Behr's Rebel: featuring the prequel Raia's Pets Read online

  “Your ship was the bright light,” she guessed.

  Ander nodded. “The opening I saw turned out to be a road. Your father was traveling down it. I barely pulled up in time to miss smashing into his vehicle, but he lost control and went over the side of a bridge. I landed a short distance away. I found the vehicle upside down in a shallow riverbed. Your father was killed instantly, but you were protected by the carrier you were strapped into. Once I saw your father and you, I knew I was in unknown territory,” he explained.

  She stared down at the image of her biological father. Her finger brushed against the tattered edge of the photo. She pulled it out. It was a photograph of the man, the woman she remembered, and herself as a baby. A wave of sadness filled her, but also curiosity about the woman.

  “Why didn’t you leave me?” she asked, looking up at him.

  Ander’s expression softened. “It was freezing cold out and my sensors showed no buildings or other forms of life suitable to leave you with for miles around. If I had left you, you would have died. I gathered what I could and took you back to my ship. I monitored the area for a few days as I worked on my ship, but no one came. If they had, I would have returned you to a place where you could have been found. Once I had the ship repaired, I decided to take you with me,” he confessed in a gruff tone.

  “Why?” she asked, touching his arm.

  He looked down at her. She stepped into his embrace again when he wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back.

  “You got under my skin in a way nothing else ever had. You were my most treasured find, Raia. You always have been and you always will be,” he said.

  She laid her cheek against his chest. “I love you, Ander,” she murmured.

  “It isn’t much, but these are all the things I salvaged from the vehicle,” he said.

  “Ander…?” she whispered.

  “Yes, love?” he said.

  “Thank you for not leaving me behind,” she said in a voice filled with emotion.

  “Never, girl. I would go to the farthest galaxies and back for you,” he promised.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Raia shifted the heavy box in her arms and slowly walked to her cabin. Ander patted her on the shoulder as he continued back to the bridge. She adjusted the box, pressing it against the wall, and waved her hand across the display panel. She had demanded that Ander install one after he accidentally walked in on her changing clothes a few months ago.

  She grinned at the memory. Ander’s shocked expression, combined with his clumsy and startled retreat, still made her laugh. It was the first time she had ever seen the huge Tearnat literally tripping over his tail. The evening meal had been a little awkward.

  She tightened her grip on the box and stepped into her cabin when the door slid open. This was the only spot on the ship that was all hers. Trinkets from all over the star systems filled her room. She had strung together her collection of tiny crystals along one wall. On another wall, she had mounted plaster casts embedded with the scales from the dragons found on Valdier. She had placed knickknacks from each of the spaceports on shelves on each side of her bathroom.

  Dropping the box on her bed, she sat down on the edge. She moved aside the heavy book Ander had given her and opened the box. She paused, her hand in midair, when she noticed her big red fluffy pillow was missing.

  Raia slowly lowered the lid to the bed and stood. This time, she took her time looking around her room. One of her jade figurines was missing from the top shelf. She walked over and touched the two remaining figurines. There used to be three Tasiers: a mommy, a daddy, and a baby. The baby was missing.

  “Son of a—” she muttered.

  There were six pieces missing from her various collections, but more than a dozen were moved. What didn’t make any sense was that some of her more valuable pieces were left untouched. A scraping noise from behind sent a shaft of alarm through her. Whoever took her stuff was still in the room.

  She felt around on the shelf next to her until she found the heavy iron sculpture of a Sarafin cat shifter in mid-transformation. Gripping it tightly, she held it out in front of her. She stared at the entrance to the bathroom.

  “You’d better come out now!” she ordered.

  She gaped in surprise when she heard the toilet flush followed by the sound of running water. She held the sculpture with both hands and slid along the wall toward the door leading out of her cabin. Whoever was here must have snuck on at the Spaceport.

  She flinched when she heard a noise behind her. Near the door, she twisted around and hit a fragile crystal vase that Ander had given her last year for her birthday. It fell off the table, but before she could grab it, it floated out of her reach and landed back onto the table.

  “What the Dragon’s balls?” Raia cursed.

  A movement out of the corner of her eye made her turn around again. She gawked in astonishment when the items in the box on her bed began to spill over the side as if they had a life of their own. Completely intrigued instead of afraid now, she placed the iron sculpture on the desk and walked back over to her bed.

  “You!” she breathed, staring down at the tan and white fur ball that had gotten her into trouble back on the spaceport.

  She reached out and grabbed the rag doll as it rose out of the box. Her legs almost gave out under her when a small black and white fluff ball floated by. She stared at the small creature she had rescued as it floated upside down past her before plopping down on her pillow with a squeal of delight.

  “Both of you— I… you can— Oh, boy! I’m going to be in so much trouble with Ander,” she breathed out with a shake of her head before she burst out laughing.

  The tan and white fur ball was now peering over the edge of the box. On its head it wore a pair of pink, animal-pattern underpants.

