by S. E. Weir
She-Who-Mourns hissed at the female. The arrogant callousness of the comment was unbelievable. “You took away their hope! What did you think would happen if they knew they would just die? They are children and will believe what you say. Their will to survive depends on believing they will be saved!”
Stopping, she looked up and down, then glanced at the food nearby. The female didn’t seem as thin as the rest of her people. She-Who-Mourns’ sonorous tubes waved in agitation. “You would not dare!”
Hesitating for the first time since she had entered, She-Who-Waits took a step back. “Would not dare what?”
“You would not dare hold back food from the little ones, our hope for the future! You would not dare hoard food for yourself to stay alive longer! Tell me you did not!”
She-Who-Mourns was incandescent with rage. “Tell me the truth!”
The female whimpered and stammered. “I…I…”
The fear and uncertainty on the female’s face did little to lessen the heat inside her. Just as She-Who-Mourns lifted her sonorous tubes to enact judgment as was her right, being a holder of the revered su’adon, she heard excited shouts from outside. She couldn’t pick out words until a young male ran in, staggering from loss of breath and lack of food.
“A spaceship! A spaceship is here!”
Relief and elation filled her but didn’t erase the anger she felt for She-Who-Waits. However, the interruption allowed her to remember to act justly. Turning back to stare into the female’s eyes, she spoke softly, using every bit of su’adon she possessed.
“Did you take from the little ones for yourself?”
“Yes.” The female bit out the tones sullenly, unable to be silent under the influence of the su’adon.
She-Who-Mourns closed her eyes as she struggled to contain herself. Finally, she opened them and leaned forward intently. “You will no longer be She-Who-Waits, but She-Who-Betrays. Know that this was no small act. This was the worst mistake of your life. Whether we are saved or not, you are no longer in charge of food distribution. Leave now. You may still have water rations, but you will have no food for three days.”
She moved to leave, but the squawks of protest caused her to turn back with a hard look that evoked a recoil in the female.
“Considering your actions might have caused others to die, I believe the consequences are very lenient. Do you wish for me to change my mind and give you the gentle sleep? I assure you, I would have no problem doing so.”
Though the other female’s sonorous tubes waved in agitation, she merely shook her head.
“He-Who-Discovers, you will escort her to her rooms and inform She-Who-Guides that she is in charge of the food from now on.”
The young male appeared disappointed that he couldn’t go back to the crowd outside but didn’t hesitate to comply. Finally, She-Who-Mourns left the building to find out what was happening.
Perhaps their saviors had finally come.
Chapter Fifteen
Etheric Empire, QBS Stark
“So, what’s the plan for when we get there?”
Phina and Alina broke off their conversation and turned to Ryan. Alina frowned. “Didn’t we talk about this before we left?”
Ryan rubbed his face as he produced a practiced embarrassed grin. “Well, I sort of wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking about this beautiful blonde...” He stopped when he saw their expressions and hastily moved on. “All I remember is we are helping people that are starving and dying.”
Phina raised an eyebrow. “Yup. That’s what we’re doing.”
Taking her cue, Alina nodded and gave him an appreciative smile. “You’re so clever to remember the plan.”
“Your memory sure is a vault,” Phina continued with a smirk.
Alina pressed her hands together under her chin and made her eyes widen. “Oh, please, can I stay with you while we’re on the planet? I don’t know what I’ll do without you telling me the plan.”
Ryan’s eyes pinged between them before rolling. “Ha-ha. You two are so funny.” Phina shot him a smirk with an exaggerated bow while Alina made a decent simpering curtsy. He gave them a deadpan look. “Seriously. What are we doing? What’s the plan?”
Stark popped up on the screen next to them, causing Alina to start. She would have fallen over if Phina hadn’t grabbed her. Alina’s three-inch heels didn’t help. Phina had stopped trying to convince her to dress differently while on the mission, occasionally staring at her friend’s shoes with a perplexed expression. However, at the moment, Stark had her full attention.
