Nathan Hystad - The Survivors - Books 1-3

He looked me in the eyes, his pale thin lips pursing as he did so. His black eyes buried deep into mine, and eventually he sat back, grabbing his cup. “I believe you. I have a way for you to stop the Bhlat.”

Just like that, I found myself wishing I was back home in another time.

O ur ship lowered in the spot where the silver ship had been sitting over an hour ago. The ramp dropped to the ground, Nick and Clare walking down to greet us. Nick’s eyes went wide as he saw the alien beings around. The insectoids and the Deltra were quite the sight for someone who’d never seen them in person. Hell, I was still trying hard to not stare at them.

“I’m so glad you guys are okay,” Clare said, looking toward the two hybrids we’d followed there.

“We have a lot to tell you about, but for now, let’s get out of here,” I said. Slate held his gun tightly in his large hands, and I knew he was still feeling like we could be attacked. The man hadn’t relaxed since we’d landed on the planet. I didn’t blame him.

“Come on, Slate,” Mary said, and the big man walked aboard the ship.

“Kareem, we appreciate your help and advice. We’ll do our best to keep your location secret,” I said, and the tall Deltran man nodded to me in thanks. “Leslie and Terrance, I’ll talk to Dalhousie and make her see the value in letting you all leave Earth. I promise this.” I only hoped I’d be alive to keep the promise.

“I can see why people follow you, Dean. I’m glad we were able to find out we were on the same side of the fence,” Terrance said, extending his hand. I shook it, but the nagging thought that I couldn’t trust a hybrid took over my mind. It wouldn’t matter, though. They could leave Earth, and that was enough for me. Everyone deserved a chance to be happy and free.

“Remember what I said, Mr. Parker. And never turn your back on a Bhlat. They won’t lie to get on your side. They’ll just shoot you from behind.” Kareem turned, his cloak flowing behind him.

We walked up the ramp, the ominous words of the Deltra leader sinking in. The system’s star was rising over the horizon as we rose up, shining into our viewscreen on the bridge.

With our small crew, Mae’s absence was obvious; her betrayal still coursed through her blood inside me. Her ship’s blinking icon flashed on the map, and as Clare keyed in the coordinates Kareem had given me, we saw her trajectory matched ours.

“Is it a coincidence she’s heading the same direction as we are?” Nick asked.

“She knows,” Slate said, his face a square block of intensity. “She knows where we’re going somehow.”

“Shit!” I cursed. Of course. She’d heard the whole conversation. “Everyone, change your frequency.” I keyed in a new one and showed the rest of them. “She heard us talking with Kareem. How could I be so stupid?”

“None of us thought of it. We didn’t have our earpieces on the frequency with each other, just the ship. She was smart enough to know that,” Mary said as we zoomed through the atmosphere and toward the intense star in-system. The viewscreen dimmed as it grew, ever so slightly each minute.

“She’s got a head start on us. A couple of hours. Let’s just hope we’re not too late when we get there. She hasn’t hit the FTL drive yet. Leslie said it wasn’t charging when they landed, since they hadn’t been planning on leaving quickly. That gives us the advantage. Maybe,” I said.

Clare confirmed this. “We can hit the drive in a few minutes. It should be enough to get us there first.”

I looked at the estimated time of arrival to our new destination, a derelict Deltra station from fifty Earth years ago, and it said one hundred and sixty hours. Almost a week of twiddling our thumbs. A week to stew in anger at the betrayal. I sat down in the captain’s chair for the first time, hardly aware that I’d done so. I was exhausted, and my clothing stank.

If she was just going to leave us, why save me at all? She’d risked herself again for me in the swamp. Was it just for show? Did she think the others would turn back if I was killed?

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked up to see Slate there.

“Let’s get something to eat,” his mouth said, but his eyes said he wanted to talk to me about something. I obliged and followed him down the hall.

“Slate, start the coffee. I’ll be there in two.” I headed for my bunk and grabbed a fresh uniform before hopping into the shower for a quick rinse-off. I rushed, hardly letting myself dry before suiting up and getting back to the kitchen.

“You’d make a good military man. That was as fast as any I’ve seen.” He laughed, and I found myself joining in with him. I found myself really liking the quiet man. I’d expected him to be a lot like Magnus, but instead of the boisterous confidence of my Scandinavian friend, Slate gave off an aura of quiet confidence.

“I brought sandwiches to the bridge. Want one?” he asked, and I picked up a PB and J from the small stack in the middle of the table.

My stomach growled just at the sight of the food, and I ate half quickly, no words needed.

“Dean, I have a feeling when we get there, we’ll be fighting. I don’t know if Mae will be able to contact reinforcements, and at this time, we don’t even know whose side she’s on.”

Don’t trust her.

“The Bhlat,” I said, my gut spitting out the name. “It has to be. There’s no one left. If she’s not with the hybrids, and we ended the Kraski, that leaves the Bhlat. We always said if the Deltra were able to infiltrate the hybrids’ core, the Bhlat could have too.” Kareem had told us more about the alien race, and I almost wished he hadn’t. They moved from system to system, destroying lives, using slaves to mine each planet for minerals so they could expand their reign of terror. So far, they looked to be centuries from coming near Alpha Centauri or our solar system, if ever. Kareem stated that the chances of them even bothering were low, but a race of humans that managed to stave off the fleeing Kraski might entice them to visit.

“I agree. I just want to see where your head’s at. Can you pull a trigger if you see Mae’s face in the crosshairs?” He asked the question so softly I had to lean in to hear him.

Janine’s face. Mae’s face. Could I? I nodded, saying I could and would, but words were one thing. Action was another.

“Good. What do you say we continue our training after some sleep? I’m going to relieve Mary from the bridge, and you two can get some rest.” He didn’t even look tired, and there I was, ready to fall asleep at the table.

“Thanks, Slate.” He left me sitting there alone until a couple minutes later, when an equally tired-looking Mary came to join me.

“Let’s get some sleep, babe,” she said, coming over to me. I pushed my face into her stomach, and she ran her hands through my still-wet hair.

“I love you,” I said, my voice muffled by her uniform.

“I love you too. Just think of the stories we’re going to be able to tell our children,” she said.

It was the first time she’d mentioned kids, and until then, I hadn’t even realized they were a possibility. Maybe there was room for another life on our new world.

Standing up, I kissed her. “Take some pictures. There’s no way they’ll believe half of it.”

I hit the ground hard, having been at the receiving end of Slate’s demonstration.

“Now you try,” he said, motioning Nick forward. The wiry doctor came at me, feigning a low kick, and struck out with his fist. I spun, mostly avoiding the impact, and followed through, momentum doing most of the work as I flipped Nick onto his back and pushed my knee onto his chest.