Page 12 of The Warrior's Oath
“Because, unlike your kind, I possess the markings of all who live within the Dotharian Conglomerate. And as a soldier, I have received certain specialized runes that enhance other abilities. Sight, for one.”
“You’re saying you’ve got bionic eyes?”
“What isbionic?”
“You’ve gotsupervision?” she clarified.
“Compared to a basic such as yourself, yes, I suppose you could say that.Iwould not phrase it as such, but one coming from your primitive culture might.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?Primitive? And did you just call mebasic?”
“I mean no disrespect. It is just a statement of fact. The runes are not part of your world, and as a result you are simply not as advanced as those in the Dotharian Conglomerate.”
“You are such a dick,” Nyota snarked with an agitated glare.
Korvin ignored her comment and picked up his sling pack of salvage. “Come. This way.”
Nyota was angry but bit her tongue. Much as this man was an antagonizing prick, he was also the reason she would survive on a potentially hostile alien world. The simple fact was, he remained her best chance at maybe, just maybe, finding a way home. With no other options before her, she fell in behind him as he headed off down the hillside.
It was a long walk, as he had said it would likely be, but at least the terrain was working in their favor for the time being. Relatively flat and with the trees and shrubbery spread out far enough to make their trek fairly straightforward, Nyota found she was able to keep up with her alien guide with ease.
The trees in this area were leaner than before. Their trunks were tall and slender, with a thin white bark that peeled off like paper when she brushed against it. The inside was faintly violet colored, and she found that if she pressed her nail on the outer part, the indentation would show as violet on the white surface. Almost like a natural writing surface.
She thought about a message in a bottle, so common on her own planet. But she had no bottle in which to put one, and even if she did, she would have to launch it into space rather than set it adrift on the tide.
A flare of panic rushed through her body.I’m alone. Like really alone, stuck on another world.Her adrenaline pumped through her body, the realization that there would be no rescue clear in her mind. Her own kind couldn’t even get to the moon reliably. Finding her in another solar system was not even remotely an option.
Keep it together, Nyota. Freaking out isn’t going to help.
She took a deep breath and forced her pulse to slow, at least a little bit. She would just have to make the most of the situation day by day and leave it at that. Panic was not going to do her any favors.
Korvin, on the other hand, seemed utterly calm as he walked in silence, focused on their path and keeping them roughly on course as they made their way around the few obstacles that lay in their path. Craggy outcroppings and wider streams were easy enough to circumnavigate so long as one was able to remain oriented to their original course.
They didn’t speak so much as a word for six hours, pausing only to drink from a clear spring then get moving once more as soon as their thirst was sated.
It wasn’t until the late afternoon that they came upon the first pieces of debris scattered around the woods. Small, burned patches surrounded the most damaged of them, their orange-hot metal igniting the undergrowth where they struck down.
But the woods were lush and there was little dry fuel, preventing the small fires from growing into a full-fledged blaze.
Korvin stopped and squatted down, prodding a piece of twisted metal. He lifted it, turning it over in his hands.
“Do you still have doubts?” he asked rhetorically.
“Fine, you were right.”
“Of course I was. The compartment should not be much farther. We can easily make it there while it is still light out.”
With that he stood tall and set off with long strides.
“Hey, wait up!” Nyota called after him, hurrying to keep pace.
Korvin’s body had a different posture now. More tense, but also fluid, if that was possible. As if he was on alert and ready for a fight but somehow making his muscles stay loose while being primed for action.
Nyota, on the other hand, was feeling the wear on all her body from her head to her feet. It had been a long day, she was still concussed, and picking up the pace when she was already this tired was putting a fair bit of strain on her already taxed limbs.
The alien turned and looked at her, letting out a frustrated sigh. He was annoyed, but he slowed his pace despite his clear desire to move faster. Even so, they still reached the edge of a flattened section of forest in less than an hour. Korvin held up his hand, signaling Nyota to stop and stand quietly.
Crouching low, he crept forward, carefully parting the foliage and peering out upon the landing site. He turned his head, scanning the area for a solid minute before pushing ahead into the clearing.
