Unsung Heroes

Loralona strode through the confines of the shuttle to Tola’s room. Her knuckles rapped three times on the door, and Tola called for her to enter.

Closing the door behind her, Loralona paused at the entrance. The lights were off. The only illumination came from the stars of space filtering in through the large window on the opposite side of the door. Tola sat on his bunk, feet dangling over the edge, his head down.

With a heavy sigh, Loralona moved closer to her friend. Three days had passed since the Battle of Karakk—since their lives had changed forever.

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” murmured Tola.

“What?”

“We destroyed the factory, delivered the armor designs to the Earth Alliance . . . but it doesn’t feel like a victory.”

“It will take time for Alliance scientists to analyze the schematics, see if they can find a weakness.”

Tola glanced up at her, looking more somber than ever. “No. Not that.”

“I know, Tola,” she replied quietly. Terrik was alive but catatonic. “He might still pull through.”

“I expected him to be back to normal by now,” he said softly. “Terrik told me the nanotech chip in his head helps the healing parts of the brain work harder to repair damaged tissue.”

Sitting down beside him, Loralona said, “Not everything can be healed with medicine and technology.”

“I know. I was just hanging on to that hope, I guess.”

For a long while neither of them spoke.

Then, Tola muttered, “It’s funny—I’ve spent the last two years by myself, alone in the galaxy with barely a care in the world. And the moment I make new friends . . . one of them dies.”

Loralona closed her eyes and nodded. “I know the feeling, Tola. Believe me.”

He didn’t seem as if he’d heard her. “Not only that, I caused the death of the person who knew me best in the galaxy.”

Loralona felt her heart quicken. She turned her head and looked into Tola’s eyes. “The woman from the factory?”

He nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t respond.

Loralona bit her lip, struggling to force out her next words. “Were you and her . . .” She swallowed. “. . . close?”

Tola turned to meet her gaze. For the first time today, he smiled. “No. She was no Loralona, Gorgeous.”

Loralona felt herself smile. Without a word, Tola leaned in and kissed her. For a beautiful moment the problems of the galaxy seemed to melt away. Right now they were just a man and a woman, trying to turn their lives around, and lucky to have found each other.

The kiss ended too soon, but when didn’t they? Tola flashed his goofy grin and held her hand in his.

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” he said softly.

“Me, too.”

For a while they simply sat there, together. Gazing out at the stars, Loralona couldn’t help but wonder what her life would be like from now on. The Earth Alliance had paid her everything Tola promised and more. And though they had each earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, Loralona had refused to accept the Earth Alliance’s highest award. Now that she was no longer an assassin, she had become a target for the Shock Syndicate. And that last thing she wanted was to enter the limelight of the galactic populace. Her only request was that her name be kept out of all public reports. Though initially resistant, the Alliance had honored her petition faithfully. Dex and Tola had asked for the same thing, both to help protect her and to avoid celebrity status. Upon hearing this news, Admiral Jassant had merely shaken her head, referring to them as ‘the unsung heroes of our generation’.

Loralona was fine with that. Staying a step ahead of the crime lords was her top priority now. It would keep her sharp, and she was tired of her old job anyway. It was time for something new.

“Any word on Dex?” Tola asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“His surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. The mechanical prosthesis is being specially grafted for a being his size, but it certainly won’t look natural.”

“Better than losing it forever.”

“True enough,” she agreed.

Tola’s attractive features drew into a troubled frown. He glanced down at the floor. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he murmured. “I-I have a confession to make . . . ”

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

“Well,” he began slowly, “do you remember when we first met, shortly after we agreed on your pay for the mission?”

“Yes,” Loralona replied, a pit of dread forming in her stomach.

“At the time I thought you only cared about money; I was worried you would cut and run at the first sign of trouble so I . . . purposefully tried to charm you. I wanted to make sure you were invested in us and would see the mission through.”

Loralona recoiled slightly. “You . . . manipulated me?”

“Only at first. It wasn’t long before the lines between playacting and truth blurred. I had real feelings for you, and it scared me. But that doesn’t erase how it began. I’m sorry I wasn’t completely honest with you from the start.”

Loralona didn’t know what to say. Part of her was relieved that was all there was to his confession. The other part of her felt terrible that she had hidden something much, much worse from him.

She looked away, unable to face his gentle eyes. “That’s all right. Everyone hides things.”

Tola tilted his head. “You—”

A sudden noise cut him short.

Loralona and Tola looked at each other, then at the door.

“What was that?” she asked.

Tola hopped off the bunk, letting go of her hand in the process. “I don’t know. But we’d better check it out.”

Together they left Tola’s room, moving cautiously into the main hold. There was another sound from the starboard room.

Terrik’s room.

They opened the door and found the bounty hunter lying on his bunk. Propped up on his elbows, he turned to look at them, his short black hair messy and disheveled.

“Terrik!” Tola said, rushing to his side.

Loralona followed behind him, a wide smile on her face.

“Terrik, are you all right?” Tola asked.

The bounty hunter answered with a question of his own. “Where are we?”

“In the Varrcaran shuttle we took from Karakk.”

The diagonal scar across Terrik’s left eye contracted as he took on a gravely serious look.

“Did we get him? Is Janus. . . .”

Tola grinned. “Yeah. We got him.”

Terrik smiled as well, then lay flat on his bunk. “Good. I never liked him much.”

Loralona smirked but didn’t say anything.

“Tola,” Terrik said in his gravelly voice, “I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

Terrik fixed him with a hard stare, his brown eyes piercing.

“I need you to help me get my ship back.”

Tola smiled and held out his hand. Terrik reached out and clasped it in his own.

“You got it, buddy. Just as soon as we pick up Dex on Earth.”