Kaden's Breeder (17 page)

Kaden was thankful that he had Prince Nal's telekinetic powers to their advantage. Also his decision to only bring a small band of warriors made it easy for them to maneuver quicker. His focus was on rescue not battle. “Nal I think we are near the control center."

Nal blinked, then closed his eyes briefly and used his telepathic abilities to feel for Grath's energy signal. The Grub King was much more powerful than any of his drones. Nal opened his eyes.

"Through that wall."

Kaden looked in the direction Nal pointed at. It was the wall to his right that was covered with thickened layers of web and steel. He, Zeth and Corbin all adjusted their Gauntlets and aimed at the wall

They concentrated their laser fire on a single point in the center of the barrier. In moments a hole began to burn through and spread open until it was big enough for all the men to step through. Waiting for them on the other side were twelve giant Grubs unlike any that Kaden had ever seen.

They stood well over eight feet in height and looked ready to battle. These were Grath's elite guard. Unlike the others they attacked the moment Kaden and the other men stepped into the room. And unlike the other Grubs they had encountered, these were extremely proficient fighters with the ability of flight

Kaden flexed his forearms, ejecting both sets of knives from his gauntlets. He back flipped out of the way of a charging Grub. Landing on his feet again, he turned to find it hovering just above him. As it dove down in attack, Kaden spun himself and simultaneously pierced the Grub's thorax with three blades

Using his dreads he grabbed hold of the creature's, left arm and pulled him down low enough to put its wings at level with his shoulders. He quickly sliced off the wings and jabbed it with his blades once again

Two more of them converged around him, forcing him back as they expertly blocked every blow from his blades. Their arms were coated with a strong exoskeleton that had sharp needles protruding about ten inches long. Kaden suspected that those needles were poisonous. The way the Grub sliced through the air in attempts to pierce him told him as much

Backed against a wall, Kaden watched them both charge him simultaneously. With lightning quick reflexes, Kaden rolled against the wall and ducked the fatal blow. He repositioned himself behind the two momentarily stunned Grubs

Due to their large size they did not have enough room to turn fast enough giving Kaden the opportunity to leap up and drive both sets of blades through the center of their wings. They fell to the ground instantly. He quickly turned to fight another, when a scream echoed through the room

Zeth heard the scream and shouted to him, “Kaden go! We will finish here, go!"

He truly didn't need to be told twice and bolted in the direction of the scream. His heart beat faster at the obvious terror he heard in the panicked voice. He had to get to her. Never in his life did he feel such intense fear then at that moment.

Helplessness surged through him and he truly felt the insecurity of not ever having Carina in his life again. He would never be able to live without her. It was unimaginable. Everything he had, his very existence would mean nothing without her

The screaming ended abruptly and Kaden ran faster, throwing himself towards the webbed entrance and ripping through it.

"Carina!"

Anger erupted through him the minute he saw her tightly strapped to the table, naked and helpless. Centered above her was a robotic contraption that was preparing to cut her open. He adjusted his gauntlet and fired one laser blast, disintegrating the machine seconds before it pierced her skin

"Kaden?"

Her eyes widened and she breathed his name as if she couldn't believe he was actually there

Kaden ripped off the straps holding her down and helped her to her feet, “Quickly we need to get out of here before the entire swarm on this ship is aware of our presence,” he held her steady, “can you walk?"

Carina stared at him in amazement, “Yes ... you're alive?” Her eyes glistened with tears that threatened to fall.

Kaden bent his head down and brushed his lips over hers

"I will never let you go."

It was a statement of fact and Carina threw her arms around him feeling his warmth melt into her flesh. She looked up and shook her head anxiously.

"I didn't want to leave Kaden! I ... Kiana she tricked me. And the ... Mantra they..."

Kaden placed a finger to her lips gently shushing her. “I know what happened. But now is not the time to discuss it. Soon there will be hundreds of Grub descending on our location we have to move quickly."

