Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian

by Jenn Nixon

  “Several are waiting for us.”

  He scratched his neck, nodded, and then opened the hatch. Hill jumped inside, hit the floor, and fired. Tiva shot from inside first, taking down two of five people in their line of vision. Hill rolled to the side and took cover behind a control panel. Tiva leapt through the access port, firing. He pointed to the opposite side of the room, and she darted to another station. Together, they fired on all present until all were immobile.

  “Good, good,” he said, his expression serious. “Guard the entrance, there’s a console here, that’s all we need. I will access the computer.”

  She circumvented the room toward the only other door. The aliens lying on the floor unconscious were a breed she had never seen. Their pale green skin color, thin faces, and bodies made her wonder. They did not seem to be a race of salvagers. Those types of people would need bulk and strength to take apart ships. She secured the hallway, and checked on Hill, who was downloading the database. Somewhat satisfied that everything was going well, Tiva moved back into the room allowing the doors to close.

  “Almost through, anyone heading our way?”

  “They are all around us sir; I cannot gage their proximity exactly.”

  “Noted.”

  Tiva stepped back, keeping her gun pointed at the door and waiting for Hill to finish. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes went wide.

  “Sir!” she said, twisting around, and fired at the alien behind him. He appeared out of thin air, like Gigs, but it was no hologram. The blast struck the alien in the arm as he squeezed off two rounds at Hill. She ran between the two, and caught the brunt of one of the blasts on her shoulder, the other struck Hill in the chest. She tackled him to the ground then rolled onto her back, saw the alien, raised her gun backward over her head and hit him right between the eyes. “Sir, are you all right?”

  “Yes,” he said, his breath sharp and short.

  Tiva scrambled to her knees. Hill’s shaking fingers pressed the datachip into her palm. She secured her claw, helped him to his feet, and rushed to the hatch. She pulled him into the ship and set him down in a chair. Moving to the cabin, she closed the door, unlocked the clamps, and detached from the scout ship. She tapped on the console to guide the ship back toward the Tolox. Then Maar’s voice filled her air via her wrist-com.

  “Hill, Boon, what is your status?”

  “Mr. Hill is injured; send medical personnel to the fight deck. We have the information, but the aliens, sir, there is—”

  “Return to the Tolox quickly; we’ve just been boarded!”

  Her heart raced. The captain was in danger. Piloting back into the hanger, she kept an eye on Hill every chance she had. He seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness; his subtle moans and groans came and went during the short ride. The cargo ship glided into the hanger. She waited impatiently for the doors to close and the room to de-pressurize. Once safe, she dragged Hill out of the ship, helped him down the gangway, and laid him on the floor. The doctor and nurses, as the humans called them, gathered around him tending to the wound. One of the nurses moved toward her, but Tiva ran out of the room before they stopped her. No time, she thought. Bounding down the corridor, she grabbed her wrist.

  “Captain , where is the threat?”

  “Levels one, two, and four, Ranndom is on two, Hemko on four.”

  “I am on my way, sir. Is the command center secure?”

  “I have it secure for the moment.”

  Tiva jumped into the lift and slapped the console. Using the time to ready, she donned her Timbur again, and gripped her gun. The pain in her shoulder had already dulled. She’d make it through another few hours if needed.

  The lift stopped.

  She pressed against the wall as the doors opened. Sensing an array of people near, she took the time to filter through them then dove out of the lift. She searched the area quickly, tucked into a roll. Two men stood at the end of the corridor, simple. Coming out of the roll, she soared to her feet and fired her gun. One fell as the other charged. She squeezed the handle twice and crouched to her knees as the alien returned the gesture. The man ran faster. Neared. She waited for the right moment then thrust up with her Timbur and sliced his stomach. He screamed and dropped to the floor.

