Page 27 of Rescuing Mara (Warriors of Arracate #2)
CHAPTER 27
O’Rec
T he atmosphere is grim as we convene in the Mess Hall. Thankfully, the crates did their work, but all the other debris is scattered over the floor again - D’Var murmurs encouraging words to his mate, who has trouble seeing her once-celebrated Mess Hall in disarray.
We each grab a chair and settle in. Marra joins L’Ren in collecting food, and while L’Ren hands out the dishes, Marra distributes bottles of water. We eat in silence. T’Rak finishes first, and as usual for our captain, he does not waste time. Instead of waiting for us, he starts laying it all out there.
“We have had three storms, which means we have enough data to analyze, and our research shows the storms follow a pattern. The time between them is precisely the same, as is the duration of the storm. Every storm, the ship takes a hit. The first storm damaged our shields, but unfortunately, we cannot see how much. We do know that with every magnetic pulse, our shields take another hit, and they become weaker until they fail completely.”
I inhale with a sharp intake of breath. That does not sound good.
“We need more than 30% of the shields intact to leave the atmosphere,” T’Rak continues, and I hear L’Ren gasp. I quickly check on Marra. She looks deeply in thought, all her focus on our captain.
“We have two challenges. We need to make sure our shields do not endure any more damage and figure out a way to repair them. We also need to find something to replace the fuel we lost with the leak.” He gives us all a pointed look. “Any suggestions? L’Ren, Marra, feel free to add ideas. You might provide us with some insight we have never seen before.”
Marra sits up a little straighter; she looks like she has something she wants to share, but she keeps to herself.
“Did we do an environmental scan?” D’Var asks.
“I will get right on it.” And I up my wrist comp.
“Can we get in touch with others outside this planet’s hemisphere?” Marra asks.
“No,” T’Rak grumbles. “Our communications were severely damaged in the crash. We can work to get them back online, but that will take a while.”
She nods but does not speak any further. D’Var and T’Rak spar some ideas, but nothing feels really helpful.
A beeping sound alerts us that the results from my environmental scan are ready, and I quickly pull them up. I enhance the results, and a map of the planet's surface appears, hovering above my wrist.
“We are here.” I point out a blue dot to explain, mainly for Marra and L’Ren.
“The scan shows results for water, rock formation, and minerals. Our fuel comprises a combination of minerals; the main component is called Thealium, and we are in luck because we see this red dot. There should be plenty at that location.”
T’Rak nods. “It looks like a day's hike. I will go, but I need one of you to come with me.”
I look at D’Var. Neither of us wants to leave our mates unattended. On the other hand, if I trusted anyone with my mate’s life, it would be D’Var.
“I-” I start. At the same time, D’Var blurts out: “I will go.”
“I made you leave your mate once. These are different circumstances, but with your bond still so fragile, I will not do that to you, my friend.” L’Ren looks up at him adoringly and squeezes his hand. “We will not do that to you,” he corrects.
“I will protect her with my life.” I vow.
“Now for the shields,” T’Rak begins. We all keep quiet. I have no fucking idea. The storm does something to our systems that damages them, but I do not know how to prevent it. I do know we will not be able to get the fuel before we lose more of the shields with the way this storm hits.
* * *
We spend the hours that tick down to the next storm cleaning the ship and securing what we can. All the while, we keep our mental link open, throwing ideas around, but nothing sticks.
Just as predicted, the scanners sound the alarm when the magnetic activity starts to increase. We strap down in our chairs, and I pull Marra close. Her nearness helps me stay calm. The storm is not so scary anymore now that we know what to expect, but still, the ship's shaking feels daunting.
We lose power, and I hear Marra softly counting the seconds until the emergency power resets.
“Always the same,” she mumbles. Then she shoots up straight. “Always the same!” she shouts out.
“What is it, my star?” Hope fills my chest, could she have found a solution?
“The pattern is always the same, the storm is always the same, the magnetic flares are always the same,” she says fiery.
“Yes…” I drawl. “We already know that.”
“It’s a magnetic storm. I can hear the crackling of the tension, and when it crashes, it’s like a giant thunderstorm, only it’s magnetic. And when magnetic opposites hit - BOOM.” She claps her hands together loudly. “It’s like lightning striking! We are in the middle of the fucking strike zone. The magnetic poles push and pull at each other, meeting resistance and clash. Boom! They break apart and go in the opposite way, only to meet resistance again. Boom! They clash, and they break apart - and they return where they came from. Ending up at this exact point for another clash. And so on, and so on.”
The bond pulses, and I am in awe. She is so clever, my mate. The brightest female I have ever met. Even T’Rak is impressed by this. I can tell by the way he looks at her.
“So when the waves hit and crash, they strike our ship,” he says.
“Exactly!” Marra says, nodding enthusiastically. “And they hit the ship with a giant magnetic force, a force that destroys the magnetic activity in the ship. Like the shields.”
I blink, then I grab her face and kiss her fiercely. “You are brilliant, my mate!”
She beams at me, and I kiss her again.
D’Var clears his throat. “I know how much fun kissing is, but we should really make a plan.”
I roll my eyes but comply anyway. “We need to shut down the ship during the clash of the storm. That way, the strike hits the ship but not the shields. We will reset after 125 counts and be safe for another couple of hours. I will stay on the ship with the females, make sure the ship is turned off in time while you and T’Rak will go and harvest the Thealium.”
We talk logistics a bit more, and before long, we have a plan everybody is content with executing.
D’Var takes L’Ren to bed, and I also persuade Marra and T’Rak to get some sleep. I will keep watch and rebuild the hiding spot in the cargo bay during my watch. My scans do not show any other lifeforms, and it seems highly unlikely that anything lives in this desert. But you never know.
The watch is uneventful, and I managed to make good progress in the hiding place. I hurry to Command a good ten minutes before the calculated time to turn the ship off. The storm still shakes up the ship, and the strike feels horrendous without our shields, but when I power up, there does not appear to be any more damage, and our shields are holding.
My pretty, clever mate. She is showing so much of herself these last few days. She keeps me focused and positive in this crisis while dealing out comfort to her friend. I smile and send a prayer into the stars. Thanking them for granting me a mate that fits me so well. Every day I spend with her, I grow more confident that I can be the king the Arracate needs. Nothing can stop me as long as I have my mate by my side.