Page 55 of Orin

“No,” stated Trex. “We will take out thesedevarasfirst. Any Krilex inside will be easy to subdue. Their blasters will not work inside the facility.”

As the rush of battle filled me with adrenaline, I drew my sword from its sheath. It had been several cycles since I had witnessed any action. And I was prepared to deal with the scum that was causing problems for those residing in Alaran space.

“I will distract the males out front while the rest of you slip inside,” I said, glancing at King Trex.

He shook his head and pursed his lips. “I am going with you,” he said aloud, then added,‘You are one of my best warriors, but I won’t let you do this alone. We both must return to our mates in one piece.’

I swallowed, allowing his words to sink in, then I bowed my head. ‘Yes, your highness.’

With our plans set, Trex and I advanced on the Krilex, weapons at the ready. The other warriors fanned out to attack the aliens from behind.

Catching them off guard, we disabled two of them while the remaining two fired off a couple of blasts of their pistols.

While the warriors reached the front door and prepared to head inside, I ducked to avoid getting shot. Spinning on my heel, I brought my sword down on one of the last two reptilians and watched him fall to the ground.

King Trex roared as he took down the last Krilex blocking our entry to the mine.

Together, we advanced and the facility doors opened before us. Upon entering, the clamor of multiple voices greeted us from inside.

A male voice asserted his determination to stay put and denied the Krilex any access to the ore and the rest of the mine.

“The AI only reacts to Alaran DNA,” I heard him say.

Moving closer to the voices inside, I spotted a dozen Alaran male hostages and a group of six Krilex encircling them. The males had no weapons and watched the Krilex with narrowed eyes despite the danger to themselves.

Trex and the other warriors were at my side as we headed toward the Krilex. When we got close enough, the aliens turned and held their blasters on us.

I couldn’t help the smile on my lips as I watched their futile attempts to shoot at us. In shock, they gazed at their pistols distracted. This gave me the perfect opportunity to bridge the distance.

I attacked one of the confused reptilians, grabbing his blaster and delivering a punch to his abdomen. He was lifted off his feet and thrown, landing with a loud thud on the floor. His firearm clattered to the ground.

Other warriors fought the remaining Krilex, filling the air with grunts and hand-to-hand combat echoes. I readied my sword while the snarling Krilex I had hit struggled to stand up, then charged at me. I struck him down before he landed a blow.

Once we incapacitated the Krilex, one of the warriors who’d been sent to secure the shuttle, communicated from outside. ‘Ihave a dying Krilex out here that wants to speak to someone in charge.’

Trex gave a derisive snort, and I followed him as we stormed outside.

The King towered above the defeated Krilex, who lay covered in blood. He narrowed his eyes, looking down at the alien. “What were you hoping to achieve here today?”

The fallen Krilex was having a hard time focusing his eyes.

“The Voletti...are...angry...our progress is slow...tire of waiting. One last opportunity... to retrieve the minerals.” He managed amidst bouts of coughing. “They’ve destroyed ...our ships... in this sector ...we could not ...deliver what they needed...fast enough.”

I sensed fear from the reptilian. Not something I ever expected from a Krilex. They were an arrogant, cruel race who did not show weakness.

“What do you mean one last opportunity?” Trex’s voice took on an urgency. “You work with the Voletti. Why would they destroy you?”

The alien’s voice weakened further. “We are leaving Alaran...space...Voletti...turned...on us. They cannot... be trusted.” His breath became a rattle in his chest, then ceased.

Trex’s jaw twitched. He pushed his shoulders back and looked at one of the warriors. “Where did you find him?”

“He was in the Krilex shuttle and tried to flee.” The warrior responded.

The King and I shared a quick glance without speaking. We both knew there would be a diversion before the main attack.

Thiswas that diversion.

The question was how long before the Voletti showed up?

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