And speaking of trouble, where is Trinh? Standing directly in front of the roaring, crazed male, placing herself between him and the elevator he is trying to reach.
Increasing my speed, I run past the female pilot, sprinting at full speed, trying to reach Trinh before she gets herself injured. Sliding on the slick floor, I place my body between Trinh and the struggling man.
“What is happening?” I demand in my most commanding, sternest voice.
“I’m gonna fucking kill him!” the man yells.
“Who?”
Sara darts in from the side, yanking Trinh out of the immediate danger. I spare a grateful glance at her retreating back.
“That fucking alien. That Earth First piece of shit in your prison cell. He destroyed my little brother’s life. Motherfucker!” he rages.
He must be referring to Vorto.
“Harrison, you’re not making any damn sense,” one of the pilots holding the man shouts. “Why are you freaking out? What the hell, man?!”
I hold up a placating hand to the fighting pilot. He seems to calm somewhat when he sees that I am going to address him.
“I understand your fury, but you can’t attack him.”
The ding behind me announces an arriving elevator. As the doors slide open behind me, the man renews his struggles. Rushing forward, I throw myself into the jumble. Rage is a potent motivator because despite everyone’s collective efforts, the entire group slides forward as he fights to reach the elevator.
“Enough!” roars out from behind me, the sound reverberating throughout the entire hall. The bellow is so overpowering, I can feel it vibrating in my bones. Thankfully, the thunderous yell causes everyone in our struggling pile to freeze.
“Explain,” General D’Annon says icily.
The pilot begins babbling about evil aliens who hurt his brother. His need for revenge and anger overwhelm all other scents in the area so that I have to repress the urge to rub my nose to rid it of the acrid scent.
Chancellor L’Forn steps up next to D’Annon and stares dispassionately at the man who is only now calming down enough that I risk loosening my grip on his arms.
“I see,” L’Forn says slowly. “Come with me, and we can discuss your grievances. We obviously cannot allow you access to the prisoner, especially considering your current state. You can either come with us to calmly discuss what happened with your brother, or you can be escorted off the ship and back to your base on Earth. Your choice.”
Harrison visibly deflates. His fellow pilots slowly let him go, then help him to his feet when he doesn’t attack.
“Fine,” the male says tersely.
“Follow me,” L’Forn says, striding away without looking to see if he follows.
The other male pilots follow on Harrison’s heels, hovering close in case he loses control again. Several members of the command council trail after the group until only the female pilot is left behind with D’Annon and I. Glancing at me, she rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed and unimpressed with her fellow servicemen. With a shrug, she turns to follow the subdued group.
“Are you okay?” D’Annon quietly asks his mate.
“I’m fine. We were never in any danger from that guy. He just wanted to get to Vorto,” Sara explains, shifting herself under one of D’Annon’s arms.
D’Annon sighs deeply, tenderly tucking a lock of Sara’s hair behind her ear. “I have to deal with this. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
“General,” I say. “I will stay with them if you’d like. I need to talk to both of them and find out what happened anyway.”
“Thank you, my friend,” D’Annon says. He gives Sara a last hug, clearly reluctant to let his mate go. He clasps my shoulder in thanks as he passes by, following the trail of the disappearing group.
“What a shitshow,” I hear Trinh mumble from behind me. I twirl on my heel and point a stern finger at her. She makes a small ‘eep’ noise and tries to hide from me behind Sara. Although Trinh is tiny, Sara is even tinier and this looks like a naughty child trying to hide behind a sapling.
I’m aware that Trinh is using humor to lessen my ire. The thing is, it works. I can’t hold onto my annoyance when she is being so silly and adorable. Plus, although Trinh often ends up in the middle of trouble, she never intends harm. I watch as she peeks over Sara’s shoulder to see my reaction. I try to keep a stern face.
“I can explain. It’s not my fault,” Trinh says, her eyes barely rising over the hill of Sara’s shoulder. I watch as Sara tries to wipe a smile off her face, her eyes sparkling with humor. It gives me a sense of solidarity to see I am not the only one amused by Trinh and her antics.
