The general reacted once his personal guards had fallen, grabbing the nearest person he could lay hands on to act as a human shield. In this case, aliteralhuman shield, as Darla wound up in his clutches. Shalia saw the look in Heydar’s eye. It had been one of decisive violence of action up until this point. Now a flash of rage shone through, bright and hot.
“Stay back! Don’t even think of?—”
Heydar snatched up a heavy mug and whipped it hard across the arena without hesitation. It hit the general’s head hard enough for those all the way on the other side of the dining hall to hear the sickening crack. The general went limp, hitting the deck. Heydar rushed to his woman’s side, and Shalia couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her chest at the intensity of his reaction, his love and care for this human woman he’d only so recently met.
“Are you harmed?” he asked, his hands resting on her shoulders, concern bright in his eyes, along with something even more visceral.
“I’m fine,” Darla said, but Heydar heard the tone in her voice.
Darla was okay, but she waspissed. And that meanthewas as well.
He nodded and hurried to finish off the guards still conscious, just in case they had any hopes of rising. He then returned to her and handed her one of their guns.
“You and the other women remain here. Bind the ones who still draw breath but are merely unconscious, including the big fellow. His loyalties are questionable. And be sure to gag them all.”
The quiet woman with deep green hair and velvety brown skin kicked the nearest Dohrag with impressive force for someoneher size. “What about the wounded?” she asked, murder in her eyes.
Heydar sized her up in a glance and gave a sympathetic nod. He knew the Dohrag ways.
“Do with them as you please,” he replied, gathering up multiple bladed weapons and a Dohrag rifle. “We will handle the rest. Kuxx, the rest of you. With me.”
The blue man with the bright red eyes hurried to his side. Kuxx, clearly. He glanced at the carnage Heydar had wrought, an impressed smile pulling his lips upward. Shalia met his gaze once more, and with all the adrenaline buzzing through all of them, she couldn’t help but feel a warm tingle in her belly.
Fight, flight, or fuck, it seemed nature inspired similar reactions regardless of species, and dodging death left them all with their senses running on high.
The other men gathered quickly, handing out the blades among themselves, ready for a silent run through the compound. Without any further hesitation they quietly stepped out into the night, eager for violence. The beasts were out of their cages, and the Dohrag would be paying the ultimate price.
6
The night had been bloody, violent, and a shock not only to the brutal Dohrags who had abruptly drawn their last breath, but also the prisoners who found themselves suddenly free without any warning or fanfare. One minute they were locked in their barracks after a hard day of work, just like any other night, the next a group of gore-streaked captives were standing in the doorway telling them they had been liberated.
Many doubted them at first, fearing it was some cruel Dohrag joke. But the sight of the guards’ bodies quickly confirmed that no, this was, in fact, really happening.
There had been some milling around, and a few of the men had wanted to tear up the general’s quarters. Heydar put a quick stop to that. No looting. No destruction. Nothing that would make the facility look anything out of the ordinary. They were free tonight, but tomorrow they would have to deal with the shuttle, and everything had to look in its place.
The realization that more Dohrags would be coming in the morning caused some to flee into the night. That was not a wise decision, given the perils they would face running off unprepared, but no one was about to step in their way. They were free, and that meant they could risk their lives if that was their decision.The rest of the camp simply processed the situation as best they could and went to bed with the doors to their barracks left open for the first time they could remember.
The majority of them slept well, free men and women, one and all, and in the morning they made their way outside, where the de facto leader of this uprising was waiting for them to gather. Shalia had gone first thing, anxious to hear the plan. Kuxx was there by Heydar’s side, and once again his gaze met hers. This time, however, with a more relaxed, but equally interested look.
“Thank you all for coming,” Heydar began when a large crowd had finally gathered. “The general is dead.”
“What about the guards?” someone shouted out.
“Most of them. Those who live are securely locked away. We are free. But that could change. We are not done here. Not yet. There are more Dohrags to deal with. As you all know, we can expect the Dohrag shuttlecraft to visit us this afternoon.”
“Unless someone was able to get warning to them before you took them out,” Kuxx said with a little chuckle. “Given how banged up the few survivors are, I seriously doubt any managed it. So, what would you have us do, Commander?”
“Do not call me that. I am not your commander. Just a man who did what was needed.”
“Regardless, these people respect you. And we need direction to function as a cohesive unit. You are the obvious choice.”
Shalia watched Heydar’s expression as he mulled over the man’s words. He didn’t want the job, that was clear, but there was a looming threat that someone had to step up to address. Unfortunately, with objective eyes he could see he was the logical choice.
“Very well,” he said with a resigned sigh. “Gather the remaining bodies and strip them of any useful items, then bury them. We will need men of roughly the same size and build as the Dohrags to wear their uniforms and armor to greet the shuttle when it lands.”
“On it,” a man with dark burgundy skin that looked like cracking tree bark said, moving to action.
Heydar held up his hand. “Wait. There is more.” He turned to the men and women representing the other labor groups. “I know this will be distasteful, and I am sorry, but the shuttle will be arriving from the air. If the fields are empty, they will know something is wrong.”
