“And I didn’t think your plan involved a drunken Sarkarnii who everyone hates,” Gillian says. “But here we are.”
“Deus freed me.”
“Not for long.”
“He isn’t as bad as he seems.”
“He certainly smells bad.” One of the Sarkarnii females sniffs. “And we don’t have time for this. Dyana will find out the others have been sent away.”
“Dalox, this is Dyris and Dyoti,” Gillian says.
“Hello.” I glare at them.
“He is a big one, isn’t he?” Dyoti says.
“And not one for conversation,” Dyris adds.
“I’d prefer to get out of here before your unhinged boss forces me to mate with you.” I wrinkle my nose. “And I guess we’d better take Deus too. Can’t have him procreating against his will either.”
“I’m here.” Deus flings the curtain aside and falls face down in the pit.
“He’s the one everyone hates?” Gillian says. “The mad one?”
Deus lifts his leg and releases a huge fart. The females instantly recoil.
“I think perhaps we should see if it’s possible to get this flyer in the air,” I suggest, swiftly moving around the pit and through the second set of curtains.
As expected, there’s a short passage which opens up into the larger bridge. I get to the main flight console and check it over. Dead.
“This landed here, right?” I turn to Dyris. “It wasn’t shot down?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “It was always here. Since I recovered from the sickness.”
“Over here,” the warrior called Dyoti calls out. She has her head down a hole in the floor. “What color should the fuel cells be?”
“Red if they’ve any charge.”
“These are red,” she calls back. “Wait.”
She slides further in until there is a pair of legs and a tail sticking out. Then there is a dull clunk and the consoles around me light up.
“Power,” Gillian says. “We have some.”
“It’ll not be enough if this thing has been stripped for parts.”
I work my way over the consoles, knowing we don’t have much time. Each one shows a number of faults but not enough to stop this ancient craft getting off the ground. Although whether it can sustain flight long enough to get us away from the Nosteniiin their Sarkarnii form is another matter, because it is the only way we’re getting away from them.
Over the ocean, back to my settlement. And if it actually functions, I have to beg the ancestors it will be capable of such a flight.
As I work, I’m aware there are more than the initial two females.
“What’s going on?” I lift my head from my work briefly to see the flyer is full.
“They don’t want to stay here. They want to come with us,” Gillian says. “They want to find mates with your warriors.”
“Oh, no,” I say, making my final checks. “They can’t come.”
I stand up and find I’m staring into multiple pairs of eyes.
