Nathan Hystad: The Survivors: Books 1-3

Some of the crew looked around nervously, clearly having family back at the capital city.

“What’s it going to be, Blel?” I asked.

The Empress was still standing between us, and she was clearly ready to do some nasty business to her turncoat military leader.

“Do it. We sacrifice the old to build the new.” Blel’s voice was grim, and I almost panicked when he called my bluff. But the Empress didn’t. Her palm glowed a fierce red, and she moved to attack him, only he pulled a small handheld gun and aimed it at her with unexpected speed.

He fired, but not before being tackled by a female officer next to him. It all happened so fast, I nearly didn’t see it. The Empress dropped to the floor and I rushed to catch her, narrowly avoiding letting her head strike the hard surface. Her daughter, now free of Leonard’s grasp, ran over to her.

Two groups of Bhlat were forming around the now disarmed Blel. He was being held by the woman who’d taken him down. Tension was thick as they yelled back and forth between supporters of their military leader and the Empress.

I knelt by the Empress, who was breathing. A wound in her side smoked where the ray had blasted her.

“Can you translate?” I asked.

She nodded with a grimace.

“The battles can stop. I’ve already made a deal with your Empress.” I waited while she translated into their rough language. A few kept shouting at each other, but most stopped to listen.

She must have asked them to listen, because soon the room was silent; only Blel’s labored breathing whistled across the bridge.

“I have a way for your people to have water and other resources, and I’ve offered it to her on the condition that we’re no longer enemies. That you stop the genocide of other worlds and take what I can offer you.”

The words translated. Many of them looked relieved or intrigued.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to be with your families, instead of fighting and mining planets with resistance?” I had them, I knew it.

Blel started to spout something off in Bhlat, but when they wouldn’t listen, he spoke in English. “Mr. Parker, we are Bhlat. This will never be. We are…” His words were cut short as the sound of a pulse coursed through the bridge. Leonard stood there, pistol raised, hand trembling.

“I’m sorry,” he said shakily. The young man dropped the gun and stood there, mouth open, tears falling down his face. “I’m sorry.”

No one attacked him as they let Blel’s dead body slip to the ground.

One crew member said a phrase in their language and came to help the Empress up. They moved her to the captain’s chair and kept saying it.

“What does it mean?” I asked her.

“Long live the Empress, we bask in her eternal light.” She smiled through sharp teeth, the red galaxies in her eyes twinkling as she looked at me.

Alarms sounded, and I raised my gun in defense, but they had nothing to do with what was happening on board. The wide viewscreen turned on, showing an image of Earth below, and something in the distance. One of the helmsmen ran to a console and zoomed in.

New Spero’s fleet had arrived. They were going to attack this ship.

“W hat trickery is this?” the Empress asked. Medics ran onto the bridge and started to work on her.

“No trickery. We sent them ahead months ago, as backup. Wouldn’t you have done the same?” I asked, knowing she would understand. “You have their leader, Magnus, on board here. Where are the prisoners?”

She said something to the crew member beside her, who I took to be the first officer, judging by the way the rest of the Bhlat responded to her.

“Tres will lead the way. Dean, you must prevent a war today. I can feel hope in my people. A veil has been lifted. I’ll keep them from attacking your ships for as long as I can. Stop them from coming any farther.”

“We will. It’s best if your fleet evacuates the system. Give me a few minutes to leave the ship first.” I reached and took her hand. Cool slender fingers met my sweaty palm, and she gave it a squeeze.

“Until we meet again, Dean Parker.”

I smiled at her, then at her little daughter, before grabbing Leonard.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said, and he followed along wordlessly.

We moved closely, with Tres leading the way. No one came to stop us, but I still kept my gun close at hand.

We raced through the ship, the odd Bhlat looking confused as we moved along following their first officer. She held a lot of power, so none questioned her.

We entered an elevator and lowered into the belly of the vessel. When we got off, the surroundings were much different than they had been on the main levels. It was dingy, cold metal walls and floor, with less than ideal lighting. We were in the barracks.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I was extremely anxious to see my friends, but worried that I would find out Mary really was gone. What was I going to do without her? I’d already gone through losing someone I loved, and this time, it was even more different. Our shared trauma and situation had put us in a pressure cooker, and we’d come out together so strong and bonded.

I needed Mary and couldn’t bring myself to see a future without her beside me. Each step we took down the narrow hall felt heavy, the immense weight of what we’d accomplished pressing me down like an increased gravitational pull.

If we didn’t get off the ship and stop our fleet from attacking, we would be inside the enemy while a battle raged on, and no one was going to win that altercation. But a part of me didn’t care anymore.

“Mary,” I said through almost closed lips.

“Dean, are you okay?” Leonard asked as we walked, speaking for the first time since he’d shot Blel.

“I’m fine.”

Tres turned to the right and touched a keypad; the door slid open, revealing five forms sitting or lying on the cold floor in the near dark.

I scanned and my eyes adjusted, picking out Magnus’ and Slate’s large forms, then Clare and Nick huddled together in the corner. Someone lay facing the wall, and I assumed it had to be Patty.

“Guys, it’s me.” I said the words and couldn’t hold back the floodgates. I wanted to run into the room, but I didn’t trust Tres not to pull a fast one and lock us away with them.

“Dean?” Slate asked, rushing over to me. He enveloped me in a big hug, his unshaven beard brushing against my forehead. He smelled like a man who’d been in a cell for months.

“We need to get out of here. Our fleet arrived, and only minutes after we struck a deal with the Bhlat. We need to stop them from attacking.” I said the words, and a flood of emotions hit me. Tears fell down my face, and I wiped them away as Magnus came up to me and clasped my arm in his meaty hand.

“Brother. You did it.” His eyes were wet too, and I smiled at the big man.

Clare and Nick were next, and they hugged me.

“We don’t have time for this,” I said, pulling the Relocator from the small pack strapped to my chest. “Let’s go, Patty.”

They all stood around the entrance of the room, blocking the inside.

Magnus spoke softly. “Dean, I’m so sorry. Patty didn’t make it.”

I reeled. “Then who…”

A more than familiar woman squeezed through the broad shoulders of Slate and Magnus and wrapped her arms around me, kissing me deeply like there wasn’t a care in the world. I felt Mary’s love and passion all intertwined as our lips met, and when we broke apart, I was crying and barked out a confused laugh.

“I thought you were dead,” I said so softly only she could hear me.

Her cool hand rested on my cheek. “Why did you think that?”