Inheriting War Read online

  Alia and the hybrid Saya-Rrassic were doing amazing work in seeking out the areas where the Voboth were planning ambushes. They just made it their mission to get hybrid troops there first.

  Remi watched her screens and sent orders to get the backup ships into the best positions for disabling the Voboth ships. They wanted to capture one of the hierarchy, and rumor had it that there was a Yoboth on one of the vessels.

  “Scan the ships. Look for the target. Check for captured species.”

  When the ships were still moving forward but had no power, the Hunted Heart was moved to attach to the main vessel. Matching the speed was easy for her pilot, but Sreena had always been good at special navigation.

  They docked lightly, and Remi got up, arming herself for a walk through the Voboth vessel.

  She put on her breather and comlinks, smiling as she heard, “Kromir is ordering you to be safe.”

  She laughed. “He does remember that I outrank him, right?”

  “He says he doesn’t give a rat’s ass.” The com officer chuckled.

  “Excellent. Excuse me. I have to earn my keep.” She went down to the point of connection, and she slid down the ladder, into the captured vessel.

  Remi pulled out her batons and walked with six of her crewmen through the dark halls of the ship. Life signs were up ahead, and she saw the wobble that indicated Voboth.

  She didn’t run toward the signals. She walked deliberately and confidently until the Voboth tried to jump her little group. At that point, she used the electroshock in her batons and then unleashed decades of combat training until she had broken the neck of the attacker.

  Once her opponent was disabled, she assisted her crew and sent the injured member back to the ship.

  They searched the ship, level by level. The Yoboth was found on one of the shuttles. The message came through the coms, and Remi acknowledged it. There were still life signs on the ship, and they weren’t going to leave them to die in the darkness.

  Remi noted the strong burn of the life signs, and she whispered, “Not Voboth.”

  The crew behind her acknowledged, and they changed their postures from defensive to on guard.

  Remi found the door and used a digital lock pick to open it.

  As the door slid past, the biosignatures rushed toward it. Remi stood to one side and simply stuck out her foot.

  Three men fell out, one on top of the other.

  Remi crouched and examined the one that landed on top, and she blinked. Handsome, charcoal skin, and rich silver hair. His ears were as pointed as hers were, but she didn’t recognize the species.

  “Hello.” She spoke calmly.

  The men struggled to their feet and took up defensive postures. She straightened and looked at them curiously. They were tall, but they had the lean body type of adolescents. The first of them looked at her with crimson eyes. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  She smiled. “We are the Rrassic. We are here to fight the Voboth. Who are you?”

  They were speaking English, which was slightly confusing, but as all of the hybrids spoke it, it made communication easy.

  The first male cleared his throat. “I am Prince Keigo. The Voboth have been holding me for ransom.”

  Remi contacted Alia and asked her to seek out verification.

  “What is your species?”

  “Limoor. We are from Limoor.”

  Alia’s mental voice was clear. Fourth planet on the Voboth attack plan.

  “You are reading my surface thoughts.”

  The prince blinked. “How did you notice?”

  “The language you chose.” She nodded. “Right. Back to the ship. We will get you home.”

  The prince was surprised. “You will?”

  “We will. Our people face the same enemy. Getting you home might be a good step toward a diplomatic relationship. Come this way.”

  She walked, and from behind, one of them blurted, “You are a female!”

  She grinned and kept walking. Two of the crew bracketing them were also female. It was going to be a bit of a shock.

  She climbed up the ladder and was lifted up and to the side. “Kromir, what the hell are you doing here?”

  He growled and removed her breathing mask. “I arrived half an hour ago only to be told that you were doing your own sweep of the ship below.”

  She was pinned up against him with one of his wings blocking their view from the rest of the crew. “It was necessary. We only had one casualty. Yimith twisted his ankle in combat.”

  He growled low and pressed his head to hers.

  “Excuse me. Are you the commander of this vessel?” Prince Keigo was next to them. He was addressing Kromir.

  He shook his head. “I am an examiner for the Rrassic council.”

  He reluctantly released Remi. She chuckled.

  “My mate is General Remi Bree-Arix, hybrid siren of the Rrassic.”

  The prince was confused. “She cannot be in charge.”

  Remi was amused. “Why not?”

  “You are female. Females are to be protected.”

  She sighed and stepped around to face him. She grabbed him by twisting her fists in his tunic and lifted him above her head. She held him there for thirty seconds until he started squirming. “If you want to see what the hybrid Rrassic can do, you are welcome to join combat practice in the atrium.”

  The crew took the three aliens away to guest quarters.

  Kromir was sheepish. “I am sorry. I was worried.”

  “Well, you will have to get over it. We are at war, and I was bred for this position. My life and my actions are not my own. I must and will carry things through. Now, we have to get those Limoor home.”

  Kromir paused. “Limoor?”

  “Yes. Prince Keigo is of the Limoor.”

  He kissed her quickly. “Excellent. The Rrassic have been trying to open discussions with them for a decade. You might have just stumbled upon the key.”

  She grabbed him by the back of the neck and held him to her to return the kiss before whispering, “Stumbled my ass. This mission has yielded a Yoboth and an in with a new species. Humanity was always good at war; us hybrids are going to take it to a new level.”

  She felt the internal giggle that was Alia’s, and she batted her cousin away. This moment was all hers. They had inherited war, and she was going to enjoy that inheritance.

  Author’s Note

  So, it looks like the war has started while the series ends. But, do I want to write a new series about the hybrids and their adventures? Really?

  Do the readers want it? A new series is annoying for most folks, and I have been trying to finish things up.

  I will let folks decide. Find the Viola’s Readers group on Facebook and let me know.

  This could be a long-running series. There will be a lot of hybrids and even more Rrassic and new species to find love in the stars with. I suppose that I will depend on the readers to decide. My editor is all for a new series and is laughing at me for backing myself into a corner. Look for it in late 2019.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

  In real life, she now is engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.

  Table of Contents

  Other Books in This Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter F
ive

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author