Page 19 of Wed to the Bullman

Mardol pulls a tool from his belt and slides it inside the computer panel on the wall, disabling a wire. The alert stops. He turns, his mouth straight. “That should work for a while, until their computer finds a workaround. It pays to learn the enemy's technology.”

“Indeed.”

The ship is eerily quiet, and no one is in the circling hall. They must have left the ship on autopilot. Deleon peeks into the bridge and holds up two fingers.

“Why are they there? Why didn’t they come when the alarm went off?” I am suspicious of their quietness.

“They are wearing communication headsets. Probably the ship hadn’t alerted them yet.” Lozi shrugs. “We are talking about the ignorant Taupas here.”

“Ignorant they may be, but they are smart enough to capture humans.”

We circle around the giant hall, looking in rooms, searching for anyone aside from the two goons on the bridge.

“Split up.” Deleon takes off in one direction while Mardol and Lozi head back and angle off in other directions.

I forge ahead and wander through the dining hall to another hall in the back of it. Each room I check is empty.

“Agnes?”

Something thumps to my right and back. It’s the grate to the ventilation system. Bending, I see Agnes through the slats. Quickly, I tear the grate off.

“Vozak!” Her eyes fill with tears, and she's pointing two blasters at me.

“Agnes, my love!”

She cries as she crawls out of the vent. I take the blasters from her and pull her into my embrace.

“They were… they were going to kill our baby to implant another of theirs in me.” She cries so hard she hiccups.

“Wait! What? Our baby? Are you sure you're pregnant?”

She nods, the tears flowing. “Yes. They knocked me out and tested me. They wanted to harvest my eggs and implant one of their babies in me to prove they can mate with humans. But they said I was pregnant and it presented a problem.”

“Oh, my sweet wife. I'm here. No one will harm you, ever. Are there other humans here?”

“I don't think so. They talked about bringing more.”

“We must be vigilant about protecting our families in Taurus Territory. Come, we need to get out of here before they realize we're here.”

Deleon, Mardol, and Lozi meet us at the pod. The two Taupas never knew we were on board the ship, thanks to cutting the wire. Just as we enter the pod, the computer of the mothership comes back online, and the alarms blare.

“Quick!” Deleon shoves the button, and the pod seals. We buckle into our seats fast as the Integer opens the seal to let us fly free. Just as we descend from the belly, three Taupas pods approach.

CHAPTER 16

Agnes

In a flurry of shots from the Taupas pods, our Taurus Pod rolls away, narrowly avoiding the initial blows. One of the blasts strikes the pod, causing it to shudder greatly, but it manages to keep flying away. We're securely belted into our seats with shoulder straps and lap belts. The pod jostles as Deleon expertly maneuvers to evade the pursuing pods.

“One is on our tail.” Deleon punches commands into the bridge panel, his focus fixed on what lies ahead.

It's my first time in space, but I can't fully appreciate the experience due to the space bandits hot on our heels.

Vozak reaches for my hand. “We'll make it back. The pod's hull is resilient and can withstand a certain amount of fire.”

“It's the 'certain amount' that worries me.” I let out a scream as the pod rolls once more, narrowly dodging another barrage of enemy fire.

“Deleon is an exceptional pilot trained for combat space flight.” Vozak's words are meant to reassure, but my fear still simmers.

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