Page 6 of Doom Averted

“A proximity alarm, are you in a debris field?” Da’vi barked over the line. My eyes darted to the windows at the front of the bridge where I could see big chunks of broken ship float, along with scattered smaller pieces of wreckage. That was a yes, so I nodded before I realized that he couldn’t see me. Only he said, “Okay, go to the console where the alarm is flashing, it sounds like the ship you’re on is no longer using its automatic meteor defense system. You need to engage it.”

That sounded terribly complex and I almost started hyperventilating as I pushed off the wall and floated toward the scary console. What if I pressed the wrong button and fired a weapon? That was going to be horrible. I could already see it flashing in front of my eyes, explosions all around, and myself going up in a fiery ball.

Da’vi’s low voice was calmly describing some kind of icon I needed to locate, and I forced myself to focus on that. No negative thoughts. Just find the stupid icon and press it, that wasn’t rocket science, even a school dropout like me could do that.

The alarm turned off the moment I touched the button, and I froze in place. Was it the right one? Did I do it? There was suddenly a God-awful rattling sound and it felt like the entire bridge was shaking around me. Had I just blown something up? This couldn’t be right.

“Good job,” Da’vi barked out. “Now how about I tell you how to turn on gravity too? If the rust bucket you’re in can still do it.” My head swung around to stare at the console that his voice was coming from. Turn gravity on? That would be such a blessing, but I couldn’t quite believe that I’d just done things correctly, I was still expecting the bridge to shake apart.

“Come back here, I’ll talk you through it,” he said, his voice turning a little more cajoling. I responded to that tone, my spine tingling at the deep sounds, now filled with what almost sounded like kindness. Pushing off, I floated over the pilot area to land next to the console with the open call, I leaned over the screen, wondering if it was any of the many buttons here that I had to push.

“How do I do that?” I asked when Da’vi didn’t speak. I heard a sharply drawn-in breath, then what sounded like some kind of growl as if he was annoyed and I froze, worried that I’d pissed him off. I shook my head, biting at my bottom lip. No, I hadn’t said anything to make him angry, I should be thinking that, bad thought.

“No, damn it,” I heard him say, but his voice was more distant, softer. Then there was some kind of rapid-fire speech not just his voice, but another too. I drew in a relieved breath; he was talking to someone else. I must have called him while he was working, not that I was sure what he did to fill his day.

I waited patiently, fidgeting back and forth in front of the console, both of my feet hooked to the chair so I wouldn’t float away. I still hadn’t found anything better to wear, and my bare arms were covered in goosebumps, my fingers a little stiff from the cold. It wasn’t nice, but it wasn’t so cold that it was unbearable.

A chirruping noise suddenly came through, the same kind I’d heard before. That had to be Babbit, Da’vi’s pet; I liked that he’d introduced the animal to me last we spoke. “Get away from there, knucklehead,” Da’vi rumbled, followed by some kind of hissing and growling. “Okay, listen to me closely Arianna, you’re going to grant me more access to your ship.”

I was startled when I realized he was suddenly talking to me again, but I faithfully followed his instructions, locating the icons he described as best as I could and pressing them for him. In my head, my dad was already berating me for trusting this stranger. I shouldn’t give him access to the ship, what if he did something bad with it? But what did I have to lose anyway? I was going to die if not for his help.

He didn’t tell me if it had worked or not, just suddenly stopped giving instructions. I watched the screen, even though all it showed was a squiggly green line surrounded by the many buttons I’d pressed for him. I wished I could see him, but I guess that would have to wait for when he actually got here.

“Hold on tight,” he ordered, and I had barely a second to brace my hands against the console when a shock ran through the ship. I crashed down, my ankles twisting painfully where I had hooked them in the foot of the chair. My elbows bent and I collapsed weakly against the console, my breasts squished against the screen. I frantically yanked myself back, hoping I hadn’t accidentally ended the call.

With a deep, husky growl to his voice, Da’vi drawled, “I did warn you.” I stuck out my tongue at the screen and rolled my eyes, warned me my ass, that was barely a second to prepare myself. Not that I wasn’t grateful to finally set my feet on solid ground, this would make exploring the ship much easier. Maybe I could now get those other crates open, I hoped there was more food inside.