He placed a small kiss on her forehead, before taking her by the hand and leading her through the webbed entrance. She held on tightly, as they made their way through layers of webbing and down the corridor.

Carina's heart felt like it was about to take flight right out of her chest. Kaden had risked everything to rescue her. The emotions filling her were too intense to describe. Adrenaline pumped inside her veins and she held onto Kaden's arm like it was her lifeline, which at the moment it was

Everything seemed to blur before her as they ran as fast as they could until they came to another corridor were they met up with Zeth, Corbin, Nal and the other five Dreg warriors. She couldn't believe that these men would risk themselves to save her

It was both humbling and gratifying. She looked up at Kaden who had pressed her firmly to his side. He was not about to let her out of his sight, and she was extremely thankful for it. For him

"Kaden, I love you..."

The words came out automatically.

He paused and looked down into her tearful eyes. The look on his handsome face made her heart leap. His eyes spoke to her, letting her know how much she meant to him and how long he has been waiting for her to say those words. They stared at each other for long moments.

Nal cleared his throat, “I hate to break up this happy moment; however we are in a bit of a hurry, considering that there are hundreds of Grub currently swarming into our location."

Kaden turned his attention to Nal and as much as the interruption annoyed him, he knew that the priority was getting off the Grub ship and getting back to Yor safely

"The opening is straight ahead, Dar Kaden.” One of his warriors waved a hand.

"Then let's not waste any more time.” He bent his head and gave Carina a quick peck on the cheek before leading her and the rest of the crew through the storage room they had first encountered and back into the cargo hold where they had marked their escape.

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Corbin blasted an opening to the side of the cargo hull, revealing the chute connecting Nal's ship to the Grub's. Once again Corbin and Zeth knelt at the entrance watching for any Grub attack as they made their escape. Kaden handed Carina's arm to Logan and told him to make sure she was safely aboard their ship

He stayed behind until all of his men were safely inside the chute before he made his own escape. Corbin and Zeth entered the chute followed by Nal. As Kaden took a step towards the escape opening, a loud buzzing sound made him pause. The cargo hold was dimmed, but he could see enough to know that he was not alone

"Kaden, hurry!"

Nal called out to him. It was too late. Before Kaden could clear the opening, Grath landed directly in front of him blocking his way. The giant Grub King leaned forward and hissed, widening his mandibles and barring his full set of serrated teeth

"It's over Grath, let me pass and I will spare your life!” The Grub's obvious display of aggression did little to stop Kaden's resolution.

Grath flexed his wings, and brought his poisonous claws up so that they were level with Kaden's head. “It will not be over until you give me the Breeder. Then perhaps I will not only spare your life but that of your miserable excuse for a planet."

Kaden spoke through clenched teeth, “Carina is my Breeder, Grath. By law you have no rights to her. The Council has agreed to this as well."

His need to strike out at his enemy was difficult to clamp down. He needed to try and defuse the situation as peacefully as possible to avoid an all-out war with the Grub

Grath tilted his head to the side as if considering his words then threw his head back and let out a hideous war cry. His attack on Kaden was instantaneous. He surged forward with his claws within striking distance from Kaden's skull

Almost as instantly Kaden, ducked and fell to the ground, opting to go with the impact instead of falling prey to the poison tips of Grath's claws. Grath was on him in seconds, he brought one of his hind legs down hard on Kaden's chest, knocking the wind out of him

Kaden grabbed hold of Grath's lower leg and twisted it at the ankle joint until he heard the bone crunch before he ripped the foot off, forcing Grath to stumble back in agonizing pain. He flung himself to his feet and ejected his blades, charging the wounded Grub King at full speed

Much to Kaden's surprise the King quickly blocked and avoided the deadly blades. Kaden missed and fell forward. He regained his footing fast and charged Grath again this time twisting his body in midair and using his feet to connect with Grath's upper torso.