“The plan? The plan? The plan, my moderately useless and slightly entertaining inmates—except for you, Genius Girl. You’re only slightly useless and moderately entertaining, especially when you do that weird thing you do—is to slip into the atmosphere under cover, locate the most populated area, land at a distance close enough to hike to but far enough away that I don’t get alien cooties, pack in all the supplies on your backs, dump them on the aliens, then hightail it back here and leave before someone knocks you off and steals me so I have to blow myself up in a fiery death.”
Ryan scrunched up his face. “I think I hate that plan. Was that the plan? Did you even take a breath in there with all that?”
Stark rolled his avatar eyes. “I’m an EI, dumbass. I don’t need to breathe. Did I say moderately useless? You’re downgraded to completely useless.”
Alina stood looking a little sick. “To be honest, that is a really terrible plan.”
Sniffing, Stark turned his face to the side. “No one around here appreciates my genius.”
“Solid, E-man.” Ryan put a fist out toward Stark, who looked at it askance.
“What is that for?”
When Ryan didn’t answer, being speechless, Phina explained. “It’s a gesture of solidarity. That you both agree on an issue or are together in something.”
Flicking his attention between them, Stark finally extended his fist. Ignoring his surprise, Ryan moved to touch his fist to Stark’s screen. When he was inches away, Stark snapped his arm back.
“Too slow, dumbass, too slow.”
Ryan scowled. “Hey! I have a name.”
“Yes.” Stark nodded gravely. “And I just used it.”
Ryan gaped at the EI. “You aren’t serious.”
“I am perfectly serious. All the time. There’s no joking here.” The three of them stood staring at the avatar as Link, Braeden, and the doctor walked in, with Maxim trailing behind. Stark’s face flicked to Link’s dark expression as he approached, and he held up his hands. “Actually, I was lying. Yup. Lying about all of it.”
Alina’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You were? EIs can lie?”
Stark considered. “It wasn’t a lie as much as misappropriating and misrepresenting the truth.”
“And you can do that, even though you are an EI?”
“Hey, can I help it if my operating parameters are set differently from what you are used to?”
“Somehow, I feel like I should be saying yes even though it sounds like you want us to say no.”
Stark beamed at Phina. “And that’s why you’re the genius, Genius Girl.”
“Stark.”
“And that’s my cue.” With a final jaunty wink at Link, he disappeared.
Link turned his face to the ceiling and growled, “Stark!”
Sound piped from the speakers. “Stark can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave your message after the beep.”
Alina laughed, which caused everyone’s tension to ease. “Why do we always look up at the ceiling when we talk to ADAM and the EIs?”
April smiled in amusement. “I don’t know, but you’re right. We all do that.”
Phina stepped back and slid into a seat while Alina walked over to lean into Maxim. His eyes lit up, and he gave her a slow smile. Phina didn’t hear what he whispered to her, but the grin that appeared on Alina’s face gave Phina a warm feeling. No matter what happened to Phina, Alina would be all right.
Maxim would help her through it.
Ryan absently scratched his belly, looking puzzled. “So, if Stark was lying, what’s the real plan?”
After staring at Ryan with impatience, Link finally relented. “Fine, we’ll go over the plan one more time before we get there, which will be in about thirty minutes. Stark, please let Addison, April, and our Yollin friends know we need them in here.”
Link had maintained his serious face, leaving Phina wondering what had happened to him recently to completely suck the arrogant I-know-it-all-but-I’ll-still-mess-with-you-just-because-I-can attitude out of him. After a moment, he glanced at her with a concern that caused her to feel like she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. Her. His attitude had changed because of her and the death sentence on her head. Thankfully, the arrival of Doctor Keelson, Addison Stone, Drk-vaen, and Sis’tael distracted her from reacting badly before she could recover her equilibrium.
