by S. E. Smith
Ha’ven’s mouth flattened as he stared back, refusing to respond to the taunt. “I am going to enjoy killing you, Kejon.”
Kejon laughed. “It will be a sweet reward to see your brothers’ faces when they find you dead. They are off on a wild hunt looking for me. They are too far to come to your rescue, Ha’darra.”
“Who says I need rescuing?” Ha’ven replied calmly looking at the data flowing in.
“You are outnumbered, Ha’darra. I have three warships to your small transport,” Kejon sneered.
“I believe you have miscounted, assassin. You only have two,” Ha’ven said with a sarcastic curve to his lips.
Kejon cursed and yelled out an order at the same time as the warship he was on rocked as the Marastin Dow warship to his left exploded. He turned deadly eyes back to Ha’ven. Without another word, he cut communications and opened fire on the Sentinel.
Emma bit her knuckle as she watched the torpedoes or whatever they were called coming toward them. There were at least a dozen. She didn’t make a sound. She didn’t want to break Ha’ven’s concentration. His hands were glowing brighter than they had yesterday and the small transport was moving rapidly toward the torpedoes instead of away from them.
A small squeak finally escaped her as the transport tilted as two of the torpedoes swept by. He was driving, or piloting, the transport just like the taxi drivers down in South America. She didn’t know it was possible to turn and twist a spaceship the size of a football field as quickly as one of the little taxis but he was doing it. One scraped under them, exploding as it hit the outer shield. The transport shook violently and warnings sounded.
At the same time, Ha’ven was firing at the other two, larger warships. One rocked and flared for a moment but it continued to fire at them.
“Ha’ven?” Emma whispered as they came closer and closer to the two warships. “Ha’ven?”
“It will be alright, little mate,” Ha’ven said calmly. “We are going to slip between them.”
“Between them?” Emma whispered looking at the narrow gap. “Will we fit?”
Ha’ven flashed her a smile. “Barely. But, if Kejon fires he will take out the other warship.”
“He wouldn’t do that, would he? I mean, he would be killing his own men,” she asked, squinting her eyes as they got ever closer.
“Of course he will,” Ha’ven replied. “I am counting on it. Then, there will only be one warship to destroy.”
Ha’ven glanced briefly at Emma. A low chuckle escaped as he saw her pull her knees up into the chair and cover her eyes. His little mate, the one who would pull an ancient Valdier War Sword on a Curizan Prince, sat curled up peeking through her fingers.
“I promised you I would not let anyone hurt you, misha petite,” he said grimly. “I will keep my promise to you.”
“I know,” she responded quietly. “I… trust you.”
Ha’ven gave a sharp nod as he gripped the controls. He let his power flow from him into the ship. He would not be able to maintain the flow for long but it would be long enough. Emma had been right. There would not have been enough room between the warships for the Sentinel to squeeze through without his manipulation of energy. The black energy inside him flowed through the metal of the transport, shifting and changing the structure. It became longer, narrower and sleeker. The change gave them the added inches they needed to sweep between the warships. As he suspected, Kejon ordered the side laser cannons to open fire. By the time they were activated, the Sentinel was behind them.
Ha’ven slowly released the power he was sending out. The transport shifted back into its former shape. He heard Emma’s delighted laugh of relief. Increasing speed, he focused on getting to the second Jumpgate before Kejon’s warship had a chance to reposition and pursue them.
He didn’t dare release the controls. Weakness pushed at him. He had expended a large among of energy and it would take him several days to recover. If Kejon caught up with them, he would be defenseless except for the weapons and shields aboard the Sentinel. Without his added power, it would not take long for the warship to deplete them and destroy the smaller spaceship.
“You did it!” Emma clapped and laughed. Her eyes glowed with excitement. “You really did it.”
Ha’ven smiled at the flushed face of his mate. My mate, he thought possessively. She is mine.
“You have much to learn about a Curizan Prince when he is in battle,” Ha’ven teased lightly. “We will be going through the second Jumpgate soon. Once through, we will be in Curizan space. Kejon would be stupid to follow. We have patrols scattered throughout.”
“What if he does?” Emma asked worriedly. “Can you call someone to come help?”
Ha’ven grinned and nodded. “Sentinel to Rayon I.”
Within seconds, Adalard’s face appeared on the view screen. “This is the Rayon I. How goes it, brother?”
“I have found your missing traitor,” Ha’ven said tightly as a warning sounded from the defense system. “He and a Marastin Dow warship are hot on our tail.”
A loud curse from behind Adalard showed Arrow was listening in as well. “Can you get away?” Arrow asked, looking over Adalard’s shoulder.
Ha’ven glanced at Emma who was listening quietly to the exchange. He released a deep breath before he shook his head. From the speed of the approaching warship they would just be entering the Jumpgate when it intercepted them. Once through, there was no guarantee one of their patrol ships would be close enough to arrive before Kejon destroyed the Sentinel. There was only one thing he could do.
“When I hit the Jumpgate I’m going to send us through to Yardell,” Ha’ven said grimly. “It is the only way to ensure we aren’t blown apart.”
