by S. E. Smith
Hanine followed Evetta’s frantic movements as she pulled a small bag out of the hidden panel. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw Evetta pulling out the weapons they had been covertly stashing over the past six months since they met Ben and Aaron. They had both talked about preparing for the time when they may have to run…escape the life they had been forced into. It was unheard of for a Marastin Dow to do something so risky. The few who had tried were publicly executed to dissuade others from trying.
“An order for a change of command has been given,” Evetta said hoarsely, not stopping what she was doing. “All personnel will be moved. I copied a list coming down,” she glanced at Hanine, fear darkening her eyes. “They are arresting us and will separate us. Behr and those working under him have been ordered to return to the home world under guard. I overheard one of the Commanders say that they are to be executed for treason. A group of armed security personnel has been transferred on board. They will find Ben and Aaron. They will be executed immediately, Hanine. We have to leave now.”
Hanine’s face paled. She nodded before turning when a loud noise echoed through the room. Someone was trying to break into their room and the warning sensors that she had developed triggered.
“Why would they come for us?” She asked confused. “We are not connected to Behr.”
Evetta looked in despair at her sister. “I saw Inez being led by security earlier. She must have said something. What are we going to do?”
Hanine’s face tightened in determination when she heard the shouts for a manual door opener to be brought. She turned and opened the small desk drawer. Pulling out the small box containing all of the creatures Aaron had made for her, she leaned over and pulled out the emergency bags they kept under their bed. She slid the box into it before slinging the straps over her shoulder.
Next, she pulled the small tablet from her hip and swiped her finger across it. She opened the program that she had developed. With a press of her thumb, she opened it and entered several command codes. The lights began to flash in the room for several moments before going out. The soft glow of the emergency lights cast an eerie shadow.
“What happened?” Evetta asked, looking around startled.
“I’ve shut down the power to everything but environmental,” Hanine bit out.
“What?! How?” Evetta stared in shock at her little sister.
A cold smile curved Hanine’s lips. “I knew this day would come. I didn’t just sit every day watching the warship’s grids. I learned and programmed my own codes. We won’t have much time. Hold onto my arm.”
“What are you going to do?” Evetta whispered.
“I’m not going to sit around and watch Aaron die,” Hanine said. “We are going to steal one of the attack transports. I have one that I have reprogrammed. They won’t be able to take control. We have to leave now, Evetta.”
Evetta grabbed Hanine’s arm just as the door to their living quarters cracked open. She felt a wave of disorientation before everything blurred. A moment later, she was in the lower corridors outside of Ben and Aaron’s rooms. She swayed for a moment before locking her knees.
She jerked when a figure ran by her, knocking her into the doorway. Firm hands that she would know anywhere grabbed her, catching her when she would have fallen. She tilted her head backwards to stare into Ben’s grim eyes.
“How did you get here? Behr and the others are preparing to leave,” Ben growled. “It is too dangerous for you to be here.”
“It was too dangerous for us to be above deck as well,” Hanine said, glancing around Ben’s tall form with a frown. “Where is Aaron?”
Ben’s face turned even darker. “He was out when Behr received the call to escape.”
“We have to go now,” Behr said striding toward them. “My warship is docking underneath even now. We won’t have much time once they get the power back online.”
“I took it down. It will take them half an hour to reboot the system. I can lock down the weapons system for slightly longer. Where is Aaron?” Hanine said stubbornly. “I will not leave without him.”
“He was in the flight deck access tunnel the last I heard,” Behr said before looking at Ben. “We have to leave. He will not make it in time. You’ll have to go without him.”
“Would you leave one of your brothers behind?” Ben asked harshly.
He already knew the answer after the numerous hours he had spent in Behr’s company. The man was a true leader. If it meant freedom for the masses, he would not only leave his brother behind but sacrifice himself for the cause. Ben wasn’t so noble. He would not leave Aaron behind.
Instead, he turned to Evetta. “Go with him,” he ordered. “I’ll find Aaron and find a way to get to you.”
Evetta shook her head. “I will not leave you and I know Hanine will not leave Aaron. We will stay by your side and find a way together.”
Behr cursed when one of his men ran up to him and muttered a few hoarse words. He turned back to Ben, Evetta and Hanine. His lips were tight with anger.
“We have to leave now,” he said. “I am asking you to come with me.”
“And I’m telling you no. Thank you and good luck, Behr. You are a good man and a strong leader. If anyone can change your world, I believe you can,” Ben said, holding out his hand.
Behr stared into the stubborn face of the alien male he had met four years ago and who had given them the foundations they needed to change his world. He gripped Ben’s hand tightly in his before letting it go with a brief nod.
“Good luck,” Behr said harshly before he barked out an order to the rest of the crew waiting for him.
Ben watched as his savior and friend disappeared. He looked down into Evetta’s eyes, regret and rage ripping through him. This was the moment he feared the most.
“It is not over yet,” Hanine assured him quietly. “I have a way for us to escape but we cannot go without Aaron. I will not go without him.”
Ben glanced at the young female who had become the center of his brother’s world. He saw determination and a steely resolve in the stiff lines of her body. The odds of making it out of this was a million to one but he had a feeling that all they needed was that one chance to be successful.
