Dariux: Sci-Fi Romance (The Gladius Syndicate Book 1) by Emma James (17)

"Should we just let him take us?" Dario asked as the bounty-hunter took one slow step in their direction. "This is what we wanted anyway, right?"

Kira looked back at the Thor and Dario. “It’s too soon,” she said softly.

Just then, two more Rengar appeared, running up to Nico, the sound of metallic breathing accompanying them. They weren’t nearly as mechanically outfitted as their apparent leader, but they still seemed to be more machine than anything else.

An eerie smile crossed Nico’s face. His voice, thick with the sounds of metal, seemed to echo off the walls around them.

“Take them in,” he ordered his men. “Alive, if you can. But, if not, kill them. I’m after more than a bounty with this group. I’m out for revenge.”

“Damn it,” Kira muttered, pushing back against Thor, who in turn pushed back against Dario. “Run!” she ordered.

Without hesitation, they did. Thor took hold of both her and Dario and rushed them forward. Nico’s men fired at them, but their shots followed Nico’s into the wall, where they sizzled against the high-energy resistant paneling and slid to the ground. Before they were about to find them in their sights again, Kira, Thor, and Dario had disappeared among the crowd of bystanders.

“Move it!” Nico ordered, leading his men into the crowd after them.

Thor was leading them, shoving aside anyone and anything that got in their way. Dario ran alongside him, his sidearm in his hand and his eyes glancing back over his shoulder quickly. Kira took up the rear, her Phantom loaded and ready to fire.

It was Nico's men that fired first. The blast that went skidding past them was startling close. Again, cries of panic erupted from the crowd as random passersby fell to the ground, shielding themselves from the gunfire that seemed to them to be coming out of nowhere.

Lifting her gun and spinning around, Kira planted her feet and fired the second the crosshairs of her sights landed on the plush, fur-covered gut of one of Nico’s men.

She didn’t wait to see if her blast landed where she had hoped it would. Spinning around, she took off as quickly as she could. Thor and Dario had slowed slightly to wait for her. As soon as she reached them, they turned sharply down one of the many hallways leading off of the bustling main promenade.

The section of the Arbiter that they entered was less crowded and much more open. The ceiling above them was made of industrial strength glass, and the bright lights of billions of stars spotting the dark, vast sky would have given the short stretch of the furnished hall a romantic feel if it weren’t for the three robotically enhanced bounty hunters quickly gaining on them.

Kira craned her head around to see how close they really were.

They were very close.

“Take cover!” she yelled as she saw one of Nico’s men life his gun.

The gun wielding lackey had a sizeable gash in his right side. Kira smiled to herself as she followed Thor and Dario behind a large piece of furniture that had previously been occupied by a young couple. As soon as the couple saw them running in their direction, though, they pushed themselves up and raced away, without so much as looking back once.

Everyone in that section of the station had suddenly disappeared.

Kira, Thor, and Dario ducked down behind the plush reclining sofa just as a bolt of electricity followed by another blast of highly energized matter zipped over their heads.

“One of them is already hurt,” Kira informed them.

Thor nodded and took hold of his sidearm. Popping up quickly, he lifted the gun, fired, and returned to her side faster than Kira could have pushed herself up to her feet. She smirked as she looked over at him.

“What?” he asked, reloading his gun.

“You never cease to amaze me,” she said, lifting her gun and preparing to take a shot of her own.

Dario, who was working to navigate a clear escape route for them, tapped Kira on the shoulder and pointed toward a door located about twenty feet away.

“Shoot, then run,” she said, looking between Dario and Thor.

They both nodded and in unison, the three of them popped up from their hideout. Kira instantly spotted the lifeless body of one of the Rengar on the floor, a pool of blood forming under him. Nico and his remaining man had taken cover, as well.

They all remained motionless, waiting for the rodents to make their location known. When they did, they did so with flair. Nico shot into the air, soaring above them and coming to land directly behind them. Kira and Dario spun around and shot in his direction, while Thor aimed at the place where Nico’s side-kick was still huddled down.

“Run!” Kira yelled again, just as she squeezed the trigger of her gun and sent a blast zipping directly toward the mechanical rodent’s face.

The three of them took off again, racing down the short hall that led them back into the heart of the busy Arbiter promenade. They could hear Nico’s heavy metallic footsteps ringing out behind them. When he fired another shot, they all darted to the right, diving deeper into the chaos of the busy station marketplace.

“Move! Move!” Thor yelled, clearing a path for them as they ran.

Behind them, Nico and his man were able to weave through the crowd with ease, one second leaping onto benches and hurtling themselves over groups of ten to twelve individuals at a time.

“They’re gaining on us,” Kira said.

She turned and lifted her gun again, hoping for a clean shot, but the crowds made it impossible.

“This way,” Thor said, turning sharply into one of the many Arbiter bars.

They elbowed their way through the customers, a string of profanities following along behind them. Once they reached the back of the bar, they huddled together, weapons up and hearts racing.

“Did they see us come in here?” Dario asked.

There was no need for either of them to answer, though. The drunken chatter of the bar patrons instantly fell silent as the crowd in front of them parted. And there he was, Nico Rax with his gun in hand and his sights set on Thor. There was a look of victorious rage in his eyes as he stalked slowly up to them.

His sidekick was right behind him, two guns in his hands now, one trained on Kira, the other on Dario.

Nico laughed as he watched an expression of frustration work its way across Thor’s face. “You can try to outrun me again, Commander Rockhold,” he said calmly. “But all three of you won’t make it out alive. You might as well just surrender.”

There was nowhere else to go, nowhere to hide. Kira scanned their surroundings, her heart beating wildly in her ears. The faces of interested onlookers crowded around them. Some were staring with wide-eyes as Nico Rax inched ever closer to where they were standing, their backs pressed against the wall.

“So, what’ll it be?” his mechanical voice pressed. “Surrender or death? It really doesn’t matter to me either way.”

Kira’s eyes continued to scan their surroundings.

“There’s no use looking,” Nico said, reaching out and grabbing hold of her chin with his right hand, turning her face toward his. “There’s no way out.”

The feeling of his mechanical fingers clutching to her face made her skin rippled with goosebumps. Before she could react, though, Thor had his weapon pressed firmly into Nico’s side.

“Don’t touch her,” Thor leaned in and said in a gruff, threatening tone.

Nico simply laughed in return, his gaze falling to his left hand. There, he held tightly to his plasma gun, the barrel of which was pointed directly at Kira’s chest.

“I suggest you take a step back, Commander Rockhold,” Nico said calmly. “Or I’ll take her out right here, right now. And my man,” he added, glancing casually over his shoulder to the remaining lackey he had, “will take care of the Doctor.”

“Thor,” Kira said, “we have to surrender. We have no other choice. We’ll just surrender.”

Nico’s eyes went wide as he turned his attention back toward her. “Really? Just like that? No last stitch effort to wiggle free? No fight-to-the-death mentality? Captain Winter, you’ve gone soft.”

Kira’s stomach turned with frustration and anger. She wanted so badly to retaliate. She knew she could. She could have taken that gun from him before he had the chance to order his man to shoot Dario. Thor could have killed him before he had the time to pull the trigger.

They could have tried, at least. If it had been under any other circumstances, they would have.

Nico turned back to Thor, who had taken a slow step back, although his gun was still trained on the bounty hunter’s side.

“I guess it doesn’t matter how it happens,” Nico said, dropping his hand from Kira’s face and holding it out in Thor’s direction, waiting for him to hand over his weapon. “As long as I get my payout and know that you’re finally where you belong, I’ll be happy.”

Thor grunted as he handed over his gun. Nico tossed it back to his companion and waited for Kira to turn hers over, as well. Next, he disarmed Dario.

All the while, he chattered with laughter, proud of himself for his accomplishment. Kira, Thor, and Dario didn’t speak, but they didn’t need to. They were all thinking the same thing.

“It’s too late to turn back now.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Something’s not right,” Alaria said popping her head up around the control panel.

Bron, grunting with frustration at the mess of wires spilling out of the panel at his feet, looked over at her quickly. “Nothing is right,” he replied. “I can’t figure out where to install the upgrade. I don’t know what the hell Vinnie did in here last time…”

“Not with the ship,” Alaria replied, pushing herself up to her feet and wiping her hands on her long blue work pants, “with the others. They’ve been gone for too long.”

Bron looked around the room as if he was just realizing where he was. "How long have we been working?"

“A couple of hours, I’d guess.”

“Something’s wrong,” he mumbled, walking over to the ship’s intercom. “Vinnie,” he spoke into the speaker, sending his message ship-wide, “report to the airlock immediately.”

Turning back to face Alaria, he smiled. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said as encouragingly as he could. “They probably just got caught up talking to Artanis or something.”

“Right,” she nodded, although the look of concern in her eyes didn’t waver.

The two walked together from the engine room and made their way to the ship’s exit. The place felt empty without the others around. Even though Kira and Thor were almost always locked away in the flight deck, just knowing they were there was comforting enough. And Dario was always wandering about somewhere, fiddling with medical equipment or trying personal upgrades to his weapons.

The Curio always had a buzz of life wafting about. Between the constant banter that filled their conversations or the spark of danger that fueled them all to try their hardest or the warmth of closeness that permeated the air, there was always something comforting about being aboard their beloved junker.

But now, as they walked side-by-side through the long, metallic halls, the ship felt almost desolate.

“I’m worried,” Alaria mumbled.

She clenched her hands into fists and pinched her lips together tightly, trying to shake the feeling of gloom. Bron, always sensitive to her feelings, picked up on her apprehension easily. He wanted to comfort her but he didn’t know how. There was nothing he could say to make her father return or to even ensure that he wasn’t in danger.

“He’s with the two most skilled fighters I know,” he said instead. “I wouldn’t be worried about him. I’d be worried about anyone that comes across them.”

Alaria laughed slightly and smiled up at him. “Thanks, Bron,” she said, her voice soft and melodic. “I’m glad that you’re here with me.”

Bron’s cheeks flushed in the way that always made Alaria smile a little bigger.

“I’m glad to be here, too,” he said, clearing his throat slightly as he turned his attention to the large airlock doors now directly in front of them.

Standing there, his long skinny arms crossed over his chest, was Vinnie, his metallic side-kick stationed at his side. He already had an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, and a spark of enthusiasm was visible in his eyes.

“What’s up?” he asked, trying to be cool but failing.

“It’s been too long,” Bron informed him. “We’re going looking for them.”

A smile wiggled across Vinnie’s face as the thought of racing through the TFS Arbiter flashed through his mind. Patting the repair bot on its head, he spun on his heel to open the door. As he spun, the assault rifle on his back smacked into the side of the bot.

“Son of a bitch,” his metallic side-kick sputtered. “Be careful.”

“You’re metal; you’re fine,” Vinnie replied, stepping through the door as it slid open.

The repair bot rolled off, mumbling a string of foul frustrations as it went back to its chores. Alaria and Bron followed Vinnie out through the airlock, not pausing once they were back in the heart of the repair bay.

“Where did they go when they left?” Vinnie called out.

“To talk to Artanis, I think,” Bron answered.

Bron, with his long, strong strides had no trouble making his way to the front of their group. Vinnie, with his excess energy, jogged alongside him. Alaria, although strong and fast and as enthusiastic about their task as the others, found it a little more difficult to keep up with his long Bandurian strides.

As they went, the space separating her from the other two slowly grew larger—one foot, two feet, five feet. She didn’t let it detour her. Shouldering her way through the crowds in the promenade, she kept her eyes focused on the back of Bron’s head.

Nothing was going to stop her from figuring out where her father and the others were. Nothing was going to stop her from…

“Three criminals have been apprehended aboard the TFS Arbiter.”

The voice coming out of the viewscreen caused her to freeze in place. She didn’t need to turn toward the screen to know whose faces would be illuminated there. A chill ran down her spine as she scanned the crowd around her.

“Bron!” she yelled out, hoping he would hear her above the dull roar of voices that always filled the busy space station. “Bron! Vinnie!”

“The bounties for the individuals are expected to be collected by one Nico Rax within the week,” the announcer continued.

Slowly and with a great deal of apprehension, Alaria turned to face the viewscreen. It was hanging over a very busy bar, filled with a slew of rather skeptical looking individuals. There were Bandurians throwing back shots of Bandurian whiskey, Rengar traders huddled together in the corner of the bar, and a pair of Arkadian women hovering over the counter, waiting impatiently for their drinks. They all looked at Alaria, petite and deceivingly dainty, suspiciously as she moved closer to the screen.

Kira’s face flashed across the screen, with the caption “DETAINED” scrolling along below it. Next was Thor, and then came Dario. The second she saw her father’s face, a slight fearful gasp slipped past her lips.

"Watch it," one of the Bandurians grumbled when Alaria accidentally bumped into his elbow, sending a small amount of his whiskey spilling over the edge of his glass.

“Sorry,” Alaria replied absently.

“Sorry won’t cut it,” the Bandurian replied, throwing back the rest of the drink in his glass. “You owe me a new drink.”

Alaria shifted her gaze quickly to meet his. His face was filled with the typical ridges of his kind, and his dark brown skin pulled his lips as his mouth twisted into a frown. She had to tilt her head all the way back to look up at his face, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her.

“I’m not in the mood for your crap,” Alaria said.

Her tone was low and her words harsh. The sound of her voice surprised her, the aggressive nature of it not something she was accustomed to.

“I don’t really care what mood you’re in,” the Bandurian man replied with a demeaning laugh. “I care about my drink.”

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence. Because I don’t give a shit about your drink,” Alaria snapped back.

The Bandurian man slammed his now empty glass down onto the bar with such force that it broke on impact. With that, the entire bar fell silent, and every eye turned to watch the fight that was about to unfold.

Alaria, not missing a beat, took a quick step back and reached for her sidearm. It was drawn and pointed straight in the direction of the Bandurian before he had the chance to move his massive hand. Shards of glass were stuck into his palm, but they didn't seem to bother him. Instead, a vicious smirk crossed his lips.

“Don’t,” Alaria warned, knowing that if given the chance, his glass-punctured hand would come flying directly at her face. “I will shoot you.”

“Alaria!” Bron’s voice called out to her. “What the hell are you doing?”

She turned back to see him, elbowing his way in her direction. Vinnie was close on his heels, assault rifle already in hand. Before she could turn back around, the Bandurian with the bad temper knocked her weapon out of her hand. The sound of the metal skidding across the ground made her heart sink.

Reacting immediately, she pulled her leg up and let it fly, sending her foot into the soft part of the massive man’s stomach. He doubled over and coughed, acting more out of surprise than anything. Before he could retaliate, Alaria took advantage of his compromised state to bring her foot up again, this time letting it land in the place she knew would do the most damage—his groin.

By the time Bron reached her, the Bandurian she was facing off against was ready for a real fight. Her blows had hurt him just enough to infuriate him. Bron knew that as well as she did, which is why he didn’t hesitate to ball up his fist and let it fly right into the side of the man’s face.

The man responded in kind, letting his fist find its home in Bron’s chest. The scuffle continued, spreading out through the bar and pushing onlookers back against the walls, for what felt like an eternity.

It probably would have gone on longer, had it not been for Alaria’s loud, wordless shout.

When the two fighting Bandurians and the rest of the crowd gathered around turned to face her, they found both her and Vinnie, both with guns in hand, and sights trained on the instigator.

A soft click of a gun action locking into place, though, told Alaria that the sudden change in the room was not the result of her and Vinnie’s stance. She turned around slowly to see that three Arbiter Security Officers were eyeing them suspiciously.

