once again. Knowing he was beaten, he lashed out with the only weapon he had. Words.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he hollered as he gazed around a the Drix looming over him. “Your females are dead. You have no way of getting home since we destroyed all your cruisers and warships. And do you think we merely sold your brothers we stole?
“No,” Volp whispered harshly. “Please, Commander—”
“Volp and his team experimented on most of them, looking to create even more powerful soldiers. Of course, there were many mistakes. So even if you find them, which you won’t, they’re mutants. Beasts. Good for nothing but slaves for the Plikens—”
Gar didn’t let him finish. The big warrior rushed forward and with a vicious sweep of his arm, gored Kuala in the stomach. His body, severed at the waist, hit the ground in two pieces. The Supreme Commander of the Uldani army, who had terrorized us for one-hundred and fifty-cycles, lay dead, his lips still curled in a sneer, his eyes wide and unseeing.
Gar wasn’t done. Growling and roaring, he plowed through the other three Uldani commanders and Volp, impaling a few with his horns as he beat them with his fists and tail. It was bloody and disturbing, but no one stopped him. Not even Daz. We stood back and let our massive warrior with a cora bigger than he let on take out our vengeance on the remaining few who had caused us so much pain and anguish. They’d taken everything from us.
When he was finished and what was left of our oppressors lay before us in a bloody pile, he stumbled back. Only then did a curl of purple return to his black eyes and he seemed to come back into himself. His chest heaved as he gazed at the destruction he’d wrought.
Gar, a warrior of view words, lifted his chin to Daz. “These fleckers don’t deserve honor. Where was honor when they murdered our females? When they stole our brothers from us and disrespected their bodies?” Gar spat on what was left of the Uldani commander. “I didn’t want the scars of their deaths on your cora, drexel, so I added them to mine. My mate will heal me like she always does.”
Daz stepped forward and clasped the back of Gar’s neck. He brought their foreheads together and while the bigger warrior remained stiff at first, as Daz’s lips moved, speaking to him quietly, slowly Gar relaxed. When they parted, Gar had returned to himself, his eyes once again purple and his fists loose.
As I stared at the once proud city around us, I couldn’t dredge up a single feeling of empathy for the slain Uldani. Daz turned to Gram, who stood nearby with a neutral expression on his face. If he didn’t mourn for his own leaders, then I wouldn’t either.
“I want any information you can find on what Volp and his team did to our warriors.”
Gram nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
Daz’s jaw clenched, and he glanced at Sax, who had gone uncharacteristically quiet and pale ever since Kuala had spewed his words. Daz swallowed as he fisted his hips. “My brother was among those taken.”
Gram winced, and his eyes lowered. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll leave behind a crew of Drixonian warriors to help you clean up and carry out judgements on the elite.”
Gram inclined his head. “Thank you, drexel.”
“Thank you for saving my brother.” His eyes slid to me. “And my other brother. The truce between us is solid.”
We marched out the gates after leaving a small crew behind. This planet had never felt like home, and I’d never felt like more of a visitor than now. I’d expected to feel vindicated after defeating the Uldani, but I didn’t feel much but weariness. I didn’t want to believe Kuala that they’d destroyed all our ships—we’d found one cruiser after all—but even if they hadn’t, we had no idea where they’d stashed them. It could take many more cycles before we found a way to get home.
I ached for Corin, and my next thought was I wasn’t sure how to tell Justine I’d never fulfill my promise of taking her and our chit to the devas shrines.
Fourteen
Justine
The sun was beginning to rise when the Drixonians emerged from the gates. I expected victory celebrations or at least some smiles, but almost every face was grim. When I didn’t see Nero right away, I began to panic. I knew he was okay as the tree of his aura was still alive, albeit very