Gigi Read Free Page A

Some resembled the female warriors, but for the most part they were small and frail.
    He prepared to enter the atmosphere, then located a sparsely populated area in one of the dominant countries. He based his decision on the fact most of the information he’d gathered was in a language called English. He uploaded the language, syncing it to the onboard translators. He wanted to communicate with his subjects as soon as possible.
    He’d just reached a wooded area containing a female life sign when the red alert activated. The wormhole was collapsing. Pendo’rahns engaged their science ship on the other side. T’zaal knew he had to grab the female in a hard swoop. There was no time to waste. His only viable specimen might not survive the transport process.
    The female rode atop a large animal. Pity he hadn’t time to gather the beast. He was starving, but his mission was more important than hunger. He had great plans for her, if she survived. At last there was the chance to prove his theories. He’d always argued the bio weapon used on Pendo’rah made the females better warriors. Without the distraction of passion, they’d become more aggressive. He planned to use this female as a template to restore their sex drive.
    For years, he’d been the laughingstock of his colony. No one respected his research or his unconventional views. Soon he’d prove everyone wrong when he unleashed his chemical weapon. Long story short, T’zaal bet biology rather than arms would be their downfall.
    It went better than expected. No one spotted the ship. Their detection methods were at least two hundred years behind. The female was now submerged in gly-urq. Unfortunately, when he returned to the rendezvous point the cruiser and scout ships had been destroyed by the Pendo’rahns.
    The wormhole had become unstable. He maneuvered the ship to coincide with the Pendo’rahn cruisers reentry. Luck was on his side. After the cruisers initiated interlocking procedures, it gave him a chance to slip by unnoticed.
    On the other side things weren’t better. Everything was gone. The colony and most of his research was now debris inside the nebula. Self-destruction was the preferred choice when a colony was about to be boarded. The overlords often sacrificed the entire ship rather than become prisoners. He was now more determined to find a way to defeat his enemy.
    T’zaal recalibrated the ship’s sensors and looked for a particular piece of equipment. This one was cleverly disguised as an escape pod. In reality it was a miniature version of a quantum generator. While the other scientists wanted to build bigger weapons, he perfected small ones. If the overlord had heeded his warnings the colony would still be around.
    To protect the pod, he’d programmed it with triple shielding and an independent power source. Even if its power failed, the shield would still be operational. He was counting on it, and wasn’t surprised when the sensors picked up the faint energy signature.
    T’zaal maneuvered his scout ship closer, then opened the hatch. He aimed a laser net and pulled the pod inside. Who’s paranoid now , he thought, remembering how his colleagues often called him that. After a thorough scan came back clean, he set a course for the badlands.
    All he needed now was a male subject to test his theory. He knew exactly where to look. T’zaal was very familiar with his male subject. He was a creature of habit. He needed to channel his aggression. The fight pits were the place for him to do it without calling undue attention to himself.
    The badlands were a collection of asteroids on the outer ream of the O’nuryan Galaxy. Some joined together through a hodgepodge of technology. They were mainly mined for their ore, but most of it was depleted. Its sole purpose now was to house the twin galaxies’ most wanted. The hollowed-out caverns contained fight pits, surrogate dens and illegal repositories.
     Soon after the Kreeh-nosh had abandoned the mining