“Alright,” one of the gruff, heavily armed officers said, stepping forward. “I don’t know who started this or why, but you are all going to need to come with me.”

“But…” Alaria tried to protest.

He didn’t even pretend to care about her objection. Before she could voice her argument, he had ordered his men to handcuff all of them. Bron, Alaria, and the Bandurian instigator were all escorted quickly from the bar.

“Where’s…?” Alaria asked but Bron cut her off before she could finish her question.

“We’ll get this all figured out,” he said with a wink.

CHAPTER NINE

The air in the brig was stale. There was something familiar about that stale, almost metallic tasting air. Of course, there was. This was not the first, nor the second, brig the group had found themselves locked up in.

Kira sighed as she slumped down on the cold metallic bench lining the wall. “It’s roomier than I thought it would be,” she observed.

Thor paced out the space and nodded. “Bigger than the one on the Roughnecks’ ship, that’s for sure.”

“It’s damper, though,” Kira said, wrinkling her nose as she glanced at the puddle-ridden ground. “Why is it damp?”

“Probably because they have to wash out the cells whenever one of the prisoners…” Dario started.

“That’s okay,” Kira said, cutting him off. “I don’t really need to know.”

Dario chuckled and Thor grunted.

“How long will it take for us to get to Jaantu 7?” Dario asked.

Kira and Thor exchanged looks as they calculated. “About six days, maybe a little more,” Kira estimated. “We’re closer than we were when you and I started out on this same journey a few months ago.”

Thor laughed and slumped down on the bench next to her. “The brig aboard that ship was much nicer than this one. Easier to break out of, too.”

Kira chuckled as she remembered the flight that brought them to where they were in that instant. The irony was laughable. It all started with a trip to transport Thor to Jaantu 7 and now they were both willingly taking that trip together, with an unexpected companion and the pressure of saving the entire galaxy resting on their shoulders.

“Which is fine since we’re not looking for a way to break out,” Dario reminded them.

“This is an odd turn of events,” Thor mused.

“It is. I’m not sure if I like it. I’m not used to just sitting around doing nothing. At the very least, I’m usually scheming,” Kira agreed.

“Well, get used to it,” Dario replied. “We have about a week in here to just sit around and do nothing.”

Kira let out an annoyed grunt. “I just hope the others are having better luck than we are,” she said. “Hopefully they at least figured out that we’re not coming back to set out for the Bazaar with them. We could have at least contacted Artanis if Nico hadn’t been smart enough to take away the comm-bad.”

“Hopefully they figure it out sooner rather than later,” Dario said. “The sooner they get to the Bazaar, the sooner they can start working on a plan to…”

The sound of a large metal door opening at the end of the hall caused them all to fall into a quick silence. Heavy, metallic footsteps rang out as the sound of mechanized breathing filled the silence left between them.

“Nico,” Thor said, pushing himself up.

A squeal-like laugh wafted down the corridor. “Commander Rockhold,” Nico Rax replied.

For as menacing as an individual as Nico Rax had upgraded himself to be physically, his high-pitched, squeaky voice was a clear reminder of what he really was beneath the layers of polished metal and high-end weaponry: an oversized rat.

“I cannot tell you how elated I was to see your face pop up on the bounty list again,” Nico continued.

As the rodent-shaped figure came into view through the bars of their cell, his glowing red eyes glided over them, landing on each of them just long enough to send a chill running down their spines.

“I’ve been planning my revenge since the day I last saw you on Vandor,” Nico said, shifting his gaze to Thor.

Thor, grabbing onto the bars between them, leaned in and replied, “how pathetic your life must be to have to spend your time thinking about me.”

Kira could sense Thor’s anger building. He didn’t like being in this position, none of them did. But, for him, it was more personal. She knew as well as he did that he had the strength and agility to defeat Nico Rax. They had done it before. Having to admit defeat was a blow to his ego. That, plus now having to withstand a barrage of taunting from Nico would likely push him over the edge.

“My life may be pathetic, but at least it will remain the life of a free man,” Nico replied, not insulted in the least. “You, on the other hand, will spend the rest of your days locked up in the very place you should have been all along.”

“You can’t even prove that I am guilty of what I’m accused of,” Thor replied angrily.

“It doesn’t matter to me if you’re guilty or not. All that matters is how big of a payout I’ll get for turning you in. I wonder how pathetic that must make you feel. Going from being one of the most elite fighting machines, an Arcanum soldier, and respected Commander, to now being nothing more than a pretty face with an even prettier price tag attached to it.”

“Watch your mouth, rat!” Thor yelled, reaching his hand through the bars and grabbing hold of Nico Rax by the throat.

The mechanized Rengar didn’t seem phased by the assault. With a high-pitched laugh, he grabbed hold of Thor’s wrist, squeezing it so tightly that Thor’s fingertips started to turn purple.

“Thor,” Kira said, standing up quickly and walking over beside him. “This isn’t doing any good,”

Thor didn’t shift his gaze to her. He kept his eyes glued to Nico’s. Kira rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

“Thor,” she said.

Letting out a frustrated grunt of defeat, he loosened his hold on Nico’s throat and took a small step back deeper into the cell.

“Thank you, Captain,” Nico said, his beady eyes bouncing back and forth between Kira and Thor. “Just for that, I will allow you to eat today.”

“Allow me to eat?” Kira asked.

“Yes. You see, to collect the bounty, I only have to deliver you alive to Jaantu 7. There’s nothing in the posting about delivering you in good health,” Nico explained. “So, Commander Rockhold, if I were you, I’d be a little nicer to me. Because I’ve heard that while it is rather unpleasant, humans can go more than a week without eating and still survive.”

“You can’t starve us!” Dario objected.

“I’d watch my tone, Dr. Marner, or you’ll be missing a meal, as well,” Nico said smugly.

Kira, Thor, and Dario all stood silently, unsure of how to respond. Kira could feel her own frustration building up in her stomach and now she wanted to throw herself across the cell and grab hold of the infamous bounty hunter herself. But, she remained calm. As painful as it was, she remained perfectly calm.

“Very good,” Nico said, nodding his head once. “I will have one of my men bring down meals for the Doctor and Captain. If you wish to share with your companion, that’s up to you. But remember, you never know when I’ll decide to take pity on you again. So, make the most of what you get.”

With that, he turned on his heel and marched back down the hall in the direction he came. No one moved or spoke until the cling of his metallic steps faded completely and the metal door through which he came slammed shut behind him.

“We should have killed him when we had the chance,” Thor said as he slumped down onto the hard metal bench.

“Oh, come on, it’s always nice to see a familiar face,” Kira said, sitting down next to him.

He looked over at her, a rather unamused expression on his face. She smiled weakly and shrugged, sliding her hand over and resting it on his.

“We knew this wouldn’t be fun,” she said.

“I didn’t know it would be humiliating,” Thor replied.

“It’ll be worth it when it’s all said and done,” Dario said encouragingly.

“When it’s all said and done, I’m going to hunt down that little fur-covered robotic freak and take care of him myself,” Thor said leaning back.

“Oh good, we’re making plans again,” Kira said leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. “That’ll give us something to do to pass the time.”

CHAPTER TEN

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been locked up,” Alaria observed as she paced back and forth in front of the bars. “I don’t particularly like it.”

Just sitting around doing nothing was annoying for the first hour they were in the TFS Arbiter’s jail, but by the end of the second, it was painfully frustrating.

“Hey!” she yelled down the hall for the fifteenth time since they had taken them into custody. “Hey! I want to speak to Admiral Artanis! Artanis!”

Bron couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He understood her irritation at being locked up, especially given the fact that they had just discovered that Kira, Thor, and Dario were picked up by a bounty hunter. But, this wasn’t his first time being behind bars, and he knew how things worked a little better than she did.

“They’re not going to pay attention to you,” he explained, walking up and standing behind her.

She leaned against the bars and turned to face him. She was easily eight inches shorter than him, and she had to lean her head almost all the way back to look up at him from that angle.

“They have to,” she said. “We have to get out of here so we can tell Artanis what happened and get to work on figuring out how to break Dario and the others out.”

“No matter what the reason, they’re not going to believe it. Trust me, people say just about anything to get out of places like this. The guards are used to just ignoring pretty much anything anyone behind these bars says.”

“How much experience do you have being in places like this?” she asked.

“Let’s just say that as much as I like to blame Kira for the trouble I get into, I was pretty successful at finding it on my own before she came along.”

Alaria smiled and turned to peer back out the bars. “Then how will we get out of here?” she asked. “The jail time for disrupting the peace is twenty-four hours. Disrupting the peace and pulling a weapon in public is seventy-two.”

“I can’t believe you,” Bron said, his tone playfully scolding.

“What?” she asked, spinning around again to look up at him.

Her light blond hair draped across her face and her big blue eyes seemed even wider as she waited for his response.

“You’ve been here for two hours and you’ve already lost faith in our trio,” Bron replied.

“Our trio,” she repeated, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “Vinnie! He’ll get us out!”

“He will. And I’m sure he won’t let me forget about it, either. That kid is keeping a list of all the times he’s saved my ass, and I know that this one will definitely make the top.”

Alaria giggled that giggle that made Bron’s stomach feel like he had had one too many shots of Bandurian whiskey. She tossed her perfectly platinum hair over her shoulder and glided gracefully over to the bench. Bron followed behind her, his steps clumsy and heavy.

“How long do you think he’ll be?” she asked as she slid down onto the metal slab.

“Depends on how creative he’s getting with getting us out.”

Alaria patted the space next to her and scooted over just a little, making room for him. He could feel his cheeks begin to flush a little as he plopped down at her side.

“I hope he doesn’t do anything too drastic,” she said, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. “The last thing we need is another one of our crew on the wanted list.”

“He’s an intelligent kid. I’m sure whatever he’s doing, he’s being smart about it.”

“You two make a really good team,” she observed, leaning in and resting her head on his shoulder.

Having her so close always made Bron feel flustered. He was an awkward enough individual, to begin with, but being around her always somehow exaggerated that.

“I’m really glad we found you two,” she continued, scooting just a little closer. “You’ve helped us so much. And I don’t know what I would do if I were just sitting here alone while my father was out there on his way to Jaantu 7. I’m so worried about him, Bron.”

Her voice was soft and calm, but still, he could sense the emotions buried beneath it. He wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure exactly how to go about doing so.

“I’m glad…” he started, nudging his shoulder around slightly and moving his hand to her side. “I’m glad I could be here…”

Now he was prepared to make his move. He slid his hand around behind her back and wrapped it tightly around her waist. His heart was racing as he waited for her response. Would she pull away? Would she scoot in closer?

“I don’t ever want to hear another comment about not needing me around,” Vinnie’s voice broke through the moment.

“Vinnie!” Alaria exclaimed, jumping up to her feet and running over to the bars.

“Just in time,” Bron mumbled as he followed behind Alaria.

Vinnie, standing nearly as tall as Alaria, took a step back as one of the jail guards swiped his ID badge in front of the reader and opened the cell door.

“How did you…?” Alaria started, but she was cut short when Admiral Artanis walked to the front of their cell.

“He’s a persistent one,” Artanis said, walking slowly toward them.

“That’s an understatement,” Bron agreed.

“He showed up at the military section of the station, demanding to see me. I, of course, wasn’t in that part of the ship as I was waiting to hear from a group of special task force members in a secured conference area. But, Vinnie didn’t let that detour him. He very enthusiastically explained that his business with me was of the utmost importance.”

“I caused a scene,” Vinnie said with a chuckle.

“Another understatement, I’m sure,” Bron said, smiling at him almost proudly as he patted him on the back.

“Long story short, I was called in to give the official order to throw him in jail. He’s a minor and all, and because of that, a high ranking official needs to take responsibility for him while he’s in custody. Seeing as he was demanding to see me, it made the most sense that I am the one to give the official order,” Artanis explained.

“Thankfully he recognized me from the meeting we had on the TFS Victory,” Vinnie replied.

“Thankfully,” Alaria said. “We’ve been wanting to meet with you, Admiral.”

“I imagined as much,” Artanis replied. “There are a few things we need to discuss. But, here is not the place. Follow me, if you will.”

With that, he turned on his heel and lead the group out of the station jail. Back in the hustle and bustle of the busy space station, Artanis didn’t slow as he wove his way through the crowds. Bron was the first behind him, opening the path for Alaria and Vinnie easily with his large size and long strides.

When they reached the far end of the station, about twenty minutes later, he led them into the same high-security area that he had asked Kira and the others to meet him in before. Alaria recognized it right away and knew that where they were going was somewhere where no one outside of their group would be able to hear what was going on.

Stopping abruptly at a door labeled “Conference Room 4” Artanis waved his ID badge in front of the reader and stepped back as the door whooshed opened.

“After you,” he said, motioning for them to step into the room.

The three of them filed in. There were no other officials in the room this time. It was just them and Artanis. Something about that made a nervous lump form in Alaria’s stomach.

“Where are the others?” she asked, sitting down in the same seat she had been in when they agreed that her father would participate in the most dangerous mission any of them had faced to date.

“They won’t be joining us,” Artanis said, walking around the table. He remained standing as he continued, “as I’m sure you’ve figured out, Kira, Thor, and Dario were all successful in getting themselves captured.”

Bron grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“We did,” Alaria replied. “It wasn’t part of our plan, though—for them to get caught so soon. We were supposed to have a few more days to finalize our plans. Did they speak to you before they were taken? Do you have any idea why they didn’t come back to see us?”

“We reviewed some of the security footage of their capture. It appears they were ambushed by a notorious bounty hunter and although they did try to fight back, in the end, they surrendered.”

“Shit,” Bron muttered.

Vinnie, with the same zeal he did everything, replied, “it doesn’t matter how they got caught. The thing is, they did. Now it’s our turn to hold up our end of the deal. Let’s start figuring out how we’re going to bust them out!”

Everyone turned their attention to Artanis, waiting for him to provide them with some sort of guidance. When he didn’t answer right away, the nervous pit in Alaria’s stomach grew slightly bigger.

“Unfortunately,” he said after a long pause, “there is nothing the T.A.F. can do to help.”

“Nothing?” Bron asked, stepping forward and resting his fists on the large metal table between them and Artanis. “What do you mean nothing? They are out there for you! They are risking their lives for your mission.”

Artanis, appearing to be slightly intimidated by the Bandurian’s suddenly aggressive tone, took a small step back.

“I warned Captain Winter and the others that this would be the case,” Artanis explained. “We cannot risk straining our relationship with the Bandurians. Given that Jaantu 7 is located in the Bandurian occupied section of Delta Space, any involvement by the Terran Alliance Forces could be considered a direct violation of territorial boundaries.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Bron asked.

“Kira assured me of your abilities and expertise,” Artanis replied. “She only agreed to take on this mission because of her faith in her crew.”

“Flattery isn’t going to get our people back,” Vinnie said, crossing his arms over his chest in an effort to imitate Bron’s authoritative stance.

“We have provided you with materials and supplies for your ship,” Artanis replied. “We have done all that we can do. Now, I’m afraid, it’s up to you to get them out of Jaantu 7.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The week-long journey out to Jaantu 7 felt more like a month. For Thor, the hardest part was keeping his temper in check. But, after missing meals two days in a row, he finally caved and opted instead for completely ignoring Rax when he made his daily trips to the brig to taunt them with his victory.

For Kira, the worst part was sitting still. Her legs ached for action and her mind throbbed from the lack of mental exercise.

