“Tor,” Daxar said, his voice choked with emotion as he pulled him into a big bear hug. “I thought we’d lost you. When you left…the storms…I thought no one could survive.”
Toryx returned the bear hug, giving Daxar several affectionate slaps on the back. “We made it. And we brought water back from Mognerth.”
Daxar took a step back. “You did?” his voice was optimistic but guarded at the same time, as though he didn’t want to get his hopes up for nothing. Before Toryx could answer, one of the gate techs was running out of the Savior, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“Water! Water! They weren’t kidding. This ship is full of water!”
The crowd surged forward to look, but Toryx didn’t move from his spot. He just shrugged and gave Daxar a sheepish smile. “Sorry for disobeying you, Chief. But I’m hoping the water will atone for my sins.”
Daxar’s tears spilled over now. “Toryx, we thought we were dead for sure. This City was days away from running out of water. Even if we’d sent out a ship today and it made it, many would have died of dehydration before the ship returned. You and Evie have saved us. I don’t know how to thank you.”
A wide smile spread across Toryx’s face. “Just don’t kick us out of Zocrone for going against your orders. That will be thanks enough.”
Daxar grinned and laughed. “I guess you can stay.”
Toryx looked over at Evie, who was being hugged by all three of her crew members at once. Her face radiated happiness, and his heart felt like it would burst at the sight of her. Everything felt right in the world at that moment. Evie and he were alive and together in Zocrone. Daxar had happily forgiven them for leaving without permission, and most importantly, Zocrone was saved. If Skoria’s predictions were correct, and Toryx was sure they were, then that meant that the storms would be ending soon. Life in Zocrone would return to normal, and trade would resume. The Zekkardite mining facilities would once again be bringing in a big income for the Zocronians.
Toryx turned to Daxar with a sheepish smile. “Oh, and also…we kind of owe a Mognerth trader a bunch of e-credits for the ship and the water. I was hoping you might be able to help out with that. He’ll take payment in Zekkardite.”
Daxar gave Toryx a concerned look. “I’ll give you as much Zekkardite as you want. But…we can’t get it out until the storms end, and no one knows when that will be. Surely, you explained this to the trader?”
Toryx nodded. “Yes, the trader is aware of the storms. But I actually have some good news. It sounds like the storms will be ending soon.”
Daxar raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Toryx grinned. “Yes. Walk with me and I’ll explain everything to you.”
Toryx led Daxar toward the ship, where he would be able to show the Chief the water supplies they’d brought. As they began walking, he began telling Daxar Skoria’s predictions about the storm ending.
Daxar’s mood lifted more and more as Toryx continued to explain things.
Zocrone was saved, and the drought was almost over. And even though Toryx knew that Zocrone was just one tiny planet among thousands, in that moment everything felt like it was right in the Seven Galaxies.
Zocrone was saved.
* * *
“Fellow citizens,” Daxar’s voice boomed across the city center. “We’ve gathered here today to honor Toryx Keizer and Evie Riaz for their brave, selfless journey to bring water back to Zocrone. I will be the first to admit that I was wrong not to send them out sooner. Thankfully, Toryx knows me well enough to know when I’m full of shit, and he took a chance on going against my orders to make a last ditch effort to save Zocrone.”
Daxar looked over at Toryx and grinned, and Toryx grinned back at his lifelong friend, feeling immensely thankful for this moment.
It had been a week to the day since Evie’s and Toryx’s daring return to Zocrone. The water they’d brought with them had been deposited into the city’s reservoirs, and, with proper conservation measures in place, the water would easily last another year and a half. As long as Skoria’s weather predictions were correct, that would be more than enough to get the Zocronians through until the strange storms ended.
Today, Daxar had gathered all of Zocrone together to award Toryx and Evie medals of honor. As Toryx looked across the crowd, he could hardly believe this was real. He had come home thinking Daxar might not let him back into the City Dome, and now here he was, being treated like a hero.
He should have known. Daxar could get angry and have a temper, but he always saw things the right way in the end. And at the end of all this water mess, Daxar had seen that Evie and Toryx had done the right thing.
Toryx turned his eyes from the crowd to look at Evie, who was standing directly to his right. She looked lovelier than ever, with her dark black hair hanging in silky loose waves around her face, and her deep blue eyes sparkling with happiness.
She wore a traditional Zocronian outfit—a shift dress with a mixture of bright colors. The hot pink, neon green, and brilliant orange looked vibrant against her glowing skin, and Toryx couldn’t help but stare at her. For the first time in his life, he felt like destiny had truly done right by him. Having Evie for his girl felt like a dream, but it was real. He really had won the heart of the most spectacular girl in the Seven Galaxies. He would never take that for granted.
He would never take this moment for granted either—standing in front of the whole city of Zocrone, knowing that his and Evie’s bravery had saved all these people. He’d always tried to work hard and be a good citizen, but now he felt truly accomplished. No one could ever question his love for Zocrone.
Daxar finished up his speech, and then came to stand in front of Toryx with a bright medal of pure gold that hung from a shimmering purple ribbon. Daxar placed the medal over Toryx’s head, then was handed another medal to place over Evie’s head. The crowd went wild cheering as Toryx and Evie officially received the highest honor one could receive in Zocrone.
