And something wasverywrong.
Human females were protected. Because they could create hybrid young while being so sexual but completely defenseless, they were an unspeakable temptation. However, it wasn’t enough that they created hybrids. The hybrids they created werebetterthan their parent species. Notably, the domini that first mated with them had young that were superior at camouflaging, a trait unique to the domini and a strength of theirs. Such a thing meant they weren’t just something to desire, but something to claim as a means of creating super soldiers. They were beyond temptation.
As Gissrn had clearly just proved by taking them in the first place. Tanin could say he didn’t know, definitively, what the king wanted them for, but there was only one reason someone would go through the trouble, cost, and risk of capturing human females.
However, the cost of breeding a hybrid on a female was the danger inherent in them carrying and delivering their young. Even Tanin, who didn’t tend to pay attention to such things, had heard about the human female that had been first to give birth the natural way without any aid whatsoever and the suffering she had gone through as a result.
Because of that, attacking, kidnapping, or assaulting a human female was a high crime. If either of them told the peacekeepers that Tanin was at fault in their capture, he could be in serious danger while they performed an investigation.
High crimes were incredibly serious. It was part of the reason he was so eager to deliver them to the peacekeepers as soon as possible – he didn’t need any of the trouble they could bring.
The Vletch Rings were worse.
Tanin, his crew, possibly even the human females were at risk of execution just by having those things on his ship.
Vletch Rings were the stuff of legend. Illegal in the worst way. It was a crime to hold one, much less own or use one. It didn’t matter that he didn’t make or buy those rings, that he didn’t consent to them being on his ship, or even that he didn’t know what they were until Alred read their programming. Just being there, they were threatening his entire life.
Gissrn was a fool. No wonder he didn’t care about the cost or risk of obtaining illegal human females if he was willing to go so far that he’d even usethose.
“Can you break them?” He asked, looking at Alred.
The hesitation made his hands clutch into fists.
“Alred.”
“I’m thinking.” Alred’s light form flashed once. “I… think I can.”
“You think or you know?”
“It’s complicated, okay?! It’s literally fused to them! IthinkI can break it without hurting or maiming them, but it’s not an easy task!”
Tanin let out a short breath. “Fine. Can we imprint Standard into their heads without issue?”
“Yeah, it will be fine. Neither collar is active right now. They’re totally inert, they’re just fused. I doubt the remote Gissrn gave you would be enough to turn them on either.”
“Not unless he’s a bigger fool than I thought. Alert Vytln. Have him crank up the engines. I want them destroyed and melted down and all evidence of themgone. Got it?”
“Message sent. Let me calm the females down. They look ready to fight.”
“Don’t tell them about the collar yet. Just tell them about the language imprint.”
Alred made a sound of understanding before turning to the females. Tanin tuned out the alien words as he stared at the ring around Garnet’s neck.
There was only reason it would be there. Tanin was going to be sick. The sooner those rings were gone and destroyed, the better.
Chapter 6
Garnet
The aliens had some kind of brain downloading technology. They called it a data imprint. It basically shot information straight into her brain and then, bam, she could suddenly read and write in a totally new language.
It was a bit more complex than that. The sudden surge of electricity and information dumped directly into her head made her pass out. It did the same to Goldie. They’d also only have the imprint for three days, and in that time, they had some homework to do to make sure they retained at least the daily working knowledge of that imprint.
For now, however, Garnet and Goldie had the alien language Standard directly installed into their heads so they could finally speak properly with the captain of this ship. And try to figure out why the yellow guy had suddenly freaked out.
“A Vletch Ring?” She repeated, sitting side by side with Goldie on the fancy alien bed. The spinning rings were back in their dock at the head of the bed, and there wasn’t anywhere else to sit in this box filled room. It looked more like storage than the medbay that Alred claimed it was.
Tanin grunted in acknowledgement before speaking. It was the first time she could actually understand him. His words and tone were just as calm as the rest of him, despite the anxiety practically vibrating through Alred’s light body. “That’s what’s around your neck.”