“Maybe simple won’t be good for me,” she said to Thor after being locked up for three days. “I’m already going crazy. I need to be doing something!”

Three days later, as they arrived at Jaantu 7, she was actually excited to throw herself into the rush of danger and adventure she knew would be awaiting them there. As they grew closer to the suspended penitentiary, a chill of nervous enthusiasm trickled down Kira’s spine.

Nico had gathered them all in the airlock, ensuring that they got a good view of their new residence as he docked his ship aboard the infamous prison. Even from a distance, the structure looked ominous. From the outside, there were no windows—at least none that they could see. The free-floating prison was completely surrounded by meteors the size of the Curio, making it difficult to approach, and making it seem even more cut off from the rest of civilization than it already was.

The large, industrial structure was a dark spot in the midst of darkness, illuminated only by specks of light that served to highlight the prison’s poor conditions and menacing appearance.

“Looks nice,” she said, looking up at Thor.

“Just like I always imagined it would,” he said, reaching down and lacing his fingers with hers.

When the ship hissed to a stop inside of the large onboard landing bay, Kira held her breath, ready for whatever would be waiting for them on the other side of the heavy metal door.

“Welcome to Jaantu 7,” a Terran woman greeted them as they disembarked. “I hope your journey here wasn’t too arduous.”

She wasn’t ready for that.

The Terran woman, with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes, smiled at them pleasantly as she waved them toward the administration part of the maximum-security prison. Kira eyed her suspiciously, completely thrown off by her sweet demeanor and cheerful countenance.

“This is definitely not what I was expecting,” she muttered to Thor as they walked through the airlock.

Nico Rax, stalking close behind them, laughed his high-pitched laugh as he prodded at them to move faster.

“Welcome to Jaantu 7,” another cheery-faced prison employee greeted them as they moved from the landing bay into the body of the prison. “If you’ll follow me, we’ll get you processed and ready to go.”

They walked behind the tall Terran man who seemed to have an extra bounce in his step. As they moved, they couldn’t help but notice the conditions of the area around them. Everything was clean and pristine. The walls of the hall were bright with intricate light green patterns painted on the thick, white metal. The lights hanging over head gave off a soft, almost blue glow.

The desks they were escorted up to were all occupied by Terran employees, each as pleasant and kind as the next.

“And who might this be?” the woman at the second desk asked as Nico pushed Kira forward.

“Captain Kira Winter,” she replied.

“Just one second,” the woman said, turning her attention to the holo-screen in front of her and entering Kira’s name into the search engine.

As Kira waited, Nico escorted Thor and Dario up to the two desks to her right. They were greeted with the same warm welcome.

“Here you are,” the woman said, smiling up at Kira. “I will need just a few moments to get you all processed and into our system. In the meantime, why don’t you slip into this?”

Pulling a blue jumpsuit from a dispenser underneath her desk, she handed it to Kira with the same disturbingly sweet smile she had worn the entire time. The woman explained where she could find a changing room and then returned to her work.

Thor, too, was heading in the same direction, followed closely by Dario. The three of them entered the changing room together.

“What the hell is this place?” Dario asked as he ducked behind one of the ornate dividers to slip into his blue jumpsuit.

“If I had known it was like this, I wouldn’t have bothered escaping before,” Thor added.

“I don’t know,” Kira said, stepping into one of the partitioned off changing areas. “I think if I see one more obnoxiously sweet smile, I’m going to punch someone in the face and wipe it off for them.”

“Maybe they just really enjoy their jobs,” Thor replied.

“Maybe they’re mocking us,” Kira said. “That’s what it feels like.”

Thor didn’t bother finding a secluded changing area of his own. He remained close to Kira as he slid his shirt up over his head. She couldn’t help but smirk as her eyes glided over his perfectly chiseled chest.

“Hey,” he said, nudging her chin up. “I’m up here.”

She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him tightly. She pushed herself up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. A warm chill ran down her spine as he moved his hands down lower and took hold of the edge of her shirt.

“What are you doing?” she asked, stepping back from him slightly.

"You were going to take it off anyway, right?" he asked jokingly.

“Yes, I was. And I can do so without your help.”

“I’ve helped you before.”

“Well, this is definitely not the time for you to help me again.”

“Or the place,” Dario called out. “Would you two hurry up? I’m already changed.”

“Right,” Kira replied, slipping out of her shirt and shorts and pulling on the jumpsuit.

Thor, too, changed quickly and together the three of them made their way back to their respective administering officers.

“Place all of your personal items in this box,” the Terran woman said, pushing a large metal box in her direction.

She dropped her clothes down into it.

“Anything else? Comm-bands? Phones? Weapons?” the woman asked.

“No,” Kira replied. “I didn’t really have the chance to collect anything before I got picked up,” she added, glancing back over her shoulder at Nico. “And that rat took my gun.”

He wasn’t paying attention to her or to any of them for that matter. He was at a desk of his own, processing the transfer of Galactic Credits into his account. His beady black eyes were wide with greed as he watched the holo-screen clicking off the amounts as they poured into his personal account.

“Well, I think that’s everything then,” the Terran woman said, pushing herself up from her chair and extending her hand to Kira. “You’re all set. Welcome to Jaantu 7, Kira Winter.”

“Thanks,” Kira said, eyeing her hand for a second, still completely thrown off by the overall service they had received since their arrival.

Once Thor and Dario had been formally welcomed by their administering officers, Nico Rax joined them for one last chance to gloat.

“It has been wonderful working with you, Captain Winter, Dr. Marner,” and after shooting Thor a long, boastful grin, he added, “Commander Rockhold.”

Thor’s hands tightened into fists and Kira knew he was at the end of his patience with the oversized rodent.

“Thanks for the ride,” Kira said, smiling at Nico smugly.

“If you ever need another, you know where to find me,” Nico replied, turning to walk away. “Or, at least, I’ll be sure to find you.”

Before any of them could respond, Nico disappeared through a sleek sliding door.

“This way,” a prison guard said, pulling their attention away from their escort and toward the heavy metal door down the hallway leading in the opposite direction.

Kira, Thor, and Dario turned to see a Bandurian male, dressed in thick armor and armed with at least four different weapons, grinning at them menacingly.

“What are you staring at?” he asked. “Move!”

His words were loud and sharp and caused the three of them to jump instantly into action. As they fell into step behind the dark-skinned, muscular Bandurian, Kira felt her pulse quickening. The closer they got to the large metal doors, the more adrenaline pumped through her veins.

When two more guards joined the first, all equally large and equally heavily armed, Thor shot her a nervous look. Even the bright walls and soft lighting couldn’t make the ominous feel that had suddenly settled in the air evaporate.

It took all three guards to push open the heavy metal doors. As they inched open, the dull roar of voices wafted out toward their group. Not just voices, but shouts and cries and grunts and the clang of metal hitting metal.

“Here we are,” the first guard said, grabbing hold of Kira’s arm and pulling her in behind him.

Thor and Dario were also dragged through the door with the same lack of grace or concern. The place they had been taken was a precariously perched platform, made of metal that appeared to be rusting and perhaps far too thin to support their weight.

The droning sounds they had heard outside the door were now almost deafening.

“Welcome to The Pits,” the guard said with a deep, guttural laugh.

Kira took a shaky step forward and peered down. At least fifty feet below them was a poorly lit, densely populated world of thugs and criminals. As the security drones buzzed about, casting light on pockets of the inmates’ realm, Kira was able to see them better.

A fight had broken out in one corner of the room. The sight of a large, green-skinned Arkadian female pinning a light green, scale-covered Vorian warrior back against the wall filled Kira with a rush of panicked excitement she hadn’t felt in well over a week. As the drones continued to zip by, more and more of the prison’s life came into view. In one section, a group of Rengar seemed to be dealing with a group of Bandurian, their beady black eyes looking up at the drones suspiciously as they whirred past. In another part of the crowded, stuffy, dark world of crime, Kira spotted a group consisting of everything from Terran to Telani, Vorian to Rengar seated around a table, their head all down and huddled close. None of them looked back at the drone as it illuminated them.

Watching them, the most notorious group of felons in the entire Galaxy, made Kira’s blood start to pump faster. She could feel her body tingle with adrenaline and her mind already working to read their surroundings, to find the safe zones, to plan their escape.

“Now, this is more like it,” she muttered to herself.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“It’s the best it’s going to get,” Vinnie said, wiping his hand on his pants and pushing himself up.

“Best we can do with a piece of shit,” the repair bot agreed.

Alaria laughed as she, too, pushed herself up off the ground. “Well, the shields are back up and operational, and the hull has been completely upgraded.”

"And it only took us a week," Vinnie replied. "It probably would have gone a lot faster if Bron had actually cared enough to help. Where is his fat ass anyway?"

Alaria gave him an almost scolding look as she worked to close up the panels covering the Curio’s extensive operating system. “He said he was working on better equipping the ship for battle,” she replied.

“He’s one stubborn son of a…” Vinnie started, but noting Alaria’s disapproving look, he stopped short. “He’s very stubborn. We agreed that our priority was working on the hull and shields, and he still has to go and work on weaponry.”

“Artanis let us take pretty much anything we needed,” Alaria reminded him. “It didn’t make sense to not take advantage of that and upgrade our offensive equipment a little.”

“He’s been out there all day, every day for the last week. Something tells me it’s more than a little upgrade.”

Alaria laughed and nodded in agreement. “I’m a little scared to see what he did,” she admitted.

“I’m not,” Vinnie said, attaching the final panel before marching toward the door.

Alaria followed behind him. Once they exited the engine room, Vinnie didn’t stop until he reached the exit. Waiting for the large doors to slide open, they couldn’t help but overhear the whir of a drill and the whine of metal grating against metal.

“Now I am more than a little scared,” Alaria said as they stepped out of the ship into the always hectic repair bay.

Together, they walked around to the front of the ship. The closer they got, the louder the sounds became. When they rounded the side of the Curio, Alaria gasped, stepping back quickly and blinking three times.

“What is that?” she asked, eyeing the object Bron had attached to the front of the ship.

Bron didn’t hear her question over the sound of the drill, nor did he even notice they had come outside. He was too busy hunched over his work, his eyes covered with protective goggles and his lips pursed with concentration.

The object he was working on continued to shock and concern Alaria, who, knowing she wasn’t going to get an answer to her question just yet began to walk around it.

The metal beam was at least ten feet thick and thirty feet long. She assumed it was collapsible, given that there were seams in the metal every four feet. At the end of the enormous metal beam was a point—a very sharp, very terrifying point.

“Hey!” Vinnie yelled, running up to Bron, not caring about breaking his focus. “Hey!”

Bron, looking up at them with an expression of surprise, turned off the drill and pushed himself to his feet. “What do you think?”

“What is it?” Alaria asked.

“A battering ram,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“A what?” Vinnie asked, clearly unimpressed by his guardian’s work.

“A battering ram,” Bron repeated. “I know it doesn’t look like much…”

“It looks like a lot,” Alaria cut him off.

“It looks like shit,” Vinnie added.

“It doesn’t look like much,” Bron continued, ignoring them. “But I think it’ll come in handy.”

“For what?” Vinnie and Alaria asked in unison.

Bron crossed his arms over his chest and spun around to stare at his work. “I don’t know exactly,” he admitted. “But, I found it lying around in the Arbiter’s scrap yard, and thought it would look really badass on the Curio.”

“It doesn’t look badass,” Vinnie replied. “It just looks bad.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Bron said, wiping his hand on his pants and walking over to Alaria.

“You probably should have asked someone before you installed this thing,” Vinnie replied. “Is this all you’ve been working on all week?”

“I upgraded the torpedoes and the turret guns,” Bron replied. “And I installed a new set of cannons in both the bow and the stern.”

“You’ve been busy,” Alaria said, patting him on the arm.

Bron laughed and shrugged, hoping to be as casual as possible. “Well, you were both doing so well with the shields and hull upgrades; I didn’t want to get in the way.”

“Are you just about done with this thing?” Vinnie asked.

“I am,” Bron replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small cube.

When he pressed down on the only button on the top of the handheld device, the battering ram began to shake. Alaria gasped and stepped back, her eyes going wide as she watched the large beam fold up and disappear almost completely into the bow of the ship.

“See?” Bron said, smiling down at them with pride, “I told you it doesn’t look like much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vinnie muttered, heading back for the entrance to the ship.

Once they were back on board and gathered together in the ship’s common area, an awkward almost palpable silence fell between them. The space that was once the meeting place for their entire crew felt empty. The common area was usually filled with laughter and banter and fast-paced conversations. Now, though, it was silent.

“What do we do now?” Vinnie asked, looking back at them.

“We continue with our plan. We go to the Galactic Bazaar,” Alaria replied. “We find the plans for Jaantu 7, and find out a way to break my father and Kira and Thor out of there.”

“That sounds great and all,” Vinnie replied. “But, how are we going to get there? We don’t have a Captain.”

Bron grunted and then cleared his throat. “Are you forgetting whose ship this is?” he asked. “I built her, I can fly her.”

“I don’t know,” Vinnie said doubtfully. “What if we come across some pirates or something? You can fly, but you can’t fight. Not like Kira, at least.”

“Then we’ll take a less trafficked route out to the Bazaar,” Bron replied.

“That’ll take too long,” Alaria said. “We have already lost so much time upgrading the ship. They’re probably inside the prison by now. We have to get them out as soon as possible.”

The thought of her father locked up inside that awful place made Alaria’s stomach turn. Her heart sank every time she walked past his room aboard the Curio to find it empty. Even Zola’s company did little to make her feel better when she laid awake at night worrying about him.

“You’re right,” Bron agreed. “We’re just going to have to take our chances. If worse comes to worst, we fight. I may not be Captain Winter, but I have a few tricks of my own up my sleeves if need be.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that,” Alaria said softly, slumping down onto the couch.

“Don’t get too comfortable there,” Bron said. “You’re going to be helping me in the flight deck.”

“Me?” Alaria asked, her eyes wide.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The wobbly platform they were standing on was not Kira’s main concern. Even if it did give out, it would probably be for the best. Whatever angst she was feeling for action and adventure slowly evaporated as they waited for the rickety, old elevator to reach the top.

The longer she looked down, the more the reality of the situation set it: This wasn’t a situation she could fancy-fly her way out of. This wasn’t something that could be analyzed and attacked like an aerial assault. This was real—this was going to be her life.

“Maybe we should have spent more time on Rax’s ship planning,” Thor mumbled to her under his breath. “How the hell are we going to find anyone in that mob?”

She shrugged, her eyes still darting back and forth quickly, trying to take in as much of the scene as possible. She hadn’t thought of that. How would they find Aldo and Kardok? All she could think of was how they would maneuver their way through the mass of bodies without ending up in one of the countless brawls she saw taking place.

The sound of the elevator coming to a stop, which was really more like a loud, mechanical whine mixed in with the crunching of gears, made Kira grit her teeth. Before she even had the chance to turn around, one of the guards grabbed hold of her shoulder and pulled her into the small metal box. Thor was pushed in by another one of the guards, and Dario was nearly thrown in behind him. Just as the doors began to close, all three guards stepped back out onto the platform, their movements surprisingly briskly for their massive size.

“Good luck,” one of them said, the evil grin spread across his face the last thing Kira saw before the door slammed shut between them.

The elevator shook to life violently. So violently that Kira was nearly thrown back against the rusty metal wall. Thankfully, Thor with his accelerated reflexes reached out and pulled her back before she fell.

