I smooth her wild, puffy hair. I adore this female. "I'm going to keep you safe," I tell her again. Maybe if I keep saying it, I'll believe it. "Don't you worry about a thing."
She pulls back, takes a deep breath, and then nods. "You want a signal word for me to shoot them?"
Kef, I love her ruthless streak. "If we have too many signal words, we might get them all mixed up. How about if I say 'shoot' then you pick off the most dangerous-looking one and we go from there?"
Jade nods. "I can do that."
"And if it's a Threshian crew, kill me and then turn the blaster on yourself," I say. "You don't want them taking you alive."
She stares at me. "You're…serious?"
I nod once. "Just trust me on that. I don't think it'll be a Threshian crew but…yeah." I kiss her one more time and then move to the wall. I study it, looking for a good place to rip it open, and then grab one of the flat, strong metal sticks that serve as eating utensils, and then wedge it into the wall. I use it to pop up one corner of the wall, along the baseboard, and then shove my hand under there, dragging the entire thing up along the seams as I do. My hands get a little ripped up and bloody as I work, but I can deal with that later. "Quick. Hide." I gesture to Jade. "We don't have much time."
As if the ship's aware of the situation, it chimes with an alert. "Unfamiliar vessel initiating ship-to-ship docking sequence," the computer intones. "Please advise."
Jade crouches and slides into the hollow behind the wall. There's a mass of tubes and near-empty bags from the food supplies, but she sticks close to the fusion generator like I told her, blaster clutched tight in hand. I replace the panel, trying to remain calm as the ship recites the alert once more. I use the flat of my palm to smack the metal panel back into the housing, then wipe the blood away. There's a vent near the bottom, and I lean in close. "All right in there, love?"
"I'm good and I can see out," Jade whispers. "I love you. Stay safe for me, all right?"
I plan on it. There's no way I'm leaving my woman alone to face these bastards.
60
JADE
I clutch the blaster in sweaty hands, peering through the grate as the ship's hull groans and I can hear the distant hum of what sounds like the same tool that Adiron used to seal the doors. I'm nervous and worried, and my stomach churns all over again. I bite my lip so hard that I taste blood, but at least I don't puke. Puking in the wall? In this tight space that I might have to be in for god knows how long? Not a good idea. Luckily, the nausea ebbs.
As the ship sends out a variety of alerts—all of them bad sounding—Adiron hums to himself. It's a jaunty little tune, all light and cheery, and as I crane my neck to try and see through the gate, I catch the scent of noodles. He's making himself food. The chair scrapes and then I hear him sit down. It's a hell of a time to eat, but as the little tune continues, my heart fills with affection.
Adiron always has a strategy to his actions, and I know what this is. This is both an effort to calm me and to disarm whoever shows up. He wants to make them think he's stupid, and sitting calmly and eating while his ship is being invaded will definitely put that thought in their heads. I know he's not stupid, though. He hides behind it like a shield. He uses that to his advantage, because the less the enemy thinks of him, the more room it gives him to outmaneuver them. I want to tell him I have him all figured out, but I remain silent and send thoughts of love from afar.
The door hisses open and every nerve in my body screams to attention.
A gruff alien voice barks out a few syllables. Don't move, the translator implant in my head says, and I realize how jarring it is to hear the Homeworld dialect. He's speaking mesakkah, and Adiron always speaks English around me so I don't have to listen to the translation. It's just another way that he's thoughtful and kind.
I peer through the grate, and I see big, muscular legs and twitching blue tails.
I also see the remnants of the door on the floor, and one of the strangers is holding a blaster to Adiron's head.
My heart stops.
And what is Adiron doing? He's got his mouth full of noodles, his cheeks puffed out with them. One long one dangles from his lips. He slurps it up and eyes the intruders. "You the rescue party?"