by Calista Skye
Harper's mind reeled again. This man. This larger-than-life alien warrior whom she had long suspected was a very high-ranking member of his people. This alien warrior who handled a fire planet and wildlife like it was a game for kids. Who looked like a viking lumberjack. Who protected her so well she hadn't even broken a nail since she came here. This man with a charisma and unshakeable air so strong that as long as she was with him, she didn't even worry that anything would happen to her on the damn Fire Planet. This man who could send the sun into the depths of her soul with just a look. That man was now saying that she completed him.
He frowned, mystified.
“I'm sorry,” Harper sniffed and wiped her eyes. “It's just that no one's ever said anything like that to me before. I'm fine. Really. I just- yeah. Girl stuff again. Okay, let's get clean.”
They stripped naked and stepped into the little shower together. The water was warm, perfectly clean and smelled vaguely of lemon. At the bottom of the compartment it was collected and sucked down and back into the extremely advanced recycling device. There was just room for both of them, but they couldn't do much other than help clean each other quickly using an odorless nanotech soap that was specifically designed to clean and disinfect while not foaming and not feeling like a soap at all. Finally the shower blew air at them to dry them off, and Harper enjoyed the clean feeling.
“Very pleasant,” Vrax'ton said as they exited the shower. “Warrior feel cleaner than for fantastically long time.”
“That shower was invented by a woman specifically for use in space. Maybe not everything girls in space do is bad?”
“Maybe not,” Vrax'ton agreed and showed no sign of putting on his clothes. And his manhood was straining towards the ceiling of the bathroom. “But Vrax'ton remain unconvinced. Technically Harper and Vrax'ton are in space at this precise moment. On alien planet, certainly. Harper now prove that females in space can do much good.” He let his stiff cock slide across her bare female mound suggestively.
Harper frowned. She loved the guy. But some of the things he said ...
She drew breath to gave him a pointed reply, but then she realized that he was grinning happily down at her and that his eyes were twinkling. Shit, he had obviously learned exactly how to needle her for his own entertainment.
She breathed out and smiled. “Yeah, I don't really feel a need to prove anything.”
“Then Vrax'ton will prove that this craft is large enough for a perfect union.” He leaned in to kiss her, and she greedily wrapped her arm around his neck and relished his expert kissing.
He turned her around and took her up against a bulkhead, somehow supporting most of her weight so that she didn't collapse when his perfect cock and vibrating knob had effortlessly brought them both to a simultaneous climax.
Harper collapsed in his arms. “Shit,” she mumbled, still shaking with aftershocks, “I think I was pretty loud.”
21
- Harper -
When they opened the door again, everyone was there and everyone was staring at them.
“Do you think they heard something?” Harper whispered to Vrax'ton. She didn't care if they'd heard everything all the way to Earth, even. She was happy. And anyway, they didn't have long to live, so her embarrassment wouldn't last long.
“Don't worry,” Ava said. “We didn't hear you have loud sex in there. And if we did, we didn't mind it. If anything, we're just jealous.”
Harper felt heat spreading on her face. Well, maybe she cared a little. “Sorry, guys. Didn't know the walls are so thin.”
Charlotte and Lily just looked at her with amused smirks on their faces. If Vrax'ton and his guys hadn't been there, Harper was sure they would have had a whole bunch of pointed comments for her. As it was, their knowing smirks said enough.
Kar'x, still black with soot, went to use the shower.
Vrax'ton said something to Eni'ar, who shrugged and gave a long reply that didn't sound too good to Harper. He was clearly not saying that the problem with the shuttle's engine would be easy to fix. And if it had been, of course he would have been busy fixing it right at that moment.
Harper had to know. “So what's the story?”
“Warrior Eni'ar thinks technical problem can be fixed and repaired for short interval of time. Feels convinced craft can start and fly across air. But go into space impossible forever for craft. Warrior Eni'ar also has no information about how long craft will fly across air before explodes gloriously.”
