Grai's Game (First Wave) Read Online Free Page A

screen. The mother ship was surrounded by at least fifty support vessels. Most of the ships, including the mother ship, looked to be in terrible condition, like they hadn’t been maintained properly in many years.
    Discolorations covered most of the surfaces of the outer metal; large expanses of the ships were dark as if they had been closed off completely and were no longer functioning. Some of the ships looked as if a minor debris hit would easily rupture the vessel. One even had broken pieces of metal hanging from the underside, as if someone had forgotten to finish repairs.
    There was another group of ships, a greater distance from the mother ship, and although further away it was easy to see that those particular ships were newer and in excellent condition.
    Ivint found the whole scene very unusual, more so for the normally efficient and brutal Kalai T’Alq. In all the years, he’d dealt with the Relian leader; he'd never seen such disarray among his fleet. Even the ships surrounding the mother ship were scattered around it in a random fashion that would do nothing to protect the ship if needed. Looking closer, Ivint could swear some were even unmanned!
    In contrast, the fleets farther away were in a standard, battle ready formation. They were obviously manned, well maintained and adequately commanded. None of it made any sense, to any of them.
    “Yeah, things went to hell when dear Daddy got sick. Some brain thing that’s eaten away at him until he’s basically a drooling nut bag. The other ships, that is the problem. That would be my brother Dagog. He’s a bigger asshole than my father if you can believe that, and he’s going to be a major problem for all of us.” Traze said with a sigh, his normally smiling face falling into sadness.
    Ivint stared at the boy suspiciously. Could he be telling the truth? Could Kalai be dying? Is this brother Dagog going to take over and be a more brutal leader? Or is this all an elaborate scheme to trick his people?
    *****
    “Grai, let me fix some of the damage, or you won’t be able to speak. Damn, that guy can hit! I’d prefer not to tangle with him, if at all possible.” Julou said cleaning up Grai’s face and placing medibands all over the worst of the damage.
    “My mate?” Grai said gruffly, ignoring the pain radiating in his face from the beating Balduen gave him. He really didn’t want to tangle with the guy again either. Even if he fought back he was doubtful who the winner would be.
    “I’m here, my love. Julou released me first.” Tricia Clark said worriedly, as she ran a hand through her shoulder-length brown hair. She had known this was his back-up plan, but had not counted on how badly he would be hurt.
    “Tristan?” Grai asked sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the cot the Valendrans had thrown him on earlier.
    Tricia moved quickly to his side to help him, her five-foot, eight inch, one hundred and fifty pound frame not really doing much to help his larger one. But, he adored her efforts and relished the feel of her body against his own after so many months apart.
    “He’s the same. Maggie is with him… for now.” Tricia said quietly. Even though she tried to hide it, Grai could feel the fear emanating from her, and see it in her light-brown eyes.
    The stress was obvious in the paleness of her porcelain skin and the deep circles under her big, beautiful brown eyes. He grabbed her small hand in his large one and gave it a tender kiss before standing to his full six-foot ten height and sucking in a painful breath. His ribs and stomach still aching painfully from Balduen’s fists, despite the medibands.
    “Is everyone ready?” Grai asked as Julou handed him back all the items the Valendrans had taken from him before they had thrown him in the make-shift cell.
    “They are all waiting outside. They know what to do.” Julou assured him before holding out a weapon to him.
    Grai looked at the weapon long and hard considering whether or