Page 29 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas

Then villains came to surround the crew,

Tonight, thank God it’s them instead of you.

From “Do Blue Salt Miners Know It’s Christmastime At All?”

A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone

“Oh no.” Sadie breathed. “The bad guys found us.”

The invading force was enough to panic the Vipri.

Lord C’don literally pissed himself. Jynn lost his perpetually bored countenance.

In unison, they scampered deeper into the ship, squealing, and shoving each other for better advantage, and desperately searching for hiding spots.

Idiots. He should have killed them when he had the chance. Now he had bigger problems.

Xane crossed the bridge to gaze out at the desert night. Through the forward view-screen, he could see Vice-Corporal Siganthum-Rycen Lonel Lonel and a veritable army of men holding glow-torches. They had completely encircled the Class H-77 Cruiser.

“I will have the woman as my wife!” The Vice-Corporal yelled. “If it means everything else on this planet burns, so be it. There is one female in this whole system, and she belongs to me!”

Xane gave a snarl that would have done his feral ancestors proud.

“Octopus-guy is such a dick.” Sadie said, coming up beside him. She seemed concerned, but not panicked. She didn’t yet understand what was about to happen. “Does this ship have guns? Maybe we can shoot him with one of those glint-rays you were talking about.”

“Only Rtaharion technology has glint-weapons. Lythion ships have defenses, but not against individual targets. Just against other ships.” Xane’s mind raced for a way out of the situation, and he only saw one. “There is an escape pod.”

“Yes!” Sadie’s face brightened in relief. “Let’s use that.”

“You know you’re trapped, Rtaharion!” The Vice-Corporal continued. “I’ve promised a turn with her for every man who helps in her capture, and I’ll give the same to you.”

“Holy crap!” Sadie’s nose wrinkled in shocked distaste. “Did you hear what he just said?”

“I heard. Ignore him.” Xane hustled Sadie to the other side of the control room and began pushing buttons to activate the emergency systems. “Escape pods are meant to launch in space and land on the nearest planet. They detect atmosphere.”

“Uh-huh.” Sadie wasn’t really listening. She was staring out at the mob of men who were looking for a way into the ship. Horror began to bleed into her expression. “My God… There’s so many of them.”

“Pay attention to me. Not them.” Xane spoke slower, trying to get her to focus.

“We are launching the escape pod inside an atmosphere, so it will shoot you up and then gradually descend, likely far out into the desert. But there are supplies on board, yes? Food and water capsules. Take this, as well.” He handed her the emergency bag he’d hastily thrown together. “It will last you many…”

“ Us .” She interrupted, wide eyes cutting around to stare at him. “It will last us .”

His jaw firmed. “I will not fit in the escape pod. It is built for a much smaller being…”

She cut him off again, her voice higher. “I’m not going without you, Xane!”

“You must.” Two of his hands came up to cradle her face. “There is no other way.”

“No!”

“If you don’t give her to us willingly, we’ll take her!” The Vice-Corporal screamed. “You can’t get away!”

Men were beating on the metal hull of the ship, now. Trying to break in. Loud clangs and furious grunts echoed, as they used brute force to try to rip apart the craft. They were in a frenzy to reach her.

Sadie looked frantic, as she listened to the noise and to Xane’s words. He wished he could comfort her further, but he didn’t have time. He had to keep her safe.

“You will be alright. I swear it.” He reluctantly released her, so he could get the escape pod ready.

It would take most of the ship’s power to charge it so quickly. It would allow the men outside to get past the exterior doors faster and kill him, once she was gone. It didn’t matter. He cranked up the power supply to the pod as high as it would go.

“Once you land in the desert, you will begin walking towards the next settlement.” He instructed.

“There must be one. This planet is too large to have just a single town. Follow the sun away from here, until you find people.” He paused.

“When you reach the settlement, you must swiftly choose a new husband.”

She gasped like he’d shot her.

“You will not survive alone.” His tone was anguished. Even he heard it. “The Vice-Corporal will be searching for you, and he is dangerous . Pick the largest male possible, so he can protect you. It will not be hard to find a husband. Any man would gladly be yours.”

“ You are my husband.”

“And I want my wife to live!”

She shook her head, magical brown curls swinging.

“Please, Sadie.” He swallowed. “You must let me go. I will be dead, before the escape pod even lands.”

