Rescue Her Heart

by K C Luck

  "Alright," Nat said and sat up swinging her legs to the floor. "Once it is dark, I am going back. I need to see if I can disable the cloaking towers, but I want you to wait here. I'll find the woman and get some answers." Catherine shook her head.

  "Absolutely not. There is no way I am staying behind," Catherine insisted. Nat took Catherine by the shoulders and looked hard into her face.

  "Catherine, it is too dangerous," she said. Catherine put her hands over Nat's and Nat could see by the set of her mouth, there was no way the woman was going to do what she asked.

  "I'll wait with you until dark, but then I go back. You take out the towers and I'll find my mother. Then can we please get off this planet?" Catherine asked. Nat took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Having Catherine put herself back into danger was the last thing she wanted, but she could also see how determined the woman she loved was about finding her mother. Finally, Nat nodded. They would get it done. Together.

  CHAPTER 28

  CATHERINE

  As dusk fell, Catherine stood next to Nat amongst the thick leaves and vines at the edge of the village. They were holding hands and Catherine felt the lingering tingle of the lovemaking they shared in the cabin. Please don’t let anything happen to her, Catherine thought. I love her. “Are you sure you won’t go back and wait for me?” Nat asked as she turned to face Catherine. “I need you to be safe.” Catherine shook her head and put her arms around Nat’s neck to pull her into a kiss. They lingered for a moment and then Catherine stepped away.

  “I have to do this,” she said. “And I will be careful, but you better not let anything happen to you either, Nat Reynolds. I need you.” A tender look came into Nat’s face and she pulled Catherine close again for one more kiss.

  “See you at the Avalon Mercury. Thirty minutes, and no longer,” Nat said. “I love you.” Catherine smiled and watched as the woman slipped away into the darkness to do what needed to be done. With no time to waste, Catherine circled the other direction to go toward the banquet hall where she hoped the woman she believed was her mother was still working. There was no easy way to get there without stepping out into the open and after carefully looking each way, she started across the dirt. Suddenly off to her left she heard shouting and froze. Have I been seen? Has Nat? she wondered as fear leaped into her throat. It was not coming from the direction she knew Nat was headed, and she took some relief from that, nor did she see anyone running toward her. So what was it? Worried now some other trouble was happening, Catherine snuck to the side of a smaller dome structure and peeked out. In the center of the settlement she saw all of the captives in a line surrounded by villagers who were raucously yelling out bids. Catherine realized it was the auction and as horrified as she was at the idea of anyone being sold as a slave, she was thankful to know the pirates were distracted. Now is the time to do this.

  Going back to the path which led to the other side of the clearing, Catherine suddenly found herself face to face with two pirates she did not recognize. They looked surprised to see her, but then the older of the two narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. Catherine gulped down her fear and gave them a smile.

  "Catherine," she said. "Sal's new woman." The two men looked at each other clearly uncertain if she was telling the truth. "What? You haven't heard? I'm surprised actually, considering the pirate king himself made the announcement over a toast of wine." The younger pirate scratched his beard.

  "Huh," he said. "I wasn't invited. Only the senior guys got to go, but I might have heard Sal got a new bitch. Just no way to tell if it's you." Catherine swallowed her fear when she realized they were not buying her story and made a show of bristling at the insult. She was about to keep trying to sell her case when she felt someone step upside her.

  "Did you really just refer to my woman as a bitch?" Catherine heard Sal ask. She saw the two men pale and the younger pirate started to back up.

  “Sal. Hey, it was a joke, okay?” he said. “This girl, she’s smoking hot as—” Sal closed the distance between them and was instantly in the pirate’s face.

  “I strongly suggest you shut the hell up,” she snarled. The older pirate grabbed his friend by the collar and yanked him along hard as he started to move away.

