AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s some blood on the orange button now. And the button is blinking. Did I really just hit it with my head?
There’s a hiss, the door clicks and then…air. Fresh, cool air flows into the room, and we all gulp it down greedily. Someone’s crying, someone’s laughing, someone’s barking, but it sounds like laughter too. We’re going to live.
“Tareq!” I shout into the comm, so happy I could cry. I probably am crying.
“Astra? Astra! Are you inside the escape pod? The controls indicate the self-sustaining life-support system is engaged. Please, tell me you’re inside. Please, Astra, tell me you’re alright,” he begs and I think I’m not the only one crying.
I blow my nose into the corner of my filthy blanket before answering him. “I’m alright. I think. We all are.” The darkness is gone from my vision. My headache is not going away, but at least it’s not getting worse. I no longer feel like giggling over the word CO2.
“Oh, thank the Ancestors. I don’t know what I would have done if…” He trails off, unable to finish the sentence. “I should have never left your side.”
“Nonsense. You needed to do your thing. How is it going, by the way? Have you gone all Rambo on the slavers?”
“I do not know what ‘Rambo’ means, my dear Myále, but we’ve eliminated or subdued most of the crew. We’re just about to make our way to the bridge and finish this. Then we can have our ‘later’.”
My pussy clenches at his sultry whisper. Oh, yes, I’m very much on board with this plan. “Alright, let me know when it’s safe to leave here. And please, Tareq. Be careful.”
“I will. Tareq out.”
His military lingo puts a smile on my face. I wonder if I could get him to command me in bed. Just imagining saying “yes, sir” to him makes me horny. Damn, I’m recovering from this near death experience remarkably fast, it seems.
I take stock of the others in the escape pod. There are over two dozen of us, but judging by the number of seats around the walls, the pod is built to hold several dozen more. The life-support system should hold for the foreseeable future.
Most of the other aliens are resting on seats or on the floor, groggy but relieved. Some of the more primitive ones don’t even realize what’s happening, like my good friend, panda bear, who’s munching on the last bamboo stick I brought along.
Nikolai is already on his feet and making rounds, checking on everyone to see how they are doing and if they need any help. The fact that none of the aliens can understand him and he can’t understand any of them doesn’t bother him in the slightest.
I wonder why his family was so opposed to him becoming a doctor. He’d make an excellent one. But that’s not really any of my business. I just thank him when he fusses over the minor cut on my head. It’s already stopped bleeding and since my head was already pounding from the translator saga earlier, there’s no difference on that front. I dare say, I’ll be fine.
Then the alarm blares again. I groan, covering my ears. Why does everything have to be so damned loud?!
“Emergency procedure initiated. Ejecting in 3…2…” a computerized voice announces.
“Wait, what?!” Ejecting? Does it mean—
“1. Launch.”
There’s a muted puff, nothing more. I don’t sense any difference, don’t feel like we’re moving. But the image of the silvery spaceship visible through the tiny window is quickly growing smaller.
Chapter 22
Tareq
I’m so overcome with relief that my knees sag and I slide onto the floor. An entire legion of enemies could descend on us now and I don’t think I would care. Astra is alive. She’s going to be okay.
Zarkan crouches in front of me with an amused smile. “It sounds like you have an interesting story to tell.”
“You have no idea,” I reply, laughing. “But now is probably not the time for it.”
“Agreed. D’Aakh, what’s the progress on the door?”
Still watching the datapad, our tech raises two of his thin fingers. “Two minutes.”
“Perfect,” Zarkan replies, touching his comm link. “Faelin, Lyriana, Omni, return to us. We’re ready to take over the bridge.”
As they voice their acknowledgement, I pull myself up from the floor and wipe my tears from my face. Emotions can wait until later. Now I need to act like a professional Voidstalker once more. Maybe for the last time. It took Astra nearly dying to make me realize I never want to be away from her again. If giving up my job is the price for that, I’ll gladly pay it.
I grip Faelin’s pistol tighter, missing the familiar weight of my rifle. I should have stopped by the Dart to pick it up but I’ve been too distracted with worry over Astra. Which means that now, I’m stuck with a single pistol against Ancestors-know how many enemies on the bridge. Lovely, not.