“Are you sure?” Adalard asked with a heavy frown. “I’ve alerted General Tiruss that you need assistance. He can be there in four hours.”
“We would not last half that time,” Ha’ven responded as he calculated the time to intercept. “Come for us.”
“We’ll be there,” Arrow said, yelling out an order. “It will take us at least three days but we will be there.”
“May the Goddess be with you, brother,” Adalard said before signing off.
“What’s going on?” Emma asked, frightened. “What is Yardell?”
“It is a Spaceport on the far side of our star system,” Ha’ven replied.
He glanced at Emma briefly before turning back as the second Jumpgate came into view. The large towers stood like silent sentinels in space. As the transport passed through, it would complete a connection between the energy grids opening a large wormhole that would take them to the Curizan star system.
He would tap into that energy and take them further, to the opposite side. It was a dangerous move. One only done in theory, never in reality. Arrow had first come up with the idea. They had joked about it for years but there had never been a reason to try such a risky move until now. If he didn’t, Kejon would catch up with them as they came out the other side and destroy them before help could arrive.
Ha’ven slowly began releasing the power within him that Aria had awakened. He felt the blackness swirl and churn, almost as if it was a living entity buried deep inside him. For once, he did not fight it as it rose inside him. Instead he embraced it, letting it wash through and over him.
We will not let that bastard harm our mate, Ha’ven told the dark mist. We will protect her at all cost.
Yessss… came the answer as the black mist spun out and through the controls.
Ha’ven gritted his teeth as the Sentinel entered the Jumpgate. The moment the energy connected through the transport, he pulled it inward and linked it with his own power. His body jerked as the massive amount of energy centered through his body. He vaguely heard Emma’s cry of terror. He felt like his body was being torn in a million different directions.
He shook as the dark power inside him greedily grasped the extra energy. He fought to remain conscious. Everything began to blur as the wormhole formed. He f
ocused the energy and extended it outward, curving it.
Things slowed down as the image of the Yardell Spaceport formed in his mind. He looked around curiously. He could see Emma’s eyes glued to his form, a look of fear and worry on her lovely face. He turned and saw his own physical form gripping the control sticks. The muscles in his arms bulged as he held them. His eyes glowed a fierce violet swirled with black. The red and gold bands twisted into spirals threading through the black mist that had spread to coat the surface of the transport.
“Ha’ven,” Emma cried out as if from a distance. “You have to stop! This is hurting you. I can feel it. Please, let go!”
He turned his head to look at where she was staring and saw the trickle of blood as it seeped from his left nostril. He raised his hand to touch it and realized that he was a mere ghost looking at his corporeal self.
He could feel the moment when his body gave into the pain of holding so much energy within it. He was pulled back into his body so forcefully, he lost his focus. The sudden release of so much power at once splintered through him and he fell forward, barely conscious over the console.
“Emma,” he whispered weakly. “You… have to help… me. Have… to… dock with… Spaceport.”
Emma looked through the clear view screen. She couldn’t see a Spaceport, only a small blue and green moon circling a much larger planet of red. She bit her lip and quickly unstrapped the belts holding her into the seat.
“Ha’ven, I don’t see a Spaceport. I only see a huge red planet with a smaller moon circling it,” Emma replied huskily as she knelt next to his chair.
She gently cupped his lowered head. Dark red blood scorched a path from his nose. He was deathly pale and his eyes were glazed with pain. She murmured softly, chiding him while she wiped the blood away.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” she rebuked him. “Whatever you did was hurting you. I could feel it. You should have let go sooner.”
Ha’ven tried to focus his eyes on Emma’s sweet face. “I promised you…” he started hoarsely. “Protect you.”
“You don’t even know me,” Emma said, tenderly smoothing her hand over his cheek. “Not really.”
“Know… you,” he forced out. “You are… everything.”
Emma’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at the huge warrior who made her want to believe in forever. It terrified her to see him so weak. She started to lean forward to press a kiss to his forehead when an alarm rang out loudly startling her.
“Warning! Warning! Power levels have decreased to dangerous levels. Multiple system failures are being recorded. Environmental, engine, and defense systems are at less than twenty percent. Emergency landing procedures have been initiated.”
“Ha’ven, what’s happening?” Emma asked in alarm, standing up as the lights flickered and the bridge lights went out.
“Strap into your chair,” Ha’ven bit out weakly. “We have to land. If we don’t, we won’t make it. There is… too much… damage. If the environmental system shuts down, we would only… last an hour… at most.”
Emma scrambled over to her chair and began strapping herself back into it. She watched as the small moon began to grow larger and larger. She braced her arms on the chair, her fingers gripping the ends until her knuckles were white.
“Entry in five, four, three, two, one… Emergency descent activated. Prepare for hard impact,” the computer said.
Emma looked at Ha’ven. He was slumped forward, held up only by the straps of his chair. His battle to stay conscious lost. She turned back and watched as a small lake came rapidly into view. She braced for impact as the transport hit the tops of the tall trees before everything went black as she was thrown forward as the sleek vessel hit the water.
