Chapter 20 Clare
Clare
Space was vast and black and mysterious.
Throughout the entire flight, I'd expected someone to stop us, for a giant alien dragon to rip apart the shuttle, for spaceships to appear and block our way.
But nothing happened. I craned my neck to look through one of the small porthole-like windows.
The planet looked so beautiful from up here.
The pastel colours and smooth lines of the continents told nothing of the pain, fear and death that happened on its surface.
"We're about to dock," the pilot announced. He hadn't said anything during the flight, but I'd been fine with that. I needed this moment of peace to come to terms with everything that had just happened.
I hope the chii are okay, I said in my head to test our mental connection. I can't seem to reach them.
Neither can I. We're too far now. But once we're on the Bloodstar I will contact them via their consoles and see if they require our help.
I hope the game makers will simply forget about them now that we're gone.
And hopefully, the game makers won't be in charge of the planet for much longer.
Once they're gone, along with the monsters they brought to Kalumbu, the chii can live in the open again. Reclaim their planet for themselves.
I nodded and relaxed a little, enjoying the view of space from the porthole opposite. But it was no longer completely black. A strange grey sphere pushed into my field of view. No, there were several spheres, all bunched together like a giant caterpillar.
"Is that the Bloodstar?" I asked hesitantly. It looked nothing like I had imagined a spaceship to look. It wasn't all sleek lines and sharp angles like this shuttle. Instead, it was curvy and bumbly and strangely cute.
"Yes," came the pilot's voice. "That's my ship. Isn't she a beauty?"
With a metallic click, the ship shivered once, followed by a sharp hiss. The screen that had hid the cockpit slid open to our pilot.
He was huge. Hulking. Green. And he had tusks. Actual tusks.
I froze.
Was this another monster?
He caught my expression and gave me a friendly grin. “Don’t worry, I’m the friendly kind of orc. Vruhag. I own this ship, and I’m not here to eat you.”
Venom inclined his head. “Thank you for responding.”
“You sent the right message. Silus is very impressed by your work. But you’ll get to meet him in a click to talk all about coding stuff that I have no clue about.” Vruhag tapped a glowing panel. “We’re docked. Go on through. My crew will meet you.”
“Crew?” I asked, still staring. I’d only ever seen other humans in cryopods or monsters trying to kill me. Not… this. I knew it was rude, but other than Venom and the chii, he was the first friendly alien I’d met.
Vruhag chuckled. “Don’t worry, they’re less green than me.”
Venom took my hand. I followed him on unsteady feet through the opening hatch.
We stepped into a curving corridor that pulsed faintly with soft lights. It smelled of metal and clean air and something vaguely floral. I was still clutching the blanket Vruhag had tossed me during the flight.
At the end of the corridor, three people waited.
The first was a human woman – blonde hair cropped short, jacket military-tight, a blaster at her hip. She looked like she hadn’t slept in a day, but her posture was iron-straight.
“Penny,” she introduced herself. “You must be Clare and Venom.”
The two others flanking her were more relaxed. Another human woman with warm brown skin and a nose ring – Pria, she said her name was – and a third I recognised only from the way Venom slightly relaxed at her presence.
“Fay,” she said with a nod. “I know what it’s like to come out of that hell.”
They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t stare at me like I was strange. They just handed me real clothes – a clean, soft jumpsuit – and offered water.
And when Penny turned to Venom, her voice softened. “Just so you know – an Intergalactic Authority warship is on its way. You’re not alone anymore. We’re not just rescuing people now. We’re going to end this.”
I blinked hard against the sting behind my eyes.
For the first time since I woke up in that metal coffin all alone, I had hope that this was going to turn out well in the end.
They led us to the bridge for a proper meeting.
Fay had offered to let us get some rest, freshen up and have some proper food, but both Venom and I were still buzzing with adrenaline and eager to know what was going to happen next.
From Venom's reaction I'd gathered that having a warship here from the Intergalactic Authority, a sort of space police, was very unusual, yet also very wanted.
The bridge was bigger than I’d expected – a hemisphere cut in half by a smooth floor that seemed to suck up the noise of our footsteps, all sleek metal softened by warm lighting and huge windows interspersed with screens.
Displays hummed softly across one wall, full of pulsing data streams, while five computer consoles were surrounded by other chairs and benches.
This ship seemed to be built for a much larger crew than the presently assembled.
Venom paused beside me as we stepped in. His coils slowed. He looked… tense.
“Sit over here,” Vruhag said, pointing at one of the benches. “Qong is just fixing us some snacks and will be here any minute. And this is Silus. I believe you’ve met.”
A horned alien sitting at one of the consoles turned around, revealing the rest of his body.
Holy moly. His lower half was furry and he had hooves.
I tried not to stare, but it was difficult considering he was half-goat, half-man.
His chest was bare and covered in brown hair, the same colour as his beard.
He grinned as soon as he saw Venom.
“You’re the one who sent the root string with the fake KGM clearance code, aren’t you?” he said. “That was brilliant.”
Venom blinked. “You’re Silus.”
“Yup.” He bounced once on his heels. “Been wanting to meet the ghost in Kalumbu’s security for ages.”
“Likewise,” Venom said, relaxing a little next to me.
“Later,” Vruhag cut in, stepping forward. “Let him breathe before you fry his brain.”
He turned to Venom and held out a massive hand.
“You helped get me and Fay off that cursed planet. I don’t forget debts like that.”
