Page 56 of Uncovered By the Alien Commander

My heart pounds in my chest with each movement, feeling Xandors penetrating stare boring into me. With frantic haste, I recover my knife, placing it in my holster. My hand trembles as Ibegin the difficult task of dressing myself while maintaining my aim on Xandor.

I study the towering Klendathian for any hint of movement or ill intent as my shirt rests poised over my head. But Xandor remains neutral and unmoving as a statue, only his dangerous golden eyes shining in the dim light. As fast as I can, I lower the shirt over my head, blocking my vision before the sound of darting footsteps steals my breath, and before I can even react, my gun is torn from my grip with incredible strength.

Then a sudden force pushes my shirt down my body, concealing my nudity. I stagger backward, almost tripping with shock and surprise to see Xandor looming in front of me. My pistol dwarfed in his massive, powerful hands. He glares at me, not with amusement, but with a cold fury that sends chills down my spine.

He knows what I’ve done, and he’s going to torture me!

My breath comes in rapid gasps, each one jolting my injured ribs. Xandor shakes his head with disdain as he tucks my gun into his belt and reaches into my satchel, confirming my worst fears. He extracts his warvisor, hurt evident in his golden eyes as he gazes down at me.

“It was you this whole time,” he whispers, shaking his head. “This is why you’ve been running from me?” he asks, a bitter laugh escaping him. “Gods, all that borack shit you spewed... all lies.”

I almost reach for my knife until I stop myself, knowing Xandor could overpower me in an instant. My mind whirls with a heady mixture of emotions, fear, shame. But, most strange of all is... relief. I’m relieved that the darkness of my crimes has been brought to light. Even if it costs me everything.

Xandor slumps onto the bed, running a hand over his mask as he stares at it, as my life hangs in the balance, dangling beneath his furrowed brows. I rub my locket buried in my pants,searching for any inkling of comfort, for something to say to sway him, to convince him to let me go. “Xandor... I” I mutter, yet I cannot find the words.

There are no words, only survival now.

“Has everything you’ve said been lies?” Xandor asks, his voice tinged with hurt, stirring a pang of regret within me. But it still pales compared to my desperate desire to flee, to live.

“Not everything,” I whisper, glancing behind me, contemplating running.

“You have no core, no inner principles. You lie and twist yourself to conform to the situation like the warvisor you stole, a mask of camouflage you can’t remove,” he states as his eyes flick to me, expecting an answer.

Easy for him to say. He’s never had to run and hide, in constant fear, alone, hated and hunted!

My teeth clench, but I stop myself from spitting a heated response. Knowing from experience that meekness is the safest option. I avert my gaze and hang my head in false contrition.

“Even now you hide from me.” Xandor lets out a deep exhale, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. “Honor demands I kill you for stealing my warvisor,” he continues, his words sending tremors of terror rippling through me. “But by the Gods, I cannot bring myself to do it.” His unexpected mercy washing away my terror, the whiplash of conflicting emotions fraying my fragile nerves to ribbons.

“Then let me go,” I blurt out without thinking. “You have your warvisor back. I’ll stay here, and you’ll never have to see or hear from me ever again,” I offer, with my hands gesturing with appeasement. “Tell the others you killed me, so you keep your honor and no one comes looking for me.”

“If only it were that simple,” Xandor murmurs, his expression troubled, reigniting my fear.

What does he want from me then?

I don’t wait to find out, darting out of the room with a desperate pace, hoping he will not give chase since he’s unwilling to kill me. “Little vipertail!” Xandor’s voice echoes after me, almost inaudible as I’m already out the room heading towards the spiraling stone stairwell upward. Intending to throw him off, thinking he’ll assume I’ve fled through the front door, into the disheveled streets.

My lungs burn from the effort, and my muscles ache from the numerous fleets of stairs I’ve climbed. I cannot hear Xandor giving chase. Only the sounds of my frantic breathing and echoing footsteps accompany me. Yet I do not stop, not trusting Xandor to give up a chase without a fight. He always finds me, no matter where I hide. The thought drives me forward, as I ignore my aching ribs and exhausted body.

This time will be different. This time, I’m not confined to the ship.

I lose track of time climbing the never-ending floors. My exhaustion and burning muscles force me to slow down, but I do not stop, despite the reassuring silence.Did I lose Xandor? Maybe he decided to leave me alone after all?I push the treacherous thought away, no I’m not taking any chances. I must continue.

Each floor is identical to the next, filled with corridors lined with apartments paved in dirty white stone, creating a disorienting sensation that I’m trapped in an infinite repeating loop. As if I’m trapped in my purgatory, doomed to climb these agonizing steps till the end of time. Finally, to my relief, just visible through my sweat ladened eyes, I see a metal hatch where more stairs should be.

With shaking, fatigued hands, I slide the lock back before pushing against the heavy metal panel with all my meager strength. It wedges open as I roar in defiance. Until it tips over,thudding to the ground with a satisfying crash, I emerge to find myself on the roof of the towering building.

A few colorful drones dart overhead against the backdrop of the commercial tier above, shrouded in an ethereal green protective bubble. It seems so peaceful up here. Only my labored breaths interrupt the silence. I take in the surroundings, noticing the sea of indistinguishable building tops stretching on forever into the distance, each like a grain of sand on a beach.

Approaching the edge, my breathing settles, the burn in my muscles lessening. But as I peer over the frightening abyss, my stomach lurches at the sheer height. Everything below appears as tiny specks, almost clean, almost safe, yet I know the truth that lurks below. This entire Omega Flux Station is artificial, like the nonexistent wind that I’d expect from such an exposed height.

Now what?

The simple question fills me with anxiety. Shouldn’t I feel relief, joy even? I finally escaped. Sure, I don’t have the credits from Xandor’s mask, but I’m alive and have my freedom. Yet instead, I feel so empty. Lost. Like I’ve done something I shouldn’t have, gone too far and forsaken everything for a naïve dream.

Returning to the hatch I opened, I strain to close it with a heavy thud. You can never be too careful, especially considering how dangerous this tier is. Maybe I can eke out a living on this rooftop searching for food until I find a way to earn credits.

An intermittent and repeating scraping sound interrupts my thoughts. Tossing my head from side to side with frantic movements, I scan the building top seeing nothing. The noise persists, sending my heart rate to soar and my stomach to churn. What’s worse is the repeating clammer is growing louder.