Chapter Sixteen
“Daxar! Daxar!”
The voice was coming from somewhere down a long tunnel. Daxar tried to open his eyes, but the bright lights were so painful. He tried to move his hands, but they felt as heavy as a hunk of Zekkardite.
“Daxar, can you hear me?”
The voice didn’t sound as much like it was coming from a tunnel as it had before. Daxar tried once more to open his eyes, and that’s when he saw a blurry face peering over him.
“Kromin?” he asked. His voice cracked as he spoke, but Kromin smiled.
“Hey, Chief. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.” Daxar sat up with great difficulty and looked around. He was in one of Kromin’s med ward rooms. “Why am I here?”
“You took quite a beating out in space,” Kromin said, running a sensor over Daxar’s forehead as he spoke. “You suffered several burns, quite a severe knock to the head, and severe oxygen deprivation.”
The sensor beeped, and Kromin looked down at it to study the readout of the data it had pulled from Daxar’s body. “Excellent. Your vitals are looking much better.”
“Burns? Severe oxygen deprivation?” None of this made sense to Daxar. Had he been in some sort of mining accident that he couldn’t remember now?
Kromin shrugged. “Your survival suit snagged on something when you ejected from the Havoc. Luckily, the leak was slow, and Jarmuk and Toryx found you not long after. You had it better than Nova. Poor girl. She always seems to get the worst of it in a crash.”
Suddenly, everything came rushing back to Daxar. Rescuing Nova, shooting the basestos crates until a huge explosion happened, turning the ship around to speed away, realizing he couldn’t save the ship, and forcing Nova to eject. After that, things got fuzzy. He vaguely remembered having trouble with his own ejection seat, but he couldn’t remember how he’d solved the problem. He must have solved it well enough to at least survive, because he was definitely safely back inside Zocrone’s city dome. But Nova! Kromin had said something about her getting the worst of it. What had happened to her? He almost didn’t dare ask, but he had to know.
“Nova?” Daxar had to force the word out of his dry, parched throat. Kromin smiled.
“She’s alive, but sedated for her own comfort. She suffered a direct hit from an asteroid that knocked her out pretty cleanly, and she bruised a rib. Not to mention she also lost oxygen when her tank was punctured. She burned the inside of her lungs pretty badly. Like I said, Jarmuk and Toryx got there just in time. She’ll be okay, but a few more minutes and she might not have been. Here, have some water.” Kromin handed Daxar a giant cup of water, and Daxar drank thirstily before speaking again.
“Jarmuk and Toryx were out there?”
Kromin smiled and nodded. “Yeah. They got an override from Merkin to exit the city dome even though there was a level three lockdown.”
“What? Merkin doesn’t have the authority to do that!”
Kromin laughed. “Oh, yes he does. Your dad gave him that authority, and you never actually revoked it. And you should be glad you didn’t, because if it hadn’t been for Jarmuk and Toryx insisting that they needed to chase after you and help you, you and Nova would both be dead. Those two found you mere minutes after your ship went up in flames. I guess it got hit by an asteroid.”
Daxar groaned. “Yeah, a couple asteroids. There were so many of them. I tried to get out of the thick of the asteroid debris but it wasn’t easy.”
“Well, no matter. You got far enough that you and Nova could be rescued.”
“And…the basestos and the Ithos?”
“All completely destroyed, as best we can tell. Once things settled down a bit, Jarmuk sent a military convoy out there to investigate. There wasn’t any physical evidence of ships or aliens, but that’s not surprising. There was obviously an explosion there so large that it pulverized everything within fifteen hundred feet of it. I’d say your worries over the basestos are done.”
Daxar breathed a large sigh of relief. His city was safe, and Nova was safe, if a bit injured. Everything had turned out as well as it could have.
“Can I see Nova?”
Kromin hesitated. “She’s sedated.”
“How long until that wears off?”
“Not too much longer, but she’s in no condition to be yelled at. I really mean it. She needs to rest, and as angry as you might be at her, you need to—”
“Kromin, relax. I’m not going to yell at her. I promise. Quite the opposite in fact. I want to apologize to her for being so rude during the meeting the other day. And I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Alright. You can go see her if you want. Just promise me you won’t get her all riled up.”
