A few more steps and he was in the cargo hold. It was barely large enough to lay claim to the name, and it was Domik’s personal domain. He swiped his wrist against the scanner pad next to the door, which opened with a blast of frigid air. They kept the cargo hold much cooler than the rest of the ship, on account of the plasma bombs that currently took up a significant amount of the available space.
As the weapons specialist, he maintained and used every weapon on this ship. The plasma bombs were Domik’s own personal prototype, changed from the standard Taurean design, and ready to be deployed in the war against the Xakul. In fact, most of the weapons used by the Taurean military were either designed or modified by Domik.
He strode into the space, pulling a tablet from the pocket on the side of his combat trousers and flicking through the screens until he found the one he was after. A quick survey of the bombs reassured him they were all in good condition, having suffered no ill effects of the transit from the Zataras’ armory to the shuttle.
Domik quickly got to work, loading the bombs into their chutes next to the cargo hold, and readying them for use.
A beeping from the comm unit strapped to his wrist had Domik stopping in his work. He flicked his hand, activating the channel. “Yes?”
Zac’s voice filled the space. “Domik, to the bridge. Now.”
The urgency in his commander’s voice had Domik replying that he’d be there as soon as he could. Finishing his task quickly, he strode down the hallways and to the bridge.
The door opened as he approached, no need to swipe his wrist this time. Casting a look around the space, he saw their pilot T’arq and his flight engineer, Krystal, heads close together as they poured over what looked like a 3D map projected up from the viewscreen in front of them. The pair had recently moved into couple’s quarters on the Zataras, the previously wild T’arq showing a different side now that he had settled down with Krystal. The two sat in the pilot and co-pilot’s seats to the front of the bridge and immediately before a gigantic wall of glass that was currently showing a view of the humans’ home planet and its single moon.
Domik found it amusing that the humans had called their moon just that. Moon.
He looked to the right of the bridge where Zac and Laila were looking at a tablet together, their heads almost touching as they whispered. Zac looked up at Domik’s arrival, passing the tablet to Laila and giving a small smile. The skin on the left side of Zac’s face pulled slightly with the movement of his lips, the scarring he had incurred during battle with the Xakul crisscrossing his face and neck. Domik had seen Zac sparring shirtless and knew the scars carried down his torso and arm as well. He had been lucky to survive his wounds.
Luckier still to find a woman who loved him just the way he was in Laila. The former captain in Earth’s Space Force rested a hand on Zac’s scarred arm, giving a gentle squeeze before moving to her own seat.
“Good. You’re here,” Zac said, waving a hand toward Domik’s station where he would manage the ship’s weapons throughout the upcoming battle. “Everyone, there have been some… developments.”
CJ spun around in her chair at the communications station. When not required for her medic skills, she doubled as a communications specialist, acting as a go-between with the Zataras. “What developments?” she asked in a deceptively even voice.
Domik settled into his seat next to her, flicking a hand over the screen to arrange it to his specifications.
Zac continued. “The Xakul attack is imminent. Likely within the next hour.”
Domik looked at the faces of the people he knew as friends. The only ones missing were his brother, Oren, and the human doctor that Oren was… well, Domik wasn’t exactly sure what Oren and Amelia were to each other, but they were close. Oren was currently on a mission elsewhere, his role with Taurean intelligence taking him away from this battle. Amelia, being one of the few medical doctors familiar with human anatomy, was on the Zataras, readying the medical team for casualties.
“Zac, we knew that already. What’s the news?” Krystal’s soft voice was in contrast to CJ’s more abrasive and demanding tones. T’arq’s hand came to rest on Krystal’s, winding his fingers between hers and squeezing gently.
Zac took a deep breath. “The rest of the Taurean fleet is not coming.”
Domik straightened in his seat. That was not good news.
“Why?” This time it was T’arq who asked the question.
“There was a terrorist attack by the Taurean Purists. The details are hazy, but there’s enough damage to delay them, and perhaps to prevent them from coming at all. We can’t count on reinforcements.” Zac paused, looking around at the stunned group.
“Does that seem a little too much of a coincidence to anyone else?” T’arq asked, Domik nodding his agreement.
It didn’t matter though, not really. What mattered was the here and now. The Xakul bearing down on them. Getting them all out of this situation in one piece.
Domik shot a quick glance at CJ, who was sitting with her eyes squeezed shut, taking what looked to be forced deep breaths. He felt an almost uncontrollable urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be all right.
But he couldn’t do that. For so many reasons.
The biggest being that he wasn’t certain it would be all right. They were going into battle against a fierce enemy whose primary goal was to strip Earth of its current inhabitants and resources. Then the insectoid aliens would prepare the planet for their young, laying mass fields of eggs that the Xakul soldiers would protect with their lives. When the juvenile Xakul hatched, they would destroy everything in their path, consuming plants and animals indiscriminately.
They would destroy everything. Earth would be a husk, unlivable. Humanity would cease to exist.
Unless the Taurean and Human alliance could protect it from the Xakul threat.
Zac’s voice was like a death knell for humanity. His next words sending a shiver down Domik’s spine.
“It’s just the Zataras now. We’re on our own.”
