Chapter 19

Zarabeth wasn't one to play with her hair, but she'd seemingly lost track of how many times she had undone and fixed the messy braid hanging at her back, the near silence of those flying with and around her driving the girl to nervously fidget in anticipation.

They were almost there. She could now see the outlines of naval ships as they sporadically surrounded the border of the planet's circumference. They were obviously there to guard the capitol for some important gathering or another. Little did they know how vulnerable they truly were, the single weak link in their line of defense threatening to overturn them completely in one fowl swoop.

The group of skiffs slowed their constant speed down to almost a crawl. When Zara asked Nomie what this was for, the alien girl quickly explained that they'd be viewed on the ships' scanners as a mere probable group of space creatures, leaving them safe to slip practically unnoticed aboard the Aberdeen once they were close enough.

Like the boats they were flying in, the gun clenched in Zarabeth's hands was a rudimentary style, but clearly still effective for its purpose, though she still hoped that she would never have cause to use it. She kept the laser pistol she'd taken safely secured in the belt on her waist, waiting to give it back to Jim instead of using it herself. Despite her doubts and deepest fears, she desperately hoped that she would find him and not his corpse in the bottom of the brig.

At Nomie's signal, part of the group went onward, tilting their course down to escape the notice of the other ships as they flew on down toward Rhitan's surface. With Gungeth leading them, they hoped to use their clan's high seated man to be a sort of warning to the officials if he could be allowed to tell them what he knew. His speech was the best of those who knew more than their own native tongue, giving him a slight edge above the others to be qualified for the task of giving them fair warning. What skiffs didn't go with him began their approach of the Aberdeen, the low hum of conversations dying completely the closer they came.

They were nearly there when Zarabeth suddenly put her hand on Nomie's arm to stop her, the alien girl waving for the others to halt as she listened to Zara's hurriedly whispered words.

"You are sure to this?"

"I know it's hers. Trust me, Nomie. Send a few of the boats to her, with Soreshta maybe. She can tell my friend what has happened. She will help us a lot. I know it. All she needs is to be warned."

After only a moment of thinking it over, Nomie gave a decided nod as she passed her orders along to Soreshta and the two skiffs with her. They only needed a minute of explanation before they too were gone, flying directly to the group's left toward the next closest ship.

Watching them leave, Zara somehow felt more confident about the situation, her stomach's knotted churning relaxing a bit until they began moving again.

The sounds of gruff voices, orders being uttered and relayed across the decks began to become distinguishable the closer the skiffs flew, carefully keeping toward the underbelly of the Aberdeen so as not to draw any unwanted attention.

Looking around at the dozen or so people still with them, Zarabeth whispered close to the alien girl in front of her to try to understand. "Now what?"

"Now, we get on. We have hooks with rope to get us up. Where is it good to put them?"

Taking a moment to mentally run the ship over in her mind, Zara perked up at a certain thought. "To escape, I broke through the window in the captain's room. It's at the very back of the ship. With everything the smugglers need to do to land soon, I doubt there's anyone in there."

"We shall see there."

"Another place would be the small windows into the galley and brig. They're at the front of the ship."

"Half should go each way." Nomie needed no more encouraging, quietly repeating the plan throughout the whole group till she was sure everyone understood, signaling which side each skiff would take. "Zarabeth, you are alright to lead the others?"

Swallowing hard to keep her heart from beating in her throat, Zara gave a small nod paired with her reassuring smile. "We'll meet up to take the ship once I free Jim and the others."

"I will see you."

Looking down, Zara's smile faded a little as Nomie held her hand out to her, laying her hand atop hers with an almost sad look in her eyes, her only thought of hoping they'd both make it long enough to see each other again before Zarabeth was helped into the next closest skiff. She looked back to watch Nomie as her group slowly drifted toward the bow of the ship, gripping the gun in her lap till her knuckles were white as she fought to keep her breathing even and calm.

This was for Jim.

Once they'd made it to the sets of windows Zara knew led directly into the brig, the girl silently signaled for the skiffs to stop, motioning up to the specific opening she knew would not lead directly into a cell. The last thing they needed was to be stuck without a way out like the rest of the prisoners inside.

One of the alien men stood carefully atop his seat, his balance something to be marveled at as he aimed a crossbow-like contraption with a long line of rope attached to the harpoon headed arrow in its cradle. With deft precision, he shot the dart to lodge securely into the wood just beneath the window, the small group waiting in silence to make sure their presence had not been detected before moving to continue the plan.

One by one, the members of their small party began their assent up the thick rope, except for the few to stay with the skiffs, starting with the man who'd shot it and followed by Zarabeth who was practically pulled up considering the use of her arm was limited. Moving her body through the small space and into the dim of the brig, she dropped down to the floor with as little noise as she could manage, the windows being set up a good ten feet above the floor to keep people from trying to escape that way.

Relieved to find the brig empty of smugglers, she dusted her hands against the front of her skirt, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest as she hurriedly looked about the cells for the one that held Jim, trying to keep the other crew she saw calmed and quiet as she moved from one end of the room to the other.

Zara could hardly keep her hands from trembling as she grabbed at the ring of keys hanging idly on the wall beside the stairs, rifling through the small set to find the one she wanted before moving to open the cell closest to the back wall, a lone figure curled up with his back to her lying in the small barred space. Unlocking the heavy metal with a sharp 'click', the door could hardly open quickly enough before Zarabeth was inside, kneeling down to gently turn him over towards her.

She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or cry upon seeing his face, only managing a trembling breath in relief as she watched his eyes slowly flutter open. "Hey you..."