“Thank you,” she said, looking back at the rust-covered wall she nearly plummeted into. “You saved me from getting tetanus.”

“I think tetanus will be the least of your concerns,” Dario said, moving toward the front of the elevator, where the wall was nothing more than wire caging, through which every inch of The Pits could be seen.

An involuntary shiver slithered down Kira’s spine as she moved forward, noticing that each and every eye of each and every inmate was pointed in their direction. The closer they got to the ground level, the clearer the faces of their new housemates became, and not one of them looked pleasant.

“I take back what I said earlier. I would give anything to see an obnoxiously sweet smile right now,” Kira muttered.

Thor wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back to him. Turning her around to face him, he leaned in and looked her in the eye.

“We’re going to be fine,” he said softly.

“I’m not so sure about that,” she said, turning to look back over her shoulder.

“Kira,” he said firmly, drawing her gaze back to him. “You’ve faced much worse than those assholes out there.”

“Maybe,” she agreed, “but not all at once.”

“You took down an Arcanum soldier on your own,” he reminded her. “Not many people can say they’ve done that.”

“I didn’t take you down,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“You scared the shit out of me, though,” he said, hugging her tightly.

Just as she spun around, the elevator came to an abrupt stop. Dario staggered backward and Kira reached out to balance him, Thor still holding onto her shoulders tightly. If it weren’t for that, both her and Dario would have gone crashing to the ground.

They all held their breath as the doors slid open. Although many of the inmates had lost interest in the newcomers, there was still a large number of them that had not. Kira felt their eyes burning into her as they made their way out of the safety of the metal box.

As they moved deeper into The Pits, Kira’s skin began to prickle with goosebumps. There was a tension in the air that she was pretty sure was a permanent part of the prison. The sound of voices and shouting all blended together, echoing off the high-reaching metal walls and blending together to form a long, constant droning.

“Don’t talk to anyone,” Thor said, leaning in and speaking to both Kira and Dario in a low, authoritative tone. “And stay close to me.”

Kira had intended on doing exactly that. At least, until she got familiar with her surroundings. Unarmed she felt vulnerable. Although she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against a prison gang of Vorion thugs or Bandurian thieves. That meant that Thor was their best defense for the time being, and she was not about to put any distance between herself and him.

Getting from one end of The Pits to the other took a lot longer than she had imagined it would. Looking at the place from up above, it didn’t seem nearly as large as if felt when she was in the midst of the chaos.

It was organized chaos, though. There was a sort of system to the place. Just scanning her surroundings, she could see that there were different communities. The communities weren’t just broken up by species, either. They seemed to be divided up by pure brute strength. And, clearly, those with the most strength had the most power.

“It’s like there’s a caste system,” Dario said, eyeing the different groups with his critically analytical eye.

He was right. It was a caste system based on ruggedness and ability to instill pain in anyone who questioned said ruggedness. As they moved through the groups, they were each sized up. Kira could feel them judging her, jumping to quick conclusions based on her size. She didn’t mind that, though. It was better for her if they underestimated her. It gave her an edge—an advantage.

Besides, it wasn’t her that they showed the most interest in. It was Thor.

Even though his enhancements were biological, and not immediately noticeable upon first glance, he was still a very large, very muscular individual. Someone the others might think of either a threat or a potential ally.

She didn’t want him to be either of those things. And, she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

“Where do you think Aldo and Kardok would be among the groups?” Dario asked, his voice low, once they reached the back wall of The Pits.

Even though they were as far away from the center as possible, they were still surrounded. There was no place in the heart of the prison that wasn’t smack dab in the middle of one crowd or the other.

“There are thousands of prisoners in here,” Dario continued. “Finding them could take as long as doing sector by sector searches from Grimm would.”

Kira noted the desperation in his tone. She, too, was feeling overwhelmed. Her head hurt from the constant hum of voices and her stomach refused to stop flopping about nervously. Thor was the only one that didn’t seem completely out of sorts in the midst of the prison chaos.

“Well, we got a Rengar,” Thor said, scanning the crowd, “in here for smuggling. That means that he probably isn’t ranked among the ‘I-could-kill-you-with-my-glare’ group of meat heads over there.”

He gestured toward a group of Vorian warriors locked in an arm-wrestling match.

“But, both of them did work for Grimm, which means that they would have connections with other inmates locked up in here,” Thor continued, “so that means they wouldn’t be pushed down to fend for themselves with one of the weaker groups.”

“That eliminates two groups,” Dario said, “but there are at least twenty more that I can see just at a quick glance. There has to be a better way than just wandering around the prison aimlessly searching.”

“To be fair, if we were searching, our wandering wouldn’t be aimless. Our aim would be to find…” Kira started to point out but she quickly stopped when both Dario and Thor looked at her with slightly annoyed expressions on their faces.

“What? It’s true,” she mumbled, turning to look out at the mob.

“My guess is that they’re crafty,” Dario said, pulling the conversation back to focus. “This means they would probably be smart enough to not get involved in any of the groups exclusively—loyal to none, an enemy to none.”

“That’s true. We should start by speaking to anyone that isn’t part of a set community,” Kira said.

“It’s our best shot,” Thor agreed.

With that, the trio once again dove into the organized chaos of The Pits, making sure to steer clear of the most aggressive and territorial looking groups and searching, instead, for anyone that was confidently comfortable milling about on their own—completely unlike them.

“What about that guy over there?” Kira asked Thor, tapping on his shoulder and directing his gaze toward a brown fur-covered Rengar leaning against a pillar, calmly smoking a cigar on his own.

“Yeah,” Thor agreed. “Maybe he…”

Running straight into the back of possibly the largest individual in The Pits caused Thor’s words to catch in his throat. Kira let out a terrified gasp, something she never did when the massive creature turned around and glared down at them with eyes red with anger.

“What the hell was that?” the enormous beast-like individual asked.

His voice was low but loud and seemed to shake the ground under their feet. Or, perhaps it was just Kira shaking with fear that caused that sensation. All out terror, like the terror she felt in that instant, was not familiar to Kira, just as the individual who had instilled that terror in her was not familiar to her. She had never seen any species like him in her life.

He stood at least a foot taller than Thor. His shoulders were easily triple the size of his, and his skin was a dark orange. His face was smashed into an expression of anger. Kira wondered if that wasn’t just what his face always looked like. He had four arms, each with more muscles than she had in both of hers combined. His exposed abdomen was a washboard of muscles and his chest looked like two pillars nestled together.

“I said, ‘what the hell?’” the creature asked again, this time balling up one of the two huge fists on his right side and lifting that arm to let it fly at Thor.

Just as he released his arm, Thor stepped to the side, effortlessly gliding out of the path of the punch that would have easily put him into another coma.

“I didn’t mean…” Thor started.

But, he didn’t get to finish his statement when the massive creature let out a frustrated cry and threw one of his two left fists flying at Thor. Again, Thor was able to side-step the blow with ease, only infuriating his opponent more.

Again, an angry, frustrated cry escaped the four-armed giant. A crowd was beginning to gather, and with each attempted strike by the giant and quick-step out of the way by Thor, the circle that had formed around them closed off a little more. Kira's heart began to beat quicker. The only advantage that Thor had over this giant was his speed. But, with the crowd gathering around them, his speed did him no good—he had nowhere to retreat to.

Thor darted to the right then to the left, throwing a quick jab at his attacker, but doing very little to detour his will to fight—doing a lot to increase his rage.

Letting out a mocking cry of aggression, the orange beast attempted to throw a punch with one of his right arms, as he reached out to grab hold of Thor with the other. Again, Thor’s agility out-weighed his brute strength.

As he moved, Thor spun around once, delivering a perfectly placed kick to the orange monster’s gut. Kira shrunk back, realizing as quickly as Thor did that that was not a good idea. His opponent stumbled back, but only out of surprise. With an amused laugh, he reached down with one of his left arms attempting to take hold of Thor one more time.

He anticipated Thor’s quick reflexes this time, though, and just as Thor darted to the right, both of his trunk-sized right arms were waiting for him.

Kira rushed forward, her intention to distract the giant long enough for Thor to wiggle free of his hold. It didn’t work. Before she was able to deliver a punch, the rock-shaped creature delivered one of his own.

One of his left arms came around, slow and steady, but backed by more force than she could have mustered in her entire body, and landed in her gut. She was sent flying back into the crowd that quickly dispersed as she barreled toward them. None of them attempted to help her. She went crashing to the ground, a bolt of shocked pain rippling up her spine upon impact.

She tried to push herself up, but the crowd had once again filled in the space they had vacated for her to plummet into. She could only see glimpses of what was happening. She did see the attacker triumphantly lift Thor off the ground. She also saw a pair of rodent-like feet pad their way calmly to the center of the circle the crowd was huddled around. Leaning over to get a better view, she recognized him immediately.

“Excuse me,” the Rengar they had spotted early said, walking up behind the large, four-armed creature.

Thor’s attacker either didn’t notice or didn’t care about the fur-covered Rengar tapping him repeatedly on the side.

“Hey,” the Rengar said, a little louder, still tapping incessantly on the giant’s side.

“Go away,” Thor’s attacker said to him quickly. “I’m busy.”

"I see that," the Rengar replied. "And I happen to remember a time when you were busy with something else not that long ago—something that got you into trouble. Something you needed help getting out of."

The large, orange skinned beast looked back at the Rengar over his shoulder and huffed. He slowly lowered Thor back down to the ground.

“That’s a good Dralaxian,” the Rengar said, patting him on the back. “Good.”

“This isn’t over,” the orange-skinned beast said, leaning in and glaring at Thor.

“Yes, it is,” the Rengar said calmly. “Come on, now. You owe me one. Let’s call this guy my ‘one’.”

“Let’s call this incident your ‘one’,” the attacker replied. “Just make sure he stays out of my way. Because next time, you won’t have any favors to call in to protect his scrawny Terran ass.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Engines ignited,” Alaria said, sitting back in the co-pilot’s chair.

“Good,” Bron replied, grabbing hold of the controls.

His hands shook slightly as he prepared to lift the Curio off the repair bay floor. It hadn’t been that long since he had flown a ship. But still, there was a certain pressure that rested on his shoulders now that he was participating in a mission to save the entire Galaxy that made him more nervous than he usually would have been.

“Let’s go, you big lug!” Vinnie called through the intercom. “All systems are online—shields, weapons, engines. What are you waiting for?”

“I’m waiting for you to shut your mouth,” Bron replied, glaring at the speaker set into the wall to his left.

Alaria laughed slightly and leaned back in her chair. “Take your time, Bron,” she said softly. “It doesn’t matter how quickly we get there if we end up crashing along the way.”

Nodding slowly, Bron pulled back on the controls and lifted the Curio off of the ground. Guiding the ship toward the large airlock, he forced himself to relax slightly and settle into the role as temporary captain.

“It’s nice sitting up here,” Alaria said, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen in front of them. “You can see everything. It’s much better than the view I get down in the engine room.”

“It is kind of nice, isn’t it?” Bron asked as he guided the ship into the air lock and waited for the second set of doors to open.

When they did, Alaria let out a soft gasp as the sight of thousands of far-off stars dotting the pitch-black sky filled the screen in front of them. There was nothing but wide-open space in front of them.

“It’s beautiful,” Alaria said, pushing herself forward, her eyes still fixed on the endless expanse.

“Surely, you’ve been on a flight deck during flight before,” Bron said.

“A few times,” she agreed. “Kira always has us meet up here, so there were those times. And maybe once or twice before that. But, I’ve never been right here, sitting in one of these seats with nothing but that in front of me.”

“Well, you have the next week at least to sit in that seat as much as you want,” Bron said. “You can even sleep up here if you want.”

Alaria giggled and leaned back in her chair again. “I’m not sure Vinnie will like that very much,” she said. “He’ll probably want a turn up here with you.”

“He’s been up here plenty of times,” Bron replied. “When we first started putting this thing together we took it out on practice flights hundreds of times. I even let the little shit fly it a time or two.”

“Vinnie can fly?”

“He can keep the thing in the air,” Bron replied with a chuckle. “I don’t know if I’d call that flying.”

“It’s more than I can do.”

“You want to learn how to fly?” Bron asked, looking over at her.

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I think it would be a beneficial skill to have. I mean, what happens if Kira gets hurt one day and can’t fly the ship? I guess then you could pilot it. But what if you got hurt, and then Vinnie, and then Thor? If that happened, I’d have to know how to fly to get us to safety.”

"If all of us got hurt, I'd say we're pretty much screwed, anyway. But, you do have a point. It is always good to know the basics of flying a larger vessel like this just in case."

“Maybe one day you can teach me,” Alaria said, looking over at Bron and smiling.

“Sure,” Bron replied, his voice slightly higher than it usually was.

His cheeks began to flush red and he could feel her still looking over at him. He tightened his hold on the controls as he tried to compose himself. He had been wanting to have some time alone with Alaria for a while, and now that they were sitting there, on the flight deck with a blanket of stars sprawled out in front of them and no one anywhere around, his nerves caused his stomach to fill with so many knots that it felt as if one of them drifted up to his throat to prevent him from speaking.

“Hey Alaria,” Vinnie’s voice came through the intercom. “I think Zola is looking for you.”

“Really?” Alaria asked, jumping up quickly and clapping her hands together.

“Yeah, she’s been meowing really loudly, and wandering around the engine room.”

Just before Alaria could respond, telling Vinnie that she was on her way, a soft ping rang through the intercom. A chill ran down Alaria’s spine the second she realized what the sound was.

“It’s a message from Thane,” she said, looking over at Bron.

“What do you want me to do with her?” Vinnie asked.

“Bring her up here,” Alaria said, reaching down to switch off the intercom.

She slumped back in the co-pilot’s chair, any excitement she felt about being up there suddenly gone. All she could think about in that moment was that her father wasn’t there to receive Thane’s message. No matter what the contents, he always looked forward to getting to see him.

“He didn’t get to come back for the communicator,” Alaria said, pulling her legs up into the chair and resting her chin on her knees. “He would have never left without it if it hadn’t been for that no-good Nico Rax.”

"He probably wouldn't have been allowed to take it into the prison with him anyway," Bron said, trying to make her feel better. "So, if you think about it, it's better that he didn't come back for it. At least this way, we can still have some idea of what's going on."

“That’s true,” she admitted, still somewhat melancholically. “I just wish he were here, or at least that I knew he was safe. Him and Kira and Thor—I’m worried about them.”

“So am I,” Bron replied.

“Cat delivery,” Vinnie chimed, stepping through the door to the flight deck as it slid open.

Holding out the ball of fur directly in front of him, he marched across the room and set the cat down in Alaria’s lap. Zola, happy to be back with her favorite person, snuggled up in her arms and began to purr softly.

“Don’t get too cozy,” Alaria said, getting to her feet and walking back to the row of consoles behind the captain’s chair.

Setting the cat down gently, she found and detached the communication device that Dario had hidden as a small cybernetic implant in the cat’s neck. Lifting up the small cube slowly, Alaria turned to face Vinnie and Bron. They were both looking back at her with anxious looks on their faces.

Her hands shook as she shooed Zola away and set the communication device down on the console.

“Maybe we shouldn’t listen to it,” she said, spinning back around quickly to face the others. “It is for Dario and all. What if it’s personal.”

“None of the messages he’s sent to date have been overly personal,” Bron pointed out.

“And what if he has some kind of important information?” Vinnie asked, walking over to her. “What if Grimm’s about to blow everything to shit?”

“That’s not helping,” Bron said, scolding his little sidekick.

