Alien Bond

by Tracy Lauren

  I gasp at the sight and lean forward in my seat, drawn to the view. I can see the big Elysian moon, circled by a rocky ring. In the distance are the smaller moons, each of them possessing their own beauty. We turn then, and I get my first view of Elysia from space. When we came here I was shell shocked and hiding in the cargo hold with the other women. We were offered private quarters, of course, but were too afraid to be separated.

  Now, I look down at our new home planet with nothing short of astonishment. It seems so massive, so vast. I wonder if this is how Earth looks to astronauts? Or is this place larger?

  “Performing long-range scans now,” Mire announces.

  “Our signals will be stronger from here, now that we are outside the atmosphere,” Gile shares.

  “I am detecting trace emissions from both Reagan’s and Kellan’s ships.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. This is good news. We have a trail and Kellan is already on his way there. While I’m still pissy with the guy, I’m glad he’s closing the gap on Reagan’s head start—her safety is all that matters at this point.

  “But there are other signals out there,” Mire adds.

  “Other signals? Like other ships?”

  “It’s hard to tell, the readings are coming back scattered.”

  “What would cause that?”

  “Any number of things, more often than not it is something natural in space—a magnetic metal deposit perhaps.”

  “And the ones that aren’t natural?”

  Mire frowns. “Those are the ones we need to worry about.”

  “Please, can we just hurry?”

  “Locking in on coordinates now. Engaging warp drive.”

  The stars stretch around us and the wind is knocked out of me as I’m pushed back into my seat. My ears pop and I feel as if I am outside my body trying to hang on. I don’t know how long I can withstand this eerie feeling. I’m desperate for us to stop. But all that is nothing compared to the shock I get when we come to a sudden halt.

  “What is that? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?” I demand.

  “Shields are up,” Gile tells us.

  I yank at my harness, frantically working to free myself from my seat. Half-stumbling, I make my way to the view screen. Mire stands on one side of me and Gile joins me on the other. Gile’s hand finds mine and Mire looks at me with a knowing sadness.

  “Tell me whose ship that is,” I beg, watching the darkened vessel spin lifelessly.

  Mire clicks at the computers. “It’s both of them.”

  “Both?” I echo. I can’t believe it. There’s only one ship out there. One ship and lots of debris.

  Chapter 25

  Mel

  The ship’s computer beeps rapidly.

  “A life sign has been detected,” Mire announces.

  I didn’t think my heart could pound any faster, and yet here we are.

  “A life sign? Or two?” I ask, desperate for good news.

  “Just one,” Mire confirms, his voice grim.

  “Hailing the ship,” Gile tells us, and I grip the back of my seat, desperate to hear Reagan’s voice responding, telling us that she’s okay. But Gile shakes his head. There’s no answer. But it doesn’t seem like his work is done. He hurriedly punches the keys on the panel in front of him. “The hull is intact. We can board.”

  “Get a mask on her,” Mire orders. “Just in case.”

  Maybe it’s silly, but the thought of transferring from one ship to another in the middle of space seems frightening to me. And while I’m grateful to have the safety of an air mask, the idea that a “just in case” scenario might ensue leaves me shaking.

  “Shouldn’t we tell the others?” I ask. “Get some backup out here?

  Gile deftly types away at his station and shakes his head. “Something is scrambling communications.”

  “Release a beacon,” Mire suggests. Gile nods and resumes his work.

  “What’s a beacon? Will that help us?”

  “If it gets out of range of whatever is interfering with our systems, it will send our coordinates to the others.”

  “Could this be a trap?” I question, not liking the idea that we can’t communicate with anyone on Elysia.

  “Absolutely,” Gile tells me, his smile widening.

  At least he’s confident, I think to myself as he fits a clear mask over my face. The equipment though…it’s so minimal I worry about its efficacy. It sure isn’t anything like the helmets astronauts use on Earth.

  “This is going to protect me?” I ask.