Ava brightened. “That might be enough! If we can just fly a couple of hundred miles away from that fire, and land safely, there's a good chance the rescue from Peroik will reach us before it catches up with us again. Sure, go ahead and fix it.”
Vrax'ton and Eni'ar exchanged a few more words, and then the younger warrior grabbed Charlotte's toolbox and went out to start repairs.
Charlotte started to follow him, but Vrax'ton held out his arm and stopped her. “Important that everyone remain inside obsolete Earth craft. Warrior Eni'ar assures need no help from Earth woman. Now very hot outside as Fire comes closer.”
Charlotte looked like she was going to protest, but Ava intervened. “I agree. Charlotte, we desperately need you to fly this thing when he's repaired it. If anything happens to you, we're all dead anyway. You're the most important person in this shuttle right now.”
Charlotte relented and sat back down, clearly not happy. “I just hope he knows what he's doing. Pretty weird if he can repair tech that has to be totally alien to him.” She glanced darkly at Vrax'ton. “Even if some think it's obsolete.”
Harper went to the door and looked towards the fire. The heat from it hit her like a sledgehammer before she could even see it. It now seemed to fill the whole sky – a ghostly, undulating white sky. And there was a sound too, now – a distant roar that filled every tone of the scale, from piercing highs to chest-rattling bass tones that she felt more than heard. It felt like the whole world was burning.
“Inferno Year,” Vrax'ton said beside her. “That sound alone ruin peace of mind for even experienced warrior. Normal Fire make sound also, but Inferno sound is gloriously terrible. Vrax'ton estimates eight hours until Fire here and everyone dead. Likely less.”
Harper took his hand, and touching his firm, large, callused flesh grounded her as always. In a flash that almost made her lose her balance, she realized that he was her fiancé now. “Just something I wondered about, my love: what are you among your people? I mean, I can see how Kar'x and Eni'ar talk to you. It's as if they hang on your every word. And they always start their sentences with the same word, as if it's your title. I get the feeling they wouldn't talk like that to just anyone. I mean, they're both imposing and strong and confident. It's not like they would defer like that to just anyone.”
Vrax'ton tapped his lips with one finger. “Vrax'ton's standing among Acerex not of importance at present time. Vrax'ton will inform Harper of relevant lore when no longer on Bosh.”
“Hey, you're supposed to be my fiancé. No secrets between us. Tell me now, okay? Are you their leader? Or chief or whatever you'd call it? I mean, the leader of the whole ... tribe?”
“Vrax'ton finds comparison close enough.” He leaned out of the shuttle. “Outside now is gloriously hot. Animals running from Fire soon will turn up in fantastic numbers. Very numerous creatures. Unsafe for warrior Eni'ar who repairs and fixes antiquated engine. Vrax'ton must ensure welfare of warrior Eni'ar. And give assistance if required.”
He said something to Kar'x, and the two of them jumped down onto the ground outside and walked to the rear of the shuttle.
Harper closed the door and sat down. The three other girls just looked at her without a word, but their eyes spoke volumes.
“What?”
Lily shrugged. “Hey, we maybe don't have that long to live. You can tell us, we won't spill it. Is he alien in other ways, too?”
“Maybe,” Harper said and kept her face neutral. “Aliens can be weird.”
Ava stood up and
went over to one window. “It's none of our business, Harper. Enjoy that total hunk of a viking alien as long as you can. We're just a little jealous. Damn, that fire is hot!”
The sound of it could be heard inside the shuttle now. It was an eerie, steady hum on all frequencies of the sound spectrum. It was almost deafening without really being all that loud. Yet.
Apart from that, the shuttle inside grew silent. Everyone was looking at the floor or out a window, lost in gloomy thoughts.
