by KD Jones
Her eyes blinked when spots appeared in her vision; then, suddenly, the weight on her was gone. As she choked, trying to take in as much air as possible, she turned to see MarIK fighting the Morin. He moved so fast, she had a hard time keeping track of him, plus she was feeling woozy. Something shiny caught her eye. She realized the Morin had a knife.
“Watch out, MarIK!”
MarIK stepped back just in time as the Morin lurched at him with the blade toward his heart. It was a near miss with a minor cut. He kicked out shoving the Morin back. The next time the Morin charged him, MarIK used his momentum to take him down by pulling his arm and making him lose balance. The Morin fell on his own knife. MarIK took out his phase ray and shot the Morin when he tried to get back up.
“There’s another one,” she whispered, trying to let MarIK know about the other Morin. She closed her eyes. She was just so tired; she needed a few minutes of rest.
“Sharon...Sharon, answer me.”
“What?”
“Sharon, I’ve been trying to wake you for several minutes. Open your eyes for me.”
She blinked and opened her eyes. “Did you get the other Morin?”
“Yes, he’s dead. You stabbed him.”
“I did, but I didn’t get away.”
“You’re bleeding. I don’t have anything that will heal it. All I can do is use a mud paste to try to stop the bleeding.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“You need to get to a transport.”
“Did you find a shuttle?”
“No, the shuttles were too far away, but I did manage to get a war ship.”
“Great, we can get off this luna.”
He glanced away from her before answering. She caught the look of worry on his face before he tried to hide it. “Stay here while I get the mud paste. I’ll also apply the mud to the bodysuit and hope that it is enough to keep the suit functioning.”
She laid there trying to keep her breathing under control. He wasn’t telling her something and she knew it. It was a feeling she had — and her instincts were always spot on. She watched him as he came back to her after retrieving the bag from the cave. He carried mud packs he had made.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“We don’t have much time. I was spotted stealing the war ship.”
“Okay, well, as soon as you fix me up, we’re out of here.” It didn't take him long to put the mud paste on her and the suit. Then he lifted her up and carried her out of the cave.
So far, the suit was holding up. He carried her over the ridge to the location where the war ship was waiting. That’s when she realized what else MarIK had been keeping from her.
“No.” The war ship was only big enough for one person.
“I’m sorry, beautiful, it’s the only way. You need help I can’t give you.”
“I’m not leaving without you!”
“If you don’t leave, you’ll die!”
“I would rather stay with you and die than leave you.”
“And I can’t go through losing another female that I love.”
Oh God, he did love her. “MarIK—”
“I couldn’t save RowANa. Please my love, do this for me. Let me save you.”
Tears fell down her face as she nodded. She didn’t want to leave him, but if he had to watch her bleed out, it would kill him. She couldn’t do that to him.
He placed her inside the cockpit of the war ship.
“Um...I-I don’t know how to fly one of these.”
“I programmed it so all you have to do is press this button here. It will take you up to where I think the Katieran transport is waiting.”
“What if they fire on me?”
He put his comm link in her ear again. “I think once you are free of the lunar atmosphere that static interference will clear up. Send out a call for help.”
“Are you sure you can’t squeeze in here with me?”
At that moment, a war ship flew over their heads. “No time — you go now!” He pushed a button on the console and the top of the war ship closed.
“MarIK! I love you!” She hit the button he had indicated would set the war ship on the correct course. She was jerked back into her seat as the war ship went up a few feet to hover for a moment while its engines roared and built up thrust. Then, as she sat there, her heart feeling helpless and aching for MarIK, the war ship shot off toward the horizon.
“Please God, keep him safe.”
Chapter 15
MarIK watched until Sharon’s war ship disappeared in the sky. He prayed to the Goddess that she would make it to the Katieran transport safely. She had become everything to him in such a short time. His only regret was not claiming her the night before like he wanted. At the time, he felt it was the right thing to do, but now, he wished he had claimed her when she told him that she wanted him to. He did the honorable thing by waiting, but at that moment, his heart wished differently.
This was probably for the best. As he thought that, another war ship flew closer, looking like it was going to either fire on him or was searching for a location to land. His best chance was to go back to the cave and hold up there as long as he could.
Going back that way, he was grateful no one else other than those two Morins had come across the cave. He was amazed that Sharon was able to kill one of the Morins, though he wished she hadn’t been put in that position. The fault was his own for leaving her but he might not have been able to acquire a war ship if she had been with him. Her height and small stature would not fool anyone — if they had been spotted, she would have stood out as a female.
MarIK went inside and checked the dead Morins. He first checked them for weapons and kept them for himself. Then he dragged each one outside and rolling them down to the bottom of the ridge. When he returned to the cave, he rolled the boulder back to block most of the entrance. He left just enough space for him to fire his phase ray to the outside. The cave walls were thick enough to give him some protection in case the war ships fired on him from above, and any warrior on the ground would have to get close enough to the boulder to remove it. He would kill any who tried it.