  “No. Mire and I will protect you. This will help you breathe.” He shoots me a wink and his demeanor lessens my fear.

  Mire joins us and straps a charger to my belt.

  “Is there any way to tell if that’s Reagan or not?” I ask, feeling bad that I want it to be her and not Kellan.

  “Not with the interference hitting our scanners.”

  “Beginning docking sequence,” Gile tells us.

  Mire grabs me and pulls me close to him. “I will go in first. You will remain behind me at all times. Gile will follow. If anything happens, he will bring you back to this ship and get you to safety.”

  “If anything happens we’re staying together,” I counter, my brows furrowed.

  “I am not negotiating with you, Mel. I am giving you the facts.”

  I frown, wanting to insist otherwise, but I don’t know what’ll be waiting inside that ship once we open the doors. I have to put my faith in the Sovolians.

  “At least promise me that we’ll do everything we can to stay together,” I plead, my heart desperate for reassurance.

  “That I can promise you,” he concedes, tightening his grip on me. I’d kiss him if it weren’t for this damned mask. Hell, I’d kiss them both.

  Mire pulls me to the hatch, Gile close on our heels. When I hear the airlock hissing open my heart pounds against my ribcage, as if trying to escape. Still, I follow Mire into the dark ship.

  The power here seems to be erratic. There are loose panels on the walls and every now and then the corridor lights up from sparks shooting out of hanging wires.

  Mire keeps his arm out, shielding me as we move deeper into the ship. I consider drawing my charger but opt instead to save it for an emergency. My greatest fear is that I’ll accidently discharge it and hit one of my friends. So instead I stay vigilant, listening for sounds of life as I follow the Sovolians’ lead.

  Gile has his weapon drawn, but he’s also interfacing with his scanner. Every now and then he shakes the thing, unhappy with the answers it’s giving him. Eventually he gives Mire a signal and we change directions. I notice their level of stealth ratchets and do my best to keep quiet, not daring to ask any questions, lest I give our position away to some unseen enemy.

  But when we round a corner, Mire shouts, “There!” and suddenly we are racing loudly to a dark figure collapsed on the floor. I can tell right away it isn’t Reagan. But it is Kellan and I try to find some relief in that.

  Once at his side, Mire crouches and slides back Kellan’s air mask before slapping the Vendari gently in an effort to rouse him. “Kellan!” he shouts. My first worry is that he has a head wound and I look him over rapidly for signs of injury. He’s got a few scrapes and bruises, but he isn’t bleeding and there don’t seem to be any significant bumps on the head.

  “Is he okay?” I ask, and Gile hurries to run the scanner over him. Just as he nods, Kellan starts to come to. He mumbles and his head lolls to the side.

  “Kellan, wake up!” I plead. “Where’s Reagan?”

  That does it. Kellan blinks back to awareness, struggling to sit up. He looks around, orienting himself.

  “How long was I out?”

  “It could not have been very long. We were only a short distance behind you,” Mire tells him.

  “Your ship… We must go!”

  “Wait! Where’s Reagan? What happened?”

  “When I caught up to her she was already engaged with another ship. They had overridde
n her controls. I fired on them, but I was outgunned and had to jettison. By the time I got here they had taken her. I was just about to pursue them when they fired one last time to disable this ship.”

  My mind reels. Someone took Reagan.

  “We have to go after them!” Kellan declares. Mire has to hold him back.

  “What kind of ship was it?”

  “Class C,” Kellan answers.

  “Class C, what?”

  Kellan growls. “Battlecruiser.”

  “They’d outgun us too,” Gile tells him.

  “We will have to outmaneuver them then,” Kellan suggests. It looks like the last thing he wants to do is stand around talking strategy. No, the guy seems as frantic as I feel. Still, there’s merit in what Gile and Mire point out.

  “We have two ships. We repair this one first, then go after them. That or go to Elysia for backup,” Gile suggests.

  “There’s no time!” Kellan shouts.

