by Petra Landon
Zoran sipped his ale to thoughtfully regard his Ur’quay friend. He was beginning to suspect that the Star Captain harbored feelings for the Terran female he had been determined to rescue. The imperceptible softening in the Ur’quay male’s inscrutable eyes when they rested on Sila had not escaped his notice. Whether his friend would admit to it or do anything about it was another matter altogether.
“Talk to Commander Kerovac” he suggested. “He’s setting up a facility to train the rebels. They’ll require support staff and Sila is an Alliance citizen.”
After a few days with the Terran, Zoran was comfortable with Sila’s ability. If she could hear the Star Captain fifteen levels down, deep in the bowels of the slavers hold on the Trade Sphere, she could hear everyone on Keeyor 9. And though the very idea of telepathy was fantastical to him, Zoran understood that with that many stray thoughts vying for attention, her mind must be guarded or Sila would be a catatonic mess.
“It will put her smack dab in the middle of the war” the Ur’quay Captain remarked.
“Her world is no longer the safe haven it was” his companion countered.
“Something the Ur’quay bear responsibility for, Zoran.”
Zoran shrugged. “Maybe so. But frankly, with the Armada stretched thin and the Alliance distracted, it is prime opportunity for the pirates and thugs of this sector to go after rural worlds without defenses. Who’s to say that Terra Agri 5 might not have drawn the slavers’ attention, even without your mistake with Sila.”
The Star Captain’s gold eyes tangled with his.
“Unless we stop it, this war will spare no one” Zoran said quietly. “There is no safe haven anymore, Zh’hir.”
And Sila’s secret made her especially vulnerable. Though the Hadari’Kor Captain didn’t say it out aloud, the unsaid words lay between them.
The Star Captain nodded mutely, an acknowledgement that he shared Zoran’s sentiments.
“She won’t be with the Terrans, of course, but eventually, both our starships will dock at the facility” Zoran reiterated pointedly, in a subtle reminder to his friend. “Familiar faces will surround her, if she requires assistance to find her feet.”
Zh’hir mused on the suggestion. Forcing or threatening the Terrans to accept Sila on their world would be completely counter-productive. And Terra Agri was no longer safe — Sila would be better guarded on an Alliance station. Surrounded by the Hadari’Kor she was acquainted with, Sila would not find herself alone while she forged a new life. It would also keep her in his orbit, whispered the insidious voice in his head. This way, he would not be forced to wait until the Ur’quay’s presence was no longer a secret in the sector. The interlude last evening had encouraged him — she was not unaffected by him.
t
Sila glanced around the bare chamber one last time. A few hours ago, when her Hadari’Kor guards had bustled in to pack up the supplies strewn around the chamber, Sila had heaved a huge sigh of relief, almost giddy at the prospect of leaving the station. If she had any choice in the matter, she promised herself that she would never again step foot on this Goddess-forsaken station. Yet, Sila found herself strangely loath to leave the confines of the tiny room. Indelibly intertwined with her ordeal, the cramped chamber echoed with the memories of her fear and helplessness in the cage and her continued alarm at the slavers’ relentless hunt for her on the station. But despite the flashbacks, it had also provided her sanctuary at a time when she needed it badly. The chamber’s safe haven had allowed her to heal, from the drugs the slavers had forced on her and her emotional scars. And now, as she faced an uncertain future without her home, this chamber seemed to embody her last link to everything familiar. Once she exited it, all ties to her old life would be gone forever.
As the Hadari’Kor exited with the last of the cases of food, clothing, blankets and medical equipment, the Star Captain turned to her.
“Ready?” he inquired.
The Ur’quay Captain had joined them minutes ago, to announce that he would escort her to the docked Hadari’Kor ship. The return to his usual taciturn and impassive demeanor had helped to paper over any initial awkwardness. Rather, for one wild moment, his stoic mien had made Sila question whether she’d imagined that momentary madness between them.
“As I will ever be, Star Captain” she responded calmly.
The unblinking eyes studied her, reminding Sila of the last time she had bid him adieu on this station. Then too, her emotions had been a tangled mess. Something in the depths of his eyes seemed to hint to her that he was remembering the occasion too.
