Bacoj’s voice rumbled pleasantly in her ear. “We reach search parties today late. Repair ship.”

  Now was as good a time as any to tell Bacoj and Vax their identities, especially with Japohn gone. Lindsey was afraid they’d be angry she’d not informed them she was the Empress’ sister before clanning with them, and once these two men got over the initial shock, they could help keep Japohn from losing his temper.

  Lindsey turned around to face her Dramok and Imdiko. She wrapped her arms around Bacoj’s neck. He smiled down at her, his expression happy.

  I hope you’re still happy with me when I lay this on you.

  With a deep breath, Lindsey began. “Bacoj, as a member of your clan now, it’s time I told you something I should have told you before, but I needed to be sure – well, we didn’t know exactly what had happened to set off the mess here on Earth, and though logic said Kalquor wouldn’t have destroyed the very people they needed–”

  At Bacoj’s bemused stare, his head slowly shaking from side to side, Lindsey realized she was rambling, confusing him once more with too many words. Darn it, just tell them. She held out her hand to Vax. He stepped shoulder to shoulder with Bacoj, taking her fingers in a gentle grip.

  Lindsey started again. “I have a secret to tell you. I hope you’ll understand why I kept this quiet for so long.”

  Bacoj stroked her hair, his expression warm, caring. “No fear of us, Lindsey. You Matara now. Trust us to tell.”

  Lindsey opened her mouth. At that moment, a blur of movement next to them startled her enough to yelp. Japohn was suddenly there, looming over the clan.

  His fangs displayed, he growled, “Many Earthers come. They disable perimeter. Many weapons, no friendly. We leave now.”

  Lindsey gasped to find herself lifted in Bacoj’s arms. Carrying her like a child, he ran to the shuttle yelling, “On ship now!”

  The other two Kalquorians ushered Lindsey’s parents onto the shuttle craft.

  Bacoj deposited Lindsey on a seat in the main cabin. He rushed into the cockpit and started the shuttle. The engine spit and missed for a couple of seconds before smoothing out. They lifted into the air, and Vax brought the wall vids up, displaying the surroundings. As they flew away, a mass of humanity raced onto the beach, percussion blasters and laser rifles firing at the escaping shuttle. Lindsey guessed the number of attackers to be around two dozen.

  “No fight off so many,” Japohn observed. He was relaxed again now that the danger fell far behind them.

  Tara smiled sunnily at him. “Retreat can be the best show of strength.”

  “Live to fight another day,” Lindsey agreed.

  Japohn grinned, warming her with his regard. “Good say, Lindsey.”

  “Yeah, I wish those words of wisdom were mine.”

  They flew over the Gulf. Tara exclaimed when she spotted a group of dolphins breaching the water’s surface. It was a beautiful day, and even the occasional lurch and sputter of the shuttle’s engine couldn’t dampen the group’s good spirits.

  “Be glad to fix engine,” Vax grinned. He leaned close to whisper in Lindsey’s ear. “Be glad to fix arm. Want two hands to use on Matara.”

  She flushed, and the Imdiko chuckled. Sitting on her other side, Japohn snickered.

  Soon a line of islands appeared like a trail of breadcrumbs floating on the water’s surface. Bacoj called back from the cockpit. “Soon find search parties.”

  A ripple of relief swept over the group. Seated across from Lindsey and her two men, Aaron asked, “How do we say ‘thank you’ in Kalquorian?”

  Vax waited for another loud cough from the engine to die down before answering. “Gutuk ze.”

  “Then gutuk ze to you gentlemen for all you’ve done. You’ve taken very good care of us these last three days.”

  Japohn and Vax nodded in happy acceptance of his appreciation. As they flew closer to the third small mass of land, the excitement of coming to the end of this leg of the journey felt palpable.

  “Almost there.” Aaron got a wicked gleam in his eye. “Now how do I ask my Matara for celebration sex?”

  As the Kalquorians erupted in surprised laughter, Tara and Lindsey rolled their eyes.