  “Getting us all killed won’t save Reagan,” I tell him. “We have to be smart!”

  “Every second we stand here talking is another second she is alone with them!” he bellows. Mire pushes him against the wall, but he pushes back and it takes a helping hand from Gile to restrain him.

  “Stop wasting time! We will go to the bridge and see what this ship needs to run again. If we can fix it quickly, then we will. If not, we go back for help,” Mire insists. “That is the plan.”

  Kellan’s nostrils flare but he concedes. “Hurry then.”

  We race down corridors, Kellan setting the pace, and when we make it to the bridge I’m feeling hopeful. This place isn’t as much of a mess as the rest of the ship is. Kellan doesn’t seem to see it that way though, because he’s raking his hands through his usually prim hair and pacing like he can’t seem to get a grip.

  Mire rips a metal panel off a wall and tosses it aside with a loud clang as Gile begins typing commands into the computer. Mire lies on his back and makes his way into a crawl space filled with circuit boards and wires. I feel useless to help the Sovolians, but perhaps I can do something to help Kellan.

  “Don’t worry,” I tell him. “We’ll find her.” I don’t know if it’s true, but I need to hear the words, so I say them anyway.

  “I know where they take her,” Kellan says, surprising me.

  “You do?”

  “I recognized the ship. It belongs to a male who frequents the fight circuit. His name is Jevet. He will take her to the nearest pit—a pirate station not far from here.”

  “Revax?” Gile calls and Kellan nods.

  I feel a deep sense of relief. “Oh, thank God!”

  Kellan shakes his head. “I do not know what they will do to her there.”

  “Well, if they make her fight then we don’t have anything to worry about, do we? I can’t imagine anyone who’d stand a chance against Reagan, especially if she’s pissed,” I say, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but it falls flat. My hands are trembling when I think of all the ways they could hurt her.

  “This isn’t too bad,” Mire tells us, still neck deep in the wires and cables. “If we work together it should only take a few hours.”

  Kellan growls. “That is too long.”

  “What other choice do we have?” Gile asks.

  “We take your ship and go now. We should not waste any more time!” Kellan all but shouts the words.

  Mire rises, meeting Kellan’s anger with his own. “I will not do anything to put Mel in danger!” he growls. I put my hands out to calm him.

  “Mire, just focus on the repairs and let me—” I tell him, nodding to Kellan. Reluctantly, he agrees and returns to his work on the ship.

  “Look, Kellan. They’re right. We need to actually be able to rescue Reagan. If we show up ill equipped we’re just going to get ourselves killed and leave Reagan to deal with the consequences. I know you’re frustrated. I am too—Reagan is my best friend. But I want to actually be able to save her.”

  Kellan paces again, but he nods as if agreeing with my words.

  “Look, maybe you should head over to medical and take care of your scrapes. When you’re done I’m sure we could use your help getting this ship going.”

  “Fine,” he tells me.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” I offer.

  He shakes his head. “No, do what you can here. I will take care of myself.” He turns on his heel and strides quickly from the room.

  “We’re doing the right thing!” I call after him, but he’s already disappeared down the dark passage. So I turn back to Gile and Mire. “What can I do to help?”

  Chapter 26

  Gile

  Mel lies on the floor with Mire, passing him tools as he makes repairs. I admire the view. While Mel has not yet agreed to be our mate, I can tell she is warming to the idea. And seeing her and my brother working together on repairing this ship…it feels like I already have a family of my own. I can imagine it all laid out before me—lazy nights by the fire, raising our children free on Elysia, always having one another to rely on. It gives me a sense of peace, one that I need, considering Reagan is still in danger.

  I’ve done all that I can with the computer, having shut down power to the places on the ship with severe damage. Now we will not have to worry about fires or further electrical malfunctions. All that is left is the few short circuits Mire is now focusing on. It is delicate work. We are lucky to have Kellan here; he is proficient in such things. Once he gets back from the med bay things will move much more quickly.

