Chapter 6
Myrum
Just like he’d done on the Talin ship to Polkor, Myrum walked for several marks, focusing on the sound of his footfalls echoing in the large chamber. This technique worked, and eventually he felt fatigued enough to attempt sleeping.
He might’ve overdone it because he was so tired it was hard to remember where his cabin was on this new ship. It was a relief to find his way back. He stumbled to the bed and laid down, Ruby still tucked in the fabric around his neck.
He wasn’t alarmed when she crawled out and settled on his chest. Sleep pulled him under within a micromark.
His sleep was so deep there was no sense of time passing. When he opened his eyes again it could’ve been a few submarks or a rotation later. The only proof that he’d slept for several marks was the stiffness in his legs as he sat up.
Ruby wasn’t on his chest or curled up against his neck, but sometimes she liked to explore. Standing up, he looked around the room. His bags and the bug cage were on the floor at the end of the bunk. He searched through them, but didn’t find her.
Worry ate at him as he explored every place a jeweled lizard could possibly hide. The cabin wasn’t that big, and by the time he was done his possessions were scattered everywhere and all doors and cubbies were open.
Panic built in his chest. The room was getting smaller, and there wasn’t enough oxygen.
He was going to die.
No, he couldn’t let the room crush him to death. He had to find Ruby. She wouldn’t survive without him!
He roared, fighting against the panic. He made it out of the cabin door into the hallway, but that didn’t help. The space was still closing in on him. Another roar burst out of him as if he could hold the walls at bay with sound alone.
A loud war rattle came out of his back plates, making the pipes above him vibrate together.
Strangely, the sound of the pipes helped. His ability to affect something over his head made him think he was strong and could push the walls back. He wouldn’t let them trap him. Hold him. Starve him.
He focused on finding Ruby. His vision wasn’t the best. It was like the edges had turned white, but he searched everywhere around him as best he could.
Her name. He should be calling her name, but he couldn’t get any words out of his mouth, only disjointed sounds.
The sounds of running footsteps registered in his terrified brain. Whoever they were, they needed to stop moving. They could easily step on Ruby, injuring or killing her!
If he scared them away, his Ruby would be safe.
Another war rattle and roar.
The footsteps got closer. He tried to move toward them, but it was hard to take steps. The roaring was stealing what little oxygen was around him, and it wasn’t keeping the walls from closing in any longer.
Nothing he was doing was working.
Four Ugarians filled the space in front of him. Part of his fractured mind recognized them, but he wasn’t capable of making use of that information. They stopped a distance from him, watching him with wide, scared eyes.
“How are we going to do this?”
“One of us could circle around through the belly passage and come up behind him.”
“And then what, subdue him from behind?”
“No, of course not. I thought the one behind him could distract him so everyone else could pile on him all at the same time.”
They talked rapidly, making it impossible for him to follow their words. He heard more footsteps but couldn’t see the new arrival behind the original four.
Then a familiar voice joined the conversation. “Damn it, you guys ran too fast! What’s going on?”
Amina?
He took a stuttering step closer to the group. They all backed away. One of them was holding something that looked like a pole. The Ugarian brought it down and pointed it at him.
“Don’t come any closer! I don’t want to kill you, but I will.”
An Ugarian behind the one with a pole spoke quickly. “We need to do something before he attacks us!”
“We could seal off the corridor and flood it with gas.”
“That wouldn’t work; this is a main hall. We’d all have to hide in one of the engine observation rooms to keep from getting hit by the gas too.”
“What about luring him into the galley? That’s easy to seal up.”
Gas? Seals? He didn’t like how they were talking. Especially if the human Amina was really here and not a figment of his panicked brain.
He took another step, determined to see the owner of the soft voice. The Ugarians all stepped back again, taking Amina further away.
No! He’d already lost Ruby, now he was going to lose Amina too.
A roar ripped out of him. The Ugarian with the pole stepped forward and jabbed it at him, as if to drive him back. He grabbed the weapon and tore it from her grip. Uncaring about the shock he received, he tossed it behind him.
“Helmen, get back!” Amina cried out, her little body pushing between the bigger Ugarians and grabbing hold of the lead Ugarian’s shirt. “Talins can—Myrum?”
Hearing her say his name did something profoundly calming deep in his mind.
