Cinta

CINTA

T he shock baton crackled in my hand as I swung it at another pirate, electricity arcing across his implants. He convulsed and dropped, smoke curling from his circuits. I spun, searching for my next target in the chaotic fray.

Klaz was a blur of motion, his massive form weaving between attacks with uncanny grace. But even as I watched, I noticed a slight hesitation in his movements, a fraction of a second delay that hadn’t been there before. The burn on his forearm from the pirate leader’s plasma cannon was clearly taking its toll.

“Klaz!” I shouted, trying to fight my way closer to him. “Your arm?—”

He didn’t even spare me a glance, focused entirely on the enemies surrounding us. “I’m fine,” he growled, his fist connecting with a pirate’s jaw in a sickening crunch.

I opened my mouth to argue, but movement caught my eye. A small Xarian child, no more than five or six, wandered into the middle of the floor. Their large, luminous eyes were wide with terror as they looked around frantically.

“Mama? Papa?” the child called out, voice trembling.

Everything seemed to slow down. A hulking pirate turned, his cybernetic eye locking onto the helpless target. A cruel grin spread across his scarred face as he raised a vibro-blade, its edge humming with deadly energy.

“No!” I screamed, knowing I was too far away to reach the child in time.

But Klaz wasn’t.

With a roar that made my blood run cold, he hurled himself forward. The pirate’s blade came down in a vicious arc—and met Klaz’s chest instead of the child’s.

The sound that tore from Klaz’s throat wasn’t human. It was primal, raw agony given voice. The vibro-blade sliced through his skin like it was paper, carving a deep gash from shoulder to hip. Blood, darker than human crimson, poured from the wound.

Klaz stumbled, his knees hitting the deck with a dull thud. The pool of blood beneath him grew alarmingly fast.

“Klaz!” I screamed his name, my voice breaking. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when I’d just started to?—

To what? The thought flashed through my mind, unbidden and unwelcome. I shoved it aside, focusing on the crisis at hand.

The pirate raised his blade for another strike, but before he could bring it down, Klaz’s hand shot out. He caught the pirate’s wrist in an iron grip, muscles straining as he fought against the cyborg.

And then, to my utter amazement, Klaz began to rise.

His legs shook with the effort, but inch by inch, he pushed himself up. Blood streamed down his chest, staining his armor an even darker black. But his eyes—those piercing red eyes—burned with determination.

“Run,” Klaz snarled at the child, never taking his gaze off the pirate. The little Xarian didn’t need to be told twice, scampering away to safety.

With a twist of his arm, Klaz wrenched the vibro-blade from the pirate’s grasp. In one fluid motion, he plunged it into the cyborg’s throat. The pirate fell, gurgling and twitching.

Klaz stood there, chest heaving, blood dripping from his fingers. He looked... magnificent. Terrifying and awe-inspiring all at once. My heart pounded, and it wasn’t just from the adrenaline of battle.

“Klaz,” I called out, softer this time. “Are you?—”

He turned to me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Takes more than that to keep me down, little con artist.”

Before I could reply, a voice boomed across the cargo bay. “Well, well. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a real hero.”

A massive figure strode forward, his cybernetic eye glowing an eerie red. He was easily as tall as Klaz, with bulging muscles further assisted by mechanical augmentations.

“I know you,” the cyborg sneered. “Klaz Renka. The famous bounty hunter. Didn’t expect to find you playing bodyguard on a pleasure cruise.”

For a moment the information burned into my mind. Bounty hunter.

Was there any chance Klaz was after me? And right now, did it matter?

Klaz’s expression hardened. “And I didn’t expect to find a washed-up criminal leading a band of two-bit thieves. Fallen on hard times since I put you away?”

The cyborg’s human eye narrowed dangerously. “Boys,” he called out to his crew. “Forget the passengers. Focus on the Vinduthi. I want him alive.”

I tried to push forward, to get to Klaz’s side, but a wave of pirates surged between us. I fought with everything I had, the shock baton singing in my hands as I took down one attacker after another. But for every pirate I dropped, two more seemed to take their place.

“Klaz!” I shouted, desperation clawing at my throat. I could see him surrounded by enemies, fighting like a man possessed. But even Vinduthi healing couldn’t keep up with the damage he was taking.

A meaty hand clamped down on my shoulder, spinning me around to be face-to-face with a leering pirate, his breath reeking of stale synth-ale.

“Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?” he drawled.

I didn’t bother with a witty comeback. Instead, I drove my knee up between his legs with all the force I could muster. As he doubled over, I brought the shock baton down on the back of his neck.

But the delay had cost me. When I turned back, my heart plummeted. Klaz was on his knees again, surrounded by a ring of pirates. Blood soaked his armor, and his breathing came in ragged gasps. Yet still he fought, lashing out with fists and feet, taking down two more attackers before a vicious blow to the head finally sent him sprawling.

“No!” The scream tore from my throat and I surged forward, but strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pinning me in place, unable to strike.