As the cheers filled his ears, Toryx reached over and grabbed Evie’s hand, taking her fingers in his. He raised both of the hands high in the air in a gesture of victory. Life felt full or promise, and full of love. What more could he ask for?
He could think of only one thing: he wanted to make Evie his wife. He wanted to give her a ring and officially make her his forever. But that would come soon enough. He had a plan.
Just thinking of that plan caused a broad smile to cross his face. He was pretty sure that Evie was going to be over the moon with excitement when she saw what was in store for her. Life was only going to get better from here.
Chapter Thirteen
Evie savored the rich flavor of Antimatter Ale as it slid across her tongue. It had been over a year since she’d had one of these beers. Because of the water conservation measures that had been in effect, Zocronian breweries had been extremely limited in how much beer they were allowed to make and serve. The conservation measures were still in place—Daxar didn’t want to lift them completely until the storms ended and he knew for sure that the regular supply shipments could begin again. But Evie’s favorite pub, Black Hole Brews, had a small supply of Antimatter Ale, and Daxar had set up a private party to celebrate Toryx and Evie.
Evie couldn’t keep a huge smile from spreading across her face as she looked down the bar top. All of her favorite people were here. Of course there were Toryx, Jarmuk, Kromin, and Daxar—along with Maisie, Anya, and Nova. Merkin was also here. He was an elder Zocronian who had been a dear friend to Evie and her whole smuggling crew from the first day they crash landed on Zocrone. And then there was Ashariz, the Zocronian who owned the spaceship repair shop where Maisie worked. Ashariz had become good friends with all of the humans, too. He’d fixed up the Starburst several times, although now the Starburst had surely been damaged beyond repair.
Evie felt sad as she thought of her dear old spaceship lying in hundreds of pieces on the surface of outer Zocrone. She’d flown so many missions in that ship. It had brought her on a l
ong, convoluted path from Earth to her new life here on Zocrone, and she could hardly believe that she would never have the chance to fly it again. But of course, it had been sacrificed for the most worthy of causes. She couldn’t think of a better way for the old ship to go than in a daring attempt to save an entire planet of people.
“You look like you’re about a thousand light years away from here.” Toryx’s voice brought Evie back to the present moment, and she swallowed the last sip of her beer before answering him.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about the Starburst. I’m still sad about losing her, even if she was just a giant old hunk of metal.”
Toryx squeezed her leg right above her knee, sending a happy thrill of warmth through her. “I’m sorry about your ship. But I know everyone in Zocrone is grateful for the sacrifice you made in flying her out of here.”
Evie nodded. “I know. Still hard not to be sad though. But really, I’m okay. I don’t want to ruin this party with such mopey thoughts.”
“I think everyone understands. And besides, this party is wrapping up. It’s late, and most of our friends still have to work tomorrow. Life goes on, even during a severe drought.”
“I suppose it does.” Evie glanced down the bartop to see that everyone was finishing up the last of their beers. She looked around the pub, feeling sad to see it so empty, but also hopeful that it wouldn’t be so empty for much longer. As soon as the storms ended and water supply shipments resumed, Evie was sure that this place would once again be the hopping social center of Zocrone that it had once been.
Evie stood along with the others, giving and receiving goodbye hugs and promising to see everyone again soon. Her heart felt full as she left the pub arm in arm with Toryx. She assumed he was going to invite her over to his house for the night. They’d been bouncing back and forth between her apartment and his house ever since they got back to Zocrone. It probably made sense to move in together, but Evie wasn’t about to be the one to suggest it. If Toryx wanted that level of permanence with her, he needed to be a man and step up to suggest it.
But right now, Toryx didn’t turn to walk in the direction of his house or her apartment. Evie frowned in confusion.
“Where are we going?”
Toryx gave her a mischievous grin. “I have something I want to show you. As long as I’m not keeping you up past your bedtime?”
Evie rolled her eyes. “I have no bedtime.”
Neither she nor Toryx had gone back to work yet, so neither of them had to wake up early tomorrow. It didn’t matter how late they stayed up today, and now Evie was curious about what Toryx wanted to show her.
“Come on, then,” he said, pulling her in the direction of the industrial sector of the City Dome. “I think you’re going to love this.”
Evie followed Toryx all the way up to the Central Docking Station, where the majority of the spaceships in town were kept. Up until its fateful flight out of Zocrone, the Starburst had been kept here. The Savior was now parked inside here as well, although that ship had been officially turned over to the Zocrone military. Toryx had been the one to suggest that. He’d told Daxar that since the ship was so large and expensive, the military would be the best place for it to be put to use. Evie had to admit that he was right, although she felt a bit sad that she now had no ship at all. Not that she wanted a ship as large as the Savior, but still. It would have been nice to have something to replace the Starburst.
Toryx led her into the Docking Station and started walking down the long internal hallways. Evie was growing more confused by the moment. This seemed like an odd middle of the night field trip. What could Toryx possibly have to show her out here that couldn’t wait until a more reasonable hour?
“Why are we out here in the middle of the night?” she asked.
