Chapter Seven: Erica
Erica had never heard a sound fuller of inhuman rage than at that moment. Her skin crawled, her stomach churned and instinct told her to run. It didn't matter where–she had to get away from the sound that was being emitted from Ronan's mouth.
She didn't see how he did it, but in a blink, the T'shav was on his feet. The guns that had been pressing into the back of his head were now in his hands. His black eyes blazed, his face twisted, teeth bared like a predator lunging for the kill. The Odap captain jumped back, eyes widening.
The two pirates holding her loosened their grips. Erica twisted away from them, but the Odap grabbed her biceps. Ronan's fists flew every which way, colliding with the pirates who attempted to bring him down. He was like a graceful mountain lion one moment, pirouetting through the blows, dodging every fist that came towards him. And the next moment, he was a bull moose, his bellowing rage echoing through the ship, using sheer strength and bulk against his enemies.
He didn't use the guns to shoot. Rather, he used them as clubs. One of the pirates fell, his crushed skull exposing gray matter. The others withdrew slightly. The captain let off a few rounds from his blaster, but Ronan was too quick and used another pirate to absorb the bolts. Erica kicked the Odap on the shins, struggling against his grip. Ronan roared and redoubled his attack.
How could a man still somewhat recovering from being shot in the back display such force?
Ronan threw one dead pirate on top of another and lunged for the captain holding Erica. Two pirates blocked his way. He kicked out, the large claws on his toes tearing through flesh. Blood spurted against Erica's face, and the captain let her go, shouting. He stumbled backward as he let off another couple bolts.
"Run!"
Erica staggered away from the fight, but where was she supposed to run?
Ronan roared, taking on another pirate. "Erica! Run!"
The panic in Ronan's voice jolted her back to her senses. Her heart bruised itself against her ribs and her mouth was dry. Again, Ronan shouted at her to run. Instead, she dove for one of the fallen guns. The captain didn't notice her until her hands locked around the barrel. He cursed and swiveled to face her.
Erica held the blaster close to her chest and pumped the trigger, letting off a steady stream of energy blasts. Most missed her target. Consoles exploded in a shower of sparks. The kickback sent tremors up Erica's arms, but a few bolts slammed into the captain's chest. He fell to his knees, gun still tight in his hand.
The gun rose.
A blast came from the other end of the room. It hit the captain in the shoulder. His gun clattered to the floor. Erica's head swiveled, her breath locked in her chest.
Ronan stood on top of two corpses, a blaster in his hand. Blood splattered him from head to toe. That blaze was still in his eyes, but instead of a snarl on his lips, his mouth was set into a determined line. He let off another blast. This one hit the captain square in the face. The Odap dropped like a rock.
The echo of the blaster fire rang in Erica's ears. Her hands trembled, and the gun in them suddenly felt too heavy. It slipped from her grasp. Ronan was beside her, catching it before it reached the floor. He set both guns aside and cupped Erica's face in his hands.
"Are you injured?"
"I don't think so." Erica glanced down at herself. The red dress was splattered with blood. Her stomach roiled.
Ronan pressed a kiss to her forehead, leading her into the bedroom. "Stay in here. Lock the door. I'll go search their ship. Don't unlock the door unless you know it's me."
Erica opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn't dumb and didn't need such specific instructions. But a glance at the pirates' corpses littering the floor had vomit rising up her throat. She clamped her mouth shut again and nodded. She felt herself going into shock. Maybe she did need such specific instructions. People didn't think clearly when they were in shock.
In the bedroom, she stripped off her dress but didn't dare shower. Not yet, at least. Instead, she wet a cloth and scrubbed her skin. It took off some of the blood, but not all of it. Once she was done, she wrapped herself in a sheet, shivering, and waited.
After what seemed like forever, Ronan returned. He brought a worker's uniform. Erica gratefully dressed.
"It's not a large ship. Bigger than ours, but I'll be able to fly it. They have a medical bay that's got a lot of good equipment in it. I suspect that it was a research vessel that they stole. Our ship is damaged beyond repair, we'll have to take theirs." Ronan frowned in concern, stroking her hair. "Are you going to be okay?"
Erica nodded. She opened her mouth–and a projectile of vomit flew out. Ronan was just able to jump out of the way. She covered her mouth, eyes widening.
Her T'shav embraced her. "Don't worry about it. It's the shock from killing for the first time."
"I've seen deaths more grizzly and violent than that before," Erica protested, though nausea still swam in her stomach. "Maybe I'm getting sick."
"You've seen deaths. But have you ever killed someone before?" Ronan's black eyes which had been so deadly and terrifying before were soft and gentle now. "It's different."
Erica nodded. That made sense. But there was still something nagging at the back of her mind. Something that all the blood around her reminded her of. Her stomach threatened to rebel again. "I'm going to go to the medical bay. I should double check, just in case. Maybe they released a gas or something that only affects humans. I… just for my peace of mind. And if it's just shock, I can treat it there."
"That's a good idea. Just don't give yourself any medications or injections until I can verify it's what the labels say, okay? We don't know what these pirates were actually doing."
"They were coming after me. Because apparently that 'bridal' service double booked my sale." Erica closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm going to go now."
Ronan nodded. "I'll take care of this."
Erica didn't bother responding. She felt like she was a ghost as she crawled through the opening and into the pirate's ship. It was definitely a newer model than Ronan's and looked in better shape. The entrance led to a central area with barracks, medical bay, cockpit, kitchen, and cargo bay branching off from it. More space to live. That was nice.
The medical equipment was a little old, but still much more extensive than what Ronan had. She programmed a scan in one of the larger pieces, and laid down on the examination bed, her eyes closed. Her heart was still pounding, images of the dead pirates flashing before her eyes. Ronan was dangerous. Erica hadn't realized just how dangerous until now.
A beep told her the scan was done. She swung up, taking a closer look at the results. And screamed.