Quickly entering in the coordinates for the Galactic Bazaar, Bron initiated the autopilot and pushed himself up. Walking over to Alaria, he rested his hand on her shoulder.

“We should listen to it,” he said.

“You’re right,” she replied, smiling up at him.

Holding her breath, she turned her attention back to the small metal box. It always surprised her that such a small device could hold so much weight. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she pressed the only button on the side of the cube and stepped back quickly.

In a flash, the image of Grimm’s assistant occupied the space above the cube.

“Dario,” Thane said, his voice shaky. “It’s getting serious. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but it is. Grimm is on a rampage. He knows you and the others are following him; he knows you know his plans. That’s only made him angry, Dario. He’s very, very angry.”

Alaria took another slight step back; Bron nervously wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Vinnie leaned in closer, his eyes fixed on the holographic image of the man who was now pacing back and forth nervously.

“He’s advancing the plan—speeding it up. I think he’s already found his target, but he won’t divulge what it is to anyone. I don’t know how long we have, but it isn’t long.”

A shiver ran down Alaria’s spine. Bron tightened his hold on her, trying to comfort her from something that disturbed him just as much.

“He knows your Captain is in Jaantu 7,” Thane continued. “He’s taking advantage of that. He’s afraid of her, Dario. She knows him too well. He’s going to strike soon, fearing that she’ll be released or break out. I hope you have a plan. I hope you get this somehow. I saw your face on the bounty list again. Please, tell me you’re okay. My dear, sweet, Dario, I hope you can save us. You have to save us.”

With that, the message stopped. As suddenly as it appeared, the image of Thane was sucked back into the small cube.

"Oh my," Alaria said, swallowing back the tears that were building up in her throat. "Oh, my."

“It’ll be okay,” Bron said, still holding onto her. “We’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay.”

“Whoa,” Vinnie said, spinning around to face them. “We got to get our asses in gear. We really need to get Kira and the others out of there. Did you hear what Thane said? Grimm’s afraid of her? Damn. I knew she was a badass, but…”

“Vinnie,” Bron said, cutting off the teen’s excited rant. “Go check the engines, make sure everything is in ready for FTL warp.”

“On it,” Vinnie said, spinning on his heel and running toward the door. He bounced up and down a few times as he waited for the sliding doors to open. Once they did, he was gone.

“What are we going to do?” Alaria asked, turning to look up at Bron.

“We’re going to stick to the plan,” Bron said, resting his other hand on her other shoulder. “We’re going to bust them out and hunt down that son of a bitch.”

Alaria’s eyes, filled with tears that she fought to keep from falling, met his. “I’m so worried about him,” she said softly.

“I am, too,” he replied. “But I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably keeping their heads low, staying out of trouble, and doing exactly what we are—sticking to the plan.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Okay, okay,” the Rengar who had done the sweet-talking said, addressing the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight. “Show’s over. You can all move along now. That’s right, nothing more to see here. Go on; go on.”

As the crowd dispersed, Thor hurried over to where Kira was still lying on the ground and helped her up to her feet. Dario, undeterred by the encounter, rushed over to their Rengar savior before Kira had a chance to fully gain her footing again.

“Who are you?” he asked.

The Rengar didn't turn to face him but continued waving off the remaining onlookers. "Go on, now. You're not wanted here."

“I asked you a question,” Dario said.

Now the Rengar did turn to look at him, a rather unamused look on his face. “I’m the man who just saved your friend’s ass. A little gratitude is in order.”

“I will express my gratitude when I know to whom to direct it,” Dario countered.

Thor and Kira walked over to them, both of them wanting to know as much as Dario who their rescuer was. They had all spotted him before the attack, and the hope that their assumption of who he was, still lingered in the forefront of all of their minds.

“Who are you?” the Rengar asked, eyeing Dario suspiciously, “besides the group of people now officially in my debt.”

“In your debt?” Thor asked, walking up to him quickly and pushing back against his chest.

The Rengar stumbled slightly then shrunk back against Thor’s abrupt show of aggression. His beady, black eyes darted back and forth between the Terran man now hovering over him and his two companions.

“What? Did you think that that Dralaxian just released you because we’re such good friends? Or maybe he was won over by my charmingly good looks?” the Rengar replied, straightening up and squaring off in front of Thor.

“Why did he?” Kira asked.

“He owed me a favor, a favor I just cashed in on your account. This means that you three are now in my debt.”

“We didn’t ask for your help,” Thor said.

“Big talk now from the guy who is firmly back on the ground,” the Rengar replied with a chuckle. “You weren’t so badass suspended two feet in the air.”

Thor did not take well to this comment, and lifted his hands again, this time balled into fists, ready to throw a strike, or two, in the oversized rodent’s face.

“Aldo,” the Rengar said, covering his face with his tiny hands and shrinking back. “My name is Aldo Firax, and I’m someone you want to be friends with.”

Immediately, Thor dropped his fists to his sides.

“Damn,” he muttered.

Kira, walking up behind him, whispered, “just because we were looking for him doesn’t mean you still can deck him a time or two.”

“Aldo?” Dario asked, stepping up to the Rengar quickly and eyeing him suspiciously. “Aldo Firax? Are you telling the truth? Is that really your name?”

“Why would I lie about something like that?”

“Maybe he overheard us talking,” Thor said, looking between Kira and Dario.

“Talking about what?” the Rengar asked.

“I don’t know,” Dario replied. “Just because he heard a pair of names doesn’t mean that he knew which of the two was a Rengar.”

“Two? Two what?”

“I think we can believe him,” Kira said.

“I’m not lying about my name!” the Rengar nearly shouted. “I am Aldo Firax, sentenced to life here in this multi-leveled paradise for stealing from the all-mighty Colonel Grimm.”

“It’s definitely him,” Thor said.

“If by him you mean ‘Aldo Firax’ then yes, I’m definitely him. And ‘him’ would like to know how it is that you know him?” Aldo asked, crossing his fur-covered arms over his chest.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the fight had completely dispersed, but the ever-cramped condition of The Pits made it hard for any of them to feel completely relaxed or free to discuss delicate matters openly.

Kira, Thor, and Dario all exchanged the same apprehensive look. “Is there anywhere we can go that’s more private?” Kira asked Aldo.

“There is,” he said nodding his head twice. “But, given that robo-soldier over here tried to knock me out twice within the span of two minutes, I’m going to go ahead and request that we remain in public until I’m more comfortable around you.”

Thor grunted. “Robo-soldier?” he asked.

“You are Arcanum, aren’t you?” Aldo replied. “I may be a rat but I don’t live under a rock. I know how to identify an enhanced fighter when I see one. And, as a general rule, once I identify said robo-soldier, I avoid them at all costs.”

Kira noted the way that Thor tensed when Aldo made a reference to his past and his enhancements. It was the same way he had tensed up when Nico taunted him on his ship, just before he wrapped his hand around the rodent robot’s throat.

She slipped her hand into his and gave it a soft squeeze. He looked down at her, and she nodded slowly.

“Yes,” he admitted finally, turning back to Aldo. “I was an Arcanum.”

“As I thought. Again I say, I would like to remain in public until I’m sure you won’t actually release one of those enhancement backed punches you keep threatening me with,” Aldo replied.

“That’s fair,” Dario conceded. “We need to earn his trust as he will need to earn ours.”

“Well, let’s make this quick then,” Kira said, inching forward and waiting for the others to do the same.

Thor, still disgruntled by the situation, was reluctant to join until Kira shot him a stern “this is Captain’s orders” style look.

“We came to Jaantu 7 specifically looking for you,” Kira began.

“You seriously expect me to believe that you got yourselves thrown into this hell-hole just to search for little ‘old me?”

“Believe it or not, it’s true,” Dario replied.

“I feel so special,” Aldo replied, feigning flattery.

“Don’t,” Thor said sharply.

Aldo shot him a sly, obnoxious smile and Thor simply glowered in reply.

“Anyways,” Kira said, bringing the conversation back to point, “we came here looking for you because we need your help locating Grimm. We believe that you are one of the few individuals left that can help us find his base of operations.”

“Why would I want to locate that maniac?” Aldo asked.

“Because he’s more than a maniac now,” Kira replied. “He a maniac with a mission and a highly advanced, extremely dangerous weapon.”

“He staged a coup not too long ago,” Dario added.

“Let’s get candid here,” Aldo said, leaning back slightly. “Why the hell should I care about any of this? As far as I’m concerned, I just want to stay as far away from that crackpot as possible. And, you telling me that he has a ‘highly advanced weapon’ only solidifies that choice in my mind.”

“That highly-advanced weapon he has,” Kira replied, “is capable of destroying entire star systems. Which means that everyone should care about it because it can and will affect all of us.”

Aldo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at each of them individually, reading their expressions carefully, searching their faces for signs of deceit.

“Why would we lie about something like this?” Thor asked pointedly.

“I don’t know, why would I lie about my name?” Aldo replied.

“Because you’re a no-good little son of a…” Thor started, but Kira put her hand firmly on his wrist and cleared her throat.

“So, we’re all suspicious people,” she said. “That’s clearly something we’re going to need to get over because we are going to have to work together.”

“I still haven’t agreed to this,” Aldo said.

“You will,” Kira replied. “Because we are going to bust you out of here. And then, you’ll be in our debt.”

“To be fair, then we’ll be even,” Aldo replied.

Moving faster than any of them could process, Thor reached out and took hold of Aldo by the throat. With a menacing grin on his face, he leaned in and said, “let’s consider me not killing you right now payback for you sweet-talking me out of that mess before.”

Aldo tried to respond, but Thor’s hold on his throat prevented any sounds from coming out of his mouth. Instead, he nodded quickly, his eyes bulging slightly from the strain.

“Good,” Thor said, pushing him back forcefully.

Aldo nearly tumbled back but caught his balance at the last moment. Straightening up quickly, he patted down his fur and shook his head a few times, regaining his composure. Taking a step back toward the group, he resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.

“As wonderful as freedom sounds,” he said, “I should point out that we are indeed in the toughest maximum-security prison in the entire galaxy. Breaking out isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence.”

“We didn’t purposely get ourselves locked up in here without a way out,” Kira said.

“We have a team on the outside,” Dario explained. “They are preparing our escape as we speak.”

“A fool-proof escape, I’m sure,” Aldo replied.

“Yeah,” Kira said, looking quickly from Thor to Dario

“Yeah right,” Aldo said, clearly noting the doubt in Kira’s tone. “What’s the catch?”

“We were separated from our team before we could finalize the escape plan,” Dario explained. “So, we don’t know exactly what they are going to do to get us out of here, but we do know that there are people out there working on it.”

“Do you have any way to communicate with them to verify that?” Aldo asked.

“We don’t need to verify it,” Kira replied sharply. “I trust my crew. If they said they’ll get us out, they will get us out.”

“Okay, calm down there, Captain defensive,” Aldo said. “All I meant was, is there any way you can communicate with them to ensure that they are okay and everything is still a go?”

“Oh,” Kira said, relaxing slightly. “No. We don’t.”

“If we were still keeping score, I’d say you’re about to owe me again,” Aldo said, glancing quickly over at Thor. “But, since we’re becoming such good friends, I’m going to go ahead and give this one to you for free.”

“Give what to us for free?” Thor asked.

“I might just have a way for you to get in touch with your crew,” he replied with a smile.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“You have a way to communicate with people outside of Jaantu 7?” Dario asked excitedly.

“Almost,” Aldo replied.

“What do you mean, ‘almost’?” Thor asked.

“I mean I’ve been working on it for some time now.”

“How close are you to being done with it?” Dario asked.

Letting out an almost exasperated sigh, Aldo turned around and said over his shoulder, “come with me. I’ll show you.”

Without waiting for any indication that they had heard him or intended to do what he had said, he took off, darting effortlessly through the cramped prison common area. Kira, Dario, and Thor hurried to keep up with him, their agility with scampering through large crowds not as well-honed as the Rengar prisoner.

As they moved through the mass of individuals, Kira couldn’t help but notice that there was one major prison element missing. No matter where she looked, she didn’t see any prison guards on the ground level of The Pits. Instead, it appeared that the prisoners were the ones calling the shots and keeping the order—or really, the disorder.

“Aldo,” she said, shouldering her way past a group of large, grizzly Bandurians. “Why are there no officers down here? It’s like there’s no real law or order.”

Aldo laughed and replied, “it’s because there’s not. There is no controlling a group of individuals like the ones you’ll find in here.”

“No controlling them?” Kira asked, shouting over the sounds of a fight that had broken out somewhere to their right.

“I’ve been here for two years,” Aldo explained, “and in that time, things have gotten progressively worse. It’s probably because it’s gotten so damned crowded in here. For a while there, Grimm was sending everyone and anyone he could here. Half of the people in here did nothing more than look at him the wrong way, I’d bet.”

Thor, following close behind Kira, remarked, “it’s like Grimm’s personal holding cell for anyone who might be crazy enough to try to stop him.”

“Then it appears we’re in the right place,” Dario replied.

“I wouldn’t get too excited about that,” Aldo said over his shoulder. “Just because Grimm is the reason these thugs are here that doesn’t mean that they didn’t deserve to be here in the first place. Back when I was working for Grimm, he was getting involved with some particularly shady people.”

“So?” Kira asked.

“So, they’re not really the kind of people you want to team up with,” Aldo replied.

“We might not have any choice,” Thor said.

Kira, still distracted by the overwhelming condition of the bustling prison floor, continued to pressure Aldo for information on the inner workings of The Pits.

“So, Jaantu 7 has become overcrowded,” she said. “That still doesn’t explain how it’s become a criminal’s paradise.”

Aldo chuckled and nodded. “It sort of is a little slice of crime-ridden heaven, isn’t it?”

“I was joking,” Kira said.

Aldo looked back at her, his nose twitching a few times as his beady eyes observed her. “You’re new to this whole criminal thing, aren’t you?”

“Not as new as I’d like to be,” Kira replied.

“Either way,” Aldo said, turning his face forward and quickening his step. “Because of the overcrowding, prison officers have all but stopped coming down here. It’s too dangerous for them. Riots have become commonplace and some of the prisoners have even begun damaging some of Jaantu 7’s systems from the inside.”

“And there’s nothing the prison can do to stop all of this from happening?” Dario asked.

“They did try sending in riot squads a time or two,” Aldo replied with a snicker. “That blew up in their face. The prisoners overwhelmed them with ease. They even took their weapons.”

“Armed prisoners,” Thor said. “That’s comforting.”

"Now you see why the prison guards don't want to come down here anymore," Aldo replied. "Weapons have become pretty prevalent around here. There's even an underground market that's sprung up recently dedicated just to the exchange of arms. The guards have just sort of decided to lock the doors up tight and monitor everything from the safety of their aerial perches. Their obnoxious little drones are always buzzing about, but no one really pays them any mind. Except for the few ingenious inmates that know how to pull them apart and make them into innovative little gadgets."

With his last statement, Aldo turned around and raised a furry little eyebrow as his nose twitched another time or two.

“I’m assuming you’re one of the ingenious ones?” Dario asked, picking up on the obvious.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say ingenious,” Aldo said, feigning modesty. “But, I have been able to keep my ass safe by providing mechanical servicing and alteration work the other oafs around here are too stupid to do for themselves.”

As they talked, Aldo led them toward the far end of the large, open space. There, he directed them toward a hallway. Although there were fewer people crowding the passageway, the thick metal walls and low-hanging ceilings gave the long stretch a cramped, confined feel. As Kira looked around at the enclosed space, her stomach tightened apprehensively.