  While I keep a brave face for Mel, I cannot help but feel worry. A thousand times Mire and I have entered deadly situations, but this is the first time we have done so with our mate beside us. And while I trust Mel to the best of her ability, she is not trained for such a mission. All I want is to get her back to safety, to protect that which is mine. And that goes for Reagan as well. My poor sister is out there, somewhere, afraid and alone. If anything happens to her…there will be hell to pay.

  I shake away the dark thoughts. Mire, Kellan, and I will protect these women at all costs.

  “I could use Kellan’s help on these circuit boards,” Mire tells us.

  “I didn’t want to say anything, but he’s been gone a while, could you go check on him, Gile?” Mel asks with a worried look on her face—my thoughtful mate.

  “I will bring him for you,” I agree, heading down the corridor of the familiar ship. Mentally I make note of all the metal siding that has been shaken loose and the places that appear to have more significant damage. There will be much work to do once we are back on Elysia.

  When I get to med bay the door is sealed. “Kellan, release the door,” I say into my personal comm, waiting for the beep that lets me know my message was received. But there is only silence. I chalk it up to the scrambler the pirates left behind and work to do a manual override at the access screen beside the door.

  Finally, the door glides open, only to show me a dark and empty room. I groan at the sight, immediately checking the status of the ship Mel, Mire, and I came on.

  “Dammit…” I hiss, hauling ass to the nearest view screen to gaze outside. To my alarm I see that our ship is gone. I slap my hand against my forehead, groaning. I hate delivering bad news. Even more than that I hate the idea of seeing worry on my woman’s face. So, as I make my way back to the bridge, I think on how I might soften this blow.

  “How much longer do you estimate?” I ask Mire.

  “Once Kellan gets here, perhaps two hours?” he guesses.

  “And without Kellan?”

  I hear Mire drop a tool. It clatters on the metal floor. He and Mel stare at me with wide eyes. I venture a smile.

  “Twice as long,” Mire groans.

  “You’re kidding?” Mel asks, sounding on the verge of hysteria.

  “Perhaps this is a good time to brew a pot of ceata?” I offer.

  “That fuck!” Mel growls, pulling at her hair. She rises to her feet and begins to pace the room.

&nb
sp; “He’s going to get her killed!” she worries.

  “All will be well, I am sure of it,” I say in an effort to soothe her.

  “There’s got to be something more we can do. Another way to contact the others at least? Get them here faster?”

  “The beacon travels slowly, but it will do its job,” I assure her, moving to her side. I wrap her in my arms to still her anxious movements.

  “How could Kellan do this? Of all the stupid, half-cocked plans! He has to know he’s putting her in danger!” she complains, her voice rising. I look over at Mire who has stopped his work. He is watching Mel with concern written on his face. My brother needs to focus and our mate needs help ceasing her fears. I know my task.

  “Come, Mel, it has been a long day. Let’s get Mire that ceata and try to find an hour or two of rest before we go after Kellan and Reagan.” She begins to protest, but I give her my best attempt at a stern look.

  “Here you are lecturing about Kellan, but you need to be ready for this rescue mission as well. Besides”—I shift to a quieter voice—“Mire needs to work undistracted for a bit.”

  Mel frowns but reluctantly nods her head.

  “Let us know if you need help,” she insists as I pull her toward the corridor.

  Once off the bridge she voices her concern. “Are you sure we shouldn’t be helping Mire? He just said he needed Kellan.”

  “Kellan is trained in working with the circuit boards. Neither of us will be of much help to Mire in that. It is best we let him focus. Besides, I know he worries about you.”

  Mel sighs. “I don’t want to distract him, not when getting to Reagan is so important. Dammit, I still cannot believe Kellan left us behind,” Mel complains.

  “I can believe it,” I tell her. She slows her steps and gapes at me.

  “It is complicated,” I point out, but she seems determined to hear an explanation. “People can do frantic and irrational things when the one they love is in danger.”