Chapter 14
Emma shivered as icy cold water rushed around her ankles. She jerked awake, looking around disoriented for a moment until she remembered what happened. Gazing out the front viewport, she could see they were partially submerged in the lake. The transport listed at an odd angle with half the nose sticking up above the water line.
“Ha’ven?” Emma called out, worried.
When she didn’t receive a response, she quickly fumbled with the release on the straps. Impatiently pushing them aside, she grabbed the console for support and pulled herself out of the chair. The water was rushing in from the corridor behind them. She could feel the transport shifting as the weight of the water rushing into the back of the ship pulled it into deeper water. She had to get them out of it before it completely filled.
She gripped the chair and console for support and pulled herself over to Ha’ven’s chair. He was leaning to the side. Blood continued to seep from his nose. Emma was afraid he had some type of internal injury.
“Ha’ven,” she said, gently brushing his hair back from his face. “Ha’ven, please wake up. I need your help. I can’t get you out by myself.”
She shivered as the water crept up to her knees. She looked worriedly around when he didn’t answer or show any signs of hearing her. Even the cold water was doing nothing to help wake him. She pressed her trembling fingers to the side of his neck and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a strong pulse beating in it.
“We have to get out of here before the ship sinks,” she whispered.
She quickly undid the straps holding him into the chair. If she had to, she would drag him out. She wouldn’t leave him to drown. Touching his cheek one more time, she pulled away from the chair, sliding down to the wall leading to the corridor.
“There has to be some type of emergency equipment for if the cabin lost pressure. They have them in airplanes back on Earth, for crying out loud. You would think aliens would have them in a spaceship,” she muttered as she began pulling open anything that looked like it could be storage.
She pulled on several panels, opening them before growling in frustration when all she found were tools. They might come in handy later but not right now. She was almost crying in frustration as the water reached her waist. She fell when the transport shifted again. Icy water closed over her head as she rolled. She pressed her hands on the floor of the transport and burst upward with a gasp as the chill of the water sucked at the breath that she was holding. She pushed her tangled, wet hair out of her eyes and glanced frantically back to where Ha’ven was seated. Her eyes lit on a panel to his left. It had a strange marking on it. She pushed against the wall, struggling against the slant of the ship and the water that was beginning to numb her body. She pulled herself up using the back of Ha’ven’s seat and reached for the panel. Pushing inward, the door popped open to reveal several masks.
“Thank God,” she breathed.
She pulled one down and saw what looked like a full-frontal oxygen mask. She pulled it over her head. The moment she took a breath, lights appeared on the outside of the mask and a thin membrane sealed around her head. Fresh oxygen poured into it.
Pulling another one down, she braced herself and gently pulled it over Ha’ven’s head. She closed her eyes briefly and murmured a prayer of thanks when she saw the lights turn on. She checked to make sure it was sealed correctly before she pushed the release on the chair so that it would swivel.
She grabbed Ha’ven’s arm and draped it over her shoulder before she slid her arm around his waist. She let their combined weight pull them forward and they toppled under the water.
Now, to find a way out of here before we become trapped, she thought as the water closed around them.
*.*.*
In a way, the water was a blessing as she would have been unable to carry Ha’ven’s much larger, heavier weight. Emma kicked her legs and reached with her free hand to grasp the edge of the door and pushed through it. She had no idea where to go and could only hope wherever the water was coming in the opening was large enough for them to squeeze through before they were dragged deeper.
She swept her head back and forth looking down the long corridor. She was familiar with only a small part of the spaceship. She pulled
Ha’ven’s body closer to hers worried about how the cold could be affecting him. She remembered watching a television show that said if someone is injured that it was important to keep them warm in case they went into shock.
Fear blossomed when the transport groaned and started to twist. She rolled, wrapping her arms and legs around Ha’ven’s limp body. Her back and shoulder hit the floor before bouncing off the wall. A torrent of bubbles exploded around them as an air pocket was suddenly filled with water. The rush disoriented her for several precious moments. She realized they were facing the short narrow passage he had carried her down when he first brought her on board the transport.
She released her legs from around Ha’ven’s waist and braced her feet on the wall pushing upwards toward the hatch. She released one arm from around Ha’ven to grab the latch on it. She frowned in frustration as she studied it. The words written under it meant nothing to her. They were just meaningless symbols. She flutter-kicked her legs back and forth to keep them in place as she reached for the bar situated to one side of the door. She could feel her body slowly draining of strength and cursed the months she had wasted because of the depression that gripped her. She had thought she was ready to die but the last couple of days proved to her she wasn’t ready to give in after all.
“How do you open this stupid thing?” she grunted.
She was going to need both hands. She refused to let Ha’ven go, though. She was terrified if she did and she got the hatch open that she would lose him in the rush of water and darkness. Gripping the latch with one hand, she wrapped her legs around his waist again and locked her ankles together. Once she was sure she had a good hold on him, she reached up and grabbed the latch with both hands.
“You will open,” she gritted out.
She struggled to pull the latch down but it wouldn’t budge. She was beginning to pant as fear that they were trapped rose up inside her. She closed her eyes and focused on calming down.