  “You’re an idiot,” the older pirate said to his friend. “Don’t talk. Just come on, I want to go to the auction. He’s sorry about his mouth, Sal.” Catherine watched the two men hurry away and she sighed with relief. At least until Sal whirled around on her and Catherine saw the fury in her eyes.

  "What are you doing?" she snapped. "I don't understand why you are still here." She furrowed her brow. "Where's your Ranger?" Catherine kept her mouth closed. Although Sal had just saved her and something was going on with the pirate Catherine was not sure about, she also did not trust her. If Sal knew what Nat was up to, Catherine was confident she would kill her. Sal rubbed a hand down her face in frustration. "Years in the making and this is what it comes down to," she muttered. It made no sense to Catherine.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked. Sal waved her off.

  “Forget it,” she moved to take Catherine’s arm. “Come on. You need to hide. Things are about to get crazy around here.” Catherine stepped away from her.

  “I’m not going to go hide. I need to find someone first,” she said. Sal frowned.

  “Who?” she asked. “Is your Space Ranger missing again?”

  “No,” Catherine replied. “It is the woman who served us wine at the banquet. I think...” She paused, not sure how to even explain. Is this really even possible? Could my mother be alive and here? she wondered. “I think she is my mother,” she finished. Sal looked at her with disbelief.

  "What?" she asked. "Why would you even think that?" Catherine felt a rush of emotion over all of it.

  “It’s complicated,” she answered with tears welling up in her eyes. “But I have to see her and find out.” Sal’s face softened a little when she saw how Catherine felt and she let out a sigh.

  "Okay, come on," Sal said as she turned to lead them to the large dome at the edge of the village. "But we need to hurry. I have shit to get done. Especially if Nat is out there running around like a loose cannon." Catherine quickly followed and wanted to ask Sal what she meant regarding Nat but was afraid to give up any information. Still, it seemed Sal was frustrated with Nat differently than before. As if they were no longer enemies. Something has changed, Catherine thought and planned to get to the bottom of it, but first, she had to see the dark-haired servant. Sal took them to the back of the banquet hall and paused to look around before going to the door there.

  “I am hoping Rog and the rest of the crew have gone to watch the auction,” Sal said. “Otherwise this is going to require a very complicated explanation.” Sal opened the door and stepped in. There were two women just inside in what looked to Catherine like a pantry. When they saw Sal, both stepped back alarmed. Neither of them was the woman Catherine hoped was her mother. “Where’s the wine server?” Sal snapped at them. “The dark-haired older woman.” The two servants dropped their eyes.

  “She’s in the great room cleaning up,” one of the women answered.

  “Have the other pirates left?” Sal asked. Both women nodded and without bothering to thank them, Sal marched past while Catherine hurried after her. This is it, she thought with her heart racing. Somehow, through some crazy twist of fate, I may have found my mother. They burst into the room with the large table. No one was inside except for the woman they were looking for and when she saw them, she froze. Sal stopped and turned to Catherine. "Is this her?" she asked. Catherine did not answer but instead started walking toward the woman standing at the far end of the table with a dish in her hand. They stared at each other and slowly the stranger set the plate down and stepped in Catherine's direction.

  "You know me, don't you?" Catherine asked as they came to stand to face each other. She could read fear and confusion but also hope in the woman's eyes. Slowly, she nodded.


  “I can’t believe it, but I think I do,” she whispered. Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes and one ran down her cheek. Catherine felt pain in her chest when she saw it. All these years lost, she thought and felt her own tears coming.

  “When I was four, my mother was killed when a transport exploded,” Catherine said. “All souls were lost, or so I was told. So how can you be who I think you are?” The woman glanced cautiously at Sal and then looked back at Catherine. Resolve crossed her face.

  “We were boarded by pirates and kidnapped. They took us and then blew up the ship,” she explained. “They brought us here and made us slaves. I’ve been here, waiting and hoping somehow, someday, help would come.” She stepped forward and reached out to Catherine. “My prayers were answered, but not like I wanted. I never wished for you to become a pirate’s property.” Catherine took her mother’s outstretched hands and held on tight. “I’m your mother, Catherine,” the woman finished softly.

