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“Elara, move!” Zar’Ryn’s voice escaped as a sharp command, but she didn’t have time toobey.

A shot rang out, the energy bolt slamming into the crate beside her and sending splinters flying. She flinched but didn’t stop, her fingers locating the wire she needed. With a sharp yank, she disconnected it. The console sputtered, sparks flying as the exit doors groaned and began to slideopen.

Zar’Ryn was at her side in an instant, his hand gripping her arm as he pulled her back to safety. “Are you insane?” he hissed, his voice low and furious.

“You said we didn’t have a choice,” she shot back, her chest heaving. “I did what needed to be done.”

For a moment, he just stared at her, his grip tightening slightly before he let her go. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite read—anger, yes, but also a begrudging respect. He turned away, his focus snapping back to the fight as the remaining Marauders regrouped.

The captives began to move toward the open doors, their steps quick but unsteady. Elara stayed close to Zar’Ryn, her heart still racing as the last of the Marauders fell. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and blood, the bay eerily quiet now that the battle had ended.

Zar’Ryn’s voice broke the silence. “This is not over. We need to keep moving.”

Elara nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. The bond between them pulsed faintly, areminder of their strange connection. She didn’t understand it, didn’t want to, but she couldn’t deny the comfort it brought—even as it scaredher.

As they exited the bay, the distant sound of alarms grew louder. Elara glanced at Zar’Ryn, his expression as unreadableas ever. For all his stoicism, she could feel the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she had just made it heavier.

Chapter 4

ELARA’S HEARThammered against her ribs, afrantic rhythm mirroring the chaos unfolding before her. The loading bay, once a sterile expanse of metal and machinery, was now a battleground, ascene of flashing energy blasts and the guttural roars of Marauders clashing with Zar’Ryn’s lethal grace. Each clang of metal against metal, each searing blast of energy, sent a jolt of terror through her, amplified by the bond that linked her to the Vettian warrior.

Panic clawed at her throat as she watched him fight, his movements a blur of strength and skill, yet even he couldn’t defeat them all. More Marauders poured into the bay, their numbers seemingly endless, their weapons trained on Zar’Ryn. She knew, with a sickening certainty, that he couldn’t win this fight, not alone. Not against thismany.

The other women huddled behind her, their fear palpable, asuffocating wave that threatened to drown her. “We have to get out of here,” one of them whimpered, her voice trembling. “He can’t hold them off forever.”

Elara’s gaze darted frantically around the bay, searching for an escape route, aglimmer of hope in the face of mounting despair. Then she saw it – a small, metallic pod tucked away in a dimly lit corner, its hatch slightly ajar. An escape pod. Hope surged through her, alifeline in a sea of terror.

“There!” she instructed, pointing toward the pod. “An escape pod. We can use it to get out of here.”

The women surged forward, awave of desperation propelling them toward the promise of safety. Elara followed, her heart pounding as she urged them into the cramped space.

“Hurry,” she implored, her voice barely audible above the din of the battle. “Get in, get the hatch closed.”

As the women scrambled into the pod, their faces etched with a mixture of hope and terror, Elara felt a hand on her arm. She turned, her gaze meeting the pleading eyes of the young woman who had spoken moments before.

“Come with us,” she begged, her voice thick with tears. “Please, you have to come with us!”

Elara’s heart ached at the woman’s plea. She longed to join them, to escape this nightmare and find safety. But she couldn’t. Not without Zar’Ryn.

The bond pulsed between them, aconstant reminder of his struggle, his pain, his unwavering determination. She could feel him pushing himself beyond his limits, fighting with a ferocity born of desperation. And she knew, with a certainty that defied logic, that if she left him, apart of her would die withhim.

“Go,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I’ll be right behind you.” It was a lie, and they both knew it, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud.

Elara’s fingers flew across the escape pod’s control panel, her mind racing as she took in the unfamiliar but thankfully similar setup. The interface wasn’t that different from the systems on the first Marauder ship she’d been imprisoned on, bringing a wave of relief and easing the frantic pounding of her heart. This small familiarity was a beacon of hope amidst overwhelming chaos.

“Thank God for my tech brain,” she murmured, her fingers already bypassing security protocols and initiating pre-flight diagnostics. Every second counted, the difference between escape and capture hanging in the balance.

The women around her were pale with terror, their eyes wide with a mixture of hope and disbelief. Elara took a deep breath, pushing down her own fear and focusing on the task at hand. She had to get them out of there, guide them toward the slim chance of survival represented by this escapepod.

“Listen carefully,” she said, her voice firm despite her inner terror. “I’m going to explain how to operate the pod. It’s not complicated, but we have to move fast.”

Keeping her instructions clear and direct, she led them through the launch sequence, pointing out the critical controls, and emphasizing the importance of each step. Her words were calm and measured but carried an urgency mirroring the escalating chaos outside.

Elara searched their faces for signs of understanding, aflicker of hope in their fear-filled eyes. To her relief, two of them nodded, their expressions shifting from apprehension to a tentative determination. She had the two repeat her instructions, satisfied when they did so without any errors.

“That’s it,” she said, offering a reassuring smile that felt shaky even to her. “You’ve got it. Now get to those seats, strapyourselves in, and get ready to launch.” She prayed it would be enough, that her quick lesson and their resilience would see them through.

A sudden wave of dizziness swept over Elara, and she stumbled, her hand flying to her head. It was the bond, intensifying, reflecting Zar’Ryn’s pain as his energy flagged. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay upright.

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