Chapter 13
Miran
Nova’s hiding spot was big enough to accommodate them, but only barely.
He was deeply impressed by her resourcefulness.
Using Fielden traditions, she’d found the perfect place to wait out their search.
If they’d been anyone else, they might’ve given up before she ran out of supplies, but they were Hissa, and she was a Decanted woman. She was their future.
She was his future.
He hadn’t told the men yet that they had sex, but he needed to because now that they’d found her again, he would struggle to hide his feelings.
After stretching Nerin out in the center of the round room where Lazil could care for him, Miran insisted on seeing her ankle after noticing her limping earlier.
When he realized he couldn’t do anything because the med wrap was still doing its job, he tucked her into the obvious bed and tucked a bag under her leg to elevate it.
She hadn’t said a word.
He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t know what to say. Until she experienced Hissa herself, she wasn’t going to believe anything he said.
There wasn’t anything else to do for her ankle, but he remained at her side while Lazil focused on pulling off all Nerin’s weapons and armor, then treating the wounds from the spider’s bite.
They might’ve given him the antidote from the venom, but there were still puncture wounds to deal with.
The last thing they needed was for him to develop an infection.
It was strange to see that there wasn’t much to the bites, only a few deep punctures, and yet they'd almost killed Nerin.
Lazil’s shockingly fast reflexes were the only reason that Nerin hadn’t completely disappeared into the spider’s trap.
Nerin came around as Lazil finished cleaning and patching the bite. “Lazil?”
“You’re fine,” Lazil said, patting Nerin on the shoulder. “But I’m afraid we had to kill the spider. You can’t take it home as a pet.”
Nerin tried to chuckle, but it was half-hearted. “Where are we? Is Miran okay?”
“I’m right here,” Miran said.
Nerin rolled his head to the side to look at him. His expression turned to one of absolute relief when he saw Nova.
“She’s here,” he whispered, his eyes closing even as he fought to keep them open. “Nova, it’s good to see you. Please don’t run. It’s not safe out there…very not safe…”
Nova didn’t get a chance to talk before Nerin was out again.
“Rest. We’re all safe,” Lazil promised their teammate. After he finished making Nerin comfortable, he sat and took in the shelter. “What is this thing?”
Nova didn’t answer. After Nerin passed out again, she’d turned her face to the wall and closed her eyes, but Miran could tell she wasn’t asleep.
He hated this silence. He’d gotten used to her chatty personality and quick wit. This silence wasn’t like her. It was a clear indication that she was deeply upset.
After the silence stretched, and Lazil realized she wasn’t going to answer, he looked at Miran.
“Do you think she stumbled on this place?”
“No,” Miran said with full confidence. “I’m sure she created it. The same way I knew she came out here instead of the ports. She had a plan, and she executed it.”
Lazil huffed a humorless laugh. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I was sure you drugged yourself by accident.”
Miran wasn’t one to hold a grudge. “If I'd been you, I might have had doubts too.”
“We’ll need to stay for the night,” Lazil said. “I don’t think we should risk moving Nerin until then. Do you think we should talk to the town again?”
“Not unless we absolutely have to. They were very hostile when we asked if they’d seen Nova. We must’ve done something wrong. Upset them in some way.” He shook his head. “Nova knew how to talk to them. She knows a lot about Fielden culture. They let her set up here even though she was an outsider.”
“Maybe they didn’t see her,” Lazil suggested.
“There’s no way they didn’t see her get off the roller,” Miran argued. “Being out in the desert is dangerous. She would’ve wanted to make sure she could run back to the town if there was another storm. She made friends before creating this place.”
“That might be why they were hostile. They didn’t want us to bother her.” Lazil’s eyes dropped to Nova with new appreciation. “She’s amazing. I won’t underestimate her again.”
“Agreed,” Miran said, feeling exhausted despite the drug-induced sleep he’d gotten. “We should rest while we can. If Nerin is well enough, we should try to take the early morning roller tomorrow.”
Lazil did his best to lay down on the other side of Nerin. There wasn’t enough room for Miran to stretch out so he settled himself at Nova’s feet, with his back against the shelter’s wall.
“This isn’t over,” she said. He didn’t think he was supposed to hear her, but those few words of defiance made him extraordinarily happy. As much as he didn’t want her in danger, he also didn’t want her to give up the part of herself that was a fighter.
“I hope not,” he agreed.
***
It was a relief to see their small gunship waiting at the port. All the sand had been cleared away from other ships and the launch pads and traffic were coming and going at a normal pace.
