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  Rax-Raither Warriors

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  Rax-Raither Warriors

  (Raither Warriors)

  By Stella Sky

  Chapter 1

  Commander Rax Veda

  “And about how many are missing?” I asked, frowning deeply.

  “Well, Commander Veda, there are four men that are not accounted for from the ship crash, and some that are presumed dead. We just want you to come through the planet and find out what you can about them. It wouldn’t be fair to assume that they are gone for good. If you were stuck there, you would want that every possible effort was made to extract yourself from such a situation. The planet Hexa is nasty.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. I knew that if I had been one of the unlucky Raithers that had crashed and then been deserted on the prison planet, I would be anxious to find out if I would be rescued.

  “All right. Is there anything else that you would like me to do while I’m down there, or is that all?”

  Captain Seran looked down at me, his gaze cool. “No, that about sums it up, Commander. You will have two weeks to locate and retrieve any of the lost Raithers that are still on the planet Hexa.”

  “Is there anything else that I should know about the prison planet?” I asked. “I have researched it thoroughly, and spoken to many of the survivors, but I would like to know what you think. I trust your word above all.”

  The captain nodded, frowning thoughtfully.

  “It is dangerous down there, so please exercise extreme caution. Many of these beasts are extremely volatile and they will not hesitate to destroy you or the others. It is still unknown as to whether or not many of these soldiers have even survived. But, you will be equipped with weapons that are functional even within the protective atmosphere of the planet Hexa. There should be no reason why a powerful warrior such as yourself cannot complete this goal. I look forward to the success of your mission.”

  “Of course, Captain. I will not let you down.”

  “Good, because you do realize that Emperor Marcsu’s son is down there. He never returned with the rest of the crew. The Emperor is convinced that his son is still alive, so it is your job to bring back Keldon Marcsu, whether you locate him dead or alive. That is probably the true goal of this mission. The Emperor is extremely concerned for his son’s well-being. If you are able to locate him and bring him back to the planet Yala, you will of course be recognized as a hero and live the rest of your life with such privileges.”

  I nodded. It would bring my family a great deal of honor if I was able to complete this mission successfully. The planet Yala had become quite a classist society, and unfortunately, my family was at the lower rungs. Although it was difficult for us to make our way up out of poverty, I had managed to join the Raither army and worked hard for all my life in order to become a commander.

  After years and years of being teased and bullied because of my economic status, I was finally in a place where I felt comfortable and secure. If the Emperor was going to recognize me for the completion of this mission, it would bring honor to my family that they had never dreamed possible before. All of the sons of Raithers were born to be warriors. Not all were born to be heroes. I quite liked the sound of that.

  Still, I wished that I was able to bring a crew of men down to the prison planet with me, but I understood why that was forbidden. The prison planet was already dangerous enough, and I would only attract more attention to myself in a group. Most of the monsters that were confined there were extremely intelligent, and it would probably take no time at all before they started to suspect what was going on.

  No matter how subtle the rescue mission might be, a typical Raither was bound to stick out. We were one of the strongest races in the universe, with a penchant for war and a reputation for being unbelievably successful in every endeavor. All races knew better than to seek out a battle with a Raither. And the Raither who ended up on the planet Hexa were there because they were fierce and intelligent and bloodthirsty. They weren’t the type to play well with others.

  That would probably come across as suspicious to any of the more intelligent monsters that had found their way to the prison planet. Anybody who understood the Raither way of life would probably understand that any of them that had gone bad were generally prone to standing on their own. Sure, they might try to coerce more malleable creatures into serving their purposes, but overall, when my kind turned dark, they looked out for themselves and did not travel in groups.

  We would have to exercise a great deal of caution when it came to coming and going on the prison planet. Everything about it had to be extremely covert, otherwise, an attack could be made on the ship. If any of the horrific creatures on the prison planet managed to invade the spacecraft and found their way off the planet, an escape like that could mean certain doom to anybody who got in their way. It was better to do everything by the book and ensure that it was all as safe as it could possibly be.

  “All right, Commander Rax,” the Captain said, turning his steel blue eyes onto me. My first name sounded strange coming from his lips, but that was how I knew that whatever he was about to say was going to be very serious. “The safety of these soldiers is in your hands now. You will leave in the morning, escorted by a team of technicians who will guard the ship as we wait for your return. They will not land, you will descend on your own and go from there. If you do not return to the ship within your two weeks of time, or if you have not made any contact with us by that point, you will be presumed dead. Is that understood?”

  I nodded. “I understand. I won’t let you down.”

  ***

  I could feel my heart tremoring in my chest as the ship began to lower above the surface of the incredibly lush planet Hexa. Nobody spoke as the quiet sound of the engines hissed and one of the portals was opened by the crew. I stepped inside, pursing my lips in determination. I knew that I was about to embark upon one of the most dangerous missions of my life. But, I was ready.