Daxar grinned. “I’ll do my best. But I can’t help it if she gets excited when she sees a heroic Zocronian Chief.”
Kromin rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible.”
But the doctor looked pleased, and Daxar figured Kromin took it as a good sign that Daxar’s sense of humor was intact. Daxar stepped off the hospital bed he’d been lying on and took a few tentative steps. He was a bit sore, but he could already feel his strength returning. Luckily for him, Zocronians healed quickly. By the time he walked down the hallway to the room number Kromin had given him, he felt almost normal. He knocked on the door softly, not expecting an answer. But to his surprise, a quiet male voice from the other side called out, “Come in.”
Daxar opened the door, wondering who in the world was in here with Nova. He almost laughed when he saw. He should have known.
“Merkin. Hi.”
Merkin’s eyes were bright, but tired. “Hello, Daxar. How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, considering.” Daxar shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Listen, uh. It sounds like I owe you a big debt of thanks. Kromin tells me that you authorized Jarmuk and Toryx to head out and save my life. Nova’s too.”
Merkin smiled kindly. “You should thank Jarmuk and Toryx. They’re the ones who did the hard work. I’m just glad you never bothered to revoke my top security clearance.”
“I’m glad, too. As much as I’d like to say it was out of respect for you or my dad, it was honestly just an oversight on my part. But probably the best oversight I’ve ever made. And don’t worry. I’m going to let you keep that security clearance. You’ve proven that you make good use of it.”
Merkin nodded. “I know you and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on things. But we both just want what’s best for Zocrone.”
Daxar sighed wearily and sank into a chair next to Merkin. Nova was sleeping peacefully, and didn’t actually look that bad. She had some scratches on her face, but nothing too deep. All things considered, they’d both been pretty lucky. Daxar reached out and traced a line down Nova’s face with his big blue finger, admiring once again how impossibly soft her skin was.
“Should I go?” Merkin asked.
Daxar shook his head. “No, stay. I came to apologize to her, but I guess that will have to wait a bit.”
“Just a bit. Doc Kromin said she should be awake soon. And he thinks within another day or two she’ll be healed up completely.”
“And then I guess she’ll be wanting to move on from Zocrone. Her spaceship will probably be all fixed up by then.” Daxar couldn’t hide the sadness in his voice, and he turned away slightly so Merkin couldn’t see that same sadness in his face. He must look so weak—the Chief of Zocrone, pining over a human girl.
But Merkin didn’t laugh or make fun of him. Instead, the old man reached over and put a friendly hand on Daxar’s shoulder. “I think she’s less eager to leave than you might think.”
“What do you mean?” Daxar turned back to look at Merkin. Merkin dropped his hand and shrugged.
“I’ve been around a long time, and I know love when I see it.”
Daxar was taken aback. Yes, he loved Nova. But he hadn’t thought it was that obvious, and besides, despite his
relief that she was going to be alright, he knew that any time he had left with her was just borrowed time. She was a smuggler, used to a life of adventure. She wasn’t going to want to stick around on a sleepy, out-of-the-way planet like Zocrone. And then there was the little, problematic fact that she was an outsider, and Daxar had banned outsiders.
“The laws here don’t allow humans to stay on our planet,” Daxar said, as though Merkin didn’t already know that. Merkin just snorted.
“You’re Chief. You can change the laws.”
“But…I can’t do anything that would endanger Zocrone. I’ve spent my entire adult life protecting us from outsiders. It wouldn’t be fair if I changed the laws just to make an exception for myself.”
Merkin raised an eyebrow at him. “Look, Chief. Before your time, we never had laws prohibiting outsiders, and we managed to survive. Yes, there are evil outsiders. But do you think your laws stop someone who really wants to harm Zocrone from coming in? Look at these Ithos. They nearly succeeded with their plan to destroy the city dome, despite your laws prohibiting outsiders. And a human outsider and her crew did their best to help save the city. Yes, Nova’s plan might not have been perfect. But she tried. She risked her life trying to save your city dome.”
