Page 13 of Akur

For a moment, all he could see was the haze before him as he fell blindly to a surface that could hold countless unknown evils.

Fluid pressed into his eyes, making them bulge as he forced himself to squint through the visor, trying to glimpse the shuttles. Nothing. They’d be traveling faster than he was, probably slowing down only upon entry. He didn’t have that luxury. He had to find one, or he was going to shoot right past them.

His jaw ached as he grit his teeth so hard they could shatter under the pressure. He was heating up. Could feel the change in temperature even beneath the fibers that should block such changes. The fall was too much for the suit. The built-in temperature regulation was struggling to keep up with the searing heat outside. This wasn’t good. The heat could either kill him or send him into a mating frenzy. He could almost laugh—the idea of killing Hedgeruds while pumped up on the need to mate was almost comical—but this was no laughing matter. There were already too many things against him. He’d thought the suit would last a little longer, but he could already feel his skin starting to cook within the confines of the fibers.

“Just a bit more.” He clenched his teeth, willing himself to push past the pain as he plummeted, his velocity increasing with every passing click. Every muscle screamed in protest. He was dying, his cells trying their best to rebuild even as they were destroyed by the pressure of the fall. For a moment, it became too much. Roaring behind the visor, he pulled on images of what he left behind. Of the base. His fallen brothers. The civilians they were to protect. He let the loss of their lives fuel the rage simmering within him as he fought against the pain.

“Qraaaaakkkkk!!!” But he refused to relent.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught his eye—a brief flash of dark metal piercing through the swirling clouds. The shuttles! He was close. So tantalizingly close. If he could just reach them before—

A shrill alarm replaced the other droning one, piercing through the din of rushing wind behind his helmet. The suit’s integrity was failing, the fibers straining and splitting under the immense stress. He had a few clicks, maybe less, before it gave out entirely.

But he caught sight of the target. He could see it fully now. The shuttle. Even its occupant. Twisting himself, he angled his fall toward the vessel.

It tore at him. The wind. The heat. The pressure.

He fought against it anyway.

“Filthy Hedgerud,” he snarled, just as he reached alongside the vessel and locked eyes with the Hedgerud at the controls. Surprised, slitted yellow pits widened on his golden ones.

His vision tunneled, the edges going black as he poured every last ounce of his strength into one final, all-or-nothing lunge. His arms stretched out, straining, grasping for the shuttle. Just a little more, a little farther…

The moment he touched it was the moment some sort of energy surged within him. Hope. With a grunt, he held on, his other arm straining to grab hold. The fact they were going in the same direction helped. He managed to grab on, hauling himself up over the transparent dome that held the passengers. One Hedgerud guard…and one human.

Clenching his jaw, he growled against the pain that shot through his senses as he stared at the female tucked behind the Hedgerud guard. It was her. The one that had looked at him with such resignation it seared his soul.

Kon-stahns.

He’d found her. His instincts had not failed him. The humans were in these vessels, and this one was…smiling?

His eyes narrowed on the human as her shoulders shook the moment her eyes locked with his. She looked battered. A nasty bruise on her jaw, claw marks on her neck, but she laughed anyway. One of her small hands rose as she pointed at him before she grabbed her midsection, and a fit of laughter shook her frame.

He was staring at her, forgetting all about the Hedgerud, when the shuttle suddenly swerved and half his body flailed in the air, only one arm keeping him locked on the vessel itself.

“Qrak!”

The Hedgerud was trying to shake him off.

Not going to happen.

He was this close now; he wasn’t going to let go. Nothing, not even the fall itself threatening to tear him apart, was going to make him lose hold.

With a grunt, he swung his body back, attaching himself to the falling shuttle again. If the female wasn’t inside, he’d have taken out his blades and wreaked havoc on the thing, taking it down with him on top and the Hedgerud stuck inside. But he couldn’t. The human was in there, and he was here for her. That’s the only reason the fool before him was still alive.

The Hedgerud inside snarled, and Akur felt his lips twist in a wicked grin.

“Surprise, you ugly pillar.” He stared at his enemy, glaring at him, but that was not enough. He needed to take control of the shuttle. He could already see the surface below. Could already feel the air against his back and other sections of his body where his suit had failed. He couldn’t allow himself to land like this.

“What areyoudoing here?” The words came across his visor, and for a moment, he didn’t understand what they meant or where they came from. Not until his gaze shifted to the female tucked behind the bulky Hedgerud. Right. This suit was engineered for maintenance, allowing for communication relay even if verbal communication failed. The human was speaking, and his suit was picking it up. He saw her laugh again, and despite the pressure on his frame, he tilted his head, staring at her.

“You look funny.” The words wrote themselves out on his screen again, just as others joined. “A Shum’ai. Yes. From the Restitution. I’m sure of it.”A pause.“Filthy rebels. If the masters hear of this—No, I do not know how he found us here. He will die before he reaches the surface. I will make sure of it.”

The latter was obviously from the Hedgerud, and his gaze locked on the reptilian again.

“Try me.” Reaching back, he wrestled a blade free, the wind ripping at it, a wild thing fighting to escape his grasp. At that exact moment, the Hedgerud snarled and swung the ship, making it swerve.

“FUHK!” The human expletive seemed apt as his body swung in the opposite direction. Like a flag flailing in the wind, he hung on for dear life.

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