“Let’s go,” Ben said.
*.*.*
Aaron wiped the sweat out of his eyes. The only thing guiding him back to the lower levels was his knowledge of the tunnels and the soft red glow of the emergency lights. He had been up on the upper level section of the receiving bay when he overheard the communication between the warship and another ship.
When he heard Behr’s name he knew trouble had found the man who had become their friend. He had immediately contacted Behr when he peered out of one of the grates and saw at least a dozen security officers disembarking from a transport shuttle.
He was half way down to the lower cargo bay when the lights went out. Now, he was working his way down from it to the lower levels. His only hope was that Hanine would be untouched by whatever was going down. He had no misconceptions that his and Ben’s lives were about to change for the worse.
He paused when he saw a figure round the narrow passage. The curse on his lips died when he recognized his brother’s large, lanky form. He hurried forward only to slow in anger when he saw that Ben wasn’t alone.
“What in the hell do you think you are doing?” He bit out in a fierce whisper. “You are going to get them killed!”
He watched as Ben was pushed to the side as Hanine squeezed by him. A moment later she threw herself into his arms. A shudder went through him as he wrapped his arms protectively around her.
“What are you doing here, Hanine? You should be safely tucked away in your quarters,” he muttered against her neck.
“They came for us,” she whispered. “They broke through the door. We escaped. I couldn’t leave you. I love you, Aaron. I cannot leave you.”
Aaron looked with tortured eyes at Ben. He fought back a groan when he saw the regret in his older brother’s
eyes. A sense of hopelessness washed through him.
“Maybe if…,” he started to say.
“No!” Hanine whispered fiercely as she laid her fingers against his lips. “Evetta and I have a plan. We are both skilled pilots. I can disable their shuttles. There is an attack shuttle in the lower bay. It had been repaired but never moved. I’ve reprogrammed it. We have to get to it. I will disable all the others.”
“What about the other warship?” Ben asked. “It can still come after us.”
A cold, deadly glint came into Hanine’s eyes. “Not if I shut down the environmental system on this warship. The commanding officers are here. They will need the other warship if they want to live.”
Aaron pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Have I ever told you how much I love you when you are pissed?” He teased her.
Hanine turned and her eyes softened as she stared up at Aaron. “You promised you would perform the ceremony to bind us as is the custom of your people. I am keeping you to your promise.”
“What ceremony?” Evetta asked, turning to look at Ben.
“I asked Hanine to marry me,” Aaron replied with a wicked gleam in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow at his brother. “I want her as my wife.”
“Can we discuss this once we are out of here?” Ben asked gruffly.
“Do you want this marriage with me as well?” Evetta asked Ben as he turned to follow Aaron and Hanine who were moving down the long corridor toward the lower cargo bay again. “Well?” She demanded when he didn’t say anything.
Ben glanced at his brother’s retreating back before gazing down at Evetta who was staring at him with a slightly hurt expression. He tenderly brushed his fingers down along her cheek. Shaking his head in frustration, he brushed a kiss over her pursed lips.
“I wanted to do it right,” he admitted. “As far as I’m concerned, you are already my wife. Evetta, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“This means you belong to me?” Evetta asked stubbornly.
Ben chuckled before bending down to whisper in her ear. He loved the sharp hiss as she drew in a deep breath and the bright glitter that shone in her eyes when he pulled back. A shaky smile curved her lips as she gazed up at him. He breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded at him.
Chapter 9
“Wait!” Ben hissed, putting his hand out to stop Evetta from entering the access door into the lower bay. “Let us go first.”
“There are only two heat signatures showing,” Hanine whispered back, pointing to the tablet in her hand. “Evetta and I can take care of them.”
“No.” Ben shook his head emphatically. “Aaron and I will take care of them. You and Evetta get to the transport and get it ready. We are going to have to leave in a hurry. You and Evetta know how to operate the transport, Aaron and I don’t.”
“Be careful,” Evetta whispered. “Kill them. It is the only way. If you do not, they will kill you or notify the others.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Aaron responded. “Just be ready to leave as soon as possible.”
Hanine ran her fingers along Aaron’s jaw. “I will shut down the environmental systems just before we depart. This will cause mass confusion. I’ve also set a disruptor to shut down communications but it will only last for about thirty seconds. This will be long enough for us to depart. It will come on about the time they realize that the environmental systems have been shut down,” she explained before brushing a light kiss across his lips. “Be careful, my husband.”
“Give us time to release the locks on the transport before you lower the platform,” Ben murmured in a low voice. “Let’s go, Aaron.”
Hanine waited a few seconds, watching as the two men disappeared further into the bay, before she turned to Evetta. “Are you ready?”
An expression of resignation swept across Evetta’s face when she realized that Hanine planned on transporting them inside the transport. She nodded as the unfamiliar tingling washed over her again. She really needed to ask Hanine where she had learned to use a transporter. As far as she knew, only the Valdier, Sarafin and Curizan races had mastered that technology.
