[Kie]

It was a good plan, considering how quickly we came up with it. Still, I felt my stomach churn and my chest tighten as I thought about it. This was so far out of my comfort zone. I could have used some of Ben's reckless courage.

Ben. Why did he have to sacrifice himself like that? Why did he have to actually be the noble knight? Now that we were apart, it felt like some of me was missing. We had to get him back.

Ar'ell favored the rescue mission from the start. His face flushed deep hues of blues and greens, expressions of deep emotions. His song became strident and his arm motions exaggerated. This was more than a desire to help a friend. It was also vengeance. The aliens that attacked us were members of the Em'arn, a rival clan. Ar'ell blamed them for the loss of his mate.

Fortunately, Ben still had his viewer and it linked to his survey drone. So I sent Bob out to do some reconnaissance. I felt a welcome release of tension when we saw him sitting on the rocks next to the alien ship. The Em'arn had landed on a rocky saddle between two small peaks, a ridge barely wide enough to accommodate their vessel.

I gathered all my resolve and pushed away my anxiety. I spoke in song the words 'we go, now'.

We approached low from the west, skimming over the ice sheet that surrounded the ridge. I smiled at the irony. Ben's earlier action of bypassing the flyer safety systems, which made me so angry, was what made this mission possible. A grey rocky peak shielded us from Em'arn view. We landed on the only flat area on this side of the peak, one scoped out earlier by Bob.

Step one completed.

I attached a small cylindrical key that Ar'ell provided and a scrawled note onto the drone and sent it away. At my direction, Bob flew over the ridge. We were counting on the bright sun behind the drone to hide its approach since the aliens tend to be sensitive to bright light. Luck was on our side, most of the Em'arn were inside the ship leaving Ben alone outside. He wore some sort of large cuff attached to his leg that would shock him if he wandered.

Ben sat with his head hanging down and legs drawn in. His head jerked up when he noticed Bob hovering before him. The smile that warmed his face warmed me as well. I landed the drone at his feet. After a moment, his grinning face appeared on the drone controller screen as he raised Bob up with one hand. Ben blew me a kiss with his other hand. Even though it was not really a kiss and he was not actually with me, I felt a bit of a flush in my cheeks. I directed Bob to take off and hover high above. He would be our eye in the sky for the rest of the rescue operation.

Step two completed.

Ar'ell's face flushed a deep blue. With a nod, I took off, leaving Ar'ell on the rocks with his lance held high. A wide arcing flight path around another ridge ensured that I was not seen, at least I hoped so. I landed behind the small peak on the east side. Now Ar'ell and I were on opposite sides of Ben. The view from Bob indicated all was going to plan. There was no unusual activity near the Em'arn ship and Ben was waiting per the note that Bob delivered.

Step three completed.

I tucked Ben's stunner weapon into my cargo pants pocket and hiked around the peak. Scrambling over boulders and traversing loose scree on a long steep slope made my heart pound, but I made it. I stopped on a rock overhang that overlooked the spaceship. This was to be the stage of my performance. I flew Bob back near Ar'ell, the signal that I was in position. Rapid waves of blue pulsed on his face, gaving me a measure of confidence.

Step four completed. So far, so good.

My heart skipped a beat when Ben caught my eyes from the distance. He smiled and nodded, crouching ready. If all was to plan, he had already disabled the restraining device with the key.

Ar'ell compared me to an old myth from his world about a mysterious singer who brought peace between warring clans. There were no corresponding words in my language, but a reasonable translation was 'siren singer'. Now I am to leverage that myth. I took a deep breath to calm the tingling sensations that crawled down my spine and to relax my throat.

Here goes...

I sang a vocalise aria accompanied only by the wind, projecting my voice across the ridge. I sang of the vast spaces between hearts and worlds. I sang of reconciliation. I sang of hope. But mostly, I sang for Ben. 

https://youtu.be/7ReSHad4akM

The Em'arn took notice, gathering outside the ship. Looking up, still as statues, their faces turned light blue. They seemed mesmerized by my song. One by one, each of the six black-uniformed aliens crept closer to my stage, like sailors drawn onto the rocks by a siren.

Step five completed.

Ar'ell emerged from behind a pile of large sharp-edged boulders on the other side of the mountain saddle, unseen by the Em'arn. He waved. Ben bolted toward him, shedding the restraining device along the way. I maintained my distraction as long as I could until one of the Em'arn noticed the escape attempt behind them. With a sharp tone, the alien lowered his lance weapon at Ben. He never got off a shot. Ar'ell fired a bright yellow pulse from his lance. A blue-green mist erupted from the enemy's chest.

