Jane
This is goingto get ugly.Goosebumps rose along my arms, the cool flesh a balm to my heated skin. In truth, I was itching for a fight. The Mangox had denied us earlier with his emergency call, and although fleeing was the wiser course of action, it didn’t stop the adrenaline pumping through me.
I palmed Tor’s dagger at my thigh. The hilt felt cool and right in my hand. It wasn’t a blaster, but it would do the trick on these creepy-as-hell aliens. None of them were quite as tall as the commander, but the gray-skinned ones had claws and horns, while the bug guys had four arms and shells on their backs. Their mandibles twitched as the seconds ticked by.
“What’s your end game, Craxion?” Tor asked, dropping his neutral tone of earlier, and opting for direct scorn. A silence permeated the space. The gray alien did not answer.
The breath before the battle was always the worst. It stretched onward into eternity while being no longer than a heartbeat. The bastards had surrounded us in a semi-circle, but Tor and I had already inched closer. I knew without words when the fight broke out, I’d take the right two bug-men, and he’d take the left three gray-beasts. I wasn’t quite sure how we’d communicated it to each other, and it was the most likely strategy given our positioning, but somehow, I sensed what Tor wanted.
Not something to think on now, Jane. Keep your head in the game.Squaring off with two aliens who had the size and weight advantage was not new to me—well, except for the alien part.Thatwas new. But I practiced with the few remaining human males on Earth to become better at hand-to-hand combat. I wasn’t the moonbase captain for nothing.
“What ending do I want, glack?” The gray alien used that word again that didn’t translate, but it didn’t need to. His meaning was clear. “I want to see your blood pooling on the ground as the life leaves your worthless form.”
“Poetic.” Tor unsheathed his daggers, and I did the same. We kept our backs angled toward each other on a diagonal so as not to lose sight of our opponents. “But I’m afraid I don’t plan on dying today.”
The aliens spoke no more, but the leader reached for his blaster. Tor cut him off with a slice to his arm. The action broke loose the chains that had kept the fight at bay. I wasted no time in gaining ground on the bug-men. With their multiple arms and thick hides, I’d never gain purchase by staying on the outside. Like a beetle from Earth, I’d assessed their underbellies as the weak point, and I had to get past those swinging limbs to stand a chance.
My first strike hit the fleshy middle of bug alien one as I ducked under his flailing arms. He went down hard, curling his body into a ball and rolling on his shell. I didn’t bother with him after, focusing on bug alien two. He’d observed my hit on his friend and warily stepped backwards while keeping me in his sights. Neither of the insectoids had blasters—or seemingly any weapons. But I wasn’t going to be caught off-guard.
In my peripheral vision, I spotted Tor making short work of the gray-beasts. So far, none of them had gotten off a shot, despite outnumbering the commander. I smiled at his skill, but I didn’t have the luxury of watching him fight as I had to defeat my other opponent.
“You should run now,” I said to the bug-man. The ice in my voice would freeze most people, the insectoid was no exception. His mandibles locked in place, his antennas rising in two sharp lines above his head. “I won’t give you a second warning.”
The alien let loose a shrill shriek, and to my infinite shock, he whirled around and ran through the crowd. People parted a path for his departure. “Well, that’s disappointing.” I spun on my heel, making sure the first bug-man remained out for the count by stomping on his head. He slumped on his shell unconscious. While Tor had done a number on the gray aliens and knocked their blasters away, one tried to sneak attack him from behind. “Not on my watch.”
I jumped in between the gray-beast and Tor’s back. My dagger caught the bastard in the neck, but the weight of his fall meant the short sword between his hands sliced in a downward arc. The tip caught Tor’s side and sliced a mean cut across his ribs. “Damn it!” I screamed as the alien dropped his weapon and clutched his neck. He wasn’t a threat anymore, but rage fired through me at the sight of the commander’s wound. He didn’t seem to feel it, however, as he bashed the skull of the final gray alien. I called to him, “Tor.”
He turned to me, his eyes growing glassy as he did. A shudder went through him, and my strong warrior collapsed to one knee.
I screamed, “TOR!” My chest tightened as I caught him under the arms. He staggered in my grip, struggling to stay upright. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Poison,” he choked out. More of his weight fell to me. “Medpack.”
“Right. Okay. It’s going to be okay.” Getting fully under him, I dragged his arm across my shoulders and heaved him up. “You have to hold on though. I need your help to get to the ship.” He nodded and a fraction of his weight lifted. Together, we half shuffled, half staggered to our vessel. It wasn’t far from the scene of our fight—thank the stars. But every step stretched out like a lifetime. Fear clenched my gut that we wouldn’t make it, and I’d watch this strong, fearless warrior die before my eyes.No. I won’t let that happen. Damn it all.
The aliens on the outpost gave us a wide berth. No one offered to help, but I had not expected them to. After seeing our fight, I doubted anyone would get involved, even if there were a half-decent alien on this stars-forsaken station.
When the ship came into view, I nearly slumped with relief. Tor groaned, little more than half-conscious by now. I put his palm to the ship’s surface and the ramp lowered. As soon as we stepped onto the platform, I laid him on his back and programed it to close. We had to get off the station, but his color was turning from that deep bronze hue to a pale taupe. I didn’t have time to take off. “Damn it.” I paced the back of the ship for two steps. Then, I leaned over the commander and shook him awake. “Listen, cocky commander, you’re not allowed to die on me. Now, where is the medpack?”
His gaze took stock of the room before landing on a lower section of the wall. “There,” he rasped before his eyes closed, and he passed out.
“No.” I dove for the wall. My nails dug into the paneling, searching for the medpack. When my finger slid around an arched section, I tore it free, and lo and behold, the elusive kit rested behind it. “Okay, okay. Come on.” I was no medic. In fact, whenever my mom was working, and I had to take my baby sisters for a checkup, I tended to invent all kinds of excuses. Until my mother grew wise to my rouse.Honey, you have to face this fear sometime.Her remembered words in my head brought tears to my eyes. “Well, mom, guess there’s no time like the present.”
I rifled through the pack. It had a ton of Rhonar words on it that I didn’t understand. “Computer,” I said, talking to the ship. “Which is the antidote for poison in the Rhonar medpack, and what do I do with it?”
“The proper procedure for poison is to identify the type.” Before I could tell the computer that I didn’t know the type, it continued, “If it cannot be identified use vial lorna as it has the widest range of properties.”
I held up three vials. “Which one is correct? What does it look like?”
“Vial lorna is a blue bottle with clear liquid.” The ship’s artificial voice grounded me.
“Got it.” I cupped it in my fist like a prize. “How do I administer it?”
“Open the stopper. Then, place the mouth of the vial, under the patient’s tongue. Allow the contents to spread and encourage the patient to swallow.” A bang against the side of the issue signaled we were running out of time—and had company.
I crawled on hands and knees over to Tor. His breathing was shallow, and panic crawled up my spine. I pushed it fiercely aside.We do not have time fora freak out. I can do this.Grabbing his mouth, I coaxed his lips apart. The top of the bottle was long and thin. I pulled the stopper free and tossed it aside. Slipping the tip into his mouth, I used my pointer finger to feel for his tongue. Unlike humans, he didn’t have a mucus membrane to hold his tongue in place, so the vial slid easily underneath. Slowly, the contents spilled out.
Another bang, louder and harder than the first, rocked the ship.
