by Ella Maven
I glanced around the cruiser. It was small … very small. The area where I stood wasn’t much larger than a sedan and straight ahead was a one-person cockpit. I’d managed to get inside and shut the door by myself which seemed like a massive accomplishment. I had a basic understanding of ships because of my time skipping from space station to space station, but I’d never been responsible for flying one.
I pressed the small button on the comm and slipped it into my ear, ignoring the flakes of Bosa’s dried blood.
There was no ringing, just a staticky sound that made me wince before a voice came on the line, expectant and a little frantic. “Bosa!”
I glanced at him desperately, wishing he would magically wake up. “Um, hi. I’m not Bosa, but he’s here with me.” There was a long moment of silence, and I panicked. “Please don’t hang up! I mean disconnect. Or leave!” I could just barely hear breathing on the other end. “Is this Gurla?”
“Is Bosa okay?” she asked slowly.
I muffled a sob into my hand. “No.” My voice cracked, and I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I need help. I’m on a cruiser with him and I need to get off this dock before the fire reaches us.” I glanced at the window to find the flames closer, and a small army of Gattrix trying to extinguish the flames to get to me. “Bosa said I can call you and you’d help.”
“You’re the human?”
“Yes. I’m Karina.”
In a muffled voice, Gurla said something to someone else, then came back on the line with a clear, determined tone. “Okay, Karina. Let’s fly this cruiser. I need all the information you can find.”
I scrambled to the cockpit and read off everything with symbols I could find. Most made no sense to me, but Gurla was able to look up the cruiser details and find the flight manual. The cruiser was a basic model used by many different species in the galaxy.
With Bosa laying motionless behind me, I separated the cruiser from the dock with Gurla’s detailed instructions. Laser fire from the Gattrix pinged the cruiser, but I ignored it, too focused on getting into the air and off this damn planet.
“What’s your destination?” Gurla asked once we made it out of the atmosphere.
“Destination?” I hadn’t expected that question. “My destination is home.”
Gurla let out a long breath. “I’m sorry, Karina. That cruiser won’t take you to Earth.”
“No, not Earth. Torin. Bosa’s home.” I nibbled on my lip. “He talked about Torin a lot. He mentioned you, Wensla, and Sherif. He said he hadn’t been home in a long time…” I didn’t tell her his reasons. That was his story to tell, and dammit he would because he would survive this.
“I want him home,” Gurla said. “We all do. Even if he can be annoying.”
I let out a small laugh. “He really can be, can’t he?”
She gave me the coordinates to fly to Torin and land near their settlement.
“Keep him alive, human,” she said. “We’ll see you soon.”
The call disconnected and I leaned back in my chair, running my hands through my hair. Soot felt gritty on my skin, and my dirty clothes felt like burlap on my skin.
As much as I wanted to curl in a ball and sleep, I had other things to do. Content that the cruiser was on autopilot and heading in the right direction, I crawled to Bosa’s side. When I leaned down and placed my ear above his mouth, I could just barely detect the soft puffs of breath leaving his parted lips. He was alive… for now. The blanking must have been the last of his energy.
I searched the storage panels of the cruiser, finding cleansing cloths and some food. As I munched on a stale tein bar, I wiped Bosa’s body, taking special care around his injuries. I found some topical medicine as well and squeezed the jelly contents onto his wounds.
I dribbled some water in his mouth, which he swallowed, but his eyes remained closed, and he made no other sign of consciousness. After using a portable cleanser that extended from the wall, I settled down again at his side. Using the cleansing cloths, I wiped down his hair. Combing it out with my fingers, I braided it neatly and tied it at the ends with a strip of leather.
After that, I pulled a blanket down on top of us and only then did I sleep.
It went like that for days. I found a powdered energy drink and mixed that with some water so Bosa could ingest some calories. He drank it and moved his lips as if trying to speak. His eyes flickered behind his eyelids, but that was all. I had hope he’d survive as his body seemed to be in some sort of stasis.
