by Mia Allen
Orion glared at her now and pulled Arsinia back, recognizing the rage on Layla’s face. He was always doing that; saving the others like some good cop, bad cop scenario. She secretly liked it, but she’d never let on.
“All she was trying to say is that she was worried. She’s worried about all of us. It will be our third big heist on that planet. There will be no mercy if they catch us.” Orion’svelvety voice reached Layla’s ears and it made her feel calmer. It was one of the special things about his kind. They had this thing with diffusing fights; sometimes even war.Politicians on Earth had employed his kind many times.
Layla looked over at him, with his dirty blonde hair and hard muscular build which attempted to contradictthe fact that he was not human. The only sign of that were the black lines that looked like they had been burned into the skin across the right side of his face and down his neck and collar bone. Layla had always wondered how far down the markings went but not enough to ask him. He was always so calm, but she didn’t want to find out what made him explode.
“Last time I checked I had never gotten caught. And even if I did, I wouldn’t take the whole crew down with me. I run a tight ship, but I am your captain,” she mused, looking around the ship at all of them. “Now, can we get this show on the road, please. I’d like to get a hold of some cold hard cash.”
Chapter 2
It didn’t take long for them to reach the Arkuns’ planet. Layla looked out the glass window of her spaceship; the one she had stolen when she was only 17 years old, and found herself face to face with a green and blue planet that wasn’t terribly unlike what Earth used to look like. Though, the atmosphere was slightly different and the technology had made it much farther than Earth before its major collapse. If it weren’tfor the jerks that inhabited the planet, Layla would actually consider settling down there one day, when she was older and not as useful.
The ship came to orbit along with the two moons that belonged to the planet.She turned on the invisibility shield, knowing the Arkuns would have the technology to figure out they were there otherwise.
“Alright, captain, what’s the plan?” Orion asked, crossing his arms over his chest like he was challenging a small child. He was only a yearolder than her but acted like he was the wise old man on the ship. It made her want to throw something at him sometimes.
“The plan is this. We take it down into the jungle, close to the beach. Three of us will go out to find the closest blood tower and the rest will stay with the ship. We’ll stay in communication so that if something happens, I can tell you to get out of Dodge. Got it?”
Layla looked into each one of her crew members’ eyes, staring them down to be sure they were going to follow her orders. It was the reason she switched crews as often as possible. There was a fine line between loyalty and fear. She knew some of the crew she had now would have to be retired soon because they were becoming too observant and too loyal to each other instead of just her. Layla didn’t usually get attached, but there was something about this group that was hard to let go.
They nodded in unison, though she saw a hesitance in Orion she didn’t like. He would be the hardest to let go. He was the only crew member she’d ever had that had gotten to know anything about her personally and he was loyal to a fault. He would follow her and the crew into a blazing inferno if that’s what she ordered. Though, he would be yelling at her the whole time about it.
“Alright, then I need four to stay with the ship and two to come with me,” Layla announced as she began buckling her weapons to her body suit. With all the knives and ammo, as well as, the sword she hung from her back, she would be a force to be reckoned with. Intimidation was always her first defense. As a woman in the pirating world, it had to be.
“I’ll be going, and we can take Nella.” Layla shook her head at Orion.
“You’re my second for a reason. I need you to stay to command this ship if something happens,” she told him sternly, ready to pick someone else. “Nella can go, but why don’t I take…”
“Absolutely not!” Orion cut her off, making her look like a fool. She backhanded a nice, loud slap across the side of his face without markings. He knew better than to question her authority in front of everyone like that. It was the only power she had and it was critical for their survival and success.
Orion gave her a look of desperation that she had never seen, and it was the only time Layla had ever considered letting a crew member have their way. But damn it, it would mean she would have to let Orion go after this. There was no keeping him that way. “Fine, but you better damn well follow every order I give out there.”
Orion nodded with gritted teeth, his cheek still red from the slap. Deep down, Layla felt guilty about it. Being a hard ass all the time wasn’t always fun for her. It was lonely.
The three of them loaded up with weapons and their communicators as the ship came down as gently as a feather. It had never failed Layla before, and it wasn’t going to fail her now.
As they came down the ramp and looked back, they could not tell where the ship had landed beyond some disturbance in the brush. Unless someone walked directly into it, no one was going to know it was there. The hard part was going to be for the three on the ground, trying to find their way to the nearest blood tower undetected.
Blood towers were large dark spires that pulled the blood from the ground and they were usually surrounded by refineries and workers at all times. And the Arkuns were excellent fighters; bred as a 75 percent male population for the purpose of being strong, fast and intelligent. Layla had never even met a female Arkun before. Though, the population growth suggested they existed somewhere.
The three pressed through the jungle, coming out onto the edge of the shoreline. The sand was great for being quiet, but they had to drag their feet along as to not leave clearfootprints in the white grains.
Hearing a loud noise, the three of them ducked, but when Layla looked up, she could see the reason for the sounds. They were right below one of the main highways that went over the ocean and jungle. A road would surely lead to a blood tower.