  Raia reached down to pull the brightly colored bloomers off the creature’s head. When she touched it, a swift tingling feeling engulfed her, and she glanced back and forth between the two creatures on her bed. Images flashed through her mind. She kept looking back and forth between the creatures, trying to understand which one was sending her the images. As the pictures became clearer, she began to understand the broken bits of language mixed in with them. It took her a minute to piece the words together.

  “Chimaigchi tie mol lot,” ‘You speak Chimaigchi!’ she repeated in a shocked tone.

  Chummy nodded. We speak many languages, he replied.

  Pi continued going through the items in the box. She reached for the leather wallet and opened it. Raia watched with a bemused expression as the inquisitive creature began pulling items out of the slim pockets.

  “Who— what are you… and you?” she asked, looking back and forth between the two animals.

  Chummy rolled into a sitting position and tilted his head. I Chummy. That Pi. She a Marica Peekaboo, he responded with a grin.

  “Chummy—and Pi. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Marica Peekaboo before,” she mused, looking at the black and white furry creature that was now fluffing her pillow. “What species are you?”

  I a Quazin Chumloo, Chummy answered.

  Raia looked back and forth between the two, then she leaned over and rescued the items Pi had pulled out of the wallet. She didn’t have a clue what she was going to do with the two creatures. Ander was sure to have a fit when he saw them.

  “What are you doing here?” she finally asked.

  Pi poked her head up over the side of the box again and stared at her with wide, somber eyes. Raia watched as the Marica Peekaboo clambered over the side of the box, holding the picture of her biological parents and her as a young child in tiny fingers. Pi scooted over to her on three legs and climbed onto her lap.

  Chummy walked across the bed and touched her arm with his paw. You family now, he said mentally.

  Raia gulped when she saw flashes of herself and the two creatures. These images were different—They were together somewhere that she didn’t recognize. It was like she was seeing h
erself in the future.

  “I’ve got to tell Ander about you guys,” she whispered.

  Pi snorted and pulled the colorful bloomers back on her head with both of her ears sticking out of the leg openings. Chummy retrieved the rag doll and retreated to the pillow. She looked down at the picture Pi had pulled out of the wallet.

  Family. It was just me and Ander. Now— she shook her head.

  “This is not the birthday I was expecting,” she muttered as she rose from the bed and started cleaning up the mess Pi had made. “I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to tell Ander about you guys. At least by then we’ll be too far away to turn around.”

  The sound of low twin snores greeted her statement. Both creatures were sound asleep on her pillow. Chummy was sprawled out on his back with one paw tucked around the old rag doll while Pi was curled up against his side with one ear twitching through the opening of the bloomer. She shook her head and slid the box under her bed. Gathering her nightclothes, she retreated to the bathroom.

  “Ander is going to love this,” she muttered.

  Ander checked the long-distance sensors for the hundredth time since leaving the Spaceport. So far, so good. They weren’t being tracked at the moment, which meant if he was lucky, no one knew about the object he had secretly received.

  He muttered under his breath as a twinge of guilt swept through him. His gift to Raia hadn’t been completely honest. He knew if he gave Raia a book from her world—one that belonged to her biological father—that she would keep it. The artifact hidden in the spine of the book was another matter.

  He doubted anyone would think to tear the book apart. The artifact hidden inside would be better lost than in the hands of the Marastin Dow Ruling Council that was probably searching for it.

  He regretted not being able to explore the origins of the artifact in greater depth until a later time. The message on the tiny folded scrap of paper included with the crystal was ambiguous and clear to him at the same time.

  Don’t ask questions. Don’t mention the item to anyone. Hide it at all costs. Millions of lives depend on it.

  The message promised danger, and he would never purposely expose Raia to that if he could help it. He softly groaned and shook his head as he realized he had done exactly that by hiding the crystal in the book he had given her. First thing in the morning, he would retrieve the book, remove the crystal, and hide it someplace far away from her.

  Berman, what in the name of the stars have you gotten me into this time? he wondered, staring out into space.

  He and the Marastin Dow had crossed paths many times through their shared interest in history, but Ander had left behind the dangerous – and infinitely more lucrative – expeditions after Raia had come into his life, and that had meant leaving behind Berman.

  He tiredly ran a hand down his face, then set the ship on auto-pilot and rose from his seat. Exiting the bridge, he strode back to the galley. He needed a cup of tea to help soothe the nagging feeling of impending doom knotting his stomach.

  He sighed loudly as he brewed a cup of Mythroot. This was one of the few items a replicator could never do justice in recreating. Brewing it the old-fashioned way in the antiquated tea kettle he had purchased years ago always gave him a sense of pleasure and calm.

  “Berman, what have you found? And how much trouble is it going to cause?” he murmured, trying to decipher the mystery.

  He poured the tea into a tall mug. Turning to the right, he opened the tall, cold storage unit.

  “Trinorsis helo!” he exclaimed, jumping back nearly a foot.

