7. Karvex

"Well, I hope you're happy," Renari taunts from across the broken landscape as the rest of our crew struggles to their feet. Our half of the shuttle digs a massive line across the rugged terrain of D4319. I'm stuck in my harness, twisted up in half of the control panel and wires from the bridge. My fingers fiddle with my pockets for something to cut me loose, but I can't find my multi-tool.

Renari pants across the wreckage, pulling a small hand blade from his vest as he staggers and stops. He stands over me, my feet splayed out and arms bound by wires. I'm at quite a disadvantage. I half think he'll kill me here and now. The look on his face says he's thinking about it.

"Well, fuck, Karvex. Looks like you've got us in one hell of a disaster." A crease forms across my face that I know he can see. Despite my doubts, he bends down and cuts me free. "Lost the gold, the shuttle, and the woman, all in one go. Nice," he hisses.

Once my arms and legs are free, I pull myself to standing and dust myself off. Ignoring the others, I start looking around for supplies that I can carry. Soon enough, I find a bag and a small med kit. I stuff it into the bag along with a hydration pack and head out towards the largest rock.

"What are you doing now?" Renari sounds pissed, but I know I don"t have time to lose. Climbing to the top, I look out for evidence of where the other half of the ship might be. I don't see much, just scattered boulders, craters, and the temp-poles that generate the artificial atmosphere on this floating hunk of space rock.

"I can't see where the other half of the ship went," I tell them, climbing down and grabbing my gear. "We'll have to find another lookout on the way."

"Are you kidding me right now?" he demands, putting himself between me and the line of wreckage. "We are not risking anything more for some human." I know he's right in his way. I shouldn't give this much of a damn about her.

But I do.

"Get out of my way." I drop my gaze to stare him down. I won't try to explain it to him, I can hardly understand it myself. "I'm going back."

This time he pushes the front of his skull into mine, bone spurs clanking against bone spurs. He growls. "Enough of this obsession!" He digs his boots into the dirt as I strive to push him out of my way with my brute strength. But I outweigh him and brush past through the burning rubble towards the only hope I have of finding her.

"Karvex! You better hope I don't find her first!" The words bounce off my back as I trudge down and out of sight. He can spew threats all he likes. I don"t need his permission. Besides, I can't explain this pull I have to her, like she's a part of me and I"ll never be whole again until I find her.

It's a straight shot through the line of wreckage. I was able to regain control of the thrusters on our end after the breakaway and managed to land us flat along the landscape. The shuttle hatch carved a neat line across a rocky but otherwise flat terrain.

As I walk along, it doesn"t take long to see that it's inhabited, with a small town coming into view. Around the line of wreckage about a dozen townsfolk crowd with shocked expressions. Their faces become even more distressed when they see me from afar.

"Oh, sir, please. Please let us help you." They're a strange race of aliens. Gray skin and big bug eyes. They"re the bowing, scraping sort, which is just as well. At least I can expect them to be helpful.

"Please, sir, you're hurt. Let us help you." They start to chime in together, crowding around me.

"He needs to see a doctor."

"He needs to see the mayor." They nip at my heels like dogs, testing my patience.

"Where did the other half of the ship go?" I demand through their chittering discourse. At last, they lead me to the edge of town where part of the wreckage can be seen smoking furiously.

I break into a run, racing towards it for signs of life. Surely someone is here. Someone survived and can tell me if Alana made it through the crash.

I'm pacing the crash site searching for clues. Reapers from my crew are slowly coming to, struggling to their feet and disentangling themselves from the debris, but I still haven't found Alana. One of the jump seats remains intact at the site, with footprints leading away from it. They are smallish and could be a human woman's. I have to hope. It's all I"ve got to go on. Following in their direction, I spot her at last.

She looks relieved to see me, which sends a flame straight through my heart. When I make it to her, she collapses into my arms, her weight falling into mine full of relief, as much as exhaustion.

The aliens jump into action around her, ordering each other about in a confused flurry. Not hesitating, I lift her into my arms and carry her back into town.

D4319's citizens have disbursed the rest of my team to various hotels. Like the other Reapers, they lead us to a small hotel room with instructions to wait for the doctor to come and look her over.

"Wait outside, please, sir," the doctor orders. Too bad, "cause I'm not going anywhere. I lower my brow and growl. "Or wherever you like, of course!"

He checks her over with a cheery smile as if I didn't just threaten him and places med packs around Alana in the appropriate places. Despite my best attempt to strap her in, she still managed to get beat up pretty badly.

On his way out, the doctor looks at me. "Are you sure you don"t want me to check you over, sir?"

"No," I insist. I look back over at Alana, asleep on the bed while the med packs patch her up.

"Is there anything more we can do for you?"

My thoughts jump back to Renari and the rest of the crew. I know I've shirked my obligation to them so far, and I should make sure they're okay. "Actually, there is. Can we check the ridge and make sure there's no one else in need of assistance? I'm sure they'd be grateful for the help of your fine citizens."

"Why, yes, sir! Of course! We'll be happy to help them!" He rushes off, and good thing too. Thinking back to Renari's words, there is a risk there I can"t afford to take. Suppose he had happened upon Alana before me? I shudder to think.

A small groan from the bed tells me Alana has finally come to, so I rush to her side.

"Where are we?" she asks.

"D4319, a small asteroid in the outer belt." Pushing her jet-black hair from her face, her eyes try to take in the room. She tries to sit up, only to falter back into the pillow.

"Whoa, there. Take it slow. You've hit your head pretty badly."

"Yeah, it feels like it. How long have I been out?"

"About an hour." I help her to a sitting position and bring a small jug of water from the table nearby. There's a homey, earthen quality to the hotel and room. With hues of mushroom gray and deep yellow, it"s soothing. She seems relaxed enough on the plush mattress, but now that she's awake, I want to check her out for myself.

"Let's get a better look at you," I insist, though she seems unsure if she can trust me like this. Her brows darken over her ice-gray eyes as she pours into mine for understanding.

"Why are you doing this?" she finally utters the words. I realize that we've been sitting in silence, my fingers caressing her skin, for some time. I can't help myself, having her so near. Especially after I thought I"d lost her for good when her half of the ship went barreling away from mine.

I owe her an explanation, but I"m still at a loss for one myself. Rather than stretch the moment out into more unanswered silence, I bend down to her level.

Without any protest, I kiss her deeply on the lips. At first, she's tense, like she isn"t sure if she should want it. Then she relaxes into me, opening her jaw to mine and allowing my tongue to deepen its exploration.

Just as I have her fully in my arms, a feeling like a jolt of electricity shoots between us, igniting something more than passion within. She pulls back quickly as though she's overwhelmed by it, scared even. Then excitement lights her eyes as she looks to me for meaning.

I know it now, the thing about her that sets her apart from other beings in this universe. Why I feel like part of me is with her. Why I can't help but be near her all the time.

She's my fated mate.