The Draxis Invasion Ch. 09

Hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. I know I have loved every moment of writing about Ana and Lux's story. This is the 9th installment so please read 1-8 for it to make sense. This chapter has some dark themes like nonconsent/reluctance and suicide. If those are triggers for you then please read another story. Thank you for all the comments and ratings. I truly appreciate it!

Ch. 09

Lux

___

My muscles feel tight as I shift in the seat of the transport. We have been traveling in a comfortable silence for what feels like hours. Finally, the transport rolls to a stop and kicks up a cloud of dirt around us, when it clears we see our destination a yard in front of us.

My eyes immediately train on Ana as she leans forward and takes a long look at the camp. Goosebumps mar her silky flesh. I quickly gain composure, clear my throat and reach over to rub her back.

"Do all camps look the same?" She asks while shaking her head.

"More or less." I sigh and pull her into my lap. I know being here must be hard for her. Camps are prisons to her, but to me they are special. It is where I met the most important person in my life. I wish I could hold her in my arms forever, cocooning her from all the pain and harshness life has dealt her. But my strong little warrior will have none of that. After a few moments she begins to wiggle.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Don't worry so much you big lug." She admonishes before pressing a delicate kiss to my lips. I reluctantly release her and activate the door to open. Ana crawls out first, looking around the dust bowl, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"I don't see anyone. Are you sure they knew we were coming?" Ana questions while spinning around in a circle, searching for any signs of life.

I nod to her and exit the transport. We walk in tandem towards the entrance, Ana still nervously looking around in all directions. When we are a few feet from the door it bursts open and an unkempt elderly woman rushes out towards me. She falls to her knees, her shoulders shaking as tears fall down her worn cheeks.

"Thank God you are here! I couldn't take this a minute longer. The bodies. The faces. I will see them the rest of my days." She expresses hysterically. My heart goes out to her immediately but I school my features. I can't have anyone outside of Ana know about the changes going on inside of me. It would mean my death and Ana would go back to being a companion. So when the pleading woman reaches to touch my boot, I take a step out of her grasp and concentrate my cold eyes on her visage.

"You will do well to remember your place Matron. Compose yourself. If this is how the head acts, it is no wonder that you have lost control." As I speak the words, Ana cuts her eyes in my direction but keeps silent. I know she disapproves of my behavior. Even I disapprove of my behavior. But that in itself is the problem.

"Of, of course Sir. Where is my head? I'm sorry Commander. Please forgive me." The old woman says while wiping furiously at her tear stained cheeks with her sleeves. After a few deep breaths she continues, "if you will follow me, I will show you and your companion to your quarters. Supper is in an hour. Perhaps before then you will want to see the women?"

"Mate. Ana is my mate. Not my companion. I will survey the women during dinner." I reply sternly. If I storm in there now, they will all go on the defensive. If I am to make any headway here, I will definitely need Ana's cooperation.

The old woman leans on her knee to stand and then turns toward the building. "Follow me Sir and Ma'am. Let's get you both settled. I am sure you two have had a long trip and could use some rest."

The rest of what she says trails off in the background. I can't help but ignore the woman's superfluous clucking, small talk was never my forte. Instead I focus on my mate and hold my hand out for Ana. Without hesitation she takes it and we follow behind the Matron as she leads us inside the tall building made of white stone.

Ana

___

Stark white. Everything here resembles the camp I spent several years at. While Draxis prefer to make their buildings out of dark crags, the camps look more like modern sanitariums. White walls, white floors, the occasional plant or beige accent wall that struggles to break up the monotony.

I grip Lux's hand tighter as we make our way down the hallway. Flashbacks of my time in a place like this one have my eyes stinging with tears. Taking a few deep breaths, I remind myself that I am returning as a mate and as a mother and can leave of my own free will.

Well, almost free. I need him in order to have any freedom. I guess that makes Lux my passport to any semblance of normalcy.

"Here we are. This is your room Commander and Madam. If there is anything you need, please let me or any of my staff know. We will be happy to help. Someone will be up later to get you for supper and I will have someone fetch your bags from your transport." The Matron explains.