  He stared in disbelief at a small tan and white creature holding his favorite milk. It looked back at him with large eyes. He gritted his teeth together when the creature’s tongue made a slow pass along its upper lip, cleaning the thick and creamy liquid that had formed a small white mustache.

  “Oh, no, you don’t! How in the name of Tearraid did you get on my ship?” he demanded.

  He reached out to grab the creature, but it disappeared before he could wrap his hand around its neck. Thankfully, he caught the jug of milk before it spilled. He righted the container, closed the door, and whirled around, scanning the kitchen. He gaped, his mouth open wide, when he saw another creature, this one with black and white markings covering its body.

  “You miserable rodent. That’s my tea!” he snapped.

  The creature was lapping up the tea. He strode forward and grabbed his mug, holding it protectively between his palms. The sound of crunching made him scowl with annoyance. He jerked open the cabinet above the counter. The disappearing fur ball from the cold storage unit was now devouring the special cookies that Willia had given him. He reached in and tried to take the bag from the creature.

  “Those are mine!” he growled, tugging on the bag.

  He cursed again when the bag ripped. He watched in horror as his prized cookies were tossed into the air. The horror turned to aggravation when the hot tea in his hand splashed out, soaking his shirt and heating the scales on his chest. He stumbled back several feet, holding the mug of steaming liquid at arm’s length.

  Stunned disbelief flashed through him when the cookies danced in midair before floating upward. The black and white creature stepped off the counter and hovered in the air—plucking the cookies out of it and munching on them while the other creature resumed its foraging in the cabinet.

  The moment of surprise gave him time to study the two creatures again. They looked vaguely familiar, like he had seen them before, but couldn’t quite put his finger on what they were. The tan and white one disappeared and reappeared in several places. He pursed his lips when he saw it sitting at the dining table with the jug of milk between its hands.

  He smiled in amusement as the names of the creatures finally hit him. “Marica Peekaboo—and you are a—Quazin Chumloo,” he finally said.

  The two creatures paused and studied him before resuming their destruction of his galley. Well—more like their attack on his favorite food and beverage. He shook his head. He had heard of both species—even seen a Marica Peekaboo once in the wild. The Marica Peekaboo were damn near impossible to capture. He realized why now. The damn things could teleport!

  He turned his attention to the Quazin Chumloo. Those were exceedingly rare. He had only seen holograms of them. Their ability to blend in with their natural surroundings was part of the reason, but he suspected the massive destruction of their habitat nearly a century ago was the biggest issue. He had been a part of the team sent to petition the Curizan Royal family to protect the creatures—even though the team he was on wasn’t sure if any still existed. Now there was one floating in his galley.

  “Warning. Long range sensors have detected two vessels approaching at a rapid speed. Vessel identification—eighty-five percent accuracy Class V Marastin Dow Battle cruisers,” the tinny voice of the computer warned.

  “Raia!” he roared as he tossed his partially filled mug into the sink.

  Turning on his heel, he sprinted out of the galley and back to the bridge. “Raia! Wake up, girl. We’ve got company,” he bellowed.

  “I’m coming,” she breathlessly called from her cabin door behind him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  While Raia hurriedly dressed, adrenaline flowed through her, causing her heart to race. After she was ready, she jogged down the corridor in the direction of the bridge, skidding to a brief stop when she glanced through the door of the galley and saw Pi and Chummy. She cursed and shook her head.

  “For once, I hope you are the company he is yelling about,” she muttered.

  “Raia! We have two Marastin Dow warships approaching fast,” Ander yelled.

  It felt like her heart dropped to her stomach. She pulled her gaze away from her two new furry friends and took off running for the bridge. Throwing herself into the co-pilot seat, she scanned the display.

  “Can we outrun them?” she breathlessly asked.

  Ander shook his head. “Not at the speed they are approaching. Our best hope is
to get to the jump gate thirty clicks from here. If we can pass through it before they catch us, I can deploy some energy decoys,” he grimly answered.

  She wiped her damp palms against her pant legs. “Are there any Curizan warships nearby? We aren’t that far from Sanapare. Surely, they should have one close to keep all the wealthy patrons safe from attacks,” she suggested.

  “There might be. Send out a distress alert,” Ander said.

  She reached for the communication display and pulled it up. “This is the Explorer’s Adventure requesting immediate support. We are being pursued by two Marastin Dow warships in Curizan airspace. Again, this is the Explorer’s Adventure requesting help. We are being pursued by two Marastin Dow warships in Curizan controlled space,” she said.

  “Explorer’s Adventure, this is the Curizan Battle Cruiser Dark Nebula. We have received your request and are locking onto your position,” came the immediate response.

  Raia almost melted back in her seat with relief. “We are approaching Jump Gate 58735. We are….” She looked at Ander.

  “Twenty-five clicks,” he said.

  “We are twenty-five clicks from the gate,” she repeated.

  “Maintain your progress. Please be advised that we are one hundred clicks from your position,” the Dark Nebula communication tech replied.

  “Please hurry,” she whispered, watching the images of the two Marastin Dow ships on the tracking screen growing larger.