“We bid goodbye on this station six months ago” he remarked, proving Sila right.
“Yes, we did” she agreed. It had been a turning point in her life, much like the accident that placed her on the Henia. All the significant detours on her path had involved him, some directly and some not, Sila mused whimsically.
The gold eyes wandered her face. “This is not goodbye, little Terran.”
Sila chose her words with care. “My circumstances have changed, Star Captain.”
He cocked his head in the familiar way she remembered, to contemplate her silently.
“As have mine” he acknowledged. “Six months has changed much between us, but the important things remain unchanged.”
Sila’s eyes widened as the strange gold irises held her.
“I will get you off this station. Trust me, Sseela.”
“I do” she admitted quietly. “I always have.”
It was not getting off Keeyor 9 that concerned her. Hadn’t she jumped onto the Keeyori ship to transmit her distress call, despite the danger. A part of her had known that neither Elder Arturo nor she would be spared once the Keeyori discovered the ruse. Yet, she had been confident that the Star Captain would come if she could just get her message through.
At her words, the impassive expression on his face softened.
“Remember this, Sseela. The last time on this station, I had no choice. Now, I do.”
Before a startled Sila could process the cryptic words, he beckoned her to the exit. “Come, it is time to depart Keeyor 9.”
She followed him out into a narrow corridor that fed into a larger one. This opened to a crowded walkway, similar to the one she remembered from her last time on the station with the Star Captain. Crowds thronged it, as the thoroughfare weaved in and out of the businesses that bordered it. A small knot was scattered by the inner edge of the spherical-shaped station, their attention on the rings below. Sila’s nervous and watchful eyes noted the significant, albeit unobtrusive, Hadari’Kor presence all around them as she made her way through the thoroughfare with the Ur’quay Captain. He shortened his stride to match hers, using his large body and forbidding mien to forge a path for her through the unruly crowd. Sila had dressed for comfort and had made sure to cover her distinctive burnished curls with a brightly colored scarf.
A slimy, tentacle-like extremity flashed out of the crowd to swipe at Sila. In her attempt to dodge it, she stumbled into the Star Captain’s broad back, drawing his attention to her plight. In a flash, he lunged at the tentacle to yank it with brutal strength. With a startled cry, a figure stumbled towards them from the crowd. The Star Captain shoved him away from Sila with his foot. Mostly shielded by the Ur’quay male’s massive form, Sila chose that moment to peer out curiously from behind him only to meet the puzzled eyes of a male in a vaguely familiar uniform.
“That’s her” the male declared excitedly, his eyes flashing to the red hair that had escaped the scarf during her attempt to dodge the slimy tentacle.
“I’ve located the prisoner” he spoke urgently into what she presumed was his communicator as he hurried towards them.
Within moments, they were surrounded by four burly males, in addition to the one who had identified her, all garbed in the same uniform. One of the uniformed males made to grasp Sila by her arm. Before Sila could evade him, the Star Captain clasped her by the waist to physically swing her behind him and face down the
guard. The crowd seemed to subtly move back, seamlessly melting away to give the guards and the two confronting them a wide berth. Subtle as it was, the reaction was especially hard to miss on the jam-packed thoroughfare. An alarmed Sila noted that the throngs didn’t make themselves scarce though, merely rearranging themselves at a safe distance along the sidelines, in anticipation of an unfolding show.
Zh’hir glared down at the much shorter slaver guard, a forbidding scowl on his face.
“Back off” he growled in Alliance Standard with a guttural sound that rumbled from deep in his chest, flashing his teeth aggressively at the guard to reveal his deadly-looking canines.
The guard took an involuntary step away from him, while the crowd swelled with murmurs of excitement and anticipation.
Sila, who could only hear the Star Captain’s menacing words but not see his physical intimidation of the guard, took note of the Hadari’Kor mercenaries pushing their way to the front of the crowd. This was the signal for her heart to start racing, this time with fear.
“This female is an escaped prisoner” declared a voice from behind Sila.