I didn’t dare eat or drink too much, worried we’d somehow be knocked off course and I’d be stuck in this ship in the inky blackness of space without food or water.
Bosa’s body was warm, so I spent most of my time cuddled up next to him, staring out of a small window in the roof of the cruiser. I couldn’t get the sight of the women out of my head, and I wished I could have saved them all. I had no idea where they were kept, and if they were even still at the station. I hadn’t seen many other buildings. I couldn’t save them, but I hoped I’d saved others who would never know about the Rinian galaxy.
Then my thoughts turned to my future. “What will your people think of me?” I asked Bosa, knowing I wouldn’t get an answer. “And if something happens to you…” I swallowed. “Will they let me stay? Will they make me find another man or something?” I shuddered thinking about anyone touching me but Bosa. I curled into his side and closed my eyes, using his biceps as a pillow. “I’m scared,” I whispered. “I’m trying to be brave. Gurla seemed nice, but I’m scared Bosa. You were terrifying when we met, and now I’m going to meet potentially dozens more like you?” I nibbled on my thumbnail and then scrubbed my face. “Stop it, Karina. It’ll be okay. Or you’ll make it okay. All that matters is getting Bosa home and healthy. He blew up the cargo ship for you.”
I would never forget as long as I lived the sight of a flickering Bosa lifting the laser gun with a grunt, squinting one eye, and firing. He refused to let what had happened to us be in vain. He’d killed Frenz too.
I ran my hand over his chest. “We’ll get you well, Bosa. I promise.”
Lulled by the soft sounds of his breathing, I fell asleep.
“Kotche,” Bosa’s voice whispered in my ear. I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yes?” I hummed as the cool water washed over my swollen ankles.
“What are you doing?”
I looked behind me to see Bosa leaning against a tree trunk, his massive arms crossed over his chest.
“I’m hot.” I couldn’t stop the whine in my voice.
“I told you not to go anywhere alone.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” his smile faded slightly, “there are lots of deadly things here in Torin.”
“I’m not that far from the settlement.”
He straightened, and this time his expression was dead serious. “Kotche, listen to me. Don’t go anywhere alone.”
I blinked at him and then once again peered over my large belly to wiggle my toes. “Okay, Bosa. I’m sorry.”
His smile was back as he waded into the stream after me. “Come on, I’ll carry you back and give you a rubdown.”
“A rubdown is how we got into this mess,” I mutter as he heaved my bulk into his arms.
He laughed at that. “I like seeing you like this.” He nuzzled my ear. “There will be many more rubdowns in our future.”
I couldn’t say I was unhappy about that. I sighed as he made his way to the bank. He had taken one step in the mud when the ground started to shake. I clung to him, peering around frantically. “Bosa? What’s going on?”
He gazed down at me, his expression calm. “We’re home, kotche. We’re home.”
I opened my eyes to find myself slumped in the chair of the cockpit. Outside the large window, I no longer saw black space and distant white stars. The window was full of blue trees and green dirt, rushing toward me like a rocket. I braced for impact just as something hit the side of the cruiser, sending it rolli
ng end over end until a hard object hit my head and knocked me out.
Fourteen
Karina
The good news was that I was alive and on planet Torin according to the ship’s coordinates. The bad news was that I now had no idea what to do. I checked on Bosa, who I’d strapped into a pull-out bed pallet, and his condition hadn’t changed. Which meant, he was alive too.
There was a hole in the hull of the cruiser just large enough for me to squeeze my body through, and my first thought was to head out and yell for help, but then I remembered my dream. Bosa had told me not to go anywhere alone on his planet. There are lots of deadly things.
I drank some water, worry setting in when I saw how low I was on supplies. I was completely out of almost all the food, and the rest I had I would save for Bosa. The water was nearly gone, so I really didn’t have that much time before I would be forced to leave.
