I don't own the X-men or any of Marvel's characters. Everything else is mine.
A/N: Who are these people that prevented the Etagllot kidnapping and what is their agenda? Read on to find out.
Chapter 2
"Do you need more?" Gatebi inquired, ready to retrieve additional food if she must. She and Flint had watched as the two winged beings devoured everything they'd pulled out. Flint sat to her left and between the two of them, they'd eaten a fraction of what just one of the Eshaaru consumed voraciously in less than 10 minutes.
Ettwanae and Warren exchanged glances from opposite ends of the table, shaking their heads in unison. Warren hadn't experience hunger that strong since after his and Ztar's escape from Ymoz. 'What gives?' he wondered. Did his sudden overactive sex drive work up that much of an appetite? It didn't add up, but that was the least of his concerns.
"God, if they snarfed anything more, we'd hafta stop somewhere to restock. Where do ya put it all?" he teased. "If Gabby and I ate like that, we'd be rollin' lard balls! Grams use to say some people eat like birds, meaning they hardly ate nothin'. She wouldn't say that no more if she saw these two birds eat!" That got him a rewarding frown from Gatebi.
Appetite sated, Warren looked to Ettwanae. Her top was torn and way too much cleavage was showing for his comfort. One sleeve was half separated from the shoulder, again exposing skin. The hair that hung to breast length was a tangled mess, giving her the appearance of a wild woman. He swallowed hard – it was all too strangely alluring…
Pulling his eyes away, he looked down at himself. Somewhere along the way, he'd completely lost a sleeve from his shirt. One of his pants pockets hung on only by threads, and simply from the coolness on his back, he knew the wing slits in his shirt were much larger than they started out. Likely, his hair was in equal disarray. He grimaced at the somewhat fuzzy recollections of animalist behavior. 'What the hell did you let happen!' he chided himself, smarting from embarrassment of losing all self-control. 'And you call yourself a Worthington – a name synonymous with restraint.' He'd set aside self-recriminations for later, though.
"I've been patient," he announced, pushing his plate away. "Now you will tell me what's going on."
She studied his face – the intensity of the blue eyes, the finely carved features, and the wild tousle of golden hair that begged for fingers to tame it. "He's so gorgeous!' Heat started rising in her nether regions once again. 'Stop it!' she commanded her body.
/ Ettwanae, there is a method I can use to temporarily suppress the urges if you wish. / Volu offered into her head.
/ You're scanning me? / Ettwanae felt violated. These were private feelings. Then she mentally jerked at her reaction. 'This is Volu. Why am I annoyed?'
/ For your own safety. /
/ I'll handle it myself. / She was firm. Shades of doubt permeated the telepathic connection and it strengthened Ettwanae's resolve. 'You can do this!' she encouraged herself while still confused over the feelings of sullied privacy.
Warren watched Ettwanae. She was "gone" for a moment, but not the thinking kind of gone. He'd been around telepaths since age sixteen and she had that look. Was she indeed telepathic and trying to exert control?
"You have not been properly introduced to my friends. This is Gatebi." The Alcab female gestured welcome with one hand. "And he is Flint." The boy smiled a wide grin that was far too mischievous.
'Don't trust that one any farther than you throw him,' Warren surmised of the teen. 'If even that far.' He sat back in the chair. He'd start with easy questions to relax everyone. "Ettwanae, you said this is your ship. The female voice – is that its AI?"
Ettwanae shook her head slowly. "Not exactly..."
"Your pilot?" Warren was confused.
"Man, you've no idea!" Flint jumped in eagerly. "She's fuckin' incredible – even I gotta give her that. Vo's our-" Flint felt the familiar prickles on the back of his neck. "Vo-lu's our ride andpretty pimped out, too. We can snoop 'round where other's get nabbed with her off the Richter scale cloak of invisibility and all. 'Cept for that one ship, but that's just one," the teen dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Otherwise, we're like ghosts. Pretty rad. But like I said before, Vo's a tightarse. Don't go pissing her off, I'm warning ya, man." The sharp prickles that ran down his spine made him jerk. It was Volu's way of reminding him to use her proper name. 'Goddamn, uptight alien!' he lashed out with his thoughts.