The sound of a war ship above caught his attention. Looking out, he watched as one war ship landed a few feet away from the cave entrance. He didn’t hear any other war ships but that didn’t mean there weren’t ground troops out there. If he were commander, that would have been something he would have ordered. Ground troops could cover more area while the war ships provided coverage from above. The fact that the pilot of the war ship landed instead of staying in the air made him think that there were no troops out there, but that could be a ruse to get him to show himself.
He recognized the male when he reached the top of the ridge. It was Lieutenant FisON. He wasn’t the brightest warrior, but he was one of OrIN’s favorites, which was why he moved up the ranks despite the fact that MarIK flunked him out of most drills. MarIK saw the moment FisON spotted the cave entrance and began walking that way. MarIK decided to give him a warning. He shot his phase ray, aiming a few feet in front of the male. FisON stopped and pulled out his own weapon.
“Show yourself, traitor!” FisON yelled, not even bothering to find cover. What an idiot, MarIK thought.
“I’m not the traitor, OrIN is,” MarIK responded.
“You went against your superior.”
“He went against our laws and our Goddess by trying to take not one, but two females. He was the one who made a deal with our enemy.”
“He has a higher vision. You just can’t see it. Come out of there now.”
“I think I’ll stay here — but thanks.”
FisON wasn’t expecting his refusal. He took out his phase ray and pointed it at the boulder. “Come out and I’ll take you back alive, but if you don’t, I’ll be forced to take your dead body back to OrIN.”
MarIK smirked. “That’s big talk for a male that never even passed one full drill.”
“Those drills were ridiculous!”
&nbs
p; “One drill involved a situation like this. Perhaps if you had finished the drill, you might know how to handle me better.”
“Look, send out the female and I’ll leave you alone. OrIN wanted both of you brought back alive, but I can make an exception and just take the female. I’ll tell him that you abandoned her.”
“The female didn’t make it out. She died in the explosion.”
“You lie!”
“She is not here. I’m willing to let you check for yourself.”
“What’s the catch?”
“You agree to take me in alive, straight to OrIN.”
“Are you planning to plead for your life?”
“No.”
“What are you wanting to see OrIN for?”
“That’s between me and OrIN.”
“Fine, throw your phase ray out here.”
MarIK made sure to hide the weapons he had obtained from Morins. Then he threw his phase ray out and stepped back. If FisON wanted MarIK, he would have to move that boulder himself, without any help.
MarIK stood back and folded his arms over his chest as he watched the boulder slowly roll out of the way. FisON cautiously entered, holding his phase ray pointed at him.
“Put your hands where I can see them.”
“I thought you wanted to check out the cave for the female.”
“You might make a run for it.”
He had thought about that. MarIK could easily overtake FisON, steal the war ship, and escape. His honor demanded that he confront OrIN and give Sharon more time to get to the Katieran transport.
“Where would I go? I assume you secured the war ship so there would be no way for me to escape.” The expression on FisON’s face let MarIK know that he had not secured the war ship before leaving it unattended. MarIK rolled his eyes at the stupidity that FisON was showing.
“Of course I did.” FisON stomped off to the lower chamber of the cave. A few minutes later, he returned. “You’re sure she’s dead?”
“She would be here if she wasn’t.”
“OrIN is going to be furious. He had plans for the female.”
“I heard his plans. It’s a real shame. I think the female is better off dying quickly the way she did.”
“Well, you’re going to have tell OrIN what happened. He’ll order your execution and make a real example out of you. Then he’ll promote me to commander for having brought you in.”
“You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Our people deserve a real leader and commander — and soon, they will have one.”
“Can we go now? I’m getting really tired of listening to you talk.”
FisON growled as he shoved MarIK out of the cave. “Move it, traitor!”
*****
Sharon tapped the comm link again. She had been trying to reach someone since the war ship took off, and all she’d heard in response was static.
“Please, is anyone there?”
Nothing but static, again. Damn it! She should have stayed. MarIK was there all by himself, and he was seriously outnumbered. OrIN was going to kill him.
She finally reached the outer barrier of the atmosphere and the sky turned black. She hated the emptiness it made her feel. She couldn’t see anything except the stars. What if the Katieran transport was in a different location? What if she ran into the rebel transport or worse...the Morin transport?
“Is anyone there? Please, I need help.”
“Who is this?”
Oh God! “Sharon Task. Who are you?”
“Lieutenant Commander LazAR.”
Thank you, God! “I’m in the war ship approaching your transport. Can you see me?”
“Yes, we have you on our radar. You’re lucky because we were about to fire on the war ship. Where is Commander MarIK?”
“Still on the luna.”
“Why would he leave you alone?”
“The war ship only seats one. He programmed it to reach you and sent me ahead.”
“Are you injured?”
