To Catch A Warrior

Chapter 1

How hard can it be to find a single lone female—in space?

Fucking impossible.

Titus smashed his fist down on the large, rectangular console in the massive space vessel he commanded. Zargonnii vessels were built to handle a warrior’s wrath. He hadn’t done any damage to the equipment; the lights flickered amidst the black panel, but steadied with alternate blips and bleeps humming in the background. A few growls from other warriors on deck echoed Titus’s grumbling. Every male was on edge.

Empty space stared back at Titus through the oblong window past the console and he could see his reflection. His red eyes were blazing with the intensity of his thoughts surrounded by his one long white eyebrow that went from one side of his neck, over his high cheek bones near his ears, across his forehead and down the other side of his neck to taper to the fur on his shoulders. His ass-long white hair whipped around him while in battle mode. His broad chest was bare except for the generous amount of white, thick fur covering it; he wore no shirt. Titus’s full blue lips were slightly parted as his breath came faster with his anger. He was over seven feet tall, heavily muscled and scary as hell. Or so human females told him.

For weeks, Titus and a few of his men had searched the skies and other planets whenever there was a calm during the war that raged between the galaxies. There was one lone female in particular he was intent on finding.

Bertha.

Did you just shudder, Titus?

I was thinking about Bertha, Titus said to Cy who came to stand beside him.

Cy noticeably shuddered. "Oh, that."

Cy was almost as tall as Titus. Two reflections were now mirrored against the darkness of space and the console’s flickering lights. Both looked irritated.

"Yeah, that. She’s fucking disappeared. No sightings, no speculation, not a hint or a whisper in the galaxy. That particular female would cause a stir. Whoever has or had her would know I want her and would be happy to oblige by handing her over—even the fucking enemy. There isn’t anything coming in on her. You know the only reason I can think of? She must have gone to a different plane of existence. Finn and his human mate Bethany claim there are worlds within worlds. We’ve been looking for a long time—too long. There’s no trace of the little human."

Too bad she couldn’t yell for us. Her mouth is big enough, Cy grumbled.

Titus agreed. Big mouth Bertha had been a thorn in his side since Finn and Blu had found six human females living in an igloo on the dying planet Earth. The female had been in Titus’s care for a mere week, but he felt responsible for her. Thanks to their healer, Finn, who was the one to hand her over. Damn the warrior. The human females were transferred from the planet onto another of Titus’s vessels—a vessel now blown to pieces. After the space battle with the rogue Tonan and the mind-fighting Gorgano, Titus’s warriors and the females they saved from water logged Earth were scattered into the universe. His last ship was annihilated. All but one human was accounted for, and she was driving Titus crazy.

Fuck me, Titus bellowed. "I have no clue how to search into different dimensions. Finn said the water warrior Arax sent him and Bethany through a water hole to the dark warriors’ plane of existence. I understand the water warriors’ reasoning; our water sources are too dangerous for human females because of the flesh-eating pond scum. Because the dark warriors have Finn’s DNA we can connect with them if we have to. But their leader has sworn Bertha isn’t there, I believe him. With the water warriors there’s virtually no way to get to them. If Bertha ended up there, she’s as good as dead from the landing. Even our shuttles, as strong as they are, apparently can’t take the beating of the pounding waters.

With the war raging against the Gorgano and rogue Tonan and now the damned flying Angano, we need all of our warriors. I can’t afford any to get lost or stranded. Our allies have searched when possible but have no time for a lone female. I’m at a loss. All I can think about is that poor little shrew out there alone, somewhere.

Damn.

Titus. Cy placed a hand onto his shoulder. No one could have tried harder to find the missing human, but it’s been months. Bertha’s gone. You need to give her up. I know you had no affection for her. I know it’s your honor driving you. There isn’t a single warrior Zargonnii, or otherwise, who would say you failed. She must be dead. Stop looking for a ghost, we need you in the land of the living.

"Her loss breaks my heart. She spent years trying to survive on Earth and was almost killed. I thought, in my arrogance, she should be happy we saved her, grateful. Bertha was so scared. She was always so scared, she hid behind a mouthy façade. That last space battle was horrific even by my standards. The ship was about to explode, I had to make certain my warriors were safe.

"She was screaming when I got to her, flames licking the walls of her room. We were the last to leave. Fire was everywhere. The shuttle I put her in could only hold one safely. I know I punched in the right return code for home. I don’t understand what went wrong. Even if mangled, the shuttle should return, unless there’s nothing left of it. Which would mean there’s nothing left of her.

When I watched her leave and climbed into the remaining broken shuttle, I was so grateful my last thoughts would be she escaped. I honestly thought I’d die. I thought I was saving her. She said I was abandoning her like everyone else. There was something in her eyes, Cy. Something so sad. I don’t know of a creature that needs to start with a clean slate as much as she. I was hoping we could give it to her, a second chance. I believed a warrior could give her renewed life.

Your warriors terrified her.

I know. Bertha terrified my warriors. Seemed a fair trade.

Both males smiled. A blip on the console came to life. Titus growled. He punched in new coordinates. The Gorgano space vessel was trolling. There were no human females on the Zargonnii ship Titus commanded. When dealing with the Gorgano a human female was the best weapon. Most of the female humans on his planet were with child or had given birth. No Zargonnii would risk his mate. As he shouldn’t. Avoiding the Gorgano irked the powerful leader, but it couldn’t be helped. His warriors fought with brute strength, not their minds. The Zargonnii were strategic, but strategic mind battling went deeper with the Gorgano. The deadly Gorgano could blow up a warrior with their thoughts.

