I waited next to the airlock. My armor was sealed around my body. I was protected against small gunfire and the vacuum of space. My pistol was strapped to my right leg. I carried my rifle in the low ready. The holo-sight connected directly to the HUD in my helmet. Kitty monitored communications from the bridge and created a fast link between my HUD and weapons. She would make sure nothing came up from around me without alerting me.

Kitty would hack into the transport ship and create a map for me to utilize on my HUD. It was a lot of information for me to keep track of. This was the time that I loved that Kitty was in my head.

The Shadow Stalker vibrated as it fired at the transport ship's engines. Jade was standing across from me on the other side of the airlock. Her armor was orange with a green accent. She carried twin high-energy laser rifles. It was not very stealthy, but it made her look more like a tank than in person. She definitely looked like she could break anyone that went against her. I could barely move the first time on the mat with her after she bounced me off the wall. After that, I had to use agility to escape her massive arms.

Max and Dax both had contrasting blue and black color suits. Their armor was made to absorb explosions, and they had pouches all over, holding many different types of explosives. Even with the size of their armor, they moved quietly and quickly. They also carried duel pistols on their hips.

Gabe had more modern and sleek-looking armor. It was a dull grey color, but it was very compact. He was carrying a large number of weapons. He had pistols attached to each leg. He had a wrist laser on each arm. His rifle had a grenade launcher attached to it.

Loggoick had a strange hammer weapon that I couldn't identify what was special about it. His armor looked so big on him that I wondered how he could move in it. It was a dwarven-made armor designed for him by a master dwarven crafter. He did carry a pistol, but his preferred weapon was his hammer.

Mir'tan stood behind me, ready to follow me through the airlock. We would go to the bridge while the others cleared the engineering and cargo areas. Once we took control of the ship, we would empty the cargo hold of anything valuable and download the navigation information from the ship's computer. If there was any other information we could get from the computer, we would also grab that. When we were done, we would scuttle the ship.

There was a loud bang as we attached to their airlock. Shadow hacked their airlock and opened it up for us. The first ones through the door were Jade and Gabe. The sounds of weapons fire continued with the occasional grunts and yells from the ogres. The rest of us entered the transport ship when the weapons fire ceased.

"Kitty, do you have the way to the bridge plotted yet?" I silently asked my mental companion.

"Path plotted for you, Bean. I have also marked potential ambush points along the way." I thanked Kitty as my HUD was updated. I headed in the direction Kitty plotted out with Mir'tan hot on my tail. I tried to let my hips sway for Mir'tan.

We came across several groups of orcs that slowed us down as we proceeded to the bridge. The orcs must not care much about their transport crews; they have just the minimum of armor on their chests and heads. Even that armor failed after several shots from our weapons. I had a few dents on my chest plate and arms. Mir'tan was fairing only slightly better than me, except she had a mark on the side of her helmet. I was not happy to see that.

I lost control when we met up with the next. I went on a rampage, ripping the orcs apart with the clawed tips of my suit. I may have been hit a few times during that exchange, but what got me in trouble with Mir'tan was that She was upset that I went off on my own to fight a group of orcs and put her in a position to be unable to back you up.

I discovered later that I had been shot in the back quite a few times. My armor was down to twenty percent after that emotionally charged rampage. What made it worse was that Mir'tan had to take points because my armor would only protect me so much longer. That would be a real kick in the balls if I still had some.

The bridge was sealed by blast doors, and we had to find a way to get around them. Tri'na and Kitty were working together to find a way to hack the door. It was on a separate system than they had hacked before. Loggoick came up behind us and asked if he could help. The other teams had managed to take over the different sections of the ship.

He looked me over, "You got some orc hair caught in your wrist joints." He almost looked proud of me for being so physical in my attack. He powered up his hammer. The inlays started to glow a bright white. With a deep yell, Loggoick swung his hammer at the door. The sharp ping of metal hitting metal sounded throughout the passageways. My eyes went wide as I noticed a small crack in the door where he had been shot.

I was in complete shock at the damage his hammer had done. Then he hit the door again in the same spot. The metal door groaned as the door shifted from the hit. Before we could get through, an alarm sounded throughout the ship. Mir'tan yelled into the coms, "Everyone, return to the ship. The self-destruct has been activated."

We all ran as fast as our armor boosts would take us back. Mir'tan was the last one through the airlock. Our outer door closed, and we broke away from the ship. And accelerated away as the ship's final countdown was reached. The vessel broke apart as explosions went off throughout the ship.

We quickly left the area in case someone got off a distress signal. After our armor was cleaned, especially mine, and put away, we met up in the cargo bay to see what we managed to get off the ship.

It mostly looked like goods from a farming planet. I didn't recognize the seal on the containers. That didn't mean much since I was isolated from the rest of the alliance planets during my youth. The containers were filled with fruits and vegetables, but one crate was filled with meat. My mouth started to water as I saw the amount of cryo-stored meat in the container.

Mir'tan pulled me away from the container. Her face didn't show happiness when she looked at me. I knew I was in trouble. "Who here believes that was a successful attack on the transport ship?" When no one made a sound, she continued. "I think that, ultimately, this was our failure. We only managed to get a few containers of food stores and almost got hurt." She looked directly at me after that comment. "We couldn't even gain control of the bridge and get some information. What can we do differently next time?"

"We need to get to the bridge faster than we managed this time. We must breach the ships closer to the bridge, allowing easier access." Evelyn responded first. Mir'tan looked directly at me, expecting me to respond to my mistakes.