That was my cue to end the performance. I sprinted back toward the flyer, retracing my steps. The sound of more shots caused my head to turn and I prayed that Ben and Ar'ell were not hit. With my vision diverted, a rock caught my step, sending me tumbling down the scree. I clawed with my hands and dug in with my feet against the loose volcanic rock, trying desperately to halt the slide toward a high cliff that overlooked the ice. The sharp-edged rocks clawed back, cutting into my exposed arms and hands. Finally, I stopped. A cry escaped my lips as I trembled, lying face-down on the sharp rock.

No! I have to keep going. Ben and Ar'ell were counting on me! With new resolve, I got up and continued on, but still struggled against the loose rock, fearful that I may slide again down the slope.

After what seemed like too much time, I reached the flyer. I jumped in and took off with the doors open.

Step six completed. One more step to go, but this would be the most dangerous.

Ar'ell and Ben knelt behind the boulder pile as the four remaining Em'arn fired at them. Chips of rock pelted them as volleys of yellow pulses struck the large boulders around them. Ar'ell returned fire but had little time to aim. They were pinned down. Two of the Em'arn guards moved laterally and around the boulders on both sides, presumably a flanking attempt.

I was not going to allow them to hurt my friends! Flying in from behind, I chose the one on the right. The Em'arn stopped firing, raising hands to shield their faces from the clouds of dust and grit kicked up by the flyer's thrust fans. As I flew by, I drew the stunner gun from my pocket and fired out of the open door. The black-uniformed alien caught the electrical pulse in the stomach. He convulsed and slumped down to the ground.

I hardly believed I did that. The firearm training my father gave me as a girl paid off.

The flyer landed with a hard jolt behind Ben and Ar'ell. I left the fans running as I jumped out and tossed the stunner to Ben. He caught it in the air, swung around, and fired at another alien that rounded the rocks. The pulse downed the alien.

Ar'ell fired as Ben and I leaped into the flyer. Then Ben returned the favor with his stunner as Ar'ell barreled into the back seat. Ben took over the controls and launched the flyer up and to the right. He banked it away from the remaining aliens so the bottom would shield us. With a push of a button, the doors closed.

I felt the joy! I pumped my fists up and yelled. "Wahoo!" That kind of outward celebration was so unlike me, but I didn't care.

Ar'ell mimicked my expression as best he could, lifting his blue-green arms and speaking a tone that vaguely matched my outburst. Ben grinned and loudly sang out the tone for 'yes!' in song. Ar'ell repeated that as well.

Ben lowered his eyes as he swung the flyer around back to the alien spaceship.

I gasped. "Ben, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to make sure they don't come after us."

He maneuvered the flyer beside the spaceship, keeping the ship between us and the remaining hostile aliens. The nose of the flyer contacted the side of the ship with a clunk and a jolt. Opening the throttle, Ben urged the flyer forward, pushing against the ship. Dust clouds churned up around us. After a moment, the spaceship began to slide sideways, scraping against the rocks, closer and closer to the ridge edge. Finally, it tumbled down the rocky embankment, rolling like a huge log, and crashed onto the ice below. We left it laying upside down and sped off.

I leaned back against the seat and blew out a deep breath. As my mind replayed the events, the flutters in my gut came back and I shuddered.

Ben turned to me. "Kie, you're bleeding."

Only then did I notice the salty metallic taste in my mouth and the warm liquid that dripped down the side of my face. Numerous cuts and scrapes marked my hands and arms. Ben dug into his pocket and handed me his bandana. I winced as I pressed it against a cut on my upper cheek. My tongue found a split on my lower lip. I began to feel what would likely become bruises on other parts of my body.

Ben found a suitable landing site and set down. He gently took up my scraped hands and helped me sit down on a flat rock. After retrieving our first aid kit, he knelt before me and gently cleaned each injury. Next came the ointment and bandages. His touch soothed me and at the same time, caused my heart to race.

He paused as his eyes locked onto mine. "Kie, thank you for coming back for me."

I looked down. "We couldn't leave you, Ben. We are in this together."

My eyes rose back up as his hand cupped my cheek, smoothing the bandage edges. We held each other's gaze for several moments. I felt a pleasing warmness well up from my core. Without thinking, I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. He returned the kiss. While still kneeling, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in. The cut on my lip stung but not nearly enough to make me want to pull away.

Oh, I liked this so much...

He released the kiss, licking a droplet of blood I left on his lower lip. I leaned my head down on his shoulder. He whispered, "Kie, you were awesome today."

I smiled. "Thank you. You were fairly awesome yourself."

I lifted my head and kissed him again, wrapping my arms around his neck and pushing my tongue past his lips. He stood up, picking me up in his arms and pulling me into his chest. I closed my eyes and nuzzled my head in the crook of his neck.

"Kie?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you just give me a compliment?"

"Yes, but don't let it go to your head."

"I thought I felt Paradise tremble."

"Shut up, Ben."