Page 60 of Alien's Challenge
“Ow, ow, don’t squeeze so tight,” Alice moaned.
“Tell me where you are injured.”
“I think I broke my hand. Maybe a rib. Something clocked me on the head.”
Yes, he visually cataloged those wounds.
“Where are you?” Perrigaul called from somewhere in the ship.
“Here! Alice is injured,” he shouted. Then, in a normal speaking voice, “Where is Rand? He was in here with you.”
“The stasis pod.”
Buried under fallen panels, hidden in shadows, the stasis pod glowed. His mate would have to explain how she tricked Rand into the pod, but that was a story for another day.
* * *
RemovingAlice was simply a matter of finding the most stable route and climbing out. The pod, however, took considerable effort and coordination to haul out. If it crashed into a few walls and had been dropped once, pods were sturdy and could take a fair bit of punishment. A few of Rand’s injured men were able to climb out under their own power. Faris ignored them and they stayed away from him. Good.
He tended to Alice’s injuries. She babbled as she cleaned the simple lacerations, and he feared that she suffered a concussion. He administered pain medication for larger injuries. Her hand might not have been broken, but her breathing was shallow and her torso hurt to the touch. The ribs likely had a crack.
Snow began to fall. They could not stay out in the elements for much longer.
“The ship is beyond repair,” Perrigaul said.
The wreckage carved a scar into the mountainside. The twisted remains were not suitable even for scrap.
“That is for the best.” It was time to leave behind his past. Owenfaris was no more, and it was time for Faris to shed the last remains of that male.
Faris kicked the stasis pod. Exposed to the sunlight, the capsule seemed harmless. Whydidhe even have such a contraption on board? Alice had been right to question its presence.
“We can sell him. He would fetch a good price from the right buyer,” he said.
Alice cradled her injured hand to herself. “As much as I hate him, no. Selling people is wrong, even for assholes.”
His mate had morals. So strange. “He would do the same to you without hesitation,” he said.
“Still doesn’t make it right,” she said.
Moral superiority would not keep her safe, he wanted to say. Perhaps he should have left the pod in the wreckage. Falling snow would cover it soon enough. If the pod was ever discovered, a scavenger could decide Rand’s fate.
“I believe there are many lucrative bounties out on Rand,” Perrigaul said.
A smile spread across his mate’s face. “I am absolutely okay with that.”
Justice was scarce on Reazus Prime, but Rand would get his fair share.
“You require medical attention. Rand will wait,” Faris said.
He retrieved the vehicle, loaded up his passengers and the pod into the back, and headed to the nearest settlement.
Alice sat next to him, her head resting against his arm.
“This is nice,” she uttered. That had to be the pain medication taking effect.
“It is a short journey,” he said.
“No, I mean this. Us. I love you and I even like Perrigaul.”
