Page 25 of Rescuing Mara (Warriors of Arracate #2)
CHAPTER 25
O’Rec
I link my mind with T’Rak. “How are you doing, my friend? Any luck with the scans?”
“Nothing threatening yet,” he responds. “We are definitely on a hostile planet, but the shields appear to be holding, so we have time to figure out what has happened to the ship and how to repair it.”
“T’Rak says he keeps scanning. The planet’s surface is not safe, but our shields are holding for now. We should join him.” I report to our little group.
We return to Command in silence. T’Rak heaves a heavy sigh and spins his chair as we enter through the still-functioning sliding doors.
“Is everybody good? Were the essentials still safe?”
I confirm with a nod, and his shoulders sag the tiniest fraction. I am glad I was able to relieve one worry, but when I look at what is outside our ship, I know there are plenty more waiting for him.
Marra walks up to the window in silence. Hesitantly, she places her hand on the glass, looking hypnotized by our surroundings. I make my way over and cradle her body with mine, putting my hand over hers.
“What kind of freaky planet did we crash ourselves onto?” she whispers. I join her line of sight as I think about how best to answer.
“Have you ever been to a desert?” When she nods, I continue. “We are on a desert planet, and this particular planet has the strongest magnetic pulse I have ever encountered. A particular nasty outburst sucked us in and…”
Suddenly, the ship starts shaking again, interrupting what I wanted to say. I quickly step back from the window, taking Marra with me.
“Be careful!” I shout out, not knowing exactly for whom I utter the warning. The winds pick up outside, and sand is flying everywhere, crashing into the glass. A sandstorm, a freaking sandstorm.
“Hold on to something,” T’Rak tells us through our mind link. “The scanners are sensing major magnetic activity, and it is coming at us from both sides and heading right for this fucking rock formation.”
I do not hesitate but throw us on the ground, covering Marra’s body with mine, the only way I know with a hundred percent certainty to keep her safe.
The storm howls outside, and the ship starts rattling. I hear T’Rak cursing through our link. It’s something about magnetic waves before I hear loud clashing sounds outside. The entire ship freezes, and everything turns dark.
I breathe deeply, reaching for my warrior calm past the scent of sweet, fresh flowers. It takes me a minute, but when I find it, I register all the small changes in the ship. The storm appears to be past its peak - the howling slowly dulls. There seems to have been some sort of malfunction in the ship, but I can hear the system’s reboot starting. I slowly lift myself up when the emergency lights come back online, pulling Marra up with me. She has not uttered a single word since the storm got really bad.
D’Var is holding on to L’Ren with two arms and a tail, and I notice that my own tail is still firmly slung around Marra’s leg. I guess my entire being is feeling a little overprotective.
I guide Marra toward my chair and pull her into my lap while I start processing scans. We are a practiced crew, so when a crisis hits, we automatically fall back into our designated roles. After I finish processing the security data, I give the ready sign, waiting for my crewmates to complete their tasks.
Completing the scans and processing the data takes about twenty minutes. The storm damaged our shields, and flying debris caused a leak in our fuel tank. T’Rak and D’Var will go outside to fix the leak, and I will take the females to the cargo bay and the mess hall to see what we can salvage.
L’Ren watches silently as D’Var equips himself with protective gear. It is obvious she is not so happy with him going outside, but she understands there is no other choice. We step away from the landing dock when it is time for them to seal the exit, and when she turns around, we see the tears burning in her eyes. My mate is next to her in a heartbeat, putting a comforting arm around her, easing her hurt. They talk as we walk, and when L’Ren stops to hug Marra tightly, I feel proud. Proud of the woman my mate shares with me and my crew. Would she also be this kind to my people? Would she give guidance and comfort when needed? The thought makes the bond in my chest pulse with overwhelming pride. Could she truly be the Queen to stand by me as I finally give my people the King that they have been asking for all these years?
I stop in my tracks as we enter the cargo bay. The females gasp, and L’Ren hangs her head. The place is an even bigger mess than when the Sternotheri came and kidnapped her. There is not a single thing unscathed in this room. Soil and plants are lying everywhere, surrounded by broken pottery and broken crates from the hiding place. Even our weapons are thrown around in disarray. For a moment L’Ren looks like giving up, then she looks at Marra.
“Girl power,” she says firmly.
Marra smiles. “Girl power.”
* * *
The clean-up of the cargo bay takes longer than I could ever have expected. We work together side by side, letting L’Ren take the lead. Marra excuses herself from her tasks when things are looking up and approaches me.
“I need a word,” she whispers, then gives a pointed look at L’Ren, who is busy finding new pots for her plants.
“Okay.” I say softly. “Speak.”
“Well, Lauren is brokenhearted by all the damage the crash caused. We haven’t been into the mess hall yet, but I fear it’s just as bad if it’s not more. So, I thought, maybe you could stay here and help her while I check out the Mess Hall and work my way through the worst of it.”
My clever mate, I beam at her. “Have I told you that I adore your heart and how you care for others?” She smiles, and amidst all the rubble of our life right now, I kiss her like she is my next breath.
When I let go, she blushes, but gives me a quick kiss on my lips before she hurries out of the room.
I work next to L’Ren in silence. Our typical easy banter and jokes are put aside for a better day. When she starts stretching her back, she notices Marra is missing.
“Where’s Mara? I must have been completely in the zone to have missed her leaving.”
“She went ahead and started in the mess hall.” L’Ren gives a tight smile and nods.
“Yeah, that one’s probably a huge mess as well.”
She looks so lost. I do not hesitate, striding toward her and pulling her into my arms for a quick hug.
“You have got this, L’Ren. We have got this. If we work together, we will find a solution, get off this fucking planet, and then join Kepti at the ring for a feast.”
I hear her giggle, and when she looks up, I see tears in her eyes.
“We’ve got this,” she says bravely, and I nod. After a moment, we both smile. T’Rak and D’Var are back.
“I’ll meet them at the landing dock,” she says before she darts off.
Smiling, I call out to her: “I will see you in the mess hall, then!”
I straighten the last crates that form the hiding place where we used to hide contraband from curious eyes. It got upgraded to a human hiding spot when L’Ren came aboard, and I make a mental note that this is the first thing that will need fixing. You never know what is out there…
Marra looks up when I enter the Mess Hall, and her smile as she sees me makes the bond pulse.
“Hi! How did it go?”
“I think we have managed to clear all the debris, and now we need to make a list of what to fix first. But it looks like the Mess Hall should also be on this list.”
Marra straightens and looks around, a cute little frown between her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s still quite a mess, though it was even worse. We are lucky the table is sturdy, and the chairs aren’t broken. All the stuff that was in the cabinets is lost, though.”
“How about the food?”
With a deep sigh, Marra steps aside to reveal the kitchen counter. “See for yourself…”
There is a big pile of food on the kitchen counter. Noodles are on one side, and roots and leaves are on the other. Most of it is damaged, and I curse.
Marra walks over to me, gently touching my arm. “We can save most of it, and we won’t starve just yet…”
She has barely spoken the words, or T’Rak raises the alarm through our mental link.
“Fuck. There is another storm; we should strap in at Command.”
I take her hand and rush us to the Command Center - to safety.