Page 18 of Wed to the Bullman

No one answers. The metal door slides open and shut, and I try to pry at it, hoping it will come open. Surely, it has a failsafe to open in case something goes awry with the ship. Just in case, I feel along the edges on the top and high on the right edge, there are a small series of buttons. It’s a sequence it’s looking for as I press the buttons, a buzzing sound emits from the wall where the mechanism is.

“Come on, open.”

Something happens as I press the buttons, and I hit the correct sequence, and the door slides open quietly. No one is in the hall, and the lights are dim. Maybe it’s night right now? I have no way of knowing the correct time. Stowing down the hall, I come to the weapons room and enter. The dim light buzzes as if the ship is on auxiliary power. Two blasters sit in an indentation on a table, and I pick up each one. Flicking the switch, it powers up, and the trigger glows. Too easy. I turn it off and shove each one into a fabric belt tied around my waist. My next goal is to find a place to hide and figure out how to get back home.

CHAPTER 15

Vozak

“This is absurd. My wife is up there, and we’re sitting down negotiating about land. I say we take out the entire encampment.” My patience is gone.

Vrakius leans in. “I know. Deleon has tracked their mothership; he just sent word. A rescue mission is in the works for going up there and bringing Agnes back. They suspect a few others are missing and up there as well.”

I push back from the table. The Taupas haven't arrived yet. “What are we waiting for?”

“Brother, we can’t leave. They want to negotiate with you.”

“No. I want to get my wife back. I’m heading to Deleon and will fly there to save my mate. No one can stop me. I’ll kill these here if I stay.”

Vrakius nods. “I understand. I’d be the same way if it were Auryn or Dario.”

“Then let’s go.”

“You go, I’ll stay here and negotiate.”

“Do not give them our land. They don’t deserve it. Once Agnes is back, I plan to take care of their pesky presence here.”

“Just go. Leave it to us.”

“Deleon, when do we leave?”

“Vozak? We’re firing the engines now in the Taurus Pod.”

“Wait for me. I’m heading that way now. I want to go; I’ll kill every one of the Taupas here if I stay.” I drive the old truck as fast as I can up the dusty road toward the Taurus Airfield.

In what should have taken an hour and a half takes only forty-five minutes, and I’m pulling into the airfield, spraying rock and dust behind me.

“Vozak, we almost took off without you. Vrakius called and told us to wait; you mean business.”

“Yes, I mean business. My wife is up there. The Taupas think they can take her and give her back in exchange for the land they want. I’ll burn every structure down they erect and kill them with my bare hands before I let them take a single dirt clod from my land, let alone my wife.” Anger releases from my body; I shake with resolve.

“We’ll rescue Agnes. Then we’ll deal with their demands. It’s unseemly to go about it this way.”

“Unseemly. Nothing they do is right.”

I take a seat beside him. Two others pile in behind me.

“Vozak, don’t worry, we’ll bring Agnes back.” Mardol is one of the best Taurus Sentinels on Alia Terra. He’s known for his mercenary tactics.

“I want her back unharmed. She may be pregnant.” I slump in the chair. We didn’t know for sure, but my heart tells me yes, she is.

“Wonderful news, Vozak.” Deleon counts down our lift-off.

“Wonderful if they haven’t harmed her or the baby.” My hands flex into fists. I want to hit someone, pummel them into a lifeless form.

“Have faith we will rescue her. They know if she’s harmed, we don’t do a thing in giving in to their demands.” Lozi says. He is the co-pilot, but his kindness toward me has allowed me to sit in his seat. I can copilot too, though my chosen job is rancher and not pilot or sentinel.

We soar into the sky, the small pod shaking as it burns through the atmosphere, and within half an hour, we're free and flying in stealth toward the Taupas mothership, the Integer. Nothing hails us as we approach. The belly has landing stations, and a couple are open. We land inside one, and the door seals, shutting us in. It's the type that accommodates multiple small ships and pods, thankfully. When the door opens, the alarms screech, intruder.

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