Page 18 of Dark Survivor (The Qaldreth Warriors #2)

Juunn paused in front of the climbing wall, a specific feature Zuphayr aac Gusin Taed had built for Nenn.

From a meter off the floor to the ceiling, pieces of metal forming hand or footholds were scattered at reachable distances.

Every now and then, he shifted them, changing the difficulty.

The thoughtfulness swelled Nenn’s heart.

That Gusin had done so without asking was more precious.

“I must admit,” Juunn muttered, “to reach the top gives me a sense of accomplishment.” He glanced at Nenn. “I have not been doing it as long as you have, but I have noted how it requires strength, agility, balance, and focus.”

Nenn grinned. “Next time we land somewhere, I could use backup.”

Juunn snorted. “After the last incident, that would be wise.”

“I thought you were going to fly into space all by yourself.” Caah chuckled from the wet pod, his head poking out the top. From the Awayar tribe, his skin was used to moisture. In space with the climate control, he suffered the most.

“I thought so, too.” Nenn laughed. “If anyone asks, I was testing the range of the power boots.”

“Indeed.” Juunn nudged his chin at the wall. “Gusin’s changed it, has he not?”

Nenn studied the placement of the notches and bounced on his feet. “Yes,” he said, eagerness tearing through him.

“Well, go for it,” Caah called.

“But…” Nenn gestured to the mounted weapons on a side wall.

“We can spar after we have mastered the new course.” Juunn toed the first foothold, his booted foot struggling to find grip.

Nenn unclipped his boots and set them aside.

Barefoot, he nudged Juunn back and lodged his toes in place, putting his weight on the biggest of the four.

He hesitated, learning where to crimp and when to do dynamic moves.

Everything fell away; only the next hold mattered.

When his head bumped into the ceiling, he snapped out of it and glanced at Juunn halfway up.

Nenn released his breath, his chest swelling with pride. “You are doing well,” he said, reversing his footholds. On the descent, he met Juunn, who’d scrunched his face in concentration.

When he passed, Juunn tossed out a smile. “Do not leave. I might need healing.”

“Fair enough,” Nenn said and dropped.

“This is foolishness,” Ulvus muttered when Nenn stepped back from the wall, his gaze on Juunn.

“Is it?” He frowned, glancing at the belligerent male. “Have you tried it?”

Ulvus jerked back, his lips twisted in derision. “Of course not.”

“Then you cannot comment,” Nenn said with a dismissive flick of his wrist. “A male with no experience brings no value to the table.” He angled his head and met Ulvus’s yellow gaze. “Did your tribe not teach you this?” He tutted and settled his focus on Juunn almost near the top.

Ulvus blustered.

Nenn didn’t glance at him. “Until you have experience in anything, I will ignore everything you have to say.”

Rather than deal with Ulvus, he strode across the floor to lean against Caah’s pod. Its smooth surface was cool to the touch.

“Tell me, Caah, is the water cold?” The mere thought of an unheated bath made Nenn shiver.

Caah chuckled. “Not as cold as I would prefer.”

Water sloshed inside, then the pod’s lid split in the middle.

Caah dragged himself out to stand there, dripping wet and naked.

Nenn paid him no attention when Juunn climbed down the wall.

The blade of a sword slapped Nenn on the arm.

Caah inched backward, a towel in hand. Nenn faced the male who wielded the sword.

“As a sava, I have extensive experience in weaponry.” Ulvus offered Nenn the hilt. “I challenge you, maed.”

Nenn laughed. “I do not have the fighting skills of a sava. I heal warriors. That is my calling and the vow I swore to the Ivoyan Council.” He smacked Ulvus’s hand aside. “But a sparring I can do.”

Ulvus grinned, a twinkle sparking to life in his amber eyes. “Accepted.”

While he mounted the sword to the wall, Caah sidled closer to Nenn. “Are you certain?” he whispered, the towel looped around his neck.

“No, but this seemed safer than Ulvus anywhere near me with a sharp stick.” Nenn waited in the center of the activities room, the padded mat beneath his bare feet. “Boots on or off?” he asked Ulvus, swaggering toward him.

The male shrugged, a smile still in place when he rolled his shoulders. “Your choice.”

Juunn tossed Nenn’s boots toward him. “Save your toes for climbing,” he said.

Nenn smirked. “Logical.” He stamped on his boots then clipped them in place. “What are the rules? I would not suggest to the death. Arraks can perform a sava’s duty, but none on this ship can heal.”

“Very well,” Ulvus said and lowered into a crouch, his fingers touching the floor. “Ready?”

Nenn huffed, uncaring that Ulvus seemed ready to kill him. As a maed, they were taught far more than healing. Priority one was to be able to subdue a bigger male. No maed should heal if his life was in danger.

Ulvus took his silence as confirmation and charged.

Nenn raised his arms above his head and waited for the brute to grab and lift him off the floor. Despite his arms squeezing the air out of Nenn’s lungs, he smiled at the male then slammed the heel of his palm between Ulvus’s upper lip and nostrils.

He cried out.

In an instant, Nenn was released. Ulvus’s eyelashes fluttered and his forehead tilted to the ceiling. He staggered back before slumping.

“What the hell just happened?” Caah asked, kneeling beside the sprawled sava whose soft snores declared him well.

“That was brilliant.” Juunn laughed, an arm around his torso. “I will be sure to show this to Vaen and Drafe.”

Nenn shrugged and pulled the med-dev from his pants pocket. He nudged Caah aside to run the device over Ulvus. Blood dribbled from his nose and pooled on the floor. A muted crunch meant a broken nose being repaired.

“You may have won that round, but Ulvus is a mean male.” Caah pointed to the mess. “I shall meet you there for a celebratory drink.” His bare backside jiggled when he strode off.

Igar’s voice filled the room. “Nenn to the command center.”

Nenn leaped to his feet and hurried toward the bridge, veering to the left to where Drafe and Aehort chatted. He waited to be acknowledged.

Aehort nodded at him. “Take a sample of Drafe Arrak’s blood. Test it extensively.”

Nenn schooled his expressions for the instruction was odd. Drafe was in excellent health with no apparent injury. “Yes, Vizen Aehort Uz.”

Drafe angled his head, granting Nenn access to flip his med-dev, the tail end an injection gun.

Into the tiny glass capsule trickled clear blood.

He stared at it as he exited, unable to fathom what could be wrong with it.

The maed bay was between the mess and the activities room.

He slotted the med-dev into the analysis machine and started the process.

Moments later, he blinked at the results.

Robotic creatures had fused with the symbiotes in Drafe’s blood.

What they did, Nenn couldn’t say, not without the required equipment.

He introduced a biologic, in too small an amount to kill.

The symbiotes formed armor, while the robotic creatures attacked the ‘intruder.’ He gaped and tried again, a larger dose this time.

Again, the shield-and-destroy response rolled out before his eyes.

He forwarded his findings to Aehort Uz and wondered if he had the right to ask Drafe how he’d gotten the ‘parasites.’ Now, he had two things that intrigued him: this and face latching. With a shake of his head, he strode to the mess, intent on enjoying a container of wine.