Chapter 10

The news about the Lifreet went over far more smoothly than Kipexo ever anticipated. It was clear the humans didn’t quite grasp just how deadly the Lifreet could be if given the chance, and the only reason Ethan understood was because of his relationship with Kipexo, who’d spent his life and nearly lost it fighting these creatures.

“As long as we stay quiet and let Reethis do his job,” Sara said as she stood on a table in the middle of the gathered humans, “we should be able to slip right past them, no problem.”

“Hold on a second,” said Tom, the human male Ethan fought with before. Ethan bristled a bit at Kipexo’s side but said nothing as Tom asked, “If the Lifreet hate the Raugon, and we’re running from the Raugon, wouldn’t the Lifreet help us?”

Ah, the old ‘enemy of my enemy’ mentality. Kipexo stood off to the side with Grolpre standing calm and confidently at his side. He cleared his throat. “They might if they understood the entire situation,” he admitted. “But you’re on a Raugon ship with several Raugon aboard with you. The Lifreet might not stop long enough to ask questions.”

“Can’t we talk to them?”

“Doing so would alert them to our position,” Grolpre said. “As soon as they see us, we’ll be wide open to an attack. Are you willing to risk everyone aboard and pray they listen before opening fire?”

Hushed chatter spread through the crowd at that.

“We don’t have to risk it,” Sara chimed in. “Reethis just needs a little more power to get us through this, then we’ll be on our way. He’s going to cut the power to some areas of the ship to give it the boost he needs, so we’ll all be hanging out here in the common area together for a day or two. Go gather what you need and meet back here. Be quick! The lights go out in twenty minutes.”

She hopped off the table and approached Kipexo and Grolpre. “We’ll need supplies from the cargo hold if you want us all to stay put in here for a few days.”

“They’re already in the hall,” Kipexo said. “You should go help Andrew and Vroft gather what they need for the baby.”

Sara nodded and left to do just that.

Ethan and Sam were across the room, already setting up a large makeshift bed on the floor near the far wall. The two of them helped Grolpre and Kipexo gather everything they’d need from their room as soon as Kipexo and Ethan broke the news, and though Sam took it all in with a brave face, Kipexo didn’t miss the hushed and worried conversation between them and Grolpre soon after.

“Are they ok?” Kipexo asked Grolpre with a nod toward her Earthling.

“They’re hopeful but scared,” Grolpre replied. “I fear for their well-being once we’re free from all this stress. Oftentimes, trauma doesn’t manifest itself until the danger has long passed.”

Kipexo grunted. “We’ll just have to make sure we give them both a good enough life to make up for it.”

Grolpre smiled. “That’s a very hopeful thought, Kipexo. I have to say, you seem surprisingly calm about all of this.”

Kipexo shrugged. “All I’m focused on right now is Ethan. Everything else is out of my hands.”

“That’s true for now, but what will you do if—”

The ship suddenly lurched beneath their feet, sending some of the humans stumbling and knocking others off their feet entirely. Screams erupted, and alarms started blaring.

“Ethan!” Kipexo yelled, and he rushed for his Earthling where he knelt beside Sam with a hand on the wall for balance as the ship lurched again. It hadn’t yet straightened out when the lights went out, plunging the entire ship into total darkness. The screams this time were deafening.

“Everyone sit down!” Grolpre yelled out over the noise. “Wherever you are, get down on the floor and—”

That was immediately made impossible as the ship’s gravity system disengaged and Kipexo felt his feet leave the floor.

“Kipexo!” Ethan screamed from somewhere nearby.

“Just stay calm!” Kipexo called back.

Soft yellow lights clicked on along the top of the walls throughout the room as the emergency power supply kicked in. Kipexo saw a brief flash of human bodies suspended in the air before they all fell again with a whoosh as gravity returned. There were more than a few cries of pain as bodies hit the floor and each other.

Kipexo scrambled to his feet and rushed to where he’d last seen Ethan. He and Sam were sprawled in a heap amongst a twisted pile of bedding and other various supplies. Both humans groaned and sat up.

“Are you hurt?” Kipexo fretted as Grolpre knelt beside him and helped Sam detangle their limbs from Ethan’s.

“I don’t think so,” Ethan muttered. “What happened?”

“The ship lost power,” Kipexo said.

“But there are lights and…”

“The emergency supply runs a few lights, the gravity, and the air filtration system.”

Ethan leaned in close. “What about the cloaking system?”

Kipexo shook his head.

They were sitting dead in deep space and were now glowing brightly on every scanner in every Lifreet ship currently searching for them.

“You should go see Reethis and find out what caused this,” Grolpre said. “Perhaps it can be fixed.”

