Colonial Commander
Read Colonial Commander Online
Authors: K.D. Jones
Colonial Commander
Book 10 Katieran Prime Series
KD Jones
Copyright 2015 KD Jones
License Notes
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Blurb
AshOR finally has command of his own ship, and he’s been given an important mission to head up: he has to locate a rogue Morin ship that managed to get through the wormhole, before it reaches Earth. He expects to face battle, and he’s used to fighting. What he doesn’t expect is the trail of horror and destruction left by the Morins. Stopping his people’s enemy is his top priority, and he doesn’t need the complication of a stunning beauty who won’t listen to anything he has to say. In fact, she does the exact opposite.
Ava Collins is a FEMA volunteer who’s seen a lot of bad stuff in her lifetime. However, none of it prepares her for what she encounters when she leaves Earth to travel to a new world. War, hate, genocide: these are things that she finds are universal. She offers her assistance to the commander of the Colonial transport, but he doesn’t seem to trust that she knows what she’s doing. And he’s not ignoring her suggestions and advice; he’s flirting with her outrageously.
During times of struggle and strife different species must come together to aid one another. Can they overcome the common enemy who seeks to tear them apart? Will these two overcome their own reluctance in order to allow love in their hearts?
Table of Contents
Prologue
Morin Leader Krosis walked across the scarred surface of the planet his crew had been using for the last few months. They’d managed to outrun the Colonial transport that was chasing them down, and his crew needed a break from being onboard. Fights had broken out among the crewmembers, resulting in some fairly serious casualties.
They’d located a small planet whose environment at first appeared to be hospitable to their species. Unfortunately, they quickly realized that their people could not remain on the planet long without suffering from too much sun exposure. Also, Krosis was frustrated to find that the only females there were not fully compatible with his people. The planet proved too primitive. All around it was a great disappointment. He could have issued the order to leave the planet intact, but decided he wanted to make a point to the Katierans and Kiljorns who hunted them. He was determined to leave a message for them:
If you get in our way, you will be eradicated.
“Commander Blex, have there been any signs of a Katieran transport?”
“No sir, but I believe we are in the right solar system. A transport should pass through on its way to the wormhole.”
“You better be right Commander Blex. Give the order to destroy the planet. They no longer serve a purpose.” Krosis turned to head for his shuttle. He hated these lower creatures. They were such a waste of oxygen.
Chapter 1
AshOR picked his way through the rubble of what once used to be a home. Bodies lined the surface of the planet everywhere he looked; some intact, and some with missing parts. Villages and forests had been burned down to nothing but ash. The heavy, acrid stench of charred flesh and wood smoke assaulted his senses. Animals had been slaughtered and their carcasses strewn across the dirt roads. He found so many young lying dead that he had to keep fighting the urge to throw up. He was the commander here, and he couldn’t let any weakness show.
He prided himself on being tough. He had seen battles before, and he’d trained his whole life to be a warrior. Nothing prepared him for this.
Never had he seen a whole entire planet ravaged in this way. It had been stripped of its natural resources—nothing was left untouched. The Morins had infected the water, as well as the plant and animal life, with some kind of virus that was killing everything off. They’d become the very disease that they’d tried to kill AshOR’s people with many years ago. All that remained here was death and devastation. He bent to pick up a young’s toy, half-burned. He swore to himself that he would hunt every last one of the Morins down if it was the last thing he did.
“Such a waste,” a female’s voice whispered from behind him.
He turned to find the Earth female Ava Collins standing behind him. Her long blonde hair was pulled up on top of her head, and her pale blue eyes were filled with tears. He had first met the female about a week ago when he rendezvoused with the Katieran transport, coming from Earth with more females to be relocated to Katiera. The hope was that they would be mates to the Katieran males and would help repopulate the dying nation.
The Katieran Nation was where his people originated. After a brutal and bitter war with the Morins, which they barely survived, the virus that the Morin scientists had created mutated many of his people. After the war, the Katieran people split into three nations: the Katierans, the Kiljorns, and the Colonists. AshOR and his sister were raised on the Colonial planet, while their half-brother TylOR was raised on Kiljor. The Morins had succeeded in dividing the Katieran Nation, but they had not done the kind of damage to them that he was seeing now.
“Why are you here? You should be on the transport where it is safe.” He frowned at her.
“I worked for the disaster relief teams on Earth. I wanted to come and see if there was something I could do to help. I’m used to dealing with the stressful situations that come with disasters like this, and I’m really good at organizing a search-and-rescue. I want to help save as many as I can.”