"I will not let my emotions interfere with the mission," I told everyone.

I felt thoroughly reprimanded after the meeting. I left with my tail between my legs and went to the engineering section so that I could find a place to hide and think. I didn't want to be around anyone right now.

"Kitty, why did I react so severely after seeing the damage to Mir'tan's helmet? I should have known that she was safe in her armor. I just couldn't think straight after seeing that damage." I asked.

"Bean, you know that she is your mate, right?" Kitty asked me, and of course, I knew she was my mate, but what does that have to do with losing my cool?

"Bean, you have a lot to learn about love. You are new to love and will do anything to keep it right now. You are going to want to do anything to protect your mate. This was the first time you had seen your mate in mortal danger. You forgot to trust Mir'tan in combat. She is just as good as you when it comes to battle. You need to trust her, or you will lose her." Kitty explained to me.

I felt even worse now that Kitty had explained everything to me. I was scared Mir'tan would be mad at me for a long time and remove me from combat. My thoughts turned back to my desire to protect her. I knew that she was a great fighter. We had practiced so many times. She had only been hurt once when we practiced together, and it was by my hand that she was hurt.

Was this all because I didn't want to lose her and that I tried to protect her from everything? Why couldn't I trust the armor and her training to keep her safe? Maybe I should not have been beside her when we were in battle. That way, I could hold a clear mind. Who was I kidding? I would be even more worried if I couldn't verify with my eyes that she was safe.

"Bean, Mir'tan has been trying to find you for thirty minutes. She is starting to sound really worried in her messages. I have yet to respond to her request for information." Kitty informed me.

I wiped my eyes, trying to hide the fact that I was crying. "Kitty, tell here I am coming to our room now."

Whiping my face, trying to get my fur dry. I walked sullenly back to my room. It was time that I faced the music. I just needed to accept whatever punishment Mir'tan would give me. I stopped at the door and took a deep breath before I entered the room.

I walked into the room with my head lowered. I knew I had messed up big time, and I was just there to receive my punishment. I thought she would kick me out of the room, so I was trying to decide which room to move myself into.

To my surprise, Mir'tan brought me in for a hug. She had been crying as well. "I am sorry for not trusting you."

"What are you talking about? I was worried you got hurt. You didn't seem like yourself, and I worried you had been injured. Kitty was blocking me from finding you; I thought you might be afraid to let me see you hurt. Please tell me you are not injured." She begged me.

"No, I am not injured. I was just embarrassed to face you after I messed up so bad. I was worried you wouldn't want to continue to be with me anymore after I lost control when I saw the dent on your helmet."

"I was so scared of how many times you were being shot when you went all crazy. I was so afraid I was going to lose you. "Maybe we should not go into battle side by side until we learn to trust that we will both be safe. I just can't watch you getting hit while we are in combat. I love you so much. I am always so worried that I am going to lose you. You are the only woman I have ever loved.

"Bean, I understand how you feel. I hated seeing you getting hit with those laser blasts. But even more, you look at me like a normal person, not some freak. The whole Elven system knows that I was injured when I was a kid and that I had something done to me so that I could function. No one has ever looked at me like you do. You are my Lor'hi, and I don't want to lose you either. I agree; maybe we need to fight on different teams so that we can focus on the mission from now on."

We comforted each other before I decided I wanted to get some food. While on the mess deck, Evelyn joined me for a meal. This was my chance to figure out what Mir'tan was not telling me about her naming me her Lor'hi. "Evelyn, I understand you are honor bound to tell the royal family about the princess and me. Why will that cause me so many troubles in her home world?"

"Did she tell you why I am honor-bound to tell her family you are her Lor'hi?"

"No, and I didn't think knowing was important."

"Bean, I am a member of the royal family as well. I have no chance to ever rule, and that's never been something I wanted. I enjoy my life out here fighting for the alliance. Since Mir'tan and I are both members of the royal family, we must report back to the family with information this important. It affects the whole family, you being her life mate."

"The problem with her declaring you her life mate is that she went against her family. She will be recalled to the capitol once I tell the family, and she will face her parents. You will be tested by the council, and seeing as she is betrothed to another, he will be honor-bound to fight you to the death for her hand."

"You can't be serious; I have to fight this guy she has never met to continue to be with the woman I love. She loves me, and I love her; why do I have to fight some random guy for the right to keep doing what I am doing? How long do we have before you have to tell her family?"

"This is where you get some luck. We are on a top-secret mission. Therefore, I cannot report to her parents until it is completed." She winked at me and gave me a smile. "So go enjoy your time with her. She needs you as much as you need her."

"Thank you for the time you are giving us." I gave her a smile.

"I never said I agreed with the policy, just that it is required that I report back. It's nice to see true love between two people. Just don't lose your shit again in battle over her." I gave her a nod and chuckled at the reprimand from her.

"We agreed that fighting next to each other in combat was not a great idea. So, we will separate ourselves into other teams for the foreseeable future."

We enjoyed our food and chatted together. Evelyn had an exciting life out here near the disputed zone. She had acted as a mercenary, taking on odd jobs with the outposts out here. She and the rest of her team work as security for transport ships, trying to find missing persons taken from their homes.

I told her about growing up on a farming planet and how boring life was. I told her that was why I joined Fleet the first chance I got. I needed to get away from my home.

I was in a better mood when I returned to my room. I settled down with Mir'tan, followed Evelyn's advice, and enjoyed my time with Mir'tan.