by Juno Wells
Maisy looked at her, eyes wide, but Isla shook her head and willed the heat to leave her cheeks. She owed Griggs an ass-kicking for sure.
The guard led the way to the docking bay. "The captain will be along in a moment. Wait here."
He retreated to the edge of the bay, keeping an eye on the entrance since there wasn't anywhere for them to go in the sealed bay. Rowan glanced around and lowered her voice, handing out what looked like cheap junk made into rings. "These aren't fancy, but they'll get the job done. They won't let us all work together, so I'm guessing we'll be split up. If we get the chance to break and run, do it. Hit the buttons here and it will flash to all the rest of the rings. We meet near the engineering control room and come up with a better plan to get a ship and get the hell out of here."
Isla hesitated before taking the ring. She didn't want to stay on the port. But Griggs gave her a sideways look as the Xaravians arrived in the bay, and Isla retreated to stick close to her friend. She wasn't sure what Vaant would do or say, but she didn't need the additional attention. She toyed with the ring and eventually stuck it in the deep pocket of her borrowed trousers.
Vaant strode into the bay and took her breath away, and Isla wondered if she'd have the strength to leave him behind if the rest of the women decided to escape. His silver eyes found her and he started to smile, and Isla felt like they were the only ones left on the ship.
Chapter 22
Vaant
Vaant didn't like having all the Earthers on the space port, but he needed his crew to assist in fixing the port and couldn't spare anyone to guard them on the Galaxos. And he had the sneaking suspicion that Griggs or that engineer might try to commandeer his ship if he stopped paying attention. So Isla and Jessalyn, the cultural expert who didn't seem to know very much about cultures, stayed with him and Trazzak, while Griggs and Rowan went with Vrix to assist in the engineering department. The other two remained near the dock to aid the ongoing medical and resupply efforts.
The scent of Isla's skin distracted him nearly every time his hearts beat. He couldn't control the swirl of blue in his skin when he first saw her in the dock, but she avoided eye contact and the cultural expert glared at him like she wanted to murder him with a dull knife. Vaant wanted to say something, to defend Isla, but she shook her head and focused on the work at hand. Vaant led the way to the bridge where the port captain waited with additional information on the attack. They'd fully recovered the full set of data from the day of the attack, with the help of the Xaravian technical officers, and the captain cued up the replay as Isla quietly explained what they found.
Vaant studied the logs and other information, only half paying attention to the actual replay — since he already knew the Argo was responsible — but looked over as he heard the other Earther gasp.
The cultural attaché muttered in Earther to Isla, sounding annoyed. "What the hell is this?"
Vaant normally didn't eavesdrop; it wasn't part of the warrior code. But since they spoke a language they knew he understood, he didn't try too hard to pretend he ignored them. Isla folded her arms over her chest before she spoke. "This is the attack. They recovered the data from the damaged part of the space port — and there's the culprit, right there."
She pointed at the large viewing screen just as the Argo appeared. The other Earther shook her head. "It's gotta be a trick. They doctored the data. The Argo wouldn't —"
"They did."
Before the Earther could continue arguing, a red warning light flashed through the control room. Isla took a breath to translate a message that flashed across the screens, but before she could say anything, a voice blared into the room. "This is Alliance Ship Hawking. We broadcast a message of support and assistance to the brave crew of the neutral space port, and a warning to the criminals of the rebel ship Galaxos. You will be held accountable for the damage inflicted on the space port. Cease all aggressive actions and prepare to surrender."
Vaant's eyebrows climbed as he listened closely while the message repeated itself, and he even looked to Isla to clarify. The space port captain picked up his communicator and tried to hail the Hawking, but nothing worked. The Alliance ship's systems shorted everything out.
The threat from the Hawking repeated, over and over, until Vaant could see no way out. They had to race against the Hawking's arrival to get back on the Galaxos, debark from the port, and get the hell out of that quadrant. If the Alliance blamed the Galaxos for the attack on the port, there was no reason they wouldn't also blame Vaant for attacking the squids.