  “The commander is being dispatched at coordinate GL6. Commander, we will be awaiting your return at this location. Please, come back safely.”

  I nodded firmly, and then waited for my dispatch. A weightless feeling washed over me, and soon, I found himself standing in soft, moist dirt. I inhaled deeply, and the scent of natural vegetation filled my nostrils.

  There was a mocking serenity about the place. I wanted to believe that the peace of the natural habitat might represent the entire planet, but I already knew from several reports, firsthand and otherwise, that it was only a matter of time before this illusion of beauty would be shattered by one of the planet’s criminally-minded residents.

  I tried to push the thought out of my mind and return my focus to the mission at hand. The Raithers in the army were supposed to have a tracking device on their uniforms, but most technology failed to work on the prison planet. It fizzled out and died, quickly becoming useless as soon as it came within the atmosphere.

  The Resha Federation had really done a great job with security, and had seen to it that anybody who was trapped on the surface of this planet was going to stay that way. T
he prisoners here were too dangerous otherwise. And in a way, although it made my mission that much more difficult, I was glad for the deep thought that they had put into ensuring the safety of the universe, while simultaneously providing a humane punishment for those who were too disruptive to coexist peacefully with the rest of the races in the universe.

  The Federation had been able to override some of the code that they had set around the planet, just enough that the tracking devices would be accessible through a small computer that had been designed for this specific mission. I quickly pulled the small device out of my pocket and gritted my teeth as I attempted to locate all of the little signals that indicated the presence of a Raither uniform.

  It took several moments before the feeds were all detected, and I waited impatiently as the images began to appear on the map. Sure enough, there were four yellow dots that indicated members of my species, most of which were very far away. However, there was one yellow dot that was quite close by, and I felt myself grinning. The dot was moving, which showed that whoever was nearby me was alive and well. Unless, that was, the uniform was in the belly of a beast.

  I decided to hold out hope and pocketed the device, walking briskly in the direction that the dot was indicating that I should go.

  “I told you to hold still!”

  I froze at the sound of a deep, familiar voice. I had heard this voice broadcasted over many live feeds over the years and couldn’t help but smiled at my luck. The Emperor’s son was alive. And he was nearby.

  “And I told you to let go of me!”

  The peculiar voice of a human wafted through the air, and I suddenly lost all awareness of what I was doing. Suddenly everything in my body seemed to seize up and my entire mind became devoted to the sound of the human female. There was something about her, even without seeing her face, that indicated ferocity and strength. It was surprising, considering how vulnerable I had always assumed the humans must be.

  It was a shame what had happened to the humans, how they had been stuck on a prison planet. And not just any prison planet, but one that that was of the highest security and full of the most dangerous of monsters. The fact that this human had survived it at all was a testament to a deep force of will within her.

  A will that was being compromised by one of my own people.

  “Human, if you do not acquiesce, I am going to make you regret it,” the Emperor’s son continued.

  A frown began tugging the corners of my lips. Was there any reason to treat a human that way? They were one of the weakest races in the entire universe. It would take someone cowardly and weak of mind to bully a creature like that.

  I stepped forward, unable to contain my agitation any longer, emerging through a tall wall of luscious green fronds that were separating me from the others. What I saw electrified me. I was looking straight into the dazzling ocean-green eyes of a human female. Her full lips were drawn into a power of anger and determination, and her hair was long and golden, tousled by the struggle that she was having with the Emperor’s son.

  When she saw me, her eyes widened in sudden confusion, and a deep red flush crept across her cheeks. Except for that color on her face, she remained as composed as ever, and let out a deep sigh.

  “Another one?” The human exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.

  “Identify yourself, Raither. You are in the presence of royalty, so act like it.”

  “Yeah,” the human scoffed. “A royal pain in my ass. Just let me go. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

  “My name is Commander Rax Veda,” I began. “I…”

  “I don’t recall asking you what it was that you wanted,” the Emperor’s son said, interrupting me and fixing his dark gaze upon the human. I watched the scene unfold before me, unsure of what to say or do.

  Although I wanted to act on the human’s behalf, it was true that I was in the presence of royalty, and my job was not to interfere with the son of the Emperor. My job was to bring him back safely to his father so that I could bring my family out of poverty once and for all.

  “Are you going to let him treat me that way?” The human exclaimed, stamping her foot impatiently and staring at me. The expectant look in her gaze made me uncomfortable and I furrowed my brow, turning my eyes to the son of the Emperor.

  “What is going on?” I asked.

  “What, can’t you tell? He’s trying to kidnap me. I don’t want to be his freaky little slave. I just want to go back to my camp and have my dinner. Is that really so awful?”

