Page 28 of My Alien Pirate
20
Two
Iwas pacing my quarters, my mind a whirlwind of confusion and frustration, when Grixxa burst in. Her eyes were wide and golden, her ridges pulsing with an urgency I'd never seen before.
"Nova," she said, slightly out of breath, "we've found something. On a nearby moon. It might be... it might be some of your people."
My heart leapt into my throat. "What? Are you sure? Are they... are they alive?"
Grixxa's ridges flickered uncertainly. "We think so. The team is bringing them back now. They should be here soon."
A maelstrom of emotions swept through me. Hope, fear, excitement, dread—all warred for dominance in my chest. My people. Here. Alive. But for how long? In what condition?
"I need to see them," I said, already moving towards the door.
Grixxa placed a gentle hand on my arm. "They're probably taking them straight to the med bay. We should wait there."
As we hurried through the ship's corridors, my mind raced. Who could it be? How many had survived? And how in the world had they ended up on that moon?
"Grixxa," I said, my voice trembling slightly, "what exactly did they find? How many are there?"
She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. "A pod, the material like the piece of the ship we found you in. There were two life signs, but they were weak. That's all I know for sure."
Two. Just two. Out of a crew of thousands. I swallowed hard, pushing back the grief that threatened to overwhelm me. Two was better than none. Two meant hope.
On the way to the med bay, I heard excited voices as well as Zharrox's deep grumble. I immediately changed course.
"Nova, wait!" Grixxa reached for me but I was already sprinting down the corridor. I slid in right behind the one-eyed doctor who had studied me so thoroughly.
When I saw the familiar figures lying still on the floor, I couldn't control the scream that escaped my throat. "Oh my God, no!" I searched Zharrox's darkened eyes. "Tell me they're not dead! Please!" I begged as my knees hit the metal grid between the prone figures.
"They live." Zharrox's voice was low and hoarse.
I reached for the nearest suit's helmet release. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely manage the clasp but I was desperate to touch them and feel for the warmth that would prove it was as the captain said. Pulling the helmets off, I immediately recognized them—Captain Rodriguez and the chief engineer, and my friend, Sara.
"Daz, let's get them to the med bay. We need full scans, now!" Zharrox barked, his scales turning a deep, agitated purple. His eyes chips of glinting obsidian in his orbs.
"Right away, Captain," Daz chirped, motioning to two mechanical figures with one of his large, brown hands.
My fingers stroked Sara's blonde hair and I choked back a sob when I saw the dark red blood seeping from her hairline that made a macabre trail down her expressionless face. She was so still and pale.
"Nova," Zharrox's voice was surprisingly gentle. "Maybe you should step back and let us—"
"No," I cut him off, more sharply than I intended. "These are my people. You don't even know their biology. I can help."
His crest flared and his ridges flashed orange before lightening to a blue. A cool tentacle landed lightly on the back of my neck. "Alright, little zixxit. But let Daz and his techs get them to the med lab so we can help them."
The touch had a calming effect on me, and I let my eyelids fall shut, taking the artificial oxygen into my lungs for a beat, then two. Nodding my assent, I took a step back and let the group hovering behind me lift my colleagues and place them on hovering boards.
A big, muscular arm and a tentacle wrapped around my waist and I found myself in Zharrox's sheltering embrace. "They will be fine, little zixxit. I will settle for nothing less." The captain's deep grumble vibrated into my side, and I turned into him, seeking any comfort I could find.
We stood there silently while everyone else exited the deck space and headed for the med lab. I saw Grixxa hesitate and glance back at us once but then we were alone.
"It was Captain Rodriguez and our chief engineer, Sara," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. "She was…is my friend."
As tears streamed silently from my eyes, I was engulfed by a plethora of tentacles and arms. I should have been alarmed by the truly alien feel of being held by so many appendages, but all I felt was warm and comforted. Resting my forehead against the hard muscles of his chest, I tried to wrap my arms around himbut could only get them part way. My fingers scrambled to hold onto the hard, smooth edges of the ridges trailing down his back.
When my tears had finally quit falling, Zharrox unwrapped himself from me and took a step back. Tipping my chin up, he met my eyes with his, now a sparkling blue and green. "Come, Nova. Let's go check on your friends."