  Without pause, she bolted down the corridor and turned the corner. Three tall, thin men stood in her path. Her markings darkened when she spotted one trying to cut through the command center’s doors. Sprinting toward them, she raised her Timbur to attract their attention, but fired her gun. The closest man vanished and then materialized behind her. Startled, she jumped into the air and kicked the next man. He stumbled, but fired back, striking her in the leg. Grumbling, Tiva pushed aside the pain, and slashed his hand relieving him of his weapon. The final two closed in around her. One lunged, and she sidestepped then pushed him into a nearby door. Seeing her chance, she spun and fired at the third man, and when the other regained his balance, slashed him across the chest.

  “Level one is secure.” She lifted her wrist to her mouth grabbing the comm.

  The Tolox shook violently. Kicking one of the groaners in the head to quiet him, she stepped through the fallen men and approached the command center. The doors opened. Three plasma guns were pointed at her as the Tolox bounced in place. Tiva steadied herself against the doorframe and met Maar, Gigs, and Aliri’s eyes.

  “Excellent work,” Maar said, lowering his weapons. “Gigs fire again, Raife move us around to pick up Jimmi and the fighters.”

  “Aye, captain.”

  “What of the other intruders, you must warn the crew these aliens have strange technology that makes them disappear.”

  “They are teleporters, Tiva.” Aliri moved back to her post.

  “Your team has secured the other levels, but the scout ship is still fighting.” Maar returned to his chair. “Caedm, have medical come up here and tend to the aliens—”

  “Sir, they are gone,” she said breaking into his speech.

  “What?”

  “Ranndom and Hemko said they disappeared,” Gigs said.

  “Keep firing, Gigabyte.”

  “I am!”

  Tiva went to the door and it parted, sure enough, the three she took down were gone. She turned back, the captain growled. Instead of saying anything, she limped to her area and brought it back online.

  “You’re injured,” Aliri said.

  “I am fine, for now.”

  “Sir, I have the others safely on board.”

  “Excellent, move us away, Gigs send them a warning, if they fire again, destroy them…”

  “Yes, captain.”

  “…and get me a status on Hill.”

  “Okie.”

  “…and send Tiva to the infirmary.”

  “Captain, I am fine.”

  “That’s an order.”

  “With respect, sir, I will remain here until the threat is over.”

  Gigs crossed the room and sat in Hill’s seat. “They are ignoring my messages sir, and are on an intercept course.”

  “Raife take us to warp, so they can’t follow.”

  “Yes, captain,” he said. “Letting them off easy?”

  “They injured Hill and Boon, I don’t consider that easy.” Captain Maar sat up straighter and rumbled.

  “No, sir, just trying to ease the tension,” Raife said sheepishly.

  Tiva felt the engines vibrate. They were moving away, that was a good sign. She winced as she brought up reports from her team and around the ship. In total over fifteen aliens had appeared on the ship simultaneously. The mysterious way they moved intrigued her. Aliri called them teleporters, she would research the term when there was time.

  The captain seemed distraught. She would explain what happened, but first the current matter needed closure. Emerala and Jimmi entered and Tiva felt a wave of relief fill her. No one was badly injured, save Hill. Taking the datachip from her belt, she approached and smiled at Emerala. “I am glad you are unharmed.”

 
“Likewise, did you get the information?”

  “Yes, Hill was successful.” Tiva nodded.

  “Where is he?” she said.

  “Infirmary, he was injured, but the doc just called, he’ll be fine,” Maar said to the crew. Everyone sighed and returned to their chairs. Tiva conducted internal security sweeps just to be safe, and Gigs went offline for a diagnostic. Things were quiet for a few hours, but the pain in her shoulder would not go away.

  Just as shift was about to end, she felt dizzy and leaned against her station for support. Perhaps she had pushed herself too far. Aliri glared at her and motioned to the door. Tiva sighed and nodded.

  “Sir, permission to go to the infirmary, I believe I need attention.”

  “Yes, Chief, go,” he said.

