by C. R Corbin
I couldn't possibly make the climb over to where the rest of the crew was and I didn't really want to. There was the chance that I would be found by a Rialan that was remotely healthy and that would probably cause me to get imprisoned once again simply by virtue of still being in semi-good condition. There was water here, there was food, there was all that I would need for the moment so I stayed in place and crawled back down. I might as well see if Jeremy was still in one piece.
"Looking for me?" I heard announced as the same man that I had been looking for croaked from the bottom of the staircase. He was in decidedly better condition than me even though there was a really nasty gash on his left arm, the same arm that was hanging uselessly.
"Broken arm? Lucky." I coughed out before taking a seat on the stairs, my head hangs as I gazed at him wearily. If we were in this kind of shape then I could only wonder what sort of shape Xu and Penny were in.
And then I thought about it...
The ships that were escorting there were nowhere to be found...Did they crash was well? Were they gone? What had happened?
I briefly remembered that the ships that had been escorting us mostly left with exception to one that stayed behind. I suppose they figured that it would be a waste of resources to stick around for a ship that was far slower than theirs and left one ship behind in case of emergencies. That way they could save on the operating costs of their ship and get home quicker while also using the resources that were on our ship to support the longer trip. This strategy backfired immensely in the face of what we were experiencing at the moment.
Complete annihilation.
There was one ship that was left, however, that was the same ship that I was looking for. It was nowhere to be seen and I assumed that it had taken off, an assumption that caused a pit to form in my stomach. If that ship got away or was anywhere still in the air they would likely be touching down. That meant that since they weren't landing then that likely meant that someone had fled ...and out of all the cargo on this ship the most valuable piece of it was one person.
Penny.
I cursed as I thought of how foolish I was. How foolish could I have been to miss that small detail. Penny likely got a briefing from someone and was likely fully informed about the entire attack but that didn't mean that she was in a position to do anything about it. She was under security nearly 24/7 and the fact that we were planning this was largely irrelevant in regards to her potential freedom. She was likely loaded onto that ship after it became clear that we were going to crash, there was ample time to get into an escape pod from our ship to escape and she would have likely been one of the only ones to flee in such a manner. The smaller ship likely lacked enough resources to supply that many people so instead of landing here on this planet, the ship likely departed without regard to us, Penny is likely the big payday after all.
I gazed back at Jeremy who was caressing his arm, groaning as that curly hair of his dripped with the blood that was accruing from a cut on his forehead. I wondered if Rel was awake yet, if he was even moving at this point. Once our reinforcements came he would likely be taken under custody...but I would fight to give him as much leniency that I could give. I would ensure that he wasn't imprisoned for long or killed or anything of the sort.
As much as I hated saying it...I liked the man, hell at times I think I even loved him, sometimes I wanted to just lay there with him and have him caress me without any regards to our usual lustful activities. There was something there, a connection that was forged under the power of constant nights in the observation deck and during our many board game sessions. That was a connection that couldn't be broken by his crimes or my deceit, I knew it well.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I think that I was almost half dead when I had finally woken up. There was blood on every inch of my body and I knew that much more of my own physique was broken rather than intact as a result of...whatever had happened
It took quite a while to regain my bearings and reflect on what had actually occurred. Was the ship even in one piece anymore? It seemed like it wasn't, based on the massive amount of sand and cold air that was blowing in. Where was my helmet anyways? Was it somewhere off to the side?
My eyes flutter open and my first instinct is to feel the area around me to see if she was there. My primary concern was if Kelly was still alive, if I had done a good job of protecting her or not. I would have hoped to find her the moment my arm stretched out to my left and I held out hope for seeing her once I sat up and looked around me but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.
And then I noticed that my wounds were bandaged, the glaring wounds that I have received were already covered in medgel and wrapped in bandages. My bones were still weak at spots but held together without collapsing entirely which told me that there had been some sort of mending agent that was applied to my bones
"Kelly?" I croaked while my burning red eyes searched the wreckage for any sign of her. There was a searing pain. I wondered if she had helped me and headed elsewhere for a brief moment but I quickly squash the thought.
I had to make sure she was safe for sure.
I get to my feet slowly by grabbing the nearest piece of rubble and tugging myself upwards. I hear someone speaking in the distance but I was still somewhat discombobulated. My legs were still shaky and there was still a bit of nausea that was lingering but I forced myself upwards and grimaced. I took a few slow steps forward as I wandered over to the source of the noise. The walls were covered in ash and I gazed at this hanging post along the wall that was clearly empty. I knew from the symbol above it that a medical kit was most likely posted there and it had been removed.
So someone had been tending to me. I gazed back over my shoulder to spot a medkit box that was slightly ajar, it was behind where I had gotten up.
My hands graze the metal railing that was broken and distorted at places but I managed to keep my balance using it. My eyes survey the variety of bodies that were laying around me. Some looked like they were merely wounded and would heal up with enough rest. Others? Well...they weren't so fortunate.
