Page 10 of Crash Landed: The Daranthiki

He jumped to his feet, furious. He wanted to murder whoever was responsible for destroying his ship. It was tempting to engage and let the odds fall however they might, but he was not feeling particularly suicidal at the moment. Better to evacuate and plot his vengeance later. With a growl, he stalked toward the door.

“Wait! You cannot just leave me here!” she shouted as she jogged after him.

Zil glanced back at her and grunted. “I believe we have already covered this. I am not obligated to do anything but look after my own hide. And as it stands, I am getting myself safely off this ship before it is boarded.”

Her footsteps halted as she gasped behind him. He did not feel particularly good about that, but it was all business. He could not afford to be held back by caring for a soft female. She would be a weight around his neck.

“Fuck! Wait, I can pay you!” she yelled as he reached the door. He paused.

“You have my attention for the next thirty seconds,” he grumbled and glanced back as she hurried over to his side.

“You mentioned getting paid, right? I don’t have access to my money at the moment, but I can pay you one million credits if you can get me to a safe place where I can legally access my account. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be to my destination. Any world that hosts a branch of the Intergalactic Credit Exchange where I can give a biosignature will be acceptable. I can arrange my own transport from there.”

He narrowed his eyes on her as he weighed his options. While leaving the ship alone would be easier, it would not hurt to be a million credits wealthier after losing everything he owned. He had credits in the bank, but not enough to replace his ship and supplies. Helping her had the financial benefit and would satisfy the annoying whisper of his long-silent conscience that had unexpectedly deigned to make an appearance.

“Very well, female—”

“Daisy McGillin.”

He scowled slightly. He did not have the time for this.

“Come, McGillin,” he impatiently growled, settling on her family name in accordance with Intergalactic standards as he grabbed her forearm so that she would not fall behind. “We cannot stay here. That is a Valthaan striker. They are favored among that species’ pirates and raiders.”

She unexpectedly shook her head stubbornly, throwing her weight back onto her heels when he attempted to drag her away. “I can’t. Not without a TRS. That is suicide.”

“So is staying behind to be a lap pet for a Valthaan,” he snapped. “Trust me when I say that you would not enjoy that experience.”

Despite the lash of his words, he spun back to where the captain’s corpse was left on the floor and jogged over to it, dragging Daisy McGillin with him despite her sputtered, breathless protests. Bending, he yanked the clothing from the captain’s remains, handing each piece to her brusquely. She did not complain other than a few hissed expletives and some understandable groans as she pulled on each piece, which in itself was impressive. Perhaps he had not given her enough credit.

She made a face as she zipped up her TRS but startled him when she lifted her arms up like a youngling, her fingers wiggling impatiently in the air. She frowned as he continued to stare in disbelief.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped. “You move a lot faster than I can keep up with. You are going to need to carry me.”

He shook his head, wanting to laugh at how quickly she disabused him of the idea that just maybe he had her wrong. That said, he could not disagree with her argument, however distasteful he found it.

With an annoyed grunt, Zil yanked her up into his arms and ran like the hunting beasts of the underworld were on his tail.

“Where are we going?”

The warmth of her breath on his ear and the low volume of her voice nearly made him stumble as desire shot through his systems with hot urgency. Thankfully, he had enough control that he was able to stabilize himself quickly with barely a break in his stride.

“Escape pods,” he grunted in reply. “We are in Daranthiki space. Wherever your vessel was when it was attacked, it drifted into the edges of our territory just a few days ago. There are habitable planets nearby. No colonies, but most planets at minimum have an outpost relay for emergency situations.”

“A Daranthiki rescue, yippee,” she mumbled, and although it was a dig at his species, Zil could not help but agree.

He was not looking forward to it either.

Chapter 8

Daisy suffered the indignity of being loaded into an escape pod and squished by an unwieldy blaster and the hulking alien who insisted on climbing in with her instead of finding his own with quiet dignity. She did not refrain from elbowing him as needed and glared up at him impatiently as the pod’s latch swung downward.

“I still do not understand why you can’t take your own,” she hissed.

He barely glanced at her as he settled as comfortably as possible at her side. “It is for your benefit, considering that you are paying me to protect you,” he replied in a frosty voice. “Unless you prefer to brave the wilds of an alien world alone? It is rare for escape pods to turn up anywhere near the same place. We might not even arrive on the same planet.”

That... was not something she had considered. She felt the blood rush from her face as something deep within her stomach twisted anxiously. Turning within the confined space, she threw her arm and leg over the Daranthiki and proceeded to shamelessly cling to him like a leech. His head turned just enough so that he could peer down the side of his arm at her, and she gave him a tiny smile.

“Right. You make a good point,” she agreed nervously. “So just remember that you won’t see a penny if you abandon me somewhere on the planet for the sake of convenience. And you have to keep me safe—as in I’d better arrive at the bank without so much as a scratch if you want the full amount.”