Page 9 of Rescuing Mara

“Fucking space station. We will never set foot on it again.” I nod in agreement.

“We shall go to Six now.” I say it louder than necessary. “Better drinks and better women.” I clasp D’Var’s shoulder to lead him away from the beaten-up vendor.

Word has gotten across the Space Station, so everywhere we go, people get out of our way as fast as possible. I cringe when I see fear in their eyes. Arracate are protectors and should only be feared by our enemies. But we did what needed to be done. The aliens that reside in this place are not good people. Stations like this are buzzing with illegal trade and slavers, so I push my bad feelings aside. I will not feel guilty of anything I have to do to get to my mate.

When we get back to the ship, D’Var disappears into the cargo bay, and I slip into my chair. T’Rak powers up the ship so we can leave quickly.

We fly in silence, and when D’Var and L’Ren join us in Command, we all breathe a little easier.

“I will go and clean myself up,” D’Var declares loudly. He gives me a hesitant smile. I reach my arm out towards him, which he clasps.

“Are you okay, my friend?” I ask him. He nods to confirm.

“Yes,” he reassures me. “I almost lost control, my anger getting the better of me, but L’Ren’s presence calms me.” He looks over his shoulder towards his mate, who stands there with a shy smile. Then she looks at me, a determined look setting in her eyes.

“We will find her, O’Rec. We will be there for you, every step you need us.”

I give her a slow smile and then bow my head. “Thank you. Your support means a lot to me.”

D’Var squeezes my arm before letting go. He puts his arm around his mate’s shoulders before they walk out together. I close my eyes to focus on my calm. I cannot break down, not when the first part of our plan has been successful. So, I breathe in, and I breathe out. I turn my chair forward—time for part two of the plan.

* * *

The journeyto Centauri VI takes us through a heavily populated area. We do not want too much attention on ourselves, so I turn on the cloaking systems. I set a course that lets us fly through the outskirts of the systems we are traveling.

I am finishing up mapping out the journey when my wrist comp beeps with an incoming call. I look at the screen, and the caller makes my stomach tighten. M’Ran.

I decide to ignore his call. Instead, I focus on finalizing our course. I double-check our path, and only when I am confident that we are taking a safe and fast route do I turn on autopilot.

My wrist comp beeps again. D’Var and L’Ren are in their room, T’Rak is in his seat giving me annoyed looks, so I walk towards the mess hall to take the call. He will keep calling me if I do not answer. Frankly, I am surprised he did not contact me sooner, so it is best to get it over with.

“M’Ran,” I say when I answer his call. His holographic form pops up from my wrist comp, giving me a full view of the man.

“My prince,” he begins, but I cut him off with a glance.

“No need for formalities, M’Ran. I am with my crew, so if you must, you can call me sir. But I would much prefer it if you called me by my name.”

“As you wish, sir,” he says. Giving me a stare to let me know he would never call me by my given name. I slump in one of the seats before giving him my full attention.

“What can I do for you, M’Ran.”

He perks up. “I would like to inquire how you are faring, sir.”

I roll my eyes, always the formalities with this male. “I am alright. Our journey to Centauri IV was uneventful. We made it to the station in the estimated number of days.”

He nods approvingly and I continue to give him a report of the events that took place. I leave out the part where D’Var really lost his temper. He is not a Warrior in his heart, and bloodshed always makes him queasy.

“We are now on our way to Centauri VI. I was just finishing up with our course when you called. So, tell me, what can I do for you?”

M’Ran takes a deep breath before he starts to tell me about all the things happening on The Ring that he believes I should know. I grunt and nod whenever he takes time to breathe throughout his ramblings, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I realize I missed a couple of moments when he calls out my name insistently. I sigh and turn my attention back to him.

“What do you think I should do, sir?” he asks. I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about, but I cannot let him know that, so I give him my full attention.

“I think you already know what to do, M’Ran. You are most qualified to look after our people.” He beams at me. I can see he is starting up another round of rambling, so I cut him off.

“I must go now. Thank you for all you are doing for me.”

I quickly disconnect the call, and my heart aches. My soul aches. Centauri VI is only three days away, but those three days feel like an eternity to me.

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