There was suddenly a thud against the side of the shuttle, then another. Harper opened the door and took a look outside. It was like looking into a river of living fur and scales on the ground beneath her. Small animals of every description were running from the Fire in a panic that made them blind. Some of them ran straight into the shuttle's landing gear at full speed, and that was where the thuds came from. Other animals behind them disregarded them and ran straight across their lifeless bodies.
She closed the door again. “Yeah. It's like the running of the bulls out there.”
Ava turned around, and her face was pale. “Girls, if this is it and they can't get the engine started, I'd just like to say that it's been a privilege being your base commander. I wish things had been different. We deserve a better end than this.” Her voice was calm and steady, and the gravity of what she was saying shook them all to the core.
“You're the best leader I've ever had,” Charlotte said. “Even if this goes to hell, I've cherished every day I've spent with you ladies. Gideo Station rules.”
“Damn right,” Lily sniffed. “Whatever happens now, we're going straight into the history books as the first Earthlings to set foot on Bry. Damn, Charlotte, should we try to relay our whole story to Peroik Base? So they know the whole deal with the fire and the aliens and Harper fucking a viking alien? I mean, we want to be remembered as cool.”
Harper punched her shoulder. “Hey, let's keep it R-rated at least, okay? I don't want to be known as the interstellar slut.”
“Anyone of us would have done that guy,” Lily said. “I know I would have. As many times as possible, too.”
Charlotte went into the cockpit and came right back. “No dice. The console can't connect with anything. Craziest static I've ever heard. Must be the fire.”
She put a hand on the bulkhead of the shuttle, then jerked it away and blew on her fingers. “Getting hot. Could fry an egg on that. I hope those barbarian guys are done with the engine soon. I'm not sure how much longer the rest of the shuttle can take this. Some parts of it have decent ceramic shielding, but not all.” She sat down. “I'd just like to know what happened to that engine.”
No one said anything, except for the occasional thud as a panicked animal collided with the landing gear and the ever-present roar of the fire.
Harper had trouble keeping the panic at arm's length. This was cutting it pretty close to the chase.
A ball of ice settled in her stomach. What if this was it? How would they die? Was it better to run straight into the fire and get it over with or stay in the shuttle to remain alive for as long as possible? Would they suffocate from the fumes? Or would they be eaten by hergs before the Fire even got there? Or by some other monster? Scared tears burned in her eyes and her hands were shaking.
No, she had to occupy her thoughts in some other way. “I'll go and check on the guys.”
She opened the door, noticing that the mechanism was slower than it used to and made a more laborious, grating noise than before. Nope, the shuttle couldn't take much more.
Outside it was much brighter than any fine summer day she had ever seen, and she had to squint to even see the nearby trees. The flow of animals continued, but now the creatures were larger and came up to Harper's waist. They had better control and didn't collide with her as they ran.
The wind had picked up, and the treetops swayed. The Fire consumed so much oxygen that it sucked all the air out of the forest.
Harper went to the back of the shuttle. Then it felt as if her heart fell heavily to the ground. The engine casing looked just like it had before, and there was no sign that anyone had ever been working on it. She ran around the craft once, hoping against hope to find what she was seeking. But there were only tree and bushes. There was not a sign of anything else. Nothing.
Her knees buckled in sore despair and a sudden, intense grief that almost knocked her out.
There was nobody there.
Vrax'ton had abandoned her.
22
- Harper -
Branches and bushes whipped around her cheeks as she ran.
The breath felt ragged in her tight, raw throat as she crashed through the vegetation. Creatures of all sizes were running the other way, and she saw several hergs that just ignored her completely. The animals ran in silence, but the roar from the fire was now close to deafening and the light she was running right into was brighter than ever.
She would have called his name, but her throat had closed up and she could barely breathe.
She reached the clearing where they had dug the hole. It was still there, and the primitive sack containing asbestos still hung on a tree branch.
She had hoped to find him here, hoped that he was here preparing plan B and that he had counted on her to come there by herself. But no. There was no one here either.