Venom hesitated, then reached out and clasped the orc’s forearm in a warrior’s grip.
“I didn’t do it for thanks,” he said. “But I’m glad it worked.”
“It worked because you let the Artep beam us up,” Vruhag said.
“And then you helped Silus get down onto the planet when he went against Twim’s orders, and I’m almost sure you confused the ships that were pursuing us shortly after I picked up Silus and Pria from Kalumbu.
I have never heard of a selfless naga before, but I am pleased to meet one. ”
“I had to,” Venom replied. “And it wasn’t selfless. I did it for Clare. There was no way I could save her myself. And the other females still on the space station.”
Vruhag nodded solemnly, then turned to me. “You’ve been through more than most. You made it.”
“I wouldn’t have without him,” I said quietly, glancing at Venom.
Silus hopped closer. “Okay, but seriously. Did you use the skewed-packet trick to override their network parity? Because I tried that once and–”
“Silus.” Pria’s voice was firm. “Later. Don’t be such a geek.”
He backed off with a sheepish grin.
Pria stepped forward. “I’m in charge of crew welfare. This ship is not a pleasure craft, but it’s safe. You’ll have privacy, food, a place to sleep. We don’t have many rules, but one of them is this: survivors are family. If you’re here, you’ve earned your place.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you.”
She nodded. “I wish we could tell you to retreat to a cabin and get some rest, but we have a bit of a situation going on here.”
Silus snorted. “You can say that again. A second IA warship just showed up on my sensors. Vruhag, I think you should take the captain’s chair and send them a message. We don’t want them to think we’re part of the game makers’ fleet.”
The bridge door hissed open again, and a new figure stepped through – tall, broad, and golden.
His skin gleamed like warm gold, its surface subtly patterned with a scale-like texture that reminded me uncannily of… waffles.
This had to be Qong, Penny’s partner.
He carried a tray piled high with actual waffles, their buttery scent wafting across the room like an orgasm wrapped in sugar.
“Did someone mention snacks?” he asked, his deep voice a mellow rumble.
“That smells amazing,” I said before I could stop myself, my stomach growling in enthusiastic agreement.
Pria grinned. “Apparently, this is what he smells like for Penny. Gofrens have a specific scent that mimics their mate’s favourite food.”
Penny blushed. “That’s private.” But she smiled at me before taking a plate from her golden partner.
Venom blinked but accepted a plate. I followed suit, still slightly stunned that a seven-foot golden waffle-man was handing me breakfast in space.
Qong handed out the rest of the plates and sat beside Penny, their arms brushing in quiet affection.
Silus licked syrup off his fingers with zero shame and spun back to his console.
“Still holding steady,” he said, mouth full.
“They haven’t hailed again, but both IA ships are now approaching geosynchronous orbit over Kalumbu.
Big ones. Proper warbirds. Venom, you know Kalumbu’s fleet the best. Do they stand a chance against the IA ships? ”
Venom exposed his fangs. “Maybe. Remember, they have hostages. Not just the Peritan females, but also hundreds of other contestants, some in cryosleep, others awake and ready to join the Trials. The IA has to follow strict laws. The game makers don’t.
If they threaten to kill the contestants…
I’m not sure what the IA command will do.
Honestly, I hope they find a different way to free them other than brute force.
Lives will be lost either way. I can’t see a peaceful solution. ”
Vruhag wiped his hands on a napkin and rose from the captain’s chair, which creaked faintly beneath his bulk. He leaned toward the comm panel and pressed a button.
“This is the Bloodstar, independent vessel operating under humanitarian exemption protocols. We have recovered survivors from the Kalumbu Trials and are not affiliated with any sanctioned or unsanctioned operations on or around the planet. Please respond.”
The pause was long enough for the air to feel heavy.
Then a crackle of static filled the room, followed by a clipped, authoritative voice.
“This is Commander Lhu of the Vigilance, acting representative of the Intergalactic Authority. We have received your transmission, Bloodstar. Stand by for boarding and interrogation. Maintain position and prepare for data transfer.”
“Wait, let me,” Venom said and rose from his chair.
“Commander Lhu, this is Agent V-29@#1 of the IA Intelligence Fleet. I have been working undercover on the Kalumbu Space Station until my discovery. If you check your records, you will find transmission from me including emergency broadcasts sent via my implant.”
A pause followed his words. My heart was beating rapidly. What if they decided that we weren’t friendly? They could blow us into smithereens.
“They’re not taking chances,” Penny muttered.
“They wouldn’t,” Vruhag said. “Kalumbu is a nightmare. They’ll want to verify everything firsthand.”
Silus rolled his shoulders. “I’m already compiling the files we extracted. Trial manifest, contestant tags, the genetic tracking records. Anything I could grab during my last hack. Maybe that will help.”
Finally, Commander Lhu’s voice filled the room again.
“Agent V-29@#1, please activate your communication implant for verification. We will send further instructions. If you do not respond within the next five clicks, we will assume that you are not who you say you are and will take appropriate measures.”
With a click, the transmission ended. Silence followed.
Venom hissed in frustration. “I don’t know if I can reactivate the implant that quickly. I need to focus. Calm myself. It doesn’t work if I’m agitated. Which I am. Very much.”
The tension rolled off him in waves. He wouldn’t be able to do it in this state. And we’d all die.
I took charge. “Everyone, get out. Venom needs space.”
They all stared at me in surprise. Then, Vruhag got up from his captain’s chair and gave me a court nod. “Do as she says. Clear the bridge.”