Titus set the shield to reconfigure at random intervals. If a Gorgano boarded, there was no telling what damage it could do before they destroyed it. Blu, a warrior of Titus’s, was mated to a very special female, Adan. Circumstances led the female to be very adept when dealing with the enemy. The human female programmed Titus’s new vessel with the ability to change shield tactics randomly. She called it a fire wall. It must work because normally the Gorgano would have boarded by the time they came into sight. Titus would have to remember to give Adan something special when she gave birth.

I have no time for these maggots, Titus said and growled.

Ugly bastards, Cy said snarling. His gaze was fixed on the approaching Gorgano vessel.

Not a handsome race, Titus agreed.

Butt-fuck nasty, too.

They entered a worm hole taking them light years from the space zone they vacated. The worm hole split into a number of holes, the Gorgano would have no clue what direction Titus took if they followed. The blackness was encompassing. The dials on the console spun forward then back. Lighting on the ship dimmed. Cy flicked a few buttons on the console and ran his hand across the screen that appeared above them.

Where next, Captain? Cy asked.

From his longing gaze, Titus knew the warrior was wishing Titus would say home. In his heart, Titus knew he’d lost Bertha. She haunted his thoughts. The last image of her saddened face woke him in the morning and sent him into his dreams at night. There was something broken in that female. She was alive but she didn’t live when on the ship. Her body went through the actions of movement, but her brain and emotions were bitter and lost. Something told Titus she had been beaten. If he raised his hand too fast when around her, she cowered back, eyes wide, terrified he meant to hit her. Her jaw quivered if his voice rose. She never ran from him. In many creatures there was fight or flight. Bertha seemed in possession of neither. Perhaps both choices had been taken from her at a young age. If he didn’t find her, he would never know.

Take the vessel home, Cy. I want to try one more planet. I can take a shuttle. There’s no need to put any of my warriors at risk.

You plan on heading into the dead world, don’t you? This exit we’re heading for only leads to one place.

Titus knew it was a risk. There was a sun circling a planet named To-ogg. There was talk of a world existing within the sun. It was speculation. The world existing within the sun was said to be brilliantly beautiful with wildlife in abundance—for a while. A metamorphosis took place every few hundred years. Life began, life thrived, life died and then a cold blustery frozen tundra set in. The sun’s fire imploded the area, closing in around everything, until it was purged of all, only to expand, the fire receding, and allow the strange life cycle to begin again. Strange, but Titus believed the rumors of his elders, some claimed to have been there.

The sun is the last place I can look. I have to try.

Titus, your honor knows no limits. It would be suicide; you almost died once because of that female. You have no clue if the tales are real and if they are, what cycle the sun’s planet is in.

Cy, if I die it won’t be a suicide mission. It will be a failed recovery venture. You are well trained. The Southern Zargonnii warriors will accept you as their leader if I don’t return.

Damn it. You are too important a warrior and leader to lose. Let me go.

Titus turned and placed his hands onto Cy’s shoulders. You are too important a friend to lose. You are the closest I have to a brother, both you and Finn.

Cy growled. Finn should never have brought that female on board your vessel to begin with. He is partly to blame for this and yet he doesn’t look for Bertha.

He has his mate and child to worry about. The female human was surrendered into my care. I accepted her as my responsibility. No one twisted my arm.

"Don’t do this. That female human isn’t worth your life."

Why? Because she’s mean, ornery and impossible?

No. Because no one cares about her. That says a lot about any species. When a Tonan dies, no one cares. Unless he’s one of Cobra’s warriors, and Cobra will only accept a Tonan if he’s mated to a human female. If the Tonan dies, his mate dies, that means two deaths, a devastating blow. I don’t think I would want to mate if I knew my female would die when I did. I’d never let her out of my sight. I’d have to stop being a mercenary and warrior. And do not tell me the females Bertha was with care about her. They express concern yes, nothing more, and they knew her for years. Ask them Titus, go ahead and ask the females who knew Bertha for years which of you they would rather see at the end of the day.

Titus knew Cy was right. One more search, Cy. One. After this, if I don’t find Bertha, I’ll let her go. I swear. I’ll have to; there is nowhere else to look. I’ve run out of options available to the Zargonnii. And if you would just let more people into your heart you would make an excellent mate for a human. You have a great deal of passion, my friend; it’s too bad it’s tempered by pride, and anger.

Human females are worthless to me. They can’t battle, they’re fragile. One good squeeze and you’d pop their heads off their shoulders, Cy grouched.

"Gee, thanks for the mental image I’ll never get out of my mind. You’ll have to get used to human females, my friend. If you end up leader you’ll be in charge of their wellbeing too."

The face Cy made almost made Titus laugh. Cy growled harder, spun on his heels and strode away. Titus turned back to the console. The ship rocked when they exited the worm hole until settling to a standstill. Amidst the black space past the window, a flaming round mass came into view. Rolling waves of flames danced across the ball of fire. There were no stars. Streaks of silver exploded from the sun at intervals, bursts zipped across the sky and faded. A memory nagged. The more bursts, the colder the season because more of the sun burned hotter. The sun must be on its last leg with the planet within; the fire must be closing in. This would prove tricky, and dangerous.

A solitary black planet, surrounded by a white ring was the only other visible planet besides the sun. The inhabitants on the planet kept to themselves, they were an ebony mass, no