Page 28 of Warrior
I listened while the young guard laid out his plan, which was rather impressive for someone without strategy training.
"You can pull this off?" I asked, watching him retrieve his comm.
“I don’t want them hunting me either,” he huffed.
I grabbed the medi-unit from the cabinet, along with as many supplies as I could stuff in my duffle. The bag was worn, a participant in many battles, and it was Xaden who suggested wrapping it in the suit of one of his slain comrades to keep the acid from eating through the leather. I helped him cover the dead in tarps, moving them closer to the airlock for jettison later.
“You are a man of honor,” Xaden gave his impression of the Aljani salute.
"No, I'm not," I grunted, then smiled. "You live simply because the human—Daisy—would not have liked it had I killed you.”
A large gulp bobbed his throat. "Will you give her my thanks… for my life?"
"I will." That he wanted to honor Daisy gave me a warm feeling in my chest. "Are you ready?"
Xanden’s lips hinted at a grin, and he drew his comm unit close to his lips.
“Aljani 7-3 to base, Aljani 7-3 to base.” His voice was a scared, raspy whisper. He sounded terrified.
"Go ahead, Aljani 7-3."
"The Vaktaire overpowered us. Taitus and Zhune are dead. I managed to hide in the storage area…”
Damn, this kid was good. He should be on some of those Earth entertainment videos.
“Subdue the prisoner.”
Xaden looked at me and winked. “I can’t I …. Oh gods….”
I sucked in a deep breath, whooping out a battle cry.
“No… please… no,” Xaden rasped as he placed the communicator in the palm of my hand. I crushed the device with a single flex of my fingers.
“You owe me a life debit Aljani,” I told him, dusting comm remnants from my hand.
Xaden drew himself up and issued a curt nod. “It is my honor to be in your debt warrior.”
“I call on you for repayment.” I nearly chuckled at the comical way Xaden’s eyes widened. “When you are away from the moon, I need you to send a message to my warship, the Bardaga. The comm coordinates are already in the system. Tell my chieftain what transpired here and that a human woman and twenty younglings are held prisoner on this moon and his war chief requests assistance for escape.”
The light blonde hair fell across his face as Xaden nodded. “It is my honor.”
“Don’t let me down,” I scowled. “I will track you through the stars to hasten your death if Daisy or the younglings are hurt because of your failure.”
Xaden’s gulp was audible in the silence. “I will not fail you warrior.”
“The override code for the piloting system is 2270422,” I told him, satisfied I’d terrified him sufficiently to guarantee he would send the message.
“What will you do?” There was a tenor to his voice that made me think Xaden actually cared.
“Go back to the younglings and the human and look for a way to escape.” I shrugged, pulling the helmet of the enviro-suit into place.
“Early morning is the best time to attack the guardhouse,” Xaden suggested. "Most of the guards sleep in. You might beable to get to the dock and steal a ship, with no one being the wiser."
“From your lips to the Valana’s ears,’ I muttered.
"Good luck to you, warrior." Xaden saluted me again, taking time to ensure his moves were perfect. “I will not fail you in delivering the message.”
I gave him a curt nod, stepping through the steamy hatch and into the acidic air. I moved away from the skiff but remained at the edge of the henge to ensure he had no difficulties departing. A strange warmth burned in my chest as I watched the skiff lift into the sky. I wasn't sure why.