After they all had taken seats, Link continued, “Here’s the plan. Once we hit the planet, those of us with fighting experience will go down in the Pod to scope out the situation. After we figure out where the people are and what’s happening, we can determine the next steps, which will likely consist of the rest of you coming in with the Stark to bring the supplies for the Aurians. Any questions?”
Alina raised her hand. Honestly, her best friend was adorable. “Why can’t we all just go down in Stark together? They’ve been starving, right? They aren’t likely to fight us when we are coming to help.”
“Alina, it’s not that simple.”
She stiffened at Link’s tone before glaring. “Then make it simple. But whether you do or not, explain. I’m not a genius like Phina, but I’m not stupid either.”
“I wasn’t meaning to imply you were, Alina.” Link gentled his tone to placate her. He’d seen her in a tirade, and it hadn’t been pretty. He had once left the suite the women lived in with his chest metaphorically slashed to pieces. “It could be that they are practically unconscious and just waiting for anyone to arrive, or it could be a free-for-all.”
Alina frowned. “Why would there be a free-for-all when we are there to help?”
“Think Prey meets Shaun of the Dead.” Phina thought that might be easier since Alina was a closet horror fanatic, romance being her visible go-to genre. Phina still shook her head about that. Could there be two genres any more different?
“Oh, my stars!” Alina’s eyes had grown huge. “Those poor people!”
“More like desperate people.” Link muttered.
“When will we know we can join you?” Addison Stone seemed to want to move on, which Phina agreed with.
“Once we have determined that everything is safe, we will call Stark to bring you down. Doctor Keelson will assess their medical needs with help from Drk-vaen and Sis’tael. Alina will survey the people and dispense the clothing with Maxim’s help. Braeden, Ryan, and Addison will arrange the food, with Addison on call if we need help with the musical part of the translator.”
Ryan appeared perplexed, perhaps wondering why he was stuck on food duty. “Why divide it like you have? What are you and Phina doing while we are doing all the work?”
Link’s jaw twitched, causing her to think he was irritated with Ryan about something. If he was, she didn’t hear any sign in his voice. “Dividing tasks this way pairs up combatants with non-combatants. Combatants, you will protect those you are paired with from harm as well as assist in your tasks. Make sure you watch for signs of nervousness and desperation. Desperate people do stupid things. Phina and I will speak with the leaders, arrange future transport, and fill in where needed. Everyone good? Any other questions?”
“I’ve got a question.”
“What’s that, Stark?”
“Why am I getting readings of a spaceship on the planet below us because I’m so awesome as to get you here early.”
Everyone straightened in mixed postures of alertness and confusion. Link’s voice held tension and concern. “Could the Aurians have their own, or is this a visiting ship?”
“Oh!” Alina bounced in her seat. “Maybe other people came to help too!”
“I don’t think they came to help.”
Phina heard something in Stark’s voice she hadn’t heard before and took a moment to place it. His voice had dropped to a monotone with no hint of the snarky sarcasm he usually responded with. “Can you tell what kind of ship it is?”
“It’s the Skaines.”
Etheric Empire, Aurian Planet, SS Revenge
Danll escorted the next group of slaves to the cargo ramp. The creatures were eager and almost desperate to come with them. Tasig met Danll and Mrik’s group at the bottom, and he ushered them into the cargo hold and to the cells and cages. Danll smirked at Mrik as they turned back to get the next group.
“This is like getting free money, it’s so easy.”
Mrik took his time checking out the surroundings as they walked. “Yeah, it makes me uneasy.”
“What you talking about, man? With this bunch, we’ll get top rates for sex slaves. We’ll be rolling in money!”
“I don’t like it. I feel like something’s going to mess it up.”
Danll stared at him in surprise. “Don’t tell me you’re superstitious like Trillet.”
The other Skaine shrugged. “Nah, he’s crazy. He spent too long in the mines for his sanity.”
“You were in the mines too, right? I don’t see you as crazy.”
Mrik shot him a dark look that gave Danll a tingle of fear. “Don’t you count on it, Skaine. That Ranger made us look like fools and left us in a dark mine to break our backs with no access to the equipment needed to maintain our bodies. We all went a little crazy. He’s just more obvious about it.”
