Page 4 of Into The Rift

Tariq and an extra contingent of Imperial Guards had been following us at a slight distance in a ship designated as a small Battle Cruiser escort ever since we left Loros. Traditionally, the larger Battle Rigs were much heavier ships so a variety of modules could be mounted to serve various battle purposes, such as bigger guns, larger transport bays and crew hubs.

The Cruiser was a new model. Smaller than a Battle Rig and larger and more mobile than a shuttle which was usually tied to its mother ship, the Cruiser was a medium sized craft that was considered to be a lethal force against our enemies, the Pton. It was both fast and deadly, and as soon as we left this so-called “danger zone,” which should be sometime later that morning, Tariq would be joining Rakkur onboard the Cruiser for the rest of the journey to Tygeria.

Rakkur levered himself off the chair with some difficulty, and we went down the corridor to find something to eat. He’d told me he’d been starving since around the midpoint of this pregnancy, and Tariq had made sure before we left Loros that the cooks onboard had stocked his favorite foods.

I had just finished a delicious bowl of vegetable soup, one of those favorites of Rakkur’s, when a sudden jolt and a loud scraping sound almost knocked me off my chair. I looked up in alarm at Rakkur, and then rushed around to his side to take hold of his arm.

“Come on. We have to get to a lower deck in case we have to evacuate.” I knew immediately what must be happening, though I didn’t want to alarm him.

“What? Evacuate? But what do you think’s happening?”

“I believe we’re under attack.”

“But where’s Tariq and our escort? Who could be attacking? The pirates? The Pton? Tariq’s ship is supposed to be protecting us.”

“I know. I don’t know what’s happened, but we can’t wait around to find out or debate it now. Let’s get down to the shuttles in case we have to abandon ship.”

I was impressed at how calmly he seemed to be taking this after that initial exclamation of alarm. I clutched his arm as the ship began lurching drunkenly to one side and the horribly loud scraping, grinding sound started up again, sounding like the whole ship was coming apart. We slid off our feet and careened across the polished floor, crashing into the opposite wall. It sounded like a fierce attack was taking place above us now and a little like the end of the world.

I helped Rakkur struggle back to his feet as soon as the ship stopped see-sawing around. Holding onto his arm, I pulled him up the sharply slanted floor to the hatch, and we began to make our way toward the ladders that would lead to the lower decks, though both our instincts and everything inside us was urging us to head in the opposite direction to face the enemy and try and fight until the end. It was what we’d been taught all our lives, but we had Rakkur’s child to think of and smoke was already swirling down from the upper decks. I feared the worst.

A loud alarm began blaring and a Tygerian voice over the intercom began shouting instructions to “abandon ship, abandon ship.” It was terrifying.

We headed for the shuttle bay. Since the Imperial ship had to be right behind us, I told myself we’d be assured of being picked up right away. If we could just get on board a shuttle and make it off this one.

“Your Highnesses, you have to evacuate now!” a member of the crew yelled at us as he passed me and Rakkur in the passageway, along with others who were struggling toward the shuttle bay. “Move to a lower deck and find a shuttle quickly. The ship is going down!”

“What does he think we’re doing?” I muttered viciously, and Rakkur laughed.

“He’s scared, I imagine. And I know the feeling. Oh Jago, what if they capture us and take us hostage? My poor baby.”

“Stop worrying. I’ll find a way out of this for you. I promise.”

I squeezed his hand and though he tried to keep up with me, he was falling farther behind and holding us both up.

“Go ahead without me,” he shouted at me, but I grimly shook my head. Was he crazy? I’d never leave him behind.

The ship was listing at an even steeper angle now, and I feared the crew member had been right. This was the end for this ship, and it wouldn’t take much longer. I spared a quick glance at Rakkur and saw his lips moving silently. I knew he was praying to his gods, because he was frantic about Tariq’s and the baby’s safety.

“Come on, Rakkur,” I said, giving him a fierce grin. “We got this. When we get to the shuttle, I call dibs on pilot.”

I was using our family slang, which was our own special language in a lot of ways, as all of Blake’s descendants slipped into it easily. We’d heard it all our lives. I gripped his hand and helped him down the ladder as best I could.

I could hear the noises coming down from the upper decks, and it sounded like a fierce battle was going on right above us, with the whining sounds of disruptors firing and the acrid smell of smoke and the sharp cries of men in pain. Then suddenly, the battle raging on the upper decks spilled down to where we were. Tall, pale men with wild, black hair swarmed into the passageway, dressed in brightly colored clothing, with strips of cloth wrapped around their foreheads like headbands. I feared the worst. I thought they must be the dreaded Pton. They looked unlike any Nilaniums or Drex pirates I’d ever seen, and I could see why so many of the officers I’d spoken to had speculated that Roth could actually be Pton soldiers in disguise as a kind of front guard to scope out our vulnerabilities and strengths before the coming invasion.

I pulled Rakkur into my arms, with his big belly between us and whispered in his ear. “Hang onto me, whatever you do and stay close. We can’t be separated!”

Then our attackers swarmed over us, pulling us back up the ladder and pushing us roughly to the floor. I turned at the last second and took the brunt of the fall. All I could do was cling tightly to Rakkur and hope for the best.

The one who was shouting the loudest in some unknown language pointed at us as we were hauled to our feet.

“These are the ones we came for.” At least that’s what I thought he said. The tall alien wasn’t speaking any language I’d ever heard, but I was trying to read his body language and the fact that he’d come over to us the second he saw us. He turned to us directly then and spoke in really bad Tygerian.

“We take you to ship,” he told us in a heavily accented voice. “No resist and you no hurt.”

He bent over and put his shoulder in my stomach, yanking me off my feet. He was much bigger, and it seemed effortless. Beside me, Rakkur was getting the same treatment, though he was fighting them like one of the wild cats of Lycanus 2. I called out to him to tell him to stop, but I don’t think he heard me. I heard the sound of a slap and he cried out once and then went limp and silent. I was scared to death for him.

I prayed to all the gods I knew to keep us safe. Even if I didn’t believe in them, maybe they believed in me.

---