Page 52 of Sawoots Story

Tasha’s loyalty to the crew is admirable, but I give them a less than ten percent chance to get out. Pretty soon the Aurelians are going to realize it isn’t just a computer glitch and they’re going to start to cause damage with their Orb-Blades. How long would it take them to get through blast doors designed to slow down Aurelians? Are we talking seconds, minutes or hours?

I want to be long gone by the time I find out.

We race together through the halls. My dress flows as I run, and our path takes us back to the diplomat’s quarters on our way.

I half expect the doors to be ripped open and Garrick’s triad to confront us.

Instead, the door is closed, shutting them off from me. There’s a hard banging from the door as Garrick pounds his meaty fists.

I should keep going. I shouldn’t hesitate…

“Open up!” Garrick’s voice booms out. My legs buckle. My body wants to obey. I’m drawn to them.

I can’t leave without saying goodbye. “I’m sorry, Garrick! I’ll miss you!” My heart wrenches as I yell through the huge blast doors. I cock my head at the rest of the crew to keep running, and the two of them leave me for a second.

I run my hands over the metal of the blast door, torn.

Whatever I do, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Tears come to my eyes. I’ve been putting on a hard front since I was a kid, doing whatever it took to survive in the harsh realities of the universe. With Garrick, for the first time in my life, I felt safe.

Through the reinforced steel doors I hear the unmistakable sound of an Orb-Blade activating.

I run.

We make the mad dash through the hallways. There’s no hesitation at the crossroads, even if both Tasha and I hadn’t made mental maps ofThe Instigator. Theme’s shut every door except the ones leading to the loading bay. Aurelians have quick reactions, and I’m sure none of them would have been crushed as the doors closed. There might be a couple triads near, but most will have multiple blast doors to get through to us.

As we run, there’s thumps like drums from Aurelians banging on doors. I hear the chilling sound of Orb-Blades coming online.

Aelon’s realized he’s going to lose his Mate, and he’s okayed them to rip through their own ship to get to us.

An Aurelian would stop at nothing to find his mate. None of the species would let her slip from them once found.

As long as Theme also knocked outThe Instigator’scommunications…we’ll have time to escape.

If he didn’t, we’re going to run into a fleet of Reavers ready to stop us. Reavers that need to be ready to defend against the Toad.

We get into the loading bay and our footsteps echo as we rush down the stairs. The air is thin, but recharging fast. It’s empty of Aurelians. Hastily dropped tools surround half-repaired Reavers, but there’s no dead Aurelians.

One less thing to put on my guilty conscience.

The loading bay doors are wide open to the vastness of space. It’s hazy looking through the airfield, but the massive moon and the huge bulk of Tarrion fill our view.

It feels like a lifetime and a second since we first stepped foot in this loading bay.

“Sawoot? Let’s see if that card works.” Tasha pulls me from my thoughts as we stand amidst the Reavers.

“On it, boss.” I eye the closest functional Reaver and scan my stolen card against the panel. The side doors hiss open on the beautiful, brutal ship. Reavers are elegant death, and they look like they are shaped of smooth marble, predatory angels that can go forever.

Tasha’s sentimental. She can’t help but walk to theWayward Scythe, the ugly, scrappy ship that’s gotten us through too many life-or-death gambles to count. She doesn’t waste too much time reminiscing, and I hop into the Reaver, getting my bearings, and extend my hand to help Theme inside.

The Reaver is built for a triad…

A triad of Aurelians, not human. Everything is sized up to the aliens. There are two gunning stations and a cockpit in the bridge, with a hallway that leads to three tiny rooms where Aurelians will sleep, and a small brig so they can take prisoners instead of executing them. There’s a fourth room that works as an extra bedroom, a small gym, and a kitchen and living area. These ships, though the smallest of the fleet, are equipped for long-term travel.

Back in the early Aurelian Empire, I’m sure the brig was often filled with potential mates, women crammed in to pleasure them on their long voyages.

It’s a sleek ship but capable of long journeys. You can take an Orb-Powered Reaver across galaxies without ever running out of fuel.

“I’ll take the controls,” she orders. “You two are on gunning duty. We’ve got to get out of here before the ships on that moon close the distance. We’ve got a good head start, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

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