Kipexo gave Ethan his hand and helped him up to his feet. “Come with me.” The subject wasn’t up for debate. He wasn’t about to let his Earthling out of his sight, all things considered.

Ethan nodded.

“Gather everyone in the common area,” Kipexo told Grolpre. “We can better protect them as a group.”

Grolpre was slightly pale, but she nodded, and she and Sam headed toward the sleeping quarters to find the others while Kipexo and Ethan headed for the cockpit.

They found Reethis seated on the floor by the wall with the missing panel with his arms on his drawn-up legs, staring into the hole that was currently puffing black smoke into the room. Natalie hurried up to Kipexo as soon as he and Ethan walked in.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said in a rush. “We were maneuvering between two of the Lifreet ships when there was an explosion and we lost everything. When the lights came on, smoke was billowing out of the wall. Reethis put out the fire, but now he’s just…” She looked over her shoulder back at the captain. “He hit his head when the gravity came back on. I don’t—”

“I’m fine,” Reethis barked, but he didn’t get up or even move.

Kipexo touched Natalie on the shoulder as he moved around her and approached his old friend. Blood was trickling down the side of Reethis’ face, but he was alert. He just looked… broken in a way Kipexo understood. He stood next to Reethis and looked into the smoking hole.

“How bad is it?” Kipexo asked, though he didn’t really need to.

“Worst case scenario,” Reethis said in a daze.

Kipexo swore. “What happened?”

“The power supply I repaired overloaded and blew. It took out the others for good. I don’t got the parts or the time to fix this.”

“So we’re fucked?”

“We were fucked from the start.” Reethis sighed deeply. “The truth is, I’ve been flounderin’ since we left Raug.” He glanced up at Kipexo then quickly looked away again. “I’m sorry, son. You trusted me to get ‘em all home safe, but ya put yer faith in the wrong Raugon.”

“No, I didn’t. We never would’ve gotten off Raug if it was anyone else.”

Reethis scoffed but didn’t reply.

“How long do we have?” Ethan asked softly. He was standing beside Natalie, and the two humans wore matching looks of dread.

“The closest Lifreet ship’ll reach us within a few hours,” Reethis said. “The others within a day, if they don’t just hyperjump right to us.”

“There’s no time to waste then,” Kipexo said, and he offered Reethis a hand. After a moment’s stubborn pause, the captain let Kipexo help him to his feet. “We need to prepare. We don’t have time for barricades, but we can lock down doors and funnel them into one of the longer corridors where we’ll be waiting.”

“There’s another option,” Reethis said. “A permanent one.”

Kipexo shook his head. “We’re not doing that.”

“Doing what?” Natalie asked.

Reethis met her eyes. “Scuttlin’ the ship.”

Ethan went pale. “What, like… like blow it up?”

“We’re not doing that,” Kipexo said, more forcefully this time.

“Why do you get to decide?” Natalie asked heatedly. She crossed her arms. “What happens if you can’t stop them? What if they take you out and come after us? What will they do to us?”

Kipexo had no answer, so he didn’t give one.

“That choice should be up to everyone,” Natalie continued. “Not just one person.”

“You want to take a vote on mass suicide, is that it?” Kipexo barked.

“She’s right, Kipexo,” Ethan said. “If the Lifreet catch us, who knows what will happen. Everyone should get a say on whether we take that risk.”

Kipexo went to Ethan and cupped his face. “And if they choose to scuttle?”

Ethan laid his hand over Kipexo’s. “Then we go out together. I can live with that over watching you be captured and possibly tortured by the Lifreet. Can’t you say the same?”

Kipexo hung his head because Ethan was right. Between the two, he would gladly choose to end it all over watching his Earthling suffer by his enemies’ hands, but that was not how this would end. Not when the life he wanted with Ethan was so close he could taste it. He took Ethan’s head between his hands.

“Don’t vote to scuttle,” Kipexo said. “Please. Have faith in me to get us through this.”

Ethan swallowed, but then he nodded.

“What are you going to do, Kipexo?” Natalie asked.

He normally wouldn’t tell her his plan, but perhaps knowing he had one would sway her to vote against a scuttle, so he told her the truth. “I am a high-ranking soldier in the Galacorp. The Lifreet will recognize my rank if not my name. I have intelligence I can use to barter our way out of this. But if it comes down to a fight, I know where to shoot to blow the whole ship if I have to. I won’t let them take me out and leave you all defenseless. If I think all hope is lost, I’ll make sure we all go together.”

Natalie lifted her chin and nodded in respect. “Then I’ll vote against a scuttle as well.”

