Page 109 of Rebel Fates

She whimpers, but I sense she knows I have to do this. She might be young, but she’s very intuitive.

I make sure I’m still presenting physically as a human.

Then I walk out into pure chaos.

The protestors have jumped the gates and charge toward the melee like crazed Vikings, though I am not sure why. Through the crowd, I see the old astronaut leading them.

“Hey!” I yell.

He sees me coming clear of the ship and his eyes widen. He races over toward me and I ready my gun, just in case he sees me as the enemy.

“What is happening?” He looks to the ship, then to me.

“You were right,” I smirk. “Aliens are real.”

“But… what are you doing here?” He glances around.

We both watch as the protestors assault LunaTek employees. I find it odd that they aren’t attacking the Hathorans.

“Long story,” I say. “But I escaped and found some of the good aliens. I sort of married them and now we are here to stop this slaver scheme.” I point to the looming building.

“Oh, I didn’t know about you or the marriage.” He raises his eyebrows. “But I know about the invasion. Crax told me.”

“Crax?” My mouth drops open. “Youknowhim? My mate?”

“We’ve communicated before via an alien comms device I acquired from a military friend. Crax warned me about what was happening. Told us not to let anyone leave the facility.”

“Well, fuck.” I shake my head. “Small universe.”

We both chuckle.

“Gemma!” my name bellows, rattling my insides. I hear the cry with my ears as well through our developing bond.

I turn to see Crax, Zeek, and Rok looking frantic and pissed that I’ve snuck off the ship. They charge toward me. And Serrat is there in a heartbeat too.

They circle around me like a protection detail. All of them glare at the old man, assessing if he’s a threat.

“Who the frex is this?” Serrat demands.

“Crax! This is your friend, the astronaut,” I say quickly so they don’t attack him.

“Crax?” The old guy looks at him and then me. “I’m Tom Mayhew.”

My mate’s translator interprets what the old guy is saying, and Crax’s eyes light up. Then my mate looks at me. “You know him?”

“Yeah. I met him right before the Tirbs took me,” I explain.

Since Tom doesn’t have a translator implant, Crax says to me, “Tell him he is welcome to join the cause and oversee the dialogue between our people.”

I translate for Tom, and he says, “If I can take a joyride on one of your ships, that would be a dream come true.”

When my attention returns to our surroundings, I see that our forces have subdued and gathered all the LunaTek employees.

As a unit, we walk over to the sniveling crowd of assholes who sold off their fellow humans. I recognize the interviewer.

“Dr. Smith?” I call to him. “If that is your real name… please come forward.”

He swallows hard and looks like he might piss his pants. When he gets about fifteen feet in front of me, I lift my gun and point it at him.

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