Dark Planet Falling

by Anna Carven

  “I’m sorry, Xal,” she said, as she started to shiver. The metal table she lay on was damn cold.

  His eyes widened in shock, the anger starting to drain from his face. “Whatever for?”

  “I didn’t realize how difficult it was for you to allow me to come with you.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You had a point about Humans and Kordolians working together. And we achieved what we set out to do. Earth is outside Ristval V’s firing range now.” He lifted her left hand and kissed it, before moving down to remove the pins from her legs. Small, red puncture wounds remained, but Sera was now able to move freely. She sat up as Xal removed the last of the needles, tossing them on the floor.

  “Can you walk?” Tenderly, he lifted her off the table and set her on her feet.

  “No problem.” Sera’s legs hurt like hell, but a little pain wasn’t going to stop her.

  “Can you run?”

  “You bet I can.” After being freed from that needle-torture, she felt like she could run a marathon. Sera rubbed her arms, gooseflesh rising on them. She was still naked.

  “Here.” Xal peeled off his black jacket and draped it across her shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves, grateful for its warmth. He slid his finger down the front and the closure came together. It was huge on her, coming to about mid-thigh, and it carried his crisp, masculine scent.

  Sera looked around for her leggings, but they were gone. It didn’t matter. Xal’s long jacket covered all the important bits.

  “We need to get out of here now,” he said, taking her by the hand. As they passed Alerak, Xal stopped, and pulled the black sword out of the wall, and out of Alerak. The Councilor gasped in shock and crumpled to the floor, putting a hand over the wound in his shoulder.

  “You fucking stabbed me,” Alerak cried, as Xal motioned for him to get up.

  “Yes,” Xal agreed. “I did. Come now, you’ll be our hostage. If anyone tries to attack us, you die.” He brought the tip of the blade underneath Alerak’s chin and made him stand. The Councilor grunted in pain.

  Sera looked across the room and saw a wad of gauze type things on a metal table laden with surgical instruments. She shuddered. Those things had been meant for her.

  She picked up the gauze and held it out to Alerak. “Press this against your shoulder,” she said in Universal. “It will stop the bleeding.”

  The Kordolian stared back at her in shock. Xal raised both eyebrows.

  She shrugged. “I feel a bit sorry for him.”

  “After what he did to you?”

  “He’s an asshole, but I’ll bet that wound hurts like a bitch.”

  Xal shook his head in disbelief. Alerak pressed the wad to his shoulder and started to walk. Xal held the plasma gun to Alerak’s head, the sword in his other hand. “Remember, any stupidity and your head gets blown off. No-one is to attack us. Are you clear, Alerak?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “We may have to run, Sera.”

  “I’m ready.” She winced as she flexed her arms. “Let’s get out of this madhouse before they decide to turn me into a pincushion again.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  As they made their way down the corridors, heading towards the docking bay, Xal ordered Alerak to walk in front of them, his plasma gun pressed into the Councilor’s back. They made an odd procession; the limping Alerak, Xal in the middle with the gun and finally Sera following close behind.

  Every time the guards appeared, Alerak fearfully ordered them back and they obeyed without hesitation. Wounded and disheveled he might be, but he was still a High Councilor; a Kordolian from a distinguished Noble House. On Kythia, his life was apparently worth something.

  Xal regarded the whole situation with a certain sense of satisfaction. Alerak was a most effective hostage.

  They stepped across the threshold into the cavernous docking bay and Xal wasn’t surprised to see General Daegan standing on the walkway above them. Stationed on either side of him were soldiers with guns.

  “Xalikian.” Daegan’s deep voice echoed throughout the space. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “We’re leaving, Daegan,” Xal replied. “Don’t try to stop us.”

  “I’m giving you one last chance to re-consider, Prince. Think of what your actions mean for our people and for the Empire. You would intentionally destroy our race by tainting your offspring with Human blood?”

  “The Empire will be gone in one generation, Daegan.” Xal stared back at the General. Daegan appeared awkward standing amongst his soldiers. His uniform was ill-fitted, the fabric straining around his generous waist. His expression was resigned. “So why are you still fighting?”

  Daegan shook his head. “We will find a way to survive,” he said, but there was no conviction in his voice. “Your mother needs you, Xalikian.”

  “Vionn lost me when she killed my child, Daegan. What did you expect would happen?”

  “That child was a danger to the Empire, Xalikian. It was written in the prophecies. Your mother did it to save us. She hopes that with time, you will understand.”

  Xal took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tide of anger that threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn’t afford to let rage overcome him now. Not when Sera was beside him, wounded and in pain, and they had a clear path to their escape route.

  He pushed Alerak in front of him, so that the Councilor was in the firing line. Black blood dotted the polished floor, dripping from Alerak’s wound. He swayed on his feet as Xal shot Sera a quick glance. “Get ready to run,” he mouthed.

  He raised the plasma gun and looked Daegan in the eye. “I don’t believe in prophecies,” he snarled, and fired.

  The blue bolt shot just wide of Daegan and his troops, who ducked for cover. Xal pushed Alerak away and looked at Sera.

  “Run!”

