Chapter Eleven

Pain flared throughout your side from your acrobatics, a burning sensation like someone has a thermal torch and is trying to burn their way out. You ripped your shirt in half turning it into a crop top as you bundled the fabric around your center. Your skin is normally a mocha almond, but right now it’s green and red, a mixture of yours and the Sandarians blood. A nauseating choke clogged your throat, your eyes teared with the repulsiveness, your body shaking from either the extreme pain or the grossness of the situation.

“Note to self; Less jumping. Good plan.” Moving over to the dead bodies you stare down at their crumpled forms. “Now let’s see what these two have that can help me get out of here.” You’re not even sure where ‘Here’ is. So many questions started to rise within you, are you on a spaceship? Did they bring you to the planet side? That latter would be the worse-case scenario. How the hell would she escape a Sandarian planet without any help. Gods, she prayed that she was on at least a ship. She can handle ships infested with enemies.

Rummaging through the corpses started to drain your hopefulness as the bodies came up empty for anything useful. “Useless. Completely and utterly useless! Ugh!” Out of aggravation you kick the dead bodies a few times. Pulling the blade free from the Sandarians head, you hold it with a death grip sliding up to the cell door. Sandarians are normally much larger than Humans and seem like the cell wasn’t made for Humans. Prisoners, sure, but Humans are considered tiny compared to many. Standing on your toes you peek out the bars in the door window. Squeezing the blade, it’s reassuring touch was a comforting presence in your hand.

“Which way….Which way…,” The hallway branched in two directions, with no clear indication on which way you should head. Last thing you need is to stumble upon an army of Sandarians.

The hall splits in two directions. The dark metal walls were stained with blood. A cold chill crawled up your spine. Flattening against the outlying wall, you tiptoed quietly down the darkening hall, staying to the shadows as best as you can.

Voices carried down the hall to your right, “Left it is.” Having the decision made for you, you head down the hall hopeful unoccupied. Looking above are tons of pipes of various sizes and colors. Recognizing the maze of wirings and copper tubings, you only need one. The sound of steam hissed in the distance, a faint vibrant hum coming from the same direction as the hiss. You are definitely on some sort of spaceship.

“I bet that’s the boiler room. If that’s the case, I should be able to follow the auxiliary piping to the engine room.” Your feet pick up the pace, your heart soaring with hope. “I can sabotage the engines and hopefully, somehow get a message out.” Hopefully the Titanus is still in the area, or some coalition ship.

We can’t be too far out you figured as you contemplate the chances of a rescue. You aren’t sure how much time has passed, but couldn’t have been long based on the pain that still inhabits your body like a foreign alien.

“Helena…”The most important thought that kept you moving, kept your fighting through the pain that wanted to cripple you with every step. The tendril fingers of defeat coaxing the rims of your vision, yet, the single thought that kept you going, Helena.

Titanus should, even if it’s six phases away, pick up the vorpal trails of this ship. “That’s if they're even looking…” Yet, despite the hope you kept, it began to erode as the possibilities of not being saved increased with each passing moment.

With your breathing ragged and short, you were forced to stop for a minute to catch your breath. Tried to at least. Short breaths were the only thing manageable.

“Ok, so there’s the boiler room...so then...this” You pointed at some gnarly intertwining mess of pipes and followed it with your finger. “These Gr-IonVelicro pipes should lead to the Engine room, so if we just follow those.” Tightening your grip on the grooved hilt of the knife, you push off the wall and continue heading down the hallway towards the Engine room.

You found the door leading into the Engine room. Reaching for the control panel you were just about to pup it off and wire the door open when it swooshed open with a surprised hiss.

“Gar!” A tall muscled Sandarian stood almost at 7 feet, his large frame blocking the doorway. A confused expression twisted his face. His war hammer hung idly at it’s side. Your lips twisted into a feral smile, “As Helena would say, ‘Wouldn’t be fun if it was easy.’”

“I don’t suppose you would want to talk about this?” You ask sweetly, though you know better than to expect them to understand. “Would ya big ya?”

“Gur?” The Sandarian reached for it’s weapon. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. You are in my way after all.” Your legs widen as you crouch low into a battle stance.

“Raaagh!” Knife raised, you sneered at the behemoth as it charged. It’s monstrous footsteps pounded the metal as it pushed it’s massive weight at you.

“Then I’ll go through you, you ugly bastard!” You waited until the Sandarian swung his battle hammer. You waited until the last second, the hammer swung above you as you dropped low to the ground. A cut opened on your cheek from the momentum of the hammer turned the gust of its movement into razorblades. With a loud thud, the hammer hit the wall smashing some pipes, sending shards of metal everywhere.

The Sandarian frantically tried to pry it’s hammer free from the mangled debris that took hold of his hammer leaving the Sandorian wide open. Your hand flashed out in an upward arc, the blade slicing into the side of the behemoth, it’s growls of rage silenced as the blade whipped back around horizontally across the neck, silencing it’s shouts to faint gurgles as it bled out.

“Hehe...Weren’t too tough were you…” Swiping the blood across your pant leg you moved into the Engine room. “Let’s see what kind of havoc we can make.” You said gleefully. The one place you truly felt at home was the engine room. Knowing how things work and tearing them apart to rebuild them in a better, more proficient and efficient way. The sounds of the Engine to you is equivalent to the sounds of bedtime melody to calm the little ones and help them sleep. Many never understood how you can feel so comfortable with loud noises, even Helena sometimes has trouble understanding, but she keeps reminding me that one of the things she admires about me. The way I can find something outside of battle and find peace. To find that tranquil area for my mind to just relax and give in. Wipe the slate clean and forget about everything. My own Nirvana.