by Octavia Kore
Nuzal moved to follow Jun and Brin, but when he looked back, expecting to see Erusha on his heels, he was surprised to see him preparing to seal the doors. “You aren’t coming with us?”
“I have made grave mistakes, Nuzal. I can see that now. I only ask that I be allowed to make amends for some of those.” Erusha stepped into the loading tunnel, a grim smile tugging at his lips. “I hope that one day you will forgive me.”
He felt the male’s hand at the back of his head, drawing his face close, and he froze. Erusha’s forehead rested against his own, and the male’s xines wrapped tightly around Nuzal’s.
“I remember this,” Erusha spoke quietly. “It was both a greeting and a farewell, something shared with one’s offspring in the time before we lost our way. You are the closest thing I’ve had to offspring since… for a long time. My pride in you goes beyond words.” The male’s voice broke as he pulled away. “Your time here is over. Protect our future.” He watched as Erusha stepped back out into the corridor, sealing the door just as a commotion broke out somewhere beyond him.
“Nuzal?”
He turned to see Jun watching him, her dark eyes reading him as she waited.
“I’m coming.”
Nuzal stepped into the ship, closing and sealing the hatch behind him as he struggled to process everything.
On one hand, Erusha had been the only friend he could remember ever having. He had encouraged his studies, had spoken up for him when Nuzal felt he had no voice. Was this what a parent was?
On the other hand, Erusha had been the cause of all of his misery. He’d altered him, made him into someone he was never meant to be. And hadn’t he had a hand in altering countless humans, in changing them into versions of themselves that were unnatural? He was no better.
The floor began to vibrate beneath his feet, and he reached out to catch Jun as it lurched to one side, sending her stumbling toward the wall.
“Damn it, Brin,” she grumbled, pushing out of his arms and heading into the main body. “Who taught you how to fly?”
“I’m a Havacker, Shayfia, not a pilot,” Brin told her, tapping the icons on the holo display as he maneuvered the ship away from the dock.
“I’m just gonna say, it would really suck to die after escaping, so try to keep us alive if you don’t mind?” Telisa yelled from the rear of the ship.
“Is this a bad time to confess that the last time I flew a vessel it ended in a crash landing?” Brin asked as he pulled up the star map.
“Let’s not talk about that.” Jun squinted at the display as planets within the sector began to appear. “Are any of those Venora?”
“No,” Brin grunted, tugging at the controls as the ship shuddered all around them. “Sit!” He barked at Jun, jerking his head toward one of the seats against the wall. She grimaced at the back of his head, but made no attempt to argue, throwing herself into the padded chair before tugging the straps down and across her chest. “Strap in!” he yelled.
Nuzal heard Telisa echoing the command, and imagined she was frantically ushering the humans into the rows of seats meant to hold warriors for transport. He dropped down into the co-pilot's chair, buckling himself in before engaging the ship’s shields and activating its defenses. Another shudder wracked them, this one forceful enough to make his teeth rattle in his head.
“Damage taken,” the ship’s AI informed them. “Main engine failing.”
Nuzal returned fire, spraying the side of the docking station as Brin tried to pull away. He managed to disable one of the smaller crafts that had followed them, knocking out one of their thrusters and damaging the hull.
“Activate cloaking system. Nyissa, get inside and see what we’re working with. Disable any tracking devices.”
“Cloaking system is activated. Disabling tracking, Master.”
“Set a course for the nearest planet and pray they don’t follow us there.” Brin growled.
To Nuzal’s surprise, no other ships were dispatched to follow them, and he counted that as good fortune seeing as they barely made it into the atmosphere of the dark planet. The ship’s alarms were blaring in his ears, and the humans in the rear screamed, their panic filling the interior as the vessel dropped through the air, hitting the ground with a loud and resounding thud.
Chapter 23
Jun
Alarms blared all around, and the lights above her flickered as the ship came to an abrupt stop. Falling out of the sky had nearly brought up the meager ration she had eaten earlier.
Jun hadn’t ever been a thrill seeker, preferring to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground, but she’d let Amanda talk her into riding one of the roller coasters at the local amusement park back on Earth, and she had thoroughly regretted it. It had been one of those coasters where the floor drops out from beneath you, leaving your legs swinging as it flips and spins you around.
Like that first roller coaster ride, the flight to the planet had sent her heart into her throat. Her head spun as she hit the release on the straps that crisscrossed her chest, and her stomach churned when she dropped to the floor, landing on her hands and knees. She took deep, full breaths as she tried to stave off the urge to vomit.
Hold it in! Hold it in!
Each breath she took sent sharp pains through her chest, and she winced as she pushed herself up to rest on her heels. Jun could hear the others in the back of the ship, their cries and shouts for help spurring her on as she climbed to her feet.
Nuzal was up and out of his seat, all six of his eyes locked on her as he dropped to his knees at her feet. His thumb swept over her cheek, and she hissed at the sting it caused, jerking away from his as she reached up to touch the spot. A streak of blood stained the tips of her fingers, and she grimaced.
“You’re injured.”
“I’m fine,” Jun said, trying to move past him, but Brin’s body blocked her path.
