by S. E. Smith
Torak’s eyes narrowed with three of Trolis’ men came into the room. He recognized one of them as Progit. He had fought against Progit and given him a nasty reminder of their encounter by cutting off one of his arms. Progit hissed loudly when he saw Torak. If the Tearnats could grin, Torak could have sworn Progit had one on his ugly face.
“So, we meet again, Kassis scum.” Progit hissed. He pulled up his double-edge sword and made as if he was inspecting it.
“Progit.” Torak replied. “You are much more confident when you have me chained. Release me and we can settle what we started three years ago.” Torak taunted the huge creature.
Progit just hissed. Pulling his sword he swung it around before letting it cut a thin line across Jazin’s cheek.
Torak growled. “Your battle is with me.” He strained against the chains holding him.
“Not this time. This time Trolis has given me the right to extract revenge. I am going to start by gutting your brother in front of you. I’ll cut him up into little pieces, one piece at a time so you can hear him scream. Then, I am going to do it to each of your men. By the time I am finished you will know exactly what you can expect.” Progit hissed with satisfaction.
Torak growled louder. “I’ll kill you.”
Progit just grinned as he nodded to the other two creatures with him. “Pull him tight. I want him to feel every cut I make in him. I think I will take his arm first.”
Jazin looked at Torak with a grim expression. Holding his head high he spoke calmly, “I will meet you in the next life brother. Fight well.”
Torak looked at his younger brother feeling overwhelming despair at the thought of watching him die such a painful death. “Die well, brother. Until we meet in the next life.” He whispered.
Progit hissed his amusement, “So touching. Let’s see how well he screams as he dies.” Raising his sword above his head he let out what could only resemble a malicious laugh.
River was out of breath as she raced through the vents. She grabbed her duffle bag as she swept by the entrance to the cell holding Jo and Star. Pulling the vent grill out of the way she reached down and said one word, “Now.”
Jo and Star stared at her for just a moment before they nodded. Jo cupped her hand and lifted Star up through the vent. River reached over and helped her through the opening before they both reached down and grabbed Jo’s hands as she jumped pulling her up as well. River pulled two weapons out of her black duffle bag. She handed Star a miniature crossbow she used during her performances. She also gave her the twenty arrows she had to go with it.
“Make each shot count. Remember to aim for the throat or between the eyes. They have a thick bone covering their chest. I don’t want to take a chance of the arrows not going through it. Jo, take the staff. Push the center button, it extends and has blades on each end. You are the best with that. They have some men captured in cell block eight. They are going to kill them so we have to move now. Remember our plan. We’ll take out any creatures in cell block eight then head to our spots to shut down the lifts. I’ll take out the engine room. Star you head down to block all the entrances out of their living quarters. That should take care of almost half the crew. Jo, you make sure all lifts coming up to the shuttle bay are blocked. We meet in forty-five minutes at the vent leading into the shuttle bay. Remember to kill as fast as you can. Don’t think.” River said looking at each of her friends. Now they were taking action she was calm. She would probably bawl like a baby if she lived through this.
“Do you think the men will help us, River?” Star asked hesitantly as she pulled the arrows across her back.
“Yes. I don’t know why but I feel like they are our only hope. The huge creature cut one man’s head clean off, Star. He plans on killing all the rest of them. I don’t know why but I feel like we have to save them.” River looked into Star’s eyes before turning to Jo.
“Well, let’s go kick some alien ass.” Jo said with a smile. “Hell, if I’m going to die today I plan on taking as many of those assholes with me as I can.”
“Show time.” The three girls said as they put their hands on each others. It was their favorite saying right before they were to perform.
Heading down the vent they quietly came up onto cell block eight. Jo lifted the grill. It was located in a small unlit corridor of the cell. This cell was much larger than the others. River jumped down crouching low until she was sure she hadn’t been heard. Nodding up to Jo she stepped aside as Jo lowered herself down followed by Star. Nodding for each sister to take a side they had decided River would come up the middle. It gave her more freedom to throw her knives with both hands.
Holding up a hand the girls listened as the one-arm creature talked about how he was going to kill each of the men before killing the man fighting against the restraints. River heard Star catch her breath when the young man said goodbye to his brother. That was all the three of them needed to hear to know they were making the right decision.
Torak watched as Progit raised his sword with a harsh laugh. He refused to look away from his brother’s face. Just as Progit was preparing to bring his sword down to sever one of Jazin’s arms he froze it place. Torak watched in disbelief as he turned halfway around then fell face first into the metal floor, a knife protruding from between his eyes. He jerked when the other two creatures, who had been on each side of his brother, met the same fate.