  “Oh Aaron,” Tara groaned, flushing a delicate pink.

  “Jeez, Dad. Gross.” Lindsey made gagging sounds.

  Japohn shot her a sidelong glance as he answered. “Ya socro drem vig pu mek gatnop?”

  Vax went hysterical with laughter, nearly toppling off his seat. His face was tomato red as he bent double with hilarity.

  Aaron grinned in anticipation. “Give me the literal translation on that one.”

  Rubbing his face clean of tears, Vax crossed the space between them to sit at Aaron’s side. He bent to whisper in Lindsey’s father’s ear. Suddenly both men convulsed in unrestrained mirth, Aaron pounding the Imdiko’s back with his open palm.

  “I’m not sure she can bend that way!” he howled, and that set both Vax and Japohn off again.

  Lindsey exchanged a disgusted look with her mother. “Apparently, men are slobs no matter what the species.”

  Tara sighed. “But they do have their uses. I guess we’re stuck with them.”

  Japohn suddenly stopped laughing. His head came up, nostrils flaring as if scenting prey. Or danger. The shuttle engine stuttered, smoothed out, then stuttered again. An instant before alarms went off in the cabin, Lindsey smelled smoke.

  Bacoj yelled, “Engine fire. Prepare. Crash ocean.” From her seat, Lindsey could see him frantically punching commands into the computer before him.

  Japohn grabbed a vee-shaped strap from behind the back of Lindsey’s seat, snapping it into place beneath her, belting her down. Vax did the same for Tara and Aaron before returning to his own seat next to Lindsey. He and Japohn secured themselves.

  The straining engine went silent. The shuttle plunged down towards the dark mass of the sea. Lindsey couldn’t help herself; she screamed along with her mother to see the ocean rushing up at them. Japohn and Vax each took her hands and held on tight.

  “No fear, Bacoj good pilot,” Japohn said, shouting to be heard over the now ratcheting engine.

  “No fear my ass!” Lindsey shrieked, and the water was all she saw now, hurtling towards them faster than she could think. A loud boom made her ears pop as they hit, and she was jerked hard in her seat despite Japohn and Vax clutching her. They were plunged into darkness as the vid and lighting failed. Blind now, Lindsey felt the shuttle bounce up and down. Her parents’ cries rang in her ears.

  Then all seemed to go still, leaving her gasping. Lindsey listened to her heart pound. The shuttle groaned all around her, and there was the sound of movement and footsteps.

  “All unhurt?” Bacoj’s voice was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. Hearing him and feeling Japohn and Vax’s arms still around her calmed her immeasurably.

  She chorused “Yes” with her parents.

  “We sink fast. Under water now.”

  Lindsey went rigid with fear at his words. She strained to see in the darkness, but there was only the void to look at. She forced herself to breathe slowly, trying to keep panic at bay.

  She could hear Bacoj moving around as he spoke. “Japohn we take door off. You take Aaron, Vax take Matara Tara, I take Lindsey. Earthers keep wear restraints. Water come fast, take you where we no find. We free you, take you out when ready. Understanding?”

  “I got it,” Lindsey said. I don’t like it, but I got it.

  Her father sat nearby, but for some reason his voice sounded a million miles away. “I think my seatbelt broke.”

  Japohn released her. His footsteps, so incredibly light for such a big man, told Lindsey he moved away to her left. Towards the hatch. His voice was still steady, as if he went down in the ocean every day. “Hold on very hard, Aaron. Water rush in strong. Do no let go seat.”

  Vax patted Lindsey’s arm. “I take care Matara Tara now. You wait for Bacoj. You will be safe.”

  He moved away and murmured softly to her mother. Lindsey was left alone, strapped in her seat, waiting to be rescued. It didn’t sit well with her at all. Not since Jessica had saved her life in the aftermath of the tornado had Lindsey allowed herself to be in such a position.

  Bacoj and Japohn’s voices sounded from the direction of the hatch.

  “Ready?”

  “Now.”