She got the sack of asbestos from the tree and then allowed herself to break down in hysterical sobbing at the disappointment and betrayal and fear. He had really left. Probably he had some other plan for escaping, one that involved the two other warriors but not her.
It was to good to be true anyway. Why would a high-ranking and totally gorgeous alien like that want to settle for little round Harper Evans? Okay, she got that. But he could have gone a little easier on the last-minute proposal thing. That was just cruel and unnecessary.
Fine.
She gave a final sob, dried her face on her sleeve and took some deep breaths. She wasn't dead yet.
She turned around and faced the fire. The wind was blowing hard at her back, towards the Fire that sucked all the air towards itself. It whined across her ears and blew her long hair into her face. The roar was so powerful she wanted to clamp her hands to her ears. It shook her whole body like a physical force. The thick fumes of burning chemicals stung her nose and lungs with every breath. And the heat burned her cheeks and hands.
The flow of panicked animals had stopped. None of them would get as close to the Fire as she was.
Then she saw it. She saw the Fire itself. She saw it as more than just a white curtain across the sky.
It was still hundreds of yards away, but she could see it among the trees in the distance. The trees themselves bent and swayed wildly in the hurricane of infernally hot air right before they were consumed. But the fire demanded her attention. It was the most brilliantly white light she had ever seen, and it burned her retinas in a way that she knew could blind her if she didn't look away. It was calm, too. The flames higher up danced and swayed, but down to the ground, the Fire was a solid wall that just made its way calmly and unhurriedly in the vegetation. There was a deliberate movement in it that seemed almost like the actions of a conscious being. It had chased her across this planet and through deadly jungles, hounded her and done its best to scare her and kill her. As if it was after her specifically.
“But I'm not dead yet,” Harper whispered.
Then a feeling of rage went through her and she screamed at the Fire in defiance. “You hear me?! I'm not dead yet!”
Her voice drowned in the roar from the Fire, and she turned to run back to the shuttle.
It was heavy going, because she was running against the storm of air that the Fire would use to burn the forest to less than dust and ash. But the fear had left her. There was no reason to be afraid anymore. The worst had come to pass. She would die.
But she would not die afraid.
23
- Harper -
“Fire it up,” she screamed before she reached the door. “Charlotte! St
art it!”
She jumped in and helped the door close on a mechanism that was pretty much burned out. “The guys are gone. I don't know if they fixed anything, but we have to try. Start it!”
The pilot jumped up and ran to the cockpit. Lily and Ava were just sitting dejectedly in their seats, and both had red-rimmed eyes.
Ava wiped her eyes. “They're gone?”
Harper dumped the bag of asbestos on the deck. She didn't know why she'd taken it. Yes, she did. It was a memento. Of him. “Yep. They left. Fine, we're no worse off than if they had never been here.” She strapped herself into a seat. “If it won't start, we're dead. But we have to try.”
The whine from the prestart turbines filled the shuttle's interior, and then the drone from the second-stage drive began. Charlotte had clearly skipped most of the startup checklist. Harper felt the seed of a new hope take hold. Maybe they had fixed the engine after all!
The drone became louder, and then there was a coughing sound from the rear of the shuttle, followed by a horrible grating noise that Harper had never heard before. The turbine spun down with a sad, disappointed sound. The main drive never engaged.
And that was it. The shuttle was still broken.
Charlotte came back into the main section. “Yeah, that's no good. Only the pre-start and the second-stage drives are functional. The main drive will never work again. Totally shot. Ladies, it's been a pleasure. But I'm not sitting here meekly waiting for the fire to get here. I'm going to do what all the other wretched creatures out there are doing and run until it catches up with me or I die of exhaustion. Bye.”
The pilot marched to the door, kicked it open and jumped down on the ground.
Harper unsnapped her safety harness with fingers that were stiff with adrenaline. “She has the right idea. If we're going to burn, I'm going to burn running. No waiting around for this chick.”
Lily and Ava followed suit and they all jumped down onto the ground.