Glancing up with undisguised hope he called out softly, “Manota?”
River wasn’t sure what to do when the man tied to the wall called out for someone. She looked around the room to see who he was talking too but didn’t see anyone else. Nodding to Jo and Star, she moved slowly into the room. They would cover her back if these guys turned out to be bad too. Pulling her short swords from her back, she held one in each hand as she moved into the light.
Torak’s breath caught in his throat as he watched a figure move cautiously out from the darkened corridor. He had expected his middle brother, Manota. He had not expected to see the most beautiful female he had ever seen to walk slowly out of the shadows carrying two battle swords. He watched as the female stopped just inside the room. She looked at the three Tearnats first moving over to them and kneeling down to make sure they were dead. When she was satisfied they were she pulled the knives out of their foreheads with a disgusted look on her face, wiping the blades gingerly on their clothing. She then slid the knives into her boots.
Rising up she glanced at him briefly before moving her eyes over each of the men watching her so intently. She moved to stand in front of Jazin looking up into his eyes. She slid one of her swords into the harness on her back before slowly raising her hand to his cheek with the blood on it. Torak growled low when she reached up. The female froze, then turned to stare at him a moment before she turned back to his younger brother.
River’s heart almost broke when she heard the man standing in front of her say goodbye to his brother. When she had looked at him after making sure the green scaly creatures were dead she had been horrified at the blood running down his cheek. She had put one of her swords up so she could pull out a tissue to see how bad the cut was. It had shaken her when the man on the wall growled at her. She had looked back at him to make sure he was still chained. She had to make sure her, Jo, and Star would be safe before she released any of them. What she hadn’t expected was the immediate response she felt to him. It was as if her body knew him. She had to fight not to run to him and release him. Shaking her head at the craziness of it, she turned back to the younger man chained in front of her. Gently wiping the blood away she was relieved to see it was just a thin, shallow cut. She had had plenty of cuts to know what a bad one looked like.
The man chained to the wall was watching her intently, following every move she made. She figured he was the leader of the group since the one-armed creature had been addressing him and not the others. It also seemed the other men looked to him as well and she remembered him being next to the man in the shuttle bay who was killed. She ne
eded to know if she could trust him enough to help them. If not, she didn’t know what they would do. She sent up a silent prayer she was making the right choice.
Calling out softly, she motioned Star and Jo to come into the room.
“Star, see if you can stop the bleeding and make sure it isn’t too bad. Jo, see if you can figure out how to open the locking devices on the chains but don’t unlock them until I ask you too.” River said as she turned toward the man who had growled at her.
Torak heard a murmur ripple through his men as two other females walked out of the shadows. The smaller female was carrying a small crossbow. She held it tight in front of her moving it back and forth as she surveyed the room. The other female was slightly taller than the other two females, but not by much. She was carrying a double-bladed staff which she held out in front of her. Torak was shocked. The first was nodding to the other two who took up positions in different parts of the room. He again felt the overwhelming need to rip the chains holding him loose and drag her to him. She was his. When she had reached to touch his brother he had growled out of primal reaction to his female touching another male, not fear of what she might do to his brother. It shook him to feel so possessive and protective of a creature he had never seen before until now.
He watched through narrowed eyes as the female came closer to him, “Do you understand me?” She asked softly, studying his face intently.
He nodded, not trusting his voice to work right with her so close. He wanted to growl at her for putting herself in danger. He wanted to drag her to him and hold her close. But most of all he wanted to take her right then, right there, so no other male could claim her. Instead, he contented himself with a brief nod and an intense stare.
“My name is River. The one standing in front of your brother is Star and the one over by the console is Jo. We need your help to get away from these creatures. Can you help us?” River asked. She couldn’t resist reaching up and gently pushing a strand of thick, black hair away from his face as she waited for his answer. There was something about him that drew her to him. Frowning, she looked up into his eyes waiting for his answer.
Torak’s breath caught in his throat as the female reached over and touched his face gently with the tips of her fingers. He turned slightly so he could breathe in her scent. His eyes shimmered with a strange light as she jerked her hand back flushing at doing something so intimate with someone she didn’t know. He could not control the soft growl that escaped his throat at her withdrawal.
“I am Torak. Release us and we will help you.” Torak answered softly, almost mesmerizing. He looked deep into River’s eyes, drowning in their intense deep blue. He silently demanded she obey him.
River shook her head. “I need your word you will help us get home and won’t hurt me or my sisters. We will kill you if you try to hurt us. If you give me your word, we’ll release you.”