Still unclear what the situation was with the ship, Warren looked at Ettwanae who was giving Flint a melting look. "Does he always talk like that?" Perhaps a bit of levity would further reduce tensions on multiple levels.
Her eyes turned to his and a full smile appeared for the first time – it was radiant. Just that small thing and he had to rein himself in all over again, sweat beginning to form from the effort. He focused on their conversation to redirect his attention from less productive thoughts.
"Sadly, yes," she sighed.
"Must get annoying."
"Extremely," she confirmed with an exaggerated sigh and upturning of her hand.
He watched the hand move in surreal fascination imagining what it could do… Warren shook himself mentally. "Could be a sign of a wanna-be complex. Kid from small-town nowhere wanting to be big city."
"He definitely wants to be something. I'm not sure he knows what that is." Ettwanae was riveted by each expression of his face, the way he held his head, how the light caught the gold of his hair. The words they exchanged barely registered.
Flint looked back and forth between them. "Hey, dudes. I'm right here, ya know!"
Gatebi chuckled.
He locked eyes with the Flint. "Human, right?"
The kid nodded enthusiastically. The time was right. "Yep, not many of us out here, ya know? But I know you…you're that guy from the X-men. Shitload of money, too. Warren Worthington the fourth or fifth or something. You own Worthington Industries, am I right?" Flint felt all eyes on him and he waited for the deserved praise of his knowledge of billionaires and kick-ass mutants.
Warren smirked internally. Flint wanted to impress his friends. "Pretty sharp, kid. I wouldn't have thought someone your age paid much attention to anyone over 25."
"I watch the news…well, did. Sometimes." Flint turned to Gatebi and Ettwanae. "This guy's an X-man. Ya know what that means?" At the women's silent indication of cluelessness, Flint plunged in. "X-men are mutants like me. They take down badass mutants that wanna take over the world, wipe out regular Humans, shit like that. Save the world and all. Only the best of the best get ta be an X-man. War here, he's one of the originals! Goes way back before most people even knew us mutants existed."
Flint swung back toward Warren despite perplexed looks from Ettwanae and Gatebi. "And not just any X man. This guy's up there with Bill Gates in the money department, maybe higher! You sure know how to pick 'em, Twae!" Then he leaned toward the mutant with an unlimited bank account. "Hey, man, now that we're hangin', I was thinking maybe…ya know, jeans and t-shirts can't be had out here," he explained with a wave of the arm into the air. "Been forced to wear these sacks," Flint tugged at his shirt with disdain. "Any chance we can hit up Old Navy? No, no – Abercrombe! Yeah, that'd be better. Just need a few things…jeans, t-shirts, maybe some decent sneakers. Adidas or Nike would be good. I'm really not that picky. You probably know the best stores. Maybe we cruise Miracle Mile or – or New York City! Yeah, that's it! We go jeans shopping in New York City. You gotta know the best stores. Maybe some of those custom jeans – the ones made just for you? That'd be off the scale!"
Ettwanae, Gatebi, and Warren sat speechless.
Flint's eyes widened. "But I can see shopping isn't something that gets ya goin'. You've got people for that. Of course!" Flint looked back and forth between Gatebi and Ettwanae. "You see, people like Warren don't shop for themselves. They got staff." The teen turned to Warren with an expectant face. "So, here's what we do. Vo will measure me and we'll send the orders down to your people. Then we just swing by and pick it all up later…maybe at your penthouse? You gotta have a New York penthouse, right? Yeah! I think we got a plan. We can just hang in your penthouse until the clothes arrive. Sweet! Thanks, man!" The grin spanned ear to ear.
Warren blinked. When he thought levity might help, he hadn't envisioned so much. "Incredible." Warren rested his arms on the table and redirected to Ettwanae. "So-o-o, why did you come looking for me, aside from shopping for jeans."
"Hey, it was just an idea!" Flint protested, sitting back, crossing his arms in indignation, and planting a boyish pout across his face.
'Goddess, don't lean closer like that,' she warned Warren silently as she crossed her legs to stop herself from jumping him. She bit her lip and dug her nails into her palms. "I am searching for anyone of our kind and my parents. Then I learned of you, a member of the Emperor's Court! But things kept happening that delayed me."
