by Anna Carven
The fact that mains lighting had gone out was a worry. It meant that something had happened to the solar concentrator, which was essentially a huge battery that stored the energy harvested from the millions of solar panels attached to Fortuna Tau’s sun-facing side.
The station had an ancient backup energy plant; an old-fashioned nuclear reactor which was used primarily for heating and generating energy for the Armium smelter. It could be diverted to electricity generation for the actual station when required, but as far as Jia knew, it hadn’t ever been used for that purpose.
Like all infrastructure on Fortuna Tau, the nuclear reactor could do with a refurbish, or a replacement. It had probably been in service when the mining station was first commissioned. Jia knew it all too well; she’d been called down there several times to fix a faulty pressure release valve.
If there was someone down in the power generator who knew what they were doing, the backup power should kick in any minute now.
She hoped to hell it would kick in any minute now. Some light would be very welcome right now.
Being trapped in the dark with monsters was not a pleasant experience, even when one of those monsters was on your side.
A wall of deafening sound hit her, and Jia’s world turned a blinding shade of blue, just for a split second. It was long enough for her to make out Kalan’s large form. He’d moved farther down the corridor. He was on his knees, with his huge cannon hefted over one shoulder.
He’d fired it, releasing a massive plasma charge.
The resulting explosion shook the walls of the corridor. The smell of burnt ozone hung in the air as everything went dark again.
Jia wondered how strong Kalan had to be to withstand the full recoil of a plasma charge that was a hundred times more powerful than the gun she’d fired back on Silence.
And she wondered how invincible this full-sized Xargek had to be, to be able to withstand a blast from a plasma cannon. Because in Kalan’s words, he was only trying to ‘slow it down’.
Scary.
Moments later, he was by her side again, sweeping her up into his arms.
“We’re out of time,” Kalan declared.
“I can run,” she protested.
“Not fast enough.”
Kalan started to sprint, holding her tightly against his chest. Jia still clutched the freeze-gun, but it was starting to feel more and more like a toy in her hands. Cool air streamed past her face as they sped off into the darkness.
Jia had once been on a hyper-speed hovercoaster ride in an amusement park. This felt a bit like that, except they were in total darkness.
Up ahead, she could hear people shouting in confusion. They swept through the residential quarters as doors were yanked open with the manual override. People streamed out, using the faint light from their link-bands, or whatever portable electronic devices they had at hand, to try and see in the darkness.
The power on Fortuna Tau had never gone out before. It was a frightening, unreal experience. As Kalan stormed through the narrow corridor, people hastily got out of the way, terrified by the sight of a fully armored Kordolian barreling down on them.
Mendoza’s dark face flashed by. “Jia! What the hell?” His eyes were wide with alarm.
“Run, Mendoza,” she yelled, as Kalan dodged the Humans in the corridor. “No time to explain. Don’t argue, just follow us. Tell everyone to get the hell out of there.” He disappeared from sight again as Kalan ran, his powerful legs eating up the distance.
The Kordolian was blindingly fast.
Everything was in disarray; Jia’s small world had been plunged into total and utter chaos.
The only constant had been this Kordolian, who ran like the wind and carried her as if she was as light as a feather. He held her gently, despite the urgency of their situation, moving with ease even though he had a small arsenal of weapons strapped to his person. As they moved further away from the danger, Kalan started to speak in rapid-fire Kordolian, the strangely melodic language rolling off his tongue. Jia realized he must be communicating with the rest of his team.
After a while, he went silent again. “Kalan,” Jia said, as he flew around a corner, “where are we going?”
“Away,” he said simply. “I am not leaving you unguarded while I fight off a mature Xargek. It’s too risky.”
“Do you think there might be others?”
“It’s possible,” he said grimly. “They have entered the station through the vegetation dome. The General killed one of the adults, but others could have followed it.”
“There are people back there. They can’t fight it. They’re all going to die.” Jia found it hard to stomach the thought that people might get killed. If Kalan had stayed to fight, they might have a chance of escape. But he’d somehow taken a liking to her, and had decided to spirit her away, instead of trying to fight the Xargek. Mendoza was back there, along with a bunch of other people she lived and worked with.
Kalan might not care about them, but Jia did.
“We can’t leave them to the mercy of that thing, Kalan.”
“I will not jeopardize your safety for the sake of a few Humans.”
“You seem to forget that I’m also Human. What makes me any different to them?”
“You are my responsibility now,” he said, with absolute certainty. “I decide when to fight, and when to run. Trust me, you do not want to be waiting helplessly in the darkness while I face off with an adult Xargek. You have no idea how dangerous they can be.”
“I think I’m getting an idea,” Jia replied, urgency creeping into her voice. Kalan was putting his foot down, and she had no idea how she could convince him to go back.
How were you supposed to make a Kordolian care about Humans?
He seemed to be all caught up on the issue of her safety, without regard for anyone else.
Infuriating Kordolian. She took a deep breath, fighting against the feeling of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm her.
“Go back, Kalan,” she said angrily. “Please leave me here, and go back and kill that fucking thing. That’s your job, isn’t it?” Jia rarely swore, but her frustration was beginning to spill over. “People are going to die if you don’t kill it. I’ll be fine. The backup power will probably activate soon, and I can make my way somewhere safe.”
