I could not feel Rachel’s emotions, but the two human women had nearly identical facial expressions. If Rachel felt as Mikki did, I wondered that I did not see Maxim or Ryston walking into the medical lab. Perhaps they had grown accustomed to a human female’s wild emotional swings. One moment Mikki was in awe, feeling wonder and excitement, the next arousal, then rage followed by despair. My mind could not adapt so quickly.
“Let’s change the subject before I get myself in trouble. So, the creatures are washing up in groups, running in pods?” Mikki asked.
“Again, that’s the theory.”
“So, they’re social. Could be intelligent.” Mikki’s gaze was tipped up at the screen. “Okay. So, the planet has a dwarf star, orange or red, not as hot as our sun. I understand the red coloring of the water, but why does the water look so thick and muddy? Is that some kind of fungal bloom? I would be concerned about oxygen and nitrogen levels in the water, especially close to shore. That could be affecting the animals. They could be suffocating.”
Rachel glanced up at her. “A surfer and now an exobiologist?”
Mikki shook her head. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I do know the ocean. As I said, environmental testing is my specialty. I worked for a private contractor that analyzed water samples for contamination and oversaw cleanup. I was part of the emergency response crews, specifically in Hawaii and along the West Coast. Oil spills, military pollutants, manufacturing emissions, sewer waste. We specialized in using bacteria and other natural solutions to clean up whatever mess we were sent to. In my free time I spearheaded the save-the-planet campaigns, like the whale ship fiasco that got me put in jail.”
“Impressive,” Rachel commented, then looked toward me and Trax. “Besides having brass balls, your mate is a scientist like us, Surnen. She’ll be an asset here. Might even need to hire her for this project because I’m a lab rat, a biochemist, but she knows environment science and ecology.” She cocked her head toward the image of Vulari’s ocean on the comm screen. “And that is so not my specialty.”
I didn’t know what brass balls were, and Rachel was clearly not a rodent, but I understood her meaning. My mate was very brave. And she knew a lot about natural systems, living systems. Of which The Colony had almost none. We were primarily a mining planet. The few scraggly shrubs that managed to cling to some kind of life in the soil were adapted to the harsh conditions found outside Base 3’s containment fields. There would be nothing for my mate to study here. Nothing to occupy her brilliant mind. And that would be a problem, would lead to Mikki becoming unhappy.
“If the water is as polluted as it appears, I’d love to help clean it up. That’s my jam.”
Rachel laughed. “We know.”
I cut in. “The water isn’t polluted. Valuri’s dwarf star does not emit white light in the same spectrum as your sun, mate.” I had studied much of Earth after the first human brides had begun to arrive.
“I understand that. But despite the color of that star, that water does not look right. Trust me. I’ve spent years of my life in the water, and that water isn’t just red. There’s something wrong there.” Her words rang true as curiosity and awe moved through the collars. So volatile, my mate. I was not going to be able to work this way. Her presence completely wrecked my concentration. I wasn’t Everian, but I could practically scent her. I knew she had my cum—Trax’s, too— deep inside her pussy. I still had the flavor of her on my tongue. My fingers tingled with the remembrance of her silky skin. My cock stirred remembering the tight clench of her inner walls as I made her scream.
I could not think straight with her in my presence. Neither would I be able to concentrate if she were elsewhere, for then I would wonder if she was well. Fuck, I was in trouble.
“A crew is heading over there in a few hours. You should come with us because we could really use your help.”
“Over… you mean you’re going to Valuri? Really?”
Rachel nodded.
“Yes!” Mikki practically clapped her hands with glee.
“No,” Trax and I said at the same time. Our responses were immediate.
My female was not leaving The Colony. I couldn’t handle allowing her out of the room, let alone off planet. “It’s not safe.”
“Oh, give me a break, Surnen,” Rachel said. “You can’t keep her locked up here. I know who she worked for, the company’s reputation. She could help us. Clearly she knows about water, about contamination. We could use her expertise and a fresh perspective.” Rachel’s words caused my mate to cross her arms and scowl at me in agreement. I was used to her naked, unused to her in the pants she wore with a long, flowing top. The soft material was cream colored but would soon be gray to match the color of her collar.
“I don’t doubt her abilities,” I replied and Trax nodded. “We have only recently learned of her extensive list of prior injuries. She could get hurt.”
“I’m not a child. I made it here all the way from Earth, didn’t I?” Simmering rage. That’s what was pinging me now, like needles in my mind as my mate’s ire grew. “I’m not a prisoner. Not anymore. I can probably help this planet and those poor sea creatures that are dying. I can’t just let them die without trying to help. It’s not my way.”
The longing in her voice nearly broke me, but it was Rachel’s next words that won Mikki her heart’s desire.
“She is your mate,” Rachel said, looking to both of us. “She must live her life, be useful here. Maxim and Ryston understood that, and you have to admit I’m useful.”
“You saved us all, Lady Rone.” I bowed to her now, not in mockery but out of respect. When Maxim had been reactivated by Hive frequencies being broadcast within medical, she had been the one to figure out what was going on. She had solved the puzzle and helped us unmask the traitor, Krael. Captain Brooks had died, but she had saved Maxim’s life, and the rest of us by proxy. Without her, the Hive would have invaded The Colony and reactivated each and every one of us. Used us in their war. Forced us to kill our friends and our allies.
She was a smart woman, knew exactly what she was doing. I couldn’t deny she’d been instrumental in saving lives. But this wasn’t just any life we were talking about. This was Mikki. My mate. My life. My heart and hope and future. Already she was everything.
“You can’t deny, as a scientist, that we need her skill set for this project. The timing of her arrival couldn’t be better. I spent my working life in a pharmaceutical lab, not out in the field. You have to let her go with the crew today.”
Then she said the one sentence that I couldn’t deny.
“I need her help.” Rachel stood and placed a hand on Mikki’s shoulder. “I need her brain. Seriously, Surnen. We need her in the field.”
I sighed, looked to Trax. I felt his concern but also his understanding. We were going to have to let Mikki out of our sight. I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon after her arrival.