25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Faelin

The maintenance walkways feel even more cramped than last time. When I get back to the Supernova, I’ll demand our next mission take place somewhere out in the open. The vast grassy plains of Ilure 3c would be perfect. Nothing but open space for hundreds of miles. I’d be able to turn around without bashing my elbows on a fucking water pipe and stand up straight instead of having to crawl on all fours.

Perhaps Nala would like it there too? She spent nearly five years on a space station. Surely, she and Ellen would like to visit a beautiful planet. Touch real grass, feel the rays of an actual star on their skins. Breathe air that hasn’t been filtered over and over a billion times. Oh yes, I bet they’d love it.

My sweet fantasies get me through the last, particularly narrow section of the maintenance walkways. I slow down, knowing Drayth is hiding in one of the rooms around me.

Finding him is surprisingly easy. I just follow the sound of yelling. Through a ventilation grate, I watch as Drayth paces a lavish living room while screaming into his comm. “... provide security! Your fucking slaves have taken over my ship and killed my men! It’s your obligation to—”

A hissing voice interrupts him. I don’t hear the High Broker’s response but it sounds like he told Drayth to fuck off, because the latter furiously throws his device across the room. It dents one of the wide vid screens, distorting the image of the rebel slaves taking control of the bridge.

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Drayth mutters over and over.

As much as I enjoy watching him fret, I’m running out of time. Kicking out the ventilation grate, I slip through, elegantly landing right in front of Drayth. He shrieks, fumbling for his gun but it’s out of his hand and sliding across the floor before he can pull the trigger. I sneer at his ridiculous lack of skill. How did an idiot like this become a crime lord? What a pathetic piece of shit.

“Y-you…” he stutters, his wide eyes filled with terror.

“Me,” I confirm.

Drayth backs up until he’s forced to stop as he hits the wall behind him. “W-w-wait! Wait. I…I’ll pay you! Just get me out of here and I’ll—”

My fist collides with his mouth, sending a few teeth flying out. It’s fucking exhilarating to finally be able to silence this piece of shit. “You’ll pay me with what? The money you earned from selling slaves? From selling Ellen? Or the money you earned from pimping Nala out to every lowlife in the fucking galaxy?”

“I never hurt her! I didn’t even make her wear a fucking collar. Both Nala and that fucking spawn of hers lived on my property rent free! I fed and clothed them! I could have sold them both into a fucking brothel. They should be thanking me!”

I punch him again. And again. Then, gripping his throat and squeezing tightly, I watch as his eyes begin to bulge and his face turns different shades of red.

Drayth weakly pulls and scratches at my arms but I keep squeezing until the very last spark of life vanishes from his eyes. “I told you I’d watch you take your last breath,” I tell his body. “And I’m a man of my word. You deserved a slower death, but I’m not wasting any more of my time with you.”

I grab his comm, hoping D’Aakh can extract some useful information from it, and unlock the door. Returning to the airlock is much faster now that I don’t have to crawl.

A female Ataxian is waiting for me by the airlock, holding a space suit. “Boss said to give you this and space you,” she grins. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.” I check the suit for damage before sliding into it, making sure that the “boss” didn’t give me a faulty one, but it appears to be in good shape. “Tell your boss that if we meet again, I hope we won’t be on opposing sides of the law.”

She merely chuckles and shakes her head.

As the Ataxian closes the airlock, an alarm blares through the ship. “The Arcade is charging weapons,” a voice announces through the intercom. “Strap in for evasive maneuvers.”

To her credit, the female gives me another questioning look. After I nod to her, she shrugs and presses the button.

The screens around me announce the chamber depressurizing. Once that’s finished, the door in front of me opens, space welcoming me as I propel myself from the ship.

There’s something serene about drifting aimlessly in space. There’s no noise other than your own breath echoing in the suit’s helmet. The total absence of gravity makes you feel weightless and celestial, a soul floating free from the burden of its own body.

I engage the suit’s thrusters to turn and look back at the Arcade, whose massive bulk is taking up more than half of my field of view. I watch a laser cannon light up and fire a beam that just narrowly misses one of the tiny dots heading away from the Arcade. A warning shot.

Drayth’s comm beeps as it receives a system-wide announcement. “Thisss is the Arcade,” the High Broker’s sibilant voice announces. “All ssslaves are to return to their cellsss. Thisss is your lassst warning. Every ship attempting to leave the sssystem will be dessstroyed.”

I hold my breath as I watch the cannon charge again. Didn’t Tareq mention that Captain Zarkan had a plan to prevent the Arcade from blasting everyone to atoms?

As if summoned by my thoughts, a hyperspace window opens. From the colorful, shimmering tear in the fabric of the universe, ships begin to emerge. One, two, five... I count fifteen large ships in total, surrounded by a swarm of smaller ones. Even from this distance, I recognize the UGC markings. The cavalry has arrived.

I wonder how in the world they got here on such short notice, then laugh as I remember the military maneuvers Pakri warned me about. It looks like their combat training was replaced by the real deal.

A different voice comes through Drayth’s comm. “This is Admiral Eldri from the UGC starfleet. Arcade, you are in violation of interstellar law, harboring wanted criminals and engaging in illegal activities. Power down your weapons and engines immediately and prepare to be boarded by UGC law-enforcement teams. Failure to comply will result in the use of necessary force to ensure the safety and security of the galaxy. You have been warned. Eldri out.”

As a “fuck you” response, the Arcade shoots, this time aiming for the largest UGC ship. The shot is deflected easily by the ship’s shields, harmlessly glancing off into a different direction. After that, all hell breaks loose.

The Arcade dwarfs even the largest of the UGC ships, but they are faster and easier to maneuver. Well armed, too. Laser beams and plasma projectiles fly back and forth, missiles exploding as they hit their mark or are taken out by the point defenses. Swarms of fighter ships emerge from the Arcade to engage the UGC fighters in a deadly dance.

And I’m floating in the middle of it all. The sight is spectacular, no complaints there, but I’d much rather not be incinerated by a stray laser beam. I reactivate my own comm, bracing myself for the fury of whoever’s currently on the other side.

“FAELIN!” Lyriana’s scream is so loud it makes me wince. “You fucking idiot king of all fucking idiots! What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Answer ME!”

I chuckle. “Well, right now, I’m enjoying the view, but I was thinking of rejoining you, if you could swing by and pick me up?”

“Fuck you. We’re not going back for you again. Die in fucking space,” Lyri grumbles.

“Aww, but you’d miss me.”

She snorts and I imagine she’s rolling her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t. I’d throw a party to celebrate your well deserved demise. Get ready, we’re almost on you.”

Turning, I see the sleek silvery ship approaching and I can’t resist the smile forming at the corners of my mouth. Home.

Nala

At some point, I open my eyes, flinching at the sight of a large figure lying on the floor beside our bed. Inhaling deeply, my fear slowly subsides as I realize who it is but now my heart rate kicks into higher gear. It’s Faelin sleeping on the floor. He came back, just like he’d promised.

“Faelin?” I whisper, not wanting to wake Ellen.

He rolls over and gives the most gloriously bright and tender smile. “Nala. Go back to sleep. You must be exhausted.”

I am exhausted and now that I know he is back, I might even be able to manage more than surface sleep, providing Ellen doesn’t have any more nightmares. “Why are you on the floor?” This bed isn’t exactly king-sized, but he’d still fit in if he cuddled me.

A terrible thought occurs to me—what if the reason he isn’t sleeping next to me is because he doesn’t want me anymore? I mean, it would hardly be surprising, after everything I’ve put him through. But then, why would he be in this room at all?

Some of my inner turmoil must be showing because Faelin reaches up to caress my cheek. “Everything is alright, Nala,” he soothes. “I didn’t want to invade your bed uninvited, especially since you’re with Ellen. I still wanted to be close to you both, though, hence the floor. I’ll leave if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

Tears turn my chuckle into wet slobbery splutters. He does want me. Wants us. He’s just being a damned gentleman. “You’re always welcome in my bed, Faelin.” Feeling a sudden urge to pee, my bladder chooses this moment to remind me I haven’t been paying attention to my body’s needs in a while.

Faelin catches me as I stumble out of bed and nearly smash head-first into a wall. “Do you need help?”

“With peeing? No,” I reply, smiling. “But would you please keep an eye on Ellen for a minute? She keeps waking up in tears.”

With a serious nod, Faelin sits on the side of the bed and gently strokes Ellen’s shoulder. His huge hand gently strokes her tiny body. If it was anyone else, the sight would make me panic, but I trust Faelin. Not just with my life, but with Ellen’s life, too.

After emptying my bladder and gulping down a gallon of water straight from the faucet, I return to the bedroom. In the dim light, I can see Faelin leaning over Ellen, caressing her hair and whispering something into her ear. I don’t understand the words, but his tone is soothing. Ellen stops whimpering and falls back asleep.

An overwhelming ocean of love. That’s the only way to describe what I’m feeling right now. Maybe a tiny pinch of envy that I’m no longer the only person in Ellen’s world who can soothe her, but that ugly thought is drowned out by the overwhelming affection I feel for this man, this alien.

He smiles at me as I approach. “Are you sure she won’t mind me sleeping here with you both?” he asks. He tries to run his fingers through Ellen’s hair, but they catch on tangles. Faelin carefully draws them back. “I don’t want to intrude,” he explains. “I know next to nothing about children. I do want to stay here, but if it will make her uncomfortable, I’ll just return to the floor. I don’t mind, I promise.”

Oh, be still my beating heart! Has anyone ever been sweeter? I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing man, but I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep him. “She won’t mind. She already loves you.” And I think I do, too. I don’t say that out loud even though it’s on the tip of my tongue. We’re both too tired for serious discussions.

“I love her too,” Faelin replies, moving to my side of the bed. “And her mama.”

“Faelin…” I trail off when he brushes my hair to the side and kisses the side of my neck.

“I know, I know,” he says. “Now’s not the time. I just needed to tell you. Sleep now, my perfection.”

He spoons me from behind. His half-hard cock poking into my butt, letting me know he’d do much more than just kiss me if he could, but his contented sigh is confirmation enough that he’s happy with just holding me for now.

I pull Ellen against my chest and fall asleep sandwiched between the two people I love.