Crath, p.4
Crath, page 4
“What’s going on now?”
“I’m piloting the shuttle to take us to the planet we plan to crash on.”
Kelsey closed her eyes tight and turned her head. She was plastered against Crath’s big, hot body. He put off a lot of heat.
They were going to die. It was terrifying, but so was the idea of being captured by those ugly aliens who wanted to get their clawed hands on her. There was only one thing to do when she found herself in a harrowing situation.
“Shit. Shit. Shit!”
“Please refrain from doing that on me. I offered you use of the bathroom.”
She opened her mouth to let him know cursing made her feel better but decided to remain quiet. It wasn’t the time to correct him. Maybe it was his poor attempt at a joke.
If so, she decided that Crath had the worst timing ever.
Chapter Four
Crath hated when good plans went bad. Everything had gone wrong after his cousin lost the bid to buy Kelsey. The Cristos were an unforeseen factor in their rescue mission. The station shouldn’t have even allowed that race to dock. No civilized aliens trusted them, especially around females compatible for breeding more hatchlings.
The Cristos were a scourge in space. Selling them sex slaves just meant increasing their numbers. Only extremely cruel idiots would do so. Or the most greedy. The Cristos had paid six times the normal price offered even for a highly valued slave. They hadn’t suspected anyone would pay half as much, or Raff would have brought more credits.
The auction demanded instant payment, and his cousin had offered everything he had.
The second thing to go wrong with their plan to save a human had been the station’s security preventing him from reaching his shuttle. He’d had popular Earth foods waiting to make Kelsey happy. Even some beautiful clothing for her to choose from.
He’d imagined seducing the human with his charm and claiming her as his life-lock before he took her back to The Vorge. Then he’d have the rest of their lives together to prove that they were meant to be.
Instead, he’d had to steal a disgusting Nupa shuttle. The only real bed had been stained with the slime that their race oozed from their bodies. He’d had to put her on an uncomfortable sleeping chair in what amounted to a tiny space for pilot. The only clothing he could offer was an emergency blanket. He couldn’t even feed her a good meal.
Now they were about to purposely crash onto a planet.
The piloting controls in the life pod were functioning. That was the only thing currently in his favor. The Nupa shuttle wasn’t anyone’s idea of a good model. It should have been scrapped a long time ago. Crath just hoped the overstressed engines didn’t blow up before they reached the planet they were careening toward.
He checked the speed, inwardly flinching. It was possible the shuttle might break apart in space. The pod would protect them but they’d be left helplessly floating in space, waiting to be picked up by the Cristos. The outdated pod didn’t have the capability to fly them anywhere, just low-powered thrusters to aid in a slower descent. Even if it possessed something more powerful, it would be too slow to escape the advancing hostile ships.
“How are we doing?”
The human on his lap sounded breathless. He worried that Kelsey’s lungs were being squeezed too tightly by the belts holding them both in place as they were rattled about. He pushed back hard against the seat, trying to take some pressure off. “We’ll make it.”
“The vibrations are a lot stronger. I’m not imagining that, am I?” Kelsey sounded panicked.
“No. It will be fine. I know what I’m doing.” Crath made his tone confident, hoping it would alleviate her fear. He also hoped that he didn’t get them both killed. It wasn’t like he had any other options. “We’re almost to the planet.”
“What then?”
“I will find the nearest mountain and set a course for the shuttle to slam into it. We’ll eject just before it does.” He didn’t mention that at the excessively rapid speed they were traveling, it was possible the shuttle might come apart upon entering the planet’s atmosphere, before he had a chance to chart a course.
The pod should hold together, though. They were designed to withstand almost anything.
It would just be very traumatic and violent once they ejected. That part, he didn’t want to warn Kelsey about.
He checked the status of the pursuing Cristos ships. They were still coming but he’d managed to put some distance between them. He deactivated the life pod’s transmitters, taking them completely offline. The last thing they needed was the vessel sending a distress hail to tell their pursuers when it deployed. The trick would be ejecting the pod near enough to where the shuttle crashed, to make it appear like debris if the enemy ships bothered to do a fly over.
The shuttle and pod rattled harder and the overhead lights flickered. The controls stayed functioning. Crath muffled a snarl, worried they might lose interior power completely once they entered the planet’s atmosphere. It would be a very rough transition.
“Kelsey?”
“Yes?”
He heard a tremor in her voice. “We’re about to reach the planet. I need you to press your cheek against my chest and cross your arms over the belts. Don’t curl your fingers under them. Just over them. Fist your hands.”
“Why?”
“To avoid injuries.”
She did as instructed, her face turned toward his, and he pressed his own cheek against her forehead. The controls and monitor power stayed steady and he scanned the planet they were quickly approaching, setting a course. There were quite a few mountains, but he selected one near a large body of water, tall vegetation surrounding it. They’d need the latter to hide. He quickly programmed when the pod should eject, seconds before impact.
The shaking grew worse as he confirmed that the shuttle’s autopilot had received and acknowledged his orders. He released the controls and wrapped one arm around Kelsey’s chest, holding her tight to his body. He used his other arm to cover his face and hers, turning her head a little more toward him.
