The Gorison Traveler Incident (Veslor Mates #1) Read online

  The Gorison Traveler Incident

  Veslor Mates – Book One

  By Laurann Dohner

  The Gorison Traveler Incident

  by Laurann Dohner

  Vivian is a cultural specialist on the United Earth fleet ship Gorison Traveler. It’s the perfect job for someone who wants to learn everything about aliens. The only problem? The commander won’t let her anywhere near the visiting Ke’ters aboard the ship. The only way she gets a peek at the lizard-like race is when her brother opens a live camera feed during a meeting—a meeting that turns tragic when the Ke’ters attack the crew.

  She’s horrified. Scared. The Ke’ters are murdering her people. Rushing from her quarters to get help from a control center, Vivian finds the station abandoned. It’s all on her to try to rescue the crew.

  Brassi is a Veslor trader who picks up a distress signal from a nearby space vessel. The attractive female who contacts him looks terrified, and needs his help. He’ll board the Gorison Traveler with his crewmates, and fight the Ke’ters, but the longer he spends on the huge Earth vessel, the greater distraction Vivian becomes. Brassi will do whatever it takes to save her…and to discover if Vivian’s his mate.

  Veslor Mates Series List

  The Gorison Traveler Incident

  The Gorison Traveler Incident by Laurann Dohner

  Copyright © March 2019

  Editor: Kelli Collins

  Cover Art: Dar Albert

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-950597-00-0

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal, except for the case of brief quotations in reviews and articles.

  Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  The Gorison Traveler Incident

  Veslor Mates – Book One

  By Laurann Dohner

  Chapter One

  Vivian grinned, staring at Mikey over the vid device. “You know this is going to be the most boring meeting ever.”

  “You should come join me.”

  “No, thank you. I’ve had to sit through too many of those security team leader meetings. That’s why I became a cultural specialist.”

  “Dad wouldn’t have kept you with him at all times as a teenager if you hadn’t gotten into so much trouble.”

  She laughed. “True enough. Aren’t you glad I’m all grown up now?”

  “I’m just glad you’re back home where you belong. We missed you while you were gone.”

  She’d missed her adopted brother and father, too. She’d been thrilled when she’d finished her schooling and gotten hired to work with them on the Gorison Traveler, as her first official job.

  He shifted in his seat. “Dad’s on his way.”

  “Tell Big M hello for me when you get a chance. I guess it’s time to end our conversation.”

  Mikey flashed her a mischievous look. “You don’t want to see what the Ke’ters look like? Dad sent a notice that a small group of them were joining us. He didn’t want anyone to be alarmed at the sight of them.”

  Excitement suddenly had her heart racing. “Why are they at a team leader debriefing?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe they’re curious to find out how we keep everyone safe, or how we run things on a vessel this large? Who knows. But they’re here.” He turned his handheld vid device enough for her to get a view of the large room. Dozens of men and women in security uniforms were seated in rows in front of him, and she saw her adopted father walk into the room with six large aliens.

  A delegation for the Ke’ters had boarded the Gorison Traveler at the Branston Space Station ten days earlier. Vivian’s duties included profiling and interacting with alien races, but Commander Alderson had banned her from going anywhere near their important guests. It hadn’t surprised her. She was new to the job, had breasts, and he held a grudge that her family association to Big M, the ship’s head of security, had procured her the job.

  She still fumed that she had been ordered to stay far away from their alien guests. The Ke’ters were a mostly unknown race, currently trying to gain an alliance with United Earth. It would have been an amazing opportunity to study them and share whatever she’d learned with her fellow cultural specialists.

  The Ke’ters had approached Commander Alderson on the space station after being introduced by the station director, a friend of his, who’d vouched for their trustworthiness. Vivian guessed the real reason the commander had agreed was to score points with the higher-ups. He could gain a huge promotion if he talked the Ke’ters into giving up some of their technology. Rumor had it they were advanced in weaponry.

  Mikey lowered his voice, whispering, “They’re big…and they kind of remind me of Pete.”

  She shushed him. Pete was Mikey’s pet iguana. She silently agreed, though. The Ke’ters were a reptilian race with thick arms and legs. They walked upright, but were lizard-like otherwise. Black claws dominated the ends of their three long fingers and one thumb-like hooked appendage that came out of what would be the palm area of their hands, if they’d been human. The Ke’ters also had wide heads attached to slim, long necks. Their uniforms covered most of their skin, but the exposed scales appeared dense.

  “Everyone, quiet down.” Big M took the podium, the room going silent. “I’d like to introduce you to Krrnt Sheesk. He’s the ambassador we’re hosting, and he’d like to say a few words.”

  Vivian appreciated that Mikey kept their link open, the camera focused on the aliens. It was the only way she’d get to see them while they were aboard. One of them stepped closer to Big M. Her adopted father was tall for a human, but the alien next to him stood taller, putting him around six and a half feet.

