Dragon in the Dark (Kindred Tales)

“None that aren’t pain-lovers,” Dra’vik said dryly. “Do you think you can bring it back? The male plant, I mean?”

“I don’t know…” Iyanna stared uncertainly at the grizzly remains of the penis plant. “There’s not a lot to work with here.”

“Give it a try,” he urged.

Closing her eyes, Iyanna pictured the penis plant when it was healthy—its thick green body and flaring maroon crown and whip-like blue/green stem. She pushed the energy outward, expecting it to work. But when she opened her eyes…nothing had happened.

“Oh, no!” She stared down at the slimy glob and chewed up roots and stem in dismay. “I can’t believe it—it didn’t work!”

“I guess sometimes dead is dead and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Dra’vik said soberly.

Iyanna bit her lip, feeling like she was going to cry.

“What are we going to do? Getting these plants was the whole reason we went on this mission! And it was the male plant we especially wanted for the root system.”

“I guess we could always go back to Lix’dor Prime for another one,” Dra’vik said doubtfully.

“But we can’t! Remember, Minister Ostensio said this was the last viable male specimen on the whole planet?” Iyanna shook her head. “This is all my fault—I should never have put the plants out of my sight!”

“It wasn’t all your fault—I’m the one that told you putting them in the dark would calm them down,” Dra’vik pointed out. “So I’m to blame too, little girl.”

“It’s not just about blame, though,” Iyanna objected. “What’s going to happen to the Monstrum Mother Ship?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get back there as quickly as we can,” Dra’vik said grimly. “We need to let Chief Commander Rarev know that we failed in our mission so he and his Councilors can begin coming up with another way to save the Mother Ship.”

“All right.” Feeling horrible, Iyanna nodded as her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Let’s go tell him.”

She couldn’t believe that her Viridi Femma powers had failed her and that she now had to report his mission was a failure as well. It made her so upset, she didn’t even remember her earlier thought that something was wrong with Dra’vik.

Right now all she could think of was what a mess she’d made of this mission and how she wished she could go back in time and keep the damn plants intact!

FIFTY-ONE

“Well, it’s surprising to see the two of you back here so soon.” Commander Rarev nodded gravely to both of them as they came into his office. “Did everything go all right with your mission?”

“Not…exactly,” Iyanna admitted. She was wearing one of Dra’vik’s uniform shirts over the golden Lix’dorian outfit, which shielded the cut out areas in the suit. It also, incidentally, protected her breasts from the pussy plant, which would certainly have bitten off one of her exposed nipples if it could have gotten to her.

She put the gray clay pot which held only the female plant and the mushy remains of the male plant on the desk in front of the Monstrum commander. The female plant was being quiet for the moment, but Iyanna didn’t trust it—it had already tried to bite her four times on the way from the Docking Bay to Rarev’s office.

Commander Rarev frowned.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking down at the pussy plant.

“It’s the female pleasure plant from Lix’dor Prime,” Dra’vik said.

“Oh? And what happened to the male plant?” Rarev leaned close to examine the female plant.

“Don’t!” Iyanna exclaimed just as Dra’vik shouted,

“Watch out!”

The plant lunged forward and snapped at the Monstrum commander’s face. Only his lightning quick reflexes kept Commander Rarev from losing his nose.

“Gods!” he exclaimed, jerking back quickly.

“That’s what happened to the male plant,” Dra’vik said dryly. “The female one literally chewed it up and spit it out. Iyanna tried to heal it, but there just wasn’t enough left to heal.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling. “I’m sorry, Chief Commander—I have failed you in this mission.”

“It was my fault!” Iyanna exclaimed quickly. “Not Dra’vik’s. I never should have left the plants alone. I know it was the male pods you especially needed to heal the Mother Ship, Chief Commander Rarev—I’m so sorry!”

As she spoke, she felt hot tears slipping down her cheeks. The Monstrum Mother Ship was going to die and it was all her fault!

“Please, my dear Dr. Washington, you mustn’t blame yourself and please don’t worry!” Commander Rarev looked honestly distressed at her reaction.

“How…how can I not worry?” Iyanna asked raggedly. “You entrusted me with a mission to heal the Monstrum Mother Ship and I failed you.”

“The mission might not have been a success, but the Mother Ship is going to be fine,” Rarev said firmly.

“What?” Iyanna sniffed and looked up at him uncertainly. “What do you mean? How is it going to be fine? I thought you said it was the male pleasure pods’ root system that was holding your hull together?”