Page 26 of Balarr
“Balarr?”Luna whispered in a shaky voice.“What’s happening?”
He glanced over his shoulder and tried to give her an affectionate look.“I’m not certain.The radar screen is malfunctioning.It won’t allow me to see any nearby vessels or areas of conflict.I’m working to correct the problem.If the radar is malfunctioning, that would explain why my ship’s auto-navigation protocols failed to evade the weapons fire that likely caused the massive shudder.But please do not worry, sweet Luna.My ship can withstand weapons fire from most known alien vessels.Even if they—whoever they are—manage to hit theCormmaagain, it likely won’t cause any serious damage.”
“Okay,” she replied with a grateful nod, appearing a bit calmer than before.“I’ll let you get back to work.”
He attempted to shoot her another affectionate look, but given the seriousness of the situation, he doubted he was managing to appear very friendly.So, he returned his attention to the console.
At last, he figured out the problem—someone had placed a blocking shield around theCormma.Clearly, whoever had done it, had calibrated their weaponry to pierce the very shield they’d placed around his ship.Thankfully, the shield was already weakening, and it didn’t take Balarr long to cause it to falter completely.
The radar screen suddenly lit up, revealing numerous Vaxxlian cruisers in the vicinity.But were they friend or foe?He growled as he thought about the Threxals.
He hailed the nearest ship, only to receive no response.That answered his question—foe.
He continued hailing the nearby ships, but none of them responded.Fluxx.He was surrounded by Threxals, and they were moving closer.
But the Threxal ships were in poor repair.They also didn’t possess the latest updates to their systems.He scanned the approaching ships and took note of each vessel’s individual weaknesses.Then he input the data into theCormma’sauto-defense protocols.
“Don’t worry, sweet Luna,” he said as he continued his work.“I have a plan, and I will defeat these vile extremists.”
“Extremists?”She stood up just long enough to peer out the main viewport.“Balarr, I can see over a dozen Vaxxlian cruisers.Are they allied with the Vaxxlian cruiser who fired on your ship earlier?”
“Yes, they are part of the same group—a rebel Vaxxlian group known as the Threxals.”He felt guilty that he hadn’t provided her with an update about the prior encounter they’d had with the Threxals, as well as his meeting with Commander Harnn.But in his defense, he’d been too distracted by her beauty and his urgent need to claim her.One glance at her in nothing but a towel, and he’d nearly forgotten about the incident entirely.
“Threxals?Who are they?”She cast another look out the viewport, then finally returned to the co-pilot’s seat.
He quickly went on to explain the Threxals radical ideology that threatened the VAMOB program, as well as his conversation with Commander Harnn.
“If there are only about fifty Threxal ships on Earth, why are over a dozen of them converging on your ship?Do you have something they need?”
Her questions caused him to pause and think.Yes, he did have something they needed—theCormmaitself.They likely wanted to steal the technological advancements on his vessel, particularly the auto-navigation protocols as well as the auto-defense system, the latter of which was still in its prototype phase, though he’d hoped to have it finished within the next moon cycle.
Fluxx.He couldn’t allow the Threxals to get their hands on his technology.But even more importantly—he couldn’t let them threaten Luna’s safety.
They’d just mated.She was precious to him.
His protectiveness for her grew.He would die protecting her, though he sincerely hoped it didn’t come to that.He wanted to spend a long lifetime with her.Besides, if he died, how would he keep protecting her?
Once he got the auto-defense system’s prototype up and running, he released a victorious growl.He would kill the Threxals.Then he would kill the surgeons and the doctors who’d hurt Luna.No one threatened or hurt his sweet human female and got away with it.No one.
He stepped back from the console and glanced out the viewport as the first Threxal ship exploded in a ball of fire.Then he lifted Luna in his arms and walked to the pilot’s seat.He sank down in the chair and cradled her close, nuzzling his nose to hers.
“I will keep you safe, Luna.I promise.”
Chapter16
Luna gaspedas she stared out the viewport.Somehow, Balarr’s ship was avoiding all the beams of red that shot toward it.Also somehow, his vessel was causing the Threxal ships to explode.
She couldn’t believe that, until now, she’d forgotten about the first ship that had attempted to strike theCormma, as well as the three Vaxxlian ships chasing it.After her shower, she’d been so excited about the prospect of mating with Balarr, that all rational thought had fled her mind.She’d been focused on one thing only—mating with Balarr.Belonging to Balarr.
A shudder moved through her as she considered the cruelty of the Threxals.She couldn’t believe they wanted to force the few remaining Vaxxlian females to have as many children as biologically possible.She also couldn’t believe they wanted to harvest eggs from those females and grow babies in artificial wombs.
She thought of the horrors she’d experienced at Zalora Biotech, and she felt a pang of compassion for the poor Vaxxlian females they’d tried to kidnap.Balarr had assured her that the Threxals hadn’t managed to take possession of any Vaxxlian females—yet—though they kept trying.They’d also attempted to harm the VAMOB program numerous times.She hoped Commander Harnn’s mission to hunt them down was successful.
But it appeared Balarr was helping with that.Already, six of the Threxal ships had been destroyed.A glance out the viewport showed more were incoming, however, and she tensed as she tried to count the approaching ships.But there were too many to count, and her stomach bottomed out as she worried that the entire Threxal fleet that had come to Earth was targeting Balarr.
“You’re right,” he said as he stroked her hair.He kept his other hand on a console next to his seat, occasionally tapping the small screens and buttons.“They do want something from me—they want the technology on theCormma.Their fleet is old and in disrepair, and theCormmais more advanced than anything they possess.”
“That makes sense.”She glanced around the bridge of his vessel, peering at the various consoles and screens with a sense of awe.“Um, am I distracting you?”she asked.“I feel like I’m a bit in the way.I’m happy to sit in the other chair.”
