Page 59 of Rescuing Mara

A couple of Warriors bow their heads, and the words “My Queen” are mumbled. Shocked to my core, I look at my mate’s crew for reassurance, and D’Var gives me a nod.

I walk up to the screens. It is time to show them I am a worthy mate to their future King.

“Warriors,” I begin. “O’Rec is out there. The bond tells me he is still alive. I cannot reach him, nor can his crew.”

“He could be unconscious - there are dozens of escape pods drifting, he could be in one of them.” A warrior with a stern face says.

“How do we know which one? Should we bring them all onto our ships? What if there are Sterno in them?”

“WE KILL THEM!” Another shouts.

I raise my hand before anything can get out of hand. The discussion halts, and everyone’s eyes are on me. Suddenly it’s my decision whether the Sterno live or die?

“First, we find O’Rec, and then we decide what to do with the escape pods. Is it possible the bond can lead me to him?”

“Absolutely,” D’Var speaks up.

“We will try that first. If all fails, we will round up the pods. We will check them one by one. If there are Sternotheri in them, we will imprison them. If they attack first, you can kill them.”

Approving sounds come from all around, and I glance at D’Var and T’Rak for support, and they give me affirmatory nods.

“Okay, we keep communications open, and I’ll just…” I look back to the guys once more, and T’Rak steps forward. Taking command.

“We keep communications open, try to round up the floating pods, but be aware of hidden Sternotheri ships. We cannot let them get away. We are positive Ananta is dead, but we need confirmation for the High Commander. Marra will guide our ship, and I will let you know once we have a lead for our future King.”

The Warriors nod in agreement and the screens are shut down. I hug myself, feeling lost and alone, my bravery leaving my body. T’Rak places his hand firmly on my shoulder.

“You did well, Marra,” he says, then pauses. “You are a worthy mate to O’Rec. We will find him and bring you both home. You are exactly what he needs to take charge and be the King our people need him to be.”

Stunned, I turn to look at him. “Don’t you want to keep him with your crew?”

He shrugs. “Our people need him more, and we have had him for so long now. It is time.”

He pivots and walks to his chair. I take a moment to pull myself back together. I breathe in deeply and focus on the bond.

Just as I felt Ananta’s chains inside my mind, I can see the bond as a pulsing ray of light shooting from my heart. It’s a cord woven of light and love. Happiness sparkles, and I think of the images O’Rec showed me - the future he saw for us. A tear escapes my eye, and I put both hands on the glass, having no recollection of how I got there.

The light is shining bright, and I can see a clear path through space. It goes right through debris and rocks. I squint my eyes, looking into the distance where it ends. A grin splits my face in two, and I turn around to T’Rak and D’Var, giddy with joy.

“There!” I point. T’Rak slowly sets the ship into motion. I guide him towards a lonely escape pod and my heart thumps like a maniac when he pulls it in with a retractor beam. I want to rush towards the cargo bay, but D’Var stops me.

“We need to be careful Marra. We need to wait until the airlock is closed.”

My smile drops, but he is right, so I wait until T’Rak is done before I follow them into the cargo bay.

The pod is located at the space side, on a wall I haven’t explored yet. I never thought to look there before, but now I can clearly see the airlock compartment where the escape pod lies inside.

T’Rak pushes a couple of buttons, opening the airlock. We carefully walk towards the pod. I can feel the bond pulsing and screaming at me. He performs a couple of scans, and when he gives the all-clear, he opens the lid. We’re not there yet because he immediately calls out for D’Var; together, they pull out my mate’s limp body.

“He is injured,” T’Rak growls. They carry him to the medical bay as soon as they can. I run after them but pause when we pass Command. They will tend to him with nanos and healing injections. I can’t help them right now. What I can do is inform the other Warriors that we have found their Prince. The only issue is that I don’t know how everything works.

I bite my lip and cock my head, then decide to just try.

“Hello? Can anybody hear me?”

“Loud and clear.” Comes through the ship.

I smile in relief. “Good, uhm, this is Mara. We found O’Rec and brought him on our ship. He’s still unconscious, but he’s alive. T’Rak and D’Var are tending to him right now. We will update you when we know more. Uhm for now, I think it’s a good idea if we just round up all the escape pods and keep them centered somehow. And be safe!”

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