Page 77 of Made For The Alien Warrior

“Your…shotarois missing.”

No wonder he felt such pain. Without the shotaro, healing would be a slow, arduous process. He would need to remain in the sacred damas or return to it often in order to keep his body functioning.

Helplessness settled on him, making his chest tight. How could he protect Sim-pony if he were doomed to live in the sacred damas for the rest of his days?

“Can I return to the landing point to look for theshotaro?” he asked quietly.

“I can ask your comrades to look, but I am certain wild beasts must have long sniffed it out and taken it for a meal.”

Tiegan squeezed his eyes shut.

“It must have been hanging off the dagger after penetration and fallen off. With the severe damage, it would not have been workable anyway.”

“Your words are not very encouraging,” Tiegan said darkly.

“There is always a way.”

“Thereisno way,” he snapped. “Shotarocan only be provided by next of kin. It so happens that I have no brother or father to speak of. I am doomed to live this way.” Something dark balled in his throat. He breathed deeply, grappling with his emotions.

Sim-pony, is this how you felt when you first lost your arm?

Without hisshotaro, he would be forced to rely on the sacred damas. An existence with limitations required more strength than Tiegan had.

Indeed, it was not those who had all advantages that were truly brave, but those who fought with challenges. Those were the true champions. Did he have the courage Sim-pony had to face a lifetime where he needed to depend on others to function?

“Perhaps I should not see her,” Tiegan mumbled.

“Sim-pony?”

“If this is the life I must lead, I do not wish to burden her. There are plenty of males,” he choked. Every molecule in his body resented these words, but he forced them out anyway. “There are many who would willingly take her to mate. She may find her happiness with them.”

“Bull!” A fierce voice rang out.

Tiegan jolted, almost sinking into the water again. The Healer hurried forward and tapped his back.

“You must rest easy, Tiegan, or you will sink.”

“My apologies,” Tiegan mumbled. He could only stare at the ceiling and listen as Sim-pony’s aggravated footsteps drew near.

“Do you think I’m that weak, Tiegan? Or maybe you think that I’m some delicate flower just because I have a nano-arm?”

“That is not it at all,” Tiegan murmured, wishing he could see Sim-pony’s face rather than the cold cave ceiling.

“I am not leaving you even if you lose a foot, an arm or an eyeball. So stop wasting your breath on stupid talk and let’s figure this out together.”

Liquid gathered in the corner of Tiegan’s eyes, though he did not let it fall. “Sim-pony, the dagger that tore through me did more than gut a hole in my flesh. It wrenched out myshotaro.”

“Your what?”

“It is like a human lung,” another voice said. “An important part of the Plutonian make-up. Without it, living as normal would be impossible.”

Tiegan recognized the voice as that of the Plutonian who’d saved them. Once again, he was struck by the familiarity of the tone, but he could not place it.

“Look, I don’t care what that dagger tore out of you. It’s not the end of the world. I’ve got an arm made of alien nano-bots. Therehasto be a way to replace his shot—whatever it is.”

“The only way to fix it,” the Healer said, his voice low and knowing, “is for an exchange ofshotarofrom a next of kin.”

“You mean like a kidney transplant?” Sim-pony asked.

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