Page 38 of Ava Greasemonkey

Vox turned his amber eyes to her. “You are very similar to us in composition. Even your pheromones are similar now without that suit. Would you consent to let us take a look?” He motioned to the scanner to the side in the med bay.

“Just a scan?”

Erox nodded.

Ava had been in here countless times and had various medical fixes done to her. She didn’t really understand what they were wanting to do differently with the same equipment. There were scans already in the files that documented every part of her.

And yet . . . the Vorbax looked at her intensely. All of them, minus Rhutg, stared at her now with intense eyes and tense postures. It was clear they wanted her consent to do this. It was the first bargaining tool she had. Her consent. Ava tooka moment to process how to use this unexpected leverage, crossing her arms as she looked at them.

“I want to see Nuor. And Ebel. Then in return, yes, you can run a few tests if you want.”

Vox spoke aloud, needing his hands and mental concentration to sort through the medical supplies in the infirmary. He was focusing too much to use his meditative state. “The Humans are similar to our composition.”

Erox stilled, hands deep in inspecting the vials on the shelves. “They are. But they are not Vorbax.”

Vox frowned. “They are not, but they are too similar to be ignored. The female, Ava . . . Erox, she is . . .” He struggled to put the growing feeling he had toward her into words, the protective instinct that was beginning to assert itself. Had already asserted itself.

“I know. I felt the call as well. Not as strongly as you, it seems.” He glanced at Vox. “You do remember your intended is one of the Vorbax we are rescuing?”

That contract had been drawn up ages ago. That was the main reason Vox was here instead of another Vorbax, in addition to having a strong meditative state for combat. Rescuing his intended was more than enough of an excuse to finally engage in warfare and rip as many Tuxa apart as possible. But at the end of the day, that was just a contract. One that didn’t need to be fulfilled if circumstances change.

“I do remember. That is why I allowed Lirell to take Ava to see the crew.” Instead of himself. He knew he was becoming more attached the longer he spent around her. It was better tolimit contact when possible. She’d intrigued him from the first moment he sensed her in the vent above, and that feeling had only intensified the more he understood her. Ava was . . . his mouth felt bitter thinking of the life she’d led up to this point. Who would do that to a female like her? He wanted to see her free, not crawling in dirty vents above their heads.

It was too late. He slipped into his meditation, shining softly. “I already am partial to her.”

“Hmm . . .” Erox replied.

His brother would not scold him. Despite appearing indifferent, Erox was interested in the Human as well. There were not enough Vorbax females to go around after the war broke out. They lost so many so quickly, with the females being defenseless. Vox briefly flushed deep purple in remembrance.

He looked over at the pile of sedatives. Erox would take them down to drug the remaining Tuxa until there was need for them. He could, of course, continue to hold their puny minds, keeping them sedated that way until they were broken, but that took energy that was better put to other uses. The Tuxa also expired quickly once their minds were broken.

He looked over at the other supplies they had gathered. A small fortune of first aid materials to carry for when they found the females, and to potentially resell if there was any need for credits. That was another distasteful thing about life outside in the stars. Credits were important, and for the Vorbax it was a hard concept to grasp that having them meant power in case they were needed. But it was good to be prepared.

Thankfully the Phor ship clearly felt the same way with the ample stock of supplies kept on board.

He kept his hands busy, but his thoughts kept returning to Ava. His twin hearts thrilled as he thought of her, smiling, on his home planet, standing next to the bayva fields on his land.Longing flooded his system. He closed his eyes as he dreamed.There we would forget the stars.

Together.

He glanced at his brother, gauging his reaction to that thought. Erox kept sorting. He didn’t think his brother had caught his lovesick thoughts before Erox said, “Let us see what the tests say before you plan too hard.”

“Nuor!” Ava cried out when she saw her friend, practically skipping toward her. The crew still alive was being held in the cargo bay hall, in the main area that was normally depressurized. The oxygen was restored and the side panels were open, in the process of being scavenged by Lirell, who had returned to his exploration after bringing Ava into the room. The yavi trees were pulled out of the side compartments completely, some fruit lying on the ground.

There were six individuals in the cargo bay, all Phor plus Nuor. She was the only contractor still alive. Nuor gave a wan smile from where she was sitting and moved to rise, her feathers dull and listless. It only took a moment before Ava, scanning the room, recognized the Phor sitting right next to Nuor.

“Ebel!” she cried out. Ava ran up to them both and threw an arm around each of her friends, taking deep breaths while dragging them both together. She didn’t even bother to wipe the tears that flowed as she held them. Her relief in seeing them both made her arms shake. Lirell continued opening crates while he observed them. She could see him turning on and off, reminding her of the nature feeds she’d seen of an Earth insectcalled a firefly, sampling the emotions around him while eating one of the yavi fruits.

Ava looked around, inspecting the hall for any others familiar to her. She did not have any ties to the other four Phor still alive, who watched her unite with her friends listlessly. They were ones that handled any grunt work needed outside of the engine hall. The collective rotated general Phor workers frequently so she didn’t know them. Only the skilled got permanent positions like Ebel.

She looked over the remaining unfamiliar Phor before she asked Nuor and Ebel quietly, “Where is Wert?”

Ebel looked down, fangs quivering. He looked absolutely lost, his body curling in on itself. “Wert would not stand down when they went . . . for the queen.”

Ava felt mucus in her throat get caught, realizing the implication. Her relief at seeing her friends hit a wall with the fresh wave of grief. The Vorbax were not all civil, as much as she kept seeming to forget. “He’s dead?” she asked, just to make sure, her voice rising on the question in shock. Ebel nodded. Nuor did as well. Both their faces gave matched expressions of grief. Ebel’s antennas were low and Nuor tilted her head down in mourning. Ava’s hands shook, chills racing up her spine.

“Oh no,” Ava started, hugging Ebel closer and sticking her face into his furry neck. “I’m so sorry, Ebel.” Nuor patted her back as tears started to fall for Wert. “Have you been harmed at all?” Ava asked both of them. Her voice was muffled from being in Ebel’s fur.

“No, other than being confused as heck and scared out of our minds,” Nuor replied. Ebel nodded. He looked so dejected and at a loss for words.

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