“Maggie…” he whispered out at the exact moment everything went silent and he slipped into unconsciousness.
******
“Is that Etor’s ship?” Maggie stare in horror as pulsar after pulsar hit the crippled ship. She held Kelly’s hand tightly as they watched the viewing screen play out the battle in front of them.
Small pieces of debris and metal floated by the warship they were in or carelessly bounced off the ship’s shield. As the ship drew closer to the battle, it was like nothing she had ever seen before.
Fighters from both sides darted in every direction firing on each other. The warship of the Lephusans was firing on the warship of the Qeterans at a rapid pace. She had yet to see a pulsar strike the ship directly but her thoughts ended all too soon. A series of three pulsars jetted of the enemy’s ship and struck Etor’s. The first two ignited on the shield as they impacted. The third one, though, found its mark. She screamed when she saw the explosion rock the ship. The Arabis returned fire several times before she went still. More pulsars found their mark on the unprotected ship.
“Fire the holo-pulse!” Vulmar shouted above the noise on his bridge.
A bright green beam shot from the ship. It met its target within a fraction of a second. The shield of the enemy’s ship lit up and glowed as the beam stayed concentrated on it. It didn’t take long for the shield to fail and for the beam to reach metal. The shock wave of the explosion vibrated their ship. Maggie had to hold on to the railing as the wave passed or she would have fallen to the floor.
“What happened?” she asked looking back at Vulmar.
“The holo-pulse hit the target! Do it again,” he ordered then waited.
The action was repeated but this time it was a much more dramatic effect. The entire Lephusan ship exploded into a billion pieces. The shock wave this time knocked her and most of the others to the floor. She hit her head on the railing as she went down with Hunter on top of her.
Cheers went up as everyone realized what had happened.
“Oh God, Maggie. I’m so sorry!” Hunter rolled off her and tried to stand up.
Vulmar was next to them in a flash. He lifted Hunter off the floor and sat her in a chair a soldier pushed to him. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. See to Maggie,” Hunter said.
Maggie was trying to sit up when she felt a strong hand push her back down. “Stay down. You have a really big bump growing on your head.”
“Maggie!” Lexie called out. “Maggie, are you hurt?” She dropped to her knees next to her friend.
“I just banged my head, that’s all,” Maggie replied. “What about Etor’s ship?” She needed to know if he was ok.
Vulmar got up to shout to someone, “Try contacting the Arabis!” He moved over to the soldier trying to make the contact.
Minutes went by. “Nothing, Sir.”
“Keep trying. Get us over there now!” he shouted to the soldier directing his ship.
Before she knew it there was a medic kneeling by her and examining her head. He gently pushed on the area surrounding the bump. Then he wave a silver metal stick over her head. “Nothing’s fractured, but you are going to have one hell of lump.” He smiled down at her. “Let’s get you up and see how you feel.”
The medic helped her up and held on to her until she was steady on her feet. “I’m ok.”
“If you start to feel ill or experience any pain in your head, send for me immediately.”
She couldn’t help but give the young medic a smile. “I will. Thanks.”
She took up her position in front of the viewing screen and saw the ship was basically on top on the Arabis now. She gasped in horror as she frantically searched the dangled and twisted ball of metal. Her heart sank with an oppressive feeling that Etor was dead.
“Oh God, please no.” she uttered. Behind her, Vulmar was giving out orders to prepare to board what was left of the Arabis.
“I want to go with you!” she cried out to Vulmar.
“I cannot allow that, mate of my brother.”
She gripped his wrist and pleaded with him. “But, you have to let me. I need to go search for him.”
Vulmar did the only thing he knew would calm the female. “I promise I will send word to you as soon as we find my brother, but you must stay here,” he told her as he hugged her to him. He released her quickly then left the bridge. He looked back one last time to see the female clinging to her friend, Hunter.
******
The Arabis was dark and silent as Vulmar and the rescue party moved into the destroyed ship. Beams and wiring hung from the ceiling every which way making the corridors extremely difficult to pass through.
The only good thing about the Arabis at the current time was that it had not been fully staffed before Etor took her out. She only had about a quarter of her normal crew on board when the battle started.
“Break up into teams of three and search every room. Contact me when you have found any survivors. I’m headed up to the bridge.”
Each team of three men spilt off and began their search. Vulmar slowly and carefully made his way to the bridge which was two stories up from where he was. As the group progressed they checked every room they came across. They had come in through the supply doors so the area they were in was void of any individuals. The ship had not yet been restocked before Etor decided to go on a short scouting mission that was to last only a day or two.
His ship had received Etor’s call for help as his ship was returning to Qetera. Luckily, he ship wasn’t too far out but still wasn’t able to get to the Arabis before it was too late. He just needed to be grateful he got there when he did.
“We’ll have to go up the stairs. Once we get on the bridge we can try to hook up the backup lights and life support system.”
Without the life support system, they would only have a matter of hours before the ship would be depleted of its oxygen, so they needed to work quickly. As the group entered the stairwell, it was the same scenario as in the corridors. Wires hung down trying to latch onto any part of their body. A small metal beam had fallen and struck the stairs causing them to jar loose from the wall. They had to go up one at a time so they didn’t put too much weight on the fragile structure.
The stairwell opened up some as they reached the bridge’s floor. Thankfully, this door would open up directly onto the bridge providing it wasn’t blocked on the other side.
Vulmar took a deep breath then tried to open the door. It pushed open without any trouble into the awaiting darkness. He could hear moans as he walked into the room shining his hand light throughout the room. Several bodies lay sprawled on the floor at odd angles and lay motion less.
“Etor!” he called out. “Etor!”
More moans came from a corner on the opposite side of bridge. He stepped over chairs, computers, and debris as he moved in the direction of the sound. There was a large piece of the ceiling lying partially on the floor and on the chair in which Etor sat when on the bridge. He was about to cross the fallen ceiling when suddenly a hand shot out from underneath to grab his ankle.
“Don’t even think about stepping on top of me, little brother,” Kharis choked out.
“Kharis!” he shouted and lifted the mess up off his brother.
Kharis lay on his stomach with his head turned facing Vulmar. There was a large gash on his head that ran from his hairline down to his chin. Blood oozed out the wound to cover his brother’s face.
He carefully turned his brother over. “How bad are you hurt?” he asked.
“Just the head as far as I can tell. Got a dinger of a headache,” Kharis joked to lighten the mood. “Where’s Etor?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t found him yet,” Vulmar said. He really needed to find his eldest brother especially since Etor wasn’t answering when he called out his name.
“Try over that way. The ship tilted on its ship when we were hit. Everything went flying that way.” Kharis pointed to the area behind him.
Vulmar patted his brother on the back. “I’ll be right back.” He carefully stepped over his brother and made his way over to the area that was filled with everything that hadn’t been secured when the ship tilted. He moved away chairs and equipment carefully so that nothing would come crashing down on him.
“Etor!” he called out again. He stopped moving to listen for any response. There it was, a very faint call from beneath the debris. He picked up the pace and started to carelessly throw things from the pile.
After what seemed like a lifetime of digging, he uncovered a black boot that twitched when the chair was removed off it. A few more items and he uncovered Etor. “Brother!” he shouted as he kneeled at the injured man’s side. “Can you move?”
A quick check showed Etor had a gash on the back of his head and his left arm lay at an odd angle. He bent all the way down until he could see his brother’s face. Etor’s face was scrunched up in pain as he attempted to get up.
“No! Stay down.” He hit his comlink on his shirt, “I need a medics on the bridge right now!”
“Thallan is under here too,” Etor whispered.
“Right,” he said and stood up to remove more of the items. He found the unconscious man underneath part of the control panel that had come free from the explosions the ship sustained. He gingerly pulled the man out and placed him next to Etor. Footsteps and bright lights filled the room. He glanced over his shoulder to find Jonik racing to their side.
“Commander,” Jonik said. “Where are you hurt?” He opened the medical kit he brought with him and immediately began to put pressure on the wound on Etor’s head.
“Looks like his arm is broken too.” Vulmar pointed to the arm in question.
“Okay, Commander, We are going to turn you over and get you on a gurney.” Jonik waved over the waiting medics who had the gurney. “This might hurt a bit.”
Four men lifted the huge Qeteran and placed him on the floating gurney. The big Commander tried to show he wasn’t feeling any pain, but failed. He groaned when Jonik moved his left arm in order to secure it to the side of the gurney.
“Ok, bring the Commander to the medic unit directly. I need two more people to help with Thallan.” The ship’s doctor spoke as he backed up to attend Thallan.
The process was repeated with the troop commander, but this time the man was unconscious. As they were leaving the bridge more medics and personnel moved in to help the rest of the survivors. There was going to be death toll and Vulmar prayed to the Giver of Life that it wouldn’t be too bad.
******
“Has he been found?” Maggie asked. She was pacing back and forth in the medic unit as she waited for any news about her mate. It was amazing to her how quickly she had come to love the Qeteran. She would have never thought it was possible. What she had with Mark was not love, rather a dependency. There was no denying the feeling she felt for Etor since the first time she laid eyes on him even though she tried to ignore them. Would it be too late now to tell him how much she loved him? To tell him about their baby growing in her belly?
She did her best to hide the tears running down her cheeks. Just as quickly as they fell she would brush them away. She was angry, but angry with who? Etor? Herself? Maybe a bit of both? She was furious with the thought of living without Etor and furious that he might never know he was going to be a father.
“Honey, you need to sit down and chill,” Kelly said. She too was waiting to hear of news from the disabled ship. When she had seen the Arabis take that last hit and then tilt on her side, her heart broke at the thought of Kharis dying. Of course she didn’t have feelings for the second in command, she just didn’t want to see the gorgeous man die at the hands of a madman.
“I’m ok. I’m ok,” Maggie chanted. “I can’t sit until I know he’s okay.”
The doors to the medical unit slid open. A gurney came floating in followed by two medics. Maggie rushed over to see who was on the thing and cried out when she saw it was Etor!
“Etor, you’re alive!” She bent down to kiss him. She finally let the tears fall without brushing them away.
“Of course I am alive, little one. Did you really think I would leave you so soon?” He caressed her cheek with his good hand.
Maggie couldn’t speak after seeing he was okay. She followed behind the medics as they directed the gurney into a private examination room. The medics left the room so she moved to stand next to Etor.
“I was so scared!”
“I’m sure you were,” Vulmar stated as he walked into the room. “There’s no telling where you might have ended up if I haven’t heard your friend’s call for help.” He sat down in the only chair in the room.
Crap! She didn’t want Etor to find out what had happened until he was in better shape. The look on his face told her there was no way she was going to get of it without telling the entire story.
“Do you have something to tell me?” The smile on his face was wiped away. His eyes were already darkening as he stared at her and waited for her to talk.
“It’s not what you thing,” she started.
“Then please, do tell.”
Jonik walked into the room and interrupted the tension in the air. The three of them were silent as Jonik stopped and looked around the room. “Did I miss something?”
“Maggie was just about to tell my brother about how she ended up on my ship,” Vulmar said.
Etor instantly went into the Rage as thoughts about his brother stealing his mate while he was away filtered through his brain. He struggled to get up off the gurney but was held down by Jonik. “I don’t think so, my friend. Let her have a chance to explain.”
Etor nodded at her to talk. When she finally did talk she told him everything that had happened after he left the other morning. The only detail she left out was the one about the baby. She wanted to confirm it with Jonik before she said anything. The entire time she spoke she couldn’t take her eyes off Etor. It was as if he held some sort of a hold over her, she had nothing to hide. She didn’t do anything wrong. The Rage in his eyes began to fade as he took control of his anger when he heard what she and the other females had gone through.
When she finished she wasn’t sure what to do. Her heart beat wildly in her chest until Etor finally spoke up. “My love, I had no idea!”
She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips connected in a kiss with such force it surprised the other two men in the room.
Vulmar coughed to break up the couple making out in front of him. “Can you save it for later? Geez.”
She pulled away and laughed when she saw her brother-in-law roll his eyes at them.
“What’s the matter little brother? Can’t stand the heat? Ouch!”
“Sorry,” Jonik said, “Didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Oh no brother, the heat is just fine. Actually, I am a bit jealous!” Vulmar roared with laughter, making Maggie blush then follow suit.
“Don’t even get any ideas, brother. This female is mine!” Etor reached out to hold her hand.
A knock on the door startled them as they were laughing. Kelly, Hunter, and Lexie all filed into the room.
“Hey, can we come in?” Hunter asked.
“If Etor doesn’t mind,” Maggie said.
“It’s fine.” He winced again as Jonik maneuvered his injured arm into a normal, natural position. “Come on, Doc, be nice!”
“Sorry again.” Jonik was concentrating on his work when he looked up to see the three females walking into the room. He froze instantly as his eyes landed on Lexie.
“You alright, doc,” Etor asked.
Jonik shook his head then continued setting the arm he was holding.
“Where’s Kharis?” Kelly asked unexpectedly.
“He should be here any moment. He wasn’t as bad off as this guy.” Jonik nodded.
Etor was obviously now in a better mood since kept up his teasing. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with him.” His eyes twinkled at Kelly
as she shifted from foot to foot.
“Umm…well…well I didn’t say I wanted anything to happen to him.” Kelly blushed several shades of red before she turned and left the room.
The room burst out laughing. “I think someone has a little crush on my brother,” Vulmar said as he laughed.
“I think so too,” Hunter replied. She moved closer to where Vulmar sat in order to get out of the way of the medic helping Jonik. She glanced down at the man who had rescued them. “I think she’s had a crush on him since we got here.” Unthinking, she touched Vulmar’s shoulder as she talked.
Maggie saw the look that came over Vulmar’s face when Hunter touched him. It was a look she had become very familiar with. She turned her attention to Etor who also noticed the small interaction between the two.
“Alright, I need everyone to step out while we sew his head up.” Jonik pointed to the door. “It won’t take long. I’ll be right back.”
The group moved out of the room to go sit in the chairs in the waiting area. Maggie decided this was her best opportunity to get Jonik to give her a pregnancy test.
“Umm…Jonik, may I speak with for just a second?” Maybe it wasn’t such a good time after all. Jonik frowned at her as she stopped him.
“Can it wait?” he asked.
Yes, she definitely should have waited. “I’ll ask you later.” She turned away from him to go sit by the others, but felt a hand stop her.
“I apologize, Maggie. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”
She tried to smile but failed. “It’s ok.”
“What did you need to speak with me about?”
Here it goes. She had no choice but to ask now. “Do you…do you have a way to tell if someone is pregnant?” She watched for his reaction and the one she was expecting.
Jonik’s eyebrows drew in as he looked down at her. “Pregnancy test? Who needs a…” It hit him at that point. “You?”
She nodded. A smile spread across the medics face from ear to ear.
“Come this way,” he told her.
She followed him quickly into a small alcove where he pulled out a tiny needle.
Lost Among the Stars (Sky Riders) Page 14
