by Juno Wells
The three dragons disappeared into the sky, and the Pirgks kept cheering with their broken voices.
Braxan was unconscious on the ground.
Amelia banged on the titanium door to the base with her fist and looked straight into the camera positioned above it. “They're gone now. Let us in!”
The closest Pirgks were just fifty yards away, and she was feeling very vulnerable. If that door didn't open pretty damn soon, they could snatch her again.
She banged on it until her fists ached. “Hey! Come on!”
The door hummed and she heard the hiss of escaping pressure as it slid open. Daria and a large man, who Amelia recognized as one of the defenders of the base, peered out. They each had a gun.
“It's really her,” Daria said, and her face brightened.
“But who is that?” The man aimed his gun vaguely in Braxan's direction.
Amelia could smell the inside of the base. Plastic, lubricant, cleaning chemicals. It was never that pleasant a smell, but in contrast to the sulfuric air out here, it smelled like safety. “He saved me from the Pirgks. Now he needs help. He's dying.”
“Sure,” Daria said. “We need all the friends we can get.”
The man squinted at the Pirgks that were all staring at them. “It's against regulations to let any alien into the base except for the quarantine section. And that has been abandoned.”
Amelia used the last of her energy to straighten up and look the man in the eye. “I vouch for him. The situation is desperate. If he can't come in, then I'll stay out here, too.”
The man's position was impossible, and he realized it immediately. Without a word he bent down, grabbed Braxan under his arms and pulled him inside and into the base.
Amelia followed, and then the thick door slid shut behind her and the lock cycled.
She was home.
And she had brought a dragon.
23
- Amelia -
Daria was in a chipper mood and didn't let go of Amelia's arm as they got Braxan onto a gurney and rolled him towards the medical dome. “Ohmigod he's a total hunk. Are those tattoos? Or some kind of insert? Maybe it's because I've been out in space for too long, but he has to be the dreamiest guy I've seen.”
“He's pretty cool,” Amelia agreed. She suddenly felt more tired than she could ever remember, and she appreciated Daria allowing her to lean on her. “Saved my life a bunch of times.”
“I wouldn't mind having my life saved by someone like that. Where does he come from?”
“From far away, he says. He's pretty hard to get to talk about those things.”
Daria gently touched Braxan's scales. “But actions speak louder than words, right? And if he's a good guy, where he comes from doesn't matter that much, I guess. Damn, he looks strong! Is this, like, armor?”
Amelia nodded. “Something like that.”
Hanson came towards them, and he looked as tired as Amelia felt. But he managed a relieved smile that looked genuine. “Amelia. I'm glad to see you. Get a check-up, and then we absolutely need to know what happened. The situation is getting pretty desperate, as I'm sure you realize. Anything you can tell us about how you made it could be crucial.”
They entered the medical dome, and chief medic Carl and a nurse came towards them and took over the gurney. Amelia felt one knee buckle under her, and Hanson quickly pulled out a chair.
“I've got some good news,” Amelia said and collapsed on the chair, feeling like she would never get up again. “And some of it concerns him.” She pointed at Braxan. “But I'll have to tell you later. Right now, I don't know which way is up.”
Hanson looked at her with a worried expression on his face. “Very well. Get everything you need. Like you instructed, the base can be evacuated at short notice. We don't think the Pirgks will attack in the darkness. There's still a few hours until the orange sun comes up, and that's when they tend to get aggressive.”
The base commander turned and left the medical dome. Carl glanced over at Amelia. “This the one with the uranium poisoning?”
Amelia nodded. “It's depleted uranium.”
The physician passed an instrument over Braxan's wound, then frowned. “Depleted uranium got him this sick? How long has he had it in him?”
Amelia was seeing black spots dance in front of her eyes. If she closed her eyes for just a second, she'd be asleep. “Just a couple of days.”
The doctor tried another instrument. “Yep, looks like depleted uranium. Only trace amounts of it. I can barely pick it up. Any human could live for decades with a much larger amount in them and never notice. His species must be extremely sensitive to it.”
“Could be. He's very alien.”
The doctor sighed. “You're telling me. Well, I can probably stabilize him. Curing him is another thing altogether. I'm not sure I can.”
Amelia felt her head drop, and she snapped out of the microsleep. She had to watch over Braxan, make sure he got better. Even in this state, his skin still had that golden tone to it. To think it had taken her so long to put two and two together ...
“That's fine,” she said. “They say I can.”
24
- Amelia -
“And then they dropped us here.”
The center dome was so silent you could have heard a grain of sand fall through the air. They all had looked at her with rapt attention while she told most of her story, trying to make sense of it herself. Not everything was known to her, like how Braxan had got there in the first place, but there were so many weird things in her story that a small detail like that didn't seem too important. And other, more private details was no one else's business anyway. But now everyone knew that she had brought a dragon to the base. Or an Ultra Draco, as the blue dragon had called it.
“Okay,” Commander Hanson said, his face gray with fatigue. “So there's a chance that old spaceship can keep us safe?”
