Page 52 of Swept By The Alien Pirate Prince

“The system is rebooting,” Carmela advised. “I think we’re going to make it.”

When she lifted her eyes and smiled at me, the hopeful spark in her face had re-lit, and reabsorbed my faith that we might make it through this disaster of a sky mission after all.

Still, my heart was in my throat, and it was difficult for me to breathe through the tension and the worry — but as my planet came into view, I was able to relax in knowing that this was the closest I’d been to home in years.

The robots worked diligently to assist us in the re-entry process. We strapped into our seats while the robots did most of the work, our oxygen helmets on and working hard to keep the air flowing.

The g-force was brutal. The pressure went through my entire head, stretching it and making it feel like it was being clenched between two heavy boulders. I gritted my teeth and grimaced as we came into the atmosphere.

Carmela panted hard beside me, her hair in a ponytail now, the hairs on the back of her neck drenched in sweat.

She looked at me, wild eyed and in disbelief. Her lips curled into a smile of wonder.

“We did it.”

I reached for her and hugged her close. “We did it, baby.”

Silver and the robots took control over the landing while I steered, and Carmela made sure the stealth unit didn’t fall apart on us again.

“Whew.” Carmela blew out a deep breath. “That was a close one.”

I didn’t allow myself to breathe again until the steel feet of the Blade made landfall close to the capital, exactly where we’d aimed in the first place.

I couldn’t wait to look out the windows and see the familiarity of the dense clouds, to feel the sticky humidity on my exposed skin, to be embraced by the warmth I had known from so long ago. It was foreign, yet so familiar. I couldn’t wait to share it with Carmela and attach myself to her experiences.

One step at a time.

We were always one leap closer to the victory.

ChapterSeventeen

CARMELA

The air was sticky and wet, like being trapped inside a sauna. My shirt clung to my back and my hair was damp and matted to the back of my neck. At least I could breathe normal oxygen here, even though the air was dense with the unyielding humidity.

We shuffled along in a clustered, tight-knit group, attempting to make it through to the capital. Our plan was to sneak in undetected, but as we drew closer to the epicenter, I realized with a heavy heart that probably was going to be a far-fetched attempt.

Cyburn walked beside me. His shoulders were squared with pride, and he took on an air of grace. I tried my best to follow his lead, but my heart thundered with unease.

What if we were caught and captured? Had I really made it this far, and survived a Belic abduction, only to end up as scrap pieces to be put in obedient and master-serving robots?

I tried to swallow, but my throat was tight and clenched. The air was trapped in my lungs and my muscles strained, aching in protest with each step I took. It was as if my body already knew my fate was sealed, and it was just waiting for my brain to catch up and run away in the opposite direction.

Thunder rumbled overhead. The clouds churned as if in warning for us to go back where we came from.

The only problem was, we had nowhere else left to go. This was Cyburn’s home world. If we could take it back from those enemies that patrolled it, then maybe the overall environment wouldn’t seem as unwelcoming and eerie as it did right now.

The capital was situated on an island surrounded by a gigantic saltwater lake. At the edge of the island, dense rainforests created a sprawling line of trees, plants, and wildlife that I’d never seen before. The perimeter of the rainforest covered the entire map of water lapping around the island.

The enormous gate of the capital stretched on for miles across, a towering concrete wall meant for protection — and to keep unwanted intruders such as ourselves out, or at least at bay.

Cyburn led our team, while the remaining ‘civilian’ Alesians who we'd reached out to join us, stayed back on the massive ships orbiting the planet. We would return for them once all was said and done, and once it was ultimately safe to do so.

A gentle breeze sent my mop of spiraled curls billowing around my face. It was a welcomed relief against the oppressive heat.

Our movements were slow and sluggish against the balmy conditions. I was sweating buckets, drenched with perspiration as my clothes continued to stick to me and rubbed against my sensitive flesh.

Cyburn’s footsteps were calculated. I stayed a step or two behind him, measuring every breath I took, trying not to let my muscles freeze with fear.

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