Toryx only gave her another mischievous grin. “You’ll see.”
Evie sighed. She knew from the stubborn look on Toryx’s face that he wasn’t going to give up any more information until he was ready. Pestering him would prove futile.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait much longer for him to find what he was looking for. He stopped in front of one of the hangars—a hangar Evie recognized well: it had been the hangar where the Starburst was stored before the ship was destroyed. Evie assumed it still stood empty. Nova would not have let anyone else take over the hangar until someone could prove with one hundred percent certainty that the Starburst had been destroyed. Since it had only been a week since Evie came back and confirmed that the Starburst was indeed destroyed, there hadn’t been enough time for someone else to rent out the spot yet.
Evie frowned as Toryx stepped up to the door and pointed to the security panel.
“Punch in the access code,” he said.
Evie’s frown deepened. “I don’t really want to stare at the empty hangar where the Starburst used to be. No offense, Toryx, but I’m not sure how this is supposed to cheer me up.”
“Just trust me.”
Evie sighed. “Fine.”
She punched the access code in, then shifted impatiently from one foot to the other as the door began to slide open. She was starting to feel grumpy, and was about to tell Toryx that she was ready to go home.
Then she saw it. Inside the hangar, a ship about the size of the Starburst gleamed in the bright hanger lights that had switched on as soon as the access code was entered. The ship looked like the same design as the Starburst, just a newer model. It had been painted a brilliant purple color—the same shade as the ribbon on Evie’s medal of honor which still hung around her neck. On the side of the ship, the words Shooting Star were displayed in bold silver script.
Evie’s jaw dropped slightly, and she turned to look at Toryx. “What is this? I mean, I know it’s a ship. A sludging beautiful ship at that. But what is it doing in the Starburst’s hangar?”
Toryx smiled, and reached to hold Evie’s hand. “This is your crew’s new ship.”
Evie’s jaw dropped even more. “What? But how? Nova would have consulted the entire crew before buying a new ship for us. Especially a ship this expensive.”
“Nova knows about this ship, but she didn’t consult you for two reasons. First of all, she didn’t buy the ship for the crew. I did—with her blessing and approval. And second of all, I asked her to keep this a secret from everyone else on the crew until I had a chance to show it to you. So, there you go. How do you like it?”
Evie felt tears welling up in her eyes. This was her crew’s new ship? She turned to look at Toryx in disbelief. “But…how could you afford something like this? And why would you spend your own money on it? Don’t get me wrong, I love it. But…this gift is too big! I can’t accept it.”
Toryx smirked at her. “You don’t have a choice but to accept it. Nova already approved it. And don’t worry about how I afforded it. I’ve been a shareholder in the Zekkardite mines for almost two decades, and the mines have been insanely profitable. I’ve saved a fair bit of money, and I can’t think of anything better to spend it on than a new ship for the girl who saved Zocrone.”
“But…you saved Zocrone just as much as I did.”
Toryx shrugged. “I like to think that my encouragement played a big part in convincing you to attempt this mission. But you’re the one who flew us in and out. You’re the unbelievably talented pilot who managed to bring us back alive. And a pilot as talented as you deserves a ship.”
“I don’t know what to say. I can hardly believe this is real. But thank you.”
Toryx beamed. “You’re welcome. But there’s more.”
Evie raised an eyebrow. “More? How can anything top a ship like this?”
“Well, a pilot with a good ship needs something to do, right?”
“Right…”
“So I talked to Daxar, and we agreed that you and your crew should head up the supply shipments to and from Zocrone. You’ve been given the position of Head Navigator of the Zocronian Shipping Fleet. That means you have first pick of all available shipping assignment
s.”
Evie’s jaw dropped. Daxar had already given Nova as many jobs as the crew wanted shipping Zekkardite in and out, but the other supply runs hadn’t been as easy to get as Nova had hoped. Other aliens had contracts with Daxar and had thrown a fit when the humans wanted to take the higher paying jobs. In the interest of not causing problems with Zocrone’s trade partners, Nova and the crew had agreed to not fight for the more lucrative jobs. But now Daxar was apparently saying “screw it” and giving Evie her pick of jobs. She could hardly believe it. That meant that Daxar trusted her enough to risk making many of his trade partners angry.
“Seriously? Daxar is willing to do that?”
“Sludge yeah. Daxar jumped at the chance. Why wouldn’t he? You’re the best pilot in the Seven Galaxies, Evie. What Chief wouldn’t want you in charge of his planet’s supply shipments? He might piss off some of our alien shippers, but I’m pretty sure this means he’ll never have to rely on anyone else to take care of the toughest assignments. Knowing you, I’m sure that you’re going to pick all the most dangerous jobs.”
Evie grinned. “Won’t you worry about me taking on all those dangerous jobs?”
Toryx pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I always worry about you, because I love you. But I know you aren’t the type who will be happy living in a bubble. You need excitement and adventure in your life. And this ship and this job will give that to you.”
Evie nuzzled her face against his chest and sighed happily. “Thank you. I have a new ship, a new job, and I have you. What more could a girl possibly want?”
Taken by the Alien Rebel Page 9