Page 26 of My Alien Pirate

"About two cycles at our current speed," Lyra chimed in from her station. She shot me a meaningful look, her eyes shifting from her normal green and blue to an excited gold. "Shall I set a course, Captain?"

I hesitated, torn between curiosity and caution. If there were more of Nova's kind out there, possibly injured or in danger, could we really just leave them? But bringing more unknown aliens aboard could complicate things even further.

But... the thought of Nova's face if we could reunite her with some of her people...and could this be another part of the ancient prophecy?

"Set a course," I decided, my ridges pulsing with determination. "But approach with caution. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

"Grixxa, I want you to stay on board. Watch over Nova. Keep her in her quarters. I don't want her to overhear about this. We don't know what we'll find once we get there."

"Aye, Captain." Grixxa's ridges pulsed pink with excitement.

As the crew sprang into action, preparing for our new heading, I couldn't help but wonder what we might find on this moon. And how it might change everything - for Nova, for my crew, and for me. I hoped it was something that would help and not hurt—any of us.

Vexxing hells, I was in even more trouble than I thought.

19

Aliens

The red dust of the alien moon swirled around us as we made our way across the barren landscape. My team and I were encased in protective suits, our breath loud in our ears as we scanned the debris field for signs of life. Except for Jorixx who was picking through piles of wreckage. Old habits were hard to break.

"Jorixx," I barked into my comm, "focus on the life signs. We can worry about salvage later."

The security chief's rough voice crackled back, tinged with annoyance. "But Captain, some of this technology could be valuable—"

"I said focus!" I snarled, my patience wearing thin. "Those life signs are our priority. We don't know how much time they have."

Jorixx grumbled but complied, his three eyes narrowing in my direction briefly before he adjusted his scanner. The debris field stretched out before us, a twisted maze of metal and strange, unfamiliar materials. It was eerily similar to where we'd foundNova, yet somehow even more haunting against the blood-red landscape of this desolate moon.

I tried to push thoughts of Nova from my mind, but it was proving impossible. I'd left her aboard the ship with Grixxa watching over her, ostensibly for her own safety. But if I was honest with myself, it was as much for my peace of mind. I'd also forbidden my first mate from telling her about what we had found. The thought of her distress if we found her crewmates and they didn't survive.Kraxing hells!The mere thought of it made my stomachs clench and my crest want to flare high. The way she affected me... it was dangerous. Distracting.

A ping from Jorixx's scanner pulled me from my reverie. "Captain! I've got something. Twenty meters ahead, behind that large piece of hull plating."

We picked our way through the wreckage, our boots crunching on the rust-colored soil. As we rounded the twisted metal, I saw it—a similar piece of the same type of material the piece of ship we'd found Nova in, but larger. And inside...

"By the cosmic void," I breathed, my ridges pulsing with shock. "There they are."

Through the pod's cracked viewport, I could make out two figures. Through clear bubble-like helmets, I could see they were undoubtedly of Nova's species—humans, she'd called them. But unlike Nova when we'd found her, these two were encased in bulky space suits that looked almost comically primitive to my eyes.

"Life signs are stable but weak," Jorixx reported, his scanner hovering over the pod. "The pod's life support systems are failing. We need to get them out of there."

I nodded, already reaching for the emergency release. "Jorixx, help me with this. Vex, Zora, keep watch. We don't know what else might be out here."

As Jorixx and I worked to pry open the pod, I couldn't help but marvel at the outdated-looking technology. It was a miracle these humans had survived at all in such antiquated equipment.

Suddenly, Zora's panicked voice cut through the comm. "Captain! We've got movement!"

I whirled around, my hand instinctively going to my plasma pistol. At first, I saw nothing but swirling red dust. Then, emerging from the haze like something out of a nightmare, came a creature that made my blood turn to ice.

It was massive, easily twice my size, with a body reminiscent of the arachnids I'd seen in some systems. But this was no ordinary spider. Its exoskeleton gleamed like polished obsidian, interrupted by patches of coarse, red fur that matched the moon's dust. Eight legs, each ending in wickedly sharp points, propelled it towards us with terrifying speed.

But it was the creature's face that truly made my breath catch—a grotesque mask of fang and mandible, with multiple eyes that gleamed with predatory intelligence. And its full attention had locked onto us.

"Scatter!" I got off one shot before I dove to one side as the monster charged.

Vex and Zora opened fire, their plasma bolts sizzling against the creature's armored hide. It let out a shriek that set my teeth on edge, rearing up on its back legs before lunging at Zora.

"No!" I roared, squeezing off several shots in rapid succession. The beast turned, momentarily distracted, giving Zora time to roll clear.