Page 64 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
He’s fuming.
“How dare you mock my kind, stupid Human?”
“Oh, I’m not mocking your species. Just you, personally. Big difference. Anyway, Goulou’s on his way to help you clean up. Night, Nov!”
As I climb down, Goulou arrives with his usual calm. I know for a fact he pretends not to understand Nov’s rants—a tactic that’s blessedly reduced their volume.
Still, nothing beats his reaction to Nov’s anatomy during their first bath session. Gekkaris have internal sex organs. Nov… does not. Goulou’s still laughing about what he called the “twowrinkled fruits hugging a dancing vine.” It’s his favorite joke—but only when Nov’s not around to hear it.
Seriously, caring for a half-crippled Nov in a place with zero amenities is no easy task. So I’ll take every moment of laughter I can get.
Before joining my friends for dinner, I quickly check on my aeropod. I sent a message to Igor, who stayed behind on BN-22 when Logan brought me here. I told him everything—what happened on Vagantu, and my hunch that Logan was taken somewhere else. I begged him to find my brother, to tell him I’m safe on Gekkaria.
So far, no reply. But I know the message will take time to reach him.
I’ll wait. For as long as it takes.
16-Ayden
Vlad and I are struggling to recover from that nasty virus we picked up when we boarded that floating coffin without the proper protection. Lesson learned, the hard way. By the timewe made it back to base with our macabre discovery, we were already infected—and not just a little.
From the first symptoms, we knew something was seriously wrong. We were sick as dogs, unable to move without searing pain. Reaching the nearest base felt like surviving a battle.
Unsurprisingly, the doctors immediately threw us into quarantine. We were isolated in a small room set aside for exactly these kinds of situations.
Day one? The fever was unbearable. Our bodies were on fire, every movement a fresh torture. We couldn’t eat, barely kept water down.
Day two brought on muscle pain. Every inch of our bodies felt like it had been torched from the inside. Vlad was groaning in agony—I wasn’t any better.
The following days blurred into a haze of suffering. The coughing became relentless. Our lungs felt like they were ripping apart with each convulsion, as we hacked up this foul green sludge. Only a bit of sedation kept us from losing our minds completely while the serum kicked in. We lost all sense of time.
After more than ten days of pure agony, we finally started to feel a slight improvement. The fever dropped, the pain dulled, and the coughing became less violent. The overwhelming urge to sleep, though? Still going strong. Vlad and I have basically turned into larvae. The doctors told us we’re no longer in danger, but that recovery will be slow.
We’ve finally entered the final phase, according to the doc. We’re no longer contagious and have started getting a few visitors—not for long, though. We’re still weak as hell from the virus that nearly killed us.
“One of your friends is asking to see you,” says Helena, the gorgeous redhead who’s been our nurse this whole time.
I glance over at Vlad, who yawns so hard I think his jaw might dislocate.
“Up for a visit?” I ask.
“Why not? At this point, if the virus didn’t kill us, boredom just might.”
He’s not wrong. Being stuck in this tiny room together for this long has been... trying. And it’s not like we’ve had much entertainment in our more lucid moments.
“Let him in. Thanks, Helena,” I say with a small smile.
She gives us that killer grin of hers and walks out, her red hair swaying behind her. Vlad follows her with his eyes like a lost puppy.
A few seconds later, the door dematerializes again, and in walks Igor, grinning like a kid in a candy store.
“Hey, guys! You look like you’re having a blast in here,” he says, glancing around our shoebox-sized room.
“Oh, we’re living the dream,” Vlad mutters between yawns. “But with you here, maybe things’ll get interesting. What brings you?”
“I was in the area, heard you two found a solid excuse to kick back and do absolutely nothing, so I had to come check. And imagine my surprise when I find you under the care of a stunning redhead,” he adds with a nod toward the door Helena just disappeared through.
“Ah, Helena… If only she could hang out with us more often. She’s the sunshine in this miserable little room,” Vlad says, winking.