*.*.*
Ben moved slowly behind the large storage crates. Aaron was working his way around the other side of the containers that concealed them for the moment. The two security personnel had separated and were methodically searching the lower repair bay. Ben was thankful this area was used solely for storage and to repair damaged shuttles or battle transports. It did not require a large amount of personnel to maintain it.
It was obvious from the way the two warriors were dressed they were not part of the normal crew. They wore a different uniform than he had seen before. He paused as the warrior he was stalking turned; as if sensing he wasn’t alone. Ben pressed back into the shadows and waited. He could only hope that the male didn’t have the same technology to detect heat signatures that Hanine did. He released a silent sigh of relief when the man turned away again.
His eyes swept the area around the transport. He and Aaron needed to pull the release pins on the two clamps holding the transport in place. The transport was bolted down to prevent it from shifting if something were to happen to the warship. Ben turned his eyes back to the male who was walking up under the transport’s left wing.
Gripping the knife he held in his left hand, he silently sprinted the short distance between them. He struck as the male turned, catching him in his right side while his right hand grabbed the male’s left hand, pulling it and the pistol in it, up and away from him. The male yelled out in pain as the blade pierced him. His finger closed in reflex on the trigger of the laser pistol, firing upward into the air.
Ben swiveled around, drawing the blade across the male’s stomach as he twisted the man’s arm behind him. The pistol clattered loudly as it hit the metal floor of the repair bay. Sweat broke out over Ben’s forehead as warm blood flowed over his hands from the deep cut. The male’s fingers blindly searched for his arm but he had already withdrawn the blade and run it across the man’s throat.
He dropped the warrior’s body and turned. He knew that Aaron must have taken care of the other male otherwise he would have been vulnerable while he fought with his target. Turning back to the transport, he rushed to pull the pin on the release holding the locking mechanism on the left side.
He swiveled defensively in a low crouch when he saw a figure approaching him from the corner of his eye. He nodded when he saw it was Aaron approaching before turning back to what he was doing. He focused on releasing the second lock as the platform on the transport lowered and Evetta stepped out.
“Systems are ready,” she called out in an anxious voice. “Hurry! Hanine has set the environmental systems to shut down as soon as the doors to the bay open. She will lock the outer doors open so that no one can enter.” Her eyes widened when she saw the blood covering Ben. “You are hurt?”
Ben stood up and tossed the heavy pin aside. “No, it isn’t mine. Let’s go,” he said, turning to look at Aaron with a frown.
Aaron nodded before stumbling as he took a step forward. His face creased in pain and he turned a deathly white under his naturally tan complexion. He looked down at his blood-stained hand before looking up again.
“I wasn’t so lucky,” he grimaced as his knees started to give out under him.
Ben’s loud curse echoed in the empty bay just as the sound of alarms blared. He rushed forward and wrapped his arm around Aaron’s waist. Evetta hurried forward and grabbed his other side.
“Damn it,” Ben growled. “Let’s go. Aaron, so help me. You keep your ass conscious. I am not losing you, bro. You hear me. We are finally getting off this damn ship! You will not die on me now.”
Aaron chuckled hoarsely before a low groan escaped him. “Are you kidding me? Hanine would kick my ass if I did something as stupid as dying on her.”
Ben gritted his teeth, ignoring his brother’s gasp of pain as he and Evetta half carried, half dragged his ass onto the battle transport. The plat
form closed behind them. He carefully laid Aaron down on one of the benches that lined the side and held onto him tightly as Evetta yelled for Hanine to get them the hell out of there.
“If anything…if anything happens to me,” Aaron whispered as the transport shot out of the lower repair bay and into space. “Prom…promise me you’ll take care of her.”
Ben’s face hardened as he stared down into the pain-filled eyes of his younger brother. They had been through so much together. He refused to believe he would lose him now that they had a chance of freedom.
“I promise but you better listen to me,” Ben ordered in a low voice. “We are going to get through this just like we’ve gotten through everything else that has happened to us. I can’t…” He stopped to breathe deeply when his throat tightened in fear before forcing himself to continue. “I won’t lose you, Aaron. I won’t.”
Aaron’s eyes closed. “I love you, Ben. I haven’t told you that in a long time but I want you to know,” he whispered before his head fell to the side as he lost consciousness.
Ben looked up at Evetta. She was holding tightly onto the grip bar with one hand. Her other hand held an emergency medical kit. Tears glittered brightly in her eyes but none fell. Instead, a look of determination crossed her face.
“Hanine says several fighters have been deployed,” she informed him. “She told me to tell you to hang on. She is taking us through an asteroid belt. They will not be able to maneuver as well as the transport. Is he dead?”
Ben barely heard the strained question she asked at the end. He shook his head before he nodded to the medic kit. He needed to stop the bleeding. He was applying pressure but could feel the blood still seeping out of the wound.
“No, give me the kit. I’ll take care of him and make sure he is safe while you help Hanine. Don’t tell her yet,” he advised. “She needs to be focused on getting us the hell out of here.”
“Of course,” she replied and handed him the kit. “Please…do not let him die, Ben. Hanine acts tough but this would kill her. I cannot lose her.”