Lux just nods and walks into the room, looking stiff and out of place. I can't help but notice the weathered look on her face. Despite being the Matron here and enforcing the servitude of these women, she cares for them. I pull her into a warm embrace and hold her there.

"Everything will be okay in the end." I whisper to her, "so if things are not okay, then it's not the end. Stay strong Matron. Lux will fix it."

A few tears slip out of the corner of her eyes as she studies me while I pull back from the hug.

"Where did you hear that quote from Madam? It seems familiar. " She asks me.

"Oh, I don't remember. Some movie before the invasion probably. It made sense to me at the time so I tried my best to remember it. It helps me when I am feeling, well, like you are now." I reply.

"Thank you for your kind words. I need to go see to the girls now. You go on and get settled Madam." And with that, the Matron sniffs her nose and turns down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.

I stare after her dumbly. I will never get used to someone calling me madam, especially someone in the same position as the person that ran my life for the last several years.

Lux leans on the door jamb casually and looks me up and down, his gaze slow and easy. "Are you okay little mouse?"

"Huh? Yeah. At least I will be once we figure out what is going on here."

"Don't worry yourself my love, it's not good for our baby. Come in and lie down. Rest will do you some good."

With his words he herds me into the room and all the way to the bed. I sit on the edge in a daze. It's so surreal to be back in a camp. However, Lux's protectiveness over me makes me break into a smile. I feel so surrounded in his love and I need to focus on that feeling.

"I have some work to do on my comms and then we can go down to dinner little mouse."

"Sounds good. I will just close my eyes for a bit then." I lay my head down on the pillow and my eye lids drop heavily. Before I fall asleep though, there is one more thing.

"Hey Lux?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Ana."

"Thanks for choosing me," I whisper in a barely audible manner.

Lux

___

I don't know if she expected me to hear her gratitude but even without straining, I heard her words clear as day and they lit a fire inside of me. All of the steel inside of me gently melting under the pressure into something more malleable, more human.

With a shake of my head, I press the button on my belt to activate my comms, the hollo-screen appears in front of me, blinking to life. First I check my messages and find a message from the verbose Matron imploring me to come quickly to the camp. Well, that's one message I can ignore. I am here already. I motion for the message to be discarded and open my log to begin to chronicle my experience so far in the camp. Mostly it is about the inept Matron. How a woman prone to such drastic emotions ever got put in charge is beyond me. As I am finishing up, a loud crash sounds from down the hall followed by screams and wails. I dismiss my comms immediately and head for the door. The sound was loud enough to wake Ana and she is hot on my heels as we make our way to the genesis of the issue.

We round a corner and find smoke billowing from a room not far from us. Ana pulls the hem of her dress up and holds it over her mouth and nose, her eyes darting between the fire and me.

"What is happening here?" I yell.

More screams are heard from inside the room but nothing intelligible that can be constructed into words.

I move foreword swiftly towards the blaze and motion for Ana to stay back. I can see a small fire started in a trash can inside one of the dorm rooms. Smoke flows out the top of the can as flames grow higher, licking at the bedding beside it. If I don't do something, the whole room will be ablaze and the women will be lost.

Throwing myself into action, I run headfirst into the room and grab the trash can, the metal singes my flesh and I grit through the pain. One woman finally notices me and stops her yelling only to rush towards me with her fists flying.

"You damn bastard! Put that down!" She screams like a banshee as her fists make contact with my back and chest. Her blows are slight since there is a definite size discrepancy. But even the smallest things can still make an impact, like sleeping in a room with a mosquito. Her fist makes contact with my rib in the right angle which causes me to grunt in pain.

When I look up, Ana appears at the doorway. The fire in her eyes rivals the fire before me. She stalks up to the woman and smacks her hard against her face. I take this opportunity to run the fire to the en suite bathroom to be extinguished in the shower. I take a few deep breaths before reentering the room. The woman that was hitting me is on the floor in heavy sobs, Ana has her in her arms, stroking the woman's hair. One of the woman's roommates is in the corner shaking. Other than some smoke damage and missing bed sheets, it seems to be under control.

"Fuck you." The woman cries to me. Pointing an ashen finger in my direction.

