Vexing Voss:Coletti Warlords 03(19)

"Yes," Hothar whispered, hypervigilant. His eyes constantly scanned the crowded bar.

I tapped the screen. Voss's credit link popped into my head, and I entered it.

The waitress scurried over and set two bottles on the table. "Does the master want me to service him?"                       
       
           



       

Hothar's horrified gaze examined her from head to toe, and he quickly shook his head.

Master? Was she kidding? I took in the vacant expression in her eyes and  submissive posture. The girl needed an immediate intervention. Bet that  asshole of a bartender beat her. Too bad there weren't any  domestic-violence shelters nearby. Wonder if the Overlord would mind an  extra passenger?

Zarek's irritated growl sounded in my head. "I would mind a great deal."

"But she needs help."

"No, she does not. All Hus Ping females are like this one."

"That sucks big time."

"It is their culture. You cannot save her. Do you understand me?"

"Sorry, sir, I just hate seeing women being abused."

"You should be more concerned with your own fate." Zarek's voice was harsh, implacable.

Eeek! "My apologies, sir, but American women are raised to believe in equality for all."

"You and Kaylee have much in common."

"Thank you, sir."

"It wasn't a compliment."

Oh crap. "Shutting up, sir."

"I'm monitoring your actions," he stated, and poof, his terrifying presence was gone.

Holy Mary, mother of God, the Overlord had left a tiny tentacle of power  in my head. I'd be damned lucky if I didn't end up mind-wiped by the  end of the day.

A weird buzzing noise filled my mind, and everything spun dizzily for a moment. What the hell?

"Free me," a tinny voice suddenly hissed.

Sweet Jesus, was this some kind of test? I threw a cautious look around. "Um …  Come again?"

"Free me," the voice hissed louder.

I waited a moment, and when Zarek didn't start threatening me, I asked, "Who are you? Where are you and why should I?"

"I am called Bebo. The furry one locked me in this glass prison. Like you, I have no wish to be eaten alive."

Okay, that got my attention. "Who wants to eat you?"

"The Tai-Kok. Open my cage door, and I will eat them instead."

Yeah, right. That sounded a bit too good to be true. He was probably planning on having us for dessert. "Where are you?"

"Behind you."

I peered over my shoulder. Set into the wall behind me was a large dimly  lit glass enclosure. My eyes bugged out when I noticed a long white  tubular body pressed against the glass. Two eyestalks with bright yellow  orbs stared at me. Around the head were wormy growths that never ceased  twisting with a peculiar life of their own.

What the freak was that? It kind of looked like a mutated monster snake.

"Holy Goddess, a Gorum." Hothar gasped in horror.

"He wants me to free him."

"What? You can't do that. Gorum are worse than the Tai-Kok. Every living  creature on this space station will die if you release it."

Bebo's eyestalks swiveled to regard Hothar. "You have my word I will only eat the Tai-Kok."

"And why should we believe you?"

"They ate my mate. I listened to her screams as she died. I will have my vengeance."

I shivered. He was telling the truth. "No offense, but what's to keep you from eating us when you are done with them?"

"My word."

Hothar and I exchanged skeptical glances. "My world has been at war with  the Tai-Kok and Rodan for a very long time, and it makes us a bit leery  of trusting alien life-forms that can eat us. The bottom line is I  don't know anything about you."

"I am Qufu of my people." Bebo rolled to one side, exposing a purple prism tattoo.

Hothar shrugged. "I think he's like a leader."

Searching Voss's memories, I discovered the tattoo marked Bebo as king.  "How in the hell did you end up on this crappy space station?"

"I was betrayed and given to the Tai-Kok. They consider our flesh a delicacy."

Something else we had in common. If I didn't check in with the big guy,  I'd probably end up serving a life sentence in the breeder's compound. I  reached out to Voss.

Oh my God! He was in the middle of a vicious firefight with the Rodan  battle cruiser, and his ship's shields were failing. Fear clenched my  stomach. There was absolutely nothing I could do to help him. But on the  bright side, the Battle Commander was having one hell of a good time,  and he knew without a doubt he'd win. God, I hoped so. I needed him  alive and well. The big guy was a part of me now, and I kind of liked  the sex.                       
       