Isla shook her head. "But none of that is true. We're not attacking the port. We've been assisting with —"
"That doesn't matter," Vaant said. "Not to the Alliance. They'll blame us for it and call us criminals. There's no use fighting it."
Jess frowned. "They wouldn't unjustly accuse you of attacking a neutral port. That's illegal."
"And yet you've been on my ship and know that what the Hawking claims is impossible. So they're doing something illegal — who is going to hold them accountable?" Vaant inclined his head to the port captain and shook two of the man's hands as the Earther stuttered and stared at the viewing screen, frozen on a shot of the Argo firing its weapons at the port. "I'm sorry, Captain, we must depart before they cause any harm to your port and crew. Fair winds."
"Thank you for the assistance," Dyrgic said. "We will delay them if we can."
Vaant nodded and caught Isla's arm, gesturing for the other Earther to fall in line. "We need to move quickly."
More alarms sounded and something struck the port, causing the lights to fail and the emergency generators to kick on. Trazzak tried to hustle Jessalyn away from the bridge, though she set her heels and started to argue with Isla. "This can't be happening. There's no way the Fleet would allow —"
The port shuddered again and Trazzak picked her up around the waist to start running. Vaant caught Isla up and followed, dodging around the civilians in the hall who milled around, trying to figure out what was going on. As he jogged, Vaant called back to the officer on the Galaxos and his crew on the port, "Prepare for emergency departure and evasive maneuvers. Assemble on the ship immediately. This is not a test."
More alarms blared, almost hiding his words, and he hoped his men all heard the warnings over the noise and chaos of increasingly-panicked civilians and squids. He wouldn't leave them, but he didn't want to lose his ship and his freedom because someone dragged their feet. Isla held tight to his arm even as his scales rattled, and she spoke in High Xarav so maybe her compatriot wouldn't understand. "What's going on? Are they going to destroy your ship?"
"Unless we get out of here fast. It looks like the Hawking is far enough away that we're not in optimum range of their weapons, and if they fire at us, they'll cause severe damage to the port." Vaant shook his head, trying to run through all the strategic possibilities in his mind. "Which might be their objective if they want to blame us for both of the Argo's attacks. No witnesses to the Fleet's crimes, and a convenient rebel ship to pin a bounty on."
"Are you really rebels?" Isla almost whispered it, blue eyes flashing as she looked up at him. "I thought you were just pirates."
Vaant squeezed her closer, resisting the urge to laugh. "We are a little of both."
Then there wasn't time or space to talk as the crowds grew in volume the closer they got to the dock, with civilians clamoring to escape on the Galaxos or still-damaged squid ship. Vaant roared to his guys to hurry up, and Vrix tried to set up a blockade to keep the desperate passengers from overwhelming the ship. The crowd surged and jostled into Vaant, and he nearly lost his communicator. He blinked and everything slowed down as he turned, reaching for Isla.
She was gone.
Disappeared.
No trace of her stood out from the crowd of various species, not even her scent. Vaant snarled and shouted at his men to find her, but chaos and smoke filled the dock. Even the cultural officer disappeared. Vaant shouted her name and waded through the crowd toward t
he hall, away from the Galaxos. He couldn't lose her. She had to be nearby, just pulled away by the masses of people.
He wouldn't leave her behind. There was no telling what the Hawking would do to Fleet officers aware of their crimes and sold by their previous captain. Vaant's spikes rose as panic filled his stomach with acid and his blood with sulfur. He had to find her.
Chapter 23
Isla
One moment Isla had a firm grasp of Vaant's arm and a clear line of sight to the Galaxos and safety. The next, Jess hauled her back and Vaant slipped from Isla's grip, and then she lost him. The crowd split and flowed around them as Jess fought to keep her ground, even as Isla reached for Vaant and tried to shout at him. Smoke rolled through the dock as the port shuddered and rocked, and people started to scream.
