Xin Boa
Drifter
Xin felt the moment coming. Or at least, in the days that followed, he imagined he had felt it. There was a flash. He didn't see the bolt, just the flare of red light that caught her features.
His eyes fell at the same moment hers did. For a split second he hoped her biology was different enough that it wasn't a fatal wound. If there was any hope it evaporated in the next instant as she dropped to her knees and her eyes glazed over.
She was dead. Even if she didn't know it yet, she was gone.
Xin heard himself shout out a protest. It was as if the voice came from elsewhere. If Mirax heard him she gave no indication. Her body collapsed to her left and Xin dropped to his knees after her.
The hole through her tunic was wide. The bolt had passed clean through. There was no way back from this. A few minutes of oxygen might still be moving around her brain to keep the spark of life there, but it was a blessing that she had already lost consciousness. As Xin reached out with a trembling hand the monkey-lizard snapped its beak at him and stood over its master’s chest. It turned and ran its small hands through her hair. Instead of screeching it made soft little cooing noises. They became increasingly frustrated as Mirax failed to respond.
Xin just watched this as if he was having an out of body experience. He had almost run away and left her behind. Instead he hadn't. Not this time. His shoulders still ached fiercely from carrying her down flights of stairs.
For nothing. He had made a conscious decision not to run away but to try and help. His actions just seemed to get everyone else hurt.
Her eyes were closed almost peacefully. At least it had been quick. Mirax had barely seen it coming. He hoped that if she was still in there for the last few minutes that she was dreaming of something nice.
“Drop it.”
Xin felt hot metal tapped against the side of one headtail. Stupid. His blaster clattered to the mesh walkway at his side.
“On your feet.” Then, in a different tone: “I've got him. The other one is dead. Let's get out of here.”
Xin's hands balled into fists. Was the man behind him the one who had fired the shot? Why the feth did the universe have to keep doing this to him. Time and again just powerless to stop the violence that seemed to follow him.
“Up!”
Skreech still sat protectively across her chest, but his eyes were turned on the man behind Xin. The monkey lizard screeched. Xin felt the weapon pointed at the back of his head lifted up.
He threw one hand up and the bolt intended for Skreech struck the ceiling. Xin launched himself to his feet and swung his fist around, striking the man across the jaw harder than he had hit anyone in his life.
Xin screamed in rage in the voice that was not his own. He struck over and over as the human fell towards the railings and slumped to the floor. There had been two of them but the other was too busy trying to pull Skreech from his head. He was bleeding heavily from his eyes.
“Off!” Xin shouted. To his surprise Skreech leapt away. The human must have weighed half as much again as the nautolan. Yet Xin thundered into him and tossed him over the railings as if he had been made of paper. The human screamed as he plunged out of sight.
There was no one else to be seen. Xin almost regretted not having anyone else to lash out at. The first man groaned from his prone position. Xin took his blaster from the floor and put four bolts through his chest. He would have kept firing but it was the last of the power pack.
Xin's breath came in short, ragged gasps. The hand holding the trigger hurt so much from throwing his fists out over and over. It hurt even more to pull it from the trigger and leg go of the empty blaster. He cradled it tight to his chest with his other hand. The pain seemed to anchor him back in the moment.
Skreech was back with Mirax, muttering right into her ear. By now that last flicker of life had probably faded. Xin wasn't sure he cared if the creature followed him. As he walked away he hear himself shout for Skreech to follow him. To his surprise the monkey-lizard did.
Mirax was left curled on the end of the walkway just metres from safety. Her ship would stay on the hangar until the warden eventually auctioned it off.
Xin turned his back on another disaster.
His gift. His curse.
His eyes fell at the same moment hers did. For a split second he hoped her biology was different enough that it wasn't a fatal wound. If there was any hope it evaporated in the next instant as she dropped to her knees and her eyes glazed over.
She was dead. Even if she didn't know it yet, she was gone.
Xin heard himself shout out a protest. It was as if the voice came from elsewhere. If Mirax heard him she gave no indication. Her body collapsed to her left and Xin dropped to his knees after her.
The hole through her tunic was wide. The bolt had passed clean through. There was no way back from this. A few minutes of oxygen might still be moving around her brain to keep the spark of life there, but it was a blessing that she had already lost consciousness. As Xin reached out with a trembling hand the monkey-lizard snapped its beak at him and stood over its master’s chest. It turned and ran its small hands through her hair. Instead of screeching it made soft little cooing noises. They became increasingly frustrated as Mirax failed to respond.
Xin just watched this as if he was having an out of body experience. He had almost run away and left her behind. Instead he hadn't. Not this time. His shoulders still ached fiercely from carrying her down flights of stairs.
For nothing. He had made a conscious decision not to run away but to try and help. His actions just seemed to get everyone else hurt.
Her eyes were closed almost peacefully. At least it had been quick. Mirax had barely seen it coming. He hoped that if she was still in there for the last few minutes that she was dreaming of something nice.
“Drop it.”
Xin felt hot metal tapped against the side of one headtail. Stupid. His blaster clattered to the mesh walkway at his side.
“On your feet.” Then, in a different tone: “I've got him. The other one is dead. Let's get out of here.”
Xin's hands balled into fists. Was the man behind him the one who had fired the shot? Why the feth did the universe have to keep doing this to him. Time and again just powerless to stop the violence that seemed to follow him.
“Up!”
Skreech still sat protectively across her chest, but his eyes were turned on the man behind Xin. The monkey lizard screeched. Xin felt the weapon pointed at the back of his head lifted up.
He threw one hand up and the bolt intended for Skreech struck the ceiling. Xin launched himself to his feet and swung his fist around, striking the man across the jaw harder than he had hit anyone in his life.
Xin screamed in rage in the voice that was not his own. He struck over and over as the human fell towards the railings and slumped to the floor. There had been two of them but the other was too busy trying to pull Skreech from his head. He was bleeding heavily from his eyes.
“Off!” Xin shouted. To his surprise Skreech leapt away. The human must have weighed half as much again as the nautolan. Yet Xin thundered into him and tossed him over the railings as if he had been made of paper. The human screamed as he plunged out of sight.
There was no one else to be seen. Xin almost regretted not having anyone else to lash out at. The first man groaned from his prone position. Xin took his blaster from the floor and put four bolts through his chest. He would have kept firing but it was the last of the power pack.
Xin's breath came in short, ragged gasps. The hand holding the trigger hurt so much from throwing his fists out over and over. It hurt even more to pull it from the trigger and leg go of the empty blaster. He cradled it tight to his chest with his other hand. The pain seemed to anchor him back in the moment.
Skreech was back with Mirax, muttering right into her ear. By now that last flicker of life had probably faded. Xin wasn't sure he cared if the creature followed him. As he walked away he hear himself shout for Skreech to follow him. To his surprise the monkey-lizard did.
Mirax was left curled on the end of the walkway just metres from safety. Her ship would stay on the hangar until the warden eventually auctioned it off.
Xin turned his back on another disaster.
His gift. His curse.