  And they did just that.

  ~~~

  Sera ran faster than she ever had before. Xal went off like a bullet, dashing across the floor of the docking bay with Sera close behind. She pushed through the pain caused by a hundred needle-inflicted injuries and went after him, pumping her arms and legs.

  She was thankful that she’d worked hard to keep herself physically fit. All her training was now paying off.

  A hail of plasma-fire followed them, shaking the floor, deafening booms reverberating through the space. Xal ducked behind a fighter and they were momentarily shielded from the blasts.

  “There’s an escape room down that passageway,” he whispered, pointing into the shadows. There was indeed an exit there. Sera could just barely make it out in the dim light.

  A plasma bolt grazed the tail of the fighter, sending out a shower of sparks. Sera yelped as Xal scooped her up into his arms and ran, hunching his large body protectively over her.

  He sped down the corridor with powerful strides until they reached a dark, circular room. It was lined with strange black capsules that were distinctly person-sized.

  As they entered the room, there was a loud whoosh, and the capsules started disappearing, sucked down into some mysterious, hidden void below.

  Xal swore profusely and ran towards the last remaining capsule, slamming his hand on a panel. Its door slid open, revealing a pod-like space that was clearly designed to fit a single person.

  “They’ve ejected the other escape pods,” Xal growled, looking around the room in desperation. “Fucking Daegan. I caught this one just in time. As long as the door’s open, the eject mechanism is overridden.”

  As he looked at Sera, his expression lost all its fierceness. “Get in,” he said softly.

  He wanted her to get inside the last pod.

  Sera met his molten gaze and felt a huge, gaping hole open up inside of her. Her mouth opened wide, and she uttered a soundless “no”.

  “Get in, Sera.” Xal’s tone brooked no argument.

  She shook her head. “What about you?”

  “I’ll figure something out,” he said gently, leaving the obvious unspoken. He might not be join
ing her. Ever.

  Sera clenched her fists, and for the first time in years, tears started to brim in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere without you, Xalikian. We can both squeeze inside that thing.”

  “No, Sera. The oxygen wouldn’t be enough for both of us. You need to go.”

  “I’m not leaving without you.” He started to bundle her up and place her inside the pod. Sera fought against him like a wildcat, but his muscular arms were like steel. She managed to get an arm free. Sera slapped him in the face.

  Speechless, Xal blinked.

  “You stupid, big, silver idiot,” she snapped. “What will it take to knock some sense into you? You’re not just going to bundle me into this little pod and shoot me off into space. There has to be a way. Don’t be so quick to sacrifice yourself, Xal. Don’t you understand that I need you?”

  His mouth was wide open in shock, revealing his fangs.

  Sera scanned the room, looking for something; anything. “What are those things?” She pointed to a rack on the wall. Several black armor-looking things hung from the wall. They looked like big robotic exoskeletons.

  “Maintenance suits, I think.” A glimmer of an idea appeared in Xal’s eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, managing to look a little sheepish. “I was perhaps, a little hasty. Maybe-” He handed her the sword and the plasma gun. “Keep your foot in the pod. Don’t let the door close under any circumstances. Wait here.”

  Xal walked over to the rack and inspected one of the suits. It had a large black faceless helmet and it was made entirely of metal. There was a pack of some sort attached to its back, with what looked like an oxygen concentrator and various robotic tools. A claw-like hook was also attached to the pack.

  As Xal pressed a panel on its chest, it came to life, blue lights flickering across the visor. “Its oxygen won’t last as long as the pod’s, but it gives me a chance.”

  He returned to where Sera stood. Voices reached them from down the corridor. He knelt down beside her and gestured towards his sword. “I need you to trim my horns,” he said. “Evolution didn’t factor the wearing of helmets into its grand plan. Quickly, Sera.”

  Sera looked at Xal’s gracefully curved horns, and then at the sword in her hand. Despite its menacing appearance, the black blade was surprisingly light. She hesitated. She loved his horns. They gave him such intense sexual pleasure.

  “It’s all right, my love,” Xal reassured her. “They’ll grow back.”

  Sera shook her head, admiring Xal’s beautiful horns for the last time before she brought down the sword. The black blade sliced through the first one like butter, and Xal gasped in pain, his features twisting. Sera’s hands trembled. She struggled with the idea that she was causing him such pain.

  “Cut the other one,” Xal snarled, through gritted teeth.

  Sera chopped off his remaining horn. Xal cried out and swore profusely. A thin trickle of black blood trailed down his temples and cheeks from where the horns had been severed.

  The harsh shouts of the Kordolian soldiers were becoming louder now. Xal rushed across and activated the exo-suit. The metal body opened, and he stepped in front of it, turning his back.

  He spoke a command in Kordolian, and then the whole thing started to wrap around him, enclosing his body with metal. The visor concealed his features, but he reassured Sera with a wave of his hand.

  He froze for a moment, appearing to get himself acquainted with the suit and its controls. The various implements and objects on it moved, and one clattered to the floor. It seemed he didn’t really know how to operate the suit.

  In frustration, Xal pulled at the hook-thing attached to the pack with his metal-gloved hands, and it came out, a long, black, metallic line attached to it.