“I doubt your aid is needed. There isn’t much left to save, as you can see.” He waved at the pile of dead bodies. She gulped and paled. He probably should have been a little less brutal. She surprised him, though, with how she refused to back down and go back to the safety of the transport ship. He admired her for that.
“I’ve done work with FEMA back on Earth. It’s not a pretty job, but it’s important, and I want to do this.”
AshOR sighed. The female meant well. “I appreciate any assistance you can give. I am used to fighting the enemy; helping the victims recover has never been my strong suit.”
“Commander AshOR,” one of the lieutenants called out.
AshOR turned his back on Ava. He had to concentrate on what he was doing and not get distracted by the lovely female. “What is it?” He walked over to where one of his lieutenants knelt on the ground by a caved-in rooftop with a handheld scanner.
“I detect two people inside. Their life signs are weak.”
AshOR ordered some of the other lieutenants over to help, and together they lifted the roof. To his displeasure Ava was also there, helping the team pull out the bodies inside. The first was a young female about fourteen or fifteen years of age, who was badly bruised and barely breathing.
“She’s still alive. We need a medic here!” Ava called out. Then she looked over at the next body.
AshOR stared at the male. One of his arms had been cut off, and he was missing a foot. AshOR growled as Ava bent over the male to check his pulse. He had to be dead; no one could survive such an attack.
“Come on, open your eyes,” Ava whispered to the man on the ground.
“Miss Collins, leave him,” AshOR ordered as he helped throw the damaged pieces of the roof to the ground.
She refused to move. Instead, she pushed with her small hands against the male’s chest, and then blew into his mouth. She repeated the action.
What in Kitana is the female doing?
“I’ve got a pulse,” she called out.
Sure enough, the male’s chest rose as he took in air. “We need more medics!”
The medics arrived, and AshOR helped Ava stand to give them room to work. A few minutes later the medics working on the male called out, “He needs to be moved quickly!”
Goddess help him.
When he woke and found out what had happened to him and his entire species, there was no telling what the male would do; he could be depressed or self-destructive, or he could turn his anger outward. This could be bad. AshOR had people to protect, and he would not allow someone to endanger them.
*****
Ava held the hand of the injured man they’d uncovered as the medics moved him to a stretcher. The medics had given him nanos to help keep him from bleeding out, but they couldn’t do anything more until they got him to the transport.
He wasn’t moving, but she took comfort in the fact that he was still breathing. He was different both from humans and from the aliens she traveled with, the Katierans. He had light blue skin, stark black hair, and she could tell from his bare chest that he was a well-built man. He was like a quarterback, or maybe a linebacker. The man was huge. She startled when she felt his hand squeeze hers, and looked down to find his eyes open and staring up at her.
“Sxrala.” His voice cracked as he tried to speak.
“What? I don’t understand.” She looked at the two medics carrying him. “Does anyone have a translator?”
“I do,” one of the medics spoke up. They stopped walking and lowered the big man down to the ground while the medic pulled out the syringe containing the translator.
As soon as the man saw the syringe coming toward him, he panicked. Ava knelt down next to him, trying to calm him. “It’s okay, this won’t hurt you. I promise.” She caressed his hand gently. He didn’t understand her words, but maybe he would understand touch.
He tried to push the medic away from him, but realized then that he was missing his arm. He roared out in anger. The medics looked concerned for her safety and advised her to move.
“Step away from him, miss. He is losing control.”
“Give me the syringe.” She put her hands on the man’s chest and gently whispered to him, “I won’t hurt you. Look at me. That’s right. Look into my eyes. Breathe with me.” She inhaled deeply and released her breath slowly and softly. She did it over and over, until he copied her and calmed down. “That’s right handsome, listen to me and breathe.” She held her hand out. “Give me the syringe and step back.”
“We have to administer the—”
“I can do it. I’ve given plenty of immunizations back on Earth and I’ve had the translator implanted in me. I know to place it under the ear.” She shook her hand impatiently and waited for the medic to place the syringe in it. Then she turned back to the man on the stretcher. “I’m going to give you this.” She showed him the syringe, lifting it to her own ear and then pointing at his. “I won’t hurt you.”
He looked at her ear, then the syringe, and shook his head. “
Xe
.”
She sighed. “Look, this goes in the ear here. Then when you talk, I can understand you.” She motioned to her own mouth and ears, trying to explain.