“I refuse.”
Jia squirmed in his arms, but that just made Kalan clutch her even more tightly. His thickly muscled arms were like coated steel. Even with that strange nano-armor covering his body, he radiated warmth. She was pressed against his impossibly broad, impossibly strong chest. Jia tried not to let these things distract her. She tried to fight her growing desire. Her heart was conflicting with what her head was telling her.
He was a killer. A conqueror. He was probably saving her life right now, but at the same time, he was leaving others to die. “You refuse?” Her voice rose a little. “I can’t accept that, Kalan. I can’t allow my ass to be saved at the expense of others, just because you’ve taken a fancy to me. Maybe that goes against your Kordolian values, but I’m Human, and I can’t just ignore my people when they’re facing certain death.”
He’d slowed to a near halt. Jia had no idea where they were, and she had no idea what Kalan was thinking. She couldn’t make out his features in the darkness. It was eerily quiet.
She was in the arms of a big, powerful predator, in pitch darkness, and she wasn’t sure whether she’d just upset him.
“You are correct in saying I don’t understand you,” Kalan rumbled. “But I understand loyalty, and your sentiments towards your people are honorable. But we’re not going back there.”
“Kalan-”
“Shh.” He put a finger to her lips. “I have called for backup. They are already on their way. Do you really think I would allow a fully grown adult Xargek to run rampant in close quarters? Don’t worry. The monster will die.”
“But-”
“I am not leaving you, Jia.” His tone was filled with steely resol
ve, as if he’d made up his mind and nothing would convince him otherwise.
Ooh, Jia had chosen a stubborn one. She got the sense that Kalan was the type who, once he had made up his mind, rarely changed it. And he probably wasn’t used to being challenged.
His implacable nature freaked her out a little, but that fluttery, warm feeling in her chest was still there.
“You seem to feel you have some sort of claim over me,” she observed. “As if you’re somehow personally responsible for my safety.”
“Yes,” was all he said, as the dim emergency lights in the corridor finally flicked on. That meant either the AI or a tech had managed to switch the backup power on. Feeling disorientated, Jia looked around. They’d reached a part of the station called the Service Area, a usually busy network of rooms and passages where the basic operations of keeping Fortuna Tau habitable took place.
The kitchens were down here, as well as the laundry, various storerooms, and the cleaning bay, where the service robots idled in their chargers, waiting to be commissioned.
At least Jia could see now. The emergency lighting was dim, coming from small recesses close to the floor, but it was enough. She blinked as Kalan’s stern features came into view.
It was deathly quiet down here.
The kitchens were deserted, and the normally busy, brightly lit corridors were abandoned. It was like a ghost town.
It was a sign that Fortuna Tau had well and truly gone on lockdown. Jia squirmed in protest. “If you’re hell-bent on sticking by my side, at least let me down now,” she grumbled. “There are no Xargek down here, and I’m not going to get my pink slippers all dirty if I walk around a little bit.”
Having him carry her around everywhere was just too awkward, and Jia was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that he rather enjoyed it.
He really was too strong and overwhelming for his own good.
Kalan raised an eyebrow. Slowly, gently, he lowered her to the floor. “Those are… odd shoes,” he commented.
“They’re my bedtime slippers,” Jia said dryly. “I wasn’t exactly expecting to find Xargek larvae in the shower. I thought you would have eradicated all of them when you were skulking around in the darkness back on Silence.”
“Skulking?” Kalan frowned, as if she’d mildly insulted him. “I killed everything with more than two legs on that ship. The Xargek you see now entered through the bio-dome. We’re not sure how many of them there might be, but now that I’ve encountered a second adult, things have become a hundred times more dangerous. It would be best if you stay by my side, Jia of Earth.”
“And at what point are we supposed to consider evacuation as part of our plans?”
“Kordolians never retreat,” Kalan said scornfully, “and the First Division have never lost a battle. We will fight until all of the Xargek are dead.” The conviction in his voice was unnerving.
“Remind me never to make enemies with you Kordolians,” Jia murmured, as she looked up and down the deserted corridor.
“Oh, you’re no enemy of mine, although the Empire might think otherwise.” Unexpectedly, Kalan grinned, his fangs flashing in the dim light. It was the first time Jia had really seen him smile. Instead of transforming his face, it only served to make him look wolfish. “No Kordolian will touch you once they understand that you are mine.”
“I don’t belong to you,” Jia muttered snarkily under her breath. Kalan said nothing, but his smile widened. That wasn’t reassuring at all. She smoothed down her thin robes and tightened her belt, feeling exposed in her flimsy garments. When she got the chance, she would have to sneak into the mech store and change into a jumpsuit, especially if there was going to be more running and fighting and escaping from horrible alien creatures.
A huge groan reverberated through the metal walls, followed by a dull, repetitive thudding sound.
Jia had heard that particular sound before. There was definitely something going on down in the power plant.
Kalan looked at her questioningly.