Jess held up her hand to show the communicators Rowan put together, the light flashing, and she said, "Come on. We have to meet the others. We can't go on that ship, Isla."
"They aren't criminals," Isla said. She tried to pull free. "We can't stay on the port, Jess. The Hawking will destroy this place. We have to escape."
"This is our only chance to escape from the Xaravians," Jess said, her expression hardening. "You don't understand, Isla. We can't let them take us on their ship."
"You don't understand." Isla couldn't think with all the flashing lights and blaring alarms, and the space port shuddered again, nearly knocking her off her feet. "Damn it, Jess. There isn't time to —"
"We have to get to the others, at least." Jess hauled her deeper into the space port. "If you want to go, we're not leaving anyone behind. Right?"
Isla gritted her teeth and pulled away, though she had to grudgingly admit she wouldn't leave her fellow officers behind. There was no telling where they actually were on the space port, though, and as Isla looked back at the docking area, a whoosh and slight jolt to the port revealed that the Galaxos had departed. Her heart sank. Vaant left her behind. Everything they'd shared... Maybe it didn't matter to him. Maybe Jess was right and Vaant only viewed Isla as a convenience. She stumbled to a halt in the hall even as the crowd parted and flowed around her and Jess tried to catch her hand.
Jess caught her shoulders and softened her tone. "I'm sorry, Isla. I am. But if you want to get to know that guy and actually have some kind of a relationship, do you really expect that to happen when you're his prisoner? We can find them again. Right now we need to find the others and figure out what the hell the Hawking is doing. Maybe that's how you can help him."
Isla took a deep breath and pushed away the hurt and confusion over Vaant's actions. He had to save his ship and crew, and he'd only known her a couple of days. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. And she had five fellow officers to look out for. If the Hawking really was committing a crime, chances were they wouldn't want any witnesses, particularly fellow Fleet officers. They could all be in danger if they got caught.
She shook off the indecision and hardened her heart. Some things would have to wait. She nodded to Jess and strode to a less-crowded side hall. "First we need to find the others, then we need to get us all different clothes. You guys stand out too much as Fleet officers, and I look like a Xaravian pirate."
"Got it," Jess said. Relief eased the tense muscles in her jaw and forehead, and she squeezed Isla's hand before breaking into a jog. "We agreed earlier, while you were out, that if anything happened we would meet near the engineering control room. I'm familiar with that part of the station, so we should be able to hide while we plan."
Isla nodded. One step at a time. Find the others, get new clothes, figure out a safe place to hide, then plan what to do about the Hawking and their charges against the Galaxos. As they skirted the main crowds by using the perimeter corridors, Isla glanced out one of the portholes into the vast darkness of space. A small bright dot sped away from the port, and the massive bulk of the Hawking drifted into view and blocked everything else from sight. She rubbed her forehead and hurried after Jess. They didn't have much time.
Chapter 24
Vaant
Vaant nearly destroyed the dock as he tried to reach Isla and Vrix held him back. A few roars from Vaant was all it took to drive the crowds back in fear, and three more crewmembers had to help the security chief get Vaant back onto the Galaxos. Vaant still fought, wanting to catch one last glimpse of Isla before his entire world collapsed. It wasn't until Trazzak got in front of him and shouted about the ship being targeted by the Hawking, with weapons locked on, that Vaant could focus on saving the ship. If he lost the Galaxos, he'd never be able to find Isla again.
Vaant started toward the bridge, but paused when he heard the Earther women protesting as they were shoved onto the ship behind him. He turned, stunned to see the doctor and the lawyer being dragged in by his crew, and hesitated. He shoved Trazzak toward the bridge. "Get ready. When I give the signal, we go."
"Don't do anything stupid," the second-in-command said, his spikes raised in alarm, and ran for the bridge while shouting more orders.
Vaant grabbed an emergency beacon from the kit near the dock as he approached the two women. The lawyer frowned at him. "Where are the others?"
