I smile, then it fades. “But she deceived us. And we have no idea what this creature will be like, in its personality.” My shoulders tense.
“If it’s at all like her, it will be delightful. And we can shape it as it grows, to honor Zandia and everyone here. And we could have more young.” Benn’s voice is light. “There’s no reason we can’t have a whole swarm of Zandians, if she’s still fertile.”
“True.” I glance over at Mikala again. Remember how she put herself in harm’s way to save her children without even a second thought. Like it was instinctive. Like breathing. That’s clearly how Danica feels about her young already. “Humans love their young with a strong power. And if Danica loves the next ones as much as she loves the first…”
He nods. “Exactly. That’s the kind of mother we need for Zandian young.”
I summon up her image in my mind. “She’ll probably deliver it soon. Her. The female young.” I remember Danica’s fear when we first talked to Dr. Daneth. “Do you think they’ll need to…cut her open? To take her out?” It makes me cold inside—in a way I’ve never felt in battle. Not even back on Hectan-3, fighting the Ocretions. I shudder.
“I don’t know.” Benn’s voice is uncertain. “Dr. Daneth said that the Akronians use their claws to rip apart their mate to dispose of them. Perhaps she had thoughts about that?”
“Veck.” I feel sick with guilt. “And we left her alone. We need to get back there to support her. No matter what happens, we must be by her side when she needs us.”
“If she even still wants us. We left her alone and said awful things to her.” Benn’s voice is rough. “Maybe she’d prefer different mates, ones who are more considerate.”
“She’s not having other mates!” I shout, then lower my voice when Mikala stirs and moans in her sleep. “There’s no way. We’re getting her back, Benn. I swear it.”
“If we can.” He turns to the console. “What’s that?”
“Incoming call from Zandia. Emergency frequency.” I grab the unit. “Gorde, Benn, go ahead.”
“Check your perimeter.” Master Seke’s voice rings out into the area on speaker. “Ensure your masking is functional. Check for tails.”
“On it.”
Benn and I snap into action.
“Nothing,” Benn reports, tension in his voice. “I did a 360 and there’s nothing within fifty l-segs. We’re clear.”
“Check again.” Seke’s voice is insistent. “Use the newly installed surveillance technology.”
When our commander orders, we obey, but I wrinkle my brow as my fingers fly across the console. “What am I looking for?”
“An S-class battler with long-range destroyX missiles. Possibly cloaked with new tech and laser. As good as ours.”
Benn pulls up the galaxy map and our ship blinks, a sole dot in a sea of black. “Still nothing.”
Seke sighs. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“What intel did you have?”
“Your mate claimed she could hear it.”
“What?” Startled, I frown and raise my voice. “How?”
“It’s complicated. I’ll debrief when you return.”
I lean forward to glance at the screen. There’s something there, a ghostlike flash, just for a second. “Benn, what’s that?” I point.
His voice rises. “Stars, it’s a ship. It’s an Ocretion battler. In attack position.”
“This is neutral airspace.”
“When do the Ocretion pirates care about that?” He grabs the control deck. “They’re ready to fire. Going into z-speed to avert. Hang tight.”
Our ship lurches forward, and the AirPulse locks us into place as the relentless g-forces tug our bodies. Across the ship, Mikala and her young awaken and cry out, screams of fright, but there’s no time to console them. We just need to get away from this enemy ship—it’s ploddingly slow compared to our fightership, and once we’re a safe distance away, there’s no way they can catch up.
“Veck!” I sink my arms onto my knees, heart pounding, sweat breaking out onto my forehead. “That was close.”