  “I knew,” Catherine said. “Somehow I knew.” The two of them embraced, the tears flowing freely now. For a minute, they just stood and held each other. Then Catherine heard Sal clear her throat from behind them.

  “Unbelievable,” Sal said. Catherine could tell the pirate was trying to be gruff, but there was a hitch in her voice too. “I hate to interrupt this moment for you, but we really need to get the hell out of here before the auction is over.” Catherine pulled back and wiped her face while her mother did the same. The mannerism was so similar Catherine choked out a laugh. My mother, she thought with wonder and grabbed her hand before turning to Sal.

  “We need to get to the spaceship,” Catherine said. “And wait there.” Sal nodded and started toward the exit of the building. Catherine’s mother resisted.

  “What’s happening?” she asked. “Where are we going?” Catherine looked back and smiled at the woman she had not seen for so long.

  “We are going to go home,” she said. There was a pause and Catherine could see the woman who was her mother could not believe it. “Just trust me,” Catherine added. A determined look came into her mother’s eyes and she nodded.

  "I do," she said and together they ran after Sal. The pirate was already at the back door and looking out to check for anyone walking nearby. When the coast was clear, she led them quickly to where the spaceships were parked. The Avalon Mercury's gangway was still down and the three women hurried toward it. Sal slowed at the base as Catherine and her mother started up. Seeing the pirate pause, Catherine stopped.

  “You’ve got to come with us,” she said. Sal shook her head.

  “I can’t,” she said. “I have things to finish here.” She waved Catherine away. “Now go. Hide and wait for your Ranger. I know that is the plan.” Catherine walked back down the gangway to stand in front of Sal. She looked into the woman’s eyes and saw a mix of feelings reflected there but mostly she saw regret. Catherine impulsively reached out and touched Sal’s face.

  “Thank you,” Catherine said. Sal froze at the touch and Catherine saw the woman search her face before taking the hand in her own and gently kissing Catherine’s palm.

  “No, thank you, Catherine Porter,” she said and turned to go without another word. Before she was even out of the landing zone, an explosion sounded on the far side of the settlement. It reverberated through the air and Catherine’s heart nearly stopped. Nat! she thought. Sal apparently came to the same conclusion.

  “I’m so going to kick her ass,” Sal said as she broke into a run. “She started without me.”

  CHAPTER 29

  NAT

  The force of the concussion when the cloaking tower’s transformer blew was more than Nat expected and it knocked her onto her ass. Not to mention making my ears ring like hell, she thought as she shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Shooting the box with a full blast from the plasma gun she took from Gruden seemed like a good idea. She just had not considered the back blast and realized she was lucky to be alive. The other unfortunate side effect was the loud noise it made when it exploded. Any second now she expected pirates to descend upon her position and she knew it was time to exit stage right. Unfortunately, when she went to stand up, her left leg buckled precariously. I must have twisted the knee when I was thrown backward. Not good. Forcing herself up, she hobbled to the edge of the concrete base of the now sparking tower and ducked down to assess the damage. Looking at her pant leg, she saw there was more damage than just a sprain. A piece of shrapnel was lodged there. The wound throbbed as she pressed the spot with her fingers to decide if she could pull it free and the pain made her head spin. It did not take her long to figure out she was now in a particularly bad spot and as if she willed them into appearing, Nat heard the sounds of pirates approaching on the run.

  Nat checked her plasma gun and got ready to battle. I am a warrior, she reminded herself and using the element of surprise to her advantage, waited until the voices were close before she rolled out from cover, aimed at her attackers, and fired. The closest two were easy shots and Nat dropped them with satisfaction. Her third shot went wide and the pirate was able to retreat back behind the edge of a domed building to return fire of his own. Keeping her head down, Nat moved back out of sight. More blasts hit the concrete near her and, even worse, she heard more shouts of other enemies coming. Looking around, Nat knew her only chance was to try and get to the jungle to hide among the trees, but the minute she went to rise, her knee shot pain through her. Putting weight on it was a problem. I guess it’s time to belly crawl, she thought, but first Nat knew she had to drive them back or they would overrun her position before she made it.