Nella was the smallest of the three of them, so Layla and Orion helped hoist her up the nearest tree so she could survey the area. “Be quick so you aren’t seen,” Layla warned in a stern voice.
“There’s one straight ahead, on a tiny island just a few yards out into the water. We could easily swim it,” Nella reported, coming down from the treelike an acrobat.
Layla didn’t like the odds of being seen if they swam out there. Someone was sure to notice three people who were not Arkun in the water. But maybe if they could get a vehicle, they could ride the road over and back a few times without being detected.
“Oh no, I don’t like that look on your face, Layla,” Orion said. “It always means you have a crazy idea.”
“Just shut up and listen,” she ordered, getting quite irritated with Orion’s attitude. “We’re going to steal a vehicle,” she told them, plain and simple. It was the only thing that would give them cover and she knew it.
Chapter 3
“Just one more load, Orion. We can easily fit one more. No one hasany idea we are here,” Layla begged as Orion pushed her to get in the vehicle so they could drive off and back to Nella. Nella had waited at the edge of the beach where she could receive barrels of blood to guard. She already had three down there. And two more were waiting on the vehicle. She knew how precious this would be to the Zulas and wanted to be sure they would be stocked for a while.
Orion nodded with a tight lip, and Layla turned around and ran back down the slope that led her to the top most storeroom in the tower. But just as she dared to look back, she saw that Orion was being pulled out of the vehicle as he struggled to put it on autopilot and send it back to Nella.
Layla pulled out her radio. “Nella, come in Nella.”
“Yes, Captain?” her fuzzy voice came back.
“A vehicle is coming to you on autopilot. They are about to capture us. I need you to get the ship to come pick up as
much as you can and get off this planet. Do you understand?” Nella was the youngest member of the crew. If Layla could trust anyone to follow a direct order, it was her.
“Yes, Captain. God speed.” The line went dead, and Layla saw that she had two choices. She could dive into the water and try and escape with the rest of the crew, or she could fight and let herself possibly be captured along with Orion.
Layla was used to choosing the selfish thing, but something held her back. It felt like Orion would be killed if she didn’t step in and find a way to get them out. So, she ran towards the action; sword in one hand and gun in the other. She would fight until they were taken away, and then she would come up with another plan to get them both out of there safely. It was the least she could do for not listening to Orion’s advice that entire day. No matter the insubordination, she couldn’t have blood on her hands.
She shot and swung at the translucent blue creatures that were a little less than a head shorter than her in her high boots. She aimed for their ears and horns that protruded from the sides of their heads that made it look like they had two sets of ears, knowing it would be the most sensitive hit. She took down one after another, but then a larger one approachedlooking angry and deadly. If she had to guess, he was the commander of the royal army; only second in hiskind in importance to the king. His eyes were the piercing, swirling green of the seas that covered a good portion of the planet. She knew as he began to circle in a fighting stance she hadmet her match.
She fought hard anyway until it was too late. She bowed to him and he had her clasped in their version of cuffs made of a special rubber that was unbreakable. Orion was taken too, and they were pushed ahead on the side of the highway in silence, forced to walk miles to where they would be held as prisoners.
They were taken into a huge dome that sat halfway in and halfway out of the water. It was surrounded by reinforced glass so that they got the full view of the ocean and the strange creatures that swam in it. If it were under any other circumstance, Layla would have loved the view. But she doubted the dungeon would allow them to see anything asbeautiful.
She was right as they were led into the direct center of the building and put into cells. The bars were white, and either side was transparent so they could see their neighbor, though Layla found that the sound was a bit muffled. She doubted any tools she had left hidden on her person would get her out of such a contraption, but as the commander left, his eyes lingered on her, giving Layla a brilliant idea.
“You were a formidable opponent,” she called out to him, leaning against the strange rubber bars that felt like stronger versions of the cuffs they had put on her.
He turned around and looked at her strangely. He probably didn’t get a lot of compliments from prisoners, even female ones. Though, Layla had to admit he was pretty attractive compared to some of the others.
“As were you,” he said back, revealing a deep tone she didn’t expect. She certainly wasn’t going to mindwrapping this one around her little finger. He was pretty damn sexy. He looked shocked that he had said anything to her, and she flashed him a smile.
“Thanks.” He walked away, shaking his head, but she knew she had caught him off guard. It was the first nail in his coffin and their first step out of there.
“What the hell are you doing?” Layla was taken aback by the sound of Orion’svoice coming through the invisible wall. He was screaming at the top of his lungs so she could hear him loud and clear.
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking at him like he had a bug crawling on his face. “I’m trying to get us out of here, Orion. I don’t think you want to die as a prisoner of the Arkuns,” she told him.
“I’d rather that than watch you sell your body to an Arkun commander. And that’s if it even works. I can’t watch that, Layla. Ican’t watch him with you.” Layla was taken aback by his anger and desperation. She didn’t understand it at all. Why would he care what she did with another man if it got them out of there safely?