Looking back over her shoulder at Thor, she said, “I would kill someone to be sitting on a flight deck right now.”

“Not a fan of tight spaces?” Thor asked, reaching out and sliding his hand into hers.

“Let’s just say I prefer wide open space to suffocating, restricting places.”

Thor gave her hand a soft squeeze which she returned. She laced her fingers with his. Confined spaces, armed criminals, life-sentence in a maximum-security prison—as overwhelming as it all seemed, she felt better just knowing he was there.

“So, this underground market,” she asked, refocusing on the conversation, “how does it work? What do the inmates use as currency?”

Despite no longer being in The Pits, they still had to shout to hear one another. There was a chorus of yells and cheers coming from the end of the hallway, which threatened to drown out their conversation.

“Why do you ask? Hoping to get your hands on some weapons or something?” Aldo asked.

“Just wondering for future reference,” Kira replied.

“Inmates use whatever they have,” Aldo replied. “It’s all based on trade. Which means that you three—new-comers with nothing—are completely screwed.”

More questions were forming in Kira’s mind, but the shouts and cheers coming from the end of the hall had grown to deafening volumes. The closer they got to the end of the hall, the louder they became.

Thor gave her hand another squeeze as they emerged into what appeared to be the center of a sporting event. The roar of the crowd vibrated through the air, shaking the sand covered ground under their feet.

“Where are we?” Thor yelled over the clamor of voices.

“Where do you think?” Aldo replied, smiling back at them over his shoulder.

Kira gazed up at the crowds that filled the shaky, poorly constructed, stadium-style stands surrounding the sand, gravel, and grit covered ground. The tension and excitement in the air were almost contagious. She felt herself growing restless along with the mob surrounding her, without even knowing what it was that was provoking the excitement.

Aldo stepped to the side, giving the trio now buzzing with curiosity a clear view of the event unfolding in the center of the ring.

“Holy shit,” Thor said, stepping forward to get a better look.

Kira immediately understood why everyone around them was on their feet, cheering. The sight of the large Arkadian male going head to head with three other prisoners in nothing more than pure hand-to-hand combat immediately sparked a nervous fervor inside of her.

One of the prisoners, a Terran man wielding a metal rod with the end filed down to a sharp, grotesque looking point, lunged forward quickly. The Arkadian slowed down slightly by his large size, allowed the blow to graze across his left arm. A trickle of bright red blood began to run down his pale green skin, but he didn’t seem to notice.

With what appeared to be minimal effort on behalf of the seven-foot-tall, three-foot-wide, hairless Arkadian, he grabbed hold of the metal rod and ripped it from the Terran man’s hands. The scene looked like a giant taking a toy from a baby.

The Terran man, now unarmed, scurried back just as the Arkadian flung his own weapon at him, the point of the homemade shank finding its home in the man's upper thigh.

“Nice hit, Kardok!” Aldo cried out, his high-pitched squeaky voice carrying over the deep roar of the crowd.

“Kardok?” Dario asked, not as interested in the fight as the others. “Did you say Kardok?”

“Yeah,” Aldo answered disinterestedly over his shoulder. “He’s a beast, isn’t he? Which is a good thing, because the poor guy has literally nothing going on upstairs if you know what I mean.”

As the Terran man hobbled out of the ring, the remaining two prisoners, a Bandurian female, and a Vorian male, lunged forward simultaneously ready to fight the seemingly invincible opponent. Just as the Bandurian began to charge, a small, almost concealed knife in the palm of her hand, Dario set his hand firmly on Kira’s shoulder.

“Kira,” Dario said, attempting to draw her attention away from the fight. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“That man—that Arkadian—is named Kardok,” Dario said.

“Come on, Kardok!” Aldo cheered. “You’re stronger than both of them combined!”

“Well, that’s convenient,” Kira said, looking back at the Arkadian in the center of the ring.

He was now holding the Vorian male in a headlock, using him as a human shield against the Bandurian woman’s quick jabs.

“Aldo,” Kira said, walking over and stepping in front of him.

“What the hell are you doing? I’m going to miss the fight.”

“That man there, Kardok, we need to talk to him, too.”

The sound of the Bandurian woman letting out a frustrated cry and shouting “surrender” caused a ruckus to arise from the crowd that once again caused the feet under Kira’s feet to shake.

“Great, you made me miss the end,” Aldo said, pushing past her and trudging out to the center of the ring.

Kira spun around and grabbed onto Thor’s wrist. “That’s Kardok,” she said, “the other prisoner we needed to locate.”

“Really?” Thor asked, an impressed expression on his face. “He’s definitely someone I wouldn’t mind having on our side.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Kardok," Aldo said, introducing the giant of an individual to their group, "this is…" His voice trailed off and his nose twitched. "Actually, I don't think you've ever displayed the courtesy of introducing yourselves to me."

"Probably because you don't merit courtesy," Thor mumbled.

Kira elbowed him firmly in the side. “Captain Kira Winter,” she said, “and my filter-lacking companion here is Commander Rockhold. And of course, the ingenious Dr. Marner.”

“Right,” Aldo said, looking them over as if he were meeting them for the first time. “Well, there you go. That’s who they are.”

“And you’re Kardok,” Kira said, stretching her hand out in his direction.

Instead of shaking it and replying with a general pleasantry, Kardok merely stared down at her, a grin filling his entire face and a look of dazed confusion in his eyes.

“Did he get hit in the head or something?” Kira leaned over to Aldo and asked.

“No,” Aldo replied. “That’s how he always is.”

“Ah, I see,” Kira said. “One of those strong, silent types.”

A small laugh spread through the group as Kardok continued to smile on silently. Kira pulled back her hand and slid it into the large pocket of her blue jumpsuit.

“Kardok likes to come down here to the ring from time to time to stretch his legs. He’s a big guy, as you can see, so he needs some room to spread out,” Aldo explained.

“If I could fight like that, I’d be …” Kira started, but she was cut off when Kardok burst out laughing.

“Strong, silent type,” he said, chuckling to himself. “I get it.”

“How did you two meet each other?” Kira asked, smiling up at the still-grinning Arkadian.

“Well, years back I bailed this one out of a dispute with some Vorian warriors, and we’ve been a team ever since,” Aldo explained.

“It’s been really great getting to know you both,” Dario said, his tone slightly impatient. “But, I thought we were going to look at this communication device you say you’ve been working on.”

“Excuse me, Dr. Impatient,” Aldo replied. “But that is exactly what we’re on our way to do. In order to access it, we need Kardok here to come with us.”

“Well, now that he’s here, can we get going?” Dario said.

“Of course, right this way,” Aldo said, leading them back down the long hallway they had taken to reach the ring.

“Where are we going now?” Kira asked as they walked briskly.

“The comm device is in a different section of the prison,” Aldo explained as they hurried down the metal corridor. “We have to go through The Pits again, so stay close. And no getting into fights with anyone again, alright robo-soldier?”

“Remember who you’re talking to, vermin,” Thor replied gruffly.

“Why don’t we drop the pet names?” Kira said, looking up at Thor who was marching quickly alongside her.

Thor looked down at her and shrugged. “He started it.”

“Solid argument,” she replied. “But, I still think it’s better for the group if we at least try to get along.”

“And don’t forget that I have my muscle with me now,” Aldo called back as he led them back into the heart of The Pits. “So, your ‘strong man’ scare tactics won’t work on me anymore.”

“I’m his muscle,” Kardok said, looking back at Kira.

“Clearly,” Thor said. “He has none of his own.”

“So much for that,” Kira muttered to herself.

The group continued to move as quickly as they could through The Pits. The crowds continued to make mobility difficult, but thankfully with Kardok tagging along behind him, Aldo moved slightly slower, knowing that his companion’s larger size would inhibit his ability to scurry through the mob the way his Rengar side-kick could.

Once they reached the center of the common area, Aldo took a sharp turn to the right, leading them toward another tunnel jutting off of the large, crowded room. He moved so quickly that Kira, Thor, and Dario were nearly separated from him and Kardok.

“That way,” Kira shouted, redirecting her group.

Just as she spun around to continue their trek through the bustling prison common area the hulking image of the orange, four-armed Dralaxian came into view. A shiver of nerves ran up Kira’s spine as she saw him glare in their direction. When his eyes landed on Thor, a menacing smile crossed his lips as he lifted his balled-up fist into the air.

“You’re really good at making friends, you know that?” Kira said to Thor as they rushed to catch up with Aldo.

“It must be my charming smile,” Thor replied.

“That is the first thing I noticed about you,” Kira said. “After the gun you were pointing in my face and the fact that you were an escaped criminal.”

“Oh, come on, you know the first thing you noticed about me was my rugged good looks,” Thor replied with a cocky smile.

“This way,” Aldo yelled back to them, taking another sharp turn and heading down an even smaller, more cramped feeling hallway than the one they had taken to the ring.

They were forced to march single-file down the narrow passageway. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before they emerged in what appeared to be a long-abandoned boiler room. Pieces of mechanical equipment littered the floor and pipes lined the walls.

For the first time since being incarcerated in Jaantu 7, Kira felt as if she could breathe, despite the slightly stale stench in the air. There were only a handful of other inmates in that deserted, run-down section of the prison. In the far corner, two Rengar appeared to be locked in some sort of under-the-table deal with a group of Terran men. Directly in front of them was a group of Vorian warriors who looked over at Kira and her group with aggressive glares.

“Ignore them,” Aldo said, pushing Kira and the others forward, “they owe me a favor or three, so they won’t be bothering us.”

“Does everyone in here owe you a favor?” Dario asked.

“Just about,” Aldo replied with a shrug.

He led them through the unused boiler room and toward another set of narrow, poorly lit corridors. Ushering them down one of them one-by-one, Aldo checked behind them twice to make sure no one was following.

“Take the second right,” he yelled up to Thor, who was now leading the group. “Then go halfway down the hall and wait.”

Thor turned when he was told and the other followed closely behind him. He stopped suddenly when he felt that he had gone about halfway. Aldo, still at the back of the group, scanned their surroundings one more time before pushing his way to the front. There, he scurried ahead to the end of the hall and looked both ways, making sure no one was anywhere nearby.

“Good,” he said, turning around and giving a thumb’s up to Kardok.

“Good,” Kardok repeated, pushing his way past Dario, Kira, and Thor.

He lazily marched up to one of the metal slabs lining the hallway. Kira and the others watched with curiosity as he pressed his hands into the wall and took a sharp breath. As he began to exhale, he leaned forward, pushing back a panel that was five feet high, two feet wide, and easily six inches thick.

“Whoa,” Kira gasped.

“Now you see why we needed to go back for him,” Aldo said, rushing up to join them.

“I think Thor probably could have done that,” Kira said.

Kardok looked back at them a slightly hurt expression on his face. “Aldo needs me,” he said firmly, lifting up the heavy metal panel and slamming it down firmly on the floor.

“You’re right,” Kira said, holding out her hands defensively and taking a slight step back. “Sorry. Thor could not have done that.”

A grin flashed across Kardok’s face as he pushed the panel to the side and took a step into the small, hidden compartment.

“This is my workspace,” Aldo explained, pushing his way through the group and following Kardok inside. “It took me a little while to build, and it’s not very big, but it’ll do the trick.”

Dario followed Aldo inside, commenting on the small size of the secret room. Kira moved to follow him, but Thor reached out and stopped her.

“I could have done that,” he said, smiling down at her confidently.

“I know,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I could have taken down that Dralaxian, too,” he added.

“I don’t think so,” she said, smiling up at him as she lifted herself onto her tip toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

“I just needed more time,” he replied defensively.

“Come on,” she said, taking a step back and grabbing hold of his hand. “We have other things to worry about. Stroking your ego will have to wait until after we’re done saving the galaxy.”

Ducking just a little, she squeezed into the small, tight space. Once Thor followed her in, the feeling of being squished into a tight space once again caused a ripple of nerves to run up Kira’s spine.

“Everyone in?” Aldo asked. “Good. Kardok, close it up!”

Kardok, not seeming to notice or care about the exceedingly cramped quarters, shuffled his way back toward the hideout’s opening. Dario had to wiggle around him as he charged forward, and Kira and Thor were forced to press their backs against the cold metal walls. It wasn’t until Kardok set the heavy metal panel back in place and slid back to the front of the tiny room that Kira and Thor were finally able to move about somewhat freely.

“Like I said, it’s small,” Aldo explained once everyone was settled in.

Aldo sat in front of a small console while the others crowded in around him. The holographic screen in front of him was blank, and the only lights that emitted from the pieced together console were that of the lines of buttons running up and down the control pads.

Dario, who was leaning in and examining the equipment closely asked, “what is it exactly?”

“It’s a comm system,” Aldo replied, looking back at everyone. “It’s built on an unmonitored frequency that will allow us to send messages as far as the Galactic Bazaar. Our plan was to radio out there in hopes of finding someone on the outside that could get us out.”

“Lucky for you, we have people out there that will get us out,” Dario said happily.

“All we have to do is figure out how to get a message to Alaria, Bron, and Vinnie, and we’re home free,” Kira added.

“Well, that would be all we had to do,” Aldo began, “if this thing actually worked.”

“It doesn’t work?” Thor asked, his tone agitated. “You brought us out here, crammed us in this tiny hole of a hideout, and got our hopes up just to tell us it doesn’t work?”

“It doesn’t work yet,” Aldo said, turning back to face the screen in front of him. “I’m just missing two parts. Two tiny little parts are all I need to make this thing sing.”

“Two parts doesn’t sound like too much,” Dario said hopefully.

“It’s not,” Aldo replied. “I mean, it wouldn’t be if we were anywhere but here. The problem is, here getting your hands…”

“Or paws,” Thor quipped.

Aldo shot him a glare before continuing. “To get a hold of pretty much anything, you have to be willing to pay.”

“We’re willing to pay,” Dario said.

“I’m sure you are. But, pay with what?” Aldo asked.

“Whatever you have to sell,” Thor said.

“I deal more in favors and bribes than material possessions,” Aldo replied.

“Like hell you do,” Kira said with a chuckle. “How would you have gotten a hold of all of this if you didn’t have something to trade in exchange?”

“I may have a few things,” Aldo admitted. “But nothing valuable enough to trade for what we need.”

“What do we need, exactly?” Dario asked.

Before Aldo could answer, a high-pitched siren began to sound. All of them shuddered back against the blaring noise, their hands flying up to their ears.

“We’ll have to discuss this another time,” Aldo yelled, motioning for Kardok to open the panel.

“What the hell is that?” Thor asked.

“The nightly call,” Aldo replied, pushing his way forward, his tiny hands covering his very large ears. “It’s time to report to our cells. The damn thing won’t stop until we do.”

“We don’t have a cell!” Dario called out.

"Yes, you do," Aldo said, motioning quickly toward the breast pocket of Dario's suit. "There."

“Glad someone explained that to us before,” Kira said as they followed Aldo out of the hideout.

Once in the hall, they waited, each of them wincing back in pain against the screeching alarm, for Kardok to close up the tiny hideaway. Once he did, he quickly slapped his hands over his ears and took off marching down the narrow corridor. Aldo scurried quickly behind him.

Once they reached the center of The Pits, Aldo and Kardok stopped and turned to face them. “We’ll meet here tomorrow after lunch,” Aldo said. He then leaned in and checked the number on Dario’s jumpsuit again. “You go that way,” he said, directing them toward a rickety ladder on the opposite side of the common area.

Without another word, he hurried off, Kardok following quickly behind him.

