Chapter 34
DALOX
What I don’t tell my mate is I don’t believe the gremlin-birds were an accident.
The ship we’re standing on has not been emitting any electrical pulses for some time, and the way the hull is slippery suggests to me it has some sort of shielding which would repress any such impulses on any external parts.
The gremlin-birds had no reason to be here. But they were.
Gillian struggles to stay upright as we make our way across the hull. I keep a tight hold of her because if she does slip, she will end up sliding all the way down. I can’t imagine a little scrap like her would survive such a fall.
Once we reach the emergency hatch, I unclip the outer, and it hisses loudly with the ingress of the humid air.
“This is a two-stage entry point,” I say to Gillian as I help her inside. “But we have to go one at a time.”
She looks up at me, her eyes luminous in the darkness. “What do I do?”
“I will close this door, and you need to pull the lever at your feet.” I watch as she looks down and spots the lever.
“Okay.”
“Once you’re inside, wait for me.”
“I won’t be going anywhere without you.” She grins up at me.
The mating mix rushes through my veins, clouding my vision for an instant before it clears. I have to stay sharp, and it means I cannot allow my desire to be inside my sweet Gillian to distract me.
I close and lock the outer hull as I listen for her to open the inner airlock, continually pulling on the outer latch until it finally gives way, indicating the chamber below is empty.
As swiftly as I can, I follow her, pulling the outer door closed, locking it into place, and then dropping through into the ship below.
The smell hits me first, nearly bowling over my senses. I huff out some smoke to clear my nostrils. The entire place stinks of Sarkarnii, but old, as if they have been gone a long time.
Along the edges of the passage I have dropped into, there are dimly glowing lights, suggesting there is still power somewhere in the ship, although where is a mystery.
“Little spark?” I call out, my voice echoing off the walls. “Gillian?”
I told her to wait for me, so why isn’t she here? Ice grips my throat, holding back my flame. I cannot be apart from her.
“In here, Dalox.” Her voice comes from somewhere up ahead.
My mate has gone exploring. Of course she has.
It doesn’t stop me from breaking into a run, my boots ringing on the metal floor, until I reach the open doorway and very nearly run into the back of her.
“What is this place?” she says, looking over her shoulder briefly as I come to a sliding halt. “I thought you said it was a space ship belonging to another Sarkarnii?”
In the long gallery which must stretch half the width of the ship, there are rows and rows of beds. Some are empty, but some have skeletons still strapped to them, their bodies contorted into unnatural shapes.
This is why I could scent Sarkarnii.
“It’s Deus’s female crew,” I say somberly.
Gillian spins to face me. “You said they all died.”
“They did. Of mutations brought on once we came through the wormhole. All our females died. It would appear Deus managed to keep his crew alive longer than we did.”
She stares at me, then she falls against me, wrapping her arms around my body, her face against my chest, wet and hot.
“What is it?” I ask, the old fear gripping at my stomach. “Are you unwell?”
“I know…I know you said your females died, but I…thought…I thought you meant they passed away naturally…not like this.” She chokes out the words.
“It was a bad time.” I put my hand on her hair and hold her head gently.
“Not one any of us wishes to remember. They all died within a few nova-weeks of reaching Vorostor,” I say quietly.
“But we gave our females the chance to go to their ancestors, their remains treated with the utmost respect. We did not leave them like this,” I growl, glaring around at the terrible scene.
“No wonder Darax said his brother was mad.”
Gillian keeps her face pressed to me. I rather like it, but I don’t like the noises she is making, not one bit.
“I can’t believe you lost them all so quickly,” she says with a sniff. “I can’t imagine not being able to say goodbye.”
“Our females made up over half our crew. For most of us, it was three quarters of our officer warrior class too. All our healers were female.” I find the words spilling from me. “When they were gone, it was very quiet for a long time.”
Gillian lifts her head to look at me. Water tracks down her cheeks.
“I am so, so sorry, Dalox. I didn’t realize.”
“We are Sarkarnii. We survive,” I say, but I can’t inject any passion into the statement. “And it turned out Dante’s ship was carrying sarkarnlings in stasis, so we have a new generation to look forward to. And of course there is you and the other females.”
Gillian continues to study my face, but her eyes are guarded again.
“But otherwise, you survive,” she says, her voice hoarse.
“I am Dalox, admiral of the fleet and member of the High Bask. I do not ever give up.”