  “We are grateful you let us on your ship.” The translator device strapped around Krrnt Sheesk’s throat provided a robotic male voice. Their natural language was just clicks and hisses to human ears. “And now we will show our appreciation.” He paused, turning his head to glance at the others in his group. “Humans are a naive race—but tasty.”

  Vivian gasped when the aliens suddenly lunged forward, aiming for the rows of security officers.

  But her focus remained on Krrnt Sheesk as he grabbed ahold of Big M and threw him hard at the wall.

  Mikey cursed, the vid device moving fast enough that the reception on it blurred. She got flashes of laser blasts hitting the Ke’ters but they didn’t fall or slow their attacks. It was clear the weapons couldn’t pierce their scales. Damage occurred to their uniforms only.

  Mikey backed up, his weapon still firing.

  “Vivian, alert the commander!”

  She was too shocked to respond, still watching as the aliens leapt on security officers, taking them to the floor and ripping open their bellies.

  More screams and shouting. The laser fire almost drowning his next words.

  “Dad! They killed Dad!”

  She shoved out of her chair and rushed to the wall panel next to her door, hitting the button for security.

  A calm male voice answered. “Wh
at is your emergency?”

  “The Ke’ters are attacking everyone at the team leader debriefing. They’re killing them!”

  “What?”

  “I’m watching it! Big M is dead! Oh my god. Send security! Help them. The Ke’ters are murdering everyone!”

  “This better not be a joke.” He sounded upset though, his voice raising to almost a shout.

  “Help them!”

  He ended the call, and she rushed back to her desk where her vid device sat. Mikey had retreated to the back of the room, still firing on the aliens.

  “Help is coming. Hang on, Mikey!”

  He turned his vid device, and Vivien stared into his shocked eyes. “Get to Control One. Lock in,” he ordered. His gaze left hers—then terror flashed across his face.

  Something hit him and the vid device went flying. It landed on the floor.

  All she could see was the ceiling…but she heard screams, shouting, and more laser fire.

  Forever seemed to pass but it had to be less than a minute in reality. It grew eerily quiet, with only some low moans and hissing sounds.

  Was Mikey alive?

  She sat there in stunned silence, afraid to say a word. They’d hear her if they were close enough to the open vid device. Ke’ters had excellent hearing. It was one of the few known facts about them.

  “We take the ship,” a robotic voice stated, soft, but she was able to hear it. “We will bring our planet plenty of food.”

  Horror seeped into her bones, making Vivian feel ice-cold.

  They were talking about people. Krrnt Sheesk had said humans were tasty. There were six hundred and twenty-three humans aboard the ship.

  Vivian reached out, ended the connection and ran for the wall safe. Big M had given her a laser rifle. He’d also taught her self-defense and various fighting methods in the hopes she’d one day become a security officer.

  The rifle wouldn’t do her much good. She’d seen how ineffective lasers had been on the aliens. But she removed her dad’s tactical blade and belt. Big M had presented them to her at the funeral of his best friend, her father. She’d never used it, but Big M had trained her with knives, too.

  She walked to the door, strapping on the too-large belt to sheathe the blade, and flipped on the monitor that showed the corridor beyond. No one waited outside and no other crew members were in sight.

  She gripped the handle of the blade and opened the door, stepping out.

  Control One was four decks up and on the other side of the ship.

  Her heart pounded as she made her way to the lift and pushed to call it to her deck. She backed up, prepared to fight when the doors opened. Fear had her glancing around as she went over what she knew about the Ke’ters.

  Twenty-two of them had boarded in total. Eight were security officers, meaning they’d be good fighters. All of them were male, from what Big M had told her over dinner after they’d arrived. Meat-eaters.

  She winced. “Including humans,” she whispered.

  The lift opened, blessedly empty of life. She rushed inside and hit the button. The doors sealed and she backed into a corner, keeping a firm grip on the knife handle. She only hoped she wouldn’t have to use it—and if she did, that it was sharp enough to pierce scales.

  The doors opened on Deck Seven and she inched forward, not hearing any sounds of fighting. The alarms on the ship hadn’t gone off, either. That confused her. They were under attack. Security should have done that much, at least. It was procedure.

  She walked down the corridor—and froze when she heard someone scream.

  Vivien threw herself against the wall, turning her head in the direction of the sound. The corridor curved up ahead and whatever was happening, it was close. She slid forward, pulling the long blade out of her belt.

  The scream cut off, and seconds later she heard loud moaning. A hiss sounded, and she held her breath, peeking around the corner.

  The sight that met her gaze almost made her scream.

  A Ke’ter was crouched over someone in a white medical uniform that was stained red. Their stomach had been torn open, their intestines ripped out and piled on the deck floor. The alien leaned in close to its victim—and Vivian heard wet smacking sounds.

  The alien was eating the crew member.

  She saw the victim turn his head. He was still alive!

  Her horror grew when their gazes met and his mouth opened. Another moan came from him, and he lifted his hand, reaching toward her.

