Shit!“We need to save them.”
“We do not have enough time to search every ship before the bombs go off,”Kaelen growled.
Qa’a interjected,“The female and child are on Hebei’s ship. Tenth level, sixth cell. The female is badly injured. Retrieve them.”
“It will be done.”Kaelen grabbed me, engaged my armor and teleported. There was a flash of black, and we appeared in hell. Gutted corpses hung from the ceiling. Half-eaten bodies littered the floor. The stench of death penetrated my helmet and made me gag.
“Help us,”a voice cried in my head.
I hurried over to the cell and bile rose in my throat. A half-eaten Askole female lay in a pool of blood. Tentacles squirmed wildly about her snakelike features. A sure sign of the agony she was feeling. Her black armor-plated scales hadn’t protected her from the monsters. She cradled a newborn to her chest. I pulled out my healing wand. “We’re going to help you.”
“Three soldiers are approaching. Do what you can for the female.”Kaelen deactivated the energy field and vanished.
I hurried over to her. Shit! There was so much blood. How was she still alive? Where did I start? I injected her with the highest level of painkiller I had.
“I cannot be saved.”She held out her baby.“Promise me you will take Jaxor to his father. Promise me.”
I retracted my helmet so she could see my face and carefully took the baby from her.“I promise.”
“Tell Xylar we were betrayed by Mokok.”
“Mokok betrayed you,”I repeated.
The sounds of a battle erupted.
“Go. Save my son.”
I pulled out a grenade and put it in her hand.“When they come, pull the pin. It will kill them and put a big hole in this ship.”
“Tell Xylar I died with honor.”
One of her tentacles stung my neck. Ouch. Dang. What was that for?“I will.”
“Go! Now!”Kaelen commanded.
Clutching the baby to my chest, I hit the retrieval button on my belt. Circles of light formed around me and poof, I was back on Earth.
The baby wailed.
“I know, little guy. I know. How about we get you something to eat?”
Uncle Ben stared at Jaxor. “That’s a baby.”
“Duh. Do you still have some infant formula?”
“Does it drink milk?”
“His name is Jaxor.”
“What species is he?”
“Askole.”
“I’ll go get the infant formula.” Uncle Ben hurried off.
“Incoming traveler. Incoming traveler,”the computerized voice announced.
Kaelen appeared on the platform and in perfect English said, “I informed Zarek about the Askole female and child. He will notify the father.”
