Armor>>Local: Gunner is down.
Rebel>>Local: Gunner is salvageable. But I cannot heal the females.
Turbo>>Local: Why are you all staring at them? We are on autopilot! Venom is shooting at us!
Another blast hits my shield, sending acidic heat radiating through my back. I grunt and clench my teeth to push back the pangs. Commander Savage and the others cannot be allowed to meet Gunner’s fate or worse—irreparable damage.
“It’s because we have females,” I say. “Looking at them makes us worry about ours.”
“You are mated?” Shifter asks.
“Yes. Esthi of Earth Minor. She’s a cybertech.”
Commander Savage moves toward me. “A cybertech? And you’re not guarding her?”
Another blast slams into me. I spread my feet and adjust my grip on the haggard hole in the ship. “My duty is to my Brothers. Hers it to her sisters.”
Commander Savage braces himself on a support pillar as the ship tilts.
Savage>>Local: Menace and crew, time for Cerebus Drop.
Menace>>Local: Understood. Will confirm completion.
Savage>>Local>>Transport: New plan. Give this vessel one last use and rescue Esthi. Do you comply?
Diesel>>Local: I comply.
Rebel>>Local: I comply.
Turbo>>Local: I comply.
Shifter>>Local: I comply.
Armor>>Local: I comply. Thank you.
Commander Savage growls at me. “You are becoming rusty, Brother. Perhaps I should find some anti-size for your gears. A cybertech?” He’s furious.
“Leah is out there by herself,” I challenge, taking another hit that rattles my core. We’ve been updated on who all the mated females are so we can protect them and keep our distance.
He glowers at me with brightening blue eyes and bares his pointed teeth in a snarl. “She is the female’s commander, not a Titan medic! Esthi must be protected! She’s the closest we have to a Creator! We must get her back! And you need to get your head screwed on straight! Trying to claim a Creator for a mate? Have you gone haywire, Brother?”
Armor>>Commander Savage: I didn’t know. It happened when I was broken after she dug me out of the mud after five years.
Commander Savage>>Armor: No excuses. Freedom doesn’t mean you can afford to be irresponsible. You made this mess. Fucking fix it!
I hang on to the ship as Shifter takes the controls with Turbo and guides the damaged ship away from battle and toward Scythe.
It’s a suicide mission. Commander Savage is pissed at me for choosing us over my mate. And Esthi’s vulnerable without guardians.
But part of me wonders if Savage is so upset because Leah fought him on the matter and won. I have no doubt he wishes she was safe. It’s just something in the way his gaze falls away from our conversation, a feeling like Esthi said, she gets. Ultimately, I’m left with only one thought that brings me relief.
We’re going to rescue Esthi.