Sadie froze, like her optimistic brain couldn’t quite process what was happening. “No.” She said again.

“ Yes . The Vice-Corporal and his men will get in here, very soon.” Already the ship’s defenses were waning, under the draining charge of the escape pod and the assault from outside. “I will hold them off, as long as I can. But I am too outnumbered. This is where I die.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, as if to hold herself together. “There’s another way. There must be.”

He moved to kiss her forehead, unable to stop himself from touching her. “I am with you. Even after I am gone, that will not change. I will always be with you.”

She stared up at him, her expression suddenly very calm.

He smiled, memorizing her face. “The heart boom your mother spoke of, when she met your father? I experience this phenomenon every time you look at me.”

She blinked.

“I want you to go now.” He urged, caressing her hair. “You must survive. You make the whole universe brighter, just by being in it.”

“I’m sorry.” She said softly.

“There is nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. I have come to believe in your talk of Christmas, because great magic is the only explanation for you appearing in my life. When I met you, the gods favored me beyond measure. I am blessed to have you. Truly blessed.”

“No, I’m sorry that I’m about to piss you off and ruin all the nice stuff you just said to me. Because I’m not going anyplace, Xane. I know you want me to, but I can’t.”

“You can . It will be hard, but you can do it. You can do anything, Sadie.”

“No.” She insisted, and he could read her resolve. “Absolutely not.”

He frowned. She was serious. She did not intend to leave. For the first time outside of a battlefield, he felt a cold rush of fear. “You must go. There is no other option.”

“I guess we’d better think of one, then.” Her eyes were grave. “We’ll keep moving forward together …Or not at all.”

He pointed towards the escape pod, which was nearly charged. “You will get into that phlarging pod, if I have to stuff you through the phlarging door!”

“You can’t make me do something I don’t want to do.”

“I can and will do whatever it takes to ensure your survival!”

A flash lit up the night.

The brilliant white glow of it burned Xane’s eyes even through the view-screen.

“A Christmas star.” Sadie breathed.

Xane knew better. He instinctively turned away, his mind going to battles he’d witnessed in the war. His lower arms moved to shield Sadie’s face, just in case weapons had been launched against them. Although he had never heard of a weapon that glowed white, except…

Xane’s jaw dropped, his head whipping around to look out the view-screen.

Outside, the attackers were falling over, hitting the sand. Oh Gods… He looked back at Sadie, who was already wilting in his arms. He quickly snatched her up, checking her over with his free hands. She was asleep.

The blinding white flare had sent everyone except him into unconsciousness.

Everyone who wasn’t a Rtaharion. Someone had just detonated a glint-weapon on Corono, breaking countless interplanetary laws.

There was literally only one person in the universe who would do something so recklessly aggressive.

Hathgarr.

Xane made an incredulous sound of thanks and raced for the ship’s door, carrying Sadie with him. He made it outside, just as a Rtaharion ship landed a hundred meters away. There was no mistaking the royal crest on the side.

His brother had come to save him.

Xane grinned and gave Sadie a little bounce in his arms. “We move forward together, wife. Just as you wanted.”

Unconscious bodies littered the desert floor, as he headed for the ship.

Xane scanned them, knowing the glint-weapon had knocked them out for at least twenty minutes.

Vice-Corporal Siganthum-Rycen Lonel Lonel was sprawled out near one of the side hatches.

His men had nearly pulled it open. He’d been heartbeats from having his tentacles on Sadie.

As a Rtaharion, Xane understood the rules of honorable war. He knew he should leave the prone man where he lay.

As a husband, he wanted the fucker dead. And being Sadie’s husband took precedence over everything else.

Leaning down, he grabbed the Vice-Corporal’s laser-gun with one of his hands. Sadie held securely in the others, he took aim at the asshole who’d scared his wife. Without a flicker of remorse, he shot the Vice-Corporal right in his gelatinous head.

Killing an unconscious man was no doubt wrong, but not as wrong as trying to kidnap and rape Sadie.

The Vice-Corporal would keep coming after her.

Any male would, if he had enough means and enough darkness in him.

The Vice-Corporal was rich and amoral. It was a bad combination.

Xane was not about to allow the bastard another chance at her.

No matter what else happened today, the Vice-Corporal would never be a threat to Sadie, again.

“Xane!”

Hathgarr.