  The high painful shriek of bending metal filled the soulless black of the shuttle. It grew louder and louder until Lindsey’s ears rang with pain. A deep-throated roar joined the sound. The next moment what felt like a wall of concrete crashed against her body. Through the dull pain she realized she was suddenly under water, struggling to find the latch of her restraint in the now silent darkness. Her hands scrambled frantically over the strap, reaching down farther, but still not finding the locking mechanism.

  Oh jeez, I’m going to die. I’m going to drown in here.

  Someone grabbed her hands, pushing them away and fiddling with the straps. They suddenly broke free, and strong arms surrounded her, gathering her close to a warm solid body.

  Bacoj had found her, just as he’d said he would.

  She felt him kick, carrying her through the unrelieved black of the shuttle that wanted to be their tomb. How could he see to get them out, she wondered? Even his sensitive Kalquorian eyes couldn’t possibly pierce the darkness. But he swam without pause, and after a few moments the water around them lightened. They were out of the sinking shuttle.

  Bacoj swam up, bringing her closer and closer to the light above. But her lungs were straining now, desperate for air. Lindsey fought the vicious urge to draw air into her lungs, the overpowering need to breathe. Her conscious mind fought with her instincts, and she struggled to maintain control. The water around her grew brighter, but the surface didn’t seem to draw any closer. Gray mist appeared at the edges of her vision. She was on the verge of blacking out. Her chest burned with a fierce ache. She wasn’t going to make it. She wasn’t going to make it.

  And then they smashed through the surface, into the sunlit realm of air and sky and air and seagulls screeching and air. Breath screamed into her lungs. Lindsey whooped in lungfuls, her head falling back on Bacoj’s shoulder as she went limp in a half-swoon.

  Between gasps Bacoj said, “Land close. Hold on.”

  Before she could answer, Vax and Tara broke the surface with a huge splash. Lindsey’s mother sputtered and choked and sucked in oxygen. Vax held her with his injured arm, no longer pinned to his chest with the brace. Lindsey grimaced to see how it bent halfway between his wrist and elbow. The Imdiko’s face was tight and pale.

  Bacoj called to him in their language, and Vax flicked his eyes towards them. His gaze settling on Lindsey, he gave them a suggestion of a smile and nodded.

  To Tara he said, “Float on top. Relax, Matara.” Holding the still coughing but very much alive Tara beneath her armpits, he stroked towards the nearby shore.

  Bacoj also swam towards the golden beach, towing Lindsey. She thought about telling him she could swim herself, but her limbs were still leaden from shock. Lindsey was an excellent swimmer, but Bacoj plowed through the water much faster than she could have managed.

  Moments later he stood upright. Hefting Lindsey in his arms, he waded through the surf to the beach. Just as they reached dry land Vax found his feet and half-carried, half-dragged Tara to shore as well.

  The group collapsed to the sand. Lindsey had a hard time restraining herself from kissing the ground beneath her. The warmth of the sun, the gritty sand she laid full length on, the scritchy-scratchy sound of the breeze in the palm tree fronds, all were a blessing after the harrowing crash. As well as her mother and the two barefoot Kalquorians who sat gasping on either side of her.

  Her mother. Two Kalquorians.

  A stab of fear brought Lindsey upright on shaky legs. Bacoj and Vax were up fast too, but she barely noticed. She looked out on the ocean, its frothy surface showing no sign of the downed shuttle or anything else.

  “Where are Dad and Japohn?”

  Bacoj was already running towards the water. He dove in just as something dark bobbed up among the waves.

  Vax said, “There, Lindsey. They come now.”

  Tara wept relieved tears as Bacoj met Japohn and Aaron in the water. The two Kalquorians worked together to tow Lindsey’s father to shore, closing the distance at a remarkable speed.

  They’re fast. You’d think they’d take it easy. Japohn was underwater a long time. Surely he’s out of breath. Even supermen get tired, right? But look at them go, like it’s a race or something.