           



       

Crap, now I'd have to ask Zarek. I gingerly touched his mind. Well,  hell, he was fending off a dozen Tai-Kok fighters, and if I distracted  him, he could end up dead. Hmmm. If I were a backstabbing bitch, it  would be the perfect opportunity to get rid of the most powerful warrior  in the universe.

My internal radar screamed a warning. "You have a cloaked fighter coming up on your starboard side, sir."

Zarek made a daring banking maneuver, and the cloaked ship destroyed two  of the Tai-Kok fighters by mistake. "Do you sense any more cloaked  ships?"

"No, sir, it's just the one. If you come about 180 degrees to port and fire a torpedo, you'll take him out."

To my utter surprise, the Overlord followed my instructions, and the  ship exploded into a great ball of rippling flames. "You have a  warrior's instincts."

My link snapped abruptly when fire ants did the rumba in my head. Ouch! Dammit, that really hurt.

"Balock's balls," Hothar gasped as eleven Tai-Kok warriors stormed into the room with lasers drawn.

"Free me now!" Bebo cried.

For a brief moment silence reigned as the patrons stared in drunken  disbelief at the Tai-Kok. Then all hell broke loose as everyone went for  their weapons.

Hothar knocked me to the floor, and a scant second later laser bolts  flew wildly in every direction. A jug of foul-smelling liquid shattered  against the enclosure, followed by tables and a couple of chairs.

To my horror, the Tai-Kok chomped their way through the combatants. "We've got to let Bebo out."

"He'll eat us," Hothar responded testily.

"They will eat us, and I'm not dying that way." I crawled over to the  reinforced metal door. Jumping up, I hit the power switch and quickly  opened it. "Don't make me regret this."

Bebo reared up. His wormy growths abruptly clamped down on my right shoulder.

"Let go!" A cry of agony broke from me as hundreds of tiny tentacles  stung me repeatedly, and I couldn't move a muscle. Sweet Jesus, he was  gonna eat me.

Hothar grabbed me around the waist and pulled. "Release her!"

After a brief tug-of-war, Bebo dropped me and latched on to the kid.

Hothar stood frozen as the tentacles stung his chest and arms.

His guttural groans gave me the strength to fight off the paralysis  imprisoning me. I pulled my laser and leveled it at Bebo. "Let him go,  or I will kill you."

His eyestalks swiveled around, and he released Hothar. "Be at ease,  youngling, you now carry my mark and none of my kind will ever harm  you."

"I'm sure that's a great honor, but it wasn't necessary. Just eat the bastards," I snapped.

"With great pleasure." Moving at an incredible speed, Bebo literally  swallowed two Tai-Kok warriors whole. A head bulged out from Bebo's  hide, and arms and legs kicked frantically within his suddenly expanding  body.

The combatants let out a collective cry of horror and immediately stampeded for the doors. The Hus Pings were right behind them.

Several Tai-Kok warriors jumped on Bebo and tore great bloody chunks out of his hide.

Hothar and I fired simultaneously, vaporizing them.

The bodies inside Bebo stopped moving. His tentacles suddenly lengthened  and whipped out, stinging three Tai-Kok warriors. Writhing in agony,  they collapsed to the floor and were quickly stuffed inside the Gorum's  mouth.

"Holy cow! How do they all fit?"

"The Gorum's stomachs secrete a very corrosive acid that turns all  living matter into an instant fuel source. They have been known to  consume over a hundred life-forms at one time," Hothar answered. A  killing rage simmering in his eyes, he efficiently shot down a charging  Tai-Kok.

Aw, the kid was turning into a lethal warrior right before my eyes. Voss would be so proud.

Another Tai-Kok disappeared down Bebo's maw, and the gaping wounds on his back healed.

The remaining Tai-Kok turned tail and ran out the door.

Emitting a high-pitched, squalling cry, Bebo followed them.

I shuddered. As battle cries went, that one was pretty damn scary.

Panicked quacking sounded from the passageway, and laser bolts ricocheted off the walls.