Caged With The Alien Warrior

81.

Ronan

"Landing in the hangar," Corvus said, his voice tense as he deftly manoeuvred our ship through the onslaught of enemy fire. He weaved through the mess with the precision of a master pilot.

Corvus piloted with a bit more recklessness than I would, but that's what made him such a good pilot. The enemy's relentless attack painted the starry void with streaks of deadly light, and each near miss shuddered through our vessel.

As we approached the Troguhia, its massive, scarred hull loomed before us. Corvus expertly guided us inside.

The thrusters whined as he decelerated and the ship shook as it settled onto the hangar floor with a metallic clang. The echo resonated through the empty bay.

With a hiss of hydraulic pistons, the landing ramp lowered.

"Stay close and stay vigilant," I told Corvus, Knox, and Jax before leading the way.

My boots thudded against the cold, metal floor. For some reason, the hangar was eerily silent with the usual hum of activity replaced by stillness. The dim emergency lighting cast long shadows, giving the space an ominous, haunted feel. My breath misted in the frigid air. What happened here?

"Where is everyone?" Jax muttered, his voice barely a whisper as we moved cautiously through the hangar.

Our footsteps echoed in the cavernous space. Talk about creepy.

We passed rows of idle ships and maintenance equipment, all untouched as if the crew had simply vanished.

The silence was deafening. A cold knot of dread tightened in my gut. Something was very wrong.

"Keep your comms on," I instructed, my hand hovering over my weapon. "This doesn't feel right."

We made our way deeper into the ship, passing through deserted corridors and empty rooms. The air was stale. The smell of ozone and burnt circuitry lingering like a ghost.

Where was everyone? The captain that called for help? The crew?

Suddenly, a low, ominous hum vibrated through the walls. The emergency lighting flickered, casting the corridor in brief moments of darkness. A chill ran down my spine.

I ran my gloved hand over a layer of dust. Nobody had occupied this ship in a very long time. Nobody was here to call a distress signal with good intentions.

"We need to leave. Now," I all but growled. "This was a trap."

Knox nodded, already turning back towards the hangar. "Shields are down to 15%. If we don't get out of here now, we're sitting ducks."

I nodded, mind racing. "Lorcan, establish comms."

Lorcan's fingers flew over the comms on his wrist. "Lorcan to the main ship. Issue on the Troguhia. The team needs immediate extraction. Repeat, we need immediate extraction. Our comms are unstable, and we don't know what happened, but the Troguhia is deserted. Troguhia is likely a trap. Repeat, the Troguhia is likely a trap."

Static crackled through his comms, the connection weak and unstable. No response came through. Shit, shit, shit.

"Damn it!" I cursed, the urgency of our situation hitting me like a physical blow. This was a trap and we truly were sitting ducks. "We have to move. Now!"

We sprinted back towards the hangar with our pounding footsteps echoing through the empty halls. I had to make it back to Aanya and Lani. I promised them I would keep them safe.

The Troguhia groaned and shuddered. Explosions rocked the ship, sending debris raining down around us. The hull creaked as if under immense pressure.

"Go, go, go!" I shouted, pushing Knox ahead of me as we neared our ship.

The hangar bay was a maelstrom of chaos as the Troguhia's structural integrity failed. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning metal and the sharp tang of ozone. Sparks flew, and metal groaned.

Lorcan sprinted to the nearest computer terminal, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I can find out who did this if I can connect to their mainframe!" he shouted, his voice barely audible.

"Quickly, we only have minutes!" I yelled back, my own voice strained with urgency. The others were already running onto our ship.

I could see Corvus fling himself in the pilot's seat, his fingers flying over the controls with practiced precision. The ship roared to life, its engines screaming as they powered up, the vibrations shaking the floor beneath our feet.

"Get your asses in here and strap in!" Corvus bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos like a whip. I wouldn't get in until my last team member did, though.

Lorcan furiously navigated the computer, his eyes scanning the screen as lines of code scrolled past at breakneck speed. The lights flickered, and the floor beneath us shuddered violently as another explosion rocked the Troguhia.

"Come on, Lorcan, there's no time! Get going, that's an order!" I called out, my voice hoarse. The heat of the fires spread and seared my skin.

Reluctantly, Lorcan abandoned the terminal, sprinting towards the ship as sweat poured down his brow. I made sure he got on first, my heart pounding as I watched him scramble up the ramp.

The ship's engines roared louder, the thrusters engaging as Corvus prepared for immediate takeoff.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted behind me, a blinding flash of light and fire filling the hangar.

The shockwave hit me like a giant's fist, lifting me off my feet and sending me hurtling through the air. The heat of the blast scorched my back, and the concussive force rattled my bones.

The world around me was a blur of flames and debris, the sounds of destruction a dull roar in my ears. Time seemed to slow as I threw my arm out, reaching for our ship. Would I make it? 

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Think Ronan's going to make it? 👀  

Y'all, I'm not good at action scenes but I tried my best. I much prefer the sexy action scenes, if you know what I mean 😉 

Do you like seeing this from Ronan's POV? Or do you wanna get back to Aanya? What's the vibes, what's the thoughts? 

Don't want to wait until next week to read chapter 82? Get early access to it now through my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rosinghwrites

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro