“Yourpeople did this to me.”He jerks a finger to his cybernetic arm.“They use no anesthetic, and after they took my arm, they left me in a cell to bleed out.I only survived because the Volderen Council sent a rescue team.”
Damn.I can’t even imagine the pain he must’ve felt.No wonder he’s so angry.
“I’m sorry, Kael.On behalf of all the good humans, and trust me—most of usaregood—I truly am sorry for your pain.”I reach out and give his real arm a gentle squeeze.
After three seconds, he pulls away from my touch and refocuses on the drone feed.“You have nothing to be sorry for.You were not there.However, hearing you speak, looking at your face, brings up those horrible memories, and I do not know how to make them go away.There is this dark place in my heart and in my mind that whispers I should finish what XVU started, that I am only a burden, that I am weak, that I am unworthy of the Volderen race.”
There’s such pain in that last sentence, that I’m unable to let him suffer in silence.I press my face against his back and wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.“You arenotalone, not right now, and you are not weak.You could’ve given up since you’ve been here, but you haven’t.That tells me you’re brave, that despite what you think, deep down you want to live, to heal.”
His chest rises and falls, but he doesn’t step away or lash out at my touch.
The muscles of his back press against my chest.He’s warmth and light in a cold and desolate world.“I wish I could take away your pain.”
With a deep inhale, he pivots around, forcing me to let go.When his attention lands on my face, he presses his lips in a tight line and leans his neck down, his mouth close to mine.He searches my eyes.His whitish-silvery hair falls on either side of his cheeks, brushing his shirt.Carefully, his eyes locked on mine, he lifts a hand, the veins pulsing beneath his skin with a bluish glow, and traces a fingertip along my eyebrow.
The touch sends a tingling rush through across my skin, raising the hair on the back of my neck.I close my eyes as his touch lights a fire deep in my core.I may be about to die, but there’s something about him that makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before.
The pressure of his fingertips disappears.
I exhale and open my eyes, bringing myself back to the moment.
He steps back a couple of steps and raises his other wrist with the lifecord and points at the screen.“There.In that ravine is the skirmisher.”
Okay, I guess we’re going to pretend that whatever that was didn’t just happen.
With a mental shake in my head, I ignore the heat in my cheeks and stare at the live feed.The ravine he mentioned seems to be about a hundred feet deep.At the narrow bottom, though, lies a Volderen skirmisher.Its design, more rounded than what I’ve seen on Mars, reminds me of the old alien movies I used to watch with my dad.
Kael activates something on his lifecord, and a clear film crawls from his boots, up his legs and toward his head, finally encapsulating his entire body.Volderens don’t refer to it as a space suit, though.The Volderen word for it issedurraI,which basically means a cocoon or encapsulation.
“Man, my people could really use that technology.I’d be able to stay on Mars’ surface much longer to get language samples.”
He nods toward me.“Everything good with your…” A line forms between his brow.“Your, uh, spaceman clothes?”
I laugh as I clamp the lifecord prototype on my wrist, then reseal the glove and forearm section to protect my oxygen supply and pressure.“Pressure suit, or even space suit.In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a man.”With a quick press on my collar, my helmet slides out into sections as its shape conforms to my skull.When the maglock seals with a snap, I look at him through the visor and shake my head, still amused by what he said.We must look like barbarians to them.
He opens the outer door, then peers at me from over his shoulder.“Yes, Ihavenoticed you are female.”With that, he marches outside.
Not sure how to take that at all.Unlike a human from my world, reading a Volderen’s face, especially his, is like trying to read a book backwards.Oh well, at least he doesn’t seem as angry, but he’s definitely a grump.
5
Chapter 5
Theravineyawnslikea wound in the earth.Sickly green mist coils upward from the depths.My stomach knots, but I force my voice to be steady.“I’ll go.”
Kael’s head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing.“Why?”
“I’m smaller, faster.If that skirmisher has what we need, we can’t waste time arguing, not when the next earthquake could bury it.”I step toward the edge, my boots crunching on brittle stone.The mist curls around my ankles.
“Ellie.”His tone is a warning, sharp enough to cut.“That ravine is toxic.One breath without proper filtration and your lungs will melt.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have my own oxygen supply.”I flash him a grin.Fear claws at my ribs, but if I let it win, I’ll never get back home.“Besides, I know how much you want to get rid of me so you can die alone like a fool.”
Through his clear, protective suit, he opens his mouth as if to argue, then closes it as quickly.His eyes slide from mine and he turns, bending to the lip of the opening and pushing a small rod into the ground.“Use this.”He pushes a button, and it burrows into the dirt and a cord shoots out.Deftly, he catches the metal end and motions toward me.“Come here.”
Unable to contain my curiosity, I move closer.
He nods at me.“This is a safety harness that’ll allow you to descend.Hold up your arms.”
