Aura slowed, gliding into the airlock. Lionel, who during the flight had slid further towards her belly, fell to the floor with a grateful sigh. He lay with his arms spread wide, relishing the feel of the ground beneath him.
Surely flying would get easier, right?
He lay motionless long enough that Aura nudged him with her snout, her scales scratching against his face.
“Our second flight was a success.” Aura bounced on her feet.
He laughed breathlessly, his head leaning back once again on the cool tiles. “We have slightly different definitions for success.”
He tensed, shrinking as she pounced over him, her body skimming mere inches above him. It inspired enough energy to sit upright and gain enough height to be close to her eye level.
“You love flying huh?”
She knocked into him, barrelling him over with excitement and sending a confusing image-emotion set of the rush of being in open space.
“I’ll get better at it.” He promised, patting her neck.
“Lionel! You made it back!” The relief was palpable in Rylan’s voice as he opened the airlock to Rover. Rylan’s cheeks were flushed, his cloak crumpled as if he had sprinted all the way there.
Aura growled, extending to her full height and glaring at him.
“He was meant to protect you. Shall I eat him for breaking his oath?”
Lionel tried to jump up but Aura firmly placed herself between them unflinchingly.
“No. No. No. No.” He said shifting beneath her.
Rylan must have noticed the panic in Lionel’s eyes; he suddenly knelt, bowing his head low.
Lionel's panic rocketed.
Was he trying to serve himself up for one swift bite? This wasn’t an execution!
“He’s a friend; he didn't know what would happen.”
“Then he should have done better!” Aura roared, her hot breath filling the airlock.
“She's right,” Rylan said and Lionel wondered if he could suddenly understand her. “I can guess what she’s saying. I didn’t protect you, I took you into danger.” He looked at Lionel, “Wilhelm would have killed you.”
There was no doubt in his eyes.
Lionel wanted to brush it off, to put it to the side but he had a lump of agreement in his stomach.
“It’s not your fault. I came along willingly.”
“I rushed my planning and endangered my crew. I am sorry and it’s not enough.” He remained kneeling speaking to the floor.
Aura’s rumble deepened but she relaxed her stance allowing Lionel to push out from behind her.
“Stand up.” He hissed grabbing Rylan by the shirt collar and hauling him up; not an easy feat considering his height. “Are you trying to get your head bitten off?”
Rylan tilted his head back as if trying to turtle up.
“Why don’t we talk about the treasure instead?” Lionel suggested.
Aura’s eyes flashed with fire but she curled up near Lionel’s backpack and rested her head on her claws, although one talon tapped impatiently.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Lionel drew out the supplies. He carried the black briefcase into the main deck and secured it in a locker. Rylan, with his back to the wall and eyes still glued to Aura, didn’t ask about it. Lionel pulled out the space suits and Aura lifted her head to let out a snort of approval at his ‘new scales’, curling a wreath of smoke around his feet.
“I have Aura’s cut too.” Rylan tossed a pouch towards her, spilling golden coins. “Our other bags are stored for now, with what we took there’s enough to build a new ship!”
“Not enough to roll in.” Aura sounded disappointed, but she curled the coins with her tail tugging them under her belly like a nest of gold. “But a good start.” She conceded.
Lionel left her with her treasure, walking onto the main deck.
“I told Beatrice you were flying an invisible drone invention.” Rylan said following him, “You already used your new technology to spy on Silent Drifter so it didn’t take much to convince her.”
Before Lionel could respond, the energy shifted and they let out a shout. Rover creaked. Lionel's heart rate spiked and his hands flew to his head as he felt an intense squeezing that dropped him to his knees. It ended as quickly as it began but it took them a moment to recover.
“What was that?” Rylan staggered to his feet.
“It felt like a power surge but nothing should be drawing that much energy.” he ran to the window.
“Except that.”
The Dump had activated its home-base shields, giant transparent triangles shimmered outside, wrapping the whole ship in a protective layer.
“A ship-wide threat?”
It sounded ridiculous, The Dump was the size of a small planet, the shields were, up until now, no more than a pointless safety feature.
Lionel looked beyond as one lone ship appeared, followed by another and another until tens of other ships had jumped to their horizon.
“Are we under attack?”
“They’re scavenger ships.” Lionel had worked with the neighbouring CS 4890 and CS 4898 enough times to recognise their vessels. He spoke quietly as if raising his voice would trigger an assault.
Lionel’s interface pinged with a constant stream of messages. Harriet began announcing them a few seconds later, her voice catching and overlapping due to the sheer number.
Open the shield!
Let us enter!
Scavenger home bases under attack.
The interface glitched, suddenly displaying one message and blocking outside communication.
EVACUATION PROCEDURE CS 4897 IN EFFECT
A ship-wide state of emergency has been declared.
Please proceed to the docks immediately and board all CS 4897 vessels.
Private vessels are required to accept maximum capacity prior to initiating jumps.
Penalties will apply for any early departures.
Remain calm and alert.
It came a few seconds too late as damning images flooded the screens seconds before: debris covering the ground, smoke filling the sky as people ran coated in layers of thick dust, melted metal twisted around the stairs and people crushed against the exits, buildings burning melting like candles. CS 4890, the ship so similar to their own, crushed where it stood.
No warning. Lionel thought.
One image carried a simple warning: the Vanguard is coming for you next.
The Dump took a collective breath. A moment of complete stillness like standing within the eye of a storm. Then it broke.
“They’re coming for you and Aura.” Rylan tightened his cloak, grabbed Lionel’s backpack and shoved it into a closet. He collected a loose water bottle and suits, throwing them into mesh pockets to secure them.
Lionel pulled him to a halt. “We need to leave, maybe if we’re not here…”
The thought trailed off. He wasn’t on the other scavenger home bases either.
Harriet interrupted.
Unofficial channels have discussed a scavenger ship sighting - they are suggesting a correlation to the Savannah Sky alert.
Rover.
But the Vanguard wouldn’t know that. They would search for any ship that looked like this.
“You need to go,” Rylan said, he feverently tapped away on his interface.
“Rylan come with me?” He said echoing his request from the docks a few weeks back.
Rylan laughed, a low chuckle without humour.
“Everyone has the evacuation alert - the other ships didn’t get that. We have a head start.”
It wasn’t enough to convince him.
“And Beatrice? Forest? The others?” He shook his head. “Some will make it now but what about when the dragons show up - we’ll become last in line for the ships.”
Already the lower docks were filling up, some people hurried but even from his viewpoint it looked too leisurely: calm and alert. But they had no idea what to be alert for.
“Aura,” Lionel said. “She could fly over - alert them to the danger they’re in.”
“And forever be associated with the destruction of these ships? No. You have a hard enough time ahead of you convincing people that dragons aren’t our enemies,” he looked past the shield, “and this isn’t going to help.” He grabbed a breathing canister from one of Lionel’s new suits, fastening it tightly. “I need to borrow this.” He said. “Fly out. Jump and grow strong.” He looked at Aura. “It was an honour to meet you.” He said and before Lionel had a chance to change his mind or perhaps restrain him within the ship, Rylan turned on his heel and disappeared into the growing throng of people.
Lionel squeezed his eyes shut for a beat. “Harriet - prepare for a trip to Livrarh.”
