Page 39 of Across The Stars
“Zen can. Right Zen?”
“Correct. Please brace for emergency procedures,” Zen answered.
“What are emergency procedures?” I asked.
“There is a threat to my functions present. Emergency procedures dictate I take control to preserve the shuttle and its passengers.”
“What…”
Before I finished, the engines kicked on and filled the shuttle with a low hum. Sam and I scurried to a couple seats to strap in as it lifted off the docking bay floor and slammed into thehigh ceiling. We screamed, hanging on as Zen steered the shuttle toward the giant garage doors that led out.
“Dammit, Zen!” Sam yelped.
Guess no one ever said escape would be comfortable.
I was sure he was about to crash us right into the barrier when a violent explosion blew a hole right through the wall. There was no telling where it came from, but Zen launched the shuttle straight through the flames and into space, leaving the alien ship behind. It was the freighter all over again and we were once more escaping through a hole in a ship that was getting destroyed.
I felt like an absolute shit leaving Quinn on that ship, but with no idea what to do. I braced myself as the shuttle retreated, hoping that if I closed my eyes, everything would be better.
17: Vahko
The gek dropped the cargo section of their ship as soon as the Irlos fired a hole in it. I watched from the helm as a small, human shuttle slipped from the explosion and propelled itself away from the vessel.
“Hit their bridge,” I ordered Salukh.
Before he could fire, the gek ship slammed into a jump and disappeared. I pounded a fist on the back of Saluk’s chair and paced backward, bitter and stiff. Seeing a gek ship in person for the first time in many cycles made my blood boil and now that my second heart had begun to pump extra hormones through me, I was in danger of ripping into something or someone out of pure rage.
“At least the shuttle got out,” Salukh shrugged
“Their shuttles are automated in distress,” I said. “It could be empty now for all we know.”
“Nah, I’m reading two lifeforms.”
I perked up, glancing out into the black in search of the shuttle, but it was out of sight.
“Chase it down,” I ordered.
“Won’t be hard. They’re running on fumes after making that little jump just now. They’ll lose power in three, two... ok, two. They lost power.”
Salukh kicked the ship into a short jump and quickly caught up with the drifting shuttle. It was dark and with a little maneuvering, he hauled it into position and extended a dockingsuction to an emergency hatch on the side. I descended into the cargo bay, grabbed a helmet from a supply rack, and threw a frustrated hand against the door’s lock pad. It beeped, a vacuum of air whirring into the short tunnel leading to the shuttle. I stepped up to it, taking a deep breath. Sighing, I realized the shuttle was powerless. Not even emergency systems were online and manually opening their ship was the only option. Just then, I heard a pair of fumbling footsteps rush up behind me.
“I’m here!” Salukh said, taking position next to me with a heavy, metal bar in his hand. He waved it at me, nodding his helmet-covered head. “Forget something?”
“Just open it,” I said.
He stepped up, slamming the bar’s flat head into the seam of the hatch. He made a show of prying it open enough for me to slip my hands in and help. The door slowly slid open and as soon as a body could fit through, the roars of two defensive women echoed from inside. I looked up just as the figures rushed out of the darkness with metal tools in hand. Salukh stepped in, scooping up the smaller of the two figures with one arm.
“Whoa!” he said, ripping the metal tool from her grip.
She surrendered quickly, her body wavering with dizziness. The second woman charged me with a metal pipe. As soon as she swung, I reached up, grabbing the pipe in one hand, and tilting my head curiously at the blue-haired female struggling to pull it free. Innifer. The odds were slim and yet there she was. She griped, trying to yank her weapon away. As soon as I released it, her own momentum tossed her onto the ground.
“Ugh,” the other woman whined weakly. Salukh was lifting her more securely into his arms when I looked at her. “Are we gonna get probed?” she mumbled, absently tossing her arms around Salukh’s neck.
Innifer climbed to her feet, weapon still in her fist. Clearly, she didn’t recognize who we were. Or she was too deep in survival mode to think straight.
“Hey,” she said in a raw voice like she’d been screaming for hours. “Where are you taking her?”
I watched as her brows stitched with worry. My eyes panned down her body, sensing something was off by the sound of her pulse and the metallic scent of blood in the air. Looking at the floor, I noticed a pool of red around her left foot. I reached out, snatching the weapon from her.
