my battered body, the earlier wounds threatening to slow me down. Through our strained bond, I feel Neon’s consciousness flickering like a dying star. Time is running out.

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