“We need to hold on,” Maureen urged, hurrying to the wall as well, bracing herself. “What the fuck is going on?” she wondered aloud.
Victor was nearby, sprawled on the deck, but he scrambled to his feet in a flash.
“This is our chance,” he said, then hurried to the wall right beside one of the doors, a murderous look in his eyes.
“Maureen, what’s he doing?” Darla asked, pointing at the thick-necked man lying in wait.
Maureen steadied herself and turned to look. “Oh, shit. This won’t be good.”
She got her feet solidly underneath herself and prepared to make a run for him, ready to do whatever she could to keep Victor from doing something stupid and making things even worse, or possibly even getting them all killed. She was about to move when an alien-shaped blur flew across the compartment, crossing the distance in an impossibly short time.
Heydar loomed over Victor, staring angrily at him. “What do you think you are doing?” he snarled.
Amazingly, Victor managed to find his manhood and voice at the same time. “What’s it look like I’m doing?” he shot back. “I’m waiting for those bastards to come check on us. And when they do,Pow! I’m gonna take them down in the confusion and get the hell out of this place.”
The alien looked around, pausing a moment on Darla and Maureen. He sighed and turned his attention back to the much smaller man.
“You realize you are aboard a Raxxian ship, do you not?” he said.
“Obviously.”
“And you would overpower a pair of guards and do what, exactly? We are in space.”
“Make a run for it. There’s got to be an escape pod or something. And if not that, I don’t know. I’ll make a go at the command center.”
Heydar shook his head as if scolding a child.
“Do you even know how to fly a vessel such as this?”
“Well—”
The ship rocked and bucked, shaking hard. A wave of nauseating power flooded the compartment, making even Heydar look a little queasy. Darla and Maureen managed to keep their meals in their stomachs, but at least half of the humans were not so lucky, including Victor.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up tall by sheer force of will, locking eyes with Heydar once more.
“I’m getting us out of here with or without you. Are you going to join me, or do you like being a Raxxian pet?”
Heydar shook his head, but was clearly processing the options. “Do you even know what that was?” he asked.
“Felt like something blew up on the ship.”
“That was a Grommix attack pulse, and at relatively close range. And this craft? It is a mere transport ship.”
“So?”
“So, that means it is decently shielded, but lacks both the speed and firepower needed to combat so formidable an adversary.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is, we are in a holding cell. Raxxians keep livestock in central windowless compartments as a rule. They are designed to be able to be interchanged with other units from other ships if needed.”
“Great, we’re in the middle of the ship. That doesn’t change anything.”
“But it does. This is a safe place. At least, as safe as one could hope for in such an encounter.”
Victor puffed up his chest in a display of bravado. “You may be worried, but I’m not about to give up this chance to play it safe. I’m not worried about my safety.”
“Clearly not.”
