Chapter 23 Evo
I launch us out of the system and back toward the closest familiar planet I can find that’s more of a large asteroid.
“Are they following?” Aera asks.
I check the scanners. “Doesn’t look like it. We have no tails. That doesn’t mean we won’t encounter more later.”
She pulls herself up to my neck and hugs me.
Thinking she needs a moment, I send a deep-space encrypted signal to Chasm and Aegis, hoping to get a pingback.
It’s not easy to pass signals to Rebels over Solcrue satellite relays.
But they often think it’s interference from junk and asteroids reflecting signals and disregard it.
“Please... Aera. I understand if you don’t want to tell me what happened, but I’m...concerned.”
“I thought I killed him years ago. He knew I was important back then. Had an order from his commander. He killed two of my Omega Force friends. I shot him, but it clearly wasn’t enough. He came back for me.”
The raking teeth marks on her neck bleed. So the moment I’m able, I get us on autopilot to the nebula, rip the Solcrue tracking system from its wires under the dash, and then carry Aera into the back while I look for something to care for her wounds.
A door to my right slides open to a one-bed medical room that the other emissary ships often don’t have. I set her down and sort through the cabinets and drawers for saline and dermal repair products.
She cautiously braces her neck and grimaces. “Seriously, what the fuck? Why the teeth?”
I douse her with the saline and dab the deep scrapes, wanting to tell her what I know. But first, I need to understand the situation. “What did you two talk about? And did he hurt you anywhere else?”
“No.” She sighs. “But I basically pointed out that they’re the weaker species of the three of us.
Because when you strip all the gadgets away and put us on a world together, Solcrue would, let’s face it, die first. Then humans.
Then Titans. Mostly because of the mating ships, like you said, because they control us so ruthlessly.
And the way he talked about insecure types looking for ways out. .. I just put it all together.
“Solcrue left Earth to find a better world. They didn’t try to keep the old ways alive, striving for more and more advancements until they advanced themselves out of natural self-preservation.
I didn’t expect to see surprise on his face.
It’s like the thought had never occurred to him.
So either their command is lying to them, or he hasn’t been paying attention to the patterns in his own society.
But anything can be made to look like something it’s not if it’s dressed up right. ”
“That’s an interesting concept. Can’t say I disagree.” I place a repair patch over her wounds, and Aera curls forward in pain.
“Is that really necessary?” she wheezes. “Fuck that burns.”
I pull the patch back. “Burns... like the medicine?”
“Yes.”
“Like the nano poison, the corrupt code darts they keep punching into me.”
Aera forces herself upright with a grunt. “Nanos in our blood don’t like Solcrue products?”
I riffle through the cabinets again.
“Can’t we just put some antibacterial crap on this and a bandage and call it a day? I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake.”
“I do not want his marks on my mate’s neck,” I growl.
Aera stills. “What did you just say?”
I fidget, realizing that came out more crude than I had meant, and I am a Rogue.
I am not supposed to feel such carnal urges or make such claims. But just the idea that the enemy thinks he can try to claim what is mine for himself is infuriating.
He would not treat her like she deserves.
He would not protect her or listen to her terran stories or love her.
She laughs a quiet sound of amusement. “Mate, huh?”
“We...have. Does that not make us...together?”
Aera snags my hand and pulls me to her. She peers up at me. “I am with you, Evo. Are you with me in here?”
She taps my chest over my ultromotor. It speeds up its cycles at her contact, even without a threat or an intense stimulation. It seems to just know it’s her.
“Hmm. I guess that’s a yes.” Aera licks the tears from her lips. “Why does it bother you so much that he bit me? As long as it’s clean, it will heal with time.”
I look down at the marks. “Because that is his way of claiming you.”
Her face pales. “W-why would he do that?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. But males only do this when they pick their female.”
“Gross. Okay. Let’s find something I can tolerate to get this to heal.”
In another drawer, I find some generic dermal repair cream that she accepts. I spread it over her neck with a finger, then cover the solution with a bandage.
“Why me?”
“I don’t know. But he has mentioned Joey of CSP in the past. So my guess is he’s part of some sort of joint task force between Solcrue and CSP. Captain Crazy likely works with humans more than most, so he could be like Sythius and Jeris, but is in denial and fighting it.”
“Or he could just be another asshole who doesn’t know what he wants,” she replies.
“Also true.” I pick her up and cradle her close to me as I return to the pilot’s seat.
“You’re sure there’s no one else on this ship?” she asks.
“Yes. I’ve scanned, and the ship has scanned. It is just instinct to check.” I adjust her so her head rests against my shoulder, then I monitor the stars and navigation for any hints of ships on intercept courses with us and continue trying to ping my Brothers.
Aera soon falls asleep. When I look down at her closed eyes and realize she trusts me to protect her, it heals a bruise buried deep in my core.
I have a feeling that wherever Joey, Leah’s half-brother, pops up next, we’ll get another chance to kill Crezlith. But I wonder if Aera’s theory set in motion something different in the Solcrue.
For several hours, I keep us on track for returning to the nebula. Aera sleeps. But even I can’t, not when I’m still unable to get a pingback from a single brother.
Maybe they’re not there anymore?
I check the timestamp and star date in my vision. It’s been three and a half days since we left the salvage site. It’s possible they’re gone.
Then I get a pingback from my twin.
Eon>>Evo: Battle in progress. Solcrue are blocking our escape from the nebula. All ships with steady shields are engaged. Numbers are dwindling. Do not return.
“Fuck that.”
Aera lifts her head with a gentle hum and a few loose hairs stuck to her face. She puffs out a breath that sends them dancing out of her eyes, and it’s so nice to see comfort on her face that I don’t want to tell her what we need to do. “What did you say?”
I try to unlock my jaw, but all I can manage is a sigh.
“Evo...”
“Solcrue found the nebula. We’re heading into battle.”
She leaps up and throws herself in the co-pilot’s seat, belts in and hovers her hands over the controls, quickly orienting herself. Aera has the weapons systems online in seconds.
“Got it,” she says with a terse nod. “You fly. I’ll barbecue some snakes. You ever eaten snake?”
“Uh, no.”
“It’s a bit like fishy chicken. Bigger snakes are a little more like venison, or deer.”
I smirk as we race toward the cloud of purple mayhem ahead of us. My mate, Aera, doesn’t hesitate to love or to dive into battle. “You are as violent as a Relic.”
She clicks her tongue and laughs darkly. “That’s because I am one. But don’t worry, I’m not interested in my kind or the other kind. Not since I went Rogue.”