Page 31 of My Alien Pirate

Daz's eye blinked slowly as he responded with more clicks and whistles. Manny watched the exchange his brow furrowing.

I translated for Manny: "Her vital signs are improving, but slowly. The next 24 hours will be critical."

Manny nodded, then winced at the movement. His eyes never left Daz as he asked, "Nova, what...what are they? Where are we?"

I squeezed his hand reassuringly and tried to control the hysterical giggle that bubbled up in my throat. "I'm pretty sure they're space pirates. They were scavenging the wreck when they found me. As for where we are..." I paused, unsure how to break the news. "Manny, what's the last thing you remember?"

His intense black eyes closed in concentration. "We... we were approaching the gateway. Everything looked as expected. We headed toward it, and then..." He trailed off, his eyes shutting tightly as he wanted to escape the horror of viewing the memory.

"The ship," he whispered. "It broke apart." He cleared his throat clearly overcome with emotion. "The scientists gravely miscalculated. We barely made it to the escape pods. Sara and I were the last ones off the ship."

I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. "The Nebula Stryker found part of the ship with my lab crashed on a planet and you and Sara on a moon that wasn't even close. I don't know how I ended up there. I'm not even sure how the life support systems were still working."

Pushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear, I continued. "I get the feeling they hadn't expected to find anything when they came across your pod. But Manny... we're far from where we should be. Their star charts don't match ours. I think we did go through the gateway – what they call 'the anomaly'. I'm pretty sure we're not where we expected to be but in another galaxy entirely."

Manny absorbed this information. He had gained control of himself while I was relaying my story, and his face now locked down in a blank mask. "The Phoenix? The other colonists?"

I shook my head sadly. "We don't know. There's been no sign of other survivors, but we're still searching."

Daz made another series of clicks and whistles, his eye fixed on Manny. I translated: "He says Zharrox told them to expand their search parameters. He wants to help us find our people."

"Zharrox?"

"Um, yes, that's the captain's name." I bit my lip suddenly feeling uncomfortable being on a first name basis with the aliens.

Manny nodded slowly, clearly overwhelmed by the situation and not noticing my discomfort. His gaze drifted back to Sara. "Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

I relayed the question to Daz, then translated his response: "Her injuries were more severe than yours. There was significant bleeding in her brain. They've repaired the physical damage, but it's going to take time to heal."

"But she will wake up, right?" Manny asked, his voice small and frightened. If it had been only rumor before, it was pretty clear now that Sara was more than his first mate.

After consulting with Daz, I replied, "They believe so, but they can't say for certain when, or what her condition will be when she does. They're just not familiar enough with our species."

The weight of everything – the lost ship, the uncertain fate of our people, Sara's condition – seemed to crash down on Manny all at once. I saw the moment it hit him, his brave face crumpling as the enormity of our situation sank in.

I reached out, taking his hand in mine. With my other hand, I grasped Sara's limp fingers. "We're going to get through this, Manny," I said firmly. "We're alive. We have allies. It's not much, but it's a start."

Manny squeezed my hand, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He nodded but didn't speak. Something compelled me to lean over and rest my head on his thankfully warm chest. After a moment, his arm came around me and rested on my back. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

We sat there in silence, holding onto each other in this alien med bay. The reality of our situation was terrifying and overwhelming, but there was profound comfort in the contact. Feeling Manny's warmth, hearing the steady beat of his singular heart – it grounded me, reminding me that I wasn't alone in this strange universe.

As his breathing became slow and regular, exhaustion from the conversation and his ordeal taking over, I found myself drifting off as well. The familiar rhythm of his heartbeat lulled me into a sense of security I hadn't felt since waking up on this ship. In that moment, I was no longer a lost explorer in an incomprehensible vastness. And, better still, I was no longer the only known human in this strange universe.

22

Green with Envy

Ipaced the bridge, my ridges pulsing an agitated orange. Eight cycles had passed since we'd rescued the humans, and Nova had barely left the med bay. My tentacles twitched with restless energy as I gazed out at the stars as if they would share their secrets with me.

"Captain," Grixxa's soft voice interrupted my brooding. "The latest scan results."

I took the data pad, scanning the information without really seeing it. My mind was elsewhere, in a sterile room two decks below.

"Still nothing," I rumbled, tossing the pad aside. "Expand the search parameters."

Grixxa's arms crossed over her chest. "Sir, we're already well off course for Novum. The crew is starting to ask questions."

My hide darkened, a low growl building in my throat. "The crew's job is to follow orders, not question them."