What sounded an awful lot like a chuckle came over the line, and I felt heat scald my cheeks. It wasn’t like he’d seen me stick out my tongue, but that laugh made me feel like I’d been caught red-handed. “Thank you Da’vi,” I told him as graciously as I could, and then my cheeks creased in a smile he couldn’t see. I was standing again, this was a big win. It was making me feel so much more human.

Da’vi grunted in response and I could almost imagine him shrugging, not wanting to hear my thank you. “It will still take a few days before the ship is ready to take off,” he said, his voice rumbling. I closed my eyes as I listened to it, letting the low tones wash over my chilled skin. As long as he was talking to me, I wasn’t alone, and that made me feel safe.

“Once we’re en route, it’ll be a couple of months at the very least, even if I push the engines. Do you have enough food and water?” he said next. My eyes shot open, my heart suddenly racing. Did he just say months? I couldn’t last months, I didn’t have enough food, and I was pretty sure I’d go crazy if I was alone for that long.

Faintly, I murmured, “I only have enough food to last me a month…” What was the point of him even trying to get here? I wouldn’t last that long, not without a miracle. This was where he was going to tell me, sorry, guess I won’t rescue you then. I couldn’t believe that he’d been willing to go rescue a complete stranger in the first place, let alone little old me.

There was a grunt on the other side of the line. No words, just a growly noise, and then he said, “Let me see what I can do.” The line disconnected immediately afterward, and my stomach sank into my shoes. That was the end of that, I doubted I’d hear his voice again. I forced the thought away, no negative thoughts welcome here. I needed to try and figure this out. I had a ship to explore and crates to open. I had gravity again. I needed to be a glass-half-full kind of person. I would survive.

Despite the fear that filled me, and the beginning stirrings of despair, I was filled with resolve as I stalked from the bridge.

Chapter 5

Da’vi

Ignoring the chaos in my engine room, I unhooked the broken com device, sticking it safely into my pocket. Then I gave each of the Strewn mechanics a firm glare, warning them to be on their best behavior. I meant to stalk away, calmly heading for the Vagabond’s bridge where Ziame probably was. Instead, I was jogging and then sprinting before I’d even made it down the first hallway.

I smelled Thorin and Kitan more than I saw them when they stuck their heads out of the gym as I passed it. I heard them muttering in surprise, but I ignored it, and the tease that was shouted after me by the Sune male. By the time I was thundering onto the bridge, I realized I’d gathered a following as if the males thought I had something entertaining to say.

Following the smokey, sharp scent of our Lacerten Captain, I charged into the ready room just off the bridge, with Ziame’s office beyond it. The growl that met me was followed by the solid THUNK of something heavy hitting me square across the chest. I stumbled back, the purple lines across my skin flaring with bio-luminescence, my skin tightening, head dipping to angle my horns for defense.

I took in Abigail, perched on the edge of the large table that was the centerpiece of this room, she was hurriedly closing the buttons of her blouse. Ziame was standing protectively in front of her, all his knives flared up, his huge head angled low, ready to meet a blow from my horns. I’d lose that, if I tried an attack, Ziame was a giant brute, and I was still gasping in air through bruised ribs from his tail slap.

Raising my hands in surrender, I put my back against the wall next to the door, ignoring the laughing sounds coming through the door from the bridge. “Sorry brother, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” I should have checked before I barged in, but this was just so urgent. I couldn’t stem the frantic pounding of my heart at the thought of Arianna out there in the dead zone, starving.

“Then leave,” Ziame growled out, but his posture relaxed a little now that his mate was covered up and I was clearly not a threat. His green eyes were glowing fiercely at me, letting me know that he was not amused at my interruption. I couldn’t bring myself to care that I’d just cock-blocked him, this was more important.

“No,” I said, and that resulted in another frustrated growl, tendrils of fire escaping from his gold-ringed nose with a clicking noise. The sound of this firestarter always made me wince, my fingers aching with remembered pain, but I ignored those sensations this time. Ziame was a levelheaded male, and a good Captain, he was compassionate and fair. So I didn’t have to wait long before he settled his possessive, aggressive impulses, even if he did step more in front of his mate and curled his tail snugly around her middle.

“What is going on Da’vi? Something wrong with the repairs?” he asked, his voice now much calmer. I was glad that he knew that I wouldn’t bother him right now if it weren’t for something truly important. What surprised me was how hard it was to pull the com device from my pocket, my only means of reaching Arianna. I didn’t expect to feel any kind of possessiveness over the thing, over her, but it was hard to speak her name. She wouldn’t be completely mine once I did.