  Between them Aaron floated limply, not kicking to help. Lindsey drifted towards the edge of the water. For some reason, she could barely feel her legs.

  Of course Dad’s not helping. He’s tired. In shock like I was. He was under for so long.

  They were almost to shore. The grim concentration on Bacoj and Japohn’s faces was now apparent. Dread became a leaden weight in Lindsey’s heart. When Japohn stood, pulling Aaron from Bacoj to sling the limp Earther over his shoulder and run the rest of the way to the beach in a blur of motion, it took all she had to not scream.

  An instant later, Japohn laid Aaron’s motionless body on the sand. Lindsey ran to them, throwing herself down beside her father. Aaron’s eyes stared sightless at the sky, his lips blue, his skin bloodless.

  “Dad? Daddy?” Panicked, Lindsey shook him by the shoulders.

  Tara was next to her, sobbing. “Oh please, no!”

  Getting hold of herself with effort, Lindsey checked Aaron for a pulse. Nothing. She started CPR, bearing down on his chest with all her meager weight.

  “I do, Lindsey,” Bacoj said, gently pushing her and Tara aside.

  Nodding, she moved over to start artificial respiration, pinching Aaron’s nostrils shut and breathing in his mouth. They worked on her father, Japohn spelling Lindsey when she grew dizzy from filling Aaron’s lungs with air. Vax held Tara nearby, unashamed tears flowing down his cheeks while she begged over and over, “Aaron wake up, please wake up.”

  Lindsey lost track of how long they fought to pull her father back from the abyss. It felt like hours passed while Bacoj administered compressions and she and Japohn took turns breathing for Aaron.

  She might have gone on forever, clinging to the hope he would revive if Tara hadn’t finally choked, “Enough. It’s time to stop.”

  Bacoj sat back, his hands finally leaving Aaron’s chest to cover his face. Lindsey’s mouth left Aaron’s. She gently pressed his eyelids closed before curling her arms around his head and letting go to grief. Harsh sobs shook her body as she held him.

  Japohn howled. “No! Father Aaron live!” He resumed Bacoj’s halted chest compressions. Lindsey looked up at the Nobek’s frantic face as he desperately tried to thwart the one implacable foe he couldn’t defeat.

  Tara pulled free of the sobbing Vax to wrap her arms around Japohn’s shoulders. Stroking his long curls, she whispered in his ear. “He’s gone, Japohn. You did everything you could, but it’s his time. Let him go.”

  Somehow her gentle voice got through to him, and he gave up. He turned to pull Tara to him, burying his face against her shoulder. The big man shook as he moaned. “I apology. Water take him when door open. I look, cannot find long time. Apology, apology. I fail, no save. Apology.”

  Tara cried with him, rocking the behemoth in her thin arms as if he were a child. “There’s nothing to forgive, sweetheart. You risked your own life to find him. I will always be grateful to you for not leaving him out there.”

  Lindsey crawled to them to mold herself against her Nobek’s shaking body. “You couldn’t help it, Japohn. I know you did your best.”

  “No forgive, Lindsey. I fail you.”

  “No, Japohn. You found him. You didn’t give up.” She pulled his sea-matted hair back to kiss his ear. “I’m thankful to you for that.”

  She didn’t know if he believed her. He seemed as shattered as she felt.

  Vax and Bacoj joined them, wrapping their arms around the trio. The group huddled together, holding one another as tears flowed from Earther and Kalquorian alike.

  * * * *

  They made no attempt to locate the Kalquorian search party that day though they’d washed up on Big Pine Key. The heart had gone out of the little group. Even the promise of being cleaned up, fed, and sleeping in soft beds held no allure for anyone. Grief cloaked them in heavy folds, making it difficult to function.

  Japohn went foraging for supplies and Bacoj managed to catch a few fish, which Vax cooked over an open fire he built on the beach. Caring for Lindsey and Tara seemed to help the Kalquorians deal with the guilt and pain. No one had any real appetite, but as the day waned the Earthers ate out of respect for the men’s efforts.