Unsure of what to say, she turned around and faced the other wall, watching some female alien she couldn’t place the race of picking at her tentacles. What had Orion meant about not being able to watch her with the commander?
Layla shook her head and sat down, knowing it was irrelevant. It was the only way for them to get out. She would do it regardless.
Chapter 4
Layla couldn’tbelieve her luck as she looked up from dozing off and saw the Arkun commander standing in front of her cell and watching her. She glanced over at Orion’s cell for a moment and saw that he was passed out. She hoped it would stay that way because she couldn’t have him interfering with what she needed to do.
Layla smiled up at him and got to her feet slowly, giving him the nice, slow motion view of her body. “Fancy seeing you here,” she said sweetly as if sugar was dripping off of her tongue. “How can I help you?” she asked, looking him over. He was without his weapons this time, making him appear much more vulnerable. Though, his well-defined muscles were nothing to laugh at. He could probably easily kill anyone he wanted to with his own bare hands. But Layla planned on being someone on his list of not wanting to kill.
“I came to let you know that they are considering a trial for you and your friend there,” he jutted his neck out towards a sleeping Orion, and she looked to him for a second. A certain sadness came over her that she couldn’t explain before her eyes met with the Arkun’s again. They seemed to swirl like they had a moving substance inside of them. “If you play your cards right, you’ll get labor instead of death. Though, I am unsure about your friend since he clearly sent blood off to someone else.”
Layla rolled her eyes, knowing the commander had no reason to come tell heranythinglike that personally. As a prisoner from another planet, she probably didn’t even have any rights. He was all too obvious.
“That can’t be the only reason you came,” she told him slyly, raising an eyebrow. “Anyone could have told me that.”
He nodded slowly, so easily admitting how right she was. This was too damn easy. It was almost laughable. She would deal with whatever Orion’s problem was once they were safely on Earth or back on the ship. He would thank her later for this, and she knew it.
“Honestly, I find you intriguing,” he said with a shrug as if he were trying to play off the obvious attractionbetween the two of them. “I’ve heard about you and what you do,” he added. Ah, so that was it. He knew who she was. It felt kind of niceto have a reputation after all these years of doing all that dirty work.
“So, I take it, you’re a fan?” she asked, leaning up against the bars so that her hip was sticking out seductively as if daring him to reach in and feel her curves.
“I wouldn’t say that. What you do is illegal,” he snapped back. It was like he was trying to convince himself that he couldn’t like her. “But you could easily have asked to negotiate a deal with us so that you could take resources wherever they were needed and make a trade the legal way. We have had many dealings like this in the last year.” It was news to Layla’s ears and it made her think slightly differently of the translucent blue warriors that had always been portrayed to her as mighty and greedy.
“I didn’t know that, actually,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t make much of a difference. A lot of the people I help wouldn’t have much to give you that you would need.” A planet with nearly as much water as Earth that was all clean, accepting water for payment was like a bad joke.
“We are not heartless,” he told her, leaning up against the bars himself now, his face only inches from hers like he wanted to tell her a secret.
“Now, that surprises me,” she said in almost a whisper, watching the swirling in his eyes again. It was fascinating. “I became a space pirate because every race that had enough to give was so heartless.” Layla wasn’t sure why she said that. She had never really admitted to anyone her bitterness or her general care for others. But there was just something about this commander.
He leaned in and
kissed her on the lips, and his lips were wet against hers like they stayed permanently hydrated. It felt icy and warm at the same time, and she melted into him. He was a good kisser for an alien. He pulled away and smiled, starting to walk away like he needed to get somewhere before he was caught kissing a prisoner.
“Wait!” she called, “What’s your name?” she asked, needing to know it.
“Kraordis.”
Chapter 5
Layla had no way to keep track of time, so she had no idea how long it had been since Kraordis walked away when she got another rude awakening, finally finding a way to fall asleep and get some rest.
Feeling not at all well rested, she looked up to see what the racket was about and was met with the sight of two very large and unappealing Arkun guards, trying to wake her up. One of them held keys in his hands and she wondered why.
Looking next to her, she saw that Orion was also awake and curious, watching to see what might happen. The guards could very well be there to take them to their trial, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. She still hadn’t guaranteed Kraordis was her ally. His word was the only way she might get out of a sentence she couldn’t live with.
Layla stood up as the guards unlocked her cell and grabbed her by the arm, grunting things in their own language. She was fluent in several alien languages at this point, but not theirs. Kraordis seemed to be able to speak English, which was often true of any aliens who traded with Earth. So, whatever they were saying, they didn’t want her to be able to understand it. That just served to put her more on guard.
She was certain they would be grabbing Orion as well, but as they began to lead her away from the cells and back to the main hallways where they had come in, she glanced back at him with a worried expression. He shrugged but also looked terrified. Why were they leaving him behind?
She was half-carried through the large structure that extended further than it looked like upon first glance, taken down several flights of stairs so that they were completely underwater now.