The cyborg sauntered over to Klaz’s prone form, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Not so tough now, are you?” He nudged Klaz with his boot, eliciting a pained groan. “What should we do with you, I wonder? What do you think, boys?”

The pirates laughed, a cruel, hungry sound that made my skin crawl.

I struggled against my captor, my mind racing. There had to be something I could do, some angle I could work. I was Longdon, dammit. I’d talked my way out of tighter spots than this.

But as I looked at Klaz, bleeding and battered on the floor, I realized something with startling clarity. This wasn’t just another mark. This wasn’t just another con.

Somehow, I cared. Really, truly cared. And it terrified me.

I strained against my captor’s grip, desperate to reach Klaz. The pirates gathered around him, their laughter cruel and mocking. He circled Klaz’s prone form like a predator toying with wounded prey.

“What to do with the great Klaz Renka?” the leader mused, tapping his chin in mock contemplation. “We could ransom you back to your Vinduthi brethren. Or maybe sell you to the highest bidder. I’m sure there are plenty who’d pay handsomely to see you suffer.”

One of the pirates chimed in, “Why not just space him? Quick and easy.”

The cyborg shook his head. “Too merciful. No, I want him to suffer. But, we have work to do here, and I don’t want him getting in the way.” His cybernetic eye glowed as an idea struck him. “Boys, remember that damaged escape pod near where we boarded? The one with the faulty life support and busted nav system?”

A chorus of chuckles rippled through the group. My stomach twisted as I realized what he was suggesting.

“Oh, this is perfect,” he crowed. “We’ll give our dear friend Klaz a fighting chance. Minimal supplies, and no time to use them. How’s that sound, Renka? One last adventure for the famous bounty hunter?”

Klaz’s only response was a low growl, but even that small act of defiance sent a thrill through me. He wasn’t broken yet.

The pirate’s grin widened, revealing teeth filed to points. “Load him up, boys. And make sure our guests get a good view. Wouldn’t want them to miss the show.”

As the pirates dragged Klaz away, I knew I had to act. But how? My mind raced, sorting through half-formed plans and discarding them just as quickly.

I forced myself to relax in my captor’s grip, feigning defeat. When he loosened his hold, I dropped to the deck, rolling away before melting into the crowd of terrified passengers.

“You little bitch! Come back here!”

Really, did anyone actually obey something like that?

Heart pounding, I crept towards the escape pod bay. The corridors were chaos – alarms blaring, emergency lights flashing, and panicked voices echoing off the metal walls. I ducked into a maintenance shaft, using the warren of service tunnels to move undetected.

As I crawled through the cramped space, I caught snatches of conversation from the pirates.

“...life support’s shot to hell. Maybe a few hours’ worth of air, tops.”

“Nav system’s fried too. Whoever’s in there is flying blind.”

“Perfect death trap, innit?”

I gritted my teeth, anger and fear warring for dominance. I had to get to that pod before they launched it.

I emerged from the maintenance shaft near the escape pod bay, just in time to see the pirates forcing Klaz into the damaged pod. Blood matted his long hair, and fresh bruises bloomed across his grey skin. But his eyes still burned with defiance.

The cyborg stood at the airlock controls, savoring the moment. “You know, Renka, I’m feeling generous. I’m giving you a chance here. More than you gave me when you hauled me in.” He leaned in close, his voice dripping with false sincerity. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky. Maybe some good Samaritan will pick up your distress signal before you suffocate. Stranger things have happened, right?”

Klaz spat a glob of dark blood at His feet. “When I get out of this, I’m going to tear that freaky eye from your skull and make you eat it.”

The pirate’s composure cracked for just a moment, revealing the fear that still lingered beneath his bravado. He recovered quickly, but I filed that information away. It might prove useful later.

“Big words from a dead man,” he sneered then nodded to his crew. “Seal him up. Let’s give our hero his grand send-off.”

As the pirates prepared to launch the pod, I knew it was now or never. I glanced around frantically, searching for anything I could use as a distraction. My eyes landed on a nearby control panel, and an idea sparked.

I pulled out my shock baton, praying it still had enough charge for one last jolt. With a silent apology to whatever poor engineer would have to fix this later, I jammed the baton into the panel.

The effect was instantaneous. Sparks flew, and alarms shrieked to life. Emergency bulkheads slammed down, separating sections of the bay.

In the ensuing chaos, I sprinted for the escape pod. Klaz’s eyes widened as he saw me, emotions flashing across his face too quickly for me to process. I didn’t have time to explain or second-guess my decision. I dove into the pod just as the airlock began to close.

“What the–” Klaz’s question was cut short as the pod lurched, launching us into the void of space.

Through the small viewport, I caught a final glimpse of the pirate leader’s face. His expression of shocked disbelief quickly morphed into cruel amusement as he realized what I’d done. His laughter followed us out into the darkness, a chilling promise that our troubles were far from over.

As the Empyrean Explorer shrank behind us, I turned to face Klaz. He stared at me, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, the only sound was the labored wheezing of the pod’s failing life support system.