Flint uncrossed his arms and sat upright in reignited enthusiasm. "We've been busy, man. You wouldn't believe the shit stuff we-"
Gatebi placed her hand on the teen's upper arm. "Flint, allow Ettwanae to tell him."
Flint huffed. "Fine."
"We've made some progress in our search."
She pulled at a chain around her neck revealing an amulet. The mere thought of the jewelry sliding up between her breasts sent a shot of heat to his groin. He nearly groaned. 'Steady, Worthington.' He squeezed his hand into a fist.
"This amulet has ports for three memory nodes. The nodes were placed in my family's repository for me when I was still a child, but when Volu and I got there, it had been looted." The injustice and pain of that loss filled her once again. "Our people's history and that of my family – gone. But we managed to recover one node. It contains the history of my family's life after my mother and father were bound. Right up until I was left on Sat'rey. I won't stop searching for the rest of the nodes – and for my parents." Her voice conveyed conviction.
Something tugged again at Warren's memory. Ettwanae…Sat'rey. "And now you're here. You say you're Eshaaru, but no one's seen an Eshaaru in a very long time from what I've read. Some doubt they ever existed." Warren pointed out as the image came to him that the Fjai scientist shared of a winged man from 20 years ago. 'Well, maybe it hasn't been such a long time.' On Fjai, Warren had felt the man was perhaps another winged Human. Now though…
"I don't know about anyone other than me, but I stayed hidden for years. There are people out there who want to capture Eshaaru for their own purposes. So I've used a cloaking device since I was very young to hide who I am. It works like this." Ettwanae pressed three points in quick succession on her chest with her thumb and first two fingers. With a mirage-like shimmer, she suddenly looked like a female native Sat'reyan.
"An image inducer!" Warren had used the technology when he still had his blue skin and steel wings courtesy of Apocalypse.
Ettwanae nodded, turning off the false image in the same manner. "I believe that other Eshaaru may use the device to hide. The technology even gives false readings to scanners. It's very advanced – even blocks the tactile senses of anyone who should brush against a wing. And the device itself is undetectable, at least so far."
"Remember though what you told us about those scientists on Hydeera – they knew something was wrong with the scan readings," Gatebi piped up. "Their scanners were apparently very sophisticated."
"Hydeera?" Warren asked. Again, memory nudged when the Alcab said Ettwanae's name. Then it hit him. 'Oh my god! The enigma – the missing friend!'
"You're Ettwanae!" It escaped before he could stop it.
Three pairs of eyes locked onto him.
"Well, yeah, man. She kinda knows that." Flint quipped sarcastically.
Warren shook his head. "You know Merryth from Yaunra?"
Ettwanae eyes widened, but then two and two jelled. Merryth worked at Ztar's palace and Warren was Royal Court of Ztar and had lived in the royal residence. "Yes! You, also?"
Warren nodded. "She spoke of you. In fact, she was very worried about you after your adoptive father died. You just disappeared."
"That was Bhenra." Her heart lurched still at the thought of her beloved Baumpa. "I had to leave – he said people were after me. He- he told me to run. Baumpa was right – I barely escaped."
"What people?"
"The Shozen. Our people's old enemy."
Warren wasn't familiar with the name, but it wasn't relevant to him getting home. "Did they kill Bhenra?" He asked gently, seeing the sadness on her face.
"I'm not certain. He was alive when I found him that night, but dying." Her voice caught. She forced down the emotions and fidgeted with her amulet. "A lot doesn't make sense. I may never know what really happened." She shook her head, still perplexed about the events of that horrible time.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Ettwanae. It must have been extremely difficult. Your father dead and people chasing you. Obviously, you're a survivor." He gave her a quick encouraging smile. "It was after that you started searching for your people?"
Her eyes shot up to his. "Our people. You are Eshaaru, too." As she said it, she knew it was a mistake as Warren's face hardened.
'Here we go again!' Warren crossed his arms and locked his eyes with hers. "Ettwanae, I am not Eshaaru. I am Human – a mutant. I resemble you, yes, but that's as far as it goes. A wild coincidence in a universe full of flukes and quirks. I've been scanned by the Shi'ar and the best medical facility in the Turzent Empire. Nothing has yet proven to me I'm anything other than that. My DNA is Human without a doubt."
