Page 6 of Saving the Sautiitions

He nods at me, stepping over to her console to help. I turn and stare at the desiccated, hollowed planet in front of me. I thought it was bad in the images. Seeing it in person and up close is so much worse. There are deep holes and crevices filled with lava, smoke rising from any hill or mountains left standing. Canyons stretch for miles across the surface, nearly splitting the planet in half. It looks like the planet is nothing but rock and ash.

“Captain.”

I whirl around to find everyone standing in a line between the consoles, the girls still in their seats, everyone watching me.

“We’re ready when you are.”

Jeff nods to me, his face set and ready to take on the world. Willa looks nervous but determined to help. Vahru nods, his lips pinched together, but his eyes are soft as he gazes at me, his love shining through.

“All right, let’s do this then.” I nod, clasping my fingers behind my back. I look at each of the girls in turn. “Ladies, keep the ship close, but out of harm's way. If anything shows up on scanners or you have reason to worry, let us know, we’ll come back immediately.”

I look at Jeff and Willa. “Jeff, you keep Willa safe and take care of anyone you find. Willa, listen to Jeff, have his back, but follow his orders. He knows what he’s doing.”

They both nod and offer a “Yes, Captain.” I clap my hands, my heart racing as I prepare to finally finish this mission. “All right, teams, let’s move out!”

We all file out of the bridge, splitting into two teams as we pile onto the skimmers. Jeff figures it out pretty quickly, no need for instructions from Vahru. I sit back as Vahru gets ours up and running as the ship takes us in, the bay doors opening as we settle close to the ground. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as my heart pounds in my chest. This is it, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. I just hope we’re not too late.

Chapter 4

Kari

The skimmer drops out of the ship, leaving my stomach behind before we float along the surface of the steaming planet. I cough as the sour taste of ash hits my throat. I stand tall, now that I’m adjusted to the speed of the skimmer, and watch my surroundings closely, waiting for something to catch my eye.

I grimace at the sight before me, the dried ground that’s nothing but cracks, the canyons, and lakes of lava boiling in the distance. What trees and plant life there was is now nothing but charred sticks and lumps of ash. How they’ve survived this long is a miracle that I will never understand. I swallow my stomach back down as I vow to get what survivors there are out of here, whatever it takes.

Tonya and Melodia’s voices sing out from the ship high above and from our skimmer, and I hold up my hand, indicating for Vahru to stop. The skimmer slows and hovers above the ground as we wait to see if their song has any effect. At first, there’s a moment of silence, nothing but the rolling lava and pluming ash to see or hear.

When nothing happens, the girls sing a song that even the translator can’t decipher. It’s beautiful, sweet and haunting, rhythmic and jaunting all at the same time. My breath catches in my throat as I see movement nearby. Vahru whispers my name as we both watch Sautiitions crawl out from hiding places around us, more and more appearing by the moment.

Within seconds, we’re surrounded by dozens of ash-covered aliens. I clear my throat, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill at the sight of them. I stand tall, squaring my shoulders as I call out, hoping they can understand.

“Sautiitions, I am here to help. Please, stay calm and we will get you all aboard the ship, fed, and taken to a nice home where you can live peacefully with others. I promise, your days of torment and suffering are over!”

There’s a slight pause before they all wail in joy, tentacles rising into the air. I step to the side of the skimmer and start helping them aboard. When we’re full, I have to tell the others to wait as we drop these few off and come back. I don’t like it. I’d prefer to take them all, but everyone’s safety is at risk on this planet, not just theirs, so this is how it must be done.

As we dock, we sit alongside Jeff and Willa for a brief moment. It’s going to take several trips for each of us to get everyone aboard the ship. Melodia is there to greet them, ushering them into the large mess hall where she’s already gathered plenty of blankets, water, and food for them.

We continue this back and forth until there are only a few left. We pull them aboard and do a quick check to make sure we didn’t miss anyone. They assure us we’ve gotten everyone, but one can never be too thorough, especially not when lives are at stake. I call up to the ship to let the girls know we’ve got the last shuttle of survivors, but receive no response.

That sinking feeling hits my gut again, and I clench my jaw, trying to steel myself for whatever may be happening up above. It could be nothing, they may both be in the mess with everyone. I can understand that, but it’s Tonya’s job as the pilot to stay on the bridge to make sure everything goes right unless she’s relieved by someone else. If I know Tonya as well as I think I do, she wouldn’t leave her post unless it was absolutely necessary.

We disembark from the skimmer, closing the bay doors to the ship as we show the last survivors to the mess. I walk ahead, Vahru behind me, with the others following him. The narrow halls don’t allow for much else. I slow my pace as we walk through the ship, listening for any indications that something might be amiss.

What I hear is a whole lot of nothing. That in itself is a sign to me. That many aliens crammed together on a ship, it should sound like a high school choir competition in there. My nerves are instantly on alert, and I hold up my hand to stop the others before I round the corner to the mess.

I stop dead in my tracks as a weapon is shoved into my face. Vahru growls, lifting his foot to step forward, but I lift my hand to stop him. Everyone’s crammed against the back wall. A line of armored Sautiitions with weapons blocks them from me. Tonya and Melodia cling to each other in the front, their eyes wide with fear. Jeff and Willa stand on either side of them, Willa looking terrified but trying to be brave, Jeff looking angrier than I’ve ever seen him.

“Make one wrong move, and I blow your brains out. Your little friends will be next.”

I thought the Sautiitions’ songs were beautiful, mysterious, and intriguing. His voice is like sandpaper on a violin. It takes everything I have not to cover my ears at the tone. Thank god for the translator covering some of his sounds with its words or I may have gone deaf. My eyes squint as I fight not to flinch at the sound. I watch him closely as he slips the tiny translator into his ear canal.

“Kurgash, I presume.” I keep my face neutral, not letting him see any fear from me. As far as I’m concerned, these are still my people. I’m still captain, and I will die defending them. Some pissant octopus with a blaster gun doesn’t scare me.

“I don’t know who you think you are or where you think you are taking my people, but they belong to me. They are under my command. Thanks to your intervention, you’re now mine to command too,Human.” He spits the word at me as if being what I am is an insult.

“I am under no one’s command.”

He jumps forward, his gun shoving into my lips, cutting them along my teeth. I taste blood as he screeches at me, clearly not used to being told no. “You are now! I am the one holding the weapons! You and your crew are at my mercy, and you will do as I command!”

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