"Zara?" His voice was hardly audible as he slowly reached a shaking hand to brush against the paint on her cheek as if trying to determine whether she was really there or not. "What...What in Etherium's name are you wearing?"

Giving a small laugh in her attempt to keep from letting the tears in her eyes fall as she turned her head to gently kiss his hand, she struggled to contain her feelings upon gradually seeing the true extend of his injuries. "Oh Jim, I'm so relieved. I-I didn't know if I'd find you alive or not."

"That's not too...not too far off." Giving a low grunt as he let Zara help him sit upright against the metal bars, waiting only a moment to regain his bearing before pulling her into his arms with as much strength as he could manage to hold her close, gently kissing her over and over again just to feel her warm touch. "I thought they'd killed you... When they said the surfer was hit, I-I imagined the worst."

"I made it. Your surfer, not so much."

"Nice." Gritting his teeth as he winced at his efforts to prop himself up a little higher, he released the breath he'd been holding with a low chuckle as he drew a tired hand over his eyes. "Glad I left you in charge."

Taking his hand into hers to move it away from his face, Zarabeth nervously pulled the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow, taking in a small breath upon seeing the long trail of dried cuts left there by what looked like might have been claws. Her discovery frightening her, she sat back a little to look over the rest of him, biting down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling as she spotted several other places where he'd bled or was bleeding through his clothes. "Jim...What'd they do to you?"

"This? Oh, don't worry about me, Zara...Looks worse than it feels." His words punctuated with an unwilling grunt as he winced with the effort to move his arm out of her grasp.

"Somehow, I really don't believe you. Felix...He said he wouldn't let them hurt you."

"Well those guarantees don't exactly apply when Ewen wants information I'm not willing to give."

"Information? On Rhitan?"

Shaking his head as he firmly shut his eyes for a moment, Jim swallowed past the pulsing pain radiating through him, his words broken only by his flinches in response every few moments.

"They just didn't like not knowing where you were trying to go. They knew you were headed...headed to Inyang. They didn't know why. I-I wasn't about to tell them about Silver. Consequently, that was a smart move, Mrs. Hawkins. Well done."

She tried to smile back at him as she lifted up one corner of his shirt, swallowing hard before reaching back into her pack to find something to staunch the bleeding coming from what could have been a laser shot close to his hip. "It would have been...but I didn't make it to Inyang. I still don't quite know what happened except that their shooting must have forced me down before I knew where I was. I woke up on its moon. Morph was with me, but I sent him to go look for Silver. I don't know where he is though. I told him to bring Silver to the ship first. We'll see. But all these people in here? There's more in the stateroom, some down on Rhitan, and another group I sent to warn Genevieve. We're taking back the Aberdeen." Satisfied with her bandage job, she made sure none of his other wounds were still bleeding out before attempting to rise to her feet, stopped by Jim's hand as he reached unknowingly for her bad arm, ignoring the instinct to wince as he got her full attention.

"Zara, listen. They-They're not just after the ship. Guns. Lots of guns. They're down in the hull with the skiffs. They intend...to take them-"

"To Rhitan. I know. It's ok, Jim. That's why some of these people are down there right now trying to warn them. We're not gonna let those boats land, but if they do, there's someone already waiting for them to show."

"Zarabeth?"

The girl turned to see little Tristaf standing in the entrance to Jim's cell, her look calm but with a hint of urgency only in her eyes. "The wounded are good enough. All are out. We should meet with Nomie now with surprise still for us."

"We should leave the worst of the wounded here with weapons until the ship is secured. The last thing we want is a death count."

"I agree. I shall get them weapons."

"Thank you, Tristaf." Turning back to Jim, she reached behind her to pull out the gun she'd taken from him that night before setting it in his hands. "I believe this belongs to you."

"W-Wait, you're not leaving me here, are you? Zara, I can fight."

"Jim, you and I both know that you're in no state to be going against these men. Please. I can't risk losing you."

The boy held fast to her hand as he tried to move closer to her, his efforts mixed with small grunts and flinches in pain. "Zarabeth, please. Don't."

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze before freeing herself from his grip, Zara did her best to smile as she got to her feet, leaving her pack beside him for extra ammunition as she took her own gun in hand. "I can't let them hurt you, not again. Let me do this. I'm here to save you, after all."

He knew there was no further point in arguing with her, it was hopeless to deter her. Nodding in resignation as he leaned back against the cold bars once again, Jim managed to mirror her small smile. "Bates and Donnelly are on deck with two other men, Felix is there too. The rest are below getting the skiffs ready. Taking the ship back will be easier than stopping them from getting to Rhitan."

"Thank you. I'll make sure Donnelly and Bates aren't mistaken for the other smugglers. What...What about Felix?"

After a moment of tense silence, Jim eyes moved to concentrate on the floor at his feet, hands instinctively clenched as much as he could manage. "Forget him. He'll get whatever he deserves."

Nodding without a word, Zarabeth knelt down again to gently take his face into her hands, their eyes locked for hardly any time at all before their lips met once more. She didn't want to leave him. She had to. This was her fight.

Moving to leave as she unwillingly separated from him, Jim's voice stopped her one last time.

"I love you."

"And I love you. I'll be right back, ok?"

Jim watched as the girl made her way through the maze of cells to join the group of armed crew and alien natives by the door, a thought suddenly occurring to him as he tried to sit forward again.

"Zara, Zara wait-"

He leaned back with a pained groan, forcing himself to relax as she disappeared with the rest, climbing up the wooden steps and out of sight.

Those words.

"I'll be right back."

They were the last he thought he'd ever hear from her before.

Not this time.

Not again.