dots. "We'll go there."
The screen melted away, and the shuttle moved forward with incredible speed.
Dizziness churned Lena's stomach as the pinpricks of light turned into slashes as the shuttle darted into space. She closed her eyes, turning her face away from the window. Nausea grew, but she bit her lip, fighting it.
"Lena?" Rex's concerned voice carried over the roar of the engines.
"I'm all right." Her words were short and clipped, but she kept her face turned away from the window, not willing to take a chance just yet. The sensation of vertigo took her by surprise. She hadn't expected to experience that in space. Of course, it might be from blood loss. Or the fact that she was keenly aware that beyond the metal frame of this small craft, there was nothing but space. What if the window cracked? Or there was a leak by the door? She didn't have a spacesuit to protect her. She wasn't even sure how much oxygen this small ship contained.
Dozens of panicked scenarios played out in her head.
Suddenly, she felt Rex's hand on hers. His hand warmed her icy fingers that grasped the arm of the seat she clung to. The feel of his touch soothed her.
Whatever happened here, she wasn't alone. Rex seemed to know what he was doing. She needed to calm herself and think positively.
"Sorry," she muttered, blinking her eyes open. She only realized she'd squeezed them shut in her panic. "This is my first time in space."
"No need to apologize, human."
She smiled. For whatever reason, she'd begun to suspect when he called her human it was an endearment.
"Are the Skarn following?"
"Yes, they will follow." Rex nodded. "I have dismantled the tracking device on this shuttle, so they cannot monitor our location. We will hide since we cannot hope to outrun them. I have located a planet most inhospitable where we can hide."
"Inhospitable? That doesn't sound like such a good place to hide."
"The Skarn will expect us to choose one of the neighboring planets that are more suitable to our needs. They will focus their search there and perhaps bypass this third planet."
"Okay, I get it. Hide where they won't be tempted to look."
Rex nodded. "We will simply need to survive long enough until they've moved out of this system."
"Great. How hard can it be?"
Chapter 6
It didn't take long for Rex to locate the planet. Once he deciphered a few of the systems, the technology of the craft was similar with the Ylingo. Most likely the Skarn had stolen it from them.
Landing the shuttle was harrowing. The planet was covered mostly in ice and snow, most inhospitable to his species. He wasn't certain about the human but being that she didn't possess a thick layer of fur coating her skin, he doubted Earth was considered an ice planet.
The area where he landed had a storm circling over it. It was precisely why he picked the spot. If the Skarn investigated, he hoped they'd bypass the storm-ravaged area, assuming their captives would never risk landing there and move on.
As he lowered the shuttle, the winds pummeled the walls, shaking the ship with terrifying violence. From the corner of his eye, Lena grasped the seat tighter.
She did not look well.
"We are almost there," Rex assured her.
"No worries." Lena's rather high-pitched voice lacked the conviction. "This is the worst case of turbulence I've ever experienced."
Rex continued the descent, the engines straining against the wind. Finally, the shuttle touched the ground. The craft thumped as it landed, lurching Lena from her seat.
He grabbed her arm.
"I'm okay," she said, breathless. He disagreed. The pallor of her skin indicated she was the opposite, but he didn't argue. Once she was steady on her feet, he released her arm.
He moved over the control panel, shutting down the engines and the electronics. The hum of the engines faded until only the sound of the storm raging outside disrupted the sudden silence.
"Why did you turn everything off?"
"The Skarn may scan for technological devices active on the planet. As far as I can tell, there is no intelligent life here. The shuttle's engine signature would be recognized."
"Ah," Lena said, nodding. She leaned toward the window to survey the planet. Snow and fragments of ice swirled around them, hitting the window with a thin layer that gradually grew. "It looks like its freezing out there."
"The heat within the shuttle should provide enough warmth for now."
"How long?"
Rex shrugged. "A few arins. Long enough that with luck the Skarn will have bypassed this planet