Nova still wasn’t speaking to him or Lazil, but he could tell she was taking everything in and looking for her next move. Her vow of silence didn’t extend to Nerin. His wounded teammate seemed to be the only person she was willing to interact with.
When he’d tried to walk from the shelter to the roller, she’d insisted on trying to help him. He’d gently refused to put his weight on her smaller frame, then accepted Lazil’s assistance.
“Nerin you should see a medic before we leave,” Nova said, stepping in front of him and stopping his progress from the roller stop to their ship.
Nerin was exhausted from the trip from the sands to the port, and was swaying on his feet, but he still managed to give a reassuring smile.
“I feel fine, Nova. All I need are some meds from the ship. Besides, I want a Hissa mender, not a Fielden medic.”
She looked disappointed but nodded her head and let Miran guide her to the ship. Soon they boarded.
“I’m going to settle Nerin in his room, then request a launch from port control,” Lazil said.
Miran nodded. “I’ll show Nova how to use everything in her room and join you in control.”
They walked down the narrow hall, and Nerin and Lazil broke off to go to the room with the medical supplies. He led Nova to the room they had prepared for her.
Unlike their standard metallic gray, minimalist rooms, this one was painted a light turquoise blue with shimmering fabric draped from one of the walls.
The bed had a thicker mat on it and was covered with soft blankets.
There were small colorful accents all over the room to make it feel more welcoming.
It was the type of room common in Hissa homes.
He watched her face to see her reaction, only to find a look of confusion. “This is your room?”
“No, I’m the next room down,” he said. “This one is yours. I’m afraid we all have to share a bathing room and elimination closet.”
“This is my room alone?” she said. “I’m not sharing with anyone?”
“No, it’s all yours.” He walked to a cabinet and popped it open. “Everything in here is for you. You can keep the data pad and the clothes. I hope they fit.”
He showed her how to use the room's controls. After that, he walked to the door and pointed out the cleansing room and closet at the end of the hall.
“The ship’s outside hatches are all locked down and won’t open to your palm, but you can go anywhere on the ship you like," he said, knowing she’d try to leave the moment the hallway was clear.
He pointed to the comms unit next to the door.
“If you need us, you can press here or use the data pad’s comms link. ”
“Can I lock my door?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said. “We’ll respect your privacy unless there’s a medical emergency.”
“What if I refuse to come out for anything, not even food or water?”
He pointed to another cabinet. “There’s water access in there and nutri-packs. I hate the idea of you not having access to the rest of the ship, but if that would make you more comfortable, we’ll abide by our decision.”
He could tell she wasn’t sure how to react to what he’d said. She probably expected him to get forceful with her, but other than a moment of urgency, he wasn’t like that.
Most Hissa weren't. They were a society that prized peaceful interactions and had been taught to think of their community first.
“Everything I’ve told you is the truth,” he murmured, before turning and leaving.
It was going to be hard to sleep without Nova at his side. After one night, he was addicted. He could only hope she felt a little affection for him and once she realized everything he was offering was real, she’d agree to let him court her.
He wasn’t surprised to find Lazil in the control room when he got there.
“I double checked Nerin’s wounds with the ship's equipment and gave him some medication,” Lazil said. “Nerin’s resting quietly in his room now.”
“Good,” Miran said, settling into his chair and activating the console in front of him. It showed that Lazil already had them in the queue for the launch pad and would be moving into place soon.
They fell into a comfortable, silent rhythm that happens to a team who’s worked together for years.
“What are you doing here?” Lazil asked.
Miran looked up expecting to see Nova, but instead Nerin was walking into the room. He looked pale but determined.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. “I kept thinking about falling into the spider’s den.”
Miran could understand. Nerin came very close to dying and that was enough to traumatize even the most experienced warrior.
He took the third seat and brought up maps and the gunship's navigational system. A message pinged all their stations.
It was a call for immediate help from the Hissa warship Ardent.
“One of our fellow warriors needs us,” Lazil said after scanning the message. “He’s on a ship called the Assist in orbit around the Diniki planet Tulsin I.”
Miran felt a wave of disgust. “Diniki?”
“I guess I know where we’re going next,” Nerin said, trying to sound cheerful. “They need a team with a gunship, and we are a team with a gunship.”
“It could put Nova at risk,” Miran objected. “We should tell Ardent’s command that we can’t go.”
Nerin gave him a look. A fellow Hissa was in trouble, and Ardent’s message hinted that many other lives were in danger also. They couldn’t hold Nova’s safety above many others.
“Fine,” Miran snapped. “We’ll help. We can always shove Nova in a biosuit and lock her in the escape pod. If there’s trouble, we can launch her to the nearest planet. At least we know she’ll do well no matter where the pod lands.”