24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Faelin

Following Cai’s directions I head to where the Crimson Serpent is docked. Halfway there, everyone starts yelling at me to return to the ship through my comm, so I turn it off. They can scold me later in person. Right now, I have a mission to complete.

The sound of laser fire greets me as I approach the final corner. I cautiously peek out to assess the situation.

A large group of recently liberated slaves is attacking the Serpent’s airlock while Drayth’s guards defend it. I momentarily wonder why Drayth hasn’t simply shut the doors and left already but the heavily scorched panel by the airlock gives me the answer. The automatic controls must be damaged, which means they’ll have to close the airlock manually. Under normal circumstances, it’s a simple task. Under heavy fire from over two dozen raging people? Nearly impossible.

The slaves are running out of time. As soon as the Arcade’s system reboots, the collars will come back online. Once that happens, Arcade security can knock them all out with a single push of a button. The pressing time limit is making the slaves desperate, but they’re untrained and disorganized. Drayth’s goons might not be top shelf mercenaries, but they do have at least some training and are easily fending off the slaves.

I approach the largest group of slaves taking cover behind an overturned hovercar. I move cautiously and loudly toward them, announcing my arrival with my hands raised to show them I come in peace. The last thing I want is to get shot.

“That ship is ours,” an Ataxian who appears to be in charge snarls at me, waving his rifle in my direction. “Get lost. We don’t need you.”

What a charming fellow, I think, fighting to maintain my friendly smile. “I’m not interested in the ship. I just want the guy who’s currently hiding on it. How about I help you get inside, you let me kill him, and then we can all go our separate ways?”

He sizes me up, then shrugs. “Fine. But we’re leaving the second we take the bridge. If you’re still on board by then, we’ll throw you out of an airlock.”

“Fine by me,” I grin.

My response catches him off guard. “What? You do know we’ll be in space by then?”

“Like I said, I’m not planning on staying on this ship. Just let me put on a space suit and I’ll happily wave you goodbye from the airlock window. But first, I want Drayth.”

“You’re an odd fellow, but you’ve got yourself a deal. Now, how exactly do you plan on getting us inside? We’ve been in a standoff with these guys for over ten minutes with neither side getting anywhere.” He casts a nervous look over his shoulder, fingers gripping his weapon tighter.

I pull out two pistols, wishing I’d stopped by the Supernova armory to pick up my hammer and my combat suit. And maybe some snacks, I think, my growling stomach reminding me I haven't eaten in a while. I ignore the hunger pangs. I’ll eat with Nala and Ellen once all of this is over.

The slaves watch me warily. “You’re going in with just that?”

“I’ve gone into worse situations with less. Cover me for as long as you can,” I order, hoping they know what I mean. “But don’t fucking shoot me!”

With a roar, I jump over the improvised barricade, my weapons trained on the airlock. Years of training kick in and two of Drayth’s men drop dead before they even realize there’s a madman charging at them headfirst. Their confusion plays to my advantage, as it allows me to cross the narrow gangway connecting the Crimson Serpent to the Arcade.

I’m so close to the guards now that even someone as lame as the idiots Drayth hired should be able to hit me. I duck to avoid the first volley of laser fire, then tackle the nearest male and use his body as a shield. The stench of burned flesh is incredible as laser fire blasts my improvised shield. I toss the charred body at the guards on my left and lunge right, shooting from both guns simultaneously. I don’t miss. I rarely miss.

“W-wait, please, I—” A guard pleads fruitlessly for his life, the shot between his tiny eyes my only response.

I remember him. He was one of the guards that thought it was funny to burn Ellen with hot steam. He can beg to whichever deity he believes in. I’m not interested.

Seeing that it’s now safe, the slaves pour in through the airlock. The Ataxian in charge clicks his tongue. “You don’t mess around, do you? Perhaps we could use you, after all.”

Right, now he’s interested.

I shouldn’t be helping these guys, as it’s clear they’re destined to become pirates or something worse. But I need to get to Drayth and I’m not about to slaughter a bunch of escaped slaves just because they might become trouble later. I could, but I really don’t want to. And who knows? Perhaps they’ll surprise me and become the good guys. I stifle a snort over that thought.

“The bridge is that way,” I instruct them. “Do you know how to close the airlock manually?”

“We’re not idiots,” the Ataxian replies. “You two! Get the door closed and release the docking clamps. We’re leaving this hell hole.” Yips and cheers ring out through the small room. Most of the slaves head toward the bridge, a few staying to carry out the Ataxian’s orders.

“Hey, hybrid?” he approaches me with a slightly quizzical look. “You know what was going on back there, don’t you? The miraculous disabling of the collars? The cell doors opening?” When I don’t reply, he shrugs dismissively. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. The real question is, what the fuck are we going to do when we take off? Won’t the Arcade fire at us? It’s a fucking battleship. This floating piece of scrap won’t last more than one hit.”