“Yes, but MarIK needs your help too. He’s all alone down there.”
“Stay calm. We are pulling you in and we have medics available to help you.”
“Did you hear me about MarIK?”
“His team is preparing to go for him.”
She sighed with relief. It was good to know there was someone who was going to go after MarIK. Maybe he’ll be safe in the cave until they get there to help him. She felt a jolt and it freaked her out a little.
“Something’s wrong with my war ship.”
“Be calm. We just locked onto you. We are pulling you on board now.”
“I don’t see…”
A bright light hit her eyes unexpectedly. She squinted and identified the opening of the docking bay. She had never been so happy to see a transport. It took ten minutes to get her ship inside and locked to the docking bay. Then, after another five minutes, the docking bay doors closed and the air was pressurized. Finally, it was time for her to get out, but she didn’t know which button opened the cockpit.
Lieutenant Commander LazAR was there with TanAR. They were waiting for her.
“I don’t know how to open the thing!”
TanAR rushed over and looked up at her. “It’s the blue button on your far left.”
She pushed the button and the roof of the cockpit opened. She stood up and put a leg over of the side. TanAR reached out to help her down. He didn’t know about her stab wound.
“Ouch.”
“Did I hurt you?”
“I was stabbed in the side.”
“I need the medics over here right away!” TanAR yelled over his shoulder.
The medics appeared quickly. They brought a floating bed and had TanAR place her on it carefully. The tallest medic spoke to her directly.
“I’m Medic DixON. Where are you injured?”
“I got into a fight with a Morin and he stabbed me on my right side. MarIK packed it with a mud paste, hoping to stop the bleeding, but I think it’s started back up again.”
“We will take you to the medic wing and treat you.”
“Wait, Lieutenant Commander LazAR!”
“What is it, Miss Task?”
“I need to speak with the rescue team.”
“I will have them meet you in the medic wing.”
“There’s no time!”
TanAR motioned at someone and a group of warriors approached. She recognized them as MarIK’s team. TanAR encouraged her to speak. “Tell us everything you know.”
She spent the next few minutes telling them how they had escaped and hid in the cave, but she left out the part about the sex they shared. Then she told them how MarIK had gone to get a shuttle and the two Morins attacked. She described how she was injured and how MarIK had insisted she go on the war ship without him.
“Please, someone needs to go and help him. He’s all alone.”
“He’s not alone.”
“What?”
“Commander MarIK, if caught, will not be alone.”
Chapter 16
MarIK glanced up at the sky once more, praying that Sharon had reached safety. He hated not knowing what was going on with her. FisON shoved him for the third time in five minutes, trying to make him walk faster, but MarIK continued to ignore him and took his time. He was surprised that FisON didn’t bind his wrists. It was a mistake that FisON may regret soon enough. Movement ahead of them caught his attention as they entered the trading post. OrIN stood in the center of the room with his arms over his chest, and the Morin commander stood next to him.
“Where is the female?” the Morin asked.
“He says she died in the explosion.” FisON tried to shove MarIK again, but he was ready for it this time and planted his feet. FisON fumbled and ended up looking like an idiot.
The Morin commander turned to glare at OrIN. “If there is no female, there is no deal.”
“She’s not dead. He’s lying.” Orin tried to reassure the Morin but it didn’t look like it w
as working.
OrIN moved toward MarIK angrily. “You hid her somewhere. Tell me where she is and I’ll make your death quick.”
“She is no longer here.”
FisON looked at him. “He probably dumped her somewhere so that he could escape.”
“No, he wouldn’t just abandon her. His honor wouldn’t allow him to do such a thing. Where did you find him?”
“In a cave.”
“She has to be there.”
“I searched the cave. She wasn’t in it,” FisON said proudly.
OrIN ignored him. “I want five warriors to go to the cave and search thoroughly for the female. She has to be there. Also, send a group of warriors to the tunnel to look for remains in case she did die.” He turned to the Morin commander, “We will find her.”
“We will give you a couple of hours to search, then we’ll leave if it proves fruitless.”
OrIN glared at MarIK. “We’ll find her. Where are the warriors who helped you? You couldn’t have gotten the Katierans out without aid.”
“They all died in the explosion.”
“Another lie, MarIK. You dishonor yourself. Take him to a holding facility.”
MarIK didn’t fight the warriors who took hold of his arms and led him to the other end of the south corridor. They had chosen those quarters to hold their enemies because the quarters had no escape routes and the rooms had no furnishings, not even a bed. He had never thought those rooms would be where he would spend his last hours. There was no doubt in his mind that once their search revealed nothing, OrIN would order his death.
“Why did you do it, Commander? Why did you betray OrIN?” Lieutenant RosET, one of the warriors, asked.
“It was the honorable thing to do. OrIN has gone mad — kidnapping females, trying to overturn the ruling families, and, worse, making deals with the enemy. I couldn’t let this go unchallenged.”