The Star Captain whirled around to confront the new threat. This was the guard who had made the original allegation before presumably calling in the uniformed posse that surrounded them now. To her dismay, Sila realized that these were guards the slavers had sent out to hunt for her.
“Her hair — it’s distinctive” the guard reiterated, warily sizing up the massive alien who had placed himself before the redheaded escapee.
The Ur’quay male folded his hands unhurriedly, to plant his feet firmly on the ground and face down the contingent of guards surrounding them. The scowl on his face and his attitude screamed his intention to the guards — he would not allow anyone to take her.
From his vantage point among the spectators, Zoran kept a watchful eye on the tableau before him, with Jolar by his side. A quick glance around indicated a sizeable number of his mercs in the crowd. Scattered across Sila’s predetermined route to the Hadari’Kor ship, they had made their way posthaste at the first sign of trouble. As for the rest of the crowd, it was patently clear that they anticipated bloodshed and were willing to wait patiently for the spectacle.
“Stay back” he warned into his communicator, mindful of the promise he had made to Zh’hir to not interfere unless explicitly requested by the Ur’quay Captain. Truth be told, he was rather glad his promise bound him, for Zoran was eagerly anticipating the chance to watch one of the legendary Ur’quay take on five burly guards.
One of the guards took a watchful step towards Sila.
“You will regret it if you come any closer” the Star Captain warned, the expression in the unblinking gold eyes enough to cause the guard to hesitate uncertainly.
“To hell with this” murmured the guard who had proclaimed Sila the escaped prisoner.
“There are five of us and only one of him. Plus, the TSF are on their way. Just grab her.” He made a concerted rush at Sila, followed by the other guards.
The Star Captain whirled around to grab the only guard at his back, the first male who had tried to accost Sila. The guard tried to dodge the Ur’quay male but was unsuccessful. The Star Captain lifted the guard cleanly off his feet, in a display of immense strength, to throw him bodily into the air and onto the four guards rushing Sila. The flailing guard sailed over their heads to come crashing down on one unlucky colleague not quick enough to get out of his way. The other guards, forced to break their headlong dash at Sila, eyed the spectacle of their two fallen comrades in shock. The guard thrown into the air lay dazed but relatively unharmed in a tangle of arms and legs over the comrade he had crashed onto. But the guard at the bottom of the tangle had hit his head on the hard walkway floor and now lay unmoving with his body at an awkward angle. Two of the guards still on their feet rushed to help their colleagues but the third stood indecisive, his eyes alternating between his prone comrades and their massive assailant, unable to decide on the best course of action. The Ur’quay male was indeed an intimidating figure as he confronted the guards, looming over them with feet braced apart, powerful arms akimbo and an aggressive look on his furious face.
As the guards debated their next course of action, Zh’hir took advantage of their indecision to search the assembled spectators until his eyes fell on the Hadari’Kor Captain.
“Sseela” he mouthed to Zoran very precisely, before whirling away to launch into the fray with a guttural growl from the chest that struck fear into the guards engaged in trying to assist their fallen comrades.
It also sent a chill through Sila, who watched this aggressive side of the Ur’quay warrior with a mix of reluctant fascination, awed consternation and shocked dismay.
Jolar, a silent witness to the byplay between the Star Captain and his Hadari’Kor counterpart, quickly grasped what the Ur’quay male wanted.
“I’ve got her” he directed at his Captain to part the crowd aggressively and reach Sila where she stood numb struck, her eyes on the Star Captain aggressively rushing the guards.
“Sila, come away” Jolar said to her.
A dazed Sila found herself ushered a safe distance away from the brewing fight to a spot across the walkway from the crowd engaged in watching the enfolding spectacle.
Zh’hir bore down on the two guards attempting to assist the two who lay prone. One of the injured guards was being helped up by a colleague while the other lay unmoving on the ground. The guards, forewarned by the guttural growl of the big alien rushing them, turned hastily to face him, abandoning their injured comrades to their own devices. The barely-on-his-feet guard, who had flown through the air so dramatically before, crumpled to his knees as his colleague abruptly let go of him.
