“Spaceworms. The Ulep must have had them in stasis. When I woke everyone, I woke them too.”
“What are spaceworms?” I spin the remote flyer one way, then the other, but there’s nothing save for a huge dust cloud.
“Nev you, Dalox,” I hear Driok say. “The female is not for you. We have to get the nevving spaceworms out of here or they’ll destroy the planetoid.”
There are a series of growls and snarls, none of which make any sense, through the comm.
“What the hell are spaceworms?”
“Is our ship on the way?” Driok responds as I try to get the remote into a better position to see what’s going on.
Unfortunately the dusty planetoid below has done what dusty planetoids do best, and visibility is virtually zero.
“On this planetoid, spaceworms are their worst nightmare,” Driok growls.
“The ship should be with you shortly,” I say. “What can I do?”
“Keep an eye out for any escaping Ulep,” Driok says.
“I don’t know what they look like.”
“You’ll know if you see them,” Driok replies, but his voice is somewhat strangled. “I have to go, but I’ll be back on board with you shortly.”
A squelch of static fires at me, and although I do my best with the remote, I can’t see what’s going on at all. I try calling Driok but there’s nothing. Eventually I heave myself out of my seat and run, or something approximating a run, through Dalox’s ship back to the bridge.
I’m about to dive out of the portal, when Dalox storms through, something in his arms, something which is familiar.
“Oh, thank god, you’ve got her.” I take a step towards him, and he snarls, his teeth becoming great long fangs.
“Mine,” he says.
There’s an even greater bloodcurdling snarl from behind him.
“Mine,” Driok says, bursting through and grabbing hold of me.
This is probably the oddest of stalemates, but I can’t help being so happy I could cry to be back with Driok.
“The Ulep are attempting to leave the planetoid,” a warrior calls out.
“Let them leave,” Driok responds. “We have what we came for.” He glowers at Dalox who doesn’t pay him a blind bit of attention, instead stomping away into the recesses of his ship.
“Is that…?”
“The female. Yes, it is.”
“He can’t just keep her.”
“It’s Dalox. He’ll do just what he nevving pleases,” Driok growls.
“Not with a human, he won’t.” I make a move to follow him, but Driok holds me back.
“I promise you, we can deal with this situation once I have my original ship and the xoh-antenna your Paralnyi friend promised us.”
Driok takes my hand, and we exit through the portal, which instantly closes behind us. Wind roars, and I find myself face to face with Driok as he swiftly pulls down my visor and pulls up my respirator.
“Forgive me, my mate. But we must move quickly. My warriors have subdued the spaceworms for the time being, but spaceworms being what they are…”
“What are they?”