  As more blasts started to pound against the concrete base, Nat took a deep breath and made ready to roll out from cover again to return fire. Three quick shots, then she would roll back and start crawling. Waiting for a lull in the barrage, Nat began to move when another gun sounded. It was from further to the right and Nat worried for a second one of the pirates was flanking her to get a better angle. Knowing she had to focus on the new threat first, Nat forced her throbbing leg under her and shifted only to see a sight she would have never imagined. Sal was here and with a plasma gun in each hand, she was blasting the crap out of the pirates who had Nat pinned down. Inspired, Nat rolled out from behind the concrete as well and opened up on her attackers. More of them fell and after a minute, Nat could see they were either dead or had fled.

  “Way to go, superhero,” Sal said with a shake of her head as she jogged up to Nat. “You had to go and blow up the damn thing.” Nat pulled herself into a sitting position.

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said as Sal knelt beside her and looked at the knee. Without asking, she reached down and yanked the piece of metal sticking out of Nat’s flesh and then tossed it away. Nat was so surprised, she did not have time to scream, but the aftershock of the pain had her rolling over to puke in the dirt.

  “You bitch,” she said when she was done spitting out the last of the bile. “When this is done, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “Fine, but right now I need you to get up and run. I think you did the trick taking down the stealth field over this settlement, but it does no good if we can’t radio out for backup,” Sal said as she slipped an arm under Nat’s shoulders to help lift her. “You ready?” Nat nodded and between the two of them, got her up. Limping, but thankful the shrapnel was out of her leg, Nat was able to keep up with Sal as she led across the clearing.

  “Where are we going?” Nat asked.

  “Back to your ship,” she answered. “You can call from it at the same time as getting the hell out of here.” Nat liked the sound of her plan until she realized Sal had not said “we.”

  "You're going with us," she insisted, but Sal did not bother to answer. "I'm serious, Ranger," Nat said. "I am ordering you to escape with us." Before Sal could respond one way or the other, Colton, the captive who helped Nat escape, came running at them. Nat realized the slave auction must have fallen apart when the transformer blew and s
hooting started. The boy was armed with a plasma gun and training it right at Sal. "Colton!" Nat yelled as she and Sal stopped in their tracks. "Hold your fire." Colton held up but his whole body shook.

  “They killed my parents,” he cried. “And she was going to kill me. So now it is my turn.” With no choice, Nat thrust herself between Colton’s gun and Sal to block him. The boy’s face turned furious.

  “Get out of the way,” he said. Nat shook her head.

  "I won't until you hand me that weapon," she told him. "This woman is a Space Ranger who has been undercover as a pirate. She is not your enemy and would not have shot you." Nat was not so sure the last sentence was true, but she forced it out of her mind for the moment. Colton waivered.

  “We’re wasting some valuable time here,” Sal said. “Either shoot me or don’t but make it quick.”

  “You’re not helping, Sal,” Nat said, but she could see indecision on the teenage boy’s face. Nat held out her hand. “Give me the gun and come with us. I’m about to fly us all out of here and the Space Rangers will be on their way to rescue everyone else.” Slowly, Colton lowered his weapon, but before he could hand it over, plasma blasts landed in the dirt near them.

  “We got company,” Sal said and turned to return fire. Nat grabbed Colton by the arm and with Sal laying down cover for them, the three managed to get to the holding area where all the spacecraft were waiting. As they approached, Nat watched the gangway descend. Please let that be Catherine who was watching for us, she thought. In answer, she saw the woman come out the open door and run toward them.