  Rax ignored the human’s outburst and waited for the Emperor’s son to speak.

  “This is my human. I found her, and I claimed her. I am going to take her back to Yala just as soon as I am able. Are you here to rescue us?”

  The human struggled against her captor’s icy grip, and looked at me, startled.

  “Rescue?” She asked.

  “Actually, yes, I am here to take you back to Yala,” I said, glad for the chance to take the Emperor’s attention off of the human. “You and the other three crewmembers that are thought to have survived.”

  “Well I can already tell you that one of them is dead. I buried him myself,” the Emperor’s son said. “My name is Keldon Marcsu. The deceased is Dernak Gourad. As for the other two men, I don’t know what happened to them. All of us were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess.”

  “Unfortunately for all of us,” the human mumbled.

  I finally turned my eyes upon her, stricken again by her unfathomable beauty. I had never seen a creature quite so perplexing in all my life. And yet, I knew that I should not be allowing myself to have such feelings.

  “And who are you, human?” I asked. “You do realize that you are speaking to the son of the Emperor. He is Raither royalty. It would do you well to treat him with respect, even if you are upset.”

  Keldon Marcsu sneered, obviously pleased to have his ego stroked after all this time on a planet where his royal status clearly meant nothing. Being the son of the Emperor was not going to keep him from having his body used as a toothpick by one of the giant monsters that got hold of him.

  “My name is Dr. Zina Smith. I am a scientist, and I was abandoned here on this planet. I have managed to survive for this long. I would hate for my track record to be ruined because of the likes of this guy.”

  The human jutted her thumb behind her, pointing at Keldon Marcsu. I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh that bubbled up involuntarily in my chest. This girl was plucky. That much was certain. And although it was a quality that was looked down on in my culture (Raither women were meant to know their place and stick with it), somehow, on this woman, a personality of this nature seemed to suit her. It was attractive, somehow.

  “And now,” Keldon Marcsu said with a sneer. “You are my bride. But do not worry human, you’re going to be safer on my planet then you are here. There are no monsters there.”

  “Oh, so you are going to be staying here?” the human asked, sarcasm dripping in her voice. “That’s really good news. I was beginning to worry.”

  Keldon Marcsu stepped forward menacingly, his arm raised as if to strike the human. Without thinking, I jumped in, intercepting the blow and looking the Emperor’s son in the eye.

  “There is no reason to hurt such a vulnerable creature. Instead, let us focus our energies on something more important. We must find the others. I have two weeks to rescue them. But if we do not discover them in that time, they will be lost forever.”

  Keldon Marcsu glowered over my shoulder at the human, who was silent again, and then nodded.

  “All right then. Let us begin the search. It is good to think that I will not be in this place much longer.”

  I nodded. “No, you will not. But we have to get the others. Let us not waste any more time on this bickering. We must go now. Any waste of time could be lethal to the survivors.”

  I led the way, without waiting for a reply. When I was sure that the other two were following, I glanced over my shoulder,
my eyes resting once again on the human, who was walking in between us, glowering at the ground angrily. She really didn’t like Keldon Marcsu. And it wasn’t as if I could blame her. The image of the man raising his hand to strike her made me seethe instantly.

  And although Keldon Marcsu had claimed her for his own, as long as I was around, I wasn’t going to let the Raither hurt her, whether he was royalty or not. I would see to that. The Emperor’s son might be allowed to do whatever he wanted behind closed doors, but in my presence, he was going to have to behave himself or face the consequences.

  These thoughts and many others circled in my head as we made our way toward the next yellow blip on my map. We walked and walked, making what felt like frustratingly little progress, until the sky was beginning to darken. The human stopped suddenly, refusing to budge another step. “We should really make camp you know. The most dangerous creatures come out at night.”

  I had to admit to myself that I hadn’t considered this. I was so driven to find the other crew members that I probably would have been happy to urge them forward all night long. But the human was right. Not only did they need rest, but there was no point in subjecting ourselves to unnecessary dangers. They had another two weeks to search after all, and they only had two other members of the crew to locate. I probably shouldn’t drive them too hard.

  “All right,” I said begrudgingly. “We will stop for the night. But we have to be up as soon as the sun rises. The sooner we locate the others, the sooner we can leave. And that is going to be a happy day.”

  I could feel the human staring at me as I turned my back, summoning Keldon Marcsu. “We shall gather materials for the shelter now. If you have any supplies, or food, I suggest you let me know now. Otherwise, it is time to seek them out.”

  I tried to ignore the strange way that the human’s gaze made me feel as I descended into the dark forest. For some reason, I didn’t want to leave her or even let her out of my sight. But that was ridiculous. That was the type of behavior that a Raither male displayed on his claim, not on a random human he encountered on a prison planet.