  Xal rushed across to Sera as Kordolian soldiers started to fill the room, their guns raised. Before she could protest, he had lifted her up and shoved her inside the pod. The Kordolian soldiers started to fire. Xal shielded her with his armored body. He grabbed the hook-thing and slammed it into the body of the pod, its metal claws digging firmly into the black metal. The line attached to it was connected to Xal’s exo-suit.

  Sera stared at him as he gave her a single nod. Then, he slammed the door of the pod shut and crossed his arms across his chest.

  There was a great whoosh, and everything turned to black.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The pod was tight and dark and Sera held her breath as the force of the sudden, massive acceleration ripped through her body, pinning her against the padded surface. Pain shot through her as her limbs were compressed, and she closed her eyes, fighting the terror and panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

  Then, the acceleration stopped, the pressure lessened, and they were in space, shooting past the stars at impossible speed. There was a small, clear panel in the pod that allowed her to see the dark body of the Ristval V disappearing behind them.

  A few lazy plasma shots were fired after them, but they were already too far away and too small for any of them to hit. In any case, Ristval V didn’t have time to be going after the small fry. A larger distraction loomed. Sera saw the now-familiar outline of the warship Silence zeroing in on Ristval V like a big hungry black shark.

  There was going to be a firefight.

  Frantically, she peered down through the window and saw Xal’s suited figure trailing after her, attached to the short, metal line he had managed to hook onto the pod’s surface just before they were ejected.

  With no opposing forces to slow them or hold them back, they continued on at the same impossible speed, traveling further into nothingness.

  There was nothing out here, save for the backdrop of stars and the inky blackness of outer space.

  Despite the insulated interior it was cold inside the pod, and Sera shivered, thankful for Xal’s thick jacket. His scent surrounded her, and she stared outside, watching him with a sense of rising dread.

  He looked so small and vulnerable against the backdrop of space.

  He’d put her safety ahead of his.

  The big idiot had even been willing to stay behind, just so she could escape.

  Sera shook her head in frustration. That stupid, stubborn, sweet Kordolian male.

  It had to be beyond freezing out there. How much insulation did that metal exo-suit of his have? And how much oxygen did he have to go on?

  Sera wished there was some way to communicate with him. Had he even survived the ejection process?

  She had no way of knowing.

  All she could do was watch him and hope there was life inside that dark, faceless suit.

  They’d hit inertia now, moving at a constant speed, which was still impossibly fast. But without the acceleration, Sera felt weightless. Only the walls of the pod were holding her in place. It was obviously designed for someone much bigger, because she had a fair bit of room to move around.

  She wished there was something she could do, dammit! But for the first time in a long time, she found herself completely helpless; powerless.

  All she could do was wait, and hope to hell that Tarak and his crew found them soon.

  To her intense relief, Xal started to move. He grabbed the line attaching his suit to the pod and started to pull himself towards her, one hand at a time. Eventually, he reached the pod and somehow managed to latch onto it, digging in with his metal-gloved hands.

  Staring out, Sera put her hand against the window. Xal peered inside and placed his hand against the glass, over hers.

  “Sera.” His warm voice filled the pod, startling her. “I finally figured out how to use the comm inside this infernal thing. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She shuddered in relief. He was alive and talking to her, and the sound of his voice was the greatest thing in the Universe right now. “You?”

  “Battered. Fucking sore. But alive.”

  “What happens now?”

  “We wait. Tarak will come for us. It might take a while, but he’ll come. Just sit still now. Don’t move. After thi
s, I won’t talk anymore. Let’s conserve our oxygen. Try to get some sleep.”

  “Okay.” Sera looked at the smooth dark visor of Xal’s suit and wished she could see his face. She wanted to see his eyes; she wanted to see him smile. She yearned to feel the warmth of his silver skin against her own. She wanted his strong arms around her.

  But they were separated by metal and glass and the weightless void of space.

  On impulse, she pressed her lips against the glass, blowing him an imaginary kiss. She winked and forced a smile, even though a solitary tear had slipped down her cheek.

  Shit. Was she crying?

  Sera never cried. Most people on Earth thought she was a hard-as-nails bitch who wasn’t capable of shedding tears. But here she was, stuck in the middle of space with beautiful, tortured Xal, hurtling unstoppably in some random direction.

  Suck it up, girl.

  It was hard enough for Xal already, being stuck on the outside. She would not make things more difficult for him by letting him see her cry. So she took a deep breath, wiped away that single tear and settled in for the long wait.

  She just hoped Xal’s people caught up to them soon.

  ~~~

  “Sera.” Xal’s voice was quiet, but Sera opened her eyes. She must have drifted off at some point. She rubbed her arms against the cold.

  “Yes, Xal?”

  “My oxygen’s running low. I’m going to use a technique to slow my heartbeat. You won’t hear from me again for a while, but don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” The words were slow and softly murmured. Then, the line went quiet.

  Sera banged her fist against the glass in frustration. Where the fuck was Silence? Where was the General?

  Time was running out and there was nothing she could do.

  She just had to hope against all hell that they would reach Xal in time.

  And she prayed he could hold on, just a little bit longer.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN