Found: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Warriors of Karal Book 2) (13 page)

“Of course.” But before she returned to her seat, she kissed him lightly on the lips and said, “I love you, Rikka. And our son will be lucky to have a father as strong and patient as you.”

“Let’s go,” he said, and smiled at her, with a longing in his eyes that broke her heart.

They approached slowly. The communication channels were open, but he didn’t hail the ship. Drawing alongside, they waited for the computer to scan the ship just like before.

“Ten life forms. Five very weak,” the computer said.

“They are dying, Rikka,” she said, worried that they could have saved them if they had helped them earlier.

“Do not blame yourself, Gaia. We made our decision,” Rikka said.

“So what do we do?” she asked.

“See if they can talk,” he said, picking up a handset and talking into it. “We are here to assist.”

He repeated the phrase over and over, watching the computer screen for signs that there was any movement. Slowly, one of the aliens began to drag itself towards the front of the ship. Rikka repeated his words, and then they waited.

“We are in urgent need of assistance,” the computer said.

“Is that what they sound like?” Gaia asked.

Rikka shook his head. “No. The computer translates the words. Now we have to decide what to do.”

“We help them in whatever way we can.”

“What assistance can we be?” Rikka asked the alien vessel.

“We need air. The ship’s life support is almost depleted,” the answer came back.

“Can we board you?” Rikka asked.

“No power to docking bay.”

“So what do we do?” Gaia asked helplessly.

“We have two choices. Either leave them to die, or tow them back to the planet.”

“Through the wormhole?” she asked.

He thought it through, and then turned to the computer and fed in some data.

“Risk to Karalian cruiser ten percent termination,” the computer said.

“What does that mean?” Gaia asked.

“There is a ten percent chance we will all die,” he said, looking at her beautiful face and not wanting to take even that small chance of killing her and their child. But her face was resolute. “I’ll begin the preparations.”

“We can take you to a planet. If we can successfully enter the atmosphere, we can break you out,” Rikka relayed to the vessel.

“Too dangerous,” the computer voice said.

“You will die anyway,” Rikka said.

“Why risk yourselves for us?” the voice answered.

“Damn it. What about the other ship?” he said to Gaia, remembering the aliens who were chasing them.

“Ask them,” Gaia said.

“Who attacked you?” Rikka asked.

“Slavers.”

“There was a ship, through the wormhole. It followed us. It was black with silver markings on the side.”

“Black. Silver marks. Are you positive?”

“Yes. Our ship identified it from data collected from your computers.” That might not go down too well; they might not be pleased that the Karal had taken their information without asking.

“It is a search ship. Of the Wambano.”

“What is the Wambano?”

“We are Wambano.”

Rikka smiled across to Gaia, seeing her relief. “Can they help you? If we take you to them, can they help you?” he asked the vessel.

“Yes,” the voice answered.

“Then that is what we will do.” Rikka placed the radio back in its cradle, and began to quickly input course and speed. The computer beeped on occasion, not liking what he was planning, but eventually he and the computer seemed happy and they began their first manoeuvre.

Impact
.

“Can’t you switch that thing off?” she asked after the computer said the word for the thousandth time.

“No. It helps,” he said.

“If you say so,” she said.

“Go and make some tole. It will do us both good,” he said, and watched her walk off the control deck, trying not to make the ship bounce too much on contact with the alien ship, which they were nudging towards the wormhole.

With her gone, he went through the manoeuvres once more in his head. He knew it was risky, and he was going against all that his father had taught him, all that the Karal expected of him. He had fulfilled his mission; he should be returning to Karal with the information and soil samples. Instead, he was risking himself and the ship for a species they had no need for and who would likely have no technology they could use.

He was going explicitly against the Hier Council’s orders.

“Here,” she said, handing him a cup of tole.

“Thank you,” he said accepting it and sipping the hot liquid. He immediately felt his brain buzz as the caffeine hit.

“You look exhausted,” she said, sitting next to him and looking at him with concern.

He laughed wearily. “I have never been on a mission where another member of my crew was so concerned with my health. We are bred to be hard; I have the strength and stamina to endure this.”

“I hope so. How much longer?” she asked.

He looked at his screen. “Soon we will be in range. And then it becomes more tricky. I have to open the wormhole, then push the other ship in and push it along.”

“Is there a chance we could lose them?” she asked.

“Yes. Although I have asked for them to try to steer their ship,” Rikka said.

“At least they are still alive, and still conscious.” It made what they were doing worthwhile. If there was any chance of the Wambano being saved, they had to try.

“Yes. But I don’t think they will last until we get to the planet,” Rikka told her.

“We need the other ship to come to us,” she said.

“Yes,” he paused. “It is completely against everything the Karal are trained for. But once we reach the other side, I plan to send out a distress call. I will use their original message, not our translation and see if they pick it up.”

“And hope that no one else does,” she finished.

“Yes.”

“I think it’s the right thing to do. If we can get any information from these aliens about who did this to them, then surely it isn’t against your training. They may hold the key to us making Lilith a new colony.”

“That is what I will argue, if I receive a court-martial for my actions.”

“Will it come to that, Rikka?” she asked sadly.

“Not if this plan works and we return with what we need.” He pushed the alien craft one more time and then moved out to the side of it to deploy the beacons. In front of them, the wormhole opened and he pushed the Wambano ship towards it.

Taking hold of the radio mouthpiece he said, “Are you ready to steer?”

“Yes,” came back the reply, but even through the computer translator the word was breathy and weak.

“We have to go now or they will be dead before we get to the other side of the wormhole.”

With one final nudge, they sent the Wambano ship through the wormhole and then followed. Rikka only hoped they would all get out of this alive.

Darkness like death consumed both ships, and they flew slowly though the wormhole towards the only hope the Wambano had. She tried to shield herself, tried not to think of how bad it must be having no air to breathe. Earth might be polluted, but the air still provided enough oxygen for life.

“There,” she said, looking past the ship in front of her to where a small amount of light was beginning to fill their horizon. “We are so close.”

Rikka gripped the control stick harder, his concentration making sweat bead on his forehead. Then they were through; he nudged the Wambano ship harder and sent them flying forward while he waited for the beacons to return to the ship. As soon as they were docked, he switched on the distress call.

“Do we wait?” she asked.

“No. I think we head back towards Lilith. If there is no further contact with the black ship, we might at least try to land there.”

“But they will crash to the ground with no power.”

“Then we try to come up with a plan,” he said. “The Karal never give up.”

But as he said those words, a beep sounded. The other ship was heading towards them. Gaia felt sick; there was still a chance that they would be shot to pieces. What if the Wambano thought Rikka was trying to steal the Wambano ship or that they were the slavers?

“Your friends are on their way,” Rikka said to the stricken ship.

“Thank you. Let them be soon,” the computer said faintly.

Rikka and Gaia watched helplessly as the minutes ticked by and the other Wambano ship steadily grew closer. Eventually, Rikka grew impatient and broadcast a message, which he had the computer translate.

“Wambano ship. This is the Karal. We have assisted your ship. Your people are dying. Make haste,” he said.

“What if they think it’s a trap?” she asked.

“Then their people will die,” he said resolutely. “We have done all we can.”

The ship didn’t hesitate. Their speed to intercept increased and within minutes, they were pulling alongside their stricken friends. Unable to see or hear what was happening, Rikka and Gaia could only wait as the precious minutes ticked by. And then a voice sounded over the radio.

“Karal vessel. Thank you for your assistance,” the computer relayed.

“Are your people alive?” Rikka asked.

“Yes. Just,” the computer confirmed.

Gaia began to cry, silent tears of thanks running down her cheeks. “I can’t believe we did it.”

“Wambano vessel. Request details of ship which attacked your vessel,” Rikka said.

There was a long pause, and Gaia wondered if they were not going to speak again. Maybe they were secretive too and wanted to keep the information to themselves. And then the computer spoke.

“Open channel. Sending data,” the computer said.

Rikka opened the computer’s receiver and watched the screen as reams of data were transmitted. Gaia had no idea what it all meant, but the surprise on Rikka’s face was worrying.

“What?” she asked. “Are they so bad?”

“This confirms aliens who attacked the Wambano are slavers. We have the schematics of their ships,” Rikka said.

“So we can return to Karal and hand this information over. Will it make the Hier Council happy?”
And spare you a court-martial.

“More than that. They have provided schematics for a defence grid which would protect Karal.”

“And Earth,” she reminded him.

“And Earth. And Lilith,” he said grinning at her. “Maybe we will call Lilith home one day.”

“Would we? Would you? I want to go and live there, Rikka, make a fresh start for us and our child. Together as equals.”

“One day, perhaps. But let’s get home first, Gaia. It’s a long way.”

“But this was a successful mission, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes, it was,” he replied.

The Wambano vessel departed. They watched it go, leaving the stricken vessel floating in space.

“We never even saw them,” she said as Rikka bumped the Wambano ship out of the way of the wormhole.

“No. We didn’t.” He pushed the ship again. “There, it should keep drifting away from the wormhole.”

“So now we have the long journey home,” she said, not looking forward to the next couple of weeks on the cruiser.

“Yes. But first, I thought we would pay Lilith one more visit,” Rikka said, covering his ears when she squealed in excitement. “I thought you would like that idea.”

Gaia looked down on the green planet as they entered the atmosphere, heading for the place where they had originally landed. Her heart was filled with love and acceptance. This would be her new home; she was sure. But if it wasn’t, she could live with that. As long as she could live with Rikka. He was her world, their son would complete it, and as the cruiser touched down, she finally let go of the ghosts of her past.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes. A hundred times yes,” she said, following him to the back of the cruiser.

She stood patiently as the ramp was lowered. Then Rikka took her hand and they walked down the ramp, the warm breeze drifting over the grasslands bringing the scent of flowers. It was more beautiful this time, because she no longer felt the immediate danger of before. The Wambano had told them the attack on their ship occurred in another sector, and they had only got away because they made it through a pulsing wormhole.

They had been adrift for days, and the slavers, which the Wambano called the
Hrokili
, meaning
living death
in their tongue, had not managed to follow. Although when she looked at Rikka, she knew he was still alert to danger.

“Come,” he said. “We can carry on with collecting samples later; for now, let’s explore the area. See if there are any animals here. I have set the computer to scan. The radio will alert us to danger.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gaia said, and they walked hand in hand across the grassland, heading for a small hill where they hoped to be able to have a better view of where they were.

Although not too steep, the climb up the hill left her breathless. “Too much time on the cruiser,” he explained. “Once we are back on Karal we can get ourselves fit again.”

“What do you do to get fit on Karal?” she asked as they neared the top of the hill.

“Walking, running. We exercise by working the land. Some summers the warriors are drafted in to help collect the harvests with the farmers. Whatever is needed.” He pulled her up the last part of the hill and they stood side by side surveying the land below.

“Wow,” she said. There were overlooking the big lake they had seen from the cruiser. It was much bigger than she thought. “Can we go down and look at it?”

“Yes. But that is as far as we go. The radio will be out of range if we go any further,” he said, looking around one last time before following her down the other side of the hill.

“I’m not looking forward to climbing back up there,” she said, “But I can’t wait to see if the water is clean, and if there is any life in it.”

“We can look, Gaia, but don’t touch it or drink it. Just a precaution,” he warned.

“I understand,” she said and then she tugged him forward, taking off at a run down the last part of the hill, laughing as she went.