Still, I stayed put. His words in my dreams had saved us before, and Bosa had treated them with a strong reverence. I huddled next to his body in the darkened ship. Only a small emergency light remained glowing on the cockpit. The sky had a greenish cast to it, and outside the small windows, blue leaves swayed gently on a soft breeze. We were in some sort of forest, and I thought it looked beautiful and peaceful. I ached to get out of the cramped cabin of this cruiser.
Venturing near the hole in the hull, I peered outside. I could hear the soft trilling of some animals that sounded like avian chirps, as well as the snorted breathing of some ground foragers, like warthogs.
Curling my fingers around the singed edge of the hull, I stuck my head out just as a figure appeared between two trees in the distance. I ducked down immediately, and then crept over to the window, which I knew wasn’t transparent from the outside. More figures emerged—hairless cat-like creatures that walked on all fours with a plated hunchback. They stretched their long necks and called out with their wide mouths in a low, long tone as they marched forward in a huddled group.
They didn’t seem to be communicating with each other, really, and I found it odd they’d announce their presence to other predators. That is, until their calls began to feel familiar. I could have been wrong, but they seemed to be sending out signals into the air like sonar. If they lived on a planet where some creatures could blank and camouflage themselves completely, this must be a way to determine their location.
I shuddered, knowing if I had ventured out and tried to blank to hide from them, I wouldn’t have been successful. Their claws were long and wicked, and a club-like bone—the size of my head—on the ends of their tails swept the ground. Their sharp teeth made me think they were meat eaters. Which meant… they’d eat me.
Suddenly a cry pierced the air, and the creatures began to trill at each other, a different sound now as the formed a circle—the smaller ones in the middle—kind of like how elephants defended against an attack.
The creatures sent out their sonar sound again, and then quickly began an attack. They swiped with their clawed paws and lashed their tails into what looked like thin air. I squinted to get a better look, and just barely could make out the blurred outlines of figures.
The Kaluma. That had to be them. I watched in fascination as the creatures fought well. A few landed solid blows as the scales of a few Kaluma flickered as they were wounded. I thought about running out myself to help them, but I had no weapons, and I couldn’t leave Bosa alone.
Soon, the creatures must have admitted defeat, because the few that were left scattered into the forest. I once again raced to the hole in the hull and peered out just as a series of clicks echoed through the forest. An army of Kaluma appeared—a few a little bruised and bloody, but they seemed to relish the injuries. A large Kaluma with long white hair flowing down to his waist walked amongst the warriors. He didn’t wear anything fancy to distinguish him from the rest, but he walked with the air of a leader.
Still, I didn’t know if these were Bosa’s Kaluma. What if they were another group? Should I hide? My skin rippled, and when I glanced down at my hands, they weren’t there. I’d blanked, and maybe that was for the best, as the leader was making his way toward the hull… and me.
I darted over to Bosa and covered him quickly with a sheet before hunkering down next to him with the nearest weapon I could find—a wrench-like tool from the ship’s supplies. The Gattrix had taken Babe, and I mourned its loss.
A clawed hand curled around the hole and tugged. The thick metal peeled back like paper, and a trickle of cold sweat dripped down my spine. The leader didn’t step in, but instead a massive Kaluma—bigger than even Bosa, with short white hair and carrying a stick with a spiked ball on the end.
I began to shake. Behind him stepped the leader, who spotted the blanket on the floor covering Bosa. His nostrils flared, and his blue eyes flashed with anger as he reached down to pull back the blanket.
I didn’t think. Instinct made me lash out with the tool and catch him on the wrist. “Yerk!” he gasped as he jerked back his hand.
The large warrior next to him widened his stance and raised his club. “What happened?”
“Something just…” the leader tilted his head and then his eyes landed right on me, as if holding my gaze. His chest heaved, and it was like he could see into my soul. My breath stopped, my heart pounded, and then he said in a calm voice, “Show yourself.”
There was no brooking that command. I didn’t even have to do anything—my body reacted and the change came over me until I was once again a visible human, huddled over Bosa’s unconscious form. The leader’s eyes went wide, and the big warrior’s jaw dropped open.
“Who are you?” I asked, hovering over Bosa.