  The alien kept chewing, but he might notice his victim’s actions at any moment.

  She had no time to think. Big M and Mikey had trained her to defend herself.

  She lunged around the corner and jumped on the Ke’ter’s back.

  He was solidly built, like hitting rock, but she hooked her left arm around his throat and squeezed hard with her thighs around his middle. Using all her strength, she rammed the knife into the back of his head near the base of his skull.

  The blade penetrated and the alien under her screeched.

  He tried to fling her off, but she pushed the blade in deeper and twisted.

  He stilled…and then slumped.

  Vivien scrambled off him when they hit the floor. The poor crew member stared at her when she looked at him, his mouth still open, eyes wide, and another moan sounded.

  She crouched next to the man. He wasn’t someone she knew. “Hold on,” she told him. “I’m getting help.” She tore her gaze from his and looked down at his stomach.

  Bile rose. The Ke’ter had torn the man open from the bottom of his rib cage to his pelvis, shredding his uniform and skin open a good ten inches. She was no doctor, but it looked as if the alien had pulled out the man’s intestines to feed on his internal organs. It was a gory mess.

  A low hiss came from the alien, and she almost fell on her ass in startled surprise. The Ke’ter’s hand twitched, the bloody claws and fingers curling.

  She lunged at it, going for the weapon strapped to its hip, and jerked it out of the holster. It felt strange in her hand, the grip weird since it hadn’t been designed for humans, but there was a button. She pointed the muzzle at the alien and pushed it.

  It blew a hole in the Ke’ter’s uniform and green blood oozed out onto the floor.

  She rose up, pointed at its head, and fired again.

  The alien jerked, but she doubted it was still alive. A fist-sized hole had blasted through its skull.

  She walked closer and used her left hand to grab her father’s tactical knife. It wouldn’t come free of the alien’s head. She released it when the crew member moaned again in pain. She turned her head to look at him.

  “I’m getting help. Hold on.”

  She ran toward Control One. It was manned twenty-four/seven by operators who worked in single-person shifts. She knew the ship’s protocols better than most security officers.

  The doors were sealed. She buzzed but no one answered.

  Fear had her staring up at the camera. “Open up, damn it!”

  The doors remained sealed.

  A faint scream sounded from somewhere down one of the corridors, and she quickly used her left hand to type in the override code. She wasn’t supposed to know it, but Big Mike had entrusted her with the numbers.

  The doors slid open—but the desk sat empty.

  Shock slapped her again. No one should have left that post unattended. It was against ship protocol.

  She entered, the doors sealing at her back.

  She put the alien weapon on the desk as she slid into the seat, her fingers quickly manipulating the controls to pull up the debriefing room.

  The sight that met her gaze made her cry out in grief.

  Mikey’s body lay partially in view, blocked by chairs. He wasn’t moving. She couldn’t see Big M from the camera’s angle but she did spot his boots. He wasn’t moving, either. There were no Ke’ters in the room anymore. They’d fled the scene of the crime.

  That meant they were all on the move inside the ship.

&
nbsp; She reached under the desk and blindly felt for the cap that protected the emergency control. Her hand trembled as she popped the shield off and pushed the button.

  Red lights flashed above the Control One doors and a piercing alarm blared.

  She reached up, turning on the ship-wide coms. It was imperative that she warn the crew. The alarm would let them know there was trouble. She opened her mouth—

  And abruptly paused. The aliens wore language translators. She was well familiar with the devices, having learned everything about them in her classes…including their flaws.

  The most fundamental flaw—language translators only worked with spoken words.

  “L.O.C.K.,” she quickly spelled out. “D.O.W.N.

  “I repeat, L.O.C.K.D.O.W.N. The Ke’ters are attacking the crew. This is not a drill. Find S.H.E.L.T.E.R now! I repeat. Find S.H.E.L.T.E.R now. Total L.O.C.K.D.O.W.N in T.W.O.”

  She ended coms and let her fingers fly over the controls, preparing to initiate lockdown. It would trap the aliens and hopefully protect the crew if they made it to their quarters or an emergency shelter room. There were two on each level.

  The coms on the desk buzzed and she reached over, answering it.

  “Who in the hell is this? What do you think you’re doing?”

  She flinched, identifying Commander Alderson’s voice. She’d know his shouting tone anywhere. “The Ke’ters have attacked everyone in the team leader debriefing room, sir. Big M, Mikey, and every security team leader in attendance has been murdered or seriously injured. They aren’t moving.”

  “What? That’s preposterous! Who is this?”

  “Vivian Goss, sir. It’s true. Mikey Miller was on his vid device with me when they attacked. I watched the entire thing go down. I’m going to initiate lockdown to seal off the ship.”

  “You’ll do no such thing! I’m sending security to handle whatever the hell you’re babbling on about, and you’re going to face a court-martial for panicking the crew with your little stunt, Miss Goss.”