"But--"
"Now!"
"What about dad?"
"I've got him," I assure her as I grunt to roll him onto the thick blanket. "Why do the trill have to be so heavy. Your muscles are like rocks," I complain to stop myself from freezing in panic. I have to keep moving. "Go!"
Faith rushed off as I pulled Yueril across the floor with the blanket.
"Almder is going to murder us for this." I knew he'd say she wouldn't murder me or Faith, so I replied like he had. "You are not allowed to use that as an excuse to stay in hibernation forever. You've come back from worse. I don't want to hear that you never fully healed from your glands melting. That's just how getting old works, you know that."
It felt better to believe he could hear me, even if he couldn't. I had to believe he could so I could keep moving, keep pulling, keep trying.
Tears stung my loh as they steamed up from even a moment of thinking I'd lost him. "You are not allowed to leave me. You promised together, and if you're quitting now then that makes you a damned liar."
I knew that would make him angry. Angry was better than dead. He was a man of his word, and being called a liar was the worst insult I could say to him. Let that sink in and let that anger keep you here with me. Prove those words wrong, my rock, my love.
I made it out to the launch site, surrounded by a tarnpul pit, built to contain the explosion of sending the satellites into orbit. At the edge, I wedged Yueril into the safety zone and wraped him up in the blanket for added protection from activating the link.
Faith should be in the bunker by now, along with Loric.
I opened the control panel, and turned the crank that opened the programming slab. It would be as simple as removing the safety chip. The satellite will activate the initiation sequences as soon as it links up with the rest of the program. Without this program in place, the whole network will activate, and the only way to stop it would be to destroy this one satellite, which will happen automatically as soon as the radiation field reaches its limits and burns up the very hardware that is controlling it. Every single satellite will need to be repaired after this.
So many lives will be lost.
I whimpered.
"Who am I to play goddess, my love?"
My fingers hestitated to remove the hardware, when I saw a huge light explode from above, then a wave of wind blew through my hair, shaking my very bones as I held onto the satellite for support.
A shadow darkened the sky of the moon as too many battle ships blotted out the stars. They were destroying the net!
I pulled the hardware out and quickly cranked the heavy protective shield back in place then closed the control panel. My hand triggered the launch codes on the panel manually.
The satellite geared up and I prayed I wasn't too late. Did my hesitation mean the end of the estrelds and the krelins?
The vibration of the launch sequence under my toes as I pushed myself to run for the safety beyond the tarnpul platform.
I'm coming Yueril!
Wait for me, I pleaded as I felt the force of the launch blow me off my feet from behind. My body flew through the air, as heat burned my loh faster than it could absorb it. Fingers twitched as I reached out hoping I had made it far enough to be safe from the radiation net when it burned up the atmosphere above us.
Chapter twenty-two
Li-aq
"Son,we'vehadtoretreat," my commander's voice pierced through my mind. "You'll survive the molt fever, you have to. I know I've been tough on you, but no one can know how important you are. No one can know that you are the spawn of Queen Sarak. You are my spawn, and you will survive this. I don't have much time, they will be looking for me, but this ship will protect you as you heal."
The whirring of an engine made the images of my surroundings fuzzy. My kan ached from the interference.
"Queen Kai is protecting our species. Sending those with molt fever to die in a blaze of glory, while also securing her own clan's future. You will return to Krelis and work your way up her trusted ranks. Mate with the queen if necessary. You are the last direct spawn of Queen Sarak and you must only spawn with a queen. Do you hear me son? You will spawn a new hive and rebuild Hive Sarak. Do not fool around. There is only one krelin who knows who you are. Find her. Domsal."
When I said nothing, he repeated, "Domsal. Say the name, boy!"
I felt the sting of a hand slapping against the wound on my face from where the estreld dug out my flesh.
"Say the name!"