The leader crouched down on the balls of his feet slowly, as if I were a feral cat he wanted to coax out of an alley. “I’m Sherif.”
I inhaled sharply as tears pricked my eyes. “Oh, thank God.” Tearing off the blanket over Bosa, I pulled his head into my lap. “Help him,” I choked out. “Please.”
Sherif’s eyes blinked slowly just as the big warrior behind him let out a gasp and dropped to his knees.
I didn’t even protest when he gathered Bosa into his arms with a tight jaw.
He didn’t say a word, but concern and care were evident all over his face. He rose to his feet effortlessly holding Bosa in his arms. He nodded to me before marching out.
I noticed he walked very carefully to avoid hitting any part of Bosa on the sides of the ship. Flanking behind him as he left were two smaller warriors, nearly identical except for their hair shaved to the scalp on opposites sides of their heads.
I stumbled to my feet to go after them, but found my way blocked by Sherif. He continued to study me like I was a bug under a microscope. My skin itched and I nearly blanked again. I didn’t quite have the hang of it yet. It seemed to react to my emotions. “What… Where are you taking him?”
“Home,” he answered simply.
I licked my lips. “And… am I invited too?”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “What are you?”
“I’m a human,” I whispered. “My name is Karina.”
“You’re not human,” his voice held a tinge of disgust that set my teeth on edge.
“I am,” I shot back. I tried to peer around his body to catch a glimpse of Bosa, but he was too damn big.
“Then how could you blank?”
“That’s a good question,” I snapped at him. Tired, hungry, and worried about Bosa, I was not in a mood anymore to be meek. “I have no idea. It just happened. You can ask me more questions later when I know if Bosa is okay. He said to tell you, Sherif, that I’m his linyx. So let me stay by his side because I flew his unconscious ass here all by myself.”
I said the last three words on my tiptoes, which still only brought me up to his chest.
Sherif didn’t look impressed by my tirade, but one word had gotten a reaction out of him. Linyx. His pupils had dilated, and his breath sped up.
“Have you mated?” he asked.
“That’s a personal question.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“Karina?” A voice called from outside the ship. A feminine voice.
Sherif whirled around like his ass was on fire. “What are you doing here?” He hissed angrily.
A female Kaluma slightly taller than me stumbled into the ship. She wore a band across her breasts and a long skirt with a long slit up one thigh. An ornate necklace made of shiny stones that remind me of Mother of Pearl sat on her delicate collarbones. Her face lit up when she spotted me, her blue eyes squinting into a kind smile. “Karina?”
That voice… “Gurla?”
She let out a little squeak and rushed toward me, completely ignoring Sherif which I found… slightly dangerous. His glare hadn’t let up, and if looks could kill, Gurla would be burned on the spot. But she didn’t care, instead grabbing my hands in hers and squeezing them. “You made it. When we got word that a cruiser entered out atmosphere, I was so happy. You didn’t land properly though.” She glanced around with a small frown before once again smiling at me. “No matter though. You’re alive. Cravus is probably already at the settlement with Bosa.”
Relief coursed through me at her friendly tone. “Will he be okay?”
She patted my hand. “He’s still alive, which is the best we can hope for.”
“He was shot twice by laser fire,” I explained. “And then he had to blank for us to escape…” I grimaced. “It was all so much. I’m terrified he won’t be okay, that this was all for nothing.” The tears were coming now, my brave mask gone now that I could confide in Gurla. “If it wasn’t for me, he would have been home already, but he insisted on staying—”
“Karina,” she said softly. “No one tells Bosa what to do. He stayed because he wanted to be by your side.” Her fingers lightly played with my hair. “Such a pretty color. We’ll get you cleaned up and fed. Come on.” With her arm around my shoulder, she led me past Sherif, who hadn’t stopped glaring at me. I shot him a mean mug over my shoulder, which seemed to surprise him. His lips even curled up for a brief moment in what I thought was a smile before his scowl returned. “Gurla,” he said her name on a warning.