Ettwanae looked back into the crystalline-blue orbs that held hers. "And my DNA is Sat'reyan without a doubt as far as the scanners are concerned. Your image doesn't have to be disguised; the device can give false genetic scan results alone," she pressed. No sense back peddling now.
Warren jerked. "If I had an embedded inducer, I'd know it."
"I wouldn't have known if Baumpa hadn't shown me," she offered tentatively.
"Yeah, man," Flint jumped in. "Like she already told ya, scanners can't rat it out."
"I can." Volu's voice startled everyone.
###
As soon as he regained consciousness, he summoned the ship to the clearing. Advanced cloaking ability kept the inhabitants of the backward planet oblivious to their presence. The ship's natural cloak wouldn't hide their presence from Imperial scanners this deep into the planet's gravitational well, but that's where Shozen technology took over, preventing Imperial forces from detecting them as the ship had entered the strongest region of Earth's grav field. Together, the two technologies made for complete stealth – with one singular exception.
/ You're tracking the ship? / he questioned using powerful telepathy to drive his thoughts into the receiving mind. Anger seethed, but he'd hold it in check until back inside the ship.
/ Yes. Sensors indicated the ship was preparing for FTL phase, but then stopped suddenly. They are stationary just past the fourth planetary orbital path. / The telepathic voice was filled with anxiety.
He waited for the invisible ship to land on the mountain grasses. A portal dilated open seemingly out of nowhere, revealing the interior of the ship. Entering the small skimmer, he nudged the surface craft into the belly of the spacecraft.
/ Get us to their location immediately. Then you will disable that ship, / he commanded as he powered down the skimmer.
There was no response. / Acknowledge the command, / he demanded as the hatch dilated closed.
/ She is Eshaar'ne. / Extreme distress echoed in his mind.
He stepped out of the smaller craft and headed toward the lift that would take him to the bridge. / I am well aware of that and it is irrelevant. You will disable it by any means necessary. / The ship was becoming argumentative and disobedient. A reminder was needed.
/ But Eshaar'ne never harm one another. Please…I cannot do as you ask. /
/ I do not ask, I command! / His anger flared and he lashed out with his mind. The ship screamed in her agony, the sound reverberating through his mind and in his ears as the ship shuddered underfoot. / How dare you have defied me! I lost the target because of your failure – that cannot go unpunished, / he sentenced in icy malevolence. Then he hit her with another brutal telepathic assault. He drew it out…long, painfully as the ship's screams filled the air.
/ That was but a taste of my wrath. Need I remind you of the price of disobedience? Will you jeopardize the life of your Other for the Eshaar'ne? /
/ No. / The telepathic response more a whimper than a word.
"Then we understand each other, Bae, and you will do as ordered," he said aloud, severing the telepathic link.
"Yes." The barely audible reply was laced with pain – emotional as well as physical.
###
Warren almost didn't want to ask the next logical question. Not that he believe there was any possibility he carried around the cloaking technology, but he worried about the nannites. On the other hand, he felt no threat from the foursome holding him even if they did learn of the biotech that infected him, but he preferred they did not. "To resolve any doubts, I will allow a scan for an inducer, but only for that. Understood?"
"Understood," Volu replied. "A moment please." Everyone was silent. "There is no embedded device." Volu confirmed within seconds.
Warren exhaled, surprised that he'd been holding his breath. "You see? I only look like you. I'm Human."
"There are other methods of masking true DNA," the ship continued. "I can scan-"
"No! No more scans. I forbid it." Enough was enough. He'd go no further down the worn path.
Volu backed off. All evidence suggested he was Eshaaru in spite of his protests to the contrary. Yet to be certain, she needed to perform an intense scan as only an Eshaar'ne can do on an Eshaaru. However, she would obey his command for the moment. "As you wish, Warren."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Gatebi broke it. "Flint and I met Ettwanae on Hydeera. She rescued us from those scientists." The last word was nearly spat out. Memories of her time at the hands of the Etagllot flooded back. She mentally cringed and pushed the recollections aside. "That's where Ettwanae first saw you."
Ettwanae gestured agreement. "Volu learned that Emperor Ztar had a possible Eshaaru – you – on his Royal Court. I was shocked! But we weren't certain you were Eshaaru. There are people who look similar, but are not Eshaaru."
Warren was glad to hear her concede that point. "So that's when you decided to look for me?"
"I couldn't right away. There were…complications."
Flint nearly jumped in his seat. "Hey! Gabby and I didn't ask to be rescued by you and Vo. Don't-" he flinched. 'Damn!' he silently swore rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't be calling us complications."
"Don't call me Gabby," the Alcab hissed.
"Flint, that's not what I meant." Ettwanae attempted to smooth ruffled feathers. "Life took us all in a direction we didn't intend to go, Warren."
"You call playin' a life and death game of interstellar hide 'n seek only a direction we didn't intend to go! Jesus, Twae, talk about downplays!"
"Stop calling me Twae. My name is Ettwanae."
Flint rolled his eyes. "For the love of God! See, Warren, what I hafta put up with? We need more testosterone 'round here. All these femormones are enough to drive a man to drink! Aliens. We got to stick together, us Humans, I'm tellin' ya. You and me, man. I'm beggin' here!" Flint pleaded.
"Why not just return to Earth if it's so difficult?" Warren asked pointedly.
That seemed to throw the teen. "Well, ahh…it's like this, War. You don't mind me callin' ya War, right? It's not some super-sensitive point with you, is it? See ladies, he doesn't get all bent about a nickname. War's cool with it, right man?" Flint shot a plea-filled look Warren's way.
Warren simply stared at the youth with an expectant expression.
Ettwanae dreamily watched her soulbound as he dealt with Flint. Warren was everything she'd hope he'd be – witty, intelligent, self-assured, incredibly good looking. She imagined him over her in bed, wings spread wide, kissing...
"Here's better than there," Flint finally answered.
Warren nodded. "As I thought." He turned to Ettwanae. "You were saying?"
The sound of her name jarred Ettwanae from reverie. "Oh, yes…I was saying…" It took her a moment to remember where she'd left off. "When Volu caught comnet news coverage about the trial on Sat'rey and it showed you going into the justice building, I knew it was time to find you."
"And you followed me to Earth?"
"Yes. I finally reached you!"
Warren felt bad for Ettwanae. He almost wished he could be what she was seeking – a fellow Eshaaru. He couldn't be something he wasn't. And he wasn't buying the soulbound business. 'Likely just pheromones at work. She must be giving off a pretty powerful dose; maybe unconsciously,' he told himself. He'd encountered mutants with that ability, no reason why an alien couldn't also possess the capability. Yet Flint and Gatebi seemed unaffected.
"Sounds like you've been through a lot the past couple years, Ettwanae. I hope you eventually find your parents and your people, but I can't help you with that. You need to take me back to Earth now."
"But we're soulbounds! I know it. The pull we feel – you can't deny that. Please, consider you may be more than you believe."
"More than I believe? What are you implying – that being Human is somehow less?" He was surprised, but then again, not really. Prejudices weren't limited to Humans.
Ettwanae's heart jumped. "That isn't what I meant. I'm sorry. Please, don't be angry."
Warren gave her a cold stare. "Why shouldn't I be? Look at the situation from my perspective. You brought me onto this ship unconscious. I have asked to be returned to Earth, yet I'm still here. How do I know that it wasn't you or your ship that knocked me unconscious? And this soulbound attraction? A mind control trick? Pheromones? Just two possibilities. I don't know you, yet you're asking me to simply believe what you say. From my perspective, this appears to be a kidnapping disguised as a rescue and wrapped in seduction." His anger was growing. He knew he should remain calm, but the possibility of being forcibly taken from Earth again was too much. The blatant overtones of sexual ensnarement hit way too close to home, as well – too similar to the reason Ztar had enslaved him. He would not be so used a second time. 'Never again!' he declared to himself.
Her hopes were fracturing. This was not at all how she'd imagined their meeting would unfold. His eyes were accusing. He was angry. Kidnapping? Mind control? She was confused. He was Eshaaru – all the signs were there. And they were soulbounds! The goddess had blessed them, but he denied it. Why? Everything was unraveling – her hopes, dreams, plans…
"Warren, you don't understand how important this is to Ettwanae," Gatebi spoke up. "If you're Eshaaru, then-"
"No, you don't understand." Warren cut her off sharply and allowed ire to boil over. "I am not Eshaaru, Esserru, Cheyarafim, angel, or anything else. Ever since I got these," he spread his wings slightly, "somebody has wanted me to be other than what I am. I'm tired of it! Tired of people wanting me to fulfill some sexual fantasy or deep-seated psychological need for their mystical or religious icons to be alive and well. I. Am. Human." Warren punctuated each word. "She may well be one of the legendary Eshaaru, but unless you're willing to say all the mutants running around on Earth with wings are Eshaaru as well, don't jump to conclusions about me. I've been scanned, poked, sampled, probed, and tested and no one has found anything in my DNA that isn't Earth origin. Are we clear on that?" He gave each of them a hard look.
Three stunned pairs of eyes stared at him in silence for many seconds. Then Flint raised his hand in whoa gesture.
"Hey, man, chill! Really, you need to take a deep breath or something. Jesus, it's not like being called an Eshaaru is a slam. Twae's just looking for her people!"
Warren took a slow inhale and reined in the anger. He rose in a show of authority. "She has to look somewhere else." Then he turned to that beautiful face once again that appeared to be on the verge of tears. "I'm not what you want me to be, Ettwanae. I'm sorry. I do hope you find your people, but I'm not one of them. I want you to take me back immediately."
Ettwanae stood on wobbly knees. 'To have come so far – so close! I can't lose him!' she begged the goddess. "Please, Warren. It doesn't matter what you call yourself. I don't care. But what we feel between us is real. Please don't leave now. We're meant to be together!" she implored taking two tentative steps around the table, desperation rising.
"Stay back," he warned sternly afraid if she did not, he'd lose himself to uncontrollable desires. As much as he didn't want to, he had to be harsh. "Don't come any closer. Return me to where you found me. Now." He put force into his demand and spread his wings slightly in warning.
Flint and Gatebi looked back and forth between the two wings beings. Ettwanae's anguish was clearly written on her face and Warren's was set hard with determination. The very room seemed to hold its breath.
"I will return you to Earth, Warren." Volu's tone clearly communicated disappointment. "It is better this way, Ettwanae. He is not capable of reciprocating. Best to part now before you are irreparably hurt."
Ettwanae couldn't imagine a greater pain. She'd found a fellow Eshaaru she was certain, despite his objections – her soulbound, no less – only to be rejected. She clenched her fists and her jaw fighting back the tears and sobs. She was successful on one count, but the tears defied her will.
Flint stood sharply, eyes flaring. "You son of a bitch!" the voice nearly trembled in anger. "Just 'cause you're some hotshot X-man and a gazillionnaire, doesn't mean you can shoot her down like that! Twae's been hoping to hook up with you for a long time. Prayin' she'd get the chance. We risked our asses to get here. Do you know what a fuckin' minefield they've got 'round Earth? It's like Fort Knox! But Twae insisted. And a damn good thing she did, too. Saved your ungrateful ass or you'd be headed to the freak labs." Flint shuddered at the memories of the Etagllot. "That's one hellhole you don't wanna be! Show a little gratitude, man."
###
Volu's sensors told her what she'd feared – they approached. Yet the danger wasn't exceptional. She was Eshaar'ne after all. She would not attack. But the alien aboard her was a different story. An extremely powerful telepath and likely telekinetic, he could do a lot of harm. Volu strengthened her shields to maximum.
/ Ettwanae, they are coming. /
/ Close? /
/ Another few seconds. /
/ We need to go to FTL immediately then. /
/ Yes. /
/ He'll hate me for it. /
/ We must leave now for everyone's safety. /
/ She won't attack, though. What can they do to us out here? /
/ Too much risk. /
/ I want to try with him one more time. Delay them, but don't leave the star system. /
/ He is very dangerous. /
/ Just do it, Volu. Please. /
###
Flint's defensive display was touching, Warren had to admit, but it changed nothing. They would take him home immediately or he'd turn things ugly very quickly.