The third guard, hesitating by the sidelines, seemed to come to a decision. He charged the Star Captain from the back. Without breaking stride, the Ur’quay warrior twisted his body sideways towards the charging guard, shot out an arm to grasp him and came to an abrupt stop. The guard crashed into Zh’hir in a confused tangle as a mighty arm grasped him firmly. The Ur’quay male bent forward in a quick move that involved the guard bumping into him again at speed to somersault over the warrior’s back and sail through the air towards his comrades. The two guards readying to face Zh’hir’s onslaught rushed to get out of the way again, watching helplessly as another of their colleagues sailed through the air to crash land on the comrade still prone on the floor. To add insult to injury, the colleague on the ground, who had been helped off the floor and was on his knees struggling to rise to his feet, slumped down again, felled by the guard sailing through the air.
The Star Captain straightened in place to turn to the two guards still on their feet. The watching crowd roared and gasped in equal measure as with a sharp click, deadly looking spires sprouted on the Ur’quay male’s back, along his spine to cleanly pierce the black uniform he wore. No one would charge him from the back now, not with those sharp spires that could spear a male to cut him into pieces. The enormous warrior threw his head back to roar, a menacing sound that had the stunned guards take a step back from their adversary.
Zoran, watching keenly from the sidelines, almost gave vent to his amusement at the comedy of errors on display. The Ur’quay male, yet to throw a single punch, had already knocked out of contention more than half of his opponents.
An astonished Sila, her eyes on the deadly spires, seemed to come to a different conclusion. She turned to her Hadari’Kor escort.
“Commander, shouldn’t you help the Star …” Sila paused uncertainly as a broad grin unfurled on Jolar’s face.
“Have you ever seen an Ur’quay warrior in combat?” he quipped.
Sila shook her head, a tad bewildered by the query.
“Neither have I” Jolar remarked gleefully, his voice colored by anticipation. “Although there seem to be only two guards left standing.” His disappointment was clear.
Two more slaver guards pushed through the surrounding crowd at a run just as the Star
Captain reached the ones from the old pack still on their feet.
“Aah, this should be better” Jolar murmured with satisfaction.
Catching sight of the newcomers, the Star Captain paused, cocking his head to assess them. The spires on his back retracted, as he seemed to come to a decision. Raising his face to the sky, he roared again, a mighty sound that reverberated in the air. His opponents hesitated, their uncertain gazes on their colleagues. Then, the Ur’quay Captain bore down on them, taking the decision away from their hands. The next few moments were a blur as the spectators were treated to a breath-taking display of hand-to-hand combat. The big Ur’quay warrior moved in a flurry of black clothes and bronze skin, his arms, legs, torso and head in constant motion as he took on the four slaver guards in a spectacular display of skill and experience. To a dazzled Sila, he seemed to be everywhere at once, landing powerful blows on his opponents while gliding away from the ones intended for him. At times, all she could discern from the quick blur was the rust-colored braid that whipped back and forth with the sharp head movements that characterized his fighting style. The crowd, treated to a lesson in power, strength, control and grace, watched awestruck at the sheer spectacle of an Ur’quay warrior in his prime demolish his opponents. Normally noisy, the thoroughfare was abnormally muted as Zh’hir fought in deadly silence and the crowd watched with their breaths seemingly suspended. The only sounds to rent the air were the groans and pants from the guards as they staggered back from powerfully landed blows while struggling to gain the upper hand over the massive alien.
Eventually, his opponents demolished, he raised his head to glance around aggressively as if daring the crowd to tangle with him. Around him, the seven guards lay strewn in various stages of injury and distress. No one said anything. There was a short pause as the crowd held its collective breath. The Ur’quay male turned dismissively away from the fallen guards to stalk towards where Sila stood with her Hadari’Kor companion.
Gold eyes, glinting with the after-effects of the just concluded brawl, tangled with hers as he came to a stop before Sila. She hesitated and his comprehensive glance took in the reluctant fascination as well as the cautious wariness evident in her beautiful green eyes. The unblinking eyes seemed to glance away for an infinitesimal moment. When he met her gaze again, the glitter was gone from his gold eyes, banished as if it had never been.