“That’s all true. But still…it wouldn’t be fair to the people of Zocrone. These laws help them feel secure. I can’t take that away from them.”
Merkin snorted again. “If you think the Zocronians like these laws, then you’re more delusional than I thought. Everyone tolerates the laws because they like you, and respect you as Chief. But I can tell you that the majority of people feel a little bit trapped and claustrophobic here. If you took a vote, they’d be in favor of lifting the laws and allowing a little bit of the outside Galaxies in. This place could use a little diversity now and then. And we could make a lot of money off of tourism. Our city dome is one of the most advanced in the Seven Galaxies, and many species would love to come visit our little oasis here.”
Daxar rubbed his forehead, thinking. He had never considered this. “You really think so?”
“Yes. I know so. Several Zocronians have confided in me their thoughts on this.”
Daxar looked down at Nova, trying to imagine what it would be like to actually be able to have a life with her. Would she stay, if he allowed it? She’d said she loved him, but that had been in the heat of the moment, when they both thought they might die. Would she still feel the same way when she woke up? And would the other Zocronians accept her? They had all seemed to love her when she was dancing at Black Hole Brews. And if they had loved Nova, they might love other outsiders too.
Maybe Merkin was right. Maybe Daxar had been too harsh in his attempts to keep Zocrone safe. He had never wanted to hold back progress or make his people feel stifled, but it looked like that was exactly what he’d been doing.
Nova moaned slightly at that moment, shifting her position on her bed and opening her eyes. She squinted at the bright lights, just as Daxar had done when he woke up. Then she looked over at Daxar and Merkin with a slightly confused expression on her face.
“Dax? Merkin? Where am I?”
Merkin smiled and stood, reaching over to give Nova a friendly pat on the top of her head. “You’re in the med ward on Zocrone. You had a nasty collision with an asteroid fragment, but Doc Kromin says you’re going to be alright. It’s good to see you awake.”
Nova blinked and nodded, seeming to remember at least a little bit of what had happened. “And the basestos?” she asked, looking fearfully over at Daxar.
He smiled reassuringly at her. “All destroyed. We did it. Zocrone is safe.”
Nova breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the pillows, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “Thank Jupiter.”
“Indeed,” Merkin said. “We’re all very lucky, and very thankful for your bravery. And now, I’ll leave you two alone. I believe you have some things to talk about.”
Merkin clapped Daxar on the shoulder as he left. Daxar said nothing. He felt suddenly nervous, which was an odd feeling for him. He was Chief, and in charge. His word was law, and no one ever dared question him. He had no reason to fear what anyone would say. And yet he felt worried about what Nova would say right now. If he asked her to stay, would she? Or would she laugh in his face and tell him that she couldn’t wait to get the sludge off this backwater planet.
There was only one way to find out.
When she opened her eyes and looked back over at him, he smiled as warmly as he could, then dared to reach over and hold her hand in his. She didn’t pull away, which was a good sign.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey. Listen, I owe you a big apology. I unfairly attacked you in that meeting yesterday morning. I’ve had some time to think about all of this, and I’ve realized that I’ve been unfair to you in a lot of ways. You’ve never personally done anything to harm Zocrone. Yes, you had a shipment of basestos on your ship, but you had no idea what was really going to happen with it. You got caught up in this plan the Ithos had, and you nearly lost your own life on more than one occasion. In fact, you willingly risked your life trying to stop the Ithos.”
Nova said nothing. She only blinked up at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. For once, her emotions weren’t clear on her face. Daxar wished he knew what she was thinking, but she gave him no clues. He realized he was babbling, and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He was Chief. He needed to be strong, and to show her that he was strong. That he was worthy of her love.
“Look, what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry, and that I’ve realized that my attitude toward outsiders has been far too harsh. Outsiders aren’t all bad, and you’re the one who made me see that. So I’m going to change the law.”
Nova’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. Finally, she was showing some emotion. “What law?”