"Escaped," he said. Just saying it made him want to jump out of his skin and race back into the space port. "We cannot delay to look for them."
The doctor's face paled. "But they'll —"
He handed the beacon to the lawyer. "This will call us back when you need help. Go find them. Stick together. We'll draw the Hawking away if we can so you're safe. When everything is dealt with, hit this button and it will send your location and a distress signal to my ship."
"Why?" The lawyer's eyes narrowed. "Why would you help us? And why the hell would we call you?"
"I'll help Isla," he said. "And because she likes the rest of you, we'll help you as well. Now go — find them and hide until the Hawking leaves. It's not safe if the Fleet finds you here. You're more evidence of their misdeeds. You have to hurry."
The doctor bolted back into the space port but the lawyer stared at him for a long moment before she took the beacon, turned on her heel, and strode out like a queen descending from her throne. Vaant shook his head in irritation and slammed his hand against the controls to close the dock. As soon as the airlock sealed, he called up to the bridge. "Go. Now. Full speed."
His hearts leapt to his throat as the ship jolted free, and for a moment the generators chugged and nearly stalled. He loved the bucket of bolts, but damned if the Galaxos could break down at the worst possible moments. Vaant wasn't a praying man, but he urged the Fates or whoever else might be out there to give them a hand as the Hawking charged its laser weapons.
But Trazzak coaxed life into the ship and the engines engaged, thrusting the whole rusty contraption into space with so much force it knocked Vaant off his feet. His head whacked into a metal pipe and he watched Vrix jump forward to help just as the world went dark.
Chapter 25
Isla
Isla and Jess found Griggs and Rowan first, in a small alcove near the engineering control room — just as Jess planned. Griggs looked around and cleared her throat. "Any sign of the others?"
"I didn't see them," Jess said. "And I think that giant security guard was the one looking after them."
"Seriously?" Isla looked at Griggs. "I would have thought they'd have him watching you."
The security officer just shrugged, although her cheeks reddened a little suspiciously. "I know. It's almost like they wanted us to escape."
Isla's heart sank. Or maybe the Xaravians got tired of putting up with the constant escape attempts and attitude from all of them, and used this as a convenient means of getting rid of the Earthers. Her legs felt heavy and numb, and she sank to the floor without a word. She needed quiet and time to think. With Rowan's engineering skills and Griggs's ability to knock people out, all four of them could find a safe spot to lie low until a solution presented itself.
Griggs watched her closely, though, then said, "Rowan, see if you can find Maisy
and Vi. They might have gotten hung up with the crowds and some of the security measures. There's no reason the Xaravians would let four of us go and keep the other two. Isla and I will try to find a better place to hunker down. Jess, hang out here in case they show up. Everyone get back here in fifteen minutes or less so we can regroup and figure out what to do."
Isla pushed to her feet and tried to find some of the strength of character that was a hallmark of the Fleet officer corps. Her mind still spun from everything that happened just that morning, much less over the last few days. Griggs waited until they were far enough away that the others wouldn't overhear, then linked her arm through Isla's and took a deep breath. "You look positively green, Lennox. What's going on?"
"It's just hard to believe it's over so quickly." Isla tried to smile, tried to be happy that their captivity with the Xaravians ended so quickly. "Between that and the Hawking showing up, everything just feels… off-balance and wrong. Everything I believed about the Alliance and the Fleet — were we wrong, Cici? Have we really been serving some evil organization this whole time? Are the rebels right about us?"
Griggs pulled her into what looked like an equipment room, frowning around at the shelves of chemicals and grease and tools. Then Griggs faced her and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't know, Isla. There's definitely something going on. The warning from the Hawking... I heard about it over the Xaravians' radios. We know it's not possible, what they're accusing the Galaxos of. I don't know if there's some other reason. We can find out more when we all get together. We'll have a plan."
Isla nodded, even though she didn't really believe Griggs.