Luna Voss - Kyrzon Breeding Auctions: A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance Collection

You're about to begin Sold to the Babymaker, my first novel! This is the book that started it all, and the series that got me started as an author. I like to think I grow with every story I publish, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for this first volume. Happy reading! I hope you have as much fun getting lost on Planet Kyrzon as I did.

Luna

I cant help but feel a little bit emotional as I pilot the hover-cart through the human settlement of New Sutter. Ive lived here my entire life. But 24 hours from now, Ill be leaving, likely never to return.

Tomorrow is my Auction Day.

Easy there, Cleopatra, says Thomas, sitting next to me in the passenger seat. Well spill our payload if we take the corners too fast.

I slow down, but Im still distracted. Im thinking about how my life is about to change.

Tomorrow, I will present myself at the auction house, where I will be sold to whichever Kyrzon warrior bids the highest price for me.

Ive known I was destined to be a Kyrzon Bride ever since my name came out of the lottery when I was 13. And as crazy as it might seem by Earth standards, this is a normal part of life for humans living on the Planet Kyrzon. Its the price we pay for our safety.

Life on Kyrzon is treacherous. Although similar to Earth in the important ways necessary to support human life, the environment is brutally hostile. All the other creatures here, from the terrifying, predatory wildlife, to the savage tribes of native Kyrzon warriors, seem to be stronger and far better equipped for life on this planet than we are.

Our arrangement with the Kyrzon tribes goes back hundreds of years, to the beginning of the first human settlement. The Kyrzons are a fierce warrior race, similar to human males, only taller, stronger, and far more muscular. It is said that there are Kyrzon females, but they are uncommon, and no human I know has ever seen one. It is this shortage of Kyrzon women that led the first generations of humans to make a deal with the Kyrzons: one in every ten human females would be designated a Kyrzon Bride, to be sold at auction when she comes of age. In exchange, the Kyrzons guaranteed our safety. This arrangement has proved mutually beneficial, allowing them to maintain their species, and us humans to, well, survive, and form a society on this terrifying planet we now call home.

That doesnt mean life is easy. Here in New Sutter, continuing our existence as our population expands means constant work. Everyone has a job to do.

Which is why Im driving a hover-cart filled with grain to deposit in one of our silos, even though its the afternoon before my Auction Day.

Even Kyrzon Brides have to chip in.

I pull up next to the silo, and Thomas and I exit the vehicle.

Thanks, says one of the silo workers. Well take it from here. The workers go about loading grain from the hover-cart into the silo.

Thomas turns to me. I was thinking you could help me with a test of the weapons system, and then after that we can call it a day. How does that sound?

I force a smile. Sounds great.

Thomas is in his late fifties, with graying hair and kindly eyes. He took me under his wing after my parents were killed in a raptor attack, and hes been teaching me since I was little how to operate the various forms of technology we have here in New Sutter. Testing the weapons system is usually my favorite job, and I know thats why he suggested it. Today, though, its hard to muster my usual excitement.

We walk together toward the large structure in the middle of the settlement, officially known as Fort Sutter. Usually, though, we just call it the Ship. Thats because it literally is a ship: an absolutely enormous spaceship, to be specific. The same one our ancestors used to travel here hundreds of years ago. The Ship was badly damaged in the crash-landing, and supposedly, it took over 100 years before we were even able to get the power back on. Now it acts as something of a community hub. Weve been able to get some of the Ships systems back online, including utilities that allow us to generate power, as well as fabricate necessities such as clothing and tools.

Weve also been able to access the Ships laser cannon, the most powerful form of protection Fort Sutter has against external threats. Its been decades since weve had to fire it in an emergency, but we still run a test every two weeks to make sure that its in working order. If anything dangerous ever makes it to the city center, its our last hope for survival.

Thomas and I make our way through the Ship to the room that houses the weapons console, neither of us speaking. We both know this is our last time working together, and so far today, neither of us has addressed the subject. We both know its going to be a painful goodbye.

Booting up the cannon, I tell him, taking my place in front of the weapons console.

The computer screen comes to life and the interface begins to load. I watch it, waiting. Seconds pass.

Does it usually take this long to boot up? I ask Thomas, frowning.

No, not usually. Lets give it a few more seconds.

We keep waiting.

I think its frozen, I say.

Okay, he says. Do you remember how to run a soft reset on the system?

I think so. Give me a sec.

I try to recall the specific combination of inputs that resets the cannon.

Thomas chimes in. You hold down the safety, and then you press

The safety, the power, and the auto-target, right, I remember, holding down the correct buttons and pedals.

The computer screen goes black and then starts to reboot. A minute later, the gun is back online.

Great, says Thomas. He speaks into the radio communicator from his belt: John Paul, this is Thomas in the weapons room. Prepare for a test firing.

Roger that, a grainy voice comes back. Triggering the warning announcement now.

About a minute later, the voice returns: Thomas, youre good to go on the test firing.

Confirmed, says Thomas. Firing now.

He nods at me. I enter targeting mode and aim the cannon directly upwards.

Firing, I announce. I arm the cannon and shoot a red pulse of energy up into the sky.

I step away from the console and face Thomas. Well, it seemed like it fired correctly. Should we be worried about the error?

He shrugs. I dont think so. Its done this before, and weve always been able to get it back online with a reset.

We both go quiet, and the silence is thick with the understanding that this is our goodbye. I look at his face and see that his eyes are shiny with tears.

Promise me youll get in touch if you ever have the chance, he grunts, barely looking at me.

I promise, I say, my voice breaking.

We hug.

Were both crying as we break apart. I turn to leave, but he puts his hand on my shoulder, this time looking me in the eye.

Cleo, stay safe out there.

After my shift, I head down to the saloon to meet Julia, my best friend. At 19, shes a year younger than me, which means her Auction Day isnt for almost another year. Weve been friends since we were kids in school together, bonding over the fact that both of us were Kyrzon Brides, and both of us were orphans.

I see her standing outside the saloon as I approach. I understand why she doesnt want to go in without me. The night before an Auction Day, it tends to fill up with visiting Kyrzons, which can be intimidating even for the bravest of humans.

We hug. How was your last day? asks Julia.