It took them twenty minutes to find their cell—twenty minutes of ear-piercing sirens and wandering around amid a crowd of hardened criminals, lost in the rush of disorderly chaos.

As she got jostled back and forth, Kira’s head began to ache and her stomach began to turn. “This cannot be the rest of my life,” she whispered to herself. “No matter what, I will not let this be the rest of my life.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Thankfully, Thor and Kira were assigned to the same cell. Dario, unfortunately, was not. He was put in the cell next to them with a particularly rugged looking Arkadian woman. To make matters worse, for Dario, at least, the cells were small—very small.

“Originally, the cells were double the size they are now,” Aldo explained when they met with him the next afternoon.

The Pits were as crowded as they were the day before, which came as no surprise to any of them. Once they found Aldo and Kardok waiting in the exact spot they had agreed on the night before, they all moved together to a more private part of the central common area—as private as they could hope to find. There were still crowds of inmates huddled together in their groups around them and the ever-present security drones buzzing around over their heads.

“But, due to the whole overcrowding thing,” Aldo continued, “they came in and split them all in two—just sliced them right down the middle with a slab of metal.”

“They clearly didn’t have the inmates comfort in mind when they did that,” Dario said. “It’s impossible to move around in there. And sharing the space with a seven-foot-tall Arkadian doesn’t make it any better.”

“Is she nice at least?” Kira asked.

“A little too nice,” Dario replied.

“What does that mean?” Thor asked.

“Let’s just say that I’m pretty sure she wants to be more than just roommates,” Dario said, shaking his head.

Kira couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Dario trying to fend off the large, overly-friendly female. But when Dario shot her an annoyed look, she straightened up immediately and wiped the smile off her face as much as she could.

“Are we here to talk about Dario’s prospective love life or to figure out how to get in touch with Alaria and the others?” Thor asked.

“Being that my love life is perfectly fine the way it is,” Dario said, “I suggest we stick with how to get in touch with the others.”

Aldo nodded and leaned in, waiting for the others to do the same. “We need to figure out how to get the parts that are missing.”

“What parts are they, exactly?” Dario asked.

“First, a transmitter module,” Aldo replied. “It’s just a little part that will ensure that the message we send actually gets sent. And second, a power source.”

“A power source?” Thor asked gruffly. “What do you mean’ a power source’?”

“I mean something that will generate the power to make the communicator work,” Aldo said with a hint of sarcasm.

Just as the words came from Aldo’s mouth, Thor reached forward, moving faster than anyone in the group could process, and grabbed hold of Aldo’s shoulders, shaking him twice.

“What kind of game are you playing?” Thor asked, his words coming out in a low growl. “What good is a communication system if it doesn’t actually work?”

“Hey!” Kardok said, stepping forward hovering threateningly over Thor’s shoulder. “Let him go.”

Thor looked back at the large, green-skinned Arkadian, his hold on Aldo still firm.

“Thor,” Kira said firmly, “let him go.”

“Fine,” Thor said, releasing Aldo slowly.

Aldo straightened himself out quickly and glared at Thor. “Remind me again why I’m helping you guys?”

“Because we’re going to help you get out of here and prevent the crazed Colonel Grimm from blowing the entire galaxy to shit,” Kira replied.

“Sure,” Aldo said, still eyeing Thor suspiciously.

“Let’s get back on topic here,” Dario said anxiously. “Explain what you mean when you say the communication system needs a power source. You’re saying that it doesn’t actually operate at all?”

“What I mean is, I have a one battery pack, which is enough to turn the device on and off, but I need at least one more to build up enough energy to actually transmit the message,” Aldo replied.

“Transmit the message using the transmitter module that you don’t have,” Thor said with a grunt.

“Are you a problem solver or a problem enhancer?” Aldo asked.

“You seem to be a problem presenter,” Thor replied.

“How do we get the transmitter and the power sources?” Dario asked, waving his hand in Thor’s face.

“They are both items that are in those,” Aldo said, looking up and pointing at one of the drones drifting by overhead.

“I thought you said you were the one to ‘knock down and dismantle’ them,” Kira pointed out.

Aldo’s nose twitched a few times as he looked up at Kardok, who returned his gaze with a blank stare. “I said some ingenious inmates did that,” Aldo replied. “I only hinted that I was one of them.”

“But, you’re not?”

“Well, I am one of the ingenious ones that make things with the parts,” Aldo replied. “But the knocking down and getting hold of them for myself, not so much. I’m the one that the other inmates bring them to pull apart and make into other things. I keep some of the parts for myself, but obviously, the important ones, like the power sources, are in high demand. And, up until you three showed up, I was too worried about self-preservation and collecting up favors and the like, to make collecting my own equipment a priority.”

Kardok laughed and chimed in, “Aldo can make anything. All the inmates come to him to make things.”

"You flatter me," Aldo said, smiling up at his giant side-kick. "The thing is, we have two options for getting hold of what we need. The first is to knock down one of those things on our own—which I don't recommend. And the other is to find someone who already has our needed supplies in their possession and find some way to convince them to give them to us."

“Why wouldn’t you recommend knocking one of the drones down for ourselves?” Dario asked.

“Well, as chicken shit as the guards around here can be, they’re not stupid. After a few dozen drones got knocked out of the air, they started equipping them with explosives. What makes it even worse, is that the explosives are remote control operated. Meaning that the guards can determine when to detonate them—could be the second they hit the ground, could be when you get it back to your cell and tuck it under your pillow for safe keeping.”

“Explosives?” Kira and Thor asked in unison.

“Not all of them,” Aldo replied. “But at least half of them buzzing around up there are loaded down with bombs powerful enough to blow your hands clean off your arms.”

“Shit,” Thor said, running his fingers through his shaggy brown hair.

“Now, you may be thinking we could take our chances. There’s a 50/50 chance we don’t get one of the ones programmed to provide the inmates with our own personal fireworks show. Well, you have to remember that there are tens of thousands of other inmates around here, wanting to get a hold of the hardware inside of those flying spy-bots. Once they thought the coast was clear and the thing wasn’t going to blow to shit, they’d be coming after us in packs hoping to get their hands on our goods.”

“Alright, so, we’ll say knocking one down for ourselves is plan B,” Kira replied. “Looks like we need to start figuring out where to find someone with the parts we need.”

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Aldo said, shaking his head. “Before we get to that point, we need to figure out what it is we’ll offer in exchange for said parts.”

“The opportunity to help save the entire Galaxy,” Dario said. “If they help us, they’ll be aiding in a mission to prevent what could be the most cataclysmic event in the history of the TAF.”

Aldo and Kardok both looked over at Dario with the same blank expression on their faces. “You do realize who these people are, don’t you?” Aldo asked.

“They’re not good people,” Kardok added.

“They don’t care about saving the Galaxy. They care about getting revenge or money or controlling whatever environment they’re in,” Aldo said. “If you’re going to get them to help, you’re going to need to offer them something they want.”

“What do criminals want?” Dario asked, looking around at each of them.

“Don’t ask me,” Kira said quickly. “All I want is to be out of this god-forsaken place and putting in my application for an office job.”

“I thought you were past the simple life plan?” Thor said, looking down at her.

“I’ve reconsidered. Exploding drones and mobs of criminals surrounding me at all times have put things into perspective again.”

“I think that a criminal would like something they could use to gain more control,” Dario said.

“Weapons?” Thor offered.

“Maybe,” Aldo replied, although the way his nose twitched gave Kira the impression that he wasn’t very certain.

“What is it?” she asked him. “What do you think we should offer?”

“It’s not that I don’t think weapons is a good idea,” Aldo replied. “I just don’t know how we expect to get them.”

“Don’t you have some?” Dario asked.

Aldo’s nose twitched. “Nothing that would be valuable enough,” he said quickly.

“Then maybe we should think of something else,” Dario said almost angrily. “There has to be something else that a criminal would want.”

A heavy silence fell between them as they all stared at one another, waiting for someone to come up with something—anything.

“Well, this is going well,” Kira said, throwing her hands in the air.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“What can we do?” Kira asked Thor as they lay in bed later that night.

The group had spent a good part of the day thinking. Ideas were thrown out and quickly discarded. Some arguments arose, and Thor threatened Aldo a handful of times. Dario ducked behind Kira at one point to stay out of the line of sight of his cell-mate and admirer. Aldo came up with a handful of creative nicknames to spread around the group. Kardok spent the entire time with the same, hopefully, ignorant grin on his face.

A lot had happened, but nothing had been accomplished.

Thor sighed, contemplating her question. His arms were wrapped around her, and her head rested on his chest. His upper body was bare. The jumpsuit he wore was unzipped half way, and he had slipped his arms out of the sleeves. As she lay there, her mind racing, she absentmindedly traced the outline of his tattoo. The feeling of his heartbeat pressing up against her fingers helped to calm her; being close to him helped to calm her.

“I don’t know,” Thor replied, his words slow with sleep. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Do you really think we will?”

“We have to.”

“That doesn’t mean we will.”

Letting out a soft sigh, he rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. Leaning in, his face hovering close to hers, he said, “we will because you are Captain Kira Winter and you will not accept failure.”

“What if I have to accept it?”

“Then we’re all dead,” Thor said with a shrug. He slumped back onto his back and wrapped his arm around her again.

“That’s not very positive,” she said, pushing herself up onto her elbow now.

He looked up at her, his dark eyes sparkling softly in the low light. A smirk slid across his face as he reached up and wrapped his hand around her neck, pulling her down toward him slowly, and kissing her softly.

“So, you’re allowed to be negative and disheartened and I’m not?” he asked. “That’s not very fair. What if I want to be pessimistic one for once?”

“I’m not being pessimistic,” she countered, pulling back from him slightly. “I’m being realistic.”

“So am I,” he replied casually. “If we aren’t successful in this mission, we’ll die—all of us will. Grimm will win and he will blow the Galaxy to bits.”

Letting out a slightly annoyed groan, she slumped back down next to him and stared up at the bottom of the empty bunk suspended above them.

Thor laughed, which only served to make her more annoyed.

“I go back to my original statement,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “We will figure this out because we have to. And because you won’t settle for anything else. I’m not worried about it.”

“I am,” she confessed, rolling onto her side and resting her head on his chest again.

She thought to herself as she reached up with her right hand and traced the outline of the tattoo on his chest. His breathing was calm and his pulse was steady.

Without looking up at him, she continued, “I’ve never been this worried about a mission before. I’ve never felt this trapped before. I don’t like it.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to like being locked up.”

“It’s not just being locked up,” she said, “it’s this whole thing. It’s not being in control of anything. I’m a pilot, Thor. My entire life has been about being in control—of my ship, of my crew. But here? I don’t have my ship and I don’t have my entire crew. I’m not an expert at black markets and under-the-table deals. I’m an expert at flying and fighting.”

“You know more than just flying and fighting,” he said, encouragingly.

“Flying and fighting,” she said softly, an idea slowly forming in her mind. “Fighting.”

“And, running a crew takes a lot. You have to be level-headed, quick-thinking, disciplined, respectable…” Thor continued not noticing that she was no longer listening.

She pushed up slowly, her mind still working quickly.

“Fighting,” she said again, cutting him off. “That’s how we’re going to get the parts!”

“Look, I know I’m pretty badass,” Thor said, propping himself up on his elbows, “but I don’t think I can take on the entire prison population of Jaantu 7.”

“Not you,” she said, “Kardok.”

“Kardok? I’m stronger than Kardok.”

“Okay, then maybe you. It doesn’t matter. One of you, both of you.”

“So, we’re going to tag-team and take down the tens of thousands of inmates…”

“Let me finish,” she cut him off again. “We have a tournament. A melee.”

“A tournament?”

“Think about it, what is something all criminals want, besides weapons?”

He looked at her blankly.

“Fear and respect,” she said. “They want to beat the shit out of each other to prove that they’re the biggest and the baddest. Well, what if we give them a chance to do just that?”

“And how will this help us get the parts we need?”

“People like to gamble and bet on fights and tournaments, don’t they? We can use some of the crap we all know is sitting around Aldo’s cell to start, win a few bets, and work our way up. We just need to make sure that we have a guy we can bet on that will definitely win.”

“So, me or Kardok.”

“Exactly.”

His eyes narrowed for a second as he considered her idea. “It could work,” he said, nodding slowly. “It could definitely work. A criminal’s pride is always his biggest downfall.”

She smiled proudly as she leaned back against the cold metal wall. Her eyes flitted over him again and landed on his tattoo.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this if we go through with it?” she asked him softly.

He looked at her, confused.

“Well, it’ll get out that you’re an Arcanum,” she explained. “All anyone has to do is watch you fight just once to figure that out. I know how much you hate people knowing that about you. You try to hide it.”

He nodded and shifted his gaze up to the bottom of the bunk above them. “I think I’ll be okay with it,” he said after thinking for a moment.

“Are you sure? After how you reacted when Nico mentioned it, and then Aldo…” she let her voice drift off. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

He pushed himself up onto his elbows and smiled at her, that easy smile that spread to his eyes and made her stomach flop with butterflies.

“I still struggle with coming to terms with what happened to me,” he admitted. “But, every day that struggle gets a little bit easier because every day I’m with you, I know that no matter what Grimm did to me, he didn’t turn me into the machine I was so afraid that he did. Sure, I can’t remember what it was when my reflexes didn’t respond before my mind even processed a threat. I can’t remember what it felt like to become tired after a long run or to not be able to fight with the advantage of superhuman speed on my side.

"But, I can love and I can hope. I can be afraid and I can worry. I can sleep with you in my arms and wake up with you by my side. I know that when you look at me, you don't see my past or my enhancements. And, because of that—because of you—I'm learning to look at myself that way again, too."

A lump formed in her throat, pushed up by the rush of emotions she felt sitting heavily on her chest.

“Thor, I..” she started, but a smirk crossed his face that made her words fall off short.

“And,” he said, interrupting her by leaning in and placing a quick peck on her lips. “As an Arcanum, I can do this.”

With one swift movement, he wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her around and positioning her beneath him. She stifled a surprised, excited gasp and smiled up at him. Supporting his weight on his left hand, he allowed his right to drift over her, rising and falling with the curves in her body, tracing her breasts and slowly finding the zipper of her jumpsuit.

As he tugged it down, his eyes filled with that mischievous sparkle that had always made her chest tighten just a little. The lower he guided the zipper, the more her stomach filled with knots of desire. When the fastener was undone completely, he slid his hand between the fabric of the jumpsuit and her skin, running his hand up along her side. His fingers paused momentarily at her breast, gliding over it slowly, grazing over her nipple and sending renewed shivers of longing rippling through her.

She could feel him growing harder, his member pressing through the fabric of his jumpsuit and against her thigh. She felt herself becoming wet with anticipation, just the thought of being with him enough to make her body shake with excitement.

Both of them becoming instantly carried away in the moment, they slinked out of their clothes, tossing them to the side without a second thought. When she slipped beneath him again, her legs wrapped at his waist and her hands running through his hair, she looked up at him. That was when she realized she was looking up at her entire world. After everything they had been through, she couldn’t imagine going a day without him by her side. She couldn’t imagine taking on the challenges of the life they were all forced to lead in that time without him there to fight alongside her.

She knew she loved him when she almost lost him. But having him was what made her realize that she needed him. Being with him is what made her understand that she would be lost without him.

She needed him; he needed her.

"I love you, Kira," he said softly, as if he were reading her thoughts.

