Page 61 of Rescuing Mara

I raise a hand to silence them. “Now, I believe we have pressing matters to attend to before we can return to the Ring?”

“The escape pods.” I look around to see who spoke. I see it was T’Kar, T’Rak’s little brother.

“How many are there?”

“There appear to be around a hundred. There is also a large part of the Sternotheri mothership still intact. I do not think you can see it from your angle, but -”

His words are cut off by a blast that makes all the ships shake. For a moment, we lose connection, and when I look out the window, I see another blast close to an asteroid. We are all taken aback by the sudden explosion when a big Sternotheri Cruiser appears and starts shooting. Chaos erupts on all screens; I am powerless to see the cruiser shoot their way out and disappear into space.

T’Rak lets out a howl and frantically tries to recover the lost connections. I feel Marra’s anxiety through the bond and hold onto her tight. We get everybody back, but two ships are unreachable. Reports and scans come in, making it clear that the Sterno left us with one last act of destruction. Not only did they destroy their own escape pods, they destroyed two of our ships, including the one led by T’Rak’s brother.

CHAPTER37

O’Rec

The journey back to the Ring is grim and filled with sorrow. T’Rak does not speak much. He resides in his chair, his sole focus on getting us home. Worry clouds my mind, because Marra identified the cruiser that escaped as the High Commander’s ship. He might not be on it, but chances are high that fucker escaped.

At night, I hold my mate tight, and we talk about our future as King and Queen of the Arracate. Now, more than ever, I need to take my place to guide our people through the devastation of losing six warriors.

Our conversations are deep and intimate, moments so special I will cherish them forever. I tell her everything about our history, about the Ring, about my life on the Ring, and about what will be expected from us both when we return.

Today is the last day of travel. I talked to M’Ran, who was beside himself to hear that I was finally ready to claim my throne. He already started planning the ceremony, though I made him promise to keep it a sober one. We are honoring our fallen Warriors the day after we arrive. The crowning ceremony will come two days later. I was skeptical about having the ceremonies so close together, but M’Ran assured me our people are more than ready, and I need to show strength. Marra joked that he is probably afraid I will back out of it if it takes too long - and although she was joking, she might also be right.

Marra has taken on the task of cleaning the mess hall and the cargo bay, so L’Ren has a clean slate to work with when we get back. We have just come out of hyperspace, and the nebula appears before us in its full beauty.

“Marra, come join us. There is something you should really see.”

She does not reply, but I feel her getting closer, and when she walks in, she audibly gasps.

“Wow! This is… amazing!” Mesmerized, she walks towards the window, and I try to see our home from her eyes. Before us is the void: black as can be, devout of all color. Right in front of that void is a huge space nebula. Purple clouds in the center turn into pinks and blues at the edges.

I walk towards her and put my arms around her, pulling her close to me.

“It is beautiful. A couple of years ago, a crew on patrol stumbled upon it. The nebula is hidden by planets, and almost nobody ventures this close to the void. They were drawn to it somehow, and they felt it calling to them. I feel it now as well, it is like part of my heart is here.”

I can see her smile in the window. “Is that the spark you told me about? The one that used to be inside of your planet?”

“Yes. We believe the spark is what guides us, what makes sure that wherever we are in the universe, we always find our way back home. It gave our planet a very spiritual power, and when we thought we lost it, we were truly adrift after the destruction of the planet. Survivors found sanctuary on a lot of different planets.”

“Like Novarron!” she exclaims.

“Like Novarron. But now we have a home again. The spark led us to this nebula, and we have worked hard over the years to make this our permanent home.”

She smiles at me in the reflection of the window and leans into me.

We stay like this when we enter the Nebula, wonder pulsing through our bond. It feels like I see our home for the first time again, and it confirms what I already know: this is the perfect place for us.

The clouds around us thicken before they open up into the clearing that hides the Ring.

“Here we are.” My voice is thick with emotion. “Home.”

“O’Rec,” she whispers. “It’s amazing.”

I look at the Ring through her eyes and hope she can make it her home as well. The Ring. It all started out with only a couple of ships connected by tubes. The tubes got bigger and permanent, and the ships turned into docking stations. Now, it is a giant space station where broad hallways connect to different hubs, which lead to other hallways and so on. It is shaped like a giant ring, hence the nickname: the Ring. It stuck, and now everybody calls our home by that name.

“We have a designated docking station over there.” I point to the hub near the top. “We should strap in during this last part of the arrival.”

I guide her towards my chair and gently pull her into my lap. Silence hangs heavy in the air when T’Rak guides us towards the docking station.

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