Page 39 of My Alien Pirate

I burst onto the bridge, my tentacles writhing with barely contained fury. The acrid taste of failure burned in my throat, threatening to choke me.

"Status report!" I bellowed, causing several of my crew to flinch.

Grixxa approached, her usually steady gaze clouded with concern. "Captain, the Crimson Claw has engaged their FTL drive. They're... they're gone."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Gone. Nova was gone, and it was all my fault. I swallowed hard, forcing down the tide of self-recrimination threatening to overwhelm me.

"Plot their trajectory," I growled. "I want to know every possible destination within their fuel range."

Lyra's ethereal form pulsed as she interfaced with the navigation systems. "Calculating now, Captain. But without knowing their exact heading or speed, we're looking at hundreds of potential destinations."

I slammed a tentacle against the nearest console, leaving a dent in the reinforced alloy. "Not good enough! We need to narrow it down. What's the status of our engines?"

Jorixx's crystalline voice crackled over the comm. "Not good, Captain. The strain of our previous acceleration has caused microfractures in the plasma conduits. We're barely limping along at sub-light speeds."

A cold dread settled in my gut. We were basically crippled, adrift in the vast emptiness of space, while Nova was being whisked away to who knows what horrors. The image of her terrified face as Vex'kar's minion grabbed her flashed through my mind, sending a fresh wave of anguish coursing through me.

"How long until we're back at full capacity?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Jorixx's hesitation spoke volumes. "At least twelve cycles, Captain. Maybe more."

Twelve cycles. An eternity. I closed my eyes, fighting to maintain my composure. When I opened them, I found my entire crew watching me, their faces a mix of concern and determination.

"Alright," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "We work with what we have. Lyra, continue analyzing potential destinations. Focus on known pirate havens, slave markets, anywhere Vex'kar's crew might try to offload his…cargo." The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

"Grixxa, reach out to our contacts in the sector. See if anyone's heard whispers of the Crimson Claw's movements. And Jor..." I paused, taking a deep breath. "Do whatever you have to do to get us moving again. Cannibalize non-essential systems if you have to. I want us ready to pursue the moment we have a heading."

As my crew scrambled to carry out their orders, I retreated to my command chair, the weight of command settling heavily on my shoulders. In the relative privacy it afforded, I allowed myself a moment of vulnerability.

What had I done? How could I have let this happen? Nova trusted me to keep her safe, and I had failed spectacularly. The memory of her wide, innocent eyes haunted me, fueling the burning rage and guilt churning in my gut.

"I'm sorry, Nova," I whispered, too quietly for anyone else to hear. "I should have protected you better. But I swear by all the stars in the cosmos, I will find you. Whatever it takes."

The next few hours passed in a blur of frantic activity. Reports flowed in from across the ship and beyond, each one scrutinized for any hint of Nova's whereabouts. But as the minutes ticked by with no solid leads, I felt my hope beginning to waver.

It was in this moment of deepest despair that the bridge doors hissed open, admitting a figure I had completely forgotten about in the chaos – Captain Manny Rodriguez.

The human strode onto the bridge, his face a mask of determination despite the obvious pain each step caused him. His eyes scanned the room, narrowing as they failed to find what – or rather, who – they were searching for.

"Alright, Tentacles," Rodriguez growled, using the nickname I despised. "Where is she? Where's Nova?"

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. I rose from my command chair, drawing myself up to my full, imposing height. "That's none of your concern, human. You should be resting in the medical bay."

Rodriguez's eyes flashed dangerously. "The hell it isn't! She's part of my crew. Now answer the damn question – where is she?"

I felt my toxin sacs swelling with anger. My tentacles writhed agitatedly in my sides wanting out to wrap around the puny human's neck. Who was this tiny alien to demand answers from me? But even as the thought crossed my mind, I couldn't help but admire his bravery. Injured and alone among beings that could crush him without a second thought, yet here he stood, unflinching.

"She's gone," I finally admitted, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "The Crimson Claw...the other pirate ship; they took her during the attack."

For a moment, Rodriguez just stared at me, his face a study in disbelief. Then, faster than I would have thought possible for an injured human, he closed the distance between us.

"You let them take her?" he roared, his face inches from mine. "How could you let this happen? I thought you cared about her!"

His words struck deeper than any physical blow could have. Because they echoed the very thoughts that had been tormenting me since Nova's capture.

"You think I wanted this to happen?" I snarled back, my own anger rising to meet his. "You think I'm not tearing myself apartover it? I would give anything –anything– to change what happened!"

For a long moment, we glared at each other, the tension on the bridge thick enough to cut with a knife. Then, surprisingly, it was Rodriguez who backed down first. He took a step back, running a hand through the thick, black filaments on his head in a gesture I'd come to recognize as frustration.

---