"Shh now." Ana coos at her. "It's not his fault. He didn't start the fire. He saved you." The woman reels back from Ana like she had been slapped again and looks at Ana like she is insane.

"Of course he didn't start the fire you dumb sympathizer! I did! Did you get some alien dick and lose all common sense?" The woman hurls the insult at Ana but she responds with a smile.

"My mistake. I thought I was dealing with someone sane." Ana says even toned while she stands and makes her way to the door.

Ana

___

I know the kind of crazed desperation this woman feels. I once felt it too, but instead of channeling it inward, destroying myself like the woman, I was more inclined to burn down the building with me outside of it.

"What was your objective?" Lux barks at her.

The woman gives a cynical chuckle before replying. "To kill myself you big gray moron. Do you think I want to be used and discarded for the rest of my life? Satisfied to just be a hole to drill and fill with seed?"

Lux sighs and rubs his forehead. Diplomacy is not his strong point. "The niche you fill in our society is one of great sacrifice but also one of great pleasure, yes?"

I can't stop from wincing at his tactic. I raise my hands in front of me to intervene, "Look, I feel the same way you do. It's a rotten fucking life. One I faced not too long ago. It's no reason to attempt to end your life. Keep hope alive."

"And who the fuck are you to be giving any sort of advice to me about hope?" The woman seethes.

"Watch the way you talk to my mate, woman." Lux growls through gritted teeth.

The woman's mouth falls open, completely slack jawed at Lux's comment. "Mate?" She questions.

"Yes" I reply calmly. "He is my mate.

My head jerks towards the door, a sound of heavy breathing alerting me. The Matron has arrived with guards. The guards flood in hastily and take the woman by her upper arms, dragging her towards the door. Her roommate that has been cowering in the corner the entire time finally speaks— "I wasn't in on this. You have to know that. I had no idea what she was planning. Please, Commander, believe me."

Lux nods his head at her and turns to leave following the guards out. Before following, I take a moment to collect my thoughts from everything that has just occurred here. Never a dull moment I guess. Clearly the women are not happy with their position in this new world. I can't blame them. I wasn't happy either and to be honest, I got lucky. Lux was the first Draxis to choose me.

When I finally reach Lux down the hallway he is lost in conversation with the Matron. When I approach all chatter ceases, both sets of eyes turning to look at me. I try to give a small smile, something reassuring but it falls flat. Can you blame me? A woman just tried to burn herself alive in front of me. I can't let this get to me though. This is common place now. People have lost their minds since the Draxis came down. If I broke every time something bad happened then I would never get out of bed. There is no Dr. Phil there to help people sort themselves out.

The Matron reaches out and warmly squeezes my hand before she turns to leave us standing there. Then a question dawns on me, anxiety washing over me.

"What will happen to her?" I ask Lux.

"She will be punished." He replies.

"Great." I say sarcastically, "you really are a fountain of information today aren't you?"

Lux quirks his head to the side and studies me seriously for a moment. "You will see her punishment yourself after dinner. For a crime this serious she will be punished in front of everyone."

"What the fuck? Are you really going all Medieval-public-humiliation on her?" I quip while putting my hands on my hips. I had thought we had moved past public floggings and pillories. "She is angry and sick and confused, not a criminal."

"Draxis do not make such a distinction. She will get what she deserves." Lux states.

My lips part to speak but Lux's sigh cuts me off. It seems like we go round and round on topics like this and it's exhausting to us both.

"Fine. Let's go get some food. I'm starving." I finally acquiesce. I don't even know what I am arguing against anyways. He leans down with a knowing smirk and places a chaste kiss to my forehead.

"Good girl." He praises me before snickering.

If he does that one more time, I swear I will rip his balls from his body. He does it just to annoy me. As much as I hate to admit it, I like it in a way. It's his playful side coming out. I feel overwhelming happiness that he trusts me enough to be that way with me. I have never seen him be playful with anyone else, human or Draxis.

Lux

___

The dining hall is large, mostly constructed of chestnut colored wood. It has a warm rustic feel to it. A huge contrast to all the white in the rest of the building. Large beams go across the ceiling with industrial lights hanging down low over the tables giving dim intimate light for the women to eat by. On one side of the room is a buffet and a long line of women standing to the side. On the other end is the head table, slightly raised above the others, where the Matron and staff eat.