The female stiffened.
“To shield us,” he rasped. “You are brave and beautiful, Kelsey. I want you to know that. I will do anything to protect you. Trust in me. Now take a deep breath and keep your eyes closed.”
“Fuck,” she whispered. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
“No,” he firmly stated. “We’re entering the atmosphere. It might become harsh. Just know we’ll make it. I have you.”
He closed his eyes and took the opportunity to brush his lips against her soft skin. Kelsey didn’t flinch away at the feel of his lips on her forehead. She grabbed hold of his wrist and clung to him tightly.
“Thank you for trying to save me.”
“I will succeed in saving you,” Crath replied, choked up a bit by emotion at the possible lie.
He’d finally found a human to love and they were probably going to die. At least they’d go together.
It deeply saddened him. As many times as Crath imagined finding someone from her race to bond with, Kelsey was more than he’d ever hoped for. He liked her fiery spirit and courage. She also held a job comparable to his. Both of them put away criminals.
Kelsey was perfect.
The rattling grew worse, almost violent. “Three minutes,” he warned.
“Until what?”
“To reach the surface. Remember that. Just three minutes maximum. Then the worst will be over.”
He adjusted his arm to protect their faces better. He also wrapped his arm more firmly over hers to make sure they weren’t flung away from her body when the pod ejected. That could cause her hands to strike the sides of the pod with enough force to break bones before the padding activated. He’d survived a previous pod being deployed during a planetary crash, and it was one of the worst experiences he’d ever had.
Now he was about to do it again. On purpose.
Crath hoped The Vorge would understand his coded words when they received his transmission. He’d told his brother Cavas about a pirate who’d crashed a ship on a planet to fake his own death and fool the authorities hunting him. It had been Crath’s second-biggest challenge to find the killer. The planet he’d chosen had technology that made scanning for life signs impossible. He’d had to literally track down the pirate the old fashioned way.
Crath had mentioned seeing York and Sara’s eyes, specifically, because of their color. The planet they were about to crash on was predominantly blue and green. He’d also told them he’d need a lift, was in trouble, and used his undercover name to remind them about his wrist tracker. It could be used to locate him. He’d shared the secured frequency with his littermates in case they ever needed to find him again.
The pod ejected with an earsplitting boom. Gravity stabilizers went offline. The female in his arms screamed as they were violently spun. It was a sickening feeling. He held Kelsey tighter, ignoring how the high-pitched noise of her terror hurt his sensitive ears.
Her screams abruptly cut off at a particularly violent spin. The belts kept them from being flung into the pod walls. He was grateful that he’d belted her in with him instead of just attempting to hold her. No matter his strength, he’d never have been able to succeed. It took everything he had just to keep her head against him and her arms pressed to her body.
Alarms blared inside the pod. He didn’t bother to open his eyes or try to peek at the monitor. They were rapidly falling toward the planet’s surface. At any second, the pod’s landing thrusters would engage to slow them before impact. When they did, he nearly lost his last meal at the brutal jerk.
The spinning stopped as they leveled out.
Kelsey’s body had gone limp against his. He hoped she’d just fainted and wasn’t injured. Regardless, there was nothing he could do until the pod landed. Hopefully, in one piece and intact.
He heard a loud whooshing noise and tensed. Large inflated pads suddenly crowded them, deploying from the walls and ceiling. It was a protective feature to cushion the passenger from brutal impacts. It was also why he’d covered their faces.
The landing thrusters suddenly whined as the pod attempted to slow their descent. They were slightly muted thanks to the protective cushioning between them and the interior walls of the pod. He forced his body to relax to avoid tension injuries from occurring, hoping the impact would be survivable.
They hit the surface hard, despite the thrusters, and the pod rolled again. The thrusters cut out entirely. His body was buffeted against the padding. All the while, Crath clung to his human. They hit something—and then everything came to a stop. All the noises died.
He sucked in air and felt the security pads deflating, the pressure against his body withdrawing.
They were mostly upright but tilted backward at a slight angle The heavily weighted underside of the pod had clearly worked properly, since they hadn’t landed upside down or lying sideways. The latter might have blocked the exit or caused injuries from falling when the passenger unbelted from the seat.
Crath lowered his arm, seeing the pod interior intact. He fixed his attention on Kelsey next. She breathed but remained unconscious. He took a deep breath through his nose, not scenting blood. He carefully began to unstrap them from the seat.
He needed to go outside to make certain the pod couldn’t be easily seen. Otherwise, he’d have to find something to cover it up with in case the Cristos did a fly over. He snarled over the pod’s tight confines as he lifted his human gently and sat her slumped body on the seat after he stood.
He didn’t see any visible damage to Kelsey. He turned, hating to leave her for even a moment, and unsealed the pod. The door hatch only opened a few inches, obviously damaged. He gripped the edges of it and pushed hard. Metal groaned but he got it to open wider.
