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CAIMBRIE

“You’ve decided to join us.”

It was an observation rather than a question, and I merely nodded to confirm. I had made up my mind after Tayla and I spoke. I could not allow these women to put themselves in harm’s way while I stayed behind. If it weren’t for them, I never would have been freed. I owed it to them to do what I could. And if I happened to run into Herod along the way, so be it.

“We’re glad to have you.”

She moved away quickly, attending to other matters. I stood at the ready, feeling oddly alone despite so many bodies around me. All of the women were getting ready, strapping on weapons and lacing up boots. When given the option, I had shied away from the weapons. I didn’t think I was up for shooting someone, even if they were coming right at me. That was best left to the others. But I could use tools to free the captives, so that was what I selected, and I told myself that if I absolutely had to, I could strike someone with the bolt cutters.

Up ahead, the research vessel sailed onward. The skies were quiet. There was no evidence of a security detail. They probably couldn’t afford it. The vessel’s engines emitted a faint blue glow, producing just enough power to keep them moving without putting any strain on their fuel supply.

I scanned the skies for signs of Herod’s ship, hoping I might see it coming toward us, but there was nothing else out there. And then there was the blare of an alarm as our ship came into contact with the research vessel. I couldn’t see what was happening outside, but I could hear the sound of our forced entry.

Our ship moved into position. Tayla was yelling orders. All I could see was our point of entry.

“Please hurry,” I whispered my plea to the universe at large.

In the next instant, we were charging forward. Women were crying out their battle cries, as they rushed toward the opening in our bay and onto the enemy ship. They were wild and furious, and I was carried along by their energy. Soon, I was roaring alongside them, climbing stairs and opening doors in search of anyone who needed to be rescued.

Oftentimes I arrived just after the shooting was done. I was appalled by the sight of the alien scientists bleeding out on the floor, but I closed my eyes and stepped over them, wielding my bolt cutters, prepared to cut anyone loose.

Finally, we came upon the workroom, long rows of desks filled with studious women, shocked by the sudden chaos that surrounded them. But as soon as I entered the room, I knew that something else was wrong. The women were weak, their faces pale. Many of them had their heads down on their desks, barely raising their eyes as we entered. My stomach clenched and I thought I would be sick.

They were starving. The Patrol hadn’t just abandoned the ship without fuel. It had stopped supplying it. Or at least, the supplies were not being passed on to the women. That much was clear.

If I had been slow to act before, I now felt a renewed vigor for saving these women. It had been hard for me to imagine conditions worse than the ones I had been saved from, but this was certainly a disaster. These women didn’t just need saving from the Patrol. They would need extensive medical care, probably more than theTitanesswas prepared to handle.

I went to work immediately, cutting free anyone who was still strong enough to stand. I gave them directions, helping the weaker women up and carrying them toward the exit. They had to work together if we were going to get everyone out. Looking around, I made an executive decision. I cut free the woman directly in front of me and slipped my arm around her, lifting her to her feet and helping her find her balance.

I led the first envoy of women back down to theTitaness. We would have to make multiple trips to help the weaker women out, and I needed the stronger women to know where they were going. Once we got the first batch dropped off, we could go back for more.

Down on theTitaness, the women who stayed behind to man the doors and radios looked around in confusion as I started directing my new companions to help set the weaker women down along the walls for now.

“Let’s go! We don’t have much time.”

Despite their wobbly knees and tired eyes, they rallied behind me, finding the energy to climb the stairs once more and make their way back to the workroom. I picked up where I left off, freeing women and sending them with anyone strong enough to help. It felt like the process was dragging on too long.

Tayla and the others had gone ahead to clear the rest of the ship. They weren’t taking any prisoners. When this raid was done, the Patrol would never have to worry about fueling this ship again. If nothing else, that was worth the effort.

The last few women to be cut free were too weak even to stand with assistance. They had to be carried out by teams of the others. It was an arduous task, and I worried that we would be out of time before we ever got them back.

We were just coming to the top of the first set of stairs, trying to negotiate how our meager team of emaciated women was going to get down when I heard a voice down below that made my heart skip a beat.

“This way!” he shouted, and I heard the thunder of boots on the floor below.

When he came into view at the bottom of the stairs, I could barely see him over the heads of the women blocking me, but I knew it was him all the same.

“Herod!”

I couldn’t hide the rush of emotion that washed over me. I wanted to push through the bodies and run to him, but I couldn’t. I had to get these women to safety.

“Caimbrie! Is that you?”

“We need help. We can’t lift them.”

He was up the stairs already, pushing toward me, and tears streamed down my face. He was here. More importantly, he knew exactly what to do.

“Give me a hand, Nikathy.”

Each of the men took one of the women in his arms, cradling them as they darted back down the stairs and around the corner. I heaved a great sigh of relief, assured that the women would make it to the ship, but also knowing that he was here. With the way ahead clear, I directed the women to the Titaness. We still had a few who couldn’t walk, but I was determined to stay with them until Herod and Nikathy came back.

Within minutes, the men were carrying the last of the captives down the stairs and I was sprinting after them. Tayla and her troopers would be cleaning up now, ready to get out of here as soon as they had cleared the bridge.

As I ran, I passed an open door and something grabbed my attention. On the ground lay the General in charge of this ship. I could tell from his uniform that he was someone important to the Patrol. Hesitating, I pushed the door open a little wider and peeked inside, scanning the room. On the General’s desk sat a small model of a ship cast entirely out of gold. It glittered with tiny inlaid diamonds and jewels for the windows. It was an outrageous display aboard a ship full of starving slaves, a testament to the depravity of the entire Patrol. Angrily, I snatched it up, and prepared to throw it against the wall, but I thought better of it. Instead, I slipped the ridiculous model into my pocket and went to work opening the drawers of the General’s desk, looking for anything else that might be worth taking.

There was nothing else in the room of note, but as I went to leave, I spotted something on the General’s body. Deep down, I felt a strange sense of disgust as I considered what I was about to do, but I shoved it away. I knew what needed to be done. Suddenly, I understood what Herod had been trying to tell me all along. It wasn’t about the money. It was about what it represented for the future. I knelt and unclasped the gold linked watch from the man’s wrist and slid it over my own arm. It was loose and banged around on my delicate bone structure as I ran, but I didn’t care. I just had to get to Herod.

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