He’s smart. A little too smart for a male of questionable morals. He’ll make a dangerous criminal. There are no gold rings adorning the bone spikes on his head, nothing marking his kills, but that might be just because the slavers removed them to humiliate him. I notice several indents where I believe the rings were, meaning several beings died by this male’s hand. Still, I can’t bring myself to end his life simply because I’m convinced he and his crew will turn into criminals. Everyone deserves a second chance.

“The Arcade will have other things to deal with,” I say in response to his question. “Just get clear of its gravity well as quickly as you can, then jump to hyperspace. You’ll be fine.”

He nods slowly, his contemplative expression one I can’t decipher. “Thanks,” he murmurs, his eyes roving over my body. “You’re with the UGC, aren’t you? One of the good guys.” He scoffs. “Never thought I’d owe my life to one of you.”

“I’m not interested in blood debts or whatever it is you guys do.” I don’t actually know much about Ataxian culture. Their empire has always been a little closed off, even more so after the brief war with the UGC. “All I want is Drayth. If you insist on doing something for me to even the debt, don’t become a fucking criminal.”

He laughs and grabs my shoulder. “I really like you. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us?”

“I have a beautiful female and a kid back home. Why the fuck would I want to stay with you ugly fuckers?” I tease, heading for the nearest maintenance walkway. Drayth will have barricaded himself into his private quarters on the upper level of the ship, I’m sure of it. Fortunately, I crawled through this entire ship when looking for Ellen, and I know exactly how to get there.

“Boss, we’ve closed the door!” a female Ataxian yells at the male in charge. “The docking clamps are ready to be released on your mark.”

The leader nods. “Good job. We’re leaving.” He casts a glance in my direction. “You better hurry if you want to leave the ship before we jump to hyperspace. We won’t be waiting for you. And don’t you fucking dare steal anything.”

“Don’t worry,” I mutter, already crawling through the hatch, “there’s only one thing I want and I don’t plan on taking him with me.”

Nala

My tears fall in large droplets as I watch Faelin leave but I don’t call him back. I need him to do this. There’s no moving forward for Ellen and I as long as Drayth lives.

Faelin promised he’d be back. I cling to that thought like a lifeline.

Sliding down the wall until my ass hits the floor, I rest my head against the wall, my legs refusing to support my weight a minute longer. Ellen snuggles into me, her tears slowly subsiding. My poor baby must be just as exhausted as I am, if not more.

The odd looking furry creature wrapped around my neck croaks in panic as footsteps approach. My fingers search the floor for my weapon, but it’s nowhere to be found. I must have dropped it during our frantic escape. It’s unnecessary anyway, because the people coming in are all Faelin’s crew.

Tareq and Astra enter the ship hand in hand, sharing a tender kiss that causes my chest to ache, making me miss Faelin even more. D’Aakh and Omni head straight for where I assume is the bridge. The last to arrive is Lyriana, who’s dragging a scowling Nikolai behind her. “There are still injured people!” he protests, clutching a large bag with medical supplies to his chest. “I can help them!”

“I don’t give a shit. We’re leaving.” She hits the airlock button so hard I’m surprised the cover doesn’t crack. Her eyes rove the room, zeroing in on me. “Where’s Faelin?”

“He went after Drayth,” I respond, exhaustion seeping into my voice.

“HE WHAT?!” Lyriana shrieks. Ellen jerks awake and starts crying anew. At my glare, Lyriana lowers her voice. “He did what?!” she whisper-yells. “For fuck’s sake, you people are like herding sandcats! You catch one and two escape. I’m done with this. We’re leaving.”

My eyelids feel like they weigh a ton each, but I force them open for a little longer. “But Faelin said he’d be back. He said…” I trail off, trying to remember what exactly Faelin had said but find it difficult to navigate my foggy mind. “He’d catch a different ride,” I finally remember. “I don’t know what he meant by that.”

“I do,” Lyriana grumbles, but her expression softens the longer she watches Ellen and I.

My baby has fallen asleep again and is now snoring lightly in her sleep. My only wish at the moment is to join her. To curl up on a bed with Ellen in my arms and pass out for a few hours. Or days.

I must have fallen asleep, but I jerk awake when someone tries to take Ellen from my arms. I swallow back the scream I was about to let forth when I look up and don’t see any evil slavers wanting to steal my baby. I see a woman resembling Lyriana, except this one is smiling, so it can’t be Lyriana. That bitch doesn’t smile.

“Let me carry her,” the not-Lyriana whispers. “Just to bed, then you can hold her again.”

I want to protest, but fall asleep instead. The next thing I know, someone is lowering me onto a wide, comfortable bed. I eagerly inhale his scent, then frown because it’s most certainly not Faelin’s.

He said he would be back soon.

“He will be fine,” Lyriana replies. I must have thought out loud. “He does shit like this all the time. We’ll pick him up later. Sleep now.”

As if I could do anything else right now. I vaguely notice the furry animal unwrapping itself from my neck and curling up somewhere by my feet. It’s warm. Someone places a blanket over us so I snuggle into it, pulling Ellen’s back to my front.

Half-asleep, I mumble soothing words to my baby every time she’s jolted awake by a nightmare, which is often. Fortunately, my voice is enough to lull her back to sleep.