“Shayfia,” Brin crouched down, his hands going to her injured cheek, “let me clean it for you.” He took her hands, pulling her into his arms.
“It’s a tiny cut, Brin. I need to get to the back to check on the others.” She turned to Nuzal as he stood. “Do you know if there’s a supply of the healing balm you gave me on this ship? I lost the rest of the vial with my clothes.”
“The medbays on these ships are small, but it should be something standard. I’ll check.” He stepped around her and disappeared down the hall.
“What are you doing about him?” Brin asked.
Jun frowned up at him, swatting at the tail trying to sneak up her leg. “Nuzal? He helped us escape… he saved my life. I thought we trusted him.”
Brin shook his head, reaching out to take her hand in his. His thumb ran over her knuckles, warming her skin as the lights of his fushori cast a blue tint onto her body. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
The awkward, uncomfortable look on his face told her he was referring to the fact that they had learned of Nuzal’s mating claim less than an hour ago. The news was still sinking in and she was going to need time to process it all. Right now, she had people to care for.
“I don’t know,” she told him honestly. “Let’s just get through this and then we can decide what’s best.” Jun gripped Brin’s hand tightly before shaking free and slipping past him.
Although the others in the back had strapped in, many of them had small cuts, bruises, and bumps from the rough landing. It took Jun and Telisa an hour or more to get through everyone. Calming their frayed nerves and assuring them that they were safe with these aliens had been just as important as healing their physical wounds.
Jun sighed as she crouched on the floor staring under a small table at the blonde woman who had plastered herself against the cold metal wall. “Want to join us out here?” she asked.
The woman curled herself into a ball and shook her head violently. “No!”
“All right, that’s okay. Can you tell me your name then?”
“Esme,” she said, her voice suddenly small and terri
fied.
“My name is Jun,” she told her. “I’m a nurse and I just want to make sure you’re not badly hurt. Why won’t you come out?”
Esme looked up, and with a shaking hand, pointed at Nuzal where he sat on the floor, cleaning the wounds on one of the older women.
“Nuzal?” Esme nodded. “He won’t hurt you. He helped us escape, remember?”
“We can’t trust them. He’s one of them, one of the scientists,” she whispered, panic lacing her words.
“I don’t want to hurt you, female,” Nuzal said, turning away from the woman in front of him. “I was the one who took you from the Kaia’s office that day.”
“And I told you to end my suffering that day! I begged you to end it, and do you remember what you said to me?!” Tears streamed down her face as she glared at him. “You told me you were sorry. Well, fuck your apology! Instead of the relief of death, you sent me back to my cell and they fixed me. I will never forgive you. Never!”
Something flashed across Nuzal’s face, sympathy or pain, but he turned away from them, his head lowering as if he were actually ashamed of what had happened to Esme.
“I think we’ve got the rest of them handled,” Jun told him, moving closer to rest a hand on his arm. “Would you mind checking on Brin for me? Maybe see if he needs a hand with anything?”
He looked down, his eyes following the lights before nodding. “Let me know if you need assistance.”
Jun waited for him to leave before she turned back to Esme. “There now, he’s all gone; it’s just us humans. Can you come out now and let me help you?”
“You’re mated to that,” Esme sneered, practically spitting the words at her.
The defensiveness she felt at the venom in Esme’s voice surprised her. She’d hardly had any time at all to even begin to wrap her mind around what any of this meant, and here she was, feeling like she needed to defend Nuzal against this stranger. Jun didn’t understand anything about alien matings, and yet she’d found out she was mated to two very different aliens within the same week, or so she figured. The timeline was still very foggy for her.
Polyamorous relationships existed on Earth, but this was nothing like any of the ones she was familiar with. The idea of her belonging to both of them had seemed to make Brin uncomfortable, and it made her wonder if the Venium engaged in these kinds of relationships at all.
There was something about Nuzal, something she’d been able to feel despite the danger she had been in. The way he’d cared for her, the way he’d protected Brin even against his own people. She’d made a promise to allow herself to feel, to experience life and love, and it seemed as if the universe called her bluff.
“I can’t help that, Esme, but I can tell you that I’m still struggling with the idea of it too. I don’t know what any of this means, but right now, all that matters is making sure we’re all safe and cared for.” She held her hand out. “I just want to help you.”
Esme stared at her hand, the battle within her mind raging behind her eyes as she considered. Finally, after several minutes, Esme reached out, clasping Jun’s hand as she slid out from under the table. “Do we have to use their medicine?”
“It’s the only medicine we have, and it works wonders on these small cuts and scrapes.” Jun dabbed a bit onto the cut on her forehead, blowing a stream of air across it when she hissed.
The next few days on the ship did nothing to cool Esme’s hatred of Nuzal, and Jun noticed she wasn’t exactly fond of Brin either. She caught her telling the others more than once to watch their backs around him, that Nuzal would turn on them sooner than later. Her days were spent trying to reassure everyone Nuzal and Brin were on their side, that the males wanted to be free of the Grutex as much as they did.
By the third day, Nuzal’s willingness to help and his calm and patient demeanor had begun to win over a few of the humans. One of them, Clara, the woman he’d been helping the day they crashed, sat across from him on the floor. Her legs were tucked beneath her, and she smiled up at him, not saying a word.