Grath fell back onto his hind legs and slammed his thorax on the ground, making him bellow in pain

He narrowed his gaze on Kaden and hissed, then opened his mandibles and shot out a stream of poison from his mouth

Kaden barely escaped the deadly toxin that burned a hole through solid ground

Grath arched back and took aim once more, but before he could release another jet of poison,

Kaden rolled forward and leapt to his feet using the momentum to fling himself towards the Grub leader, pinning him with his blades by the arm and neck against the wall.

Grath was unable to move. The way Kaden had him pinned caused his legs to bend awkwardly beneath his heavy weight. His head was pressed against the wall by the sharp knife piercing his throat just below his mandibles.

Grath stilled his struggles and conceded his defeat to Kaden. “Go ahead Dreg, finish this. No matter how this ends, there will be another to take my place. The will avenge my death and the death of my offspring. The Council will do nothing to stop them from obliterating Yor."

Kaden retracted his blades and Grath slid to the ground, “If I kill you that may be true. However, today is not your day to die Grath."

Grath's beaten body was bleeding but he would heal or grow another limb if the damage was un-repairable. Kaden stood over him, breathing heavily, his chest, abdomen and biceps were bloodied with gashes from the recent battles with the Grubs including Grath

He turned and walked away from Grath towards the chute. Carina met him half way, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him fiercely.

"Oh God Kaden, don't ever do that again. I though he was going to kill you!"

She was both angry and relieved and it made Kaden chuckle at her ability to scold him and at the same time comfort him

Grath managed to stand finally, two of his hind legs were broken on one side, “Yor will pay regardless Dreg."

He moved closer towards Kaden and Carina. Kaden stepped in front of Carina, putting himself between her and the Grub ruler

"Don't underestimate the Dregs, Grath it may be the last mistake you ever make."

His tone sent shivers down Carina's spine. It was merciless and utterly cold.

Grath managed to stand finally, two of his hind legs were broken on one side

"Ha! Do you have any idea what a swarm of Grub could do to your putrid little planet? You can't defeat us no other planet has ever lived through a Grub invasion."

A movement to Kaden's right made him jerk around and grab Carina firmly to his side.

"No other planet but Elvin."

Everyone turned to see Prince Nal emerge from the chute

Grath backed up his demeanor changed completely. Carina could have sworn that she saw the might Grub King cower.

Grath hissed, “Elvin has no issue here!"

Nal stepped forward so that he stood only inches away from Grath, who shrank back even more. “Elvin has every reason to be here. The Council has given Yor its vote. As a high member of the Galactic Governing Council I have offered not only my support but also my protection to Yor. You may not have to heed the laws that govern the Three Galaxies, but you do have to face the consequences of attacking one of its member planets."

Grath arched his torso away from Nal. He was defeated in this. An attack on Yor would bring the scourge of the Grub down on them. The Elvin could command the elements. When the Grub swarmed their planet nearly a century ago, it only took a handful of Elvin to defeat them. He had no idea how much their power had grown since then

He looked back at Kaden and Carina. “Take your Breeder Dreg, you have my word I will honor this pact."

With that Grath unfurled his wings and lifted off the ground, disappearing into the webbing high above them.

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Carina felt warm snuggled in Kaden's arms as Nal's ship traveled back to planet Yor. She had never felt more content and happy. Kaden had been elated when she told him of her pregnancy. He had already known of course, however, she still felt the need to break the news to him

There was no going back to earth now. For the first time in her life she wasn't struggling with the decision she made regarding her future. Without Kaden there would be no future

She looked up at his face while he slept, holding her on his lap in the copilot's chair. Nal was sitting next to them steering the ship, and the other warriors had settled into the passenger quarters

It was not a very big ship and only consisted of a cockpit and large area where bunks were available for men to sit or rest while they waited to touch down on their destination. Nal flipped a lever up above his control panel and glanced over to Carina. He lifted one side of his mouth into a knowing smirk, and then got up to leave

"The autopilot is on. I need to see to the men ... eh ... they must be hungry."