Chapter 80

0001 - Tempro
0003 - Conner- Thomas
0097 - Ace - Zimmel
0098 - Lucy
0101 - Shelby (mother ship)
0125 - Lars
0130 - Gillese
0200 - Ellen
0250 - Tendra
0301 - Rodrick
0403 - Johnathon
0778 - Jan
0798 - Celeste - Shelby (human)
0805 - Toran
0808 - Radella
0881 - Handrax
0908 - Tara - Mara
1000 - Sherry

Ungrown - unnumbered

0100 - Derry (father ship)
Rescued from Tendraxians
so far

4 on Shelby 2 in re-gen
8 on Lucy

Known and OR numbered

0501 - Thaddeus
???? - Lena

missing - 0667 - Marco
0999 - Zan - still lost

Greeson awoke with an almost blinding, throbbing in his head. Barely able to turn his head, he groaned louder when he saw the restraints of the bio-bed. Just outside the door, he caught a glimpse of a sandy blond female. At first nothing came to him, then he felt an almost uncontrollable rage.

A voice beside him, calmed him immediately. “To have such anger, without knowing why, seems a great waste of energy.”

“Could it also not be, something that could save one’s life?” Greeson threw back.

“It could though,” here Greeson turned his head to see Kimon Dempsy in a bio-bed beside him. “One still needs all the energy one has to survive.”

“Spoken as a true master,” came a female voice past Kimon.

Greeson knew her though nothing was coming to mind. A moment later his eyes flew wide a shadow of a memory came to him.

“Master Oni? Master! I beg both of your forgiveness for harming master Oni.” Greeson said.

A smile spread across Oni’s face, “unnecessary. It is always good to know that one’s art is not perfect. Though I am a master I still have more to learn.”

A movement by the door had all three turning their heads that way. Derrick O’Toma walked into the room shaking his head. Derrick walked straight to Kimon a frown on his face.

“You realize that my two best ground leaders, are in a bio-bed.” Here Derrick shook his head again glancing at Greeson. “Basically, because they beat the hell out of each other. Are there any other conditions of your art that I need to know about? I need the both of you alive,” here Derrick looked at Oni. “I also don’t want any more civilian wounded understood?!” Derrick nearly shouted.

Both Greeson and Kimon lowered their heads mumbling, “yes sir.”

“What was that!?” Derrick shouted, making both men’s eyes open wide.

“Yes sir!” Both shouted back.

Derrick looked at Oni seeing a smile creeping on her lips. Oni glanced at Derrick who winked at her, this of course made the woman blush deeply.

“Now then, I expect you both out of bed as soon as possible.” Derrick said then moved to beside Oni. “I wish to express to you and your family, my regret that you were injured. I will express this also to your father.”

“Great exalted one, It is I, who wished to apologize to you. I was not as prepared as I thought, getting injuried while helping you was an honor. Though I feel that I might have,” Oni was saying when a shimmering beside Derrick quieted her.

Isamu Sakuta appeared looking at the three confined to the bio-beds. “I see what you meant exalted one.” Isamu said. “Though they do not appear to be torture devices, they do immobile far too much.”

“Father!” Oni started. “I was apologizing for my,” Oni said.

“As the exalted one explained, if he was experiencing the Ai no nikushimi, you did extremely well. The fact you survived speaks great volumes for your skill.” Oni’s father said.

Oni’s eyes were wide as she briefly glanced at Derrick. “You, have greatly honored me exalted one.”

“It was my honor, to have you aid the empire by saving Captain Greeson. I am sure that your father is also honored and proud.” Derrick said seeing the pride on Isamu’s face.

The pride became more evident on Isamu’s face when he said. “Thank you, my Lord.” Isamu said. Derrick nodded to all four then his holo-gram winked out.

“The three of you should heal as soon as possible.” Here he turned to Kimon. “Your mother has been in contact with me and both clans. I do believe she is also excited; I wish that you father was here to see this. He was a good friend and clan leader, the Jitaku lost a great soul the day he passed.”

Kimon was quiet a few moments remembering his father. “I thank you sir, for your words, for the honor you have bestowed on my family and clan.”

Isamu nodded to the three in the room then his holo-gram winked out.

“Well,” Greeson said. “I guess we can rest,” Greeson started.

“NO,” Kimon shouted startling Greeson. “You, need to resolve the conflict inside, about your intended. What you think is the situation, is not what is actually happening.”

“I,” Greeson started, “what?”

Oni took pity on Greeson, “I believe that you took what was seen and said wrong. What was said was not what you thought it was. I have spoken to her, this time when she speaks, listen with this,” Here Oni pointed to her heart. “Not with this,” here Oni tapped her head.

“Did I not just say that?” Kimon said.

Oni rolled her eyes, “to almost all others?” Oni said watching Kimon nodding. “No, if anything it was confusing.”

Kimon thought a moment then slowly nodded his ascent.

Greeson tensed up when Oni motioned for Mara Callie to enter the room. A look at both of them, she slightly shook her head, this was going to take all her skills to set right.

Hartwell was going through all that Bee had stated about their battle formation and tactics. What she’d said held more than a little merit. She’d also mentioned a few other diversionary tactics that at first, he had to run. Shocked when they not only worked, they worked better than anything they came up with.

The whole time Hartwell was starting to develop a new respect for the female. A few hours later he stopped in the middle of all he was doing to stare at Bee. My god he thought, was he falling for her?