Torak looked at River with an amused look on his face. She fascinated him. She asked for his help while threatening to kill him and his men if they tried to harm her or her sisters. He glanced at the other two females who stood waiting for his answer. Frowning, he wondered who these females were and why they were there. How had they come to know how to use weapons the way they did? He had never seen their species before so he knew it was from a galaxy they were unfamiliar with, but where? He looked at his younger brother who had not taken his eyes off the female in front of him. It appeared Jazin felt the same effect for her as Torak had for the female standing in front of him.
Looking back at River through narrowed eyes, Torak nodded. “We will give you safe passage home. Release us.”
River backed several paces away from him before turning and nodding to Star as she moved past her. “Jo, on my mark.”
Torak growled softly when he saw River move silently down the darkened corridor out of his sight. He strained against his restraints trying to control the fury building in him. How dare she disobey him! Jazin’s growl was louder and his eyes flashed as Star moved away from him. He fought against his restraints trying to watch where she went.
“Now.” Came a soft call just before the female named Jo hit the release button on their restraints.
Before they knew what was happening she was running on silent feet down the darkened corridor where River and Star had disappeared. Jazin growled as he spun and raced down the corridor after the females. He slid to a stop as he watched Jo’s feet disappearing through the vent opening. Torak was right on his heels growling up at River.
River leaned over the opening staying far enough back the men below couldn’t grab her. “We’ll meet you in the shuttle bay in forty-five minutes if all goes well. If one or more of us aren’t there by the time you are ready to leave go anyway. There is no sense in taking the risk of all of us getting caught.”
“You will come down here now. You will stay with us where we can protect you.” Torak snarled up at River.
Torak wanted to wring the female’s neck. She had no idea how much danger she was in. She was a female, not a warrior. It was his men and his responsibility to protect them, not the other way around. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her once they were safe. He would teach her who was in charge.
River raised her eyebrow, “In case you forgot, we just rescued your butts. We have some things to do to slow the ugly green dudes down a little. You can fly one of those spaceships, can’t you?”
“Of course we can. You need to stay with us so we can protect you.” Jazin insisted looking up at Star who had bent over to peek down on them. Star blushed a bright red as she saw him looking up at her so intently and pulled back into the vent earning a deep growl from Jazin.
“There are some weapons in cell block three under the bed. Now hurry. I don’t know how long we’ve got before they find out we killed their friends. Remember, forty-five minutes.” River slid the grill back over the cover and took off running for the engine room ignoring the snarling demand for her to come back.
Torak was furious. Never had a female disobeyed one of his commands. Hell, none of his men disobeyed a direct command. He looked at his men fiercely before taking a deep breath. “Let’s go. We get the weapons then head for the shuttle bay. Jazin, see if you can get a communications link open to Manota. I want him here now!”
Jazin could barely contain his own fury. The female named Star was too small, too delicate, to female to be doing something as dangerous as killing Tearnats. He moved to the console and quickly hacked through the computer system to their main communication console sending out a beacon for their warship. Setting it to send out a continuous signal, he followed the others to get the weapons the females had told them about.
River set the charges for the explosives to go off in five minutes. She would have to hurry to get far enough away so she wouldn’t be caught in the blast. She had set different charges up high so the top railing would collapse on the equipment below. She said a silent thank you to Bombing Bill for all his lessons on fireworks and explosives. Bombing Bill had set up and managed all the firework displays for the circus including the special effects during performances. He had worked for years as a special effects artist in Hollywood before joining the circus. He had always been patient showing River, Jo, and Star how to create fuses and stuff that frightened the daylights out of their parents. It hadn’t stopped them from sneaking into his tent in between performances or on holidays to watch and sometimes help him build some of his displays.
Sliding back into the vent with the fuse, she lit it and took off at a run. She figured she had to get up two levels before the explosions began if she wanted to get clear of the automatic doors shutting off access. She had discovered during her trips through the vents there were several hatches that would close off the vents in case of fire. She had to get above the ones that would close when the engine room caught fire. She was almost to the second level when she felt the ship shudder and a loud explosion sounded behind her. Breathing fast, she climbed the rings as fast as she could. She had to
get out of the upward vent or it would shut her in. She could already smell the smoke from the fire that had started.
She was almost to the top when the hatch slid shut blocking her way. Crying out in dismay, River stared in horror at the closed hatch. There would be no opening it. She would have to go back down and around. It would take her longer and there was no way she would get to the shuttle bay in time. She almost sobbed. They had made a pact. If one of them weren’t there by the time they were ready to leave in the shuttle they would go anyway. They could not take a chance of losing their only means of escape due to one of them. River quickly climbed back down the rings to the vent below. It was filling with smoke fast. If she didn’t get out of there she would most likely die from smoke inhalation.
