easily controllable servants to put a humanoid face on this planet. But that's all in the past now. Valerian space technology has been lost forever. So we'll take the next best thing—human technology— and forge our own path. We'll find the Valerians who abandoned this world and rejoin them." The two other Sisters walked over to the computers and started manual launch procedures. I almost lost my balance as the warm-up thrusters made the ship lurch. Saidan held onto me and kept me steady.
"Now get off our ship." The foremost Sister drew a gun and pointed it at us. It was one of my own laser blasters, taken from the ship's armory. "Don't worry, you won't be lonely. We've left some of our systems here to maintain this operation and look after our children. Little Sister will take good care of you."
She smiled as much as her robotic face would allow, a creepy mannerism that made her look like a Valerian doll. "After all, you've been such bad little children. We know what you've been up to. We know all about your little love affair." She turned to me with her penetrating red gaze. "You know the sentence is death, right?" She raised her gun to point directly at me and pulled the trigger.
What happened next was a blur. Saidan saw the Sister raising her weapon and reacted instantly to the trigger being pulled, throwing himself in front of me. I know I yelled something unintelligible, a cry to warn him somehow, but it was too late. The laser blast hit him and he slumped backwards. I raced to his side, my entire body shaking with terror. The ship's doors opened again, but all I could see was blue. Blue blood, sticky on my hands and quickly coating the floor. I tore a piece off my jumpsuit and tried to staunch the bleeding, but the material was never meant to absorb blood.
Guards flooded in through the open door, One leading them. "Get them out of here," she ordered. Drones surrounded us, pulling me away from Saidan as I resisted.
"You have to help him!" I screamed at One, needing my words to make an impact. "Please! I'll do anything!" I struggled against the tight grip of the drones as she stood there, dispassionately reviewing the scene.
"Your heart really is made of ice!" Anything to reach her. Anything to save Saidan's life. I would have lain down before her and offered my life in exchange for his.
She dispassionately gestured for the drones to assist, and they loaded Saidan onto a stretcher as I watched the blue blood drip from him in worrying amounts. One brought a syringe over and injected me in the neck. Darkness fell over me almost at once. The last thing I remember is reaching out for Saidan with my hand, stained with his precious blue blood.
FEAR
I woke. I wasn't sure I would wake up again after the Sisters' words and One's syringe, so that much came as a surprise. My first real conscious thoughts, however, were of Saidan. Was he alive? I had no way of knowing. All I knew is that wherever I was, it was dark. I was alone and afraid. I opened my eyes and uncurled from the fetal position to see only pitch blackness. The only light was the red light of a camera to tell me that Little Sister was watching, though I wasn't sure even she could see anything in the darkness.
I checked myself all over. There didn't seem to be any injuries requiring my attention. I thought of Saidan, his blue lifeblood spilling all over the deck and despaired, resting my head on my knees as I leaned against the wall. Saidan was most likely dead. Without my ship, I could never return to Earth. The two most important things in my life, my love and my home, had been taken from me in just a few short minutes.
I felt like I'd been played for a fool. I'd only been drawn to Valeria because the Sisters wanted my ship, and they'd taken it and left me here. Even if I could get a signal out to Earth somehow, they would never have taken the trip to rescue me. Five years out in space, one-way, for one life wasn't a good equation, no matter how you
"Now get off our ship." The foremost Sister drew a gun and pointed it at us. It was one of my own laser blasters, taken from the ship's armory. "Don't worry, you won't be lonely. We've left some of our systems here to maintain this operation and look after our children. Little Sister will take good care of you."
She smiled as much as her robotic face would allow, a creepy mannerism that made her look like a Valerian doll. "After all, you've been such bad little children. We know what you've been up to. We know all about your little love affair." She turned to me with her penetrating red gaze. "You know the sentence is death, right?" She raised her gun to point directly at me and pulled the trigger.
What happened next was a blur. Saidan saw the Sister raising her weapon and reacted instantly to the trigger being pulled, throwing himself in front of me. I know I yelled something unintelligible, a cry to warn him somehow, but it was too late. The laser blast hit him and he slumped backwards. I raced to his side, my entire body shaking with terror. The ship's doors opened again, but all I could see was blue. Blue blood, sticky on my hands and quickly coating the floor. I tore a piece off my jumpsuit and tried to staunch the bleeding, but the material was never meant to absorb blood.
Guards flooded in through the open door, One leading them. "Get them out of here," she ordered. Drones surrounded us, pulling me away from Saidan as I resisted.
"You have to help him!" I screamed at One, needing my words to make an impact. "Please! I'll do anything!" I struggled against the tight grip of the drones as she stood there, dispassionately reviewing the scene.
"Your heart really is made of ice!" Anything to reach her. Anything to save Saidan's life. I would have lain down before her and offered my life in exchange for his.
She dispassionately gestured for the drones to assist, and they loaded Saidan onto a stretcher as I watched the blue blood drip from him in worrying amounts. One brought a syringe over and injected me in the neck. Darkness fell over me almost at once. The last thing I remember is reaching out for Saidan with my hand, stained with his precious blue blood.
FEAR
I woke. I wasn't sure I would wake up again after the Sisters' words and One's syringe, so that much came as a surprise. My first real conscious thoughts, however, were of Saidan. Was he alive? I had no way of knowing. All I knew is that wherever I was, it was dark. I was alone and afraid. I opened my eyes and uncurled from the fetal position to see only pitch blackness. The only light was the red light of a camera to tell me that Little Sister was watching, though I wasn't sure even she could see anything in the darkness.
I checked myself all over. There didn't seem to be any injuries requiring my attention. I thought of Saidan, his blue lifeblood spilling all over the deck and despaired, resting my head on my knees as I leaned against the wall. Saidan was most likely dead. Without my ship, I could never return to Earth. The two most important things in my life, my love and my home, had been taken from me in just a few short minutes.
I felt like I'd been played for a fool. I'd only been drawn to Valeria because the Sisters wanted my ship, and they'd taken it and left me here. Even if I could get a signal out to Earth somehow, they would never have taken the trip to rescue me. Five years out in space, one-way, for one life wasn't a good equation, no matter how you
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