Bee was happier than she’d been in a very long time. The lord sir was not only listening to her, he was finally allowing her to be near him.

Bee’s body had started to display symptoms of withdrawal. Bee took a deep breath she had lasted far longer than the others had. She just hoped that when her Lord Sir found out he wouldn’t punish her too severely.

There was a lot that no other race knew about her people. The fact that the females were addicted to a male that they imprinted on, was a very well-guarded secret.

The fact that so many males had been destroyed in the battle with the beast emperor’s people might ease things a lot at home. A great many of the truly evil males had been destroyed, hers especially. She’d heard him boast that he had developed a stronger addictive drug to the males of her race.

Bee shivered at the thought of a stronger addiction to the males on her planet. At least an injection a month to keep the females alive, so they were told. She herself had gone almost a month and a half, though she had, had difficulty, she had survived.

Hartwell saw Bee shiver, thinking to Johnathon he asked, can you run a scan on Bee? Something seems to be off with her. I need the results as soon as possible.

Compliance came Johnathon’s response. I am picking up highly increased levels of what would be considered dopamine in your brain.

Dopamine? Hartwell asked, the chemical that contributes to the experience of pleasure but also plays a role in learning and memory? Can you determine why she is experiencing this? Hartwell asked.

As of yet, the only thing I can see is her closeness to you. I am afraid that I will need a sample of what her people have for blood. As I remember the last time when I tested her sister, that was a near life and death struggle to get.

“Bee?” Hartwell asked.

“Yes, Lord Sir?” Bee said.

“I know from the time your sister was here, that your people don’t like to have fluids removed. I,” Hartwell was saying when Bee interrupted.

“Lord Sir, it isn’t that we do not like it, we weren’t asked nor told why. Since you are considering bonding to me, I will submit to any of these tests. I know that you won’t do this to harm me.” Bee said a sweet smile on her face.

“I need Johnathon to take a sample to test, I want to make sure you are as well as you appear. Plus, you are not the same race that I am, we might have pathogens that the other cannot resist.” Hartwell said.

Bee considered all that Hartwell said, Most of what he said, she could see he was truthful about. The thing is she felt that he was holding something back.

“Lord sir,” Bee said, “Is there perhaps something else that you are worried about?”

Hartwell shook his head shit, when in the hell had this female become this observant? Taking a deep breath Hartwell decided in this case honesty was the best policy.

“I have noticed that when you are apart from me for an extended time? Your body reacts almost as if you are going into shock. My people would say that you are addicted, that you would die if you are apart from the one you are bonded with.” Hartwell said watching how Bee reacted.

Bee’s face had a worried look flow across her features then, just as suddenly it was gone. Hartwell nodded, so it appeared, that there was some type of addiction going on.

“I,” Bee started then a look of extreme worry came to her face. “I cannot really talk about it. Much like the bond, we have very limited knowledge of it.”

“The medical facilities on the empire ships, are far beyond anything that a great many have seen. If there is an addiction, these medical machines will find it, possibly remove it.” Hartwell said with sincerity.

Bee nodded this sounded far too good to be true. She and her sister had been the first to receive a new medication. For many years the males of their race had been trying to increase the dependence of the females. They had both had managed to go more than half a day before they had to be near their bonded.

Bee took a deep breath then sat, “I am ready Lord sir.” She then held out her arm watching tentatively as a needle came out of the wall. Her eyes then got large as, she watched a blue liquid flow from her arm into the tube at the end of the needle.

“I trust the Lord Sir, I trust the Lord Sir,” Bee started to almost chant in a low voice. A moment later there was a pneumatic hiss as the needle and tube vanished behind a panel in the wall.

“I hope that it didn’t hurt you too bad.” Hartwell told her. Bee turned to stare into his eyes seeing something that she was very unsure of. She knew that, she was slowly starting to erode the wall that the Lord Sir had erected. Though, this was a look that she was completely unsure what was.

A small smile started to dominate her features, a moment before her body started to convulse. Hartwell grabbed her body securing it to the nearest bio-bed.

“Johnathon!” Hartwell was yelling above several alarms that were going off. “What in the hell is going on?”

“Oh my, it appears that whatever is in her liquid stream is causing an adverse reaction. Now administrating a counter to the reaction. Now reading a full reversal to harmful toxins that were being released.” Johnathon said.

A worried look crossed Hartwell’s features. “Is this something that is natural to her people?” Hartwell asked.

“From all information that mother, my brothers and sisters plus our three ships that were near their planet amassed no.” Johnathon replied. “It appears to be a synthetic that has been administered over the course os their life. I will have to analyze the sample before I can make a true determination and suggest a reversal of the effects.”

“Shit,” Hartwell growled, good thing Bee was out of it. He looked down at her then his anger started to grow to heretofore larger proportions. He turned away from Bee, a myriad of thoughts of revenge against the males of her planet.

Taking as deep a breath as he could he tried to calm, turning back to Bee he felt the anger melt away. My god he thought, it was true, he’d damn near do anything for this female. The realization shocked him more than anything in his life before. Hell, he thought, finding that his sister and brother were still alive was probably the only thing that had been as shocking.

Derrick had just sat when he got a direct com. call. Oh, shit Derrick thought when he saw who it was. “Hello Grams, what.” he started then was cut off.