“Whoa! Channeling a little Shrillexian aggression there.” Danll felt nervous. He thought he knew his fellow slavers. All pirates were the same, right? That was what he’d thought months ago when he came across Vasith and his crew, who were dipping around the edge of Imperial space and raiding. The captain had struck him as pretty sharp, though the rest lived up to his expectations. Until now, anyway. This was their first venture farther inside the borders of the Empire, and it had made a few of his fellow crew members twitchy.
Mrik’s eyes flicked away uneasily. “Be quiet, fool. You don’t want Dal-tek to hear you talk about him, and his brother’s even worse.”
Danll grinned. “Yeah, I heard his real name is different than the one he gave us. Gallon? Gaston? Ganon? No, Garon. Yeah, I think that was it.”
He only had a half-second to see the dawning fear rise in Mrik’s face and frozen body before thick green fingers dug into his neck. He couldn’t even take a gasp of air before his airway had shut due to the pressure on his windpipe. His dark eyes spun around while his hands ineffectually plucked at the blue skin of his neck. He wouldn’t be surprised if he turned gray. He needed air.
Sharp teeth and face horns came into view, leading up to dark eyes glittering with rage. “It’s Ravid, you freaky little prick! You say one more word, and I’ll tear you to pieces!”
Danll’s vision dimmed, and he thought it was too late; he was going to die. He could feel the black depths of unconsciousness reaching out when he heard one of the most beautiful sounds of his life, giving him a lovelier welcome to the afterlife than he’d expected for the likes of him. It was so peaceful he began to let go.
All of a sudden, the pressure eased and he could breathe again, just enough. Maybe that Shrillexian had a heart after all.
It took him a few gasps of air to notice that the Shrillexians, Mrik, the other Skaines, and the slaves were all looking up. What was in the sky that drew their attention? His eyes took a moment to focus before he could see why they all stared, and another moment before he realized he wasn’t seeing things.
It was another spaceship.
Trillet wanted to have a weapon in his hand so bad he could taste it, but he couldn’t. He was stuck here while everyone else was out doing something
fun. He felt like he hadn’t had enough fun since he had wasted all those years in those damn mines that had been his personal hell. He turned to the Skaine next to him on the bridge of their ship. “Vasith, I want to go down and help.”
The bastard didn’t even look up from the screen that showed both the outside of the ship and the cargo bay where their current stash of slaves was being stored. Cargo, he reminded himself. Cargo being stashed in the hold. This had to be the best cargo run ever, and he was stuck here like a juvenile needing a tether.
“No, stay at your post, and let me know if anything pops up on the scanners.”
Slumping, Trillet couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t proud of it and actually felt ashamed, but he couldn’t stay on the bridge. He had to get out. He needed space. He needed…something. He just had to move, so he did the easiest thing he could think of to get the captain to change his mind: he wheedled and he whined.
“Come on, Captain, you can’t do this. You know I could help. I would do the best job you ever saw. I’ll do everything you say, whatever you want. Just let me help.”
Vasith shook his head, rolled his eyes, and mumbled something to himself. Suddenly, he froze, focusing on the display next to Trillet. Following the captain’s gaze, he found a bright flashing light as the screen showed a ship entering the atmosphere.
“You piece of shit, you were supposed to watch the scanners!”
Trillet stood frozen, watching the ship descend. He hardly heard a word Vasith said; his eyes were fixed on the screen. Finally, the captain spoke the words that broke through the fear.
“You’re getting your wish.” The captain spoke grimly. “Get a weapon, get down there, and help bring our cargo in! I’m not leaving without it!”
Shaking his head vigorously, Trillet shrank away. “No! I can’t go down there now! You can’t make me! Let’s just take what we’ve got and go!”
Vasith scowled. “What, now you change your mind? No. Take the damn weapon and get your ass moving!”