He stared at the alien planet. A heavy canopy of trees mostly hid the sky from his view. He had to wiggle his body through the door to step on…mud. His boot slid a little but he caught his balance and leaned out farther to view their surroundings.
They’d landed in a heavily forested area, just the way he’d planned. The pod had come down on a small hill and they’d slid about ten feet before it had stopped, leaving a clear trail. He rushed outside and grabbed a nearby leafy bush, ripping large chucks of vegetation off. He climbed up the hillside, throwing the shrubbery over the deep ruts of wet dirt that had been scored into the ground. He kept doing so until the trail no longer showed, using several precious minutes six minutes.
The sound of a faint engine had him cursing and rushing back to the pod. He shoved at the door with his shoulder as he leaned in, forcing it open even wider. A quick tap on his wristband activated a shield around him, for a circumference of five feet. Crath grabbed the sack of supplies, using the bag’s strap to hook it over his shoulder. He then placed the shuttle’s emergency med kit on Kelsey’s lap before gently lifting her out of the pod.
The engine sound grew louder. Crath turned with the small human in his arms and started to run away from the pod and deeper into the thickly grown trees. If the Cristos found the pod, he wouldn’t make it easy for them to be captured.
Nothing and no one was going to take Kelsey away from him. He already considered her to be his life-lock.
The engine sounds closer still, he ducked against a wide tree trunk, putting his back to it, and peered up at the thick canopy of branches. The leaves were huge and nearly blocked out the sky. He caught a glimpse of something in the distance. At least one Cristos ship had followed them to the planet. He also saw smoke blackening the air near where it flew.
That sight made him smile. The shuttle must have exploded on impact to make that much smoke, just as he’d hoped. He held still, watching as the enemy ship circled around the crash site in the distance. He feared leaving his hiding spot in case they had sensors to track moving objects.
His personal shield would hide their life signs. It would even mute a tracker signal if Kelsey had been injected with any. The Cristos weren’t known for having advanced technology for locating lifeforms, but he wasn’t risking it.
Minutes passed before the enemy ship rose, flying higher. He sighed as the engine sounds faded until he was only left with the rustling of a breeze blowing the large branches overhead. The Cristos must have concluded that they’d died in the crash.
Crath lowered his chin, studying Kelsey. She remained unconscious but she was breathing. He slid down on his ass, carefully draping her over his lap, and shrugged off the sack of supplies. Once he had her settled, he used his free hand to place the emergency kit on the ground.
“Beautiful? Please open your eyes.”
He waited. Kelsey didn’t stir.
He started to worry.
“Kelsey! Wake.”
She sucked in a deeper breath and her eyes fluttered open. His entire body relaxed as he stared into her pale green eyes. They were a nice match for her nearly white hair and pale skin.
“Hello. We survived, just as I said we would.”
She blinked at him a few times before sucking in another deep breath. “That was…”
“Amazing, correct?”
“The worst ride ever.”
He chuckled. “It could have been much worse. The pod came down intact.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It is, since we survived.”
She started to move around, trying to climb off his lap.
“Relax. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My stomach isn’t feeling so hot. I don’t think I’m going to puke though. I need to stand up.”
He hated to let her go but helped her until they both were on their feet. Crath took a quick glance down her body, still not spotting any new injuries. He wished he could see where the blanket covered her but he wasn’t about to stress her more by asking her to strip.
She peered around, her eyes wide.
Crath wondered what she was thinking. “Is this your first alien world?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a bad one.” He glanced around too. “The air is comfortably breathable and it doesn’t stink of something unpleasant. The temperature is pleasing. Not too warm or cold. Even gravity here is compatible. We also haven’t been attacked by anything unfriendly.”
Her gaze met his. “Is that a joke?”
“Yes,” he lied. “Don’t worry. The Vorge will come for us.” He glanced at his wristband, not spotting any damage to his tracker. The shield remained active. “I figure my family will show sometime tonight unless the Cristos stick close to the planet. Then they might wait a bit to avoid a battle. Or not. The Vorge could take on five Cristo ships and win. It’s not like my oldest brother must worry about causing a war with their people. They have no allies and are enemies to all.”
She just stared at him.
He smiled. “Did I mention my brother Cathian is the ambassador for my home world? The Vorge is a large vessel that is extremely well-armed. He doesn’t just negotiate trade treaties and spread good will. There are times when he’s had to prove that my people aren’t weak. Even one of our own military vessels would hesitate to engage The Vorge in battle.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Yes. You’re no longer a slave. I have rescued you, and my family is capable of keeping you safe from all enemies.”
“I’ll take that as a positive. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We should find shelter before it grows dark.” Crath didn’t know much about the planet besides the fact that it could support life. He had no knowledge of what sorts of lifeforms they might face. It could be anything from primitive aliens to wild animals. Even the vegetation could be dangerous. It was best to be prepared.
“You’re sure your brother is going to come for us?”
“Brothers. Two of them, plus my cousin, and some other crew. Not to mention the human life-locks. They will come for us.”
“Life-locks?” Kelsey’s features grew wary. “That sounds like slavery. You said you were rescuing me from that.”
