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Raxnor
Everybody added blasters to the holsters built into their suits, even Zo-Fee. I’d insisted she carry one. “If any Tula get by the rest of us, stun them. Don’t hesitate.”
She’d nodded.
Once everyone had their helmets on, Mol-Lee evacuated the atmosphere of the main cabin. TheDart’s small size allowed no room for an airlock, so the outer hatch swung open to the vacuum of space.
Her expert piloting skills held the shuttle steady over the asteroid’s access hatch, and Kirel leaped across first, using his boots thrusters to come to a halt. He pulled out his comp and got to work hacking the entry panel.
Sul went next, Vree tucked under one arm. He did a complex maneuver, flipping midway and shooting off several precise blasts from his boot thrusters to come to a perfect stop. Flashy frekker.
As soon as Kirel had the hatch open, Sul placed Vree inside. Then the big male gestured to the rest of us.
Tark leaped across in a far simpler move. The various external pockets of his spacesuit bulging with all the extra tools he’d shoved into them.
Zo-Fee hesitated in the doorway.
Sul’s voice came over comms. “Do you want me to take you across?” As theDaredevil’s spacewalk expert, he had the most experience.
Yet I couldn’t bear the thought of him touching her unless he had to, even through two layers of spacesuit. “I’ll do it,” I growled. Then I looked down at her. “If you’ll let me.”
“Of course. I trust you.”
Never had more beautiful words been spoken. My mate had a truly generous heart to be able to forgive me so easily. I never again wanted to betray her trust.
Kirel and Tark had climbed inside the airlock, but Sul waited outside, ready to help if we needed it. As much as the mating pull drove me, I was glad of the precaution. My rational mind knew he’d help keep Zo-Fee safe.
I grabbed the edge of the hatch and positioned myself behind her. My left arm wrapped around her stomach to lift Zo-Fee up and back until we were pressed closely together. The lack of gravity meant I missed the sweet weight of her. “Let go of your handhold.”
She did, and I pushed off with the smallest blast of my thrusters. We floated slowly across the gap, but that would also lessen the force of our impact.
As the open airlock hatch grew close, Sul said, “Pull up your legs, and I think you’ll make it in. Tark, get ready to catch them.”
My friend called out an affirmative.
Zo-Fee and I did as he asked, tucking our knees up towards our chests, my thighs pressed tightly to the backs of hers.
Sul swam forward and under us, and a tap of his hand on my back changed our angle just slightly so that we floated right through the open hatch and into the airlock.
As we passed the threshold, the asteroid’s centripetal gravity grabbed us, trying to fling up back out into space.
I grabbed an anchor with my freehand, and Tark steadied my other shoulder, pushing me sideways until my feet planted on the outer wall of the asteroid.
Finally, Lila “walked” across the open space between theDartand the asteroid, the starwisp protecting her the entire way. Glitter was truly a wonder.
Sul slid inside, making the transition to the new gravity look effortless. Thank frek the big male was here. If anything happened when we tried to get back to the shuttle, he was a one-man rescue mission waiting to happen.
Kirel closed the outer hatch, sealing us inside the metal-plated cube of a room. The chug of air compressors started as a vibration under my feet that grew to a sound I could hear as the airlock repressurized. Lila settled to the floor beside us, and Glitter appeared in midair.
“We’re in. We’re good,” Sul said over comms.
“I’ll hold here,” Mol-Lee answered. “But if something happens…”
“If something happens,” I growled, “you get yourself and theDartto safety.”
She sputtered a protest, as brave as they came. These Hyoo-mon females were small but fierce. The Goddess had truly gifted us with amazing fated mates.
“That’s an order,” I cut over her words. “You can’t help us if you’re caught.”
