Page 6 of Silver Slayer

I raised the analyzer slowly, careful not to make any sudden movement. The screen pulsed at the edges, confirming what we already knew.

We held our breath as the void weaver moved away, its clicking fading into the distance. Only when the screen showed clear did we rise and press on.

Twenty minutes later, Vala raised a hand, and we dropped to our stomachs at the edge of the ridge. Below us, half-buried in alien soil, lay the crashed Moktian ship. Its hull gleamed dully in the morning light, panels torn open by the impact and exposing complex machinery within. Heat shimmered from its engines, distorting the air.

"Is it safe to approach?" Mara asked.

"We are about to find out," Vala said, pulling out his hand scanner.

He adjusted the device with practiced ease, his fingers moving over alien technology that still looked like magic to me. It emitted a soft pulse, then displayed information in glowing symbols I couldn't read.

"Five occupants," he whispered. "Two Nomadicans. Three Valosians. All alive."

My breath caught. After eight weeks of isolation, the thought of other survivors was both thrilling and terrifying.

"Are they friendly?" Brooke asked, voicing what we were all thinking.

“Not all Nomadicans are like Mehr.” Vala tapped his wrist comm. “Mehr. We've located the crash site. Moktian vessel, heavily damaged. Five life signs. Two Nomadicans, three Valosians. All alive.”

"Locking in your coordinates," Mehr's gruff voice crackled through. A pause. "Stay hidden. I'm headed your way."

"No." Vala's tone left no room for debate. "Stay where you are. Protect the females and the ship. You're the better tech between us, Mehr. You're our best chance of repairing our craft and getting everyone off this planet."

The comm crackled with silence. Then: "Fine. Move with caution, Vala." His emphasis on the name carried weight. "Those Valosians may not recognize you as an ally. And my kind will see you as a threat."

"Understood. I'll be sure to mention your name."

"Meaning they might try to kill you on sight," I grumbled.

"Take this." He pressed his nutrone blaster into my hands. It was still warm from his grip and heavier than expected. Then he nodded to the comm on my wrist. "If anything goes wrong, you ping Mehr and stay hidden."

Before I could argue, he rose from our concealed position and started down the ridge with fluid, unhurried grace. My pulse climbed with every step that carried him farther from cover and closer to the wreck below.

When he reached the valley floor, he stepped into the open clearing surrounding the ship. The morning light caught his silvery skin, making him stand out against the barren landscape.He raised his hands, palms forward, and continued his deliberate approach.

"Do you think they'll shoot him?" Brooke whispered, knuckles white around her weapon.

"If they're smart, they'll listen to him first," I murmured, though uncertainty gnawed at my gut.

Vala moved with purpose, stride even and unhurried despite his exposure. I held my breath as he paused fifty yards from the torn hull.

"I am Vala," he called out. "I approach in peace, offering assistance to fellow survivors. The Nomadican, Mehr, travels with me."

For a moment, nothing. The ship stayed silent. Then a figure appeared in the shattered viewport, silhouetted against the dimness within. Broad shoulders. Towering height. Distinctive curved horns jutting from his skull, unmistakable even at this distance.

A Nomadican male.

Vala held perfectly still, hands raised, as the figure stepped into the light. I tightened my grip on the blaster, finger hovering near the trigger.

The analyzer flickered, but not in warning, just interference. I frowned and swept it in a wide arc. The readings stuttered, flattened, distorted. Something was there, but refused to resolve.

"That's weird," I murmured.

Brooke shifted beside me. "What is?"

"Something's—"

The air behind us shifted. Not a sound. Not quite a movement. A presence, subtle enough that my brain registered it half a second before my body did. Every instinct I had snapped tight.