Savage>>Local + Rebel Fleet Coms: All ships awaiting portal jump, please be aware that we can only get to them quickly. The mothership will be fitted with BlazeStar’s portal generators by Esthi’s crew. We will attempt this procedure in under an hour. Scanners show two Solcrue vessels at jump speeds, three days out. We are short on time. Get the crew stabilized, the ship engines online, and the generators mounted ASAP. The moment we are united back here, we must pack our ships and move out. There is another place we can hide. I will provide coordinates at that time. Savage out.
Rebel ships line up for the portal. The moment their noses touch the ink, they get sucked through and vanish. Behind us, a Rogue fighter falls in line, carrying Commander Savage and his Relic crew, who plan to tackle the portal generators and getting the engines online while Rebel ships are primarily focused on civilian duty. We have Relic Diesel and Rogue Sarge to help us get life support systems back online.
“Easy Aera,” Rebel calmly says.
I lean back inside the doorway to check on her. Aera weakly pushes Rebel’s hands away.
“You’re on a different ship. We’re going through the portal. Hang on.” Rebel straps her down, then steadies himself on a nearby grab bar, wedging his feet between cabinets.
I brace myself in the doorway as the portal approaches.
“Jumping in three,” Poppy calls out. “Two, one...”
The ship jolts. Aera grunts like she’s in pain as the motion tugs on our bodies. Her audible agony digs into my chest like daggers. I do not understand why she affects me so much. But I feel like her outcome will determine my fate.
When we’re through, I lean out and peer up front at what’s before us. Poppy and Eon bring us around to a barely visible sliver of a dark ship in the void.
“Where’s Evo?” Aera asks.
Rebel looks over at me.
I enter the room and move to her side. “I’m here. I was just staying out of Rebel’s way.”
Rebel squints at me. A muscle flexes in his jaw.
She reaches for me, so I take her hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I ask.
“For helping.”
“It is in our design.”
“Your body might be a different kind of machine, but that doesn’t mean you’re a drone. You are more than that.” Aera squeezes my fingers. “You took my hand when I needed it. Something in you remembers what it’s like to be human.”
Rebel watches me closely. I cannot tell what he is thinking, but the attention makes me self-conscious and concerned that he doesn’t trust me with her. So I slip my hand from hers.
Aera seems saddened by this.
“We are here,” I tell her.
She frantically tries to sit up. An urge to help her rises in me, but I crush it down beneath my guilt. Rebel is more capable.
“Easy.” Rebel supports her, then throws me a glare.
Rebel>>Evo: Why do you hesitate to Bond to her? You saved her in a rescue operation. You are responsible for her until she breaks the Bond.
I am aware. The bond link with her name is written in the corner of my vision.
Evo>>Rebel: You told me to stay away. Besides, she will not trust me if she finds out what I did. So I must show restraint. She is your patient now. I cannot heal her like you can.
Rebel>>Evo: Aera is already attached to you, and I’m going to have hundreds of patients to work on. So you better sort your shit,Rogue.
Evo>>Rebel: Easy for you to say. You save lives. I took them.
Rebel rests a hand on Aera’s shoulder. “You need to rest. Your head trauma was significant. Sudden movements could cause you to black out for the next day or two. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
She glances between us with a worried look in her eyes.
