Page 49 of Saving Lauren

“Novaron,” I say, O’Rec nods.

“Novaron.”

O’Rec continues landing the ship and I think about my mother’s home world. It is the planet we landed on when we first escaped the devastation of the destruction of Arracate. They have always been great allies and O’Rec has formed a tight friendship with their rulers over the years.

“We should send them a message through the secure line. Tell them we will get into direct contact with them as soon as it is safe, but that we count on their generosity to take care of these injured people.”

“I will take care of that as soon as we land,” O’Rec says. “Message, hacking, entering.” O’Rec smiles broadly. “That sounds like fun.”

We waste no time after we land. O’Rec does his computer duties, while I double check security, the perimeter and lay out our weapons. When O’Rec joins me in the cargo bay, we are ready to go.

We load ourselves with as many weapons as we can carry, equipping ourselves us with breathers as we head into the wasteland.

The moon is cold, and there is a fierce wind blowing. Luckily, we only have a short walk before we get to the compound. The compound is situated under a giant dome and O’Rec guides me towards the entryway he created.

“This way. I have disabled their entire security; put it on a loop so the guards do not notice. I have found this backdoor into the secure environment. Watch out for the pool areas though.”

O’Rec really has done a good job, because we can slip inside the dome at exactly the spot he tells us, without tripping any alarms. We run towards the walls of the compound, as we split up. My entrance is eastbound, his is on the west.

“I have arrived,” I tell O’Rec, when I reach the door checking my wrist comp to scan for enemies.

“A couple more moments for me,” O’Rec tells me as I wait patiently.

“There are two Caudata downstairs, with one Sternotheri. The other ones are on the upper levels, but they appear to have split off.” I give O’Rec a quick rundown of the results of the scan.

“I can enter as well, I see. I will go for the Sternotheri, they are closest to me. Come to me when you have disposed of the Caudata.”

“Done,” I tell him before I enter the compound.

CHAPTER 27

D’Var

The temperature in the compound is low and the lights are blinding. I blink a few times to let my eyes get used to them before I continue. The Caudata are close, I see the maze of hallways unfolding before me, my wrist comp calculates the route I have to take. We are not cloaked here anymore, so I need to be quick, before somebody does a body scan of the compound.

Three turns and I smell them. Two more and I hear them, behind a black door with flashing lights. I unsheathe one of my knives, clutching it and quietly, very quietly open the door. It appears I hit the jackpot, because I look at a control room. Two Cadauta male, wearing the same uniform, are sitting in front of a wall filled with screens.

I do not give myself time to look around and methodically slit the first Caudata’s throat from behind. The other one is so shocked he is slow to respond, I take advantage of his shock, drop my knife - grab his head with both hands and twist it so I break his neck. I let his body slump to the ground, pick up my knife and clean it with his clothes.

“Two Caudata taken out.” I confirm to O’Rec.

“Well done. I am getting close, it is starting to reek here.” I snicker...

I look around the room to see if my scans missed any threats, but all looks clear. Apart from the screen filled wall and the big chairs, the room is bare, with only switches and buttons. I focus my attention on the screen. What they show me has me chilled to the bone.

There are indeed cells in the compound, there are eight of them on display. Six contain slaves in various states of consciousness. I see another set of cameras angled at the hallways of the cells, where I see two Caudata and one Sternotheri. I growl, one of them has to be Yalix.

“I see the others; they are in the hallways down by the cells,” I tell O’Rec.

“Are they coming up or going down?” Is O’Rec’s response. I wait for a bit, look at my wrist comp and then the screens.

“Up,” I respond and O’Rec curses.

“You have to get them first,” he tells me. “I will get the Sternotheri. Three is no match for an Arracate Warrior. Especially if we have the element of surprise.”

“Enjoy,” I grin a feral grin and tap into my calm. I cleanse myself of all thoughts until all I am is Warrior, and I make my plan. Yalix is going down.

My targets are coming up to the top level via an elevator. Assuming they will gather with the other Sternotheri, they will have to cross a few hallways to get there. Based on our analysis of the scans, it is some sort of common area where they came back to the last couple of times.

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