The Alien’s Reward by Luna Kingsley
Chapter 21
Vah’all
Blood dripsonto the packed dirt beneath my fingers. The small trails of liquid move until they’re absorbed into the ground. The weight of the chains grows heavy on my arms and legs, my strength finally failing.
“He’s had enough,” Stux’an says. His voice echoes from above where he’s been forced to remain since my punishment has been delegated to a different unit. Uveat’s unit. He’s the warrior who died while trying to take Sarah from me. These warriors are not my friends. They’re looking for retribution for the wrong I committed against them. Against my own.
Another strike to the face, and I collapse into the blood-soaked dirt. Images of Sarah flash through the darkness that threatens to engulf me. I’m holding onto consciousness in case I’m released when this is all over. With every minute that passes, the tension within me grows because I don’t know what they have planned for Sarah and the other women at the research labs. My body may pound and ache but all I’m concerned about is getting to her before it’s too late.
“I’ll be the one to decide,” the alpha says for this unit.
We’re down in the confinement area of the military base on the opposite side of Bameh from my own base. Stux’an is the only warrior on my side. The rest would like to see me dead.
I’m used to being on my own. On rare occasions another warrior would accompany me on a mission. Otherwise, I work alone. But what I wouldn’t give to have Kraal or Drocrek up there with Stux’an right now.
“He’s a traitor,” Sadhaih says. “Uveat is dead because of him.”
A rumble of agreement surrounds me. Not that they need any other reason to turn against me. In the past, being labeled a traitor by my brothers would’ve been the worst possible thing to happen to me. Now, I can only think about whether I’ll see Sarah again and if I do, what sort of future do we have?
I can’t leave Bameh, and she can’t stay but I don’t want to let her go.
Hopelessness seeps into my bones as my blood continues to ooze from my wounds. Black dots blur my vision, so I close my eyes and wait for them to carry me back to my cell. They’re transporting me through the corridor when there’s a commotion. The guards who are dragging me, drop me. When I push up onto my arms, the faces of my friends come into focus.
Kraal hoists me off the ground with one arm, the other pointing his high-frequency blaster at the guards. I’ve taken a hard enough beating that this could all be a hallucination, but Kraal’s body is solid against my own. He’s supporting my weight when my own strength has given out.
“This way!” Stux’an says, shouting while he’s already running in the opposite direction. Drocrek and Ondin appear at my side, ready to fire their weapons at the guards trying to maintain control. They don’t hesitate to fire and take them down. We make it to the doors where Stux’an disappeared even though I’m slowing them down.
There are a lot of reasons why I’m not thinking clearly but I know the consequences of their actions. We’ll all be branded as traitors, not just me anymore. And I can’t let my brothers suffer because of me. Uveat’s family is powerful on Bameh and they’re going to want retribution for his death.
“Don’t do this, Kraal.” My words lack conviction but at least he hears me. “Don’t sacrifice your future for me.”
He smiles at me and keeps moving.
We’re through the door now and moving as a group. By their practiced, methodical movements, they had a plan coming in. This isn’t an impulsive decision. My instincts are confirmed as we travel upward until we move through another set of doors that leads us outside the building. A small cargo ship waits on the platform and we run directly toward it. They help me into the actual cargo area of the ship where I’m finally able to lie down while the rest of them pile in. The next few minutes are chaotic while they shout between each other about getting the ship up and running while checking in to see if we’re being pursued.
I want to help—I really do—but I don’t have the ability or the strength to force my arms and legs to move. All I can do right now is fight to stay conscious while we make our escape. This is all so reckless. Their actions have consequences and I’m not prepared for them to suffer because of me.
“They’re in pursuit,” Stux’an says from the pilot seat. “Evasive maneuvers. We need to make it to the rendezvous point.”
I’m taking this all in when Kraal appears next to me with a medical kit. “Let’s take care of these injuries, my brother.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll hang on until we get where we’re going.”
I don’t miss the flash of worry in his expression before he pushes it aside to focus on fixing me. Maybe I’m in worse shape than I thought. My muscles relax and my eyes drift closed while he works. “Where did they take the women?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Even though he hasn’t specifically said the words, Kraal is one of the good ones. It won’t sit right with him that the elders want to use the females instead of allowing them to choose mates and live their lives freely. It’s why there’s been so much division on the island as of late. We aren’t all monsters and some of us are willing to fight against those who are. “They took them to the research lab. They’ve been quiet about their purpose, but Stux’an has access to all the documentation because of his position. They’re planning on using the women as surrogates for Dhevieth babies. Before you ask, the women have no say in whether they agree to this or not.”
My blood pressure spikes and the overwhelming need to get to Sarah becomes unbearable. “What’s the plan, Kraal?”
“We’ve been quietly building our resistance since you were forcibly taken,” he says, his lips thinning with anger. His hands shake slightly while he continues to treat my bloody wounds. Kraal has always been a solid partner to have at my side. But for the first time, he’s allowing me to see the cracks in his armor. “This isn’t right, Vah’all.” He meets my stare, the intensity in them glowing with a savage inner fire. “None of this is right and it’s time we did something about it.”
I seek out his hand and grasp it, squeezing it in silent agreement and thanks that he’s not only on my side but he’s putting it all on the line for me. All the warriors in this ship are.
We’re interrupted by the explosive booms of gunfire as Ondin starts firing at our pursuers. The ship jolts to the side causing Kraal and me to slide into the wall before Stux’an rights us again. “We need to make it over the mountain pass and then we’ll have backup,” Stux’an says over the speaker. More gunfire erupts as the reality of our situation sinks in. We’re really doing this. We’ve started a confrontation between our own warriors. It’s us versus them now and blood has been shed.
“Backup?” I ask.
For the first time, Kraal smiles. Instead of the body trembling anger he’s doing his best to contain, he lights up. “It’s not just the five of us, brother. It’s the entire compound in force waiting to back us up once we reach them.”
This is the best news I’ve heard since I found Sarah and brought her onto Bameh. “So, if we have the manpower, we need to figure out a way to save the women from the lab.”
“Don’t worry, we already have a team on it. They’re working out the details while we rescued you. They’ll be our next stop.”
The healing plaster begins sealing the gashes in my body. As soon as the wounds begin to close, the core can work its magic by healing me from the inside. I draw on this power because when it’s time to organize our rescue at the research lab, I’m going to be there. For now, I’m able to push myself into a sitting position and lean against the wall. Outside my window, bright explosions erupt midair. More ships fill the sky around us but we’re reaching the peaks of the mountain pass. It won’t be long, and we’ll no longer be outnumbered.
We make it over the pass, flying as fast as the cargo ship can go when a series of booms explodes one after the other in quick succession behind us. Straining my neck to see, the ships that were behind us are no longer there, only bright explosions and puffs in the sky before there’s nothing. Like there’s an invisible wall blocking everyone but us from flying into this region of air space.
“That’s our backup,” Kraal says. “Now let’s get you to medical so we can make sure you’re good to go when it’s time to save your woman.”