He leaned in and kissed her neck. Again, a shiver or longing rippled through her. She could feel him between her legs now, and suddenly her desire to have him inside of her grew to a nearly unbearable level.

Again, he reacted as if he were reacting to her thoughts. His hips flew forward with force, and he slid himself inside of her with ease. Her back arched and her hands reached around his back, her fingers digging into his skin as she writhed beneath him with pleasure. She let out a stifled moan, the satisfaction she felt increasing with each slow, purposeful thrust.

In that moment, she wasn’t in Jaantu 7; she wasn’t in prison. She was with him and only with him. It didn’t matter where they were; they were together. That was all she sensed. All she felt was the feeling of ecstasy that being with him gave her; all she heard was his breathing, heavy and shaking with pleasure. All she saw was the look of longing and love and desire in his eyes.

In that moment, all she cared about was him and all he cared about was her.

In that moment, she was free again.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Do you think it will work?” Kira asked Aldo the next day when they met at the same time in the same place as they had the day before. “Do you think we can convince enough people to get in on the fight?”

“I think this crowd really likes to fight,” Aldo replied.

“I like to fight,” Kardok added with a chuckle and a grin.

“We’re counting on that,” Kira replied, smiling up at the large Arkadian man.

“How will it work exactly?” Dario asked.

"Well, we could start by spreading the word and generating interest. We're thinking of using Kardok's name to draw in some attention. Anyone that's spent time down there in the ring knows that he's definitely one of the fighters to beat," Aldo recommended.

“No one can beat me,” Kardok said with the same chuckle and grin.

“We can set a date and time, and have anyone interested in participating come forward. The fight will be free,” Aldo continued.

“Free?” Dario interjected.

“If these guys wanted to prove they were the toughest around, they could do that by starting a fight right here in the middle of The Pits,” Aldo replied. “They’re not going to pay to do something they could do for free right here. But, a population like the one locked up inside of a prison is very bored and always looking for some excitement. That excitement will be the gambling that Captain Winter mentioned earlier.”

“About that,” Kira said. “We’re going to need to use some of your things to get in on the action.”

Aldo looked over at her quickly. His nose twitched and his beady black eyes narrowed. “My stuff?”

“You won’t lose it,” Thor assured him.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve seen Kardok fight,” Thor replied. “And I’m going to volunteer to fight, as well. So, you’ll have two sure winners to bet on.”

“An Arkadian and an Arcanum,” Dario said with a slow nod. “I’d say they’re both pretty safe bets.”

“So, what do you think?” Kira asked again.

“Let’s start getting the word around and see what happens,” Aldo said. “Give everyone a week or so to think it over. That’ll give me enough time to figure out what I want to part with, too,” he added.

All agreeing, they decided that the best place to begin spreading the word of their inmate-run fight tournament was in the ring. Filing down the stuffy hallway in a straight line, they all had the same buzz of motivation and excitement passing through them.

Kardok was the most excited.

The low ceilings and thick metal walls didn’t bother Kira as much that time as they had before. She was getting used to being in the confined spaces of Jaantu 7, which she didn’t like and only fueled her to put their plan into action even more.

When they emerged into the large ring, only a small group of individuals was there. The lack of an audience caused everyone’s spirits to fall slightly; everyone’s except Kardok’s.

“Fight!” Kardok exclaimed as he ran into the ring. “Fight!”

“Wait,” Aldo said, holding out his arm and stopping the others before they could follow him in. “Let’s use this as a practice run.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, let’s get some fights started and see what happens. Let’s see how many people are actually interested in participating in something like this.”

“Okay,” Kira said, pushing past Aldo and marching out into the ring. “I’ll fight!”

“What?” Thor yelled, running after her. “What do you mean, ‘I’ll fight’? What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m going to fight someone,” Kira replied. “I’ve been locked up for too long. I need to do something active or I’ll go crazy.”

“I thought last night was pretty active,” Thor leaned in and whispered with a smirk.

Punching him playfully in the shoulder, she shook her head. “It’ll take more than that to wear me out,” she said with a grin.

“Remind me of that later,” he said with a wink.

“Fight!” Kardok yelled out. “Fight!”

“I’ll fight,” a smooth, low voice said.

Kira turned to see a large Bandurian male standing right behind her. It quickly became obvious that he was talking to her and not to Kardok.

“Me?” she asked.

“Are you afraid?” the Bandurian asked with a smirk.

“Did I say I was?”

“Maybe you should sit this one out,” Thor said.

Glaring back at him, Kira stepped forward and said, “I’ll do it.”

A grisly smile crossed the Bandurian male’s face. Kardok let out an angry grunt as he hung his head and began heading back toward the sidelines.

“You’ll get the next one,” Kira said as he walked away.

As the prospect of a fight buzzed through the air, a few of the bystanders gathered together to watch the action.

“Wait,” Aldo said, walking over to them quickly. “You’re going to want one of these.”

With that, he pulled down the zipper of his blue jumpsuit.

“What the hell are you doing?” Thor asked, shielding his eyes and shuddering back.

“Calm down, hot pants,” Aldo said, reaching into a hidden breast pocket he had sewn into his suit. “I’m just giving your girlfriend a little edge over the Bandurian giant.”

When he pulled his tiny hand out again, he was holding three slim cylinders. Holding them out to Kira, he smiled at them proudly.

“What are they?” Kira asked, picking one up.

Her finger slid over a small button, and instantly a column of bright blue plasma poured out.

“An energy dagger?” she asked. “How did you get a plasma dagger?”

“I made it,” Aldo said, sliding the two remaining cylinders back into his pocket. “One of the first things I did when I got thrown in here was craft a few small, easy-to-hide weapons to keep on myself at all times for protection. They’re not the strongest, given the extreme lack of materials around this joint, so don’t get too cocky with it. But, it will give your opponent a good zing or two.”

“What about me?” Thor asked, holding out his hand. “I’m going to be fighting, too.”

“You come with built-in advantages,” Aldo reminded him.

“So?”

“So, no one is going to want to fight an armed Arcanum. That’s not fair,” Aldo replied.

“Like anyone in here cares about fair,” Thor muttered.

“Hey!” the Bandurian called out. “What’s the hold up? Saying your farewells?”

Kira shot her opponent an annoyed glare and slid the energy blade down into the baggy pockets of her jumpsuit. Following him out to the center of the ring, she faced off against him. For a Bandurian male, he was slightly short. He stood at just shy of six feet. His width made up for any lack of height, though. His entire body looked to be one big, constantly flexed muscle.

“The rules of the game are simple” Aldo explained, walking over and standing between them. “No killing, no lethal wounds, and no firearms. Other than that, it’s fair game. Understood?”

Kira kept her eyes on her opponent’s and nodded. He nodded back.

“Three… Two… One… Rumble!” Aldo exclaimed, scurrying back quickly.

Kira stood her ground, waiting for the Bandurian male to move first. She wanted to judge his speed, knowing that her swiftness would be the only advantage she had over him. A chilling smile crossed his lips as he balled his hands into fists. Lowering his left shoulder slightly, he took off running in her direction.

She side stepped his assault easily but didn't calculate for his rather impressive reach. His left hand stretched out as he ran by and grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her down to the ground behind him.

She fell with a thud but held in the surprised grunt that leaped up to the back of her throat. The Bandurian spun around as quickly as someone of his size could and rushed back in her direction. Just when he was two feet away from her, he leaped into the air, intending to pin her down under his massive frame.

She rolled twice and waited to hear him crash to the ground. Once he did, she pushed herself up and scurried back. Letting out an annoyed groan, the Bandurian began to gather himself up off the ground. Before he could, though, she rushed forward and sent her knee flying into his gut. He fell forward again.

As he fell, he reached out to take hold of her again, but she scooted back out of his reach. This time, when he pushed himself up, he held his hands in front of him, watching her carefully. The second he was on his feet, he shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and pushed off with all his energy.

His sudden burst of speed surprised Kira. She tried to side-step him again but was short. His right shoulder crashed into her left side, throwing her back with enough force to push the wind out of her lungs.

She stumbled back, not trying to catch herself. Lying on the dirt and sand covered ground, she inhaled sharply twice, trying to catch her breath. She had very little time to do so, though, because her opponent was once again barreling in her direction. His eyes were fixed on hers, and an amused expression crossed his face.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and kicked her feet out in one swift, quick action. Springing to her feet, she spun out of his line of trajectory just in time. This time, as he worked to shift his massive frame around and change directions, she pulled the energy blade out of her pocket.

Now, as the Bandurian barreled toward her, she held her ground just a little longer than before. With the flip of a switch, the blade in her hand buzzed to life—a beam of light about six inches long spilling out of the cylinder she clung too tightly. She could feel the energy surging through it. She focused on that, not on the look of frustrated rage on the face of her opponent who was quickly racing in her direction.

When he got close enough to reach out and take hold of her, she ducked. His arms flailed through the air as she lowered herself just out of his reach. She knelt to the ground, bracing for the force of impact. When his legs crashed into her side, a bolt of pain rushed through her. But, the sound of him crashing to the ground in front of her pushed it all aside.

With the blade still in her hand, she stretched her hand out and pressed the blade into the Bandurian’s side. A slight groan of discomfort escaped him as he tried to roll out of her reach. She pushed herself up quickly and hurried over to where he lay. Setting her right foot down on his back, she applied all her weight to the task of keeping him down.

Leaning in and holding the blade next to his face, she smiled.

“What do you say?” she taunted.

He looked back at her and grunted.

“What was that? You surrender?”

She could tell he wanted to retaliate. She could see his mind working to find a way to overpower her. Lowering the blade slightly, she pressed it into his shoulder. Another frustrated grunt escaped him.

“Fine,” he said. “I surrender.”

Her body hurt from the crash and from having a 300 pound Bandurian trip over her, but still, she walked back to where Thor was waiting with a victorious swagger.

“Nothing to it,” she said, sliding the energy blade down into her pocket.

“Remind me to never piss you off,” Thor replied.

The rest of that day was spent in the ring. Kira took a few more matches but decided to sit out when a Vorian male stepped forward. Thor took that fight and Kardok took a fight with a pair of Rengar twins that were almost as agile as Nico Rax, and they didn't even need all the upgrades. Alternating turns, Thor and Kardok successfully defeated anyone that stepped forward—four opponents each in total.

During the entire time they were there, Aldo was scampering about, whispering in the ears of everyone that would listen.

“I think that pair is the closest thing to unbeatable you can get,” he said. “Bet you can’t think of anyone in here that could take either of them on.”

Whispers began to spread as names got bounced around.

“I’m sure we can find out,” Aldo replied. “Why don’t we get them all down here and see? Let’s see who the strongest inmate in here is. I bet you it’s one of them. I’m convinced it’s one of them.”

By the time the nightly round-up siren rang out, the entire prison was buzzing with the rumors of the invincible Arcanum and the bare-knuckled Arkadian.

Thor, slightly beaten-up and extremely exhausted, walked over to where Kira was waiting for him along the sidelines. Despite his run-down appearance and the handful of cuts and scrapes running up and down his arms, a smile was spread across his face.

“How’s that for drawing interest?” he asked as he walked to where she was waiting for him on the sidelines. His breathing was heavy and his body was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

“You definitely caught my eye,” she replied, taking hold of his hand and leading him eagerly back toward their cell.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Three days of travel had passed very slowly. Life aboard the Curio wasn’t the same when only half of its usual occupants were on board. Alaria spent most of her time up on the flight deck with Bron, and would occasionally go down to the engine room to check on Vinnie.

Vinnie was always down there and he didn’t seem to mind it, at all. When he wasn’t going over all the systems to ensure that everything continued to function smoothly, he was working on his repair bot, programming it to do new things and teaching it new expressions.

Even without their Captain or the other members of their crew, they were able to find a routine to fall into. It was a small consolation for Alaria, who was struggling more and more each day with the absence of her father.

“I’m just so worried about him,” she confessed to Bron on the morning of their fourth day of their journey to the Galactic Bazaar. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I worry about him being able to take care of himself. He’s getting older, Bron.”

Bron chuckled and looked over at her. “Dario is still just as badass as he’s always been,” he said. “Not to mention he’s got Kira and Thor with him. If I were going to be trapped in that hell hole with any two people, those would be the two I’d pick.”

“He’s not usually like this, though,” Alaria continued. “Taking insane risks and such.”

“He’s doing it for all of us,” Bron said.

“He’s doing it for Thane.”

“Are you upset about that?”

“Not at all. I like Thane. I think he and Dario make a great couple. They both really care about each other, you can just feel it.”

“Love will drive us to do crazy things,” Bron said with a nod.

“Do you know?” Alaria asked, sitting up straight and pushing herself forward in the chair. “Do you know about love?”

Bron glanced over at her, his brown eyes clouding with emotion. “Would that surprise you?”

Her cheeks flushed. “No. I was just wondering because I, well…,” she slumped back in her chair. “I don’t really.”

“No?”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Yes,” he answered honestly.

Again, her cheeks blushed as she looked at him, his eyes fixed on the viewscreen again. He was nervous, she could tell. He got nervous around her a lot. She got nervous around him, too.

“I was almost in love once,” Bron said. “A long time ago.”

“What happened?”

“It’s hard to be in a relationship when you’re in my line of work.”

“Ship building?”

“Ship stealing,” Bron replied with a chuckle.

He turned to look at her, her head tilted to the side and her silky, blond hair falling into her face. Clearing his throat, he explained, “not always. Just when I really needed a part or something.”

“Oh, that makes it okay,” Alaria said with a giggle.

“It was hard getting supplies all the way out there on Vandor,” he said defensively.

“Really, Bron,” she said, the giggle still wrapped around her words, “I don’t care. I’ve stolen a thing or two in my day. I know how hard it can be to get your hands on parts. Sometimes you got to do what you got to do.”

“Well, back at the Hangar you got a little glimpse into what doing what I had to do got me,” he said with a grunt. “It was rare that a day went by without someone banging on my door demanding this or accusing me of that. Again, I say, it’s not the most appealing line of work when trying to settle down.”

“Well, T.A.F. crew member might be,” she said.

Now it was Bron’s face that flushed. He turned his attention back to the viewscreen quickly. Was she insinuating something? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to assume.

“I’m surprised that you’ve never been in any serious relationship,” he said.

She giggled—that mischievous, light-hearted giggle that always made his stomach flop just a little bit.

“I didn’t say I was never in a serious relationship. I just said I’ve never experienced love.”

That brought a good number of questions to Bron’s mind. He was deciding which of them to ask first—which of them was appropriate enough to ask first—when a loud siren began to blare.

“Shit,” he muttered, leaning forward and turning off the auto-pilot.

“What’s that?” Alaria asked, glancing at the screens around them.

Bron, too, looked at the screens carefully, waiting to see what was causing the alarm sirens to whine. When three small dots appeared on his screen, he began to feel nervous. When those three dots multiplied into dozens the closer they got, nervous escalated to adrenaline-fueled panic.

“Zel’Dar,” he announced. “Guess I will have to pull out some tricks after all.”

“Yeah,” Alaria replied, trying to sound confident.

Not taking his eyes from the screen, Bron slammed his hand down on the intercom and radioed down to Vinnie.

“I need all shields up and all weapons arrays online,” he said firmly.

“Oh, look who’s all big and bossy,” Vinnie quipped in reply.

“This isn’t a joke, kid. We’ve got Zel’Dar on our ass.”

“And we’ve had all our systems online since we took off. You’re good to go. You just got to keep them busy until I get the FTL systems charged up. I’ll let you know when you’re good to warp. Give them hell!”