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“You’ll get your opportunity, Jakob,” snarled a male voice. I recognized it, but couldn’t place it. My head was foggy and every centimeter of my body was in pain. “I want to interrogate the empress. See if she’s willing to bargain her life and the life of her worthless human mate.”

“How can you interrogate her when you’re on Forx?” Jakob spat. I moaned, rolling to see if I could recognize the man that Jakob was talking to. Jakob’s form was blocking the computer screen. 

“Interrogations are much more fun when you can inflict harm to the prisoner. Or other things.” Jakob laughed evilly, cracking his knuckles.

“You will not touch her that way, Jakob. You do and you will die a slow, painful death. Oh, wait. You are,” snickered the voice.

“I’m not, you funoch!” Jakob yelled, standing up abruptly. “Vruk has given me medications that have stopped all of my weaknesses. I am infallible. And I will q’tacki that b’tak. I will feel her bleeding funoch around me. Norex promised me and even in death, that promise is not void.” He pressed a button and I heard the screen switch off. Jakob stalked over to me, tightening my restraints around my wrists. I stayed ‘asleep.’ “You will be mine, b’tak. Your uncle promised me this.” He dragged his sharp nail above my sex. He stood up, kicking my back and leaving me in the too-cold room. I heard the door hiss shut.

Blinking my eyes open, I sat up with great difficulty. The restraints around my wrists were too tight, cutting into the skin. I was still in the Galaxy Fleet uniform but the communicator, tricorder and phaser had been removed. Around my ankle, I still wore the knife. I could also feel the transmitter under my skin near my jaw. I was grateful that I had something to protect myself with and a means for the Volvo to find me. Edward, please … find me …

I curled up, trying to keep warm. The room was frigidly cold. I looked around the room. It was dark with green computer screens lighting up the room eerily. I could see a small living area, a bed and computer console. Outside, the stars streaked past. We were at jump speed, traveling far away from my ti’ane. That probably explained the ache in my chest. I had other aches and pains, but I assumed it was due from whatever they injected me with and the physical assault on my body.

I sat against the wall, shivering uncontrollably until the door opened. Gliding into the room, my aunt Liannette carried a tray and a grumpy look on her face. “You’re awake,” she said sourly. “Which is more than I can say for my mate.”

“What Norex did was punishable by death, Liannette,” I replied simply. “And if you ever return to Forx, you will meet with the same fate. Your younger children will be considered outcasts, orphans and considered to be wards of the state. No one will adopt them because of what their parents did and they will not have a future. Was it worth it?”

“When you are dead and we have a new empress, then it will be,” Liannette smirked. “There are a lot of people who are not happy with your appointment as empress, Nirabelle.”

“I’m well aware of who is not happy with my appointment as empress. It’s all of the nobles who left the planet,” I said, arching a brow. “And the man that Jakob was speaking to on his computer. I know his voice, but who is he?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she sneered. “It’s someone close to you, me and to your father. He was not happy when your father contacted the Federation and even more so when the Cygnarians were admitted into the Federation. We don’t need the Federation. We have the Alliance.”

“Who is in this Alliance?” I asked.

“Cygnarians, Alphans and Remans,” she answered. “We’re close to admitting the Talaxians and the Ferengi. Both of those species are not happy with the Federation presence in this quadrant. Their idealistic morals and Prime Directive are trite and stupid.”

“As far as I’m concerned, the Cygnarians are not a part of your Alliance,” I snorted humorlessly. 

Reman War Cruiser

Crown Prince Jakob

Cloud Nebula

Liannette

Vruk

Norelle

Ferengi

Talaxian

U.S.S. Enterprise

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julian Bashir

Update ~ Chapter Thirteen

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I blinked as I watched my mate get transported off the surface. One of the Alphans growled angrily, swiping at Lieutenant Riley. His insides fell from the wound and he collapsed onto the ground. A Reman engaged me and I fought, every ounce of my body wanted to go in search of my mate. With a harsh blow to my head, I fell heavily onto a trunk. “Cullen to Volvo! Nine to beam up!” I barked, spitting out blood. “Beam the alien signatures into the brig. Lock on to our comm signals.”