“Psychic abilities,” Telisa whispered, handing her a water pod.
She took it, sipping slowly as she watched Nuzal grin. “Clara?”
“That’s what some of the others have said. Telepathy and psychometry, or something like that. Whatever it is, she’s a big part of why so many of them are willing to trust Nuzal. She says he’s a good alien, and they trust whatever power she has.” Telisa shrugged, turning her back on the scene. “How are you doing?”
Jun pulled her eyes away from the pair, trying to hide the smile that tugged at her lips. “I’m all right. Doing a lot of thinking.”
“About the Grutex? They haven’t shown up yet, but I’m afraid of staying here too long.”
Jun blushed, shaking her head. “Not exactly.”
“Ahh,” Telisa pursed her lips, “the mate dilemma. Some of the others are calling it ‘Mate Gate.’ It has a fun ring to it.” She laughed when Jun groaned. “I can’t imagine one alien mate, let alone two of them. And a Grutex?” She shuddered. “No offense, but mark me down as not interested. What are you gonna do?”
Jun sighed, rubbing her free hand over her face. “Would it be unreasonable to hope the ground opens up and just swallows me whole the next time I walk outside?”
“No,” Telisa laughed. “That sounds like a reasonable enough request to me.” She placed her hand on Jun’s arm. “We’ve all been through so much and to have all of this piled on top of what we just went through? I don’t know what the right choice is, but you’re the only one who can make it.”
Jun found her gaze traveling back to Nuzal, and she sighed. “I know he did things that must have been horrible, but he’s trying, and he saved me, saved Brin…” She knew it sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t explain exactly what it was that told her this was the way it should be.
God, if she ever saw Amanda again, she knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it. Hadn’t she just been on her friend’s case about her love for her not-imaginary friend and Fishboy? By the time they were reunited, Jun wouldn’t have any solid ground to stand on in an argument.
“Do you think we can trust the Venium?” Telisa asked. “After what we heard from that asshole in the records room about how the Grutex came from Venora, I’m wondering if I should rethink my request for their assistance.”
Jun frowned, thinking back on what Erusha said. “We are nothing like the males and females who set out from Venora,” she repeated his words. “How many generations do you think have passed since then?” Clara patted Nuzal’s hand where it rested on his knee, and Jun couldn’t help but smile at the startled expression on his face.
What do you actually know about your Grutex mate? she asked herself. He’d told her he was old, far older than she could imagine, and that he’d been “rebirthed” multiple times. From their time on board the Grutex ship, Jun knew he was a scientist of some sort, and that he knew how to perform medical procedures, but she didn’t know Nuzal.
“Brin mentioned a council on Venora once. I wonder if they know about the history, if they know the Grutex originated from the same planet.”
Telisa shrugged and finished off her water pod. “Who knows? If it’s anything like the governments back home, it’s likely a well-kept secret.”
Jun wasn’t a stranger to secrets—hell, she’d kept her illness from Amanda for months—but the idea that Brin’s leaders might be hiding something didn’t sit well with her.
First things first, Juna, she chided herself. We need to get off of this planet before the Grutex find us or before the creatures in the area get brave enough to investigate the ship.
Chapter 24
Jun
Jun peered into the first room off of the hallway she’d turned down, glancing around at the spartan conditions. Aside from the shelves lining the farthest wall, a massive, curved bed, and a small desk off to the side, the room was bare. It felt sterile. According to Nuzal, all of the rooms here would have been assigned to the crew mem
bers in charge of caring for the warriors while they were in cryosleep.
“I haven’t seen any pods though,” Jun said as she stepped inside, gawking at the size of the bed.
“It’s been a long time since I was on one of these vessels. It’s possible this one is used for something other than long distance troop movement. If that’s the case, they may have found it more efficient to remove the pods and use the space for something else.”
Throw in some medical equipment and this would pass for any of the hospitals she’d worked at. Might even be nicer than a couple of them.
“It’s so… empty.”
“I’d say this was a pretty standard room,” Brin commented, inspecting the small desk before heading toward an indented section of the wall that turned out to be a door into an adjoining room. His fushori flashed, and when she stepped up behind him to see what he’d found, he turned to her with a playful grin. “Found the bathing chamber.”
“You’re ridiculous,” she murmured, but she didn’t bother trying to suppress her amused smile. She was sure the others would be thrilled to know there were bathrooms on board.
Nuzal was still standing just inside the room, his big body filling the entire doorway. When their eyes met, he turned away, as if embarrassed that he’d been caught staring. Although he seemed to have appointed himself as her personal security, never straying too far, the big guy had hardly said more than a handful of words to her since the standoff with Esme less than a full day ago.
“Are they all like this?” She gestured vaguely around the space.
“Mostly. It’s more practical than it is comfortable.” He jerked his chin toward another indent in the wall to her left. “Storage.” Nuzal placed his massive palm on the wall and she watched as it slid open to reveal a closet.
An empty closet. “It was probably stupid of me to hope the rooms were stocked with something other than these gowns.” She grimaced, sweeping her hand down her body.