The plants that had been in the room had been torn and beaten into a frenzy as a result of the crash. The walls seemed to be mostly intact but it was clear that a significant breeze was coming in from a certain part. My wounds sting and my muscles scream for me to stop but I continued.
She had to be safe, she just had to be.
There were no blood trails along the floor or the walls that would indicate her tracks or her presence. The voices that had been coming from the direction that I was headed in were growing louder and louder, there was a certain lightness to them, a certain feminine quality.
I began to hope that it was her. I noticed the rhythm, the patterns of her speech that were rapidly sinking into my eardrums the closer I got. I longed to hold her, to caress her and ensure her safety, yet she had likely saved me instead.
"Rel?" I hear a voice call out, a voice that I soon recognize is her's. There was that same lightness but there was also a fiery undercurrent to it, a will that couldn't be denied even by the strongest beings in the universe. It was so unabashedly her that my pace instantly quickened at the mere idea that she might be close, that I might be able to touch her cheek. "Are you there?" she calls out again and this time I muster enough energy to respond.
"I'm here." I grunted while struggling forward. Suddenly I see her silhouette appear in the distance. That light brown hair falls over her shoulders in a frenzied mess. Her pale face was covered in soot and ash, those warm brown eyes seemed to peek out from a curtain of black, and she held her side in a manner that would suggest that she likely had a busted rib of some kind.
Instantly upon seeing her step into sight, I began to run only to notice that I still wasn't in the shape necessary to get to her at that pace. I fall onto my stomach and groaned as my face connected with displaced soil and plant matter. My eyes shut as I took in the scent of ash and smashed flowers, that sweet sickly smell that
trickled along every inch of my throat as I took it all in.
She instantly arrives by my side and by this time my senses were in much better condition than they were when I had first awoken. I inched my head upwards so that I could glance at her. She gazes at me with those soft brown orbs and falls to her knees as I laid my head on her lap. Her legs crossed and I settle into her grasp as she caresses both of my cheeks with her hands. Her eyes dart to my wounds and appraised them, I see her expression fall a bit while the blood trickled out from my half-healed cuts, as the darkness of my bruises blended in with the darkness of the ship.
"What happened? Are you alright?" I croaked after coughing out some of the ash that was cruising in my throat. She nods softly at the latter question and proceeded to give the answer to the former.
"We crashed into a desert planet, unnamed. The atmosphere is liveable, however." She remarked and I nodded as I reached up to caress her cheek. My arms were still a bit weak but I managed to summon enough strength to brush a lock of brown hair away.
"Did you heal me?" I questioned.
She nods.
"Thank you." I professed whilst gripping my wounds, she lifts a finger up to her lips and does some sort of strange human motion. "What does that mean?"
"Rest. I can tell that you're in no shape to be conscious right now." she states while rubbing the side of my face. I can only nod as I shut my eyes, the brief boost of energy that I had received from my inclination to find her fading before I fell back into unconsciousness.
...
Kelly
"You like him." he observed and I nodded as I looked him over. My hands were folded over my lap as I held him in place. Jeremy was leaning against the wall to the back of me while night fell. There wasn't anyone that was approaching our section of the ship thus far and almost every other Rialan down here was too wounded to even stand without medical care. Most of them were dying actually. The only reason that Rel was even still in any condition to be conscious, let alone walking was because of the medical care that I had given him. Without it he would have likely been just as knocked out as the rest of the Rialans.
"I do. It might be hard to believe but this one has a heart." I muttered while mindlessly sliding my thumb over his black locks. My fingers dashed along his forehead and I watched his chest rise and fall while the wounds that were on his body slowly mended themselves as a result of the treatment. "He's been better to me than I would have thought he would have been and...I appreciate him."
"So you love him?" Jeremy asked me with a teasing smile. I could tell that his eyes conveyed a serious sense of disbelief. "These are the same guys that threatened to enslave Penny you know that right?"
"I know...But unlike the others he can change. I've seen it." I admitted, I almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous my entire appraisal of the man might have been. Was I really going to root my appreciation for this man based on some sort of gut feeling? Really?
"You should go and check if anyone is approaching. Don't want to be caught off guard you know?" I asked Jeremy, I couldn't tear my gaze away from Rel no matter how hard I tried so I sent Jeremy to do most of the hard work. There was a slight twinge of guilt at the idea of wanting privacy with Rel. Jeremy didn't care, however, he only smiled and dipped his head.
"Alright well have some fun with your boy. I'll get some more water." Jeremy waved me off as he walked towards the staircase. I take a look at the water tank in the corner and sighed in relief once I realized that it was still intact. All this time and I hadn't had the foresight to have checked it yet. I knew that the tank was likely intact, mostly based on the fact that there wasn't water up to my ankles at this point, but I had to make sure.