“The law prohibiting outsiders. From now on, Zocrone is going to be more open to visitors. We’ll allow tourists, and even immigrants. You’ve shown me that it’s time to let go of fear and live for the future instead of living in the past. I can’t keep punishing myself and my entire planet for a mistake I made as a young teen. If I haven’t proven by now that I want more than anything to protect this planet, than I don’t think there’s anything more I can do.”
Nova actually smiled at him. “Wow. You’re really serious about this. I think it’s great, honestly. You’re a good man, and a good Chief. You’re so much more than a mistake you made a few decades ago, no matter how serious that mistake was.”
Daxar smiled, his heart starting to pound in his chest. Every time she smiled at him, he felt a jolt of electricity going through him. “Thank you for saying that. It’s a lesson I’m learning. I don’t want the past to hold me back from my future anymore. Which brings me to my next point. Nova, I believe that you are my future.”
Her face became carefully guarded again. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that when I said I loved you, I meant it. I wasn’t just saying it because we were both about to die. There’s a spark in you, a zest for life that I’ve never seen in anyone else. You make me feel alive like no one else ever has. You make me feel like I have purpose. Not to mention you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen by far. I cannot imagine life without you, and I’m hoping that you might feel the same way about me.”
“Dax, I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay with me. Stay in Zocrone, and be my mate. Be the first to immigrate here. I know it’ll be a different life than what you’re used to. I know you’ll need adventure, and I promise you, we’ll find ways to make life adventurous, even here on this quiet planet. But I can’t imagine life without you anymore. It would crush me to lose you.”
Nova frowned. “Dax, it’s not that I need my life to be a constant adventure. I smuggle because I’m good at it, and it’s how I’ve been able to make a decent living. But don’t you see? I’ll always be the girl who is only good at something
for so long, and then I burn out. I wasn’t kidding when I said my name is Nova for a reason.”
Daxar frowned, not quite sure where she was going with this. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that you think I’m this great, adventurous person, but really I’m always just one screw-up away from disaster. I was good at smuggling, until I almost destroyed an entire planet by accidentally taking a bad smuggling job. And maybe I’ll be good at being your girlfriend for a while, but eventually I’ll do something to spectacularly mess that up, too. The point is, you don’t want me around. You don’t want me to be the first outsider immigrant. You don’t want me to be your girlfriend. It’ll be great for a while and then I’ll manage to burn out and somehow mess everything up in spectacular fashion.”
Daxar stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend everything she’d just said. And then, a strange, possessive sort of anger overtook him. He pulled his chair closer so that he was right next to her bed, and leaned down so his face was only inches from her own. His tail behind him went straight up into the air, and its spikes came out. The spikes on his fingers came out as well, a primal Zocronian display of power. Nova’s eyes widened in fear, but Daxar did not apologize. He wasn’t going to hurt her. He was going to put her in her place.
“Listen, Nova. You don’t tell me what I want. I am Chief, and I know what I want. I want you. I want you to live here, to be my mate, and to be by my side for the rest of my days. You say you always mess things up, but that isn’t true. The basestos incident wasn’t your fault. Yes, I was a sludging jerk and tried to blame you, but it wasn’t your fault. The truth is, if you hadn’t taken that job, someone else would have, and they might not have been as helpful in stopping the Ithos as you were.”
“But I almost screwed everything up. The Ithos almost got away with the basestos.”
“Almost doesn’t count. We both made bad decisions in how this situation was handled, but in the end, we both risked our lives together, and saved Zocrone. I don’t think that’s a failure, or some sort of spectacular burnout. I think it’s a huge victory. You’re a hero here in Zocrone, Nova. You should own that. You told me to leave my hangups about the past behind, but I think you need to do the same thing. You’re not Nova the girl who burns out. You’re Nova the girl who burns bright. The girl who is full of passion and power. And I can’t think of any woman I would rather have by my side. You might not be perfect, but neither am I. We’ll figure out this thing called life together, and I guarantee you we’ll have a blast doing it.”
Claimed by the Alien Chief: A sci fi alien romance (Zocrone of the Seven Galaxies Book 1) Page 16