  The last physically trying altercation she remembered was on Uucor, in the kitchen of Harai and Major Raku with the men who wished to deliver her to the bounty hunters. Though her muscles were sore, she knew constant training was necessary on this ship. It was more than merely using an advanced weapon from a distance, and whatever they were going to find with the salvagers was not friendly or easily matched. The scout ship proved as much during the fight. The Tolox lost three cannons and suffered heavy damage to its shielding. The aliens were sly adversaries with technology and abilities beyond what the Union had.

  Captain Maar called a meeting with the senior staff in the morning. It allowed her enough time to stay in the infirmary for a few hours before returning to her room to rest. She had no choice. If she didn’t rest, she would not function the next day.

  Admittedly, the fighting made her feel something she hadn’t felt in a long time; alive. It was not the harming or injuring of people, but the challenge. Sparring with friends was not the same. She missed the fear and rush of energy she had experienced. Her entire life had been a fight; she was accustomed to the power of it all, but did not want it to linger for much longer. Her time on the Tolox made her value time with others, relaxing, learning new things, and exploring more aspects of life.

  She continued changing, growing. Since leaving Abennelp, her entire life had evolved. She knew culinary skills and gardening thanks to Harai, she flew spacecrafts and knew what elements made up a nebula. Would her father be proud? Would he understand? She wasn’t sure she did, the path before her was still unclear, but Aliri said she’d find a purpose. Tiva hoped that her friend’s intuition was right.

  After changing into her sleep clothing, she checked the status of her messages. Both had reached their destinations. Her stomach tightened. Taking in a deep breath, she calmed herself and sat on the bed. A prayer to her family and king followed a word of love to the spirits for protecting her. It was a small offering. If she were home, she’d shroud Shial’s statue with flowers. Here, however, her words had to suffice. Lying back, she closed her eyes trying to clear her mind. There was a soft knock on her door just a moment later.

  “Ms. Boon, it is Hill.”

  She deactivated the lock and the doors opened. Glancing up she met his eyes. “Sir.”

  “I wanted to thank you for what you did.”

  “Just my duty, Mr. Hill.”

  “You are very quick. I saw the way you moved,” he said, as his gaze lowered then moved off to the side. “Anyway, thank you.”

  “You are welcome, sir.” Tiva dipped her head trying to shield her markings.

  “There should be a manual for those purple bits, then you wouldn’t have to hide them.”

  “They are tied to my emotions...others here do not always say what is on their minds, sir. Some things must remain within.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Ms. Boon. Good evening.” He smiled obliquely and turned down the corridor. He glanced back then rounded the corner.

  Tiva returned to her bed, curled her legs up, and rested her head on her knees. She tried to clear her head; it was cluttered worse than before. She wanted to call Gigs, but knew the diagnostic was still running.

  Slowly she breathed in and out, calming her body and emptying her mind. The thoughts floated away and her eyes grew heavy. The tired took her, thankfully, into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  The crew of the Tolox sat in the meeting room waiting for the captain to talk. Tension was elevated, though everyone felt secure enough to allow the secondary teams to handle the ship while they discussed the situation. Tiva stood by the doorway, the vantage point allowed her to see the entire room.

  Since waking in the middle of the night, she had studied the data retrieved from the scout ship, and read about the teleporting ability. Interesting topics indeed, however as she delved into the scout ship’s records, she realized the aliens possessed a natural ability to teleport. They collectively used it to teleport their vessel while simultaneously using the wormhole device. Union records of this species were limited, so the information Hill recovered proved very helpful. The captain paced the length of the room before turning to the crew.

  “We have two more days to find these salvagers before we have to return to Xatlo space. A civil war is resting on the edge of a trade agreement, and the Union has called for all Vexillum negotiators and ships in the area for support. I explained our status and they granted us some time. I don’t want to leave without finding out who these insects are, so I want you all working around the clock to get this done.”

  Tiva joined the group in a united nod, but kept her eyes on the captain. He paced a bit more, then finally took his seat.

  “Does anyone have anything to report?” Maar said.

