He couldn’t count on anything like that here. Aboard this ship, he was alone in a hostile environment, even with his AI companion. Taking in a measured breath, Azazel forced down the tumult churning inside him until his head cleared. Finally, his inner battle was under control.
With a cleansing breath, he glanced at the bot. “JR14, have you determined the best way for us to go?”
“Affirmative,” the bot replied. “I have two scenarios for your consideration. First: An efficient route through secondary maintenance corridors will reduce travel time to the female by 23.7%. This path minimizes exposure to Krystalii surveillance and increases mission success probability.” JR14’s wings fluttered before setting back into his exoskeleton. “Second: A detour through auxiliary ventilation shafts reduces exposure by 37% and decreases travel time by 18.4%. Recommend immediate course adjustment to optimize retrieval efficiency.”
Azazel considered the possibilities. Traveling through the maintenance corridors might let them slip by any surveillance systems, but then there could be Krystalii crew members using them. Going through the ventilation shafts offered a better chance of them getting to the woman faster and with less hassle.
No contest. Faster with less hassle was better. And it would help him keep his inner beast from getting out of hand and dividing his attention.
“Okay,kalu.” Azazel used his nickname for the bot to relieve some of the tension he carried. And maybe, just maybe, if he was less formal with the little android, it would be easier for the sentient AI to develop some human-like tendencies. “Let’s go with option number two… into a ventilation system that I can fit in. Lead the way.”
“Excellent choice,ocua. I concur.” The droid’s iridescent wings slid out from under their protective panels and buzzed to lift him off Azazel’s shoulder. “Follow me, as I’ve determined the applicable system you should utilize.”
Azazel tilted his head to glance at the bot. “Ocua? I’m not familiar with that word.”
“Ocuais an abbreviation for ‘organic command unit A’ designated for optimal efficiency,” replied JR14. “Your status as primary organic directive source requires precise classification for streamlined reference. ‘Azazel’ lacks function-specific clarity and processing efficiency. This designation, therefore, aligns with mission protocol: identification, command hierarchy, and purpose.”
Azazel stifled a groan. “Let’s just stick to our names, okay?”
“Understood, Azazel.”
Was that a touch of impatience in the bot’s tone? One could only hope.
“Reverting to original designation protocol.” JR14 continued in his metallic monotone. “However, retainingkalufor optimal mission cohesion, as per your directive.”
Azazel watched the figure of the small bot zip ahead of him. He placed each step in a calculated rhythm to keep him hidden from the sensors aboard the Krystalii ship. With a clear goal to focus on, he could push aside the volatile part of himself, now quiet deep inside where it belonged.
What more could he ask for?
Toni’s awareness crawled back in waves. First, the sound of a low, mechanical hum. Then she noticed the sharp, metallic quality of the atmosphere, tinged with something acidic, like burned circuitry or hot wires. Her body felt heavy, making it hard to take a deep breath. When she tried to sit up, the restraints on her wrists and ankles bit into her skin. Blinking against the dim, shifting light, it dawned on her she was no longer on the decrepit transport ship where that hairy, six-armed freak put her. The air was colder here, more sterile. Faint reflections of light danced across the polished walls as a bluish light overhead cast fractured shadows that whirled above her like restless spirits. Her pulse quickened as she scanned the jagged room—some surfaces sleek, others razor-sharp. The walls refractured like broken glass reaching for the faintest light.
A chill crept up her spine from the icy surface beneath her. She shifted, but the firm restraints held. Their edges were oddly warm against the numbing chill of the air. Her breath fogged in the cold.
Her eyes darted to the bluish glow of the ceiling. Above her was a lattice of thin, crystalline veins that pulsated, their rhythm erratic. A slight movement in the corner of her eye made her stiffen. One of the translucent walls rippled, bending it in strange, fragmented patterns that shifted. Her stomach churned. She clenched her fists against the cuffs, but the slick edges of their glassy, unyielding grip held her tight as something moved behind her. A faint crackle sounded, as if glass splintered. She tried to turn, but her head didn’t move on the hard slab. Her skin itched. An unsettling sensation of being watched tickled the back of her neck.
“Ah, the genetic source is awake at last,” a deep, resonant voice said.
The grating, masculine tone sent chills racing down her spine. The voice carried an unsettling mix of curiosity and arrogant menace.
She darted her gaze to the side.
A towering figure emerged from the shadows, his jagged crystalline body catching the ambient light. Each movement he made was slow and deliberate. The various shades of blue in the massive creature’s form emitted a faint, rhythmic glow. The alien exuded an unearthly presence, as though the very air around him bent to his will.
Toni’s breath hitched and her eyes widened as she locked onto his gaze. His eyes—if they could even be called that—were unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Multifaceted and clear, they shimmered with an eerie, shifting light that danced between icy blue and deep indigo. Each movement of those orbs refracted into rainbows, like shards of shattered glass suspended in motion.
But it wasn’t their beauty that froze her in place—it was the greasy depth they carried. Staring into those crystalline voids felt like falling into an endless frozen landscape. Something ancient… and hungry. The light within them pulsed faintly when they narrowed on her. She was sure he wasn’t just watching her but dissecting her, finding her wanting. Her throat tightened. Those weren’t eyes. They were weapons.
Swallowing, she took in the looming monster. He didn’t wear clothes in the human sense of the word, yet his presence was anything but bare. A shimmering mantle of crystalline shards cascaded from his broad shoulders, catching the faint, flickering light and throwing it into a storm of fractured rainbows. It flowed with an unnatural elegance, as though alive, its edges razor-sharp and glinting with every subtle movement.
Bands of intricately carved crystal coiled around his wrists and chest, barbed and brutal, etched with alien symbols that hummed with power. They didn’t look like adornments but rather extensions of his jagged, apatite body, fused as if they’d grown there. A crown-like structure framed his head, its spiked edges radiating an unrelenting authority, casting faint, menacing shadows against the polished walls.
The creature was both awe-inspiring and chilling with the awe-defining characteristics of theRakshasain Korea, a demonic being who opposed the gods and disrupted the natural order. He didn’t just rule—he embodied omnipotence itself.
“Where?” She coughed. “Who…” Her voice cracked, making her struggle to form words. Her throat was dry, with the lingering gag marks still fresh against her chapped lips.
“I am the supreme power of the Krystalii, Lord Baelon.” The crystal brute waved a careless hand around him. “As a lower form of sentience, you, a genetic subject of interest, may address me as Savant Lord.” His sneer was palpable. “Human female, you are aboard my vessel, theNyrlith.Your only purpose is to uncover the priceless ability your species appears to have in adapting to alien races. Not only to breed with them, but to transform your very nature into something other than your own.”
Toni clenched her jaw, refusing to comment on his outlandish suggestion. The idea that she could somehow breed with his kind was laughable. Her heart pounded as his towering form moved closer, each step sending faint tremors through the floor.