There was the issue of food but considering the fact that it was only going to be a couple of days before our reinforcements arrived in the form of human troops I wasn't that concerned. By my estimations the human military ships weren't that far off, they were only far enough to remain unnoticed, otherwise they were quite close actually.
And that brought me to my other concern. How would Rel react once it became apparent that the humans had called for these reinforcements and that I was in the know regarding it. Would he be angered? Saddened? There was the possibility that he would shut me out entirely once he realized it but I somehow doubted that. I understood that he would likely forgive me soon enough based on how he was speaking of the entire "mating bond" thing.
But would his forgiveness come so easily?
Perhaps there was a distinction between love and lust in regards to him. Perhaps his desire to mate with me wasn't nearly as strong as his love at this point. I understood that he had never felt or comprehended love. It was a completely foreign concept to him, and yet I could feel, I could see that he was growing more affectionate. He was starting to feel something for me that extended beyond the passion-filled nights.
I just hoped that it would survive this.
He understood, I knew that he comprehended the fact that what his crew was doing was wrong on some level. I knew that beneath that tough exterior of his that this fact was evident, that he knew it well but decided to ignore it in favor of his own survival. So the question was what would he value more at the end of this? His old ideas and his ego or this new love that was brewing inside of him?
He can change...I hoped he would. I would hate for such a good man to spend the rest of his life in the company of decrepit fools. It wasn't a fate that was fit for someone like him.
I stare at him as the red sunlight scattered across his face. Because we were hidden away below the deck and the stairwell, only small rays of light were peeking in from the cracked walls around us. Night was quickly falling and I understood that it would likely be freezing once night fell completely. With the way that we were currently exposed I understood that we needed to find a source of warmth soon or else we would likely freeze to death.
I gazed around frantically in search of some insulating material. This shirt and these shorts that I was wearing weren't going to cut it. I was already beginning to shiver as a result of the cold, who knows how bad it would be late at night. My eyes scan the area in search of insulation, the walls of the ship likely contained sheets of such material so some could be torn off in order to shield us from the cold night air...Or there might be something on one of the dead Rialans that could help us.
Just as quickly as the thought appeared in my mind I shook it off. I didn't really like the idea of going around scavenging from corpses. Besides, the likelihood of their suits possessing a survival kit when they've been spending weeks on a human ship were likely extremely low. I had to find another way.
I ease his head off of my lap and rest him on a pile of soil and sand. His chest rises and falls slowly while I looked him over, with great reluctance I separated from him completely and stumbled about the oxygen chamber. I grabbed a couple of jugs of water from under the large water tank after emptying some of it before dragging it back over to where Rel was laying. Soon after that, I began my search for insulation. My hands probe every desk drawer that they could, they reached behind every wall to tear away sheets of insulation before I managed to find my way back to Rel. The sheets that I tore from the walls were jagged and misshapen but they would have to suffice at this moment in time.
I duck under the covers as I slide them over our bodies and exhaled. The warmth began to gather rapidly as I laid them down on Rel and I, I left a small pile off to the side for Jeremy when he returned which he did shortly. He shakes his head and says "There's no one coming. There isn't even any movement at the moment." before he takes the blanket that I've laid out for him and slides it over his own body.
I groaned as I shut my eyes, wishing that the dull pain that was wracking my body would disappear, hoping that we would be able to hold out for a few days.
...
By the time he was conscious again the ships had arrived and they were loading everybody that they could find, on. There had been a search th
at was conducted on the main ship, Hasan was apparently dead, Xu and the rest of the humans were injured to various degrees but only a couple of them had injuries that were actually life-threatening.
As for me? Well, I was immediately questioned the moment the troops touched down.
Apparently, Xu was able to contact them so easily because...well we were being used as bait in a way. Our ship was used to lure out evidence of enemies abducting human ships ever since the government had gotten suspicious since the first ship had disappeared. There were rumors that the disappearance had been due to alien interference but due to the relatively small size of humanity's claim in space that rumor was dismissed. What sort of race would want to go out of their way to accost a brand new civilization with tech that would likely be deemed as subpar to their own?
And yet there had been intel stating the opposite. Intel that was then investigated by the government for its validity.
During the questioning, I could see the troops funneling into the oxygen chamber to drag the rest of the bodies out. Amongst them was Rel who had regained some amount of lucidity over the last few days but was still somewhat out of it. He understood one thing, however. He knew that the humans had arrived and that they weren't going to treat him too kindly for what he and his gang had done.
He glanced over to me as he was laid on a stretcher and dragged aboard a craft with magnetic cuffs binding his wrists. His eyes locked with mine and I could see the sorrow, the hurt that flutters behind his pupils. I wondered if he had caught on yet, if he had realized that this was all part of the plan that the humans had been concocting. He must have, between all the dialogue occurring and the fact that the human ships had arrive so soon after our crash.
I just hoped that he would understand.