Ethereal Lives: A Romantic Sci-Fi Novel

Chapter 22

This was so bad.

Ax sat in the cell with his crew and buried his head in his hands. For over a decade they'd lived in space, moving from planet to planet, and no one had been the wiser. Somehow these Xans had figured them out. How long had they been observing without him knowing? Did anyone else know?

What was he thinking? Before long, everyone would know.

It was rather ironic to think they were going to be sold as the last of a species, which was exactly what he had planned to do with Ariane. Now that he faced the fate he'd planned for her, he saw the error of his ways.

Ariane had entered their ship and slowly snuck her way into each of their hearts. Every one of them had fallen for her charm and accepted her into their fold. What would happen to her now?

Was she safe? Had Bizax and Trel found her? Had the Xans found her? He had no idea. The ship they were on had taken off ages ago. They could tell when it began moving, but with no windows in the room, it was impossible to tell where they were or where they headed. There were only a few possibilities for their destination. They were going to be sold to the highest bidder. They would be going to Dealen or one of its sister planets.

He just hoped they could escape before the auction. They couldn't be separated. There would be no way of knowing what planets they'd be taken to. At least they could still take different forms. The Xans only seemed to have one halt collar.

Praid took a seat on the floor beside him. "Nice to know Xans can be hospitable," he moaned as he loosened his tie and tried to get comfortable.

Ax examined the room. It was empty except for them. No furniture, no beds, nothing. "I wonder if they believe in feeding their prisoners."

Praid's stomach grumbling informed him he wasn't the only hungry one.

"I'm sorry about this, guys," Jas said from a few feet away.

"It's not your fault," Ax replied automatically.

Jas sighed and dropped down to his hutches. "Yeah, it is. If they hadn't caught me we wouldn't be here. I should have been more alert. I just didn't expect them to come through the control room window. I was so busy watching the door I didn't see them until it was too late."

"What's done is done," Sek said, "Now, what are we going to do about it?"

Ax looked at his men one at a time. They all waited expectantly for him to reply. "Well, I guess we could attempt to take over the ship."

Grins spread over their faces at his words. "We start by getting out of here if they ever open the door. Anyone got any idea how many we're up against? I've seen fifteen altogether."

"I've spotted twenty-three," Dyan commented.

There were six of them, not ideal odds, although they'd been in worse situations. Ax got to his feet and paced around the small room. "Okay guys, let's be honest here, six against twenty-three, not much chance of succeeding. However, our only other option is to wait until we hit a planet to attempt our escape."

Praid got to his feet too and moved to sit next to Jas. "We can blend in easier on a planet."

"But then we have to obtain a ship in order to escape. Here we already have a ship. We're just not in charge of it," Sek said.

Everyone voiced their opinion on the situation. Ax listened for a while before silencing everyone. "Alright, if we try to take the ship, there are six of us and over twenty of them, and we have no weapons. But if we wait until we get planet-side, we could be separated before the chance to escape arises. I say we attempt for the ship. Odds are we're too expensive to kill if we fail."