“I’d suggest,” she said slowly, “that I go down to the power plant and check that out. It sounds as if there’s too much pressure in the water system. I’m not a plumber, but I know how to adjust or unstick the release valves, if they need fixing.” She had a sneaking suspicion that something had gone really wrong down there. And if that was the case, she would need protection. Jia regarded Kalan with a lingering gaze, taking in his formidable appearance.
He bristled with weaponry. Along with the cannon on his back and his twin swords, there were an array of daggers strapped to various places, and at least two smaller guns holstered at each side. How he’d managed to carry her without any of those bits poking into her was a mystery.
He was a dark shadow in the faint light, clad in black armor that seemed to suck away the light itself.
His smile had disappeared, but his dark lips were curved upwards.
“I might need some extra muscle,” she said wryly, nodding in the direction of the emergency stairwell. From here, they had to go down. “Do you mind?”
Kalan glowered. “It’s risky for you to go down there. Isn’t there someone you can communicate with? Where are the rest of your team?”
“You saw most of them back there,” she snapped. “Panicking in the darkness. Your people had better get to the Xargek before it gets to them.”
“Oh, they’ll be there,” Kalan growled. “But understand that for now, my brothers are otherwise occupied and unable to help us if we encounter a difficult opponent.”
“Are you willing to let me take that risk, oh protective one? Or are we just going to go and bury our heads in the sand somewhere and hope someone else will deal with the problem? I don’t want to sit back and do nothing while we lose backup power or suffer a serious explosion.”
Kalan stared at her, his violet eyes shadowed, his expression unreadable.
“Hate to break it to you, Kordolian, but the infrastructure on this station is a little outdated, and I know a lot more about it than most.”
The thudding grew louder. Jia shot Kalan a pointed glare.
His jaw was set in a hard line. “Fine. We will go, but you will do as I say. When I say follow, you follow. When I tell you to stop, you stop. And if I decide to retreat, you will not resist. Is that clear, Human?”
Jia bit back a sharp retort. What they were about to do was potentially dangerous, and if enemies appeared, Kalan was the one who had to fight them.
She would let him handle that side of things, the same way he trusted her to do the mechanical stuff.
“Yes, Sir,” she said quietly, after careful consideration.
Kalan grunted as Jia started to lead him in the direction of the stairwell. It was a satisfied grunt.
And as scary as he might seem, she was glad to have him at her back. Because with Kalan around, Jia didn’t fear the monsters that lurked in the darkness as much.
After all, he was one of of the monsters.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kalan’s blood sang with primal need. He hungered for the simple things, the most basic things; violence, and sex.
It had taken all his willpower to pull himself away from the adult Xargek that had shown itself back there in the corridor. Bloodlust had overwhelmed him, and the desire to kill had been strong.
But Jia had been too vulnerable where she stood, especially in the darkness. He’d quickly learnt that Humans couldn’t see without light.
Mature Xargek were fast, strong and near-invincible, and a soft Human like Jia would have made the perfect prey.
So he’d restrained his urge to fight and had instead withdrawn, something he almost never did. It wasn’t in Kalan’s nature to shy away from a battle.
But in a way, his restraint had been rewarded. She’d doubted him, questioned him, and finally come to some sort of conclusion about him. Perhaps she trusted him a little now. That was why he was following her down this narrow staircase, allowing her to lead as she navigated the rusting stairs with slow
, careful steps.
Kalan was currently busy staring at her ass. He could see the outline of her undergarment beneath the thin silk of her robe. Her ass was small and pert, and the garments she wore flattered it nicely.
Oh, the things he could do to her.
This narrow stairwell was private. No one would find them here. He could be naked with her in a flash, their warm, bare bodies twining together as he explored every inch of her.
If only she knew what he was thinking right now. But he didn’t want to scare her off. She was just starting to warm to him.
Kalan’s dirty mind was working overtime as he followed her down several floors. In the background, that infernal thudding sound pulsed through the walls, becoming louder the deeper they went. They reached a metal door which slid open as Jia pressed her palm to the door-panel. She was about to slip through, but Kalan put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait,” he whispered. “Let me check first. You don’t know what’s out there.”
She nodded, and he entered the space. It was another corridor, lined with closed doors. Kalan looked around in all directions, pausing to try and identify any unusual smells or sounds.
“All clear,” he said, motioning for her to follow. She brushed past him, teasing him with her tantalizing scent. She quickly made her way to one of the doors, slapped her palm on the panel and disappeared inside. The doors closed behind her.
“Human,” Kalan said sternly, fearing he’d been duped. “What are you doing?”
“Wait, Kordolian,” she called out, her voice sounding slightly muffled from behind the doors. “I’m not going anywhere, so relax.” Kalan heard the sounds of rummaging and tools clinking together. There was a rustle of fabric and some faint cursing.
Then the doors slid open, and she appeared, looking entirely different.
In place of the wonderful pink robe was a dark grey work suit with a long zipper down the front. Her dark hair was bound up into a messy bun, revealing the elegant lines of her neck and jaw. Strapped around her forehead was a lighting device, which she’d switched on. As she looked at Kalan, the bright light flared, causing him to squint. “Turn that thing off,” he grumbled.
