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He couldn’t do that if whoever was out there just blew their shuttle up from a distance. The thought of watching Anna die a second time left him feeling terrified. They both left his cabin and walked hand in hand to the cockpit.
“Strap in tight,” he ordered.
Anna did it. “I wish I knew anything about shuttles. I’m useless just sitting here. It would probably be a good thing for you to teach me how to fly one of these one day soon.”
“I’m hoping we won’t have to take more flights once I safely get you to our home base. Rod, Free, and Ram can bring us more plasma when our supplies run low. Those males are single without females to protect on their shuttles.”
“I look forward to meeting all of them.”
“I’m going to make that happen.” Fig started the engines, determined to face whatever it took to get Anna out of danger. “Are you strapped tight? I might have to pull some drastic maneuvers once we leave the crater if they are close enough to target us with weapons. I won’t see them until we’re exposed.”
“I’m ready. Don’t worry about me. Focus on flying. I love you, Fig.”
He turned his head, staring deeply into her eyes. “I love you too, Anna. I’m not letting you die a second time.”
“We’re together forever. It’s my new motto. Right along with sex with you is the best.”
His Anna made him laugh despite the stress he was under. “Perhaps we can have a second honeymoon after this. To celebrate.”
“Deal.”
Fig faced forward, started the engines, and severed the lines that had tethered his shuttle to the crater walls. His heart pounded from adrenaline and fear. It was terrifying taking risks with Anna’s life. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her.
He second-guessed his decision to even enter the crater. He should have kept flying until he got out of sensor range of the other ship, changed course, and made his way back home.
Instead, he’d been too eager to see Anna and make sure that she was actually inside that cryo unit. His impatience was the cause of their current dire situation. He wouldn’t make that mistake in the future.
“Brace and hold on tight,” he ordered Anna. “Here we go.”
* * * * *
The shuttle engines suddenly grew loud, and Anna was thrown back against her plush seat. A few feet separated her from Fig. The view in front of them was dark gray rock, but it flew past them. It was so close that it looked as if they might slam into it.
Terror had Anna pressing her lips tight together and digging her fingernails into the arms of the chair. She’d never been the type to enjoy rollercoasters or scary amusement rides. Even the entertainment videos she chose were geared toward comedies and lighthearted subjects. Real life had been grim enough.
It was tempting to scream when another large chunk of gray rock barely missed them, but that might distract Fig. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Suddenly, the rocks were gone, and it was all black nothingness showing out of the front window. She spotted a few stars in the distance.
The view changed as Fig turned the shuttle. She got to see the moon. It looked a lot like images she’d seen of the one near Earth. He seemed to be flying them close to the surface as they zipped between two gray mountain mounds.
Questions popped into her mind, but Anna kept her mouth closed. She’d ask later when their lives weren’t in danger. All his attention needed to be on flying as they dove down into a huge crater. Fig didn’t stay in it long, flying upward to avoid slamming into a wall of stone.
“I’m picking up a solo shuttle on sensors,” Fig announced.
A beep sounded. It startled Anna enough to gasp.
“They are hailing us.” Fig’s fingers flew over the controls. The front view suddenly magnified.
Anna stared at another shuttle in the distance. It was just floating in space near the moon. “What do we do?” She kept her voice low, the moment strained.
Fig hesitated before speaking. “I’m going to respond and see who they are and what they want. Don’t say a word. I want them to think I’m alone if possible. They may not have known I stole you from that transport. I destroyed it after I took you from the cargo hold.”
She nodded, her gaze locked on the other shuttle. It was far away, but they were flying closer. At least, that’s what it looked like to her.
“Why do you keep hailing me? What do you want?”
Fig’s harsh tone had Anna look at him. His angry expression matched how he sounded. A shiver ran down her spine. She wasn’t afraid of him, but she was seeing a dangerous side of him. It was somewhat comforting since she knew he was being that way to protect her.
Long seconds passed before a female voice responded. “Three, six, nine, alpha, knowledge, three, zero, five, franklin.”