“Energizing,” came the voice of Ensign Kaplan. Just as one of Alphans was about to decapitate me, the tingle of the transporter worked its way through our bodies. We arrived in the transporter room. 

“Sir, what should I do for Lieutenant Riley?”

“Cullen to Halé,” I barked, my heart shattering. “Lieutenant Riley was gravely injured down on the planet’s surface.”

“Transport him to the science lab,” Rose said. I nodded to Ensign Kaplan who beamed Riley off the transporter pad.

Smacking my communicator, I snarled, “Cullen to Bridge. Report!”

“Sir, for less than three seconds, a vessel appeared out of nowhere. Then, it was gone,” said the helmsman on duty, Lieutenant Meade. “There was no gamma radiation. We can’t track it.”

“What kind of vessel?” I sneered. “Alphan or Reman?”

“Reman, sir,” Meade answered.

“Fuck!” I spat, punching the pad for the turbolift. “What the hell is going on? Why are the Remans helping the Alphans? What do they hope to gain? And where the FUCK did they go?”

“Sir, you need to calm down,” Jasper said, wrapping his fingers around my arms.

“I will not fucking calm down. They took Bella,” I said, hyperventilating. “I can only imagine what that animal is doing to her! Norex sent us into a god damned trap! He knew that we’d investigate and he knew that Bella would want to go down to the surface! It was a set up. I want to execute him again, god damn it!”

“Are you done?” Jasper asked dryly.

“NO!” I panted, throwing my hat onto the ground. My heart was empty and I felt so lost. I needed her. “No …”

Jasper stopped the turbolift, asking that Lieutenant Commander Anderson check in with the bridge. He moved so he was in front of me and crossed his arms. “Captain, listen to me,” he said, his voice soft but commanding. “I know that losing Bella is gut-wrenching. You have every right to be fucking pissed off. I don’t blame you in the slightest, sir.” He took my face in his hands, glaring into my eyes. “Use that anger. Edward, I know I give you shit and I suck as a first officer, but you’re best god damned captain in this fleet. You’re even better when you’re focused. Use that anger to focus your attention on getting your mate back. She needs you to be strong.”

He was so close, his lips were centimeters away from me. “Are you going to kiss me, Jasper?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Fuck no! I’ll leave that for Bella,” he snickered.

M'ay'aki

Alphan prisoner (we'll get back to him)

Reman prisoner (again, we'll get back to him)

Reman battle cruiser

Jakob

Nebula

Star Crossed Update ~ Chapter Nine

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“Nirabelle?” I whispered, catching her as she slumped. Guiding her to the ground, I clutched her to my body. “Nirabelle! Wake up, love. Please?”

Rose walked over, using a tricorder to run a scan. “Her heart rate is elevated and her mind is running a mile a minute. I can feel her terror, Captain.”

“Jakob’s face and his threats are running on a loop in her mind,” I said, pulling her closer to me. I looked up at Counselor Marcusi. “We need to pull back Cygnarian forces from the Alphan border, tighten up our defenses. We need to protect the planet from any attacks.”

“I’ll contact our fleet commanders, requesting them to return to Forx,” Marcusi nodded.

“Commander Whitlock, I need you hail any nearby Federation vessels. We need as much backup as we can,” I directed. I looked to my father who had joined us at the end of the message from Jakob. 

“Is that okay, Admiral?”

“Whatever you need, Emperor,” my father said.

“I’m still a Galaxy Fleet captain,” I retorted.

“Right now, you are speaking as the Emperor of Forx,” Maralice explained. “Empress Nirabelle is not in any shape to make any decisions, Emperor.” I looked down at my mate, who was so fragile in my arms. I pressed my forehead to hers, wishing she would wake up. This wasn’t just my decision. It was hers as well. I pressed my lips to her soft, fragrant skin.

“What is the protocol for a situation like this?” I asked, looking up to Maralice and D’Metri.

“Assemble the governors and nobles for a symposium regarding the matter. We need to strategize a plan of attack,” D’Metri replied. “Shall I contact them?”

“Yes, please,” I nodded. “Ask that they get here as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll arrange for the symposium to happen first thing tomorrow morning, Emperor,” D’Metri said, bowing deeply before striding out of the throne room.