He would keep her safe, and together they could find Ruby.
It would be better if he could step away from the surrounding Ugarians. Keeping his eyes on her, he sank to his knees and gestured for her to come closer.
“Amina.”
Her name flowed out of his mouth as if his fractured mind wasn’t screaming for him to do three different things at once.
“Myrum, what’s going on?” Amina asked, stepping past the Ugarian who had brandished the pole at him.
There was so much information he needed to impart, but all he could do was murmur her name again.
“Amina.”
“How do you know this Talin?” the Ugarian next to her asked.
“Um, I might’ve met him on the station,” Amina said. Her expression was apologetic but not intimidated or fearful. He had vivid memories of Amina handling aggressive Hulgs with ease. If she wanted to get away from the Ugarian’s around her, she certainly could.
Could it be that these Ugarians weren’t a threat?
Except part of his mind was screaming at him to get her away from everyone. Only he could protect her. Only he could keep her safe.
But was that true? He hadn’t been able to keep Ruby safe.
“Ruby.”
The word came out of his mouth without him realizing it. Amina’s attention was on him again, and she took another step closer.
“Ruby? Is there something wrong with your jeweled lizard?”
She was gone. Lost. Maybe dead. How could he explain it all to Amina?
He made a “come to me” gesture with both hands again. Amina took another step, even as one of the Ugarian’s hissed out a breath.
“Amina, he could kill you faster than any of us could move.”
Amina gave the Ugarian a confident look. “He’s not going to hurt me. Look, he’s calming down. He just needed to see a familiar face.”
“He told me to put him down if he acted out,” the Ugarian said.
Amina scowled at the Ugarian. “We aren’t doing that,” she snarled.
When she turned her face to him, her gentle expression was back. “Hi, Myrum. It’s nice to see you again. I’ve been thinking about you a lot. If I’d known you were going to be on my ship, then I wouldn’t have left you so abruptly."
It was true that on the station she’d disappeared, like Ruby here on the ship.
Amina had reappeared, but would Ruby?
Desperate to keep her safe, he gestured for her to come closer again.
“It seems like you’re having a hard time talking. Do you know the silent tapping language of the Norka?” she asked, taking another small step.
Lifting her hands, she tapped a simple greeting. He knew the language but couldn’t figure out how to use it any more than he could use his verbal skills.
“Welp, that didn’t work,” she sighed, dropping her hands to her side.
“Talk to him in Universal,” one of the Ugarians in the back said. “Maybe his INT is malfunctioning and he can’t understand.”
“Good idea, Desur,” Amina said and then spoke to him in Universal. He didn’t speak the language but his INT was working perfectly fine, so everything she said was translated. “Are you ill? Are you in pain? We can help, but we need to know what’s wrong.”
By the ancestors, she was kind. She was much too small and fragile for this universe.
“Amina. Closer.” He was proud of himself for getting two words out this time. As if rewarding him, Amina stepped within arm’s reach.
Making sure to keep his movements slow, he opened his arms, inviting her to clutch or cling to him.
“Do you need a hug?” she asked, her face melting into something sympathetic.
“I forbid you from touching him!” the lead Ugarian said.
Helmen. That was the Ugarian’s name, and she was the captain of the vessel. How dare she employ a small, fragile human? Not only that, but then let her leave the ship with no protection on a Hulg-controlled station!
His outrage made him flash fangs at Helmen and let out a low, ticking growl. All the Ugarians made startled sounds and backed up.
“Hey, stop that!” Amina admonished, taking another step. “Helmen’s only worried about me. Don’t threaten her.”
“Don’t antagonize the Talin,” another Ugarian whispered. “Now isn’t a good time to prove how tough you are!”
It was hard, but he kept himself from snarling at the Ugarian.
“I think he’s confused and upset over losing his pet,” Amina said to the Ugarian even as she gave Myrum another soft smile. “Your cabin is right over there. Let’s go in there and see if we can find Ruby. I’m sure she didn’t go far; she really likes you.”
He lifted his arms again. He needed to hold her, both to keep her safe and to feel her solid warmth against his body.
“I’m going to hug you, but don’t do anything sudden,” she warned him.
Taking a last step, she moved between his open arms and tentatively put her smaller limbs around his neck.