Reethis was staring intently at Natalie when Kipexo regarded him next. The captain noticed everyone was looking at him and scoffed again. “Fuck it… If the bastards try an take me, I’ll put one between my own eyes. Ya might as well take a crack at negotiatin’ if yer set on it.”

Kipexo nodded. “Thank you,” he told them all.

“I ain’t got weapons enough for all of ‘em,” Reethis said. “This ship’s meant fer transportin’ goods not goin’ toe to toe with our enemies. I got enough fer you, me, Vroft, and Grolpre, and maybe a handful of the humans.”

“Count me in,” Natalie chimed.

“Me too,” Ethan said. Kipexo opened his mouth to argue, but Ethan cut him off. “Don’t start. I’m not leaving your side, so you might as well give me a gun. I saved your ass with one once before.”

Kipexo smiled despite himself. “That you did.”

“Where are these weapons?” Natalie asked.

“In a hidden cache under the floor of the cargo hold,” Reethis said. “Since the power’s out, we’ll hafta bust it open.”

Natalie walked over to Reethis’ pile of tools on the floor and gathered up his laser cutter, a crowbar, and a few smaller tools they could use to pry or cut open the grates in the cargo hold floor. “In case the vote falls in our favor,” she said as she passed them out.

Kipexo glanced at Ethan to find the boy staring at him, wide-eyed and obviously terrified. Kipexo pulled him aside, knelt on one knee, and kissed him on the forehead.

“It’ll be alright,” Kipexo said quietly. “Don’t be afraid.”

Ethan swallowed. “I wouldn’t change it,” he said softly. “No matter what happens today, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.”

“We’re not dying today,” Kipexo said with confidence. “I’ll get us out of this like I always do.”

Ethan smiled sadly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, today, tomorrow, and forever.”

*****

The vote landed at a 54/46 split not to scuttle the ship, and Kipexo could’ve cried with relief when Sara read the results. It was too close, far too close, but the humans listened to Kipexo’s plan to bargain with the Lifreet, and more than half of them placed their faith in him to save them one last time.

This was his last chance to do so. He’d either secure their safe return to Earth today or doom them all.

Two hours later, the humans were all locked in the common area with Sara and Andrew, who were the only two armed in there with the smallest of the guns Reethis had stowed away in his cache. Kipexo knew those weapons wouldn’t be enough to take out even one Lifreet. They were mostly to help keep the others calm while the real battle took place several halls away.

The corridor leading from the Anamafrid’s entrance toward the belly of the ship was now broken by half a dozen large metal barriers that Kipexo, Grolpre, Vroft, Reethis, Ethan, Sam, and Natalie were currently using as cover. Kipexo was dressed in his Galacorp gear with as many gadgets and weapons as he could fit dangling off his belts and stuck in his pockets. He prayed he wouldn’t need any of them. Ethan wore his protective vest again as he sat behind cover at Kipexo’s feet, clutching one of the smaller guns, but Kipexo knew if things went bad today, no amount of armor or weapons would save either of them.

If Kipexo couldn’t talk their way out of this, there was no point trying to fight. There were a dozen ships gathered around the Anamafrid now. Hundreds of Lifreet could swarm them in an instant. No, Kipexo had a much more devastating and permanent plan in place should negotiations fail.

The ceiling in this hall was torn open to expose the pipes for the air filtration system. Using some clever commands to the emergency power supply, they redirected as muchO2into this corridor as they could spare, then they disconnected the CO? return pipe and flooded it with fuel Reethis extracted from a line buried deep in one of the ship’s maintenance compartments. To complete the trap, Kipexo stuck one of his own grenades between the fuel and oxygen pipes. With a single shot, Kipexo could set off an explosion large enough it would rip the ship in half, and everyone agreed he would be the one to do it. If he couldn’t make a deal for their safety, then he would be the one to blow them all to hell.

He got them all into this mess, and he would get them all out of it, one way or another.

The Anamafrid lurched suddenly, and a moment later, the lights flicked on and the alarms turned off as power was restored throughout the ship.

“They’ve connected us to their ship,” Kipexo announced to those who might not understand what was happening. “They’ll be boarding us soon.”

Ethan fidgeted nervously, and Kipexo reached down and petted the Earthling’s hair to soothe him.

There was a bang as the Anamafrid’s airlock was breached at the ship’s side passenger doors, and a deafening silence fell in the hall as they all held their breath. At the sound of distant, rumbling Lifreet voices and the feel of an army’s footsteps vibrating the floor, Kipexo growled under his breath and clicked the safety off on his weapon. At his feet, Ethan squeezed his eyes shut and turned his implants down with his databand. Kipexo knelt behind his cover, patted his Earthling on the top of the head, propped his weapon on top of the barrier, and aimed down the hallway toward the coming storm.