“Maralice, please get Kunnan and have him meet us in the Empress’s quarters and contact all of the remaining Galaxy Fleet senior staff, asking them to join me in my quarters here on the surface. I need to debrief my crew. Meeting in an hour,” I said, picking up Bella from the ground. I was still weakened by my bout with the em’tuuk gas, but I needed to keep my mate close. Her mind was now filled with terror, flashes of what could happen invading her subconscious. Her beautiful face was pinched and tears were flowing from her closed eyes. With a grunt, I carried my mate out of the throne room and into her private quarters, closing the door. I sank onto the couch, holding her to me, nuzzling her hair. Nirabelle, listen to my voice. Focus on me, love. Please…come back to me. 

Imperial City

Imperial Palace

Reman

Scimitar

Reman home world

Reman capital city

Holding cell for Norex

Norex

Kunnan

Star Crossed Picture Teaser

Reman

Scimitar

Remus Surface

Remus

Capital City of Remus, Rue'taam

Scimitar prototype

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“I want to make them pay for what they did here, Bella. This is a coward’s way of fighting. Attacking innocent civilians and children? We need to be like that flight that brought down the plane in Pennsylvania.”

“How?” she asked. “I do not want to cause this. I don’t want children to not know of their mothers. I don’t want to tear families apart. I want a diplomatic solution. No more fighting.” Her face scrunched up and she lost it, sobbing against my chest. I held her closely, rocking her in the destruction. I was angry and very confused. Blazing rage also simmered in my veins. I didn’t know how to handle it.

“Captain, I think I found out how the shielding went down. Where the order was sent from,” Victoria said, looking at me. Her eyes were wary.

“Where, Commander?”

“The Imperial Palace.”

“That can’t be possible,” Bella said, her eyes narrowing. “Why would the palace remotely disable the shielding around the colony? That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Perhaps someone was pissed off that you were mated to a human,” Commander Braxas answered. “One of Norex’s staff? Or Caius. He’s shady, too. His aura reveals that he’s hiding something. I don’t know what, but it’s not good.”

“Why would they conspire with the Alphans?” Bella growled, her hands balling into rigid fists. I don’t get it. I just don’t. She huffed and walked out of the school, clutching the stuffed animal. I could feel her agony, frustration and confusion. I wanted to make this right, fix it but there was no easy fix.

“Was there anything else on that computer console?” I asked Victoria.

“I got it all, including some vids of the attack. It appeared to be a combination of an attack from orbit and some shuttles using their disruptors,” Victoria explained. “I’ll upload it onto the computer once we get back aboard the Volvo.”

“Thank you, Commander,” I sighed, leaving the school. I stumbled along the ruins, my heart shattering for the pain these people endured during their last moments alive. Several away teams came down, gathering more information and holo-images for their holodeck to peruse on board. I knew that I was going to picking apart the attack and the ruins, trying to find some sort of weakness of the Alphans or answers to give to the Council of Elders.

We were on the surface for two hours. My father came down, shocked at the damage. When we gathered as much information as we could, the away teams transported back up to their vessels. I went in search of my mate, finding her in the rubble of what looked to be a sanctuary or chapel. She was sitting on a crumbling wall, crying as she caressed the singed fur of the stuffed toy. “We’re the last ones on the surface, Bella,” I said. “We need to transport back to the Volvo so we can go back to Forx.”

“We need to perform last rites,” she whispered. “My people…our people need to be ushered into the afterlife.” Her sadness is crippling. She buried her nose in the stuffed toy’s fur, crying quietly. “We need to perform H’aaruune.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The funeral rite. It releases our souls into the stars,” she said. “It should have been done on the day they all died, but I’d like to do it before sunset on H’nan.” Her blue eyes were dull and her spots were a sickly gray. Her mind was beseeching me, begging me to do this.

“What does this funeral rite entail?” I asked.

“For each life lost, we light a sky lantern and release it. If both ships have as many as they can transport down, it won’t take long. The colonists deserve this respect,” Bella said, overlooking the ruins. 

Sky Lanterns

H'nan Chapel

Scimitar

Reman

Commander Victoria Braxas