Ana and I are instructed to sit at one of the long wooden tables that run the length of the dining hall. Trays are brought to us, piled with steaming hot food. I can see Ana's mouth watering as she digs into the white fluffy pile on her plate.

"Oh my god! They have mashed potatoes!" She squeals before shoveling in another bite.

"Po-tay-toes?" I ask, savoring the odd syllables in my mouth. I have never had them before. The training camps serve the women food that they are used to, from gardens that the women tend to themselves. We found it gives the women a sense of nostalgia and normalcy. Not to mention a purpose outside of being a companion. One thing they don't have, is food common to Draxis.

"Yes! Only the best thing ever! Try some!" Ana beams at me. She watches intently as I get some on a fork and take a bite. The buttery, salty earthiness of the vegetable melts in my mouth. It's so light and airy and delectable. Not as good as her cinnamon rolls, but delicious in its own way.

"They are good." I smile back at her. Satisfied, she digs into her corn and meat while I scan the dining hall taking in the cliques of women. Noting which ones sit with which, who is talking and who watches us.

"Just wait until you have bacon. Bacon is basically like meat crack." Ana smiles at me.

I scoff at her, "I have had bacon before. Pigs are delicious animals. Although I have never had their crack."

Ana bursts out laughing drawing the attention of several women around us. "Crack is a drug. I don't mean literal crack, it's a metaphor."

I nod my head half listening to her talk animatedly about pigs and their crack. My eyes trained on the women behind her that keep stealing glances at us.

As we finish up our meal, the loudspeaker cracks above us, "All staff and trainees report to the commons."

"I guess it's time to figure out what her punishment is." Ana says glumly.

I nod my head at her and smile a big toothy grin. I know what the punishment is, and to me it doesn't sound so bad. More like a reward. Human women are funny creatures. I don't think I will ever understand them.

We make our way to the commons by following the river of people. Chairs and benches have been pooled in the center and a stage erected in front of them. Two large poles stand a few feet apart on the stage. The Matron stands on the stage silently, her hands clutched together in front of her.

The Matron clears her throat and claps her hands, waiting for everyone to settle down before she begins, "As some of you may know, we have had some excitement happen this evening. One of our own had tried to set a fire to one of the dormitories."

An eruption of chatter begins as the women guess who it could be and what is going on.

"Ladies. Quiet down now. Hush." The Matron says with an air of authority. A silence moves over the crowd and all eyes turn to her.

"Good. Now, we are all here today to witness the punishment of Clara Jenkins." With that the woman nods her head to guards stationed at the periphery of the stage and Clara is led out with her wrists bound together and not a stitch of clothing on her.

Ana

___

As Clara is led towards the stage the woman cackles which makes it even harder to watch. The guards untie her wrists only to secure them to each post on the stage, then her ankles are secured at the bottom of the posts. She is completely bared before us. My eyes move from her auburn hair to her green eyes, down to her puffy pink nipples and toned stomach. I avert my gaze before it goes any lower. The entire scene making me feel like a pervert.

"Doctor." The Matron calls and a man of about 40 years old walks onto the stage in his white lab coat. He has a bag with him which he sets down and opens, pulling out blue gloves from the contents. With a snap at his wrist he pulls the gloves on then walks over to Clara. She struggles against her binds but can't move away from him.

"Shh." He says, "it will be okay. Just a little prick and you will feel so much better."

A little prick? Is he going to fuck her? I stifle a laugh at thinking a man is calling his dick small. Usually it's the opposite. But my amusement fades as he pulls out a syringe and inserts it into a vial. After he is ready, he looks to the Matron and she nods her head. The doctor walks over to Clara and inserts it into her thigh, pressing the plunger all the way down slowly. When the doctor is finished he massages her leg where the shot was given and a guard comes to take the syringe away.

The audience looks on with bated breathes. We all must be wondering the same thing, what did he inject her with? It doesn't take long for the serum to start taking effect. Clara begins thrashing her head from side to side, letting out one moan after another. Her fingernails digging into her palms.