Stepping back, she smiled up at him. “How could I not after T delivered your message?”
A flush crept into his scarred cheeks.
But she didn’t tease him about it. “Where’s Liz?”
“She’s coming. But you’ll want to step back and give her some room.”
Give her some room? What the hell did that mean?
At his direction, she returned to stand between Janwar and Allie.
Rhythmic thumps sounded inside the transport, almost like footsteps but much louder.
Simone’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when a huge, hulking figure emerged from the shadowy interior and ducked to make it through the exit.
Her mouth fell open.
It had to be at least eight or nine freaking feet tall and looked like a massive metal warrior. Or robot. Or… hell, she didn’t know.
Dismay hit her with the force of a fist. Had the Gathendiens turned Liz into some kind of robowarrior? Was that possible? Was that even a thing?
The Gathendiens on the base had been creating cyborgs, but the one she’d seen had been an ordinary Gathendien with enhancements and had looked nothing like this.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Down the ramp, it marched.
“What the drek?“ Janwar muttered.
Merde. If even Janwar didn’t know what this was, how could they hope to undo it?
The warrior machine halted at the base of the ramp. A long moment passed, during which Simone’s heart pounded in her chest. Then the visor on the machine’s helmet rose, revealing Liz’s sweet face.
Was that armor? “Holy Lieutenant Ripley,” Simone breathed in awe.
Liz faked a scowl and snarled, “Get away from her, you bitch!”
The men all gaped.
Well, all of them but the Yona.
But Simone burst into laughter at the quote from Aliens, one of her all-time favorite sci-fi movies. Liz did sort of remind her of Ellen Ripley in the mechanical armor or whatever. “That is so freaking awesome!” she shouted and skipped forward.
Liz grinned as the warrior machine’s torso, upper arms, and legs peeled open, revealing the rest of her.
Like Eliana, Liz was petite and stood only an inch or so above five feet. Surrounded by the machine’s bulk, she looked even tinier. She was also almost as emaciated as Allie and bore multiple wounds and scars on the arms and legs bared by her shorts and wraparound shirt.
Simone struggled not to frown. Gifted one and immortal healers always recovered at an accelerated rate. Why did Liz still sport those wounds? What had the Gathendiens done to dampen her gift and keep her from healing?
Stepping between Simone and the machine, Kova reached up and lifted Liz down.
Once her small feet—encased in socks Simone suspected were Kova’s—touched the deck, she smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
Nodding, Kova stepped aside so Simone could drag her into a hug. Then Allie joined them, and the three women clung to each other, bursting into tears while the men stood around, looking awkward.
Except for the Yona. Those guys never showed emotion. Only Valok ever had, thanks to her empathic gift. But Simone couldn’t let herself think of him right now or she would never stop crying.
“I can’t believe you found me,” Liz muttered, her voice thick with tears. “I’d almost given up hope.”
“Same here,” Allie admitted. “They found me on a Gathendien military base.”
Liz drew back and wiped her eyes. “The Gathendiens captured you, too?” Concern darkened her features as she took in Allison’s fragile appearance.
Allie nodded.
Liz turned to Simone. “What about you? Did they capture you, too?”
“Nope.” She forced a cocky smile to hide her concern. “I kicked their asses.”
Both women laughed. “Of course, you did,” they said in unison.
Janwar joined them now that their tears had ebbed. “She also commandeered one of their ships.”
Liz stared up at him, blinked twice, then leaned closer to Simone and whispered, “Am I losing it, or did Jack Sparrow just walk up and put his arm around you?”
Simone laughed at the pained look that crossed Janwar’s face. “He isn’t Jack Sparrow. This is Commander Janwar of the Tangata. He and his crew just destroyed the military base that held Allie, two Yona, and two Purvelis captive.”
“With Simone’s help,” he added, his smile returning. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”
Aww. He’s such a sweetheart.
Expression somber, Liz shifted her gaze to Simone. “Who else made it? The Gathendiens said they destroyed the Kandovar.”
“They did,” Simone confirmed. “We’re still trying to determine how many survived. Most of the escape pods deployed safely before the explosion, but they were scattered throughout vast sectors of space. And we don’t know how many—if any—fighter craft made it through the battle. A massive alliance-wide search and rescue operation is currently underway, and they’re steadily finding Lasarans.”
“What about Earthlings and Yona?” she asked.
Simone sent Vedon and Denu apologetic looks. “So far, the only Yona warriors recovered alive have been the royal guard. Janwar and his crew rescued them along with Lisa, Taelon, and baby Abby. They’re all safely on Lasara now. The Segonians found Eliana and Ava a while later. There’s quite a story to tell there. We just found Allie two days ago. But the rest of us from Earth we aren’t sure about.”
Liz swallowed hard. “So ten of us are still missing?”
“Yes.”
Somber silence fell.
Janwar rubbed Simone’s shoulder. “Don’t forget: T is scouring the information he downloaded from the Gathendien ship. We’re hoping it will lead us to the others.”
“Wait,” Allie said all of a sudden. “Are you the Janwar? The pirate I heard a couple of Lasarans whispering about?”
Janwar glanced at Simone. “Yes.”
Allie smacked herself in the forehead with her palm. “How did I not realize that before?”
Liz looked back and forth between them. “Seriously? That’s a thing? There are space pirates?”
Simone laughed. “Yes. But don’t worry. He’s the good kind.” Rising onto her toes, she kissed his bearded cheek. “And he’s my pirate.”
Janwar grinned down at her.
“Uh-huh,” Liz said, her eyebrows nearly touching her hairline. “I see we have some catching up to do.”
Janwar sent her a kind smile. “Let’s get you to Med Bay first. I see you’ve some wounds that need tending.”
“Thank you. I would appreciate that.”
They turned toward the exit. Simone carefully kept her smile in place when Liz limped along beside her.
As they came abreast of Kova, Liz reached out and snagged his hand. “You, too,” she said.
Much to Simone’s surprise, Kova let her tug him along after her.
Simone glanced up at Janwar and raised her brows.
Pursing his lips thoughtfully, he shrugged.
Maybe Simone and Eliana weren’t the only ones with stories to tell.
Sitting at a table in the lounge, Janwar sipped his drink and smiled as he watched the activity taking place in front of the large vid screen.
The chair beside him slid back, and Segonian Commander Dagon dropped into it.