"Warren, please. Come with us for just a little while. Learn about our- my people before you make any final decisions. Give me just a little more time. Please." Ettwanae gave him her best plea-filled look, pushing her need out to him.
The tidal wave of longing nearly drove him to his knees. 'Goddamn pheromones…telepathy, whatever! Keep it together, Worthington. Fight this!' He maintained control, but it was tenuous. "Whatever you're doing, stop! Return me to Earth," he snarled between clenched teeth. "Now!"
On the heels of Warren's bellow, an ear-splitting scream sliced the air. All hands went to ears as the room shuddered around them. Intense nausea and shared pain permeated Ettwanae's mind. She nearly collapsed, throwing a hand out against the wall to catch herself. "VOLU!" Ettwanae cried out, panic gripping her. Nothing. "Volu, answer me! Please!"
/ Poda… / The mental voice was horrifyingly weak.
###
"Very good, Bae," he told the ship as he watched the other Eshaar'ne list in space. "Shields?"
Hesitation. "Still active, but greatly weakened."
"Then hit it again. Do not allow them to escape."
###
/ Volu, what happened? What's wrong? /
/ Attacked. /
Pain blended with shock and confusion in the mind touch. / But I thought… /
/ No explanation. Must flee. /
Every word entering her mind came with effort. Ettwanae's panic grew.
"What the funk?" Flint asked, shaking his head at the ringing in his ears.
"Quiet! Ettwanae's talking to Volu. Let her concentrate." Gatebi scolded.
"She communicates telepathically with the ship?" Warren asked. It was the only explanation. Gatebi nodded confirmation. 'What manner of AI communicates telepathically? A question for later.' Something very bad had obviously occurred and Ettwanae needed to assess the situation without interruption.
/ Are you able? /
/ Must. /
###
He scanned the readings displayed on the console in front of him. The console was not a natural part of his vessel, but rather forced upon the ship by Shozen engineers. It allowed him to monitor the ship's activities and provide independent sensor data. The ship could not deceive him in that way, though they told him Eshaar'ne were incapable of lying as a result of genetic engineering. But the Eshaar'ne was not serving him willingly. With proper motivation, he believed any being was capable of deception and he refused to take chances with a mind he could not probe or control. Upon his insistence, the secondary systems were installed. In an unusual, empathetic reaction, he had felt sympathy for the Eshaar'ne as she screamed in agony when they grafted the equipment to her internally. There was no known anesthesia for her kind.
Scanners clearly indicated the other ship was trying to phase, but struggling. "Stop them!" he bellowed. "Fire again!"
"But it may kill her!" Bae sounded on the verge of hysteria.
"Then you sacrifice your Other to save her." He had her on that one. Given no alternative, Eshaar'ne would die or murder to save their Other. Since his control over Bae included the threat of death of her Other should the Bae choose suicide, a single option remained to the Eshaar'ne. "Fire now!"
"Ple-e-ase! Do not command me to do this. I beg you. Do not force me to choose between my child and my Other!"
The desperate plea did not faze him. "The choice is not yours. It is mine. You will fire on that ship!"
After what seemed like an eternity, the display showed the ship preparing its weapon.
###
/ You can do it, Volu! / Ettwanae encouraged, her heart pounding. If he got to them again… 'Goddess, I beg you, in your wisdom, give Volu the strength!' she prayed.
/ So…much…pain… /
/ Please, Volu! /
###
They were his. He'd capture his target and bonus targets with a single stroke. He smiled as the energy wave ran from stern to stem through his ship's outer skin and erupted – just as the other ship phased.
Out of his mouth next was a collection of expletives that'd make a hard-ass ruushitz miner blush as the energy blast passed through empty space.
###
A/N: Got plenty of readers for Chapter 1, but only one review. Thank you faithful Winchester-grl44! Hopefully over the weekend, more of you will have an opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions. Reviews keep me motivated and the chapters coming. Even a single word of encouragement goes a long way!
Next chapter, how serious is Volu's damage? Is everyone in danger of dying in space within a mortally wounded ship?