“There's a chance,” Amelia said. She had only been asleep for three hours, but that had been enough to give her a little rest, at least. And Carl had given her a solid cocktail of pharmaceuticals to keep her alert. “How big a chance, I don't know. Marqatzo himself didn't know. Anyway, even if he can't protect us that well, I think we have a better chance in the jungle on top of him than here inside the crater. He seems willing to help us. He doesn't control the jungle and the beings there, but he says that he can lock his cargo bays pretty securely. I mean, as a last resort.”
“Locking us away from everything, including the ships that are racing to evacuate us,” Hanson pointed out. “But I see your point. This base can't withstand another major attack. Even if the dragons don't help the Pirgks, they are so many by now that we can't keep them at bay for more than a few minutes when they attack. Depending on what kind of help they will bring with them. Which brings us to the other topic.” He lifted his eyebrows at Amelia.
She sighed. “Yes, I brought a dragon to the base. Yes, I knew he was a dragon when I did it. No, I don't think he'll kill us. No, I don't know if he can help us. But I do think he wants to.”
Carl cleared his voice. “As long as the tiny amount of depleted uranium in his body keeps him sick, he is very weak. That is probably for the best.”
The was a murmur of agreement among the people in the room. “Should just kill that damn beast,” someone muttered. “Bringing him here is total treason. She's doomed us all.”
Several people nodded. And no one protested.
Amelia took a sip of water, ignoring the remark. She understood them perfectly. In their place, she would have been just as scared as they were. He was a terrifying dragon. But he was a wonderful man. They just didn't know it.
Hanson scratched his head. “I don't think we should just murder that thing until it becomes clear that it means us harm. The way it looks, it will die on its own anyway. The ammunition for the railguns contains some depleted uranium to make the bolts heavier and more penetrating. It looks like it's sensitive to that. We have more if we have to take it down.”
“He,” Amelia said calmly. “It's a 'he'. His name is Braxan. And anyone who tries to 'take him down' will have to take down me first.”
The room was silent again while they all stared at her. They realized she meant it.
She stared right back without flinching. She had faced dragons. Facing down a room full of angry people didn't even register. Maybe the blue dragon had been right. Maybe she had a little sliver of dragon in her now.
“I'm sure that can be arranged,” someone sneered under their breath. “Treason usually carries a death sentence.”
Hanson slapped his hand on the table. “That's enough. I will not tolerate any death threats. We're all on the same side her. Let's not do the Pirgks' work for them. From Amelia's report, the dragon has helped her and shows every sign of being friendly. To her, at least. When he's in his humanoid form. And his compatriots did bring her here without attacking the base. It sounds like he is their leader. I suppose we can be pretty sure that they will not assist the Pirgks in their attacks as long as he's here.”
“How do you know that?” someone yelled. “Do you not remember what happened last time?”
A heated discussion erupted.
Amelia didn't listen. She was worried about Braxan. Carl had used massive amounts of stimulants, nutrients and all kinds of nanotech to stabilize him, but he was still dying in that bed in the medical dome. As long as the trace amounts of uranium were still embedded in his wound, he would only get weaker until he died. That was only hours away, Carl had estimated.
Only she could heal him, the blue dragon had said. Something to make him whole. Something that meant something to her. A sacrifice.
But what? It wasn't like she owned anything of value here.
She looked out over the faces in the room. They were all about to make the ultimate sacrifice. And some of them had kids here on the base, too. Of course they were upset now. But they would be brave when the time came. When the orange sun rose and the Pirgks attacked, they would all do their best. Together. Even in the face of certain death and defeat. She had seen it before. They were all resilient. They were all brave. Her own father had been just like that. He'd even got a medal for it-
Her head snapped up.
“That could be it,” she mumbled to herself, and Hanson glanced at her.
“Hold it together, Amelia,” he said under his breath. “We're not dead yet.”
“That's right. And I don't think we will be anytime soon. I have to go.”
She left the administration dome and the quarreling officials and officers and hurried towards her own quarters. Many colonists sat along the walls of the corridor, wearing their utility suits and carrying backpacks and weapons. They were all ready to evacuate the base at short notice.
She entered her own cabin. Everything looked the way it used to. She briefly thought about taking a quick shower, but decided against it. It would take too long.
Then she hurried to the medical dome.
“Hi, Jean!”
“Amelia! They told me you'd come back. Unharmed, too? I can't believe it! But it makes me happy.”
Jean was looking much better now, and she was sitting up in bed reading on her pad. She was wearing a new utility suit, and her backpack was ready on the floor.
Amelia gave her a gentle hug. “Well, it's not like they didn't try to harm me. Gods, I can't even imagine what you must have been through. But you're tough as nails. Recovering fine, they say.”
Jean smiled. “Damn right. Takes more than a gang of Pirgks to keep down the girls from Belzon Base. And it's thanks to you I'm alive, Amelia. You went out there and got me. I can never express how I feel about that. Except to say thank you.”
Amelia hugged her again. “I'm glad I did. Seeing you pretty much back to normal is the greatest thing ever.”
Jean peered at her mischievously. “So what's going on with you and that alien guy? A little something in the air there?”
