Page 24 of The Warrior's Oath
Nyota sighed, shaking her head. “Of course. Just one more alien twist to this whole situation. So, what do we do? Do we run? Hide?”
“We wait here.”
“And then?”
“We see who is coming. Not all races are hostile. In fact, in the Dotharian Conglomerate, the majority are not. But prudence dictates we remain hidden until that determination can be made.”
“Okay, that makes sense. How long do you think?”
He squinted as he strained his senses. “They should be upon us very shortly.”
Nyota felt her heart speed up as a trickle of adrenaline entered her bloodstream. Korvin was confident, but this was all still utterly new to her. Without him leading the way she would be totally at the mercy of whoever—or whatever—stumbled upon her.
Sure enough, only a few minutes had passed before even her unaugmented human ears could hear the sound ofsomethinggrowing closer. A hum that she assumed was the drive system pushing the vehicle along. There were also voices, chattering away in what sounded like good spirits.
At least, she hoped they were.
Korvin stood up and strode out into the open roadway.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“It is safe to come out, but do keep your body covered.”
“You sure?” she asked, cautiously joining him.
“I am. These are Pahvlin traders. I recognize the vehicles as well as the sound of their chatter. They will give us passage to the nearest trading hub for a reasonable price. Once we are in a proper city, we can fully assess our situation and determine how best to continue our search for my general.”
“Okay, but just to be clear, these Pahvlin guys aren’t going to try to rob us, right?”
“They are traders, and that would give them a bad reputation, and reputation is crucial in their work. They are a very talkative race, and they strike a hard bargain, but they are good people. We will be perfectly safe in transit.”
“Sure, they’re all right. But what about once we reach this trading city you’re talking about?”
Korvin fell silent for a long moment before locking eyes with her. “On this world, I cannot guarantee that. But I am honor bound to protect you, Nyota of Earth. You have my oath. No harm will befall you under my watch.”
Here he was, filthy, bruised, wearing prisoner’s clothes, carrying a sack of scraps and salvage as their only currency, and pretty much unarmed, and yet Korvin was entirely confident in his ability to keep her safe. Cocky, and likely overconfident, but she at least admired his sense of honor.
“Thanks. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Indeed. I firmly believe the best fighting technique is to simply not engage in one in the first place,” he said as he waved his arms, drawing the attention of the approaching vehicles. The lead vessel slowed and came to a stop, the others behind it following suit.
It was a small convoy. Five mid-sized craft about fifteen meters wide by thirty long. They were open-top, loaded high with crates of their wares strapped in place by large cargo nets. And, as Korvin had said, they were floating on air about a meter above the ground.
The Pahvlin crew peered over the side at the tall Nimenni soldier. A trio quickly scrambled over the side and walked up to him, showing no trace of fear. They were bipedal, a bit round in the middle, with thick fingers and slightly elongated ears. They were much shorter than Korvin and had shockingly pink skin. To Nyota they looked almost as if they were made of bubblegum.
“Nimenni,” the leader of the group said to Korvin. “What are you doing out in these woods?”
“We have escaped Raxxian captivity,” he replied. “Perhaps you saw some of the sections of their ship come down in this area.”
“Oh, we saw them. Even got a few bits from one that blew apart on impact some ways from here.”
“You found salvage, then?”
“Hardly anything worthwhile.”
“There are certainly more craft. What of them?”
“Oh, not all the way out here. This region is not a good place for salvage.”