  “I do, sir.” Emerala grinned. “I’ve just finished research on the scout ship. I confirmed they were using a device to create wormholes. The datachip didn’t have any ship schematics, so I have no idea how they do it, but they did have instructions for creating a self-contained teleporting amplification device—the one they used to board us. I can get a working prototype, if you want.”

  “Sounds intriguing,” Hill said.

  “What do we need it fer?” Jimmi asked.

  Raife chuckled. “It’ll give us a tactical advantage over our enemies if we can move from one spot to another at the blink of an eye just like them.”

  “Agreed,” the captain said. “Get to work on it Teer, have Caedm help you.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said.

  “Anything else?” Maar said.

  “Sir, if I may,” Aliri said. “If everyone can keep an eye on their displays, I noticed my console in the science lab acting a bit slow and Gigs said it was due to her diagnostic taking so long. I’m keeping a log just to be safe. It’s been a while since we’ve been upgraded, if I can get us a nice report going, maybe we’ll be refitted next time we get back to Ovvella.”

  “Good, good,” Hill said with a grin. “I like the way you think, Aliri.”

  She laughed. “Thanks.”

  “All right if there isn’t anything else, let’s get to work.”

  Tiva waited for everyone to leave the room. The captain stayed behind, so she acknowledged him then exited to the command center. Taking her post, she checked on Ranndom, getting his status and once satisfied, reviewed ship reports. Two days was not long enough to accomplish much in situations such as these. She knew all too well the pressure of getting things done, but this feat would be complicated and difficult. Tiva poured herself into her duties for the remainder of the day. She helped Emerala and Aliri with scans and readings. Raife asked her to take flight controls for a couple of hours when engineering asked for his help, and Hill ordered her and the security team to break up an altercation in the mess hall.

  When Tiva’s shift ended, she was exhausted. She had spent over eighteen hours on duty, and Maar ordered her to get some rest. Unwilling to argue the point, she immediately fell asleep when her head hit the pillow.

  “Ms. Boon, report to the command center.” Hill's voice blared through her room.

  She leapt up from her bed, half-asleep and reached for her wrist-comm. “Yes, sir. I will be there momentarily.
” She put the device on, rubbed her eyes, and staggered into the lavatory to ready. The display on her wall confirmed she had only been sleeping for three hours; however, it would have to suffice.

  She splashed cold water on her face and changed into a clean uniform before heading out. People were rushing back and forth in the corridor as she made her way. Once inside the lift, she called for Gigs.

  “Hiya, Boony, what’s up?” her voice said.

  “What is our status?”

  “Emerala and Raife think they found the salvage ship.”

  “I see. Can you contact Ranndom and Hemko and get them started on patrols?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Tiva entered and took her post. Most of the normal crew was present with the exception of Aliri and Hill. Reports from all around the ship came in as people prepared for another fight. Tiva filtered through and sent the information where needed while simultaneously initializing fields around the ship.

  Gigs popped next to her. “I called your team. They are getting into position around the ship.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Welcome.”

  “Status,” Captain Maar said, stiffening in his chair.

  “We’re gaining on them, sir. Another few minutes and I’ll have them in range,” Raife said.

  “Weapons are hot, Cap’n,” B’abot said.

  “I have all sensors ready, sir. I’ve set up the station to send all readings to the appropriate sectors. Nothing on communications at the moment.” Emerala fast tapping on her console echoed.

  “Security teams are patrolling the ship. We are ready.”

  “Gigs, contact Hill and make sure he’s working on that dampening field.” Captain Maar began reading his display. “And inform all sections to arm themselves.”

  “Okie, sir,” Gigs said and vanished from sight.

  Tiva watched the main displayer as the Tolox raced through space. Her reports indicated the science teams were working on a field to deflect the teleporting aliens. No one knew if the salvage ship was from the same group of aliens as the scout, but the captain was obviously taking no chances. It was a good strategy in her mind, however she wished she had a larger force for security, and would make mention of it when the time was right.