Finally he nodded and turned his head to the side. She leaned forward and implanted the translator. “Can you understand me now?”
He faced her and squinted his eyes for a moment. “
Xe
talk?”
“Talk yes.” She looked at the medic nearby. “Why can’t he understand me better?”
“They are an unfamiliar species; our translator has to process the language he is speaking and then use it to translate. Keep talking and eventually it will work.”
She turned back to him. “I’m not sure if you can understand me, but we’re here to help your people.”
The man’s eyes widened. “I can understand you.”
“Good. My name is Ava, and I’m here with the Katierans and Colonists.”
“I’m Zander of the Norad Nation. My people have been attacked by creatures from the stars with grey skin and bald heads. They are vicious.”
“They’re called Morins. They’re the enemy of the Katierans and Colonists as well. We came from the stars with two transport ships, and detected the struggle. We came to help.”
“Where is my
sxrala
...sister?”
“The girl inside the house with you? About fourteen?”
He reached out to grab her hand. “Yes, my sister Lizetta. Where is she?”
“The medics have taken her to the shuttle. That’s where we’re taking you.”
“I have to get to her.”
“Easy—you’re injured. We’ll take you to her.”
“Is she awake? I tried to push her to safety when the roof caved in on us.”
“She’s getting the help she needs.”
He seemed to relax a little bit. “How many of my people survived?”
She looked up at the medics, who shook their heads. “We don’t know yet; we’re still searching the debris.”
He looked resigned. “Take me to my sister now.”
Ava stayed by Zander’s side, even though he didn’t reach for her hand again. She hoped that the medics had had a chance to sedate his sister. Judging by the way her clothes were ripped and the bruises she’d seen on the girl’s body, it looked like she might have been raped. Ava wanted to have a chance to speak with the girl before her brother did. This was a devastating time for both of them, and she was afraid of the reaction Zander would have to his sister’s assault. Even with the Morins gone, it seemed they were still causing damage.
*****
AshOR kept an eye on Ava as she helped the medics take the male to the shuttle. He didn’t like her holding the Norad’s hand at all. He couldn’t understand the reaction he had to the human female. It wasn’t like him to feel so possessive.
He had shared sex with many of the females from Earth, but Ava had never responded to his flirtations. Maybe that was the source of his fascination with her—she presented a challenge to him.
“Commander, we found five more survivors.” Lieutenant NaVO led him over to a broken home that was still smoking.
“How many does that make now?”
“Twenty-five living. We have searched over half the village; we should be done with the rest by nightfall.”
“Request several more shuttles and medics to come down.”
“Yes, sir. Will we be taking the survivors back to the wormhole along with the Katieran transport?”
“I am not sure yet. I will have to speak to Leader LarIS before I make that decision.” AshOR frowned at the thought of abandoning his mission.
He had worked hard to prove he deserved to be a commander of the Colonial Nation. He had always been under the shadow of his father and his older half-brother TylOR, but this time, he was in charge.
A few months ago, they had joined forces with the Katieran Nation and the Kiljorn Nation, fighting off an attack by their common enemy, the Morins. The Morins were after the human females that the Katierans had brought back through the wormhole from a planet called Earth.
The Katierans made a deal with the Earth’s world government that they would help clear up their pollution and repair damage to Earth’s natural resources, and in return the Katierans were allowed to take applications from humans who would like to relocate to Katiera. All the applicants they accepted were females of breeding age. Females were a minority in all three nations, and it must be a problem for the Morins as well.
A little over a year ago, the Morins had reappeared, searching for females. During a battle, one of the Morin transport ships escaped through the nearby wormhole. The Colonial planet’s leader, LarIS, assigned AshOR the task to go through the wormhole after them, and intercept the Morins before they could reach Earth. Unfortunately, the Morins had the ability to hide their heat signature, which made them hard to track.
AshOR and his crew had been searching for the Morins for a few months now, but every time they closed in on their location, the Morins were gone before they arrived. About a week ago, a Katieran transport arrived that had already been en route to Katiera before the run-in with the Morins occurred at the wormhole. Not long after that they detected skirmishes on a primitive planet close by. The Morin heat signature was blaring off the surface, but by the time they came to the planet, most of its people and resources had been destroyed.
The shock of coming across such ruin would stay with him always and the shame of knowing he arrived too late would not be easily overcome.
His comm link beeped. “Commander AshOR here.”
“Sir, Commander TylOR has requested a video communications link as soon as possible.”