Amelia felt her face blush, just a little. “Who says there is?”
“Oh, no one. But I get the feeling you're here to see him, not me. And I did get out of bed a couple of hours ago and I snuck in there to take a peek. And if that's not the finest male I've seen in pretty much forever, then I'm Minnie Mouse. But hey, if you're not into him, that's great. Opens the field to those of us who like the muscular lumberjack look with just a hint of fairytale prince and total badass. Hey, I might try my chances myself.”
Amelia sighed. “Stars, Jean, you cannot tell anyone. You're the only one who's guessed it. Yes, fine. There's maybe something going on there. I think. We did have some fun together on our ... uh ... walk.”
Jean chuckled and her eyes glinted. “I knew it. As soon as I saw that weird armor of his. He looks so damn dangerous. And then it clicked. You do know who he is, right? He's that golden dragon who didn't kill you and me. Everything matches, down to the exact spot where you hit him with that gun. He even has golden hair. I could tell immediately.”
Amelia didn't know how to react. Well, she had told everyone at the meeting, and all the colonists on the base would know soon enough. “You know what, Jean? It walked through a whole jungle side by side with him for days without a clue. And you're just reeling it off like it's totally obvious. Okay, I have to go. See you.”
Jean winked. “No problem. Give my best to dragon boy. Thanks again for saving my life.”
Amelia tiptoed into Braxan's room. It was dark, and he was hooked up to a couple of machines. He looked so vulnerable there, breathing slowly and depending on technology too stay alive. Like a prince from the ancient myths and legends, totally out of place in an age with spaceships and railguns and nanogels. Like something out of a fairy tale.
She walked slowly over to him and placed a hand on his chest. So warm, so soft, but with a hardness underneath.
The wound had white dressing on it.
So vulnerable. But so insanely dangerous. He could kill everyone on the base with one breath of his flame, he could blow the whole installation off the surface of the planet and turn it into a hellish inferno where all six hundred of them would die in an instant.
Would he? How strong was the dragon in him? Could his human side control it?
She stuck her hand into her pocket and grasped the object there. If she healed him, was she condemning the whole base to death? Could she trust him?
She knew she was just wasting time thinking about it. She would do this. She would do her damndest to heal him. He had never harmed her. He had saved her life so many times that she didn't even know. She trusted him. She admired him.
And she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone.
She used her nail to open the side of the square wound dressing, slipped the object in under the fabric next to his cold skin and pressed it back on until the adhesive stuck to him again. There. Like for like. A real sacrifice to make him whole. It would work. She knew it.
She kissed his lips and tiptoed out of the room.
Now, even ten thousand lovesick Pirgks couldn't stop her from taking that shower.
25
- Braxan -
The colors were back in his mind. He hadn't even noticed that they were gone. The dragon stirred, hungry. There was gold nearby.
He opened his eyes. The surroundings were alien. Where was he? Why was he lying down? What were these objects?
He stood up, feeling the old power fill him. He had been dead. Now he was alive, stronger than ever. He wanted to Change. Now. The urge was very strong. The dragon beat its tail viciously in his mind, insisting to be brought into existence and feel its own immense power. It had been weak for too long. But he stayed in control.
He had seen his dragon side weak for the first time. The man in him had not succumbed. He had persevered while the dragon had curled up in a corner. The man had done what the dragon should have.
The power had shifted. From now on, everything was different. He would control the dragon.
He walked through the alien structu
re. He didn't know what it was, but he could guess. The human base. Her base.
She was here. He knew it with all of him. There were other humans, too. They pulled away from him in fear as he passed. That was as it should be. He hardly noticed them.
There was a warmth on his chest. He ripped off the fabric there and grasped the little object with his hand. She had done that. She had healed him. Only she could.
He knew precisely where she was and he went straight there. Doors slid away when he approached, and those that didn't he simply ripped off their mechanisms. And then he was very close to her. He could hear running water, like a local rainstorm. An unlocked door slid out of his way.
And there she was, naked and wonderful.
She gave a little cry when she saw him, but she must also have realized that he meant her no harm, because she immediately relaxed and smiled at him. She wasn't afraid of him. Only she in the whole universe wasn't afraid of him. The water from her curious rain bath ran down her face and dripped from the tips of her hair.
She didn't try to hide her nakedness. Well, he was naked, too.
Her smile was radiant. “Alive again, huh?”
He placed his palm on her wet cheek, and she leaned into it. “And you made it so. I have urgent business to attend to. I will just ask you this: Will you marry me?”
He thought he had sprung it on her, but she had her answer ready. “I will.”
His Mate was so delectable he was barely able to restrain himself from another hot embrace with her, but there was no time. Not now.
But she grasped around his hard manhood with one hand and smirked. “Do what you have to. But don't take too long.”
He took her face gently between his hands and kissed her lips, then turned around and walked to the nearest exit. Some people tried to stop him, threatening him with weapons. But now he was invincible. He had his Mate.
The last door slid open and he felt the cool, sulfuric air of the planet. It was dark, but there was an orange glow on the horizon. He knew the Pirgks liked to attack in the orange light.