Chapter 22

They were huddled at the crossroads of several air vents. It was the only space large enough in the ductwork to allow them both to sit upright.

Trigg had failed to warn him about a few things when he'd told the story of using the maze of pipework to get around Jorvlen ships undetected. The first being that it was literally a maze. They were completely lost, and had been for way over a flick.

The second was the airways and service ducts were not meant for someone with the bulk of a Lorr warrior. His horns kept getting stuck in wiring and pipework, and he found it difficult to maneuver. He was getting overheated and frustrated.

Also, his knees were sore because they were being constantly scraped against the metal grills set into the floor.

He'd become more and more irritable until Layla called a halt. "We need to get off this ship before it takes off."

There was just enough light to see the fear in her face. He detected a small change in the background hum that pervaded the vessel, and he knew with dread that they were too late.

As the vibration increased, he watched Layla's face crumple and huge tears drop from her long lashes.

He pulled her to him and held her tightly. "Hush, my beautiful one," he crooned, feeling her shaking sobs beneath his broad chest.

An unfamiliar terror welled up in him but not from the sudden liftoff. Nothing in his warrior training had prepared him for the wash of protectiveness he felt toward this special woman and his unborn child. He felt sick with fear and guilt that he had brought them into such danger.

They were thrown against the wall as the Jorvlen spacecraft accelerated away from the space station, and they moved inexorably away from their chance to get to safety.

For a while, they held each other, and Zyair contemplated their options while he comforted her. Layla broke the embrace first, looking up at him with her tear-stained face. "Well, that didn't go according to plan," she murmured stoically.

"Are you okay?" he asked, more to show his concern than to learn the answer, which he already knew.

"I am," she lied, and shot him a small smile. "What are we going to do, Zyair?"

He looked into her forlorn face. The truth was that he wasn't quite sure. They were heading into deep space on an enemy ship to who knew where.

"I have a plan," he said, and when he said it, an idea actually came to him. "I can call the Galactic Authority. Ask them to call this hunk of metal in for an inspection. We'll sneak off while they're waylaid." He worked his arm free from around her waist, ready to make the call.

"And of course, since we're here, we have more time to see if the Desolation Stone is on board," she offered.

He grunted, thinking. "Just for the duration that we have to be on this ship, but no longer. And just me. Not you. You need to stay safe with the baby."

"Won't it be safer if I'm with you, and you're protecting me?"

She had a point. He didn't want to separate, but he didn't want to leave her alone either.

"Listen a minute. We were rushing around taking risks because we were on a time limit. But now, we can take our time, be careful. Maybe this is an ideal opportunity."

They could wait until everyone was asleep, and they were running a skeleton crew and then do some real detective work. He wanted to put her in the least danger, but it was hard to know which option that even was. Every course of action presented unacceptable danger because a doomsday scenario presented unacceptable danger.

"No matter what, there are risks. You're right. There's no way to avoid them, because this is an impossible situation." Zyair sighed. "Best course of action is to examine the cargo hold and to do it together. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, though."

"So, we've got a plan then. Find our way back to the hold, and if we come across any intel on the way, that's a bonus."

They spent the next few flicks exploring the network of air vents, service tunnels, and crawl spaces that crisscrossed the ship. As they explored, they noticed fewer and fewer Jorvlens active and about in the craft. Eventually, most lights dimmed as the spacecraft went into sleep mode.

A rumble echoed through the vents, and Zyair couldn't tell what it was. "Shh," he whispered and went still. Then he heard the rumble again, accompanied by a gurgle. "Layla… Was that you?"

"Yes. I didn't want to say anything…"

"I'm just glad we weren't being followed. I thought it was a guard signal."

"No, no, sorry to scare you. No, I'm just hungry." The rumble echoed again. "I hate to ask, but…"

"We should try to find a mess facility to get some rations. There must be one near here. I can smell something. Maybe that's why your stomach suddenly got excited."

"And the worst part is if I don't eat soon… the nausea…"

"Yeah, we'll hurry. Hopefully no one is up for a midnight meal."

They followed the scent of food to the mess hall. Zyair motioned to Layla to stay put while he looked around. He opened the hatch in the vent just enough to be able to see down below.

He could hear Layla's stomach grumbling even louder with the lifting of the vent. "Looks like it's the officers' mess hall, too."

Layla beamed at him as he hopped down to scout it more closely. Once he determined the coast was clear, he helped her down.

Both the mess hall and the kitchens were deserted. The aroma of cooking still lingered and made him realize how hungry he was. He didn't know how many flicks it had been since he last ate.

Layla disappeared straight into the lavatory while he stood guard outside. He was more on edge down here where they could easily be discovered, but they remained undisturbed.

"I'm so hungry," moaned Layla as soon as he got out. "Come on, let's see what we can steal."

All the breakfast for the Jorvlen crew the following morning had been prepped and left in the large walk-in refrigerator. Zyair and Layla stuffed their pockets with food and ate their fill on the spot, trying hard not to leave a trace of their theft.

They searched the rest of the kitchen for anything they could take with them. As they were checking the storage cupboards and grabbing some packaged food and water, they heard voices coming from the mess.

Zyair looked around desperately for an escape route, but Layla calmed him down. "Let's hide and see what they have to say," she whispered.

They crawled across the kitchen floor trying desperately not to make a noise, until they were directly under the serving area.

Just at that moment, the door to the kitchen opened, and the Jorvlen captain strode inside.