“We’re being fired on,” Dart calls out. “I suggest we get to the pods and use them to reach the planetoid’s surface. They won’t be able to pick us all off.”
“I don’t like the sound of being picked off.”
“I don’t like the sound of pods, but I’m not going to stay here, and you said you wanted some excitement, so…”
I shove Maggie ahead of me as the remaining warriors activate what look like tubes but I know to be escape pods, given my experience.
Having secured her into one, I go to mine. Dart steps into his and all which remains is his grin, rather like a Cheshire cat as the pod drops into space.
Leaving only me. The rocking motion of the vessel has ceased. Instead there is a steady ticking noise and a slow hiss of atmosphere escaping. I need to get in the pod. I need to get to Dante. But I am hesitating.
The last time I was in such a pod, I thought I was going to die. It hurtled me towards Vorostor, the outside flaming and the sounds of my screams deafening in my ears.
I didn’t die…but I swore never again. And now it is the only choice I have.
A crackling noise fills my ears before it resolves into a low, unpleasant hum.
“The human is here,” it says. “Welcome, Rosalie.”
It is the professor. He is waiting for me, down on the planetoid.
I’ve been running from everything my whole life. It’s about time I stopped running. It’s time for me to meet with chaos and for chaos to triumph.
“I’ll be seeing you,” I say out loud as I step into the pod, and it falls away from the ship, heading to the surface below.
DANTE
From the low level vibrations coming through the metal floor, we are not on a ship and not in space. They’re a similar frequency to those on Vorostor within our sectors. I have to hope it means there is a way out and our ships are still available to get back home.
But only once there is no longer any threat. I cannot return to Vorostor without being sure my Rosalie is safe from this enemy who thought it was a good idea to take Sarkarnii and bend them to their will.
So many have tried and failed. The Gonoz will be one in a long line of others who thought the Sarkarnii nothing more than growls and claws.
I have a mate, and I will protect her with everything I have.
I have a crew, and I have sarkarnlings who I will protect with everything I have.
It’s time to use the chaos.
It’s time for the universe to understand the Sarkarnii belong to the Sarkarnii.
I feel a jump in the vibrations, as if something has interrupted them. It could be anything, but I need to find the source of the power for this place and a way of stopping theGonoz, as well as finding how they’ve been mutating us, so it can be undone.
I slam into the walls as I make my way down the passage as if I’ve had far more ale-wine than is good for me.
“Dante.” The Gonoz’s voice comes over whatever comm system they use. “You do not need to damage yourself. We have your crew, and we have your mate. Come to us and we can talk.”
On the floor, one of the colored lines lights. The lights flow in one direction.
They have my mate?Impossible.
My Rosalie is safely back on Vorostor with the rest of my crew and the sarkarnlings. She is not here.
The Gonoz are lying, and if they think I’ll fall for it, they clearly think little of Sarkarnii intelligence.
My final ricochet bears fruit in that I hear a hollow ring behind the metal. I throw out my arm, claws outstretched, and pull the sheet free, exposing the conduit inside. Without looking back, I shove myself into the opening and wriggle down inside, shifting and unshifting in order to make my way further and further into the bowels of this place.
Because you